Ally ([info]ally_h) wrote,
@ 2008-09-28 21:50:00
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Introducing Dexter!

Introducing Dexter!
Originally uploaded by ♥ Allison ♥
This is our new puppy. When we picked him up, he looked like a muppet due to severe neglect (there's some nasty mats underneath all those cute curls). His first haircut revealed that he is actually a poodle.

Right now we are working on (a) fattening him up (he weighs 9.6 lbs and should be at least 13), (b) teaching him to kennel on command, and (c) assuring him that the world is not all dangerous and scary and what-not. Progress is as follows:

(a) He is a finicky eater so fattening him up has been difficult. We made some fancy concoction out of raw hamburger, oats, pumpkin, gelatin, and molasses...he likes that a lot, but it causes some nasty dog farts. The vet gave him some paste that is designed to stimulate the appetite of anorexic cats. Gross. He also likes cheese and hot dogs, but I question the nutritional value of both.

(b) He remains wary of the kennel, but does not whine excessively.

(c) His tail used to be tucked in between his legs constantly, and now it is out around 80% of the time...not bad progress for one week.

We are also working on peeing outside the house, but that has made a recent regression...thank god we don't have carpet.



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[info]ally_h
2008-10-04 07:09 am UTC (link)
The microwave trick seems to work well for his food. As he's grown more confident, we don't have to do as many things to his food to encourage him to eat.

He's probably around 2 years old (we were told he was between 6-8 months old by the rescue folks, the vet estimated 1 year 8 months based on his teeth). I think the potty training is him just not understanding yet. It's difficult because he doesn't have accidents that often, and when I've caught him in the act it takes a long time to get outside (putting on the leash, getting to grass, etc) so it's hard to show him what he's supposed to do instead. He also has problems if he gets too excited or scared, but I hope that will improve as he becomes accustomed to living here.

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