Over the past year, Tzipporah had successfully mastered the art of peeing and pooping on the wee wee pads; we had to throw out a few rugs early on, and do a lot of scrubbing, but eventually we figured out the right number of wee wee pads, at the right strategic places, to make the whole thing work for her. But then, a few weeks ago, she started to leave tiny pee puddles in my bedroom, out of nowhere.
I was 95% convinced that she was using her pee as a form of criticism, rather than having a health problem, because I noticed that the pee puddles only seemed to appear when there were no more treats left. So, if I took a nap during the day and didn’t remember to put a Greenie in front of the air conditioner, there might be a pee puddle by my door when I woke up, and if I set out a trail of chicken treats at bedtime, but failed to refill it at some point during the night, there might be a pee puddle on my path to the bathroom in the morning.
Then, one night, while I was sitting with her in the living room, Tzipporah suddenly got up, walked across the room, and disappeared down the hall. I sat very still, in shock, wondering if she’d forgotten I was there, because in her almost-a-year of living with us, she has never gotten out of her bed while I was in the room with her, let alone walked brazenly across the room. When she returned to her bed, I snuck a peek into the hallway and saw that she’d left a poop on the wee wee pad. Good girl! I cleaned up after her and praised her and gave her a treat, dizzy with the belief that we were finally turning a corner in our relationship. But the second and third time she left the room, she went straight to my bedroom and used my rug as her bathroom, overcome with a bout of diarrhea. It’s a cheap rug, so I wasn’t overly upset about that, but the spark of joy I’d felt when I thought she was making progress was immediately flushed down the toilet.
It turned out that during her evening strolls through the apartment, she’d been eating whatever she could find on the floor, whether it was a piece of onion dropped during the preparation of dinner, or a piece of the Siberian Iris leaves Mom was using for weaving. Once we figured out the cause of the problem, we were able to keep the floor safer for her, and the diarrhea and the pee puddles quickly disappeared.
The truth is, though, that she really has been making some progress. She’s become much more present during her once-weekly therapy visits, lifting her head and looking around the room instead of hiding under my elbow. And she’s gotten used to the routine of sitting in the backseat of the car with her seat belt on, and then walking towards the door to be detached and picked up. Most of the time she practically jumps into my arms, whether we’re on our way into therapy or on our way home.
And she has started to express herself more forcefully with me, pawing at my hand when she thinks I’m brushing her hair too much, giving me the evil eye whenever I go near her tail with the comb. She was already letting loose with a bark or two each night, at Grandma, when the treats came too slowly, but recently she actually barked at the TV, pacing back and forth and yelling at a man on the screen, though I wasn’t there in person so I have no idea who she was barking at or how much he deserved it. I still only get to see her adventures when Mom can record them for me, since Tzipporah’s law against leaving her bed while I’m in the room came back into play as soon as her belly problems resolved.
My big hope is that while I’m away in Israel, in a few weeks, she will realize that she can run freely around the apartment without fear of running into Mommy, and then she’ll get so used to her freedom that she won’t want to relinquish it even when I return. It’s my dream, anyway, and I’m allowed to dream. I mean, if peace can come to the Middle East, surely Tzipporah can figure out that I’m not all that scary. Right?
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Hopefully, while you are overseas, Tzipporah will do well and you’ll be reunited with happy news.
Fingers crossed!
Ah, the old one step forward and two steps back game. At least there is some progress of sorts.
Yep. She’s doing her best.
I am smiling at the name Tzipporah for a doggie. It’s such an adult human name haha. Ugh, your potty issues are similar to the ones I’m having with my cats. It makes me so tired! It’s pee or puke over here!
She’s a very serious little girl, even when she’s peeing in the wrong places.
Awwww.
I’m glad Tzipporah is doing better. We pet owners have to be extra careful about what our furbabies eat!
Tzippy thinks she should have so much chicken that she’s not tempted to eat anything else.
be interesting to see who has more separation anxiety. Hoping for neither.
We’ll see!
Congratulations Tzipporah. She is very cute. Are you going to have a dog sitter for her while you are gone? I think a dog sitter coming to your house is the solution that keeps the dogs the happiest.
She’s staying home with her Grandma, so she’s going to be very comfortable. We’ll see if they let me back in when I return.
That sounds like a perfect solution
I hope she keeps making progress! fingers crossed.
Thank you!
Poor baby. Sometimes it takes our little friends longer to get comfortable than expected. Our rescue beagle still thinks that blankets are acceptable spaces to wee, even if it’s on my lap.
Oh no! It has to be so confusing for them.
Love them or be utterly frustrated by their little idiosyncrasies, they are joined at our hip by, none other than love 💕
Absolutely!
Include a picture of your sweet little dog who seems confused at times and figuring out how to settle in. I get so happy when I feel like I have succeeded in training my puppy only to have her unexpectedly do something like pee on my favorite chair in front of me. Yours is older but orobably has untraining and training to master. It takes a lot of patience. Hang in there and keep the pictures coming.
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Great that you’re making progress
Thank you!
Aw, these things take time and love. And you have tons of that!
Thank you!
I know it can be difficult to figure out what our pups are trying to tell us. Are they mad? Scared? Wanting something? All we can do it be patient and love them the best we can.
Here’s the upcoming time apart will trigger something in Tzipporah and she’ll welcome your return.
Fingers crossed!
I saw a program tonight that emphasied how long it can take a rescue dog to settle. You all are doing great.
Thank you!!! That’s reassuring.
You are the best, most patient Dog Mom! Love that Tzipporah is showing progress! And feeling grateful for peace in the Middle East for now…. can’t wait to read about your trip to Israel! V
Thank you!!!
Its good to see her making some progress. I hope you have an educational time in Israel.
Thank you!
It sounds like she indeed is making progress. Yay for doggie progress!
Yay!!!!
Yep, dogs can be a challenge, but we just keep on loving them and working with them.
Absolutely!
Bless her. Maya will get us up if she wants to go out rather than have an accident indoors. Sadly, she will not usually do her business in the garden because of the dog next door. That one barks every time it’s let out (even if she’s not outside! ) and we think it has made her think she’s wrong to relieve herself in our garden now. This means she has at least four walks a day, which is good for all of us, unless of course it’s raining then she doesn’t want to go out, but we take her anyway! She has a little jacket and enjoys the rub down when she gets home so I guess it’s a fair trade. If she is really desperate though, she will go in the garden, but mostly she’ll wait for her first walk.
I’m kind of feeling grateful that Tzippy refuses to go outside now.
It’s mind of funny how happy we are when our pups boss us around, but it shows a level of confidence they didn’t have before. Yay Tzipporah! 🎉
(How long until your trip? What an incredible time to be visiting!)
I get the feeling that any time is a fascinating time to be there. a few more weeks to go.
Hopefully she will continue to make progress. I recently lost my three-year-old goldendoodle to a brain mass. I’m devastated and will get another puppy soon. Dogs are the best companions.
Oh no! I’m so sorry!
good luck with this! I have one dog who is a winner, and another who is super-cute but nervous poops and wees on the carpet as an 11 year old…!!
Oy. Super cute is important!
🌸