Maggie Brag

[Hound dog]

The family is gathering for Travis' birthday dinner (his birthday was 2 days ago) today so I'm going to try to catch some pics of Maggie and at least the grandkids playing.

I am so proud of little Maggie. I didn't underestimate her intelligence, that's for certain.

I realize she's still very little, but she knows the boundaries of the front yard. Very rarely does something tempt her to the edges of that boundary. I don't think even Molly was doing quite as well with this at such an early age. But then we had young neighborhood kids that tended not to leave her alone while I was teaching her too. We've had more kids move into the neighborhood recently as families are moving in with families to make ends meet. But so far these kids are really good about asking if they can greet Maggie. Seems they realize that I'm training her while she's out in the front yard. I'm letting them come up and greet/ love on her because I want her a bit more socialized than Betsy was......which wasn't much at all.

Pottying is going great. Haven't had accidents in many days. She either goes into the diningroom and whines or goes over by the front door and whines to go out. The only accidents have been a couple of super urgent ones in the middle of playing, or because Mom didn't see her over by the door. She can now get up and down the front steps too by herself most of the time. So goes in and out of the house under her own power instead of being carried.

House command is going well. It will be quite a while before she really has this down pat. Although she already knows what it means, the cats try to distract her and make her forget what she's doing sometimes.

She knows her name and comes to it super great. She will follow me anywhere. Which can be somewhat annoying, but also a good thing too........as I'll want her doing that later. And I tell her what a good girl she is for doing it.

Maggie is learning to play soccer with her nerf soccer ball and LOVES it. (I think she got the herding gene LOL ) Great way to exercise her and lots of fun for her too.

Crate training has gone better than any dog I ever had. She is not always thrilled to be in it but really doesn't fuss about it much if at all. Most times she doesn't utter a sound. But she will fuss if she needs to potty.....and doesn't get upset if I potty her and then put her back inside. 9pm is bedtime, period. But if she has to go, I'll take her out to potty and then put her back into the crate. (when you're that little it's not fair to expect them to hold it if you're up and can run them out) Betsy did super good with the crate, but then she'd slept in it with her mommy and siblings....but even then she put up more fuss than Maggie does. Molly just plain hated it for the first year of her life. Didn't help that the girls would keep letting her out because they couldn't stand to hear her cry.

We've had a couple more incidents of the too rough / zealous play but the OUCH! actually backs her immediately off now. She'll sit down and look at me waiting for a signal it's ok to come play again. Molly is helping with this (Molly is the main one she does it too trying to get her to play with her) because she's been spanking her the way a Mom dog would do. And I sure am glad to see her finally doing it! I'll see how this goes with the grandkids today. Aubrey already knows what to do, she helped me train Betsy who loved to jump up. But Darrin is one I want to just bonk on the head because he won't listen when I tell him what to do, or never did with Betsy. So I'll be training him and Brandon too. That often proves to be the hardest part, training the young kids on how to behave with the puppy.

It just amazes me how utterly "Molly like" Maggie is. She is definitely her own person, no doubt about it, as she prefers to first attempt to play with everything she's not allowed to have before playing with her toys.........but yeah.

I had to laugh though. Last two days have been pretty hot. I don't use the a/c, I don't even have the units in the windows. With that st. bernard coat lil Maggie has been pretty darn hot during the heat of the day. Well now we have an issue with the water dish because when she really gets hot she wants to lay in it...which means it gets dumps onto the floor much to her disappointment. I'm picking up the wading pool tomorrow and a new hose (someone stole the other new one I bought). Looks like she'll be playing in it like a little kid this summer. LOL

 

[Calamity Jane]

If you do get the wading pool, please post pictures of her in it! She must be adorable. You picked a winner.

 

[DammitJanet]

So funny! How old is Maggie now? Mine will be 3 months in 8 days.

Argh...arguing with Tony about how I like my dogs more than my grandchildren. Okay fine and dandy. Anyone wants to say they wont come here because I have dogs in my house can just stay away. I know who it is and she is convinced that dogs will bite her baby. However a few days ago Tony was in agreement that if she didnt like it, we just wouldnt be keeping the baby anymore which is just fine with me. I have no idea what changed his mind.

 

[Hound dog]

Maggie is 7 wks old now.

Phht! I'm with you, if they don't want to come because of your dogs, then let them stay home. I told my mom that eons ago. She never stayed home. LOL

Today was a LOT of excitement for Maggie. She got to play with Aubrey a huge chunk of the morning having already skipped her morning nap. She did really good with her too. Normal puppy play. Maggie did FANTASTIC with both babies!! Oliver was crawling around on the floor and all she wanted to do was lick him from one end to the other. It was adorable!! Kept trying to get pics but both of them moved too much too fast, darn it! She kissed on Connor too, didn't even attempt to jump up on him. Did well with Brandon, who was so very cute. Seems Darrin will be the biggest challenge to start with.......he wants to pick her up all the time and Maggie is not that fond of being picked up and carried. I happen to think it's because the previous owner tended to pick them up high by the scruff of the neck and sort of haul them around......when really they were already too big/heavy to be carried that way. No over excited play, no biting. So proud of her.

And since she did so well today it means the boys can come to my house to be watched instead of me going there, which means more socialization for Maggie and more time out of her crate. win/win for her. For them too as they get to play with her.

The boys didn't get to play with her hardly at all. By that time she was completely exhausted and had crawled under the couch for a nap. Normally I'd have put her in her crate.......but with all the hub bub I just let her sleep there. There were plenty of adults to let me know when she woke up.

She's up playing again now. Unfortunately now Mommy is exhausted. I did hot and heavy yard work with Nichole all day and I'm wiped out.

 

[DammitJanet]

Thats what happened to me Saturday night. They were inside playing like all get out but I was feeling really sick. I had severe nausea. Its becoming very odd how every time Buck even comes to the house, I become very nausea's. I have decided I am not eating anything or drinking anything he could have possibly touched when he is here. Or that arrives in the house with Tony and Buck.

I simply couldnt stay upright to play with the puppies upright for long. Once they got tired enough to go in their pens to look like they were going to take a nap, I grabbed them and put them out for the night. I have looked online at Walmart for those electric fences and they are not expensive at all and we have decided to get one that can give us enough room to cover their pen and the entire front yard and up to the front steps. That would be great so that we could let them get exercise and play without worrying that they will leave the yard.

 

[Hound dog]

I know folks who love the electric fences. I've never used one, but brother in law had a bad experience with it. He had one dog who wasn't very bright........she kept zapping herself because she couldn't remember the boundary of the fence. He had to stop using it when it gave her seizures and install a normal fence instead.

 

[DammitJanet]

I would love to install a normal fence but I think that is out of my price range right now. This one is only about 150 and it would cover about 330'. Thats enough to block in a good portion of my front yard to her pen, a good area to play in and then up to the front steps so then can get in and out without zapping them. I just would make it so they wouldnt be able to go near the guy next door. I can also buy more wire to make the area bigger. As big as these dogs will be, they can jump a fence easily and slipping under anything other but a chain length fence is not gonna work. I might could use hog wire but would probably have to electrify that in the beginning too because they would try it. The squares are so big. Nina was odd in the fact that she never attempted to jump her low pen until she had puppies and then she jumped it with ease. I have a feeling these will be climbers from a very early age. Ziva is already climbing the furniture. She has figured out if she can get a toe hold, she can pull herself up. I am hoping the electric fence works on them. Fran had one and it didnt work on her dogs but I think that may have been because they had so much fur. We had a real above ground electric fence years ago for a beagle and he outsmarted the stupid thing because we had to put it at his level and he just took a flying leap over it. When we attempted to solve that problem by putting two strands up, he just inched himself down as flat as a pancake and went under it. You cant put them but so low because they short out if they come in contact with weeds.

 

[InsaneCdn]

We had a real above ground electric fence years ago for a beagle and he outsmarted the stupid thing because we had to put it at his level and he just took a flying leap over it. When we attempted to solve that problem by putting two strands up, he just inched himself down as flat as a pancake and went under it.

In other words... electric fences do not work with smart dogs.

 

[DammitJanet]

lol

 

[Hound dog]

LOL True

Neither do normal ones for that matter. If they want to get out, have sufficient motivation to go out, they'll find a way out.

Under normal circumstances, Rowdy has no inclination to leave the yard, even though he can dig out under the privacy fence with ease or jump the front fence of the back yard with no effort. Have a female in heat, or should he believe he needs to protect home/family? Nothing will stop him. He has sailed over his 6 ft kennel fence with barely putting a paw in it. I keep his dog house in the center where he could never use it as a means of escape. (I've had other escape artists in the past) Didn't stop him, he just goes up and over.

Molly has never even considered jumping the front fence of the back yard although in her younger days she could've easily sailed over it. The thought never crossed her mind. She also never followed Rowdy or Betsy when they'd escape. Instead she'd bark up a storm raising holy hades to tell on them. LOL

Rowdy made it all summer without getting out last year. I think age is beginning to catch up with him. I also think we lucked out and there were no unfixed females in the area going into heat. I should have neutered him years ago when he was young. But I'm sort of glad I never did. He's fathered some of the most amazing puppies I've ever seen, especially with Sheba, a rottie in the neighborhood who was not spayed and her people couldn't stop her from getting out when in heat. Sheba was brilliant and sweet as you could get. She and Rowdy were "in love".........and I lost count of how many litters he fathered with her, but she brought every single one of them to meet and play with their daddy. Cutest thing I've ever seen. And yes every single one got great forever homes.

That's why I'm training Maggie to stay in the yard off leash, it helps with the don't jump/dig under the fence thing later down the road. Teaches them "this is your yard, you stay in it".