Thursday, May 16, 2013

Theme Thursday : Animals

Thought I would take a break from the regularly scheduled  panicking, cleaning, showing the house rotation with regular intervals of vomiting from exhaustion and crying out to God in anguish, to join Cari for Theme Thursday: Animals! Aren't you glad I did?


I was planning on just re-using this old post where Joseph's beautiful snake swallows a mouse whole (as opposed to a mouse hole), but then I said, you know what, that's not in the spirit of the rigorous guidelines behind Theme Thursday, I'll just get AnneMarie of the Sunshine Hair a dog.  And I did.


Or something like that. I cannot imagine how we ended up with this little fluffball.  But I think amidst all the panicked frenzy of the Big Move AnneMarie had her 9th birthday and ONLY wanted a little bitty doggie, and prayed ceaselessly for one, and the weekend before her big day we checked in with Craig and his list of strangers with goods and found her soul mate. She is a Yorkie-Bichon Frise designer dog three years young who was owned by a young lady who really did not have the capacity to care for her. And somehow we did?  



Anyway, she is AnneMarie's now, with matching curly blond hair to prove their destined friendship.


She is surprisingly a complete delight and I feel it was a blessing that God led us to her, whom AnneMarie has named Brie. 

Well, almost a complete delight, if anyone has any suggestions on training a grown dog to be crate-trained through the night it would be greatly appreciated.  We have figured out she spent enormous amounts of time in there and unlike any well mannered canine, wets it every single night. I think she has just assumed she is going to be in there forever, so she might as well be comfortable.  

How do we get her to understand she doesn't have to do this?

18 comments:

  1. Seriously with the matching curls?? It's too much cuteness!

    Does she have to go in the crate at all? Our family dogs were not crate-trained but rather room-trained where they couldn't go into bedrooms or the living room.

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    1. I would be happy with that, but we have let her sleep with AM and she just wets that bed, too. At least the crate is easy to clean.

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  2. Oh my gosh you got your breathtaking daughter a DOG! In the middle of a MOVE! You are the best mother ever. Look at them! Look at that last picture! True love forever.

    My only advice on crate training is that if the crate is bigger than what the dog needs, it will pee in there. If the crate is the right size, meaning, in this case, big enough for the dog to stand in, but not big enough for it to get distance between itself and it's pee, crate training will stick.

    But don't listen to me- I am horrible at housebreaking anything.

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  3. The whole snake post was when I first 'met' you - and I've been here ever since, haha! The whole thing completely grossed me out, and yet I came back to see it again, then showed my boys, then they came back and so on and so on and so on.
    The love of a pet dog is just the best even when those dogs make us crazy! We are eager to add a furry friend to our family but I have to gear up for the discipline it takes to get the dog where you enjoy them more than you pull your hair out because of them!
    Good luck with the continued efforts towards the move!

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  4. Agree Agree Agree..that last picture is breathtaking.

    poor pup.

    I am guessing you tried everything like no water before you lock her up for the night?
    Our doggy sleeps all night in her crate and it is a "just the right size" for her also. But we started when she was a pup.

    best of luck with all the crazy house stuff!

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  5. What a total cutie!

    We use a crate for our dogs when we leave the house, but at night they stay in our room. I would say to make it a pleasant place for her, with blankets or a pillow etc. And do not force her into the crate, praise her when she goes into it on her own and maybe even give her a treat. Dogs naturally do not want to soil where they sleep, so she must be feeling VERY anxious to be doing that. You can leave the crate in the family room during the day with it open so that she could go into if she wants and doesn't have to be away from your family to do so. Also feeding dogs in their crates can make it a positive place, leave the door open while she eating at first, and then you can eventually close the door while she is eating in it to ease her into having the crate closed. Is the crate in a bedroom at night? If not, it needs to be in a place where there are people and that could aid in her anxiety. And lastly, she doesn't need water right before bed, so you could make sure she pees after she gets some water & then put the water bowl up until morning. Hope this helps!!!

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    1. Thanks! These tips really do help. I think the crate is a bit big, even though she it is small, she is a tiny thing. We don't have to force her in there, but she cries once she is in so we put it literally inches from AM's head, and then she is fine. Also, maybe we are feeding and watering her too late in the evening, hadn't thought of that.

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  6. What a beautiful girl and beautiful dog! A match made in heaven I say!

    And, you totally rock for getting a dog right before a move! That dog is going to love the beach, I think!

    I have no tips on crate-training as we never crate-trained our dogs. Is night-time the only time she has accidents?? I would say to restrict water/food at night and take her out the very last thing before you go to bed.

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  7. OH MY.... Beautiful girl you have there! And your weather is making me sooo jealous for summer here in MO!

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  8. These photos are amazing! the first one with the sunlight shining through your daughters hair...gorgeous. And the last one with the sun beam, and matching golden hair, seriously, too perfect. ;-)

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  9. Oh, my gosh, your daughter is so beautiful...even more with that pup, there's so much cuteness here!

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  10. Oh congrats on the new doggie! So cute. I would also just say to praise her a lot when she goes potty outside. Good luck. Wonderful pics!

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  11. I love her! And the dog! Matching Cuteness!

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  12. "AnneMarie of the Sunshine Hair"! Love it! She is so beautiful and seems to be over the moon for her new companion. What a bunch of adorable the two of them are! So glad you took a break from the first paragraph of chaos to join the animals! Yikes!

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  13. I just love that last picture with the sunkist golden hair, nice job!!

    You know I have found google and especially Youtube to be great sources of info. Have you tried seeing if there are any crate training tips via those mediums?

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  14. Have I mentioned that I have a sister named Anne Marie?

    You are such a sweet and wonderful mom and I'm so glad it's working out well. They are a gorgeous pair. All the photos are beautiful, but the last is breathtaking.

    Love, your moving-doppelgänger from across the sea.

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  15. You really are a great mom, to take on a dog while in the midst of a move! But it looks like you made your sweet little girl so happy. I love these pictures!

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  16. I can't believe how much Anner looks like you!!

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