I just have to keep telling myself that ONE day I will have a dog that will NOT pee on the floor, will NOT require six different pills twice a day, WILL NOT need "just one more" MRI, CT scan, Xray or Ultrasound.
One day, things WILL be normal and I will NOT live 24 hours a day wondering "what next"
One day...
The strangest thing? that day will be the day that I find things odd, or abnormal.
*sigh*
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Dear Mom
Hey mom, its me, Lexxington.
You've been bad about updating my blog.. so I figured that I would do it for you.
I was just wondering WHY you came home with another dog? I mean.. was I not good enough for you? I know that I'm not perfect, but its really not my fault. I don't MEAN to pee on the floor, i just CANT hold it mom, I swear. Sometimes I don't even know that I'm doing it... it just happens.
She seems like a nice enough dog, and KINDA looks like a doberman, she plays like a doberman... her ears are fun to eat too, so I'm glad that she still has them. She's fun to play with even though she wins at tug every single time and its a bit hard on a boy's confidence level.
I cannot for the life of me understand why she won't listen about the DRAGONS in the pond. She keeps jumping right on in there, even when I bark and tell her that its not a good idea, she just. won't. listen.
Also, why am I not allowed to jump on her head all day long? I just want to play you know, I'm only a baby. I know that you're worried about my brain getting hurt, but I promise, I'll play very carefully.
Its ok that you brought another dog home mom, as long as she realizes that I"M your little prince and that all my wants and needs come FIRST oh.. and she doesn't try to push me away from you for cuddles. That is the only time I will growl at her mom, I promise, and just a little bit.
You've been bad about updating my blog.. so I figured that I would do it for you.
I was just wondering WHY you came home with another dog? I mean.. was I not good enough for you? I know that I'm not perfect, but its really not my fault. I don't MEAN to pee on the floor, i just CANT hold it mom, I swear. Sometimes I don't even know that I'm doing it... it just happens.
She seems like a nice enough dog, and KINDA looks like a doberman, she plays like a doberman... her ears are fun to eat too, so I'm glad that she still has them. She's fun to play with even though she wins at tug every single time and its a bit hard on a boy's confidence level.
I cannot for the life of me understand why she won't listen about the DRAGONS in the pond. She keeps jumping right on in there, even when I bark and tell her that its not a good idea, she just. won't. listen.
Also, why am I not allowed to jump on her head all day long? I just want to play you know, I'm only a baby. I know that you're worried about my brain getting hurt, but I promise, I'll play very carefully.
Its ok that you brought another dog home mom, as long as she realizes that I"M your little prince and that all my wants and needs come FIRST oh.. and she doesn't try to push me away from you for cuddles. That is the only time I will growl at her mom, I promise, and just a little bit.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
dealing with a sister
As some of you know, Kyle and I have been fostering a 6yo red and tan female doberman named Bristol for the last two weeks.
Originally I was worried about how Lexx might react to having a second dog around the house. He's always been well behaved around dogs at the park, or on the street, or that are visiting, but he's never had to deal with another dog around 24 hours a day.
Of course, being the spoiled rotten thing that he is, I was worried that he might be jealous or annoyed. I was also worried that he might play too hard, or bother the older gal.
Well, two weeks have gone by and things are going very well. Of course, I've spent every waking hour watching the two of them together. They are never allowed to be left alone together when we are gone from home and they cannot be observed. Lexx gets to go to work with Kyle during the day every day, keeping his routine consistent, and Bristol stays home out in the dog area of the house. When we leave them both, Bristol is crated and Lexx gets to stay out because I still worry about him banging his head on the top of his crate.
Their play, originally hesitant on Bristol's side, has become rough and tumble dober play including a lot of noise, jumping and grumbling. They tumble around the yard with me maintaining my calm even though I'm terrified that Lexx will damage his shunt. Its nice to see them being dogs, anyone that didn't know dobermans would think that they were attacking each other.
Bristol loves to grab a quick swim in the pond and Lexx, of course, plays lifeguard. As if he'd put so much as a toe in that cold, icky, dark, scary water.
Its nice for Lexx to have a sister for awhile.
Originally I was worried about how Lexx might react to having a second dog around the house. He's always been well behaved around dogs at the park, or on the street, or that are visiting, but he's never had to deal with another dog around 24 hours a day.
Of course, being the spoiled rotten thing that he is, I was worried that he might be jealous or annoyed. I was also worried that he might play too hard, or bother the older gal.
Well, two weeks have gone by and things are going very well. Of course, I've spent every waking hour watching the two of them together. They are never allowed to be left alone together when we are gone from home and they cannot be observed. Lexx gets to go to work with Kyle during the day every day, keeping his routine consistent, and Bristol stays home out in the dog area of the house. When we leave them both, Bristol is crated and Lexx gets to stay out because I still worry about him banging his head on the top of his crate.
Their play, originally hesitant on Bristol's side, has become rough and tumble dober play including a lot of noise, jumping and grumbling. They tumble around the yard with me maintaining my calm even though I'm terrified that Lexx will damage his shunt. Its nice to see them being dogs, anyone that didn't know dobermans would think that they were attacking each other.
Bristol loves to grab a quick swim in the pond and Lexx, of course, plays lifeguard. As if he'd put so much as a toe in that cold, icky, dark, scary water.
Its nice for Lexx to have a sister for awhile.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
seizure-May 26 2009
Lexx seizured last night around 12:30 am...
length: around 1 minute
reduced paddling from normal, no bowel control loss, excessive drooling present.
No post ictal pacing, he just fell asleep on my lap, panting and drooling.
no signs that he's any worse for wear this morning other than exhaustion ( on both of our parts! )
length: around 1 minute
reduced paddling from normal, no bowel control loss, excessive drooling present.
No post ictal pacing, he just fell asleep on my lap, panting and drooling.
no signs that he's any worse for wear this morning other than exhaustion ( on both of our parts! )
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Training update and improvements
First of all! A TRAINING UPDATE!
its been months I know, but here we go!
I decided that Lexx needs to do a little bit of obedience work. Not because he's badly behaved or impolite, but I'd like to think that being mentally stimulated is healthy for any creature, man or dog.
We cut up some cheese pieces, pulled out his training equipment and strolled to the one flat spot on the property where I used to train frequently.
Keeping in mind that Lexx now MUST wear a halter, I no longer have any control of his head, and NO ability to correct.
We started with some simple focus exercises. At first he was a bit skimpy on the focus, but over the course of a few minutes I built it up, starting with him in a front, then at my side in heel position. Once he realized that there was CHEESE involved, he was much happier to start "lovingly" into my eyes.
We then started working on heeling again. its been so long that I've gone right back to the beginning, re teaching him to spring off his hind end on the first step, to keep his head up and attention on ME. We worked one step at a time. He remembered the exercises well and performed them better than I had expected he would.
We then worked on stays ( difficult because I kept waving my arms around to get the bugs out of my face and poor lexx didn't know if that meant come, or what!) and started working on finishes to the left again.
His finishes were actually REALLY good, and after a few times luring him, he would do it all on his own.
The best news out of all of this? HIS SITS! They are still FAR from perfect, but they HAPPEN! and STRAIGHT! I have noticed lately that his trot has been much more even in the hind end. He still runs weird, but his trot is SO much better. Maybe the strangeness of movement in the hind is being corrected due to his surgery and this makes the sits easier. Maybe his brain is working better and he understands what I WANT better, I have no clue, but I'm happy about it.
I then decided to teach him something new, the moving stand. Its a strange thing to try since its not required until higher levels of obedience, but the move has always interested me, so I thought hey, why not.
Lexx doesn't have a good kickback stand yet ( same as the problem with the tuck sit... doesn't do well with hind end exercises here...) but he does know that STAND means STAND and stay still. I use it at the vet on a REGULAR basis ( being much more regular than your typical dog at the vet), I use it when i'm checking him for ticks, brushing him, or just observing his sutures etc.
So.. Here we go. Lexx FUS.. lexx STAND, drop the leash and I keep walking. Here I expect a little dober nose going mom? what? i'm here? what? Or at least some tentative foot moving, but no... I turn around and what do I see?
A square STILL standing doberman, looking slightly perplexed, but solid RIGHT where I'd left him. wow. WOW. Treats! lots of treats!
Lexx meanwhile is probably thinking, this is the easiest thing I've ever had to do! All I have to do is STAND!
I tried it a few more times and only ONCE did he shuffle his feet forward a step, he never sat, never downed, never kept with me.
VERY PROUD.
Obviously its a random accomplishment, but considering what we've been through in the last few months, it left me feeling warm and happy inside. Accomplished, joyful that Lexx was alive and still capable of learning new things.
its been months I know, but here we go!
I decided that Lexx needs to do a little bit of obedience work. Not because he's badly behaved or impolite, but I'd like to think that being mentally stimulated is healthy for any creature, man or dog.
We cut up some cheese pieces, pulled out his training equipment and strolled to the one flat spot on the property where I used to train frequently.
Keeping in mind that Lexx now MUST wear a halter, I no longer have any control of his head, and NO ability to correct.
We started with some simple focus exercises. At first he was a bit skimpy on the focus, but over the course of a few minutes I built it up, starting with him in a front, then at my side in heel position. Once he realized that there was CHEESE involved, he was much happier to start "lovingly" into my eyes.
We then started working on heeling again. its been so long that I've gone right back to the beginning, re teaching him to spring off his hind end on the first step, to keep his head up and attention on ME. We worked one step at a time. He remembered the exercises well and performed them better than I had expected he would.
We then worked on stays ( difficult because I kept waving my arms around to get the bugs out of my face and poor lexx didn't know if that meant come, or what!) and started working on finishes to the left again.
His finishes were actually REALLY good, and after a few times luring him, he would do it all on his own.
The best news out of all of this? HIS SITS! They are still FAR from perfect, but they HAPPEN! and STRAIGHT! I have noticed lately that his trot has been much more even in the hind end. He still runs weird, but his trot is SO much better. Maybe the strangeness of movement in the hind is being corrected due to his surgery and this makes the sits easier. Maybe his brain is working better and he understands what I WANT better, I have no clue, but I'm happy about it.
I then decided to teach him something new, the moving stand. Its a strange thing to try since its not required until higher levels of obedience, but the move has always interested me, so I thought hey, why not.
Lexx doesn't have a good kickback stand yet ( same as the problem with the tuck sit... doesn't do well with hind end exercises here...) but he does know that STAND means STAND and stay still. I use it at the vet on a REGULAR basis ( being much more regular than your typical dog at the vet), I use it when i'm checking him for ticks, brushing him, or just observing his sutures etc.
So.. Here we go. Lexx FUS.. lexx STAND, drop the leash and I keep walking. Here I expect a little dober nose going mom? what? i'm here? what? Or at least some tentative foot moving, but no... I turn around and what do I see?
A square STILL standing doberman, looking slightly perplexed, but solid RIGHT where I'd left him. wow. WOW. Treats! lots of treats!
Lexx meanwhile is probably thinking, this is the easiest thing I've ever had to do! All I have to do is STAND!
I tried it a few more times and only ONCE did he shuffle his feet forward a step, he never sat, never downed, never kept with me.
VERY PROUD.
Obviously its a random accomplishment, but considering what we've been through in the last few months, it left me feeling warm and happy inside. Accomplished, joyful that Lexx was alive and still capable of learning new things.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY LEXX!!!
Today is Lexxington's second birthday.
I get teary just thinking about all we've been through and the fact that we've made it this far.
He's on an upswing, post surgery dog is doing well. And he's made it... He's still alive at 2. It sounds silly, but there were days when I seriously wasn't sure that we'd ever make it this far.
and here we are.
Happy birthday to the absolute love of my life. Even with everything thats happened, I'm SO glad that you've been a part of my existence for the last two years, you've taught me more than anyone will ever know or understand.
I love you
xoxoxo
-Mom
I get teary just thinking about all we've been through and the fact that we've made it this far.
He's on an upswing, post surgery dog is doing well. And he's made it... He's still alive at 2. It sounds silly, but there were days when I seriously wasn't sure that we'd ever make it this far.
and here we are.
Happy birthday to the absolute love of my life. Even with everything thats happened, I'm SO glad that you've been a part of my existence for the last two years, you've taught me more than anyone will ever know or understand.
I love you
xoxoxo
-Mom
Monday, April 27, 2009
Away from my MOMMY?
Well! since Lexx's surgery I've been home pretty much 24/7 with him except a few hours in the evening when I manage to SQUEEZE in some time in the lab.
Today, for the first time, I decided that he needed to do something NOT with me and Kyle and I planned for him to spend a portion of the afternoon at Kyle's job with him.
Lexx has never really been to work with Kyle except a few random times the first summer that we had him, when among other things he managed to fall into a 4 ft deep post hole and get stuck.
So, we decided that I would drop Lexx off and leave him while I was grocery shopping, that way if it was a disaster, he'd only be there for a short period.
Turns out that he was FANTASTIC. He supervised the deck building process, chewed on his marrow bone for a bit and then passed out in the sunshine.
I returned from my shopping with banana popsicles for the guys and sat around chatting for a few minutes, sharing my popsicle with Lexx.
We then decided that I could leave him there the rest of the afternoon so that Kyle could work later and not hinder my SQUEEZING of lab hours.
Kyle reports that he was fantastic, but that he missed me and sat by the gate with his sad ears on whining for awhile after I left. At one point the wind blew and the gate moved and he got excited that MOMMY was back, and proceeded to be very disappointed when I, in fact, was not.
I got greeted with a TON of nubbins when I got home from the lab, like he hadn't seen me in DAYS
I love that he misses me but was still such a good boy. He's growing up
Today, for the first time, I decided that he needed to do something NOT with me and Kyle and I planned for him to spend a portion of the afternoon at Kyle's job with him.
Lexx has never really been to work with Kyle except a few random times the first summer that we had him, when among other things he managed to fall into a 4 ft deep post hole and get stuck.
So, we decided that I would drop Lexx off and leave him while I was grocery shopping, that way if it was a disaster, he'd only be there for a short period.
Turns out that he was FANTASTIC. He supervised the deck building process, chewed on his marrow bone for a bit and then passed out in the sunshine.
I returned from my shopping with banana popsicles for the guys and sat around chatting for a few minutes, sharing my popsicle with Lexx.
We then decided that I could leave him there the rest of the afternoon so that Kyle could work later and not hinder my SQUEEZING of lab hours.
Kyle reports that he was fantastic, but that he missed me and sat by the gate with his sad ears on whining for awhile after I left. At one point the wind blew and the gate moved and he got excited that MOMMY was back, and proceeded to be very disappointed when I, in fact, was not.
I got greeted with a TON of nubbins when I got home from the lab, like he hadn't seen me in DAYS
I love that he misses me but was still such a good boy. He's growing up
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