Stubborn Dog, Novice Owner

Rest to Tame Too Much Energy?

October 24, 2022October 21, 2022Diane J.

“My dog has too much energy. We’ve gone for our walk and she’s still racing around like a lunatic and not listening.”

Does Your Dog Have Too Much Energy?

We’ve been through this phase with Pandora. I guess, I shouldn’t say “Phase” because we still have moments where it seems like Pandora has way too much energy.

As a puppy, Pandora could work herself into a frenzy at the tiniest sound of movement anywhere in the house. Now days, I take her out to the trails and give her some good exercise. For her breed, she needs that exercise. While I will walk 3- to 5-miles, Pandora runs and bounds through the tall grass, runs ahead and races back to me, and tromps through the creeks. If I put a pedometer on her, I’m sure her mileage would nearly double mine.

You would think with all the exercise and mental stimulation of sniffing so many new scents, she’d be pooped when we got home. She’s not. She’s never walked in the door and even attempted to feign exhaustion. What she does do, is race through the door and grab her Frisbee and then throw it at me. She wants to continue the fun.

What Your Dog May Need is Rest

At first glance, I, and others, assume Pandora has just too much energy.

In reality, she needs a reminder that she needs a break.

This is very common in puppyhood. Whenever, Pandora was over-stimulated, I would bring her into my office with me and shut the door. That was her cue to calm down. She would pace for a few seconds, then flop on the floor, sigh, and rest. After about ten or fifteen minutes, I could open my office door and she’d be fine.

So, if there is a particular time when your dog has too much energy, try taking him to a calm place with you. If your dog is crate trained, put him in the crate. If your dog is “place” trained, have him go to his “place.” Give them a good ten or fifteen minutes to settle the wild hair and then release him, calmly.

What tips have you discovered that calm your dog down? Share with us in the comments.

Favorite Dog Items, Leashes, harness, etc…

May 16, 2022May 16, 2022Diane J.

There was a learning curve for us with leashes, collars, harnesses and other items before we found our favorite dog items.

This is Part Two. Go Here for Part One.

All items aren’t for all dogs. It seems so obvious at first. We wouldn’t put a collar meant for a Chihuahua on Border Collie, but what about all those collars in the medium dog size? Is there really a difference between a Martingale Collar and a regular collar? Or two similar looking regular collars? Yes, yes, there is a difference.

Favorite Dog Items: Collars

Pandora came with an adorable pineapple and flower printed collar and a puppy leash. The cuteness! But like all puppies she grew fast, and we needed to replace her collar and leash.

So off I went to the pet store. After choking on the price of collars, I came home and hit Amazon. Then, after a few hours on Amazon, I had to ask myself questions: Does she need a lead? A Martingale collar, a regular collar, an e-collar? Heck, if I knew.

Since, I couldn’t decide, I just got one that was basic, the Blueberry Pet Essentials Classic Collar (it has pretty good reviews and lots of color options) and it was what we needed.

It lasted and grew with her. It was easy to clean and never broke or frayed. It did get a little dingy after a good year and a half, despite all the washings. Pandora is into many things, she goes through every mud puddle, she slides across the grass, she tries to roll on cougar scat and deceased animals on hikes. The collar also went through Roxie’s stage of yanking Pandora around by it. But that collar held in there. Since it worked so well, we bought it again.

Favorite Dog Items: Leashes

I know, there are a ton of leashes out there. And we tried many of them. We tried the retractable leash – doesn’t work well with training leash manners. And it completely failed when I was trying to keep her near me as a man jogged by. Pandora liked that someone was faster than me and the darn thing snapped when she took off.

So, I went back to the basics. I don’t snub basics.

We did buy a cheap basic leash once, I learned never again to buy a leash that had some slick coating on it. When you need to get a hold of your dog, you need something that has a good solid grip. The slick leash gave me “rope” burns. Ditto the retractable leash, you are stuck with that plastic handle and if you need more control, you’re S.O.L (snot out of luck).

I don’t have a link for this leash because Amazon no longer has the one we bought and I’m not going to recommend one we haven’t tried. Pandora is a mid-size dog she’s just shy of 40 pounds, and that is mostly muscle. She’s a bit thinner than most Australian Cattle Dogs. We got a 4′ leash that has a 1″ width and a solid metal clasp. That thing is great although it does have a small nibble on it, it’s still strong and not unravelling.

Know your dog, know what you can handle and what you need. Feel the material of the leash and make sure it won’t shred up your hand.

Favorite Dog Items: Kennels

When we first Pandora home, we were going to forgo the kennel. But I kept reading that for easy and fairly quick potty training, the kennel is the way to go. We didn’t have a dog kennel, but we did have a cat carrier that Pandora didn’t mind. Of course, she was just a little round ball of cuteness so she fit.

We hopped on Amazon and got one ordered. And it arrived in the nick of time, little miss was barely squeezing into the old crate. We’d bought an Amazon Basics? I’m not positive. It worked for us, but doesn’t have the better ratings that this one has, which is identical:

Favorite Harness

Yes, I caved and bought a harness. Have I mentioned the difficulties of getting Pandora to walk on sidewalks or paths anywhere near vehicles? Oy Vey!

We love this harness because it has a little stretch, which came in handy to prevent chafing on little miss when I put it on too tight one time. Pandora’s friend Roxy got one in a different color and she wears it all the time. Still holding up after two years of use.

Our Favorite Fence

Let’s face it, Pandora’s a cattle dog through and through. If we don’t give her a boundary, she’ll herd everything within a four-mile radius to our yard. My husband and I couldn’t agree on the type of structural fence and cost, so we went with the invisible fence.

I know many people are concerned about the fence, but it’s been a great fence. You have different levels of intensity: Level one is a beep and vibration. Level two is beep and light zap and so on until level four where it’s a pretty decent zap.

I was a bit upset the first time Pandora got zapped, I felt horrible when she yelped. Here’s the thing, it was mostly out of surprise. I didn’t have it on the highest setting, I had it on the first zap.

Another thing, this company stood behind their product and were excellent to deal with. We had screw pop out of the box on the collar and they sent a replacement immediately. No hassle. Phenomenal customer service. The PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Pet Fence.

Favorite Pet Food Storage Container

There are all sorts of storage containers out there. We got the Gamma 2 Vittles Vault (I love saying “Vittles Vault”) one and have been pretty content with it. I always feel like I’m breaking into a safe when I spin the lid. It’s solid and keeps the food dry and stale-free.

Our Newest Favorite Item

The car-seat cover. This has been a life saver…well, for the car seat material anyway. It is the Vailge Dog Seat Cover for Back Seat.

This thing is awesome! Especially, when Pandora took off through a mud field. Or after her many swims. Or when she’s in full shedding mode. Cleanup is a breeze. Most of the time, I just shake it out and we’re good to go. I’ve thrown it in the wash (after Pandora’s mud romp) and it’s been fine. I didn’t put it through the dryer. It’s easy in, easy out. Saves the car from a hair-fest during shedding season. I can’t rave about this enough.

New Puppy

August 3, 2020September 19, 2023Diane J.

Picking up our new puppy

Adding a new puppy to our household was not the greatest planned event in our life.

My husband likes dogs, but he was done with them when we got a wild child early in our life as husband and wife. If you’ve ever watched Funny Farm with Chevy Chase, we got dog number one.

So, when my husband texted me that he was at an account with a bunch of cute puppies, I thought nothing of it. He likes looking at puppies but he had sworn off ever having a dog in the home again. The next day he was back at the same account, and he texted that the puppies were all cute, but one was really cute. Something in that text stood out, a soft spot. A little something more than just a “cute puppy.”

When he told me about the puppy that evening, I knew his wall was crumbling. The next day he told me I should come down and see them. As I drove down to his account, I was resolved to get this pup. I didn’t care what the breed was, I didn’t care what it looked like, I just knew this would be my chance to get another dog. But I also didn’t want to get my hopes up because I kept thinking my husband would remember our first dog and that little soft spot would close up like Fort Knox. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. I fell in love with her at first touch. My husband’s soft spot opened wide and we declared ownership/familyship, whatever you want to call it.

We waited five long days to bring her home. As we waited, I dove down the puppy-training rabbit hole.

Day One with our new puppy

Pandora came home with us on March 27th. She is an Australian Cattle Dog and, according to the lady we adopted her from, “1/8 Border Collie.” We are all suckers for Pandora’s expressive eyes, she has us wrapped tight around her little tail.

Day one went well. Much better than I anticipated. You see when I dove down the research rabbit hole, I came across many warning videos of ACD’s. What to know before you get one. And some of the information was concerning. But most people quelled that concern by making sure we spend lots of time on training.

What Pandora Knows

The lady we got Pandora from had already started training her to “sit.” We are incredibly lucky that she seems to be doing that all on her own, even at the door before we go outside.

So, we continue with “sit” and also are working on “Leave it.”

The First Night

First day home we ooh-ahhed and molly-coddled her. We let her sleep with us. This wasn’t fully intentional. We didn’t have a crate. Amazon is overwhelmed right now so the crate won’t arrive until the end of April.

So we figured “why not? maybe we don’t need a crate.” Thankfully, the next day I was back on Amazon and ordering the kennel. We have a cat crate that she fits in, so we’re saying a prayer that the crate will hold her until the kennel gets here.

Nothing bad happened the first night, she was super happy and did fabulously. I took her to bed at 11:00, she woke for a potty break at 4:20 and then back to bed until 7:30 am. That seems like a pretty sweet system.

Day Two

Another great day, but I made a note, that I’m going to have to leave her alone at some point. Right now, I have her by my side all the time. If she’s not with me, the kids are tasked to watch her while I shower or grab a bite to eat.

Pandora’s favorite activity so far is the pull toy.

The second evening went well enough. We put her in the crate, she whined and then screamed for about 5 minutes before settling into a whimper and finally falling asleep. She slept until 5 something, ran out for a quick potty break, and back to sleep until 7:30.

She is getting better with “leave it” in an undistracted environment.

Day Three

Pandora is fairly calm. She’s only eight weeks old, she still sleeps a lot.

She entertained herself for a few minutes. So proud of her.

We have progressed more with “leave it” and she is starting to take a bit better to the leash.

The Third Night with Our New Puppy

I must remember she is still a new puppy. She has been doing well, but she spoiled me the first couple of nights.

Last night we (Pandora and I) were up at 3:00 and 5:20. She went back to bed quickly after the three o’clock potty break. Not so quickly after the 5:20 break. I got her to rest for a little over an hour and napped at the same time. Final wake-up call 7:30.

Current Day (day 4)

She has been sluggish this morning. Growth spurt? Too many training snacks? Ate something she shouldn’t have outside. She’s a cross between a Dyson on steroids and a goat. She can suck up anything in the blink of an eye and doesn’t care whether it’s edible or not. I’ve fished rocks, twigs, weed tree seedlings, deer droppings, and moss from her mouth.

She’s been stealing the cats’ toys and I had to do a Google search to make sure all the catnip she inhaled is okay for dogs. Apparently, it’s fine, it acts as a tranquilizer. Maybe that’s why she’s sleeping so much?

As I started this post I was concerned that maybe she was sick, but since that point, she has gone on a major tear. She had me running in the yard (good exercise) and I have her on a leash because I’m trying to nix all the nibblings. Because the little land shark attacked my boots. They aren’t even real Uggs, just some fake ones. But apparently, they are super awesome to attack.

Things started getting chaotic with her running over, ripping at my boots, and then dashing off and trying to grab anything to eat (I feed her plenty). I tugged on the leash a few times before I tried “leave it.” That was successful twice, so we’re making progress, WooHoo!

She’s learned “look at me” in a mostly distraction-free environment. Still, need to work on it more.

Tomorrow is her first check-up with the vet.

If you want to follow Pandora as she grows, please check out our Instagram account: @SubbornDogNoviceOwner. 🙂

This piece was originally posted on my other website: DianeDeMasi.com on March 31,2020.
Edited: September 19, 2023