Greta 4/28/2007

First I’ll start out with some new pictures of Miss Greta that I took today.’

And now a picture of “Ren” our male Chihuahua…that’s another whole story.

Ok so there you have it…our 2 dogs. Ren is our 11 year old male Chihuahua. I acquired him from my son. It was originally his while he was still living at home. So Ren and I kind of got attached. He slept with me every night. Chihuahua’s are a one person dog and I guess I’m it. For example, Ren is good with my husband as well, until he tries to kiss me good night. Then we are greatful he truly isn’t a Great Dane, cause he sounds mighty vicious!

 He is truly so sweet. Not the typical Chihuahua. Even the vet is impressed with his disposition. But don’t get me wrong…Ren still thinks he’s a Great Dane! He can hold his own although we do NOT put Greta and Ren together. Greta is so incredibly active and rough as she is still only almost 7months old. And Ren is just an old man!!

Back in the fall of the year, Ren threw his neck out of place and was in quite a bit of pain. It was around the same time that Baron, our male shepherd was put down. So we were distraught, needless to say. We would have to give him water with a teaspoon since he really couldn’t move. So with that being said, we don’t want a repeat of that.Not only to watch the poor dog suffer, but to have all of those vet bills again.

Back to Greta….she is doing great. I never laughed so hard as I so with this dog. She has the funniest personality. No matter what you are doing..she’s gotta be there. If I am doing something at the sink in the kitchen, she has both front paws up on the counter watching every move. However, the other morning, when I went to take her out of her crate, she took her nice bed and shredded it. There was poly fill EVERYWHERE! And she just looked at me with her head tilted, looking cute as if she should be praised!!

 We still feed her Eagle Pack but now mix it with cooked ground turkey, brown rice and cottage cheese. We will soon be adding carrots into the mix as well. She is just growing up to be ‘stunning’. Her coat is magnificient! Now all we have to do is get her to listen!!! She is like your typical 2 year old child!

Well, I’ll continue to take more pictures and update you with her progress. So, till next time….

Greta’s “Invisible Fence” Update

Here is a picture of Greta on her 6 month birthday.

 Greta is doing “ok” with the invisible fence. She did go through it, with no problem might I add, but my husband said that it was because her collar wasn’t on tight enough. So not only do we shock her but we choke her too. (only kidding)

She loves being outside since she is so active. April 6th she was 6months old and weighs about 55lbs. She is getting very big!

We still feed her Eagle Pack dog food and treats, but I have since added cooked ground turkey to her night feeding only. She loves it! My husband takes her for a walk every day after dinner, which she looks forward to. She still sleeps in her crate at night and during the day when we are at work. I have to say that I always thought the idea of a crate was awful. I have since learned and seen with my own eyes, that not only do we love it but so does she. She actually looks forward to going there at night. It is part of her routine now, although it was never a problem for her.

We have used her “correction” collar while she was in the house  when we had company. It comes with a remote, so you can “remotely” shock her! Greta relentlessly jumps all over people when they arrive. Embarrassing for us and not comfortable for the guests. We have it set at a very very low setting while she is being “corrected” (love that word instead of “shocked”) in the house. When and if we need to use the remote, we use the words “no” or “down” so that hopefully she will learn to obey by the words alone. Although we still need to take into account that she is just a puppy yet. But a big puppy at that!

She should be coming into heat soon, and that should prove to be interesting. But I am convinced that it is the best for her or any dog. The hormones that they experience during their heat are very vital to her development as a female dog. It really is part of who she is and what her personality will be.  I’ll let you all know.

So I will continue to write and new updates regarding “Greta Girl”.

The dreaded “Invisable Fence”

Well, my husband bought and installed an “Invisible Fence” around the parimeter of our property. (You know, the one that “shocks” the dog in the neck with the electric collar?) I know it is probably the best thing, but it still doesn’t set well with  me.

My husband placed the white flags strategically around the property line which would alert the dog visually of the pending “shock”. So far, Greta has gone too close to the line once and got a little “jolt”. She did NOT like it.

Before Greta reaches the actual line that would give her the “correction” as they call it, a tone goes off in her collar to warn her of the impending “correction”.  We have only had it for less than a week so she is still in training. Our hope is that as she sees the white flags, she will remember the “correction” and not go near or beyond it. The true test will be if there is another animal or person on the other side of  the “correction line”.

I’ll update you as the days go on!!!