Sunday, June 19th, 2011:

I've come up with a new possible solution to the litterbox problem. Here it is:

Original placement of Maggie's litterbox:

New placement (not the best fashion statement, but it will do temporarily):

I called Hannah over to see if she could get in there. She was able to poke her head into the box, but, when she tried to back up, she gave a little yelp because she kind of got stuck, I think, in backing into the toilet supply line that's back there. She got out, but I don't think she'll be trying that again soon!

Maggie, being a slinky cat, can get in there okay.

I don't think I'll have to do this for very long (Maggie's food on top of the refrigerator and her litterbox turned this way), though, because today I've noticed Hannah whimpering as she's having a harder time getting through the cat door. (So I think she's just beginning to be too big for it — YAY!)

   

Monday, June 20th, 2011:

I just discovered something I've been wondering about — Hannah loves water! As we've been going on our walks, Hannah always seemed to avoid sprinklers we would come across as we'd walk through the neighborhood. So, I was wondering if she just didn't like getting wet.

Well, today is super hot, so I thought, why don't I turn on the back lawn sprinklers and see whether she'll run through them? Well, I turned them on, and Hannah loved it!! She ran through the sprinklers over and over, and then seemed fascinated by one sprinkler head, catching the spray with her mouth and pawing at it over and over.

I'm thinking of buying one of those kiddie wading pools to see if she'd like that.

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011:

Been a while since I last posted anything here, huh? Well, Hannah and I have been getting into our routine of morning and evening walks, 3-times-a-day feedings, play, and, of course, our weekly puppy class.

I did end up getting a kiddie pool for Hannah. At first I got a cheapie inflatable one, but that didn't last very long; Hannah punctured it right away. So, I ended up getting a hard plastic one at PetSmart; it's about 3 feet in diameter and is indestructable, just right for Hannah. It's been really hot lately, and oftentimes I'll find Hannah coming back into the house a bit wet; she apparently jumps into it and splashes around for a while.

WALKING ADVENTURES:

Another new thing . . . on our walks, Hannah had started to pull on the leash. In the first half of our walk, she was fine — no pulling, trotting nicely next to me. But halfway through the walk, she would start pulling. I tried everything — jerking slightly on the leash, stopping whenever she'd pull and waiting until she'd ease up and sit before I'd start walking again (that's fun — NOT! — makes for very slow progress in our walk), giving her treats when she walked without pulling, etc., etc. I even tried a choke chain (not the ones with prongs) — that worked somewhat, as it can sit a bit higher on her neck, but not terribly well, either.

Finally, a couple of days ago, I tried out one of those "Halti" head collars. What do you know — it works!!! It's almost magical how, immediately (after Hannah stopped her initial protests about wearing it), it changed how Hannah walks. No more need to jerk or pull the leash to try to control her! All I have to do is very gently pull a little on the leash, and she eases up. In fact, it seems that just having it on makes her not try to pull at all. It's weird how instantly it worked. And, today, the second day I've used it with her, she didn't protest at all about me putting it on her (the first day I had to bribe her by giving her a treat with my hand through the muzzle loop).

 

 

 

If you've never seen one before, here's a photo of one:

When you first see one on a dog, it looks awful and like a muzzle. But, actually, it's not uncomfortable at all, once the dog gets used to having it on. It's designed kind of like a horse halter (thus, the name "Halti"); the idea is, where the head points, that's where the dog will go. Also, the leash is no longer connected to the regular collar, down on the strongest part of the dog's neck; thus, the dog doesn't have the power to pull that he previously had. When you pull on the leash, it turns the dog's head towards you, and that's where his body must follow! Thus, no more pulling forward.

One loop goes around the back part of the muzzle, still enabling the dog to open his mouth, pant, eat, drink, or bark. The other loop sits high on the neck, fastening just behind the ears. There's a safety loop that you clip to the regular collar (just in case the Halti ever comes off, which is unlikely if you adjust it correctly); that way, you will still have control of the dog, should the Halti ever come off. The leash clips to a ring below the muzzle loop; when you pull on the leash (or the dog pulls on it), the muzzle loop tightens; when there is no pulling, the muzzle loop is loose and relaxed.

Here's a quick photo of Hannah with her Halti on (couldn't get a great photo of it — whenever I take the camera out, she keeps moving around or wants to nose the camera):