I don't know what's going on, but Maya has been driving me crazy! For some reason, she insists on chewing on things she's not supposed to chew on. I know puppies like to chew on things, that's why she has chew toys.
Lately, she's decided that her toys are no longer fun and she'd rather chew on my things. Yesterday, she destroyed a nail file; Tuesday, she attacked a crochet hook; Monday, she chewed a pencil to bits; Sunday, she got a hold of a pen. I forget what she got into before that. And before you say I should keep a better eye on her or keep things out of her reach, all of this happened while I was in the shower, and I thought I had put everything out of her reach.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I have to find a way to stop this. She never used to chew on my things, but it looks like that's changing. I need to find a way to stop this behavior before it gets out of hand. Any suggestions?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Hissy Fit
Maya may finally be learning not to play with stray cats. A friend has two cats that play with Maya as if they were dogs. I think this is really cute, except that now Maya thinks she supposed to play with cats, not chase them. And the stray cats around here haven't gotten that memo.
Whenever Maya sees a cat now, she gets real excited and starts pulling me towards it. Of course, the cat thinks it's about to become dinner, so it takes off running. Maya's actually been able to get close to a couple of the cats, mainly because they were frozen in place, too terrified to take off running. I don't let her get close enough to touch them, or to where they could get at her, but she has gotten within a couple of feet. And then I pull her away and she whines.
Yesterday, we were coming back from our walk when she spotted a cat in the bushes. I didn't see it immediately, and that meant she was able to get a little closer than normal. This cat didn't take off running like the others had. Instead, it stood its ground, arched its back, and hissed at Maya. Maya's tail immediately stopped wagging and she slowly backed away. Then she grabbed her leash in her mouth and pulled me in the other direction, all the while keeping an eye on the cat, just in case it decided to make a run for us.
I'm not sure how she's going to react the next time we come across a cat, whether she'll try to play with it again or not. We didn't see any cats while on our walk today, so we'll have to wait until next time. And I'm also wondering whether this cat passed out a memo to the other cats as to how to keep Maya away from them......
Whenever Maya sees a cat now, she gets real excited and starts pulling me towards it. Of course, the cat thinks it's about to become dinner, so it takes off running. Maya's actually been able to get close to a couple of the cats, mainly because they were frozen in place, too terrified to take off running. I don't let her get close enough to touch them, or to where they could get at her, but she has gotten within a couple of feet. And then I pull her away and she whines.
Yesterday, we were coming back from our walk when she spotted a cat in the bushes. I didn't see it immediately, and that meant she was able to get a little closer than normal. This cat didn't take off running like the others had. Instead, it stood its ground, arched its back, and hissed at Maya. Maya's tail immediately stopped wagging and she slowly backed away. Then she grabbed her leash in her mouth and pulled me in the other direction, all the while keeping an eye on the cat, just in case it decided to make a run for us.
I'm not sure how she's going to react the next time we come across a cat, whether she'll try to play with it again or not. We didn't see any cats while on our walk today, so we'll have to wait until next time. And I'm also wondering whether this cat passed out a memo to the other cats as to how to keep Maya away from them......
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Cold Season
I recently learned that cough drops are ok for a puppy. I'm not suggesting that you feed them as treats or meals, but an occasional cough drop or ten doesn't hurt anything.
Like most people, I tend to leave things on top of my nightstand. Maya has realized this, and believes anything I leave out is actually a treat for her. I got out of the shower the other day and Maya did not come up running to me, which means she got into something she shouldn't have. So I started my search. It didn't take me long to realize that there was something in her mouth. She ran off when I told her "drop," so I had to trade her for a Cheerio. It ended up being a half eaten (and still half-wrapped) cough drop. A quick scan of my bedroom revealed two empty wrappers with tiny teeth holes.
So I learned two things that day. First, don't leave cough drops on the night stand. Second, cough drops have a lot of sugar and make puppies very hyper. At least she didn't get sick.
Like most people, I tend to leave things on top of my nightstand. Maya has realized this, and believes anything I leave out is actually a treat for her. I got out of the shower the other day and Maya did not come up running to me, which means she got into something she shouldn't have. So I started my search. It didn't take me long to realize that there was something in her mouth. She ran off when I told her "drop," so I had to trade her for a Cheerio. It ended up being a half eaten (and still half-wrapped) cough drop. A quick scan of my bedroom revealed two empty wrappers with tiny teeth holes.
So I learned two things that day. First, don't leave cough drops on the night stand. Second, cough drops have a lot of sugar and make puppies very hyper. At least she didn't get sick.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Grand People
If you've ever seen Bolt, you may remember that Bolt refers to Penny as his person throughout the movie. Random movie lines have always stuck in my head, and for this movie the line is: But she's my person! And somewhere along the way, instead of Maya being my dog, I became her person too.
My parents recently came for a visit, and my mom referred to me as Maya's person. She thought this was pretty funny. But for some reason, she didn't appreciate me calling her Maya's grand person. The way I see it, if I'm her person and they're my parents, they have to be her grand people (grand persons?). She doesn't share this line of thought, but she still refers to me as her person. Go figure.
My parents recently came for a visit, and my mom referred to me as Maya's person. She thought this was pretty funny. But for some reason, she didn't appreciate me calling her Maya's grand person. The way I see it, if I'm her person and they're my parents, they have to be her grand people (grand persons?). She doesn't share this line of thought, but she still refers to me as her person. Go figure.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Calm Down!
Two weeks ago, Maya went back to the vet for followup on her broken leg. Unfortunately, the vet put her on four more weeks of restricted activity -- no running, no jumping. I swear this vet has never had a puppy before. If she had, she would know how impossible it is to keep a little one calm for long.
Like tonight, it's 11:00 pm and instead of going to bed, I'm playing tug-o-war with Maya. Why? Because it's the only way I can keep her from running around like a mad woman. She gets these bursts of energy at 10:00 pm every night. At 9:59 pm, she's fast asleep. At 10:00 pm, the sprinklers come on and she's up and full of energy for at least an hour. My options are either play with her and try to keep her calm (hence the tug-o-war) or put her in her kennel and make her go back to sleep (after she cries for a while). I went with option 1.
I don't really mind her being up, and I didn't used to mind her running around, but with her leg not completely healed, it's just not a good idea. So the bad news is we play tug-o-war with her leash and it gets a little more torn up. The good news is she definitely feels better.
Like tonight, it's 11:00 pm and instead of going to bed, I'm playing tug-o-war with Maya. Why? Because it's the only way I can keep her from running around like a mad woman. She gets these bursts of energy at 10:00 pm every night. At 9:59 pm, she's fast asleep. At 10:00 pm, the sprinklers come on and she's up and full of energy for at least an hour. My options are either play with her and try to keep her calm (hence the tug-o-war) or put her in her kennel and make her go back to sleep (after she cries for a while). I went with option 1.
I don't really mind her being up, and I didn't used to mind her running around, but with her leg not completely healed, it's just not a good idea. So the bad news is we play tug-o-war with her leash and it gets a little more torn up. The good news is she definitely feels better.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Pet Insurance
With Maya's recent injury (and the crazy vet bills associated with it), I decided I should probably look into getting some pet insurance. This is something that I had never considered before. I barely have insurance; why should I get some for a dog? Well, now I know.
If you've ever looked into getting insurance for yourself, you know how time-consuming it can be. Luckily, it's a little easier finding something for a pet. While it did take a couple of hours, I think I found the right one for us. I opted for "Accident Only" coverage. I figure I can take care of her regular appointments and vaccinations, etc; I just need a little help in case another 4-digit bill comes my way.
One thing I didn't count on was a broken leg being considered a pre-existing condition. I knew things like diabetes and hip dysplasia would be considered pre-existing conditions, but a broken leg? So basically, if she breaks any leg in the next 12 months, it won't be covered. While I'm hoping she never breaks one again, I was also hoping if she did, I'd have some coverage. Oh well.
If you've ever looked into getting insurance for yourself, you know how time-consuming it can be. Luckily, it's a little easier finding something for a pet. While it did take a couple of hours, I think I found the right one for us. I opted for "Accident Only" coverage. I figure I can take care of her regular appointments and vaccinations, etc; I just need a little help in case another 4-digit bill comes my way.
One thing I didn't count on was a broken leg being considered a pre-existing condition. I knew things like diabetes and hip dysplasia would be considered pre-existing conditions, but a broken leg? So basically, if she breaks any leg in the next 12 months, it won't be covered. While I'm hoping she never breaks one again, I was also hoping if she did, I'd have some coverage. Oh well.
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