Happy Tail: Megan! - Animal Guardian

Megan, a 3-year-old Hound mix, was adopted in September. Read below to find out how she’s doing in her new home!

When Sarah and I first met Megan we fell in love. Such a sweet and calm temperament and such a little lady. When she came home with us we were so happy to have her. The first night at bedtime she jumped right up on my bed and snuggled down between the pillows. She looked so peaceful I did not have the heart to move her into her crate. I soon discovered however that she snores like a 40 year old trucker!! After 3 weeks of sleep deprivation I had to do something. I put a nice blanket on a chair in my bedroom and asked her to sleep there. I only had to ask twice and she stayed there the rest of the night. Now she sleeps on the chair and does not stir in the morning until she hears me.

One of the things that became quite clear very early is how anxious she becomes whenever I am out of her sight. When I would leave her to go to work and leave her out of her crate she would mess all over the house. When I put her in her crate she would rip any blanket or towel that was in it to shreds.

I started coming home and taking her for walks as often as I could and not putting her in her crate. This seems to help and she hasn’t been in her crate or messed in the house for 3 weeks!

I am gradually noticing a reduction in her anxiety. When I took her to a dog park before she would not play, just stick near me. Now, she runs around and plays with other dogs. She wags her tail much more often and is not afraid of visitors. She will let me out of her sight in the house now instead of looking for me constantly.

And she learned how to sit in training class!! Thanks to the gentle leader and lots of help from a TAGS volunteer she now will sit on command 🙂

She is a sweet and gentle dog and it is so nice to see her relax and become comfortable and at peace in her forever home.

Lorraine

2 comments

So happy that she was adopted by you. You are a great mom, and it’s obvious she knows it!!! Have fun loving the heck out of her!!

Dulce January 18, 2015 at 4:34 AM

I highly rencmmeod you get rid of the newspaper and invest in a good crate. In my opinion, training a puppy to use puppy pads/newspaper just shows him/her it’s okay to go inside.Since your puppy is still young, you may need to take her out a little more often than every hour. Every 45 minutes should give her plenty of opportunities to go outside. Take her outside 10-15 minutes after every meal, right when she wakes up from a nap and in the morning, 20-30 minutes before bedtime, and after every play session. It seems like a lot, but trust me. Puppies have very small bladders and little control over them, so they need to go out often. I, personally, have had experience with this potty schedule for a puppy and he did have to go out that often, and he had fewer accidents in the house when he was taken out that often throughout the day.When you can not watch the puppy, even if it’s just going to answer the phone in another room, crate the puppy. A crate, by no means, is a puppy jail when used correctly. It’s a training tool, and can be very effective. Crate the puppy at bedtime to prevent her from using any place to go to the bathroom when you’re sleeping. Dogs, generally, won’t use the bathroom in the same area they sleep, so it’s important to be sure that the crate is only big enough for your puppy to sit, turn around, and lay down comfortably in. Any bigger and she could eliminate in one area and sleep in another.When she does go to the bathroom outdoors, praise praise praise her! You can even give her a treat whenever she does her business outside. You want her to see that you’ll be very happy when she goes outside and she’ll be rewarded for it.If she does have an accident indoors, do not punish her in any way. Even a light tap on the bottom with a newspaper isn’t necessary. If you catch her in the act of going, clap your hands loudly to startle her, firmly say no, and bring her immediately outside to finish. Praise her if she finishes up. If you don’t catch her in the act, just clean it up well and use an odor remover to prevent her from being tempted to go there again. Correcting or punishing her when you didn’t catch her doing it will not show her what she did wrong. All you can do is take it as a lesson learned that you need to watch her more carefully. Puppies are just like babies. They need to be watched constantly, and are still learning new things every day. With patience and consistency, your puppy will pick up potty training quickly.

Daria November 30, 2014 at 6:09 PM

So happy that she was adopted by you. You are a great mom, and it’s obvious she knows it!!! Have fun loving the heck out of her!!
- Dulce January 18, 2015 at 4:34 AM
  
  I highly rencmmeod you get rid of the newspaper and invest in a good crate. In my opinion, training a puppy to use puppy pads/newspaper just shows him/her it’s okay to go inside.Since your puppy is still young, you may need to take her out a little more often than every hour. Every 45 minutes should give her plenty of opportunities to go outside. Take her outside 10-15 minutes after every meal, right when she wakes up from a nap and in the morning, 20-30 minutes before bedtime, and after every play session. It seems like a lot, but trust me. Puppies have very small bladders and little control over them, so they need to go out often. I, personally, have had experience with this potty schedule for a puppy and he did have to go out that often, and he had fewer accidents in the house when he was taken out that often throughout the day.When you can not watch the puppy, even if it’s just going to answer the phone in another room, crate the puppy. A crate, by no means, is a puppy jail when used correctly. It’s a training tool, and can be very effective. Crate the puppy at bedtime to prevent her from using any place to go to the bathroom when you’re sleeping. Dogs, generally, won’t use the bathroom in the same area they sleep, so it’s important to be sure that the crate is only big enough for your puppy to sit, turn around, and lay down comfortably in. Any bigger and she could eliminate in one area and sleep in another.When she does go to the bathroom outdoors, praise praise praise her! You can even give her a treat whenever she does her business outside. You want her to see that you’ll be very happy when she goes outside and she’ll be rewarded for it.If she does have an accident indoors, do not punish her in any way. Even a light tap on the bottom with a newspaper isn’t necessary. If you catch her in the act of going, clap your hands loudly to startle her, firmly say no, and bring her immediately outside to finish. Praise her if she finishes up. If you don’t catch her in the act, just clean it up well and use an odor remover to prevent her from being tempted to go there again. Correcting or punishing her when you didn’t catch her doing it will not show her what she did wrong. All you can do is take it as a lesson learned that you need to watch her more carefully. Puppies are just like babies. They need to be watched constantly, and are still learning new things every day. With patience and consistency, your puppy will pick up potty training quickly.