SUBSCRIBE VIA RSSTomorrow marks one week since Dory’s tumor-removal surgery, and judging by the fresh pee stains on our carpet, I’d say she’s made a complete recovery.
I haven’t a clue how to properly housebreak an old, deaf dog but someone has to hold the key out there. We’ve tried the crating method, the pee pad method, and the vigilant watchman method, but she still just roams about the house and squats as she pleases.
When she makes her casual squat, we jump up and shout, “Dory, NO!” but it’s a totally reflexive response considering she can’t even hear us. We immediately take her outside, wait for her to pee again, and then smother her with positive reinforcement once she’s done. What this routine has taught her is that she can get some outdoor lovin’ so long as she first takes a whiz on our rugs.
Dory was totally out of it for the first 48 hours following surgery. We could drag her from room to room like a drooling Swiffer but that was the limit of movement. She had entered surgery a dog and exited a stuffed animal capable of respiration.
The vet chalked her lethargy up to her age and the fact that she was under anesthesia for an hour, which is like seven hours to you and me. Eventually, she regained her strength, recovered her energy, and resumed territorially marking every square inch of our home. Dory was back!
She only ended up using two of her pain pills, which is fantastic considering the market for them in the ritzier neighborhoods where latchkey Poodles and Weimaraners seek an escape. I’ll probably store up some of the pain pills from my hernia operation before venturing out there. Unless any NARCs happen to be fans of mine. Then I’m totally kidding.
With Dory back in full swing we decided to chase three more items on her Bucket List:
- Play catch with a ball
- Retrieve Frisbees in the back yard
- Chase the kids around the yard
Balls? Check. Frisbees? Check. Dog? Check.
In the end, here’s what she accomplished:
- Ignore all balls and Frisbees
- Make a break for it
- Be chased by kids in the yard
I suppose being a dog without any history of playtime Dory just doesn’t know how to react when objects are thrown in front of her. Add in the fact that her eyesight is probably limited to 18 inches beyond the tip of her nose and it’s really no surprise to us that she lacked interest. But this doesn’t mean we’ll stop trying.
What follows is a pictorial of this afternoon’s Bucket List fail.
Play Catch with a Ball
Step 1: Get the dog interested in the ball by shaking it in front of her and squealing, "Who wants to get the ball? Do YOU want to get the ball? Go get that ball!"
Step 2: Retrieve your ball.
Retrieve Frisbees in the Back Yard
Step 1: Get the dog interested in the Frisbee by forcing it into her mouth so she becomes attracted to the taste of plastic.
Step 2: Throw the Frisbee.
(Unbeknownst to the thrower, Dory didn't even know she was looking at grass.)
Step 3: Point to what is now a fuzzy blue object before releasing the hound.
Step 4: Watch the dog blitz past the Frisbee in an attempt to flee the county.
Step 5: Retrieve your dog.
Chase the Kids Around the Yard
Step 1: Beg for the dog to stand up.
Step 2: Coax the dog into a chase by threatening to run off with the tasty rubber ball.
Step 3: Give up and pet your dog.
We’ll keep trying. I’m sure there’s a playful dog in there somewhere just waiting to come out. We just need to figure out how to channel her inner-puppy. For now, we’ll continue to play the “where’s the floor cleaner” game she seems to enjoy so much.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
it looks more like muzzling in the last pic… but it’s funny nonetheless!
glad to hear Dory is doing well after her surgery and I can’t wait to see more bucket list adventures!
Jaime´s last post…but it’s COLD outside!
Cute!! I had a tough time housebreaking my dog. Finally someone asked if I was walking him where he plays. I was! Once I took him to an unused corner of the yard he went. That was after 2 months of carpet cleaning. Now he goes where everyone else plays in the yard. Can’t win completely.
Melinda´s last post…Next Thing I Knew A Ninja Was in my Cart
Aw, Dory is too cute. I’m glad her tumor removal was successful and she’s back to her old self, even if that means urine-stained carpets.
Kristen´s last post…Olivia Wilde’s Oscar-winning turn in Cowboys and Aliens.
I believe you already found the carpet cleaner….that would be YOU.
karen´s last post…Four Years Old!
Any new dog to the house always learned a lot by watching the others “go” outside…you see there is such a thing as canine peer pressure! Plus when one spreads his scent around, the other feels urged to do the same. When your other dog goes out to do his business perhaps bring her out too, she will want to one-up him and do the same, if you can get her to look! Even if she doesn’t look she will smell it. It might help!
That’s OK that she might not be this year’s flying disc champion.
There are plenty of other things on her bucket list, and it was fun trying, right?
Add that to the bucket list….trying to one-up the other dog…check…lol
I am afraid Dory is a bit too old to chase balls and frisbees !! LOL !! Not sure how you could teach her good pee manners at her age either, other than the way you do it with puppies, just taking her outside every 1/2 hour until she gets it
Natalia Canaday´s last post…Updates and Scorpion Suckers
Again, you have rendered me to tears. This was hilarious!
In the photo where you’re doing the supply check, Dory and Kamryn have the same expression. In Step 2 of the frisbee throw, it looks like Dory is trying to make a deal with Kamryn….you just say I caught it and we’ll be good….riiiiight?
LOL
Put some peanut butter on those toys and she’ll find them!
We used a combo of scolding when we caught the dog going in the house and ecstatic praise when he went outside the house. One tool that might work for you since she can’t really hear you is a little baggie with a chain inside it. Our dog trainer gave us a couple and instructed us to toss the bag by the dog when we caught him being bad in the house. It’s about the size of a bean bag, made of nylon, and just has a length of metal chain inside that makes a noise when it hits the floor by the dog. Massively effective for us.
Kamryn and Dory look like life long friends. The pictures are priceless. So what if the bucket list adventures don’t go according to plan…it’s the thought, effort, love and memories that count.
Jennifer @ Also Known As…the Wife´s last post…My Excitement For the Day
Glad to hear Dory is doing better after her surgery. As for the pee training goes, negative reinforcement coupled with effusive positive reinforcement works the best. Since she can’t hear you, you might want to try a squirt bottle or a spray bottle with a good stream setting, so that you can spray her with water immediately when she does something naughty (peeing on the carpet definitely qualifies.) It works wonders with our cats. We add a little ammonia to the water (they hate the smell) and now if they look like they are about to do something they’re not supposed to do we hold up the water bottle and they stop right away. Good luck.
That is a pretty good idea. We had a deaf dog once. Although he was already housebroken when he came to us, we would squirt him when he was doing something naughty since he could not hear us. Might work for housebreaking as well. I even use the spray bottle when mine are thinking about fighting once in awhile; dogs just don’t like being sprayed in the face and it doesn’t hurt them at all. Good thinking!
Maybe if you take Kamryn and Dory out in the yard together and get Kamryn to “fetch” and bring back the ball or frisbee, Dory will see what she’s doing and catch on? Even if Dory doesn’t get it, Kamryn will have fun and burn off a little energy!
No wonder my dog hated me. I was petting him wrong.
Jenny, Bloggess´s last post…It’s been a very long two weeks. Get prepared.
Yes, as the AKA explains, the best way to pet your dog is to grip its muzzle. They feel the love that way.
I love Dory more and more with every post. She’s just so laid back and relaxed, no matter what. She finally got the life she always wanted and she’s going to milk it!
Lindsay´s last post…Balloon pets, really?
She certainly did! She was meant to be with this family.
Try attaching the Dory to a leash and leashing her to you while in the house. That way you can be more alert to what she is doing. Then take her out every hour and praise her wildly when she does her business. If she can’t hear, come up with a non-threatening hand gesture for potty and do over and over it while she is going in an appropriate place.
Greg I’ve been thinking about Dory (and you and the family) – have you heard about the results of the tumor yet? I’m hoping all is okay…
This is so awesome, I just found your blog (from bloggess) and I love it. I just got my first dog a year ago and I love her to bits, she’s a bit shy and hilarious everyday. I’ve been thinking about fostering dogs in my home for a few months now and after reading your stories I’m convinced I want to. This month I am going to apply to start fostering dogs in my home soon so my pup, Abby, can get some socialization and new friends and we can hopefully help a few dogs in need. I think it is so great that your whole family embraced Dory and were willing to sacrifice the time and energy and money to get her healthy and give her a good life, she deserves it – and it sounds like she’s getting it.
I woke up too early today…i came across your site a few days ago, so I figured today would be a good day to read Dory’s story. Crying and laughing…that’s all I can say! I’m glad my husband was at work already. I proceeded to read all of Dory’s stories. So great! This is the reason I woke up so early today, and I’m so glad I did! Kudos to you and your family!
She is a beautiful dog!!
Dump hydrogen peroxide on the pee stain to get rid of the stain. Blot it a little, then dump rubbing alcohol on it to get rid of the odor. Blot again. Very cheap and it will not bleach the carpet. Works on organic stains like pee, vomit and blood. Seriously.
maybe Dory needs some mice…the rats were her friends for years..she shared her food & water with them …something small and furry..rabbits, gerbils…just a thought