Heh! My husband plays "dogby" with Ichiro, which is basically a soccer type of 'keep away'... Maybe we get a Dogby League together this summer in WI! (Sadly Ichiro promptly chewed his small Guinness rugby ball we brought home as a souvenir when we went to Dublin.)
Pam - just because I called and harassed you while you were dropping off chloe and picking up Roxy doesn't mean that I'll do that to Casey..........well, maybe it does.
Yikes... :-P I guess I better get on making that video! Hopefully this afternoon, Miss Bella will be in a good mood and I can get some of her reactions to the big pink ball on film.
Rui - She makes an excellent goalie! She is not all that great at kicking the ball, but she is awesome at stopping it!
Just for LJ: Big Pink Ball Video. She is doing a lot better with it, and is no where near as reactive as she was a few months ago. She pretty much just runs when it comes towards her, and barks when it is out of place. She is rather curious about it, but is just timid because it is so large (and so pink!). Nola, as you will see, could care less.
Sorry about the quality, it was not really enough light. (and please excuse my messy office... it has been a busy few weeks!)
They seem to be much more comfy than their old collars! The only drawback is that Bella's old tag will not fit her new collar, but that just gives me an excuse to buy a new tag (which should be here early next week)!
Pam, I must say, Nola is a bit of a show off. Bella had to take off her collar to go outside and put on her old one since her new one does not have a tag on it... Ever since then, Nola has been strutting around Bella. I should try and get a video for you!
Wow, it has been a while. Sorry about not really updating lately, but we have been kind of in limbo. Due to some changes, the pups and I are moving. I picked up the keys to our new home today and will be (slowly) moving in over the next week. Things have been pretty stressful around here, and I know that both of the dogs have not been feeling up to par. (Remember the post about running behind Nola with a measuring cup?) I am hoping that once we move out of our current situation and into a new (stable) home that they will begin to feel better.
Does anyone have any advice on how to make moving as stress-free as possible. I know there is no way it is going to be stress free, but I am really hoping to ease their transition (and mine) into our new life. Their schedules should remain fairly consistent, I will still be able to come home from work at lunch. Should I take them over for a little bit every day, or just wait until everything is moved in to introduce them to their new home?
Thanks for any advice you may have!
For your viewing pleasure, I have a couple of pictures:
This is Nola waiting for a storm. She had her paws in a dried up mud puddle waiting for the rain. :-P
Such pretty girls. Sorry to hear about your housing changes, sounds like it's a good thing though. I can't offer any advice about easing pets thru a move. Hope everything goes ok.
When we moved in September we just moved all of our stuff, then brought the dogs in once most of it was in order and let them just explore, get their whines out, and settle. It took a few days, maybe a week... i remember them being a little jumpy and barky but overall the move went smoothly.
I am sorry about you having to move. When we moved, we moved in all of the stuff and arranged it before we brought in the pets. I think that our babies are more sensitive to our emotions than we may think. The calmer and less stressed that you are (I know, it's so hard not to be), the better off they will be.
Nice pictures, and it's sad that you have to move, but change can be a good thing. One thing I heard above dogs and a new home is working on re-housebreaking. Some dogs regress when living in a new environment, so treating them as if they are a new puppy may be necessary.
Sorry to hear about the move. I HATE moving. I don't know what it is about moving, but it is damn near the most stressful thing you can have to deal with.
I've luckily never had to deal with it with my dogs, but I'd think taking them over for a little while each day would be good; however, having helped friends move with dogs, I know all the boxes and movement of stuff around the house can stress them out. So, if you have time, try to take them there for some down time. To just relax in the new place. Let them play in the new yard, let them explore one room at a time and make sure to interact/play with them while they do.
Good luck with the move! Let us know how its going.
When we moved from our condo to a rental house a few minutes away, we boarded the dogs while we packed and moved (for a few days) and then picked them up and took them to the new house once everything was unpacked and settled. We put treats out ahead of time so when we got them to the new home they would get treats! They seemed pretty stocked to be there and never really acted depressed.
I think (most) dogs are a lot like that song that went "Papa was a rolling stone, wherever he laid his hat was his home...". They seem to consider home to be where their family is, and that's it. As long as you guys are chill and make it their home I don't think you will see much change in them.
There will be some adjustment, new boundaries to push, etc. But I wouldn't expect depression or sadness to come from the dogs.
Brad, that definitely makes sense. No matter where we have ended up the day, they usually seem content as long as I am there.
I went over to the new house today to clean and take a few more things over. Unfortunately, it has been raining all day, so the pups did not get to come with me. I am going to take them over tomorrow afternoon for a nice play session.
They are both pretty cool about the boxes and gigantic mess everywhere. Bella has been stressed out for a little over a month because of some other changes in our life, but she seems to be taking things better now. I am sure a lot of that has to do with me being less stressed now that we have a place to live. Nola is like a rock, nothing fazes her. She seems to be happy no matter what. If only her stress-free-ness could leech over to me, things would be great!
Thanks for all the advice, and if anyone can think of something else, let me know. And I will keep you guys updated on our progress.
Animals are so incredibly intuitive, I think they have psychic abilities. We have an African grey parrot in addition to our Shiba. They both are well aware of my mood and even if I pretend everything is ok, somehow they know that it isn't. Home is definitely where you are though, I have learned that through a few moves. They love YOU, not the house.
Moving day is tomorrow. (insert sarcastic 'yippie' here)
The pups seem to be pretty excited, but I am not sure if they know WHY they are excited.
However, everything that could have gone wrong this week has gone wrong. From the new fridge being broken and not replaced yet to my new bed possibly not being delivered until next week to half my help bailing on me. Ugh. So hopefully tomorrow will go fairly smoothly with minimal rain. Can someone on the east coast do a sun dance for me?
I will give an update once I have internet access (which will probably be Monday at work). Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Comments
Rui - She makes an excellent goalie! She is not all that great at kicking the ball, but she is awesome at stopping it!
;-D
Sorry about the quality, it was not really enough light. (and please excuse my messy office... it has been a busy few weeks!)
They are both the proud new wearers of Bark & Giggle collars. Which they LOVE, and so do I!!!
Bella was not feeling up to posing, so she just kind of sat, while I photographed around her:
THANKS PAM! (And RYU and ROXY!)
Does anyone have any advice on how to make moving as stress-free as possible. I know there is no way it is going to be stress free, but I am really hoping to ease their transition (and mine) into our new life. Their schedules should remain fairly consistent, I will still be able to come home from work at lunch. Should I take them over for a little bit every day, or just wait until everything is moved in to introduce them to their new home?
Thanks for any advice you may have!
For your viewing pleasure, I have a couple of pictures:
This is Nola waiting for a storm. She had her paws in a dried up mud puddle waiting for the rain. :-P
Best of luck to you
I've luckily never had to deal with it with my dogs, but I'd think taking them over for a little while each day would be good; however, having helped friends move with dogs, I know all the boxes and movement of stuff around the house can stress them out. So, if you have time, try to take them there for some down time. To just relax in the new place. Let them play in the new yard, let them explore one room at a time and make sure to interact/play with them while they do.
Good luck with the move! Let us know how its going.
I think (most) dogs are a lot like that song that went "Papa was a rolling stone, wherever he laid his hat was his home...". They seem to consider home to be where their family is, and that's it. As long as you guys are chill and make it their home I don't think you will see much change in them.
There will be some adjustment, new boundaries to push, etc. But I wouldn't expect depression or sadness to come from the dogs.
----
I went over to the new house today to clean and take a few more things over. Unfortunately, it has been raining all day, so the pups did not get to come with me. I am going to take them over tomorrow afternoon for a nice play session.
They are both pretty cool about the boxes and gigantic mess everywhere. Bella has been stressed out for a little over a month because of some other changes in our life, but she seems to be taking things better now. I am sure a lot of that has to do with me being less stressed now that we have a place to live. Nola is like a rock, nothing fazes her. She seems to be happy no matter what. If only her stress-free-ness could leech over to me, things would be great!
Thanks for all the advice, and if anyone can think of something else, let me know. And I will keep you guys updated on our progress.
The pups seem to be pretty excited, but I am not sure if they know WHY they are excited.
However, everything that could have gone wrong this week has gone wrong. From the new fridge being broken and not replaced yet to my new bed possibly not being delivered until next week to half my help bailing on me. Ugh. So hopefully tomorrow will go fairly smoothly with minimal rain. Can someone on the east coast do a sun dance for me?
I will give an update once I have internet access (which will probably be Monday at work). Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Fingers crossed for an easy move. :-)