New addition to our family!

[quaeritur]

Wow... I hadn't kept up with this thread. First, let me just say AGAIN how absolutely adorable your puppy is, Mara.

Second, I really enjoyed reading about the training philosophies. F&I, I agree with so much of what you said, and I share your passionate invective of dog-dumping and passionate support of rescue.

Let me start by saying I don't have anywhere near the qualifications of either F&I or Mara's trainer, I can only offer my own experience with my dogs. Bentley, the nearly 7-year-old male, is very strong. We are his third home. First home, he was tied out from puppyhood, malnourished, unvaccinated, and heartwom infested. He ran away to the neighbors, who took him in and later purchased him from the original owner. They had him treated, neutered, and took him to obedience classes. In just over a year with them, he went from a skittish, unsocialized mess, to a confident, loving family member that was a dream around the two children (4 and 7) in the household. Sadly, he developed a certain enjoyment of the hunt, and after killing off their chickens and a goat, the family decided he might do better away from a farm. He went into rescue, and six weeks later, came home with us. We took him to clicker training classes, agility training classes, basic, intermediate and advanced obedience classes. Bottom line, he did GREAT with clicker. BUT, he also needed to go to boot camp. We always enforce our alpha status with him (well, both dogs, actually). He never walks through doors ahead of us, he waits for his meals, he is only allowed up on furniture with our permission. He thrives with these subtle yet consistent rules. Every once in a while, he tests us, and we've found the best way to remind him of his status is to make him do pushups.

.

Our little girl, on the other hand, is a sensitive soul. She withers under a softly spoken "no." We only have her do pushups for treats and use almost all positive reinforcement in her training. She's earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate, and was on her way in agility until she developed arthritis at the tender age of two

.

Bottom line... get to know your dog, and you will find the best way to train it. Read everything and explore all training options. I'm a firm believer that the best method is some mix of training ideas and new inventions, tailored to each dog. Not the easy answer for many, but then again, if it were easy, we wouldn't have shelters. Wouldn't it be AWESOME if more pet owners were as conscientious as Mara?!

PS... F&I: polite leash walking still eludes us with Bentley... any suggestions?!

 

[fire&ice]

----------------

PS... F&I: polite leash walking still eludes us with Bentley... any suggestions?!

----------------

Gus approaches life with must gusto! Or maybe that should be gusgo! He just gets so excited to go *anywhere*. When he starts to pull, I change directions - do a complete turn about. When he walks nicely, we go back to the direction we were going. It dawns on him that he is not going to get where we are going by pulling.

....just works for him. I'm not a big fan of the chain yanking. Though it works for some dogs if done correctly.

Mara, your pup looks so much more like a dog now.

. Believe it or not, you will miss the puppy antics once you relish in your freedom. I know the smaller the dog the faster they mature. Mine wasn't full grown until about a year (40 or so final pounds). Be prepared for a revolt during "adolescence".

Don't let that sweet adorable face cloud your judgement.

She really is a handsome pup. My Aunt had a westie. That dog went every where with her - a true companion.

 

[Giangi]

Mara, she's wonderful! Too cute! I Love her!

 

[KBerly]

Mara, I can't get over how freakin cute she is! Too precious for words...I think she was born for the camera. Ever think of professional dog magazines

 

[Mara]

Back by popular demand..

Here are a few updates to this thread.




Portia is now almost 5 months (just shy of it by a few days), and weighs about 12 lbs. She's getting her rabies shot this weekend and is getting spayed in about a month.




This first batch of pictures was from when she was about 3-4 months old...but to me she looks somewhat the same since then. The really big daily changes were happening up til about 3 months. Now to us it's very gradual as she slowly grows. I had to resize the collaged image so it would fit on Pscope, which seems to have distorted it a bit, disappointingly!!




She's absolutely adorable and I still love taking shots of her though I don't have as much time to indulge as when I first got her. Did I mention she's spoiled?

Enjoy!

 

[Mara]

and the second collage, this one was from about 4-5 months, to pretty much where she is now. Her graduation pictures are here too...though there were about 50 others taken of course.

She loves to curl up next to a window and stare outside...she can do it for hours. I've rigged a basket with a pillow and blanket on it for the office window so that while I am working she can chill by the window and sniff til her heart is content. She's almost like a cat-dog mix! Look at that tail!! Abnormally long!




This first picture here in this collage is one of my absolute favorites. The expression on her face..priceless. As she has grown, more of her personality has come out, I think you can really see it here now as opposed to her original blank puppy stare (though sometimes we still get that).

The last one is her and her other Westie friend in a hilarious picture which I call 'synchronized westie running'...this was during her last day of class.

 

[MelissaSue]

that is just the cutest little dog EVER!! I usually dont like the white fluffy ones.. but that one is just sooooo cute!
Melissa

 

[quaeritur]

Mara-

she continues to be ABSURDLY cute. Man oh man I just want to kiss on her black button nose! Thanks for posting those pics!!!

 

[KittyTiger]

Hi Mara!!

Haven't seen you in a long time!! She's SO cute!! Have you got her potty trained to go in the litter box yet? Does she still have accidents?

 

[Hest88]

Oh gosh, Mara, she's adorable!

 

[KBerly]

Mara, I am so glad to see the updated pics of Portia!! She is absolutely the cutest pup I have seen. The first of the second collage kills me!! She's almost invisible in your all white room. But, I love all the pics, please keep posting the updated pics as she grows into a preteen! Can't wait to see her Halloween (Fall) costume

 

[Jennifer5973]

Mara, that dog is just a doll.

Congrats!

 

[kvitanis]

SOO cute!! I have had a Westie for 15 years now, Murphy. He has been best dog. Except for his stubborn attitude, (I heard that is a common trait of westies) he has been great. You will have an awesome time with her. Westies love to explore, so be aware. Murphy still wanders around our neighborhood occasionally, even though he is deaf, and has cataracts. They love to play, run, and chase. Digging for moles is another thing they love to do, as do most terriors.
Have fun with her! I would recommend a westie to anyone. The cute pics remind me of how my pup used to look, with the cute little ears that cant stand strait up yet

and the nose that is too big for its face. soo cute

 

[fire&ice]

It'sssssssssss - a Dog!

Cute, Cute, Cute - and did I say CUTE!!!!! She has changed so much since your avatar pic. Much more dog like w/ still that pup look.

 

[DiamondDust]

Mara, What a beautiful baby you have there. I had to laugh when you said you taugh her to kiss. It's the top word in this house. We have 3 large dogs and when I hear the first growl I yell, okay you guys, no fighting, kisses now. They all start kissing each other, looking at me like there would be a blood bath if I turned my back. This is ended with me saying, Good Kids, followed by a treat. Works every time.

F&I thanks for mentioning the Alfa position. We find it a very inportant part when having more than one dog. Pecking order is something we follow too. Since two of mine are of the same breed, should I put my female before my Alfa male by accident it breaks his heart and everyones confused. Thanks for all the info in this tread. Very interesting.

 

[Mara]

She is a cutie and of course she knows it. A darling handful too, but she is a very good dog, esp for only 5 months...in terms of behavior. She knows when I am pleased or displeased, and acts accordingly. She knows sit, come, and we can get her to lay down and sit with hand movements rather than words. She is getting much better about 'come', thank goodness. She also knows to 'leave it' when I don't want her to play with something and she sits and waits for us to open the door to go out and come back inside, and sits and waits for me to put down her food bowl. I've taught her to give me eye contact before I do things like open the door, give her food or a treat...the trainers called it 'mentally leaving the item'. Oh and of course the kisses. She gives them grudgingly sometimes, like when she wants to get out of my hug or when I am holding her on my lap. She rolls her eyes around and then looks at me, and then quick gives me a darting kiss, I say Good Girl, then she thinks she's got her freedom. Most of the time I let her go but if I don't, she quiets down and seems to mentally prepare herself for round 2. In the end she always goes free.

She likes to give affection on HER terms, so sometimes we have to do what we call 'bothering her' which is pull her into our arms and snuggle with her while she looks at us like 'you insane people, how did I end up here?'. She doesn't snarl at us or anyone else, lets us give and remove food and other items easily from her mouth without struggling or snarling, she barks when strangers enter the house but quiets down when they pet her, and doesn't bark at strangers or anyone when we walk her. The only thing is that she barks incessantly when she knows its time for a walk...overexcitement I guess. Not bad for 5 months!




There is a huge park behind our townhouse and every night from 6-7:30 it's like dog world out there, since our complex and the apartments next to us have alot of dogs. They have a park too, somewhat connected to ours...so there is alot of space. It's not a technical dog park so it's not fenced, so we don't let her off the leash, but it's mega-playtime and she is in heaven. She's got her favorites of course, but she just has to meet EVERY dog even if only to deem them too scary or too irritating for playtime.




kvit...we had a Westie when I was smaller and they are just the best dogs. Of course so many people feel that about their dog and their breed, but I really love the Westie personality, and Greg who had only had a Lab before this...really agrees that the Westies are alot of fun and he loves her personality and somewhat smart-alecky kind of way of doing things. When she is blatantly misbehaving (aka not 'come'ing when he calls but rather sitting in the doorway just looking at him), he says she is just like her mother! Of course meaning me.

Leota...she goes in the box 99% of the time. She's still a puppy so she still has accidents but sometimes they defy reasoning. Aka going right NEXT to the box and looking at me like...ain't I good? I mean can't she make it into the box?! Or sometimes she will have to go poo and will go on the stairs on the way down to the box. Couldn't you have made it a few more steps? These are the irritating accidents because she gets it right every other time, so it's hard for me to figure out why every once in a while it does not click for her. Though our trainers noted 6 months is really when they should be 100% there, so she is mostly there, I guess it's just that last little bit that she has to figure out.




Also, she goes on the grass outside and prefers it over the box, so whenever we are going somewhere in the car, we take her outside on the lawn first and 99% of the time she will go before the drive. But going on the grass was a big deal for us since we take her places with us alot on the weekends, and if she was going to hold it the whole time because she didn't feel comfortable going, that would have been a problem long-term. But now we can take her to lawns and she can go. And of course we pick it up like good doggie owning citizens.

Lastly...before I bore everyone with too many Portia stories. She reminds me of a mix between a cat and a dog. I've never had a cat before but she's pretty independent. Likes to be in the room with us but doesn't need to be near us. Or sometimes doesn't even need to be in the room with us! She's got that abnormally long tail which she just twitches around madly most of the time. LOVES to sit on the couch or windowsill or on my pillow as seen in that picture and look out the window and sniff the air. Does this for hours, literally. When I work during the day from home she just sits on her perch and stares outside silently. I can see her little black nose sniffing madly. I love it because it keeps her busy, but it just makes me laugh because that seems like such a catlike thing to do. Maybe smaller dogs are more like cats.

Greg loves cats but I am very allergic, so maybe this is best of both worlds for him.

 

[reena]

um, i LOVE her. she's so adorable it's not even funny.

guess i have to add a westie to my list of "doggies that i covet and intend some day to own"--along with a springer spaniel, a pomeranian, a french bulldog, a cavalier king charles, and most of all, a bernese mountain dog.

think there'll be room in our apartment?

 

[fire&ice]

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On 9/10/2004 11:39:42 AM Mara wrote:



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My old gal & our new gal get pretty excited about the "walk". It's like doggie nirvana or something. I didn't make a big deal about it; but, the leash stays in my hand & I say "Can't hit a movin target". As soon as they sit/calm down, I put the leash on them. They get it pretty quick that the quicker they settle down (stop barking) - the quicker they go to nirvana. Worked for all of mine - but even as "adults" they still slip.

I wonder if this cat like thing is more of a female dog characteristic. My old gal was cat like - even using her paws alot like a cat. Our new gal has much more cat-like characteristics about her. Don't know - these are the only two female dogs I have lived with. And, Miss Carly Barleycorn does like to sit on a perch, sun & intimately try get to know the squirel or deer outside. Dogs - what they find as interesting.

What's that expression - "Dogs come when they are called. Cats take a message and get back to you later."

 

[DiamondDust]

But going on the grass was a big deal for us since we take her places with us alot on the weekends, and if she was going to hold it the whole time because she didn't feel comfortable going, that would have been a problem long-term. But now we can take her to lawns and she can go.

Mara, Our first rescue Weimaraner would do something alone this line. We would sit on the porch all evening with her and when we would come in at night she would run to the back door and pee on the floor. I finally figured out that she refused to pee on the front lawn. Before we went in at night, if I would walk her to the yard, she would go. She lived to be 13 and always refused to pee on the front lawn. The back lawn was fine. The people who owned her lived in a apartment building so I don't know how she developed this. Right now I'm enjoying watching the difference between the two breeds I have here, the Weims and the Rott and how they can out smart each other in different fields. I must admit I love all dogs. Up until a year ago I always had a small dog along with the big ones. I really love my big guys but BOY do I miss my little ones. I read this thread and could just reach through the screen and kiss your puppy to death. Enjoy every minute of her. There is just something about the little ones. Their extra special.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Funny about the dog-acting-like-a-cat... Our Elmo was rescued from an "animal hoarder" and the woman had 40 cats and 20 dogs. He thinks he is a cat. He jumps up and walks along the backs of furniture. He cleans himself like a cat and even sits in the windowsills! Thank God he is only 17 lbs becasue he really is too big for some of his cat maneuvers! I have never had a cat (very allergic also) but my husband had cats growing up and he says it's amazing.

PS this is Elmo

:

 

[KBerly]

jennifer, he's sooo cute! i love his name, i am a secret fan of Elmo...shhh

 

[sevens one]

AWWWWW Elmo's cool. The original CatDog

 

[Patty]

Mara, thanks for posting the new pictures. She is adorable! I love the one with her head tilted. Our Rosie does that when you ask her a question. It's sooo cute!

Jennifer, Elmo is beautiful! What a cute ball of fur!

Our Rosie is a mutt who we think is mostly terrier and Maltese. She is just mischievious enough to be darling. She loves to go out front on her chain so that she can watch the neighborhood activities. Every now and then before I hook her up to her chain or after I let her off it, she makes a break to get away. She usually makes it about 10 feet before I call her name. Then she stops and looks at me. When I start to walk towards her, she GALLOPS back into the house. It's like she's saying, "Okay, okay, I tried to escape but now I'll be good!"

 

[Jennifer5973]

One of Elmo's (who came with that name--I can take NO credit

) nicknames is "Mr. CATmando" Get it? We also call him "Mr. PANTangoli" from the Godfather II because he pants like a fiend when there are thunderstorms (NOT fun).

Patty, I remember Rosie's pics from an old thread...she is another little scrumptious terrier mutt like mine.

I could eat all these dogs' faces (I know--I need some serious help

)... Dogs & diamonds, like Mara said!

Any other doggie nicknames out there?

 

[Mara]

Dog nicknames are the BEST. We come up with a new one what seems like daily for Portia. Here are some of our favorites.




Snoutula : which was derived from Porkula which was derived from Portia. When she was growing, her snout suddenly became more prominent, hence the name. usage: Hey Snoutula.




Chicken Leg: the area of the hind leg, when grabbed and held, reminds one of a meaty chicken leg. CL was originally very small and anemic as a puppy but now it's a good meal! usage (as a cry accompanied by a leg grab): Chicken Leg!




Porkulent: derived from a mixture of Portia and Corpulent. usage: Porkulent looks full. (accompanied by a belly rub)




Sneak Bug: used to describe her when she thinks you don't know what she's up to but you really do and she's got that too innocent look, or when i find her rooting in the pantry in her treat box. usage: Where do you think you're going, Sneak Bug.




Shark Mouth: when she's played hard for a good while, she can't hold her mouth closed because of the panting, so all you see are shiny rows of teeth. This was more menacing appearing when she had her baby teeth which were super pointy and small. usage: Portia's got shark mouth.




Porkchop: the most commonly used nickname by us..derived from Portia and given by Greg. usage: as a name substitute for Portia, people sometimes have to ask us in a surprised fashion 'Did you call her Porkchop?'.




Porka: used this one alot in the beginning, again to describe the large belly she'd get after eating. Now that she has grown more, her belly no longer seems to be 1/2 her body.




Most frequent and favorite greeting from us to her: 'Hi Baby' in a sing-songy voice, I actually had a dream that Portia was saying this to my mother. Odd I know.




Other more infrequent usages are 'Little Miss', 'Baby Girl', 'Monster', 'Portia Tyler', 'Pain in the Ass'...the last three used in combination when she is on my absolute last nerve.

 

[reena]

Dogs and diamonds--exactly. My two obsessions, as well! Before recently (ie, before e-ring shopping and discovering pscope) it was just dogs. So at least I'm diversifying my portfolio!

 

[MrsFrk]

Oy vey, little Portia is a doll!

I have a Chihuahua/Pug mix named Fanny. She is also known as Fandango, the Fanster, Fantastick, Missy-Moo, Fanini, The Chicken (pronounced Shicken, she too has meaty little legs that look like chicken), The Chugster, La Chugarina, F-Diddy, F-Lo, The Artist Formerly Known as Chug, and when she's really pissing me off, Bad Dog McGillicuddy, or B.D.Mc.G. I love my dog, I love dogs period!

 

[Mara]

I too love dogs in general even if I wouldn't want to own them all! I've always been a dog lover.




The park we have behind our house connected to our complex and the one next to it for the apartments have alot of dogs so we see alot of varieties. One of my favorite is this Pekingese, he's adorable, Portia loves playing with him as well as he's pretty spunky. She doesn't like dogs that are lethargic in the park, she tries to *make* them play. I also really liked my mother-in-law's Shi-Tzu which had a funky haircut when we saw her last week, but she had the cutest barrel body!




One of Portia's favorite playmates is this alaskan husky and chow mix who is about 3 times her size but incredibly tolerant of her antics. They will play for hours, forcing us and their owners to make small talk or talk about training them...hehee.

The other day I looked over just in time to catch Portia trying to BODY SLAM Kisha which was just hilarious, throwing her body into the air and coming down on K, only to somewhat bouce off. I about died laughing. Kisha will let P do whatever she wants, but every once in a while she'll roll over onto P (covering her entirely!) or just put a big paw on P's body and hold her in place. I absolutely love watching dogs play.




Who told me recently, and I highly agree, that dogs are 'cheap entertainment'.

 

[websailor]

It looks to me like a size 7 ring would fit very nicely on Portia's tail...and the way she probably waves it around, it would be throwing sparkles off everywhere.... just a thought...

 

[Mara]

Nice idea WS but she'd promptly eat it and then I'd be sifting through something unmentionable later looking for the object!

I am, however, coveting the diamond dog collar from pamperedpet.com which is ONLY $7k! HA!