Adventures in Puppy Raising: January 2012

6 Months Old - December 30, 2011

My big girl turned 6 months old on December 30, 2011!

Where has the time gone?

Now that Zaire is 6 months old, she gets to ride in the car like a big girl... no more crate in the back.

We have started to practice the Car command. At first she was very shy about jumping into the car. Now that she's a little taller, and with a little motivation with a treat, she'll jump into the car. She'll then climb up on the seat and she likes to face the window as we drive. For her protection, I'm going to buy a doggie seat belt to keep her safe.

In puppy class the past several months we've been luring our pups with treats instead of using commands. This helps the pup get familiar with moving their bodies around. Once you feel they have mastered the position, you can introduce commands. I've been practicing commands with Zai and she's making good progress, but consistence is key. We need to practice every day! And use less and less treats.

Remember: Practice will make perfect, but it takes time. They are puppies after all!

Our next task at hand is working on the Speak command. Speak is used to get the dog to bark.

Once she knows Speak, then we'll teach Quiet. I'll report back on the progress next month. This shall be interesting. I'll have to record a video for proof.

Zaire's Friends

Z's BFF, Miss Jiva!

6 Months Old

George kissing Zaire!

Boyfriend and girlfriend!

Zaire and Fergie playing!

Zaire and Yosie!

Z's Papa

This is Camden II, Zaire's papa. These photos were taken by his puppy raiser when he was a Puppy in Training!

Santa Paws at Western Farm Center

Me, Santa, & Zaire

5 Months Old

I took Zaire to meet Santa for the first time. We got to sit on his lap and take a picture.

Zaire did great and she even wore this Candy Cane headband.

Z's boyfriend George with Santa!

Allergic Reaction - November

Poor baby girl

Woke up early one morning to find my puppy with red swollen eyes! Poor girl, I wanted to cry for her.

I was immediately on the phone with the Vet at 5:30am trying to make her an appointment. Thankfully we were seen at 7:00am.

The diagnosis: Allergic Reaction

The night before, we attended puppy class at the mall. At one point during our class, the trainer has us switch puppies and walk them through the planter boxes. This is where I think something either bit or stung Zaire. Or she possibly ate something on accident.

Class was over by 7pm, and since we had an early day on Wednesday, we went to bed by 9pm. At that point, there was no sign of a reaction. The doctor said bee stings can cause this type of reaction, but they usually appear within an hour. I'm ruling out the thought of a bee sting.

After visiting the Vet, Zaire was on Benadryl for the rest of the day. The red swollen eyes were much better and she was on the mend.

I had left to house that evening to pick up dinner and more Benadryl for her. When I came home an hour later, she was all red and puffy again. By 8pm, she quickly turned worse.

Poor baby girl was vomiting, having diarrhea, and so itchy she couldn't stay still. I kept praying the Benadryl would kick in and start to relieve her. But it never did!

To say the least, neither of us got any sleep. When 6am rolled around, I called the Vet, and took her in at 7am again.

This time the vet wanted to keep her for the day to give her fluids and make sure she was going to be alright.

Leaving her was the hardest thing I had to do, but I knew that she needed treatment and the Vet would make her feel better. I cried as I walked away and wished I could've prevented this.

I was so excited to get the call at 4:30pm saying that my sweet Zaire was ready to be picked up. Everyone in the office loved her and said she did very well. As a mom, it's always nice to hear your puppy is behaving when you're away.

My baby girl was home and looking much better. She was pretty drugged for the following few days, but finally came back to her playful puppy self a week later.

Still not knowing what caused this reaction is unsettling. We now stay away from any planter boxes at the mall or anywhere for that matter. Hopefully we won't ever have to go through this again.