Note:  The author has had no veterinary or medical training. She has merely documented her experience with her dog's health problems. Be sure to check with your veterinarian before acting on any information you see here.

PAPER TRAINING
CAGE TRAINING
REWARDS
OBEDIENCE SCHOOL
PLAY
BED TIME

Since Amie knew what the papers were for by the time she was delivered to Mom, we reinforced their use. "Good wee wee papers, Amie." When she used another place, we said, "Kakker no like Amie wee wee here." She learned what "here" means really quickly when she wanted to play ball. "Give Kakker ball here". It seemed like she just was refusing to understand that we did not want her urinating on the carpet. I would use an odor-neutralizer or sometimes vinegar, but it didn't help.

After about a year of living in my Mom's house I couldn't shake an allergy. I decided to remove the wall-to-wall carpeting and found innumerable spots where Amie had urinated - some a little moldy. We scrubbed the floors and aside from some urinary problems, Amie became a regular paper user ever since.

When she wakes up, after a nap, after eating or drinking water, after play or exercise, when she sniffs, when nervous, I say, "Better go now. Amie wee wee papers". She often takes my advice.

For a time I would pick up Amie and say "Kakker like Amie good girl" (while rubbing her ears). "Kakker no like Amie wee wee here," as I patted the kitchen floor. She looked into my eyes not moving a muscle. I took her to her papers and said "Kakker like Amie wee wee papers." I did this dozens of times over two weeks and when she got the point she would turn away from me and do her low growl. This was an important moment for us. Every time she successfully uses the papers I praise her "Good Amie wee wee papers. What a good girl". I dance with delight and rub her ears.

Occasionally, especially with her kidney problems, she doesn't quite make it to her papers. And as she ages she is less able. She knows that Kakker no like Amie wee wee here and she is almost as distressed as we are. So I now put down a towel that at least absorbs the moisture and doesn't destroy the wood floor. I tried a newborn diaper but she just walked right out of it. When she becomes incontinent I wonder what diaper method will work.

Dogs supposedly love the coziness of a wire cage. We tried training her by using a fold-up wire dog crate that my mom used as Amie's bed, but she hated it. She banged her head on the sides, chewed the paint off the metal and looked especially pitiful when put in there. She often would wet her bed. After trying for many months to use the cage for discipline, containment, for a bed, we decided we'd contain her with a dog gate in the kitchen when needed and use a large piled blanket for her bed near us.

REWARDS
 

We tried using food as rewards to get her to sit, stay, etc. She would not "perform" for treats. I am relieved to see that a pet's primary motivation should be to win approval, not to receive a snack. When a dog is on a restricted diet, there are no snacks.

Mom and I took Amie to obedience school. It was a real disappointment. The disiplinarian who ran the camp still seems to me to have been exceptionally cruel. He was a member of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors and was considered the best trainer in our area. This was a man more devoted to mastering the dog and preparing it for show than addressing our basic real world discipline needs. I understand that the same behaviors used in showing are good for training discipline, but I couldn't get excited about the competition aspect or the harshness of his methods. The hallmark of his style was to yell at the dog and make the dog know who is boss by yanking so hard on the leash, that dogs would yelp in pain. There were about 30 dogs, all at least 50 to 100 pounds bigger than Amie. Amie at about 5 pounds was by far the smallest dog among the pit bulls, dobermans, and German shepherds. She shook with fear the whole time. However, she did learn "Halt". When we are walking and I stop, she sits.

Dogs require exercise and playfulness each day. Sometimes its hard to schedule quality time, but I found she makes me laugh and that alone is worth the time. Always end play with positive reinforcement.

I would really like to see a book or video about training dogs using play. What are the bonding games people can enjoy, too, while training a dog? Christmas 1997 we received a game you play with your dog called, "My Dog Can Do That". After a quick review I thought, "No, she can't!" Amie won't perform for rewards, but we are still optimistic and excited about trying it.

Amie loves to play tug of war with Jeff's old socks. Fortunately early on we learned that this could damage her teeth and it creates aggressive behavior. For a long time after we stopped playing tug of war she would bring us the sock and put it into our hands. She finally learned the game was over.

Amie's favorite game is playing catch. She demolished and ingested every ball we gave her until we found blue racquet balls. Put them in the dishwasher to get the stink off and to freshen them. Using the ball she learned a little patience. I would wait until she was paying strict attention to me before throwing the ball. She learned to anticipate where the ball would go before I threw it by looking at my eyes. She would get the ball and I would insist that she place the ball right by my hand "Ball HERE, Amie". Or I would point to a place where I wanted her to put the ball. She wants to play chase the ball so badly she would do exactly as I instructed. I have tried to teach her to put her balls in her toy basket "Put your toys away, Amie" as I collect them and put them away but so far she just watches me clean up after her. Now Amie isn't as motivated to play ball as she once was. She tires quickly and she tells me now how she wants me to throw the ball (throw so she'll have to run or throw so she can catch it in her mouth). I wish when she was younger and I had more energy for training and less frustration at my inability to communicate with her that I would have used the ball to teach her the names of rooms of the house and other words.

Once a friend brought her dog over to play with Amie. Although the male was Amie's size, she hid under the bed. She doesn't like socializing with others. I have asked veterinarians for games to play with Amie and they look at me as if I'd asked them a really dumb question - like everyone should know this.

The cage did not work. The special cotton blankie in a cozy basket didn't work. Amie wanted - demanded - to sleep with us. Everything we read said that was a very bad idea. The pack leader gets the choicest spot. For the first 9 months she stared at us from the floor and refused to snuggle us while we were on the couch watching TV. One day she jumped up and let us hold her. Letting Amie sleep with us was another break-through. We took it as an honor that she would trust us enough to sleep with us. She gets the foot of the bed - not the choicest spot. She bonded with us without thinking she was a person. She was much more willing to please once the battle over sleeping turf had been settled.

Note:  The author has had no veterinary or medical training. She has merely documented her experience with her dog's health problems. Be sure to check with your veterinarian before acting on any information you see here.

BITING
BARKING
CHEWING
STAYING CLOSE OFF THE LEASH
JUMPING

BITING

Amie was a biter. Experts advised to bite back, but I didn't want to inflict pain. She would bite, sometimes breaking the skin. I had to learn what her safe zones were and not invade them. Hand down with the back of the hand facing her is the way to approach. Until I learned that I was bitten quite a bit. One time it really hurt and I was genuinely pained. I said "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Instead of getting mad at her, which is what I usually did, I held my hand and made crying noises. "Poor Kakker", I said as I rubbed my hand. I looked at her with a hurt expression on my face. She came to me and licked my hand. She hardly bites now.

I'm very concerned because, being so small, children think she's a docile toy. She knows that biting is not acceptable behavior, but I am terrified some child will poke her and Amie will bite.

She will sometimes go into a trash basket and pull out a used tissue, chew on it a while and then shred it all over the house. She knows Kakker no like Amie chew paper. I have finally linked it with too high or too low urine pH. Trying to get the tissue away from her is really hard. She won't be distracted by a passing ball and she will bite to hurt if I get too close. If I say "No chew! Danger! Danger! Ick pa hyechh! Drop it" and if she really believes I think it is dangerous (such as a piece of chocolate or a match) she will drop it, but she will guard it as her possession and try to eat it later. Similarly, she will stand guard over a paper clip or scavenged piece of popcorn or a twig. She used to snarl at me and I would snarl back, but that just escalated the tension. I get an unfolded piece of newspaper and cover her face while I rapidly remove the dangerous item. She barks, lunges and tries to bite. I try to excuse her because she is not well.

BARKING

Another really annoying and intractable problem was her barking. Amie barked incessantly. We live on a street with busy foot traffic. A falling leaf could be provocation enough for her to bark and bark. Anyone going by would set her off - children and strollers, especially. There are quite a few stray cats that pass by on their rounds to the local restaurants and that would get really set off a barking tirade.

My sister suggested that we keep her on a leash while I worked at the computer. (She saw this on Matty Margolis' dog training show shown on PBS). I tugged at the leash and said "Amie, no speak" when she barked inappropriately. One time she barked and barked and the tugging wouldn't stop her. I didn't know she was telling me she wanted to get to her papers.

A vet gave me a horse-sized hypodermic syringe without the needle. Filled with water, it had great range - at least 12 feet - and really worked pretty well. Amie no like being squirted with water. Even that didn't seem to work, though.

Then I learned that she thought she was protecting us with her barking. She needed to learn to distinguish when it was appropriate to bark. We began praising her for barking when someone knocked on the door or came onto our property (meter readers, trespassers, stray children, etc.). Once she knew it was good to bark at times, she figured out pretty quickly when it was a "good speak" or a "no speak". This problem lasted a lot longer that it should have and was compounded by her urinary problems, which made her excitable and irritated. Of course, we didn't know that then.

CHEWING
 

Amie was not a very destructive chewer, but she could have been. When she chewed a slipper or piece of underwear we gave her a braided cotton chew-toy and would say, "Good chew, Amie" or "Chew HERE". We found that when she chewed something she was usually trying to get our attention. For example if I am engaged in work, she might filch some of my papers and chew them - "Pay attention to me." We became very careful of where we would throw our worn clothes.She loves napping in dirty laundry.

With her skin problems we have been on her case about chewing off her fur. "Amie, no chew Amie. Kiss Amie." We reinforce her licking herself, but tell her not to pull out her hair. When she can't stop chewing herself, we know she's in allergy trouble.

STAYING CLOSE OFF THE LEASH
 

By far her favorite activity is going to the beach. We have to spell it even in casual conversation because she gets so excited. Call me crazy but I think even a lap dog needs to run free now and then. We live near a beach where it is clearly marked that dogs need to be on a leash. Nobody pays attention to that warning when the crowds aren't there. Amie would run far down the beach and wouldn't hear me call or wouldn't come if she did. Occasionally dead fish wash up onto the beach and I certainly did not want her to eat one. I would take her into the sand dunes away from people or other dogs but one time it took me about 2 hours to finally get her.

One day we were walking down the beach with Amie so far ahead that she looked like a black speck against the sand. Several large dogs came bounding from the parking lot and immediately ran to meet her. She was never in danger, but she didn't know that. She outran them and I scooped her up. If that had not happened I don't know how we would have trained her to stay close to us and come when called. Not a problem anymore. Recently a small poodle was killed by a huskie at a local park. Both dogs were off the leash, so we're a lot more careful now.

JUMPING
 

I stumbled on a way to teach her a lesson. She had been jumping on guests. "No jump, Amie. Kakker no like Amie jump." She would ignore me. All the dog expert advice said to knee the dog in the chest when jumping. I couldn't do it - even for her and my own good. I would pick her up and hold her tightly to contain her from jumping all over whoever walked in the door. One time I put her in the kitchen with access to her papers, food and water and leaned a doggie door (a good-framed collapsible mesh device) in the doorway. I said "Kakker no like Amie jump. Amie go to jail." She could see us, but couldn't play with us. She immediately understood. After a few moments I picked her up, petted her and whispered "Kakker no like Amie jump, okay?" From that moment she has really wanted to jump, but doesn't. And if she has been testing me in other ways I don't yell, I quietly ask, "Amie wanna go to jail?" She stops doing what she shouldn't do.This has caused some confusion when I have wanted to contain her such as when the chimney sweep is working, but I tell her "Amie good girl, Amie stay here, okay?" And she seems to know the difference between containment and solitary confinement.

Even with such good intentions, what a dis-service our ownership has been to this poor puppy. I can't say strongly enough that if you don't have the knowledge and time to properly train a dog, you shouldn't have one. Amie was an orphan, though, and I think we've made up lost ground and loved her quite well.

Forward to: Amie's Forum
Go to: Top of Page
Back to: Training
Return to: Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones and Allergic Dermatitis main page

106090