I'm getting frustrated with the lack of response

[Catia]

Honestly Ruth, I don't care anymore what the damn DNA 'wanna-be' "re-analysis" comes up, Tessa IS part TM.

It's those points & the color of her points-with the blue/silver/fawn--I see TM so clearly in her face-even if her nose stop thing isn't as sharp-I've looked pics of the working TM's-not all have such sharp stops.

***Now, for homeowners insurance purposes, I have my ORIGINAL copy of Tessa's skrewed up DNA test that says she a Maltese / Golden Retriever mix--
No HOI is gonna drop a Maltese mix --LOL...
So, maybe the test paid off.

Yes, Tessa likes to be on tables, I've broken her of this to a large extent. I got rid of the coffee table...
My kitchen table is counter height, & I can adjust it higher if need be.
Since I've always had big dogs, regular height dinner tables weren't an option, as I don't like a wagging tail clearing the table.

Now as far as the jumping up, I thought this was done & over with.
But a few times lately she's done it while we were walking to other people.

 

[Catia]

Oh, and I'm a total jackass--working on the soft mouth & her releasing stuff with her new chompers-which is going well.

BUT---i can't seem to keep my fingers out of her mouth, I mean sometimes it's necessary, like when she finds chicken bones or a dead animal at the park, but other times, I play tag the tongue, or put my fingers in her mouth, she's got a sweet little nibble-it's kind of affectionate-so we play games with it. She is a little mouthy, but she doesn't nip. She leaves that inch of tongue there and well...I can't help myself.
I've done a lot of work with her mouth & food/bones/sticks...just not sure the mouthy thing is necessarily an issue, or how I should limit.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Oh, and I'm a total jackass--working on the soft mouth & her releasing stuff with her new chompers-which is going well.

Temperment wise she certinally is in many many ways, so regardless she might as well be. It'll be interesting to see how she matures.

I have to admit I didn't really try hard to keep Apollo off my coffee table lol

We still occasionally have trouble with Apollo jumping on people, but its mostly an over excitement thing now, he DOES know better.

For the counter clearing.....what worked with Apollo: he counter surfed, we blocked him out of the kitchen. The kitchen is the only non-carpet surface so he LOVES sleeping in there, so he didn't take long to figure out that he had to behave to be allowed in. Whether that'd work for Tessa.....

Mouthing like that is up to you, as long as you feel comfortable that she isn't going to walk up to people and mouth uninvited then its up to you if you want her to be allowed to do it to you honestly. We call that bubble-gum tongue here, cause it looks like the start of a bubble gum bubble lol!

 

[Catia]

She's hungry like a freaking moose. I was feeding her 4.5 cups Orijen LBP per day, divided in 3, plus her treats.
I scatter her food across 1/2 the kitchen floor so it takes her a while-because she will inhale the food otherwise.

Things got bad for the 1st hour or so after she eats-she finishes & it's like she is starving...It doesn't let up.

Past 2 days I upped her food, by 1/2 cup each feeding-So now 6 cups per day-just to see if it *IS* hunger--now for the most part she is relaxed after she eats, & the counter surfing has reduced a LOT, & she's better behaved.
This just seems a lot of food for a high quality puppy food-about a cup over the range on the bag
-I know each pup is different. I do not want to be over feeding her.

Maybe she has a growth spurt coming??? People have mentioned she's grown in the past 2 weeks--aside from her fur growing--it does look like now her head is a little small for her body size--with the fur coat weirdness it's hard to tell.

I will tell you this, & I hope I do not jinx myself--since Tessa shed her puppy coat, there's been no other shedding-none.
It is so nice to pet her & play & roll around & not be covered in fur. I still do not see any sign of an undercoat, but the fur on the backs of her legs & bum are getting longer & thick. She used to have 2 perfect little rosettes on each side of her hind end--now it's grown long, the coloring is still there, but you can't see the pattern. Also foot fur on the backs of her feet.

Her tail is still out of control-and now all long fur. Her wag is a thump thump thump.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Could be a growth spurt, I've never been one to follow a strict schedule of how much to feed, if she's hungry, and she's not fat, then she may need the extra (and she's not fat, looking at her pictures!). Just keep an eye on her and be prepared to reduce it down again if she chunks up to much.

It'll be interesting to see if she follows the pattern of one shed or two. TMs have one shed, but some of the other LGDs do have two. But I'm betting she's going to get very plush come fall!

 

[Catia]

yeah--the hard part is discerning whether or not she is hungry or if she's just being greedy.
She is food driven, so it's hard to tell.

Her behavior after eating (before I upped her food)was completely different.
She'd finish her food, & search endlessly for any morsel she could find after her food was gone, anything that remotely had a food scent got raided & she's didn't relax about it for the better part of an hour. Since I choose to keep her activity low for an hour after she eats, it was an issue.

Now, after she is done, she's mellow, & I don't have to keep her baby-gated in 1 room, she goes & finds a cool spot & takes a nap, belly up of course.

This belly up thing cracks me up. It truly is her *favorite* position.

I'm wondering if she is entering some type of phase??? Is there a phase at the 6 month point?
-she seems a little different on the leash the past week.
We were pretty solid walking through crowds & people, & I did not worry about the jumping up, she'd sit patiently & wait if I asked her to, or if we kept moving she paid no attention.
The jumping up when meeting another dog is also an issue, her paws are big & yes, it's all about wanting to play, no aggression on Tessa's part, but I do not know how this looks to another pooch.
I do not think she's been getting enough interaction past week or two with other dogs, there's been no one to play with, it's been too hot.

 

[ruthcatrin]

a phase is possible, even non-LGD mastiff breeds hit a "terrible teens" phase in the 7-10 months range, depending on the dog it could last through the year mark. Plus TMs are true primitives who have an actual breeding season that runs Sept-ish to Dec-ish, and as a result the intact TM pups have this tendancy to turn into hormone driven BRATS during this. I'm not sure off the top of my head if the same applies to the rest of the LGD breeds or not, and since Tessa's spayed I don't know how much it'd affect her.

When Apollo went through his "jump on EVERYTHING to say HI!!" phase nothing worked, till the trainer we were working with suggested "walking through him". When he'd start to jump we'd turn and litterally walk into him, using our own bodies to push him over and back onto 4 feet. As soon as all four feet were on the ground you turn back to the way you were going and start the greeting over.

 

[Everest]

Catia,

Don't give up ! It took me a just teasing and teasing Everest into playing with a ball, but once he started he was all puppy. Take a look, it's just a short video of him getting the idea of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_nziJuUA_A&feature=youtu.be

 

[Catia]

about Tessa's tail-the fur is getting LONG and while she was wet I thought I saw something stuck deep in her tail fur in 1 spot.
Remember I told about her trap scar on her foot--and that I think her tail was caught too? I think she had trauma to her tail.
Matter of fact, I'm now convinced of it, because she's been weird about her tail from day 1.

She's actually MUCH more agitated about her tail being touched than she is about the foot that has the scar. Her tail also has always seemed to be held a little odd, like there was a crook in her tail, & she didn't lift it much as a pup, it did lift a little. I showed it to the vet & he said some dogs just keep their tail low. A few times I think I felt something, like a lump, but other times couldn't find it again.

She really dislikes her tail being touched closer to the base she gets fidgety if you touch it.

The fur is thick so it takes a bit to get to the roots--I got to the roots of the spot I saw & it wasn't anything stuck in that spot, what it was is a patch of white fur--but it is only white about 3/4 of an inch-the rest of the length -about 1 1/2 inches is jet black...I do not know if this means the fur there is going to change to all white or not--every seen this???

It's NOT like how agouti type fur is tipped a different color, it's a stark contrast--like a woman with white hair who dyes it black & has 3/4 inch of white roots--
It is about at the spot where I've always thought she had some type of trauma.

I'm wondering if her tail was broken/sprained when she was a tiny pup--she can move her tail, but it doesn't seem to lift the way most dogs can lift their tail when it is wagging. I've gotten used to the way she holds her tail, so I had stopped thinking about it until now. She can lift it about 1/2 way now, it seems it's a bit higher than when she was younger.

I tried to get pics of the furs that are white-but was by myself & she was fidgety...

Have you ever seen/heard of white roots like this?

 

[ruthcatrin]

It does kinda look like growth on a scar....

 

[ruthcatrin]

Is the white new hair or the base of the old hairs?

 

[Catia]

the hairs are between 2-3 inches long--& grew in solid black when pup fur was blown.
Now, from the root to about the 3/4 inch mark is solid white, the rest of the hair is jet black.

Think if you saw a lil old lady with white hair who dyes her hair black, but has grown in roots--that's what it looks like. Stark contrast--not like agouti or banded.

I have not seen any of these furs/hairs full white. None of them have shed yet & appear to still be growing, meaning they have not yet reached their full length.

It does not span her entire tail, just a 3 inch by 2 inch spot, about 3-4 inches from the actual base of her tail--she is very very weird about that area.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Donno how well this will show up



I had to cut a burr out of Apollo's tail not to long ago, but you can still see where there was black on the ends of the hairs, with the pale pale blond/gold growing in under it.

Now I don't know thats whats happening with Tessa, it does kinda look like scar hair growth, but it DOES happen....

 

[Catia]

Apollo's fur in that pic has that agouti banded thing & is tipped--Tessa has that on her face fur everywhere she is pointed.

The spot on her tail that I am referring to is not like that at all. At this point, you cannot see it at all unless you part the fur, and it's black & white. I'll see if I can get a pic of the entire length with something behind to show the contrast & length.
It might be easier for me to snip a few furs than to get her to stay still so I can get pics in focus--it's not like it would be noticiable there's so much tail fur there now.

I have read recently that if a dog has trauma in an area the fur can grown in pure white, I didn't know if there is any truth to this or not, or if anyone had experienced it happening.
It seems like she can get her tail to half mast & sometimes a little higher now, but it still seems lower than it should be unless she is uber excited, but tail still doesn't go all the way up, I don't think she could go 90 degrees from the base if she tried, it seems like something there at the base isn't quite right. Like it was yanked from a socket--is a tail socketed?

Sometimes, especially when she was a small pup, her tail was kind of 'lifeless'--like it just hung there & only moved a little towards the tip if she were super excited--I can say--thinking on it now--the fact that I did not get much tail movement was a HUGE factor in trying to read her body language. When a dogs tail is always down like that, they look sad/scared/stressed/uninterested.
Sometimes her behavior didn't match up with her tail--know what I mean?

If Tessa doesn't have full movement of her tail, meaning limited mobility, it's no wonder I had such a hard time reading her.
There were times I'd sit with her at the mirror trying to see a puppy tail wag--maybe she just couldn't do it.

Now lots of dogs do just fine having tails docked, but is there anything at the base of her tail that can affect her negatively if she did have trauma?

 

[ruthcatrin]

It was black to the top before I cut it, if that helps.

I've seen white fur "scarring" so yup, and that is what Tessa's looks like.

And yup, if a tail is docked to short it can cause all kinds of nerve problems in the hind end, so I'd say its possible that damage a bit further from the base could cause problems.

 

[Catia]

I told the damn vet TWICE at 12 & 16 weeks--there was something wrong with her tail--he said nothing wrong & do a wait & see--he acted like I was looking for problems--made me feel like I was being ridiculous.
EEERRRRRRR.

I wonder if she can get an xray of that area without being sedated--I know they need to be sedated to get a proper look at the hips.

I hope this isn't something that I could've had fixed & now cannot. I should KNOW BETTER than to go against my own gut--when it comes to any Dr or Vet--but they talk to you in that way that makes you feel dismissed. I got the "some dogs just carry their tail low"--she was alert at the vet, so wasn't just hanging. They DONT LISTEN!!!

She's got more range with her tail now, but I'm telling you--it's not FULL tail range IMHO.

 

[ruthcatrin]

It'll depend on her, and the vet. In theory yes, they could get xrays without sedation, but it would depend on her allowing it to happen.

 

[Catia]

Snuggling/affection--Figured out the bed issue--previously I thought Tessa just didn't want to be snuggly, & I thought maybe it was just the heat in the bed. This has now been confirmed.

I have (had) a soft sided waterbed, very firm but completely waveless, with all kinds of lumbar support & it is heated.
It was also 23 years old...and always felt just like the 1st day I bought it. It was by far the BEST investment out of any furniture I have ever purchased. This bed outlasted everything.
This bed survived being drained/moved about 50 times, survived countless kitties, huge pooches, kids, & of couse other miscellany...
A week & 1/2 ago, I woke up in a pool of water , 9 holes along seams on both sides-underneath, on the sides by the bottom of the mattress-the bed finally failed. I probably could have patched it, but with that many holes popping up at the same times, it was pretty clear it was time to lay the bed to rest.

***I am seriously MOURNING this bed***

Tessa however is NOT...

While I am waiting for my new water mattress to be made (made to order in the usa to boot!), I have a futon mattress on my queen platform.
Of course, life for me has SUCKED--I've been in pain for a week and 1/2--but I wake up with my pooch *every* morning.

Tessa LOVES the futon mattress. She loves it so much it's like her new favorite place.

Me, well, I can't hack life right now, I feel like someone has beaten me with a baseball bat. I had forgotten how much difference a good mattress makes.
But, I now know for sure, the issue with Tessa not wanting to snuggle is because she didn't like the heat.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Apollo's quite sensitive to heat, so I can believe that.

 

[Catia]

Updating this thread, want to keep most of my TM "journey" in 1 place, as a point of reference.

I've been away for a bit, so here's some updates.

Tessa is still *oh so***STUBBORN***.
There was a point I reached, where I just felt the futility...and well, Tessa wasn't going to stop resisting

I've kind of given up in trying to "train her like a regular dog"--At least at this point.
Hear me out on this one.
There was a point of clarity somewhere, (or maybe it was denial I dunno),
but anyway---I realized I was just going to be constantly frustrated if I expected Tessa to behave like a rottie, dane or a shepherd.

This wasn't good for me, & wasn't good for Tessa.
Part of me thinks her stubbornness just wore me down--it's truly inherent.
Neither of these breeds is in her, & I needed to ask myself if I really needed a "doggie servant", or if I really wanted a "doggie companion".

Tessa is a wonderful & loving & sweet companion.

The things I did teach her, I know she knows.

And maybe...just maybe---I started to see that some of the things we teach dogs is more for our own amusement.
So I needed to look at what I really needed & wanted:
The essentials:
WELL SOCIALIZED
Housebroken
crate trained
won't kill my cats
walks well on leash (meaning reasonable controllable)
Tessa HATES her collar & her leash & every harness I've purchased ***BUT***-but will walk with it & generally listens better on leash & out of the house than at home!
And can ride in the car & go places with me, like hiking trips & swimming etc.

All of the tricks people normally teach pooches like shepherds/rotties/danes, all are to the side, so no jumping through hoops or agility or doggie tricks for now.

I've also leaned away from a bunch of verbal command stuff-- outside of basics like: sit/stop/wait/no/get up/ go outside/come/leave it & spit it out.
Tessa doesn't seem to respond much to verbals, we're (I'm) more working on 'feeling' each other if that makes ANY sense--reading each other may be a better way to put it.
I was repeating myself for myself it seemed. She'd do something once or twice & just look at me like "Really? You & I both know I know this & this is ridiculous", & sometimes it WAS unnecessary, I just wanted her to do something to prove to me that she would/could. Some things are necessary, but others just are not, & that's where it's at for now.
Pooches can ALWAYS be taught, so my biggest concern was to get the basics into Tessa & have her be WELL SOCIALIZED.

I'm simply not going to get the same response out of her as breeds I was familiar with, & I needed to understand & accept.
We're not winning any awards for leash manners, but she's really pretty good. Tessa's lunchtime walker says she's cake--& I laugh because to me she's still no where near where I want her to be as far as leash manners. I'm big on leash manners & on socialization.

Tessa is such a love bug, & so sweet I call her my "Tessa-Pie"--but also, since she needed a last name--I gave her one--so now her full name is Tessa P Mc Lovin.
She's the goodest 'bad dog' I've ever had LOL & she IS a social butterfly--at least at this point--she's now 9 1/2 months & it is utterly amazing how much she sucks people in.
You can kiss her/hug her/love her & then she wants a belly rub!!!
I know people say dogs hate to be hugged, let alone kissed-(on the face no less)--but I swear Tessa is ALL about it.
She gets more hugs & kisses from strangers--adults & kids--Half the time people don't even ask-they pet her a bit, look into those eyes & give her a hug before moving on.

Ok, so onto some recent pics, Tessa's coat is going berzerk still, so my dreams of a rottie like coat are in the dust...