Heeey... whatever happened to little Minnie?

I KNOW!  it's been a few weeks, there was an adoption but didn't want to jinx it, I wasn't sure it would take...

We had a few inquiries about this pretty little lady but when Alan (her new owner!!) and little Appleton his Maltese came to meet her it was a bad scene!  Minnie was lunging at Appleton and Alan outside and I thought for sure they would turn around and hop back in that cab (he admitted that he most definitely thought about it)...  3 hours he stayed in my apartment, 3 HOURS, just couldn't decide, he could tell she was secretly sweet buuuut then she'd growl at Appleton or himself, there was not much hope in my heart...  As soon as he'd lean one way she would do something to make him doubt her, and I couldn't blame him, who would want to put their other dog in that situation??  In the end Appleton showed she could stick up for herself and although he had serious reservations he agreed to take her on a trial basis which everyone thought was for the best, maybe she'd behave more nicely on another dogs turf??  

ha ha can you say nervous...? 

(I think after this photo was taken she growled at Appleton on the floor and then he changed his mind, AND THEN HE CHANGED HIS MIND BACK AGAIN )

...and she went home on a leap of faith;)

future besties?? 

Poor Appleton, a gentle retiring middle aged lady to be roomates 

with Minnie (now Savannah!!) the tazmanian devil!

Soooooooo, how's it going over there??  I'll let you hear it from the horses mouth, or Alan's anyway;)  not perfect as you'll soon read but when the owner is committed there is hope!  I think our nervously naughty but totally lovable little Savannah has ended up in the right place.

Hi April,

Thanks for getting back to me! Savannah appears to be doing just fine so far? She slept last night on the bed with Apple and myself after sleeping Saturday night in the bathroom under a bunch of blankets. I have been trying to find a baby gate as all the stores on the UES are sold out which is not surprising considering I live in baby central here. I hope to have one by this afternoon.

She seems to leave  Appleton alone even the times when I had to run out to do some errands. She can jump onto my bed as Apple can not and she loves to sleep on the pillows which is fine. I am planning to make an appointment for later this week to get her and Apple to my Vet just to be on the safe side. She definitely loves her carrots as I have been giving them to her as a snack. She knows how to go to the bathroom outside but definitely still needs more training in that department. She is very aggressive when out on walks which I am trying to get a grip on. You were right, she likes to go after people's ankles! lol. Okay, I will report back in a day or two, I think we will be okay with her? Speak soon...

and a few weeks later...

Hi April,

Nice to hear from you! Savannah is doing absolutely wonderful and is loving her new home, Daddy and big sister Appleton with one exception.

She most definitely has some issues when she is walked outside but I believe they can be overcome with some diligent and proactive training, which if I can't cure then I will have to call in a certified trainer? She has a tremendous amount of anxiety and aggressive behavior when she see's other dogs that I must get a grip on for her. She lunges at everything in site from people to pigeons to even moving motor vehicles believe it or not and she lets out this overwhelming and incredible high pitched cry that is absolutely deafening at times. Inside the apartment she is as good as gold. Bottom line is I love her to death and am determined and will work hard to get these issues rectified soon before I need to be fitted for hearing aids?

Yup, sounds like small dog syndrome alright, but kudos to Alan (and sweet little Appleton) for taking a chance on her and looking into the matter instead of giving up on her like her first owner did, she's a lucky girl!  Maybe some of these podcasts will help, this is a great sire to poke around! (Have I mentioned I luuuuv Ian Dunbar!)

http://www.dogstardaily.com/radio/110-dog-fears-and-quarrels

http://www.dogstardaily.com/radio/106-socialization-dogs-and-their-owners

http://www.dogstardaily.com/radio/111-choosing-and-adopting-adult-dog

(I've still got a home visit coming up so I'll let you know the latest and greatest! and I confess I can't wait to see my little peanut again!)

How's Miss Minnie doing?

I've had Minnie for a little over a week and I'm really loving her (I have a soft spot for the peanuts)!  I'm only on my 3rd foster dog here but it seems that it takes at least a few days to have any idea of what these guys are really like, they've been through some things and are naturally cautious or frightened so the personality doesn't always reveal itself right away.  Minnie came home with me the day she was spayed (super uncomfortable I'm sure!) and with the standard issue case of Kennel Cough, definitely under the weather, now a week later I don't think she's sore any longer and the Kennel Cough seems to be easing up.  So what are we seeing??  She's very sweet with me, a born snuggler!  and she's starting to get more playful, wriggly wrestling sessions:)  but very cautious with strangers, I've had 2 visitors this week and she nervously growled and barked at them when they came in, and periodically while they were here, but in both cases no one reacted much (except me telling her no) and by the end of the visit she was curiously sniffing them and more relaxed, allowing herself to be pet a little.  Also happy to report she's pretty quiet in the apartment, when she starts barking I tell her no a few times and she does settles down quickly.

Hiiiii!  My name's Minnie!

Notes on Minnie:

What we know:

1. 2 year old female miniature pinscher, 8.5 lbs, spayed, vaccinated.

2. Found on the street in the Bronx.

3. Not reliably house trained or paper trained.

4. Little nervous around strangers.

5. Trustworthy in the house, hasn't chewed up anything.

6. She's a serious snuggle bug, would happily lay on your lap all day, or make a little blanket nest.

7. Very alert and curious, she checks everything out!

8. Starting to learn sit, little bit at a time but it's a start.  Also usually come's when called.

9. She's very affectionate with me now, wants to be on the lap and be luvved up, throws me a few kisses  now and again:)

10. Not food aggressive.

I call this her "silly face" :)

and her lovely profile...

What might need a little work:

Let me preface this section my mentioning "Small Dog Syndrome" which folks who are looking into getting a small dog should be aware of.  Simply put it's a tendency to become fearful mini-tyrants if not treated, trained, and socialized as you would a larger dog.  I'm talking about growling at people, trembling with fear, jumping all over the place, peeing wherever they like for a few examples.  I love this website, it really goes into details and spells out what to look for and how to prevent problems, also another site to fill you in on min-pin personality traits good and bad!

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/smalltoydogs.htm

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/miniaturepinschers.html

Our Minnie is doing pretty well for a small dog as far as I've seen, she's not too yappy/whiny, seems calm in the house, walks pretty well on the leash, has never bit me!  There are things I haven't been able to assess so far and those are how she does with other dogs (hasn't been going outside with the freezing weather) and I'd like a better idea of how she is with people, when she is recovered from her cold and has grown back her bald spots from surgery we may venture out to stores and peoples houses to see how she reacts out in the world outside my apartment.  At the moment she is basically a house cat confined to a small area for potty training, not so fun for either of us but necessary, no one wants to adopt a dog who pees everywhere!

1.  Since she is so small I have made a point of really manhandling her (after we established some trust of course).  I play with her with my hands all over her face and ears, and am always rubbing her all over her whole body, her lips and nose, check her teeth etc... if this is happily going on at playtime she is less likely to feel threatened when you need to check something for real.  Not sure how well she'd take it from a stranger yet but it's a start to desensitizing her.  She's started seeking out "wrestling" sessions:)

2.  Potty training (see earlier posts for this drama) "notorious house breaking difficulties" indeed!

3.  Socializing!  she is a little nervous with strangers in the house and barks at people when she's outside on leash, an effort will need to be made so that she really likes people/dogs (honestly she's been indoors with me so much that I can't yet assess the extent of this...) She's so small that if she is friendly she can go everywhere with you, my 7lb Maltese Lulu was the life of the party and was welcome everywhere and was rarely left at home, she hiked, she swam she went to BBQ's and was spoiled by everyone!  it's worth the time to do this, how awful for a dog to be a shut-in because they are too frightened/aggressive to be out in the world.

4.  Cat's? not sure she can be trusted yet with cats, she does like to chase mine...  If she went to a house with a cat I'm sure they'd eventually work it out but I'd keep an eye on them in the beginning.  (haha, check out cat/minnie video in an earlier post)

5.  Barking.  She's really not that bad!  and when she starts up it's totally appropriate, something is happening in the hallway or there's an unusual noise, if I tell her "no" and "shush" she does quickly quiet down, and if she goes over to the door I shuffle her backwards and tell her no.  Not a problem now but something to keep an eye on.

6. Growling.  I've seen this from her a few times if she's comfy on the couch and you want to move her or pick her up.  Also when a visitor she didn't know tryed to pet her while she was resting on the couch she growled.  Hasn't growled at me recently but the last time she did I kept my hand there and talked to her, she never snapped at me.  Now I purposely disturb her once in awhile when she's in her spot to check on this and to make sure she isn't too possessive of her space.

7. Biting.  She play bites while playing sometimes, hardly any pressure at all! and if you make a loud "puppy yip" she instantly stops:)  good girl Minnie!

8. Can't say whether she likes kids or not but she's sooo tiny that I think better to go to a home with no kids or older/super gentle kids.  Those tiny chicken bone legs of hers make me so nervous!  if a little kids ever fell on her...

snuggled up in her favorite spot!

look at those sweet eyes!

Minnie is such a sweet little girl and I'd love to see her in a home where the owners took the time to really socialize her so she could be out and about and enjoying the world and other doggies.  She needs lots of love and snuggle time as well as some very firm/gentle leadership to avoid the "brat-trap" that so many little ones can fall into!

My "consistency" v.s. Minnie's bladder

This weeks mission is to paper train Minnie!  She's an occasional house soiler, and we can't walk her outside at the moment because it is 6 degrees out and she turns into a popsicle (and is still recovering from kennel cough so we don't want to prolong that).  But this little pup is STUBBORN, even though she enjoys peeing on my floors she doesn't want to do it on the pads... Came home from work at 5:45pm and she'd been holding it since 8:00am, right into the bathroom with the pads "go potty, go potty", nothing, got her some water which she drank, nothing, hung out for an HOUR, nothing, back to the crate for 1/2 hour, back in the bathroom, "go potty" nothing, back in the crate, nothing, 8pm, finally success!  Luckily I was there for the blessed event so I made the biggest possible fuss with treats and delighted squeals and hopefully this will sink in that we LOOOOOOVE IT when you go potty on the pads, and then you are free to roam the apartment and assume your position on top of the couch. 

aaaannd something else good did come out of all our quality time in the ladies room, we are in the beginning stages of learning to sit!  Time well spent I guess...  This is a really helpful command, Minnie is a little willfull and it will be good to use SIT for the whole "nothing in life is free" stuff, I will milk this sit for everything I can think of!  Her little butt will have to sit for every treat, meal, walk, and this will hopefully keep her from becoming a tiny tyrant ; )

I don't wanna go on the pads!

nope, just going to sit here....

I apologize if this is the grossest video post ever

 but after all that I needed to document her success!

post potty freedom!  if you would only learn to use 

the pads you can hang out on the couch all day every day!

She's learning;)

Update:  Next morning... FAILURE...

Put her in the bathroom first thing for 20 minutes.  Decided to feed her breakfast, perhaps add a little internal pressure?  She was eating while I held her leash, I looked away and smelled pee, arghhh, she does it in a flash, any chance to pee on shiny hardwood floors and she goes for it!  I think she needs to stay only in an area with wee-wee pads and no hardwood floors for a few days, have to reconfigure... why Minnie, why?

ok, we'll try this for the day.  

Crate sized comfy area with toys/food...

actual bathroom/new doggie bathroom.

...and we'll even mostly close the door to the bathroom 

so she feels it's a different room and hopefully won't feel 

like its the her area and hold it to avoid messing her bedroom!

as recommended in this episode of Dog Star Daily

http://www.dogstardaily.com/radio/202-–-loo-logistics

I think this will be a long week, she clearly prefers going on the hardwood floors (they say they have surface preferences?).  So although it will be a hassle I'm going to try to leave her only in the bathroom area unless she's on the couch with me.  It's a hassle but she's had quite a few accidents so far and if it continues it will become a solid habit, hopefully it hasn't already... The toughest part is feeling like you are keeping her in "jail", obviously you want them to be free and able to play and follow you around but confinement it is till we figure this out, house soiling may have been the reason she ended up in the shelter in the first place!  Wish us luck!

Personality

Minnie is has been kind of shy since she's been here, she's up for some cozy snuggles and being stroked but she hasn't gotten super melty yet, but twice yesterday I got a few glimpses of "the sillies", they were brief but they were there!  So I think this may be a good sign of things to come :)  

Video from her first day home.

She's so cute!

fighting like cats and dogs....sigh...

could be a whole new story a week from now. 

Make lemonade?

It looks like my newest houseguest isn't house trained, or not reliably house trained anyway... She's been mostly crated and out only when I'm home and can watch her but she's already had a few accidents and there was one this morning between me putting on her halter and getting her jacket on to go outside, she ran into my room and squatted, couldn't hold it!  But this is good (gross but good), if she's an instant morning pee-er it might not be hard to paper train her!  The new strategy will be to take her out of the crate in the morning and put her in the "doggy toilet" area of the house, my kitchen at the moment, wee-wee pads down and hope she pees while I'm watching and then there will be lots of clapping, compliments and free flowing high caliber treats!!!  At the moment she is in the little kitchen shanty town I've put up with wee-wee pads as well (I'm not sure yet if she could hold it all day in the crate) and perhaps she'll start to get the idea while I'm at work.

as long as she's got her fluffy blanket she's happy anywhere.

she's got a bone and toy selection, plus a mini kong.

pretty sad view, hope she figures this out sooner than later!

a small price to pay in the meantime...

Still figuring this one out...

So this is my second day with little Minnie and she is still not quite herself, and by that I mean not totally relaxed and at home.  She is recovering from the spay surgery so we've been keeping her in the crate mostly and because her belly is shaved she gets cold really quickly when she goes out for a squirt, even with her fleece jacket.  At the moment I am just waiting and watching for her real personality, I think she likes me ok and am hoping in a few days she'll be feeling safe and happy here (and a little less sore poor thing)!  Getting her appetite back though and no vomiting today at all, she got my bed pretty good last night!

snug as a bug.

She seems interested in me and comes over willingly but is still a little reserved and seems a kind of stiff and trembly when being pet, can't tell if she's cold or nervous!  Unless she doesn't speak English I don't think she was trained at all, not even to sit for treats, but she does walk well on the leash and comes when called.  It's hard when you are first getting to know each other because you're not using their real name (she's a stray, we have no idea what her owners called her) and you don't know their history at all!  She's good with the food bowl but growled a little when I pet her while she had her bone, although she would let me take it away, also growled a little when I tried to move her last night, we'll see if that persists when she gets to trust me a little more, she's a good girl but may have been a little spoiled like many tiny dogs!  Pretty quiet in the house, little warning hruffs at the people in the hall but not really a yapper!

I can't wait to see her really happy again, she has such a sweet little face!

My new little lady!

Judy the Chihuahua ended up with another foster but I have come home with Minnie the tiny min-pin.  She had just been spayed this afternoon and I expected a space-case but no she was lively and friendly and had plenty of that nervous tiny dog energy (who can blame her she just came from the streets and then the shelter and then surgery)!  The subway ride was no fun for the poor little thing, trembling the whole time and then home and thrown in the bath for a quick shampoo (she smelled like poop, trust me everybody's happier!)!  Now after a terrible day she is home and safe, cozily snoozing under a pile of fuzzy blankets in a giant crate.  Tomorrow perhaps we'll have a better idea of what she's like!

her shelter mug shot, 

we'll go for glamour portraits and videos tomorrow!

What we know:

1. Stray, 2 year old female Miniature Pinscher found roaming the streets in the Bronx.

2. Very friendly:)  kisses, waggy tail!  didn't bite when I gave her a bath  (and she didn't like that one bit!).

3. They mentioned she doesn't like her mouth touched and shouldn't go to a home with small children.

4. She's a little cutie!  

Not much to go on I realize!  I'll fill you in as I learn more, see if she knows commands/tricks etc....  I'm going to try to paper train her since she is so small, I know a lot of little dogs who won't go potty outside in inclement weather, of course she'll be walked too just nice to have the option and for her not to have her legs crossed all day!

I can't wait to see what her personality is like when she is relaxed and feeling better!