Donna and Cookie get a room :P

So Cookie the Spitz dropped by the flat the other day.

I could hear him from outside, barking excitedly and asking to come in. Haha!

Marking and Vinegar

He remained extremely excited once inside and promptly went and peed by the wall. I cleaned up the areas he marked and doused them with white vinegar.

After your puppy has an accident in the house, he may return to the same spot to potty. Even if you clean the spot with regular soap, the dog may still smell his scent unless you also neutralize the odor. White vinegar is a chemical-free way to disinfect and neutralize the odor of urine and feces. – daily puppy

And the interesting thing is, Cookie, who actually likes the taste of vinegar went near it and perhaps it was too strong for him because he was suddenly rubbing his face on the floor continuously. Donna has never shown this sort of behaviour before. I found it funny and strange at the same time.

It seems dogs may rub their faces on the carpet/floor for the following reasons:

• Messy face Dog feels something foreign on his face and wants to get rid of it
• Parasites or skin disorder Fleas, canine lice and other parasites. Also skin disorders like mange, yeast infections and dry skin
• Allergies Dog may be reacting to something in his environment or in his food
• Discomfort May be a symptom related to infection, watch our fot discharge, swelling, ear twitching and lack of appetite
• Harmless Dog just feels good rubbing his face on a surface

So anyway, Cookie stopped rubbing his face on the floor after a while so we guessed the discomfort caused by the vinegar had diminished.

And the other good thing is, once he figured out we wanted him to only pee on the pee tray set up in the toilet, he started doing that more consistently by the end of the day. Yay!

Donna and Cookie – Different reactions to the crate

Crate training Donna was a gradual process. Just getting her to be comfortable to go into the crate took a couple of hours over the course of a full day. Even then she was uncomfortable in it for a few weeks as she slowly got used to being inside it.

Not so with Cookie.

Cookie was not crate-trained but we had no problem luring him into the crate. He made himself at home the first time!

Of course, if we were to close the door and leave him alone there, he probably would start whining. But he certainly had more of a headstart than Donna, who could only be persuaded to stick her head in to pick at a few treats when I first started with her.

Donna says: Sheesh, human. Stop waving the treats outside the crate already and dole them out NOW. I’m not as gullible as silly Cookie.

Donna settles down for the long haul, knowing these humans and their obsession with the camera!
Cookie is still relaxed in there.

My favourite of the photos Cookie’s human was taking must be this one:

Both of them focused on the unseen treats hanging over the top of the crate. :P

I didn’t take any photos, so many thanks to somewhitecookie for the use of hers.