This pic was taken at a friend's house (Grrrrr!)
Doing time for misbehavin'
On Easter week, he ate something he had no business eating, and suffered from loose stools as well as vomiting. We took him to the vet and he spent the night there. The X-rays taken on two separate occasions revealed that he (thankfully) had no bowel obstructions, and that he was suffering from gastritis. He was prescribed two medications, and $500 later, he seems to be doing just fine. A little while ago he broke into a room in my house that I thought was closed properly. When he got in there he managed to climb unto a sofa, grabbed the Kleenex box and went nuts with it.
Our vet. told me that Toby needs Prozac to correct his attitude. Yes, you read correctly. PROZAC. (Why not a stiff drink and a cigar?) Sheesh. After this last incident, I'm willing to give anything a try.
The Critter was NOTHING like Toby. He was such an angel that in retrospect, I think that what I had with him must have been something anomalous. He was so well behaved, subdued, and trustworthy. Toby, on the other hand, is a minion of the dark lord. Yes, we love him dearly, he's just so misbehaved!
By the way, next week he gets a haircut. Ha!
11 comments:
Oh but he's cute! And just a puppy still. Don't listen to that vet- Prozac indeed! Hmmmmpf! Tom, take him out every day for a long, rapid romp, get him tired every day. Exercise, discipline, and then affection. In that order. I think he is cute as a bugs ear!
Thanks, Shirley. He is a cute little guy:0)
"{G]et him tired every day."
The problem is that he doesn't tire. He has more energy than a handful of four year old kids! All he has to do is see me and it's BAM!, from the living room to the kitchen, to jumping on the sofa, etc. He's a firecracker, I tells ya.
"Why not a stiff drink and a cigar?",
My first LOL moment of the day (and it's bedtime)
How about a treadmill? :-)
I'm thinking you need a doggie trainer to help you. Ask your vet for a recommendation.
Elle attended puppy preschool classes (at 8 weeks), and then kindergarten and first grade. And she was still a handful. She even drove the trainer crazy. But then --- the trainer got a Yorkie and understood perfectly!
One of her favorite things to do was haul out all my unmentionables while Harold was teaching. When his students left they were surprised to see the living room festooned in panties and bras.
When she wasn't doing that she was busy eating the corner off the coffee table, gnawing on the floor boards, shredding kleenex and potty paper, not to mention breaking Harold's custom made (in Nashville) banjo neck (which to be fair wasn't her fault - her halter got caught in the banjo stand)
At night she would have what is called "puppy frenzy", racing around the bed like a demented squirrel tearing at the blankets.
We miss her so much...
Cute dog. After hearing about Ellie though, I don't think it is a bread for us.
We have a cocker spaniel at the moment. He is a wonderful dog but his coat is high maintenance and he needs to be clipped every 3 months.
duh. That is suppose to be breed, not bread.
Auntie A-
As a matter of fact, the vet did recommend a couple who, according to him, are superb trainers.
I lost their card.
Anyhoo, I read your recount of Elle's mischief and I couldn't stop laughing! I'm sure at the time, it was anything but funny for you but in retrospect, I'm sure you can laugh about it. Perhaps even with a hint of nostalgia.
I know you miss Elle dearly. I miss the Critter as well, but even more, I miss my Grandmother. March 31st marked the first anniversary of her passing.
Therese-
Toby is a Pekingese and he is definitely a little firecracker. Before him, however, was the Critter, also a Pekingese, and I must honestly state that I've never seen a sweeter, kinder, well-behaved dog in all my life. I've concluded that for this breed of dog the Critter was an anomaly while Toby is the norm:0(
But I still love the little fellow:0) Thanks for stopping by!
He is a cutie!
I think my cats could use some drugs - they both have eating disorders.
oh, but he is just such a cutie!!
A trainer might be a good thing. Time you could spend with him, working on behavior and tricks, would also be a good way to tire him out. (A tired puppy brain is a tired puppy.)
Another thing I do to engage Winston is feed him his meals in a treat-dispensing ball. He has to "earn" the food by batting the ball around. (And he LOVES it.)
They make some that are more challenging than others. (But whatever you do, get a rubber or softer plastic one, not hard plastic, which makes the most horrible sound when it goes flying into the legs of your furniture!)
Terry and Tracy-
Thank you both. Terry, I hope that the eating disorder of your little cats is nothing serious.
Katie-
Yours is advice that comes straight from the expert!
I think more than likely we will hire a couple who - according to my vet - are very good at training dogs. The Prozac is something that we may use in conjunction with the trainers, but only temporarily since it's meant to assist in realigning behavior, and not as permanent fix. I've tried other methods of disciplining Toby (lock him up in his cage; spraying him with water in order to get him to release something in his mouth, etc.) but none seem to work. I think it's time for a professional touch!
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