Well, Here we are at 27 weeks.
I was looking at Sophies fangs the other day. I bet they are 2 inches long. She must be preparing for Halloween because she is either going to make a good vampire or a dripping blood fanged werewolf.
She hasn't grown much since last week. I have been giving her 7 cups of Purina Puppy chow instead of 6 because she still acted like she was hungry.
She has a little dry patch on her muzzle. Not sure what that is, but I'm watching it. It seems to be getting bigger in the past 2 weeks or so.
It has been 70 plus degrees for the past few weeks. This is really warm weather compared to what we normally get on Halloween. (snow and freeeezing cold weather) I actually mowed today. I felt weird to have the lawnmower still running at this time of year.
yee haw.
About Me
- yetipaw
- Animation, Animals, Comics, Cartoons, Scripts, Screenplays, Musicals, Children's Books, Music, and more!!!!!!....... My dog is big....REAL BIG.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sophie: 26 weeks
Sophie is so awesome. She measures at almost 28 inches at the shoulder. Her hiney is even higher at 29 inches.
Last night I took her outside for a potty break. It was about 9pm, so it was pretty dark. I'm not sure what, or who was outside in the shadows, but Sophie suddenly switched on her full alert system and began sniffing out whoever/whatever was out in the darkness. She is so fearless. It was awesome. I felt like I was in safe company and sure appreciated having her in our home.
Sophie got another bath this weekend. I bought a huge 70 gallon poly water trough from IFA (intermountain farmers association) and it cost me about $65.00. I will use it to store hay/straw, use as a dog bathtub, and use it as a place to keep baby chicks when they hatch. It has so many uses.
I also bought one of those horshoe type brushes. It looks like a bent piece of steel bent in a semi circle with a handle. One side of the steel has jagged teeth to grasp hair. This brush works great! So much better than my other crappy brush that just combs the hair rather than seperate sand grabs ahold of the loose hair.
I introduced Sophie to one of my chicken victims. (one of my nastiest egg eaters is doomed to be Sophie's test candidate) Basically, I have decided that Sophie isn't ready to co-exist along side chickens yet. She likes to chase and nip at them too much. So, I put my chicken in a cage along side Sophie's kennel to get them more accustomed to each other. Then in a week or two I will try again. I did read that anatolians should be a year old before they take on chickens....not sure if thats true or not ....I will have to do more research.
see ya,
Last night I took her outside for a potty break. It was about 9pm, so it was pretty dark. I'm not sure what, or who was outside in the shadows, but Sophie suddenly switched on her full alert system and began sniffing out whoever/whatever was out in the darkness. She is so fearless. It was awesome. I felt like I was in safe company and sure appreciated having her in our home.
Sophie got another bath this weekend. I bought a huge 70 gallon poly water trough from IFA (intermountain farmers association) and it cost me about $65.00. I will use it to store hay/straw, use as a dog bathtub, and use it as a place to keep baby chicks when they hatch. It has so many uses.
I also bought one of those horshoe type brushes. It looks like a bent piece of steel bent in a semi circle with a handle. One side of the steel has jagged teeth to grasp hair. This brush works great! So much better than my other crappy brush that just combs the hair rather than seperate sand grabs ahold of the loose hair.
I introduced Sophie to one of my chicken victims. (one of my nastiest egg eaters is doomed to be Sophie's test candidate) Basically, I have decided that Sophie isn't ready to co-exist along side chickens yet. She likes to chase and nip at them too much. So, I put my chicken in a cage along side Sophie's kennel to get them more accustomed to each other. Then in a week or two I will try again. I did read that anatolians should be a year old before they take on chickens....not sure if thats true or not ....I will have to do more research.
see ya,
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bitten
Yesterday was strange.
We were just about to sit down and eat supper. We usually tell Sophie to go and lay down where she will watch us eat from the back of the kitchen. Last night, instead of letting her watch us, I took her to the porch (mud room) that has a sliding door. It is just off our kitchen. I didn't use force, and I was just kinda nudging Sophie to go into the room so I could slide the door shut. As I was sliding the door shut, she bit me.
I was shocked at first, ...then really mad.
I grabbed her by the collar and yelled at her and put her in her crate.
The bite didn't hurt me at all. She didn't puncture skin and I didn't bleed...It wasn't a harsh bite, and I almost wouldn't consider that is was a mean attempt at a bite..... but the fact that she bit down on my hand was a little startling, especially considering that there are small kids around all the time and she is supposed to be a protector, not a pirahna.
I'm not even sure what she was trying to tell me. Was she saying that she didn't want to be cut off from the family? Was she saying that she wasn't about to leave the aroma of baked pork and was afraid she wouldn't get a smidge if I shut her out? Was she sick of being in the mud room? I'm not sure.
I do know this ...1) she was just fed 3 cups of purina puppy chow, 2) she had been inside all day because of the snow, 3) she was locked in her crate (which is in that back mud room) for a few hours prior so we could go to church, and she had just been outside on a potty break.
She isn't a mean dog by any means. She is a little overly excited, and can play rough....and we have had nipping issues with her....but this was an intentional bite....and you don't bite anyone especially the apha male who feeds and supports you!
p.s. I have had a pug that went "meat-crazy" whenever he was around cooked meat. (especially rotissere chicken) If anyone stood between him and the meat, you were immediately considered a threat and he was sure to let you know it. I definately try to stay away from feeding Sophie table scraps. I occasionally give her some meat scraps, but I don't want her to be as aggressive as our pug was......I could see that getting very dangerous with an LGD breed. (large gaurdian dog)
We were just about to sit down and eat supper. We usually tell Sophie to go and lay down where she will watch us eat from the back of the kitchen. Last night, instead of letting her watch us, I took her to the porch (mud room) that has a sliding door. It is just off our kitchen. I didn't use force, and I was just kinda nudging Sophie to go into the room so I could slide the door shut. As I was sliding the door shut, she bit me.
I was shocked at first, ...then really mad.
I grabbed her by the collar and yelled at her and put her in her crate.
The bite didn't hurt me at all. She didn't puncture skin and I didn't bleed...It wasn't a harsh bite, and I almost wouldn't consider that is was a mean attempt at a bite..... but the fact that she bit down on my hand was a little startling, especially considering that there are small kids around all the time and she is supposed to be a protector, not a pirahna.
I'm not even sure what she was trying to tell me. Was she saying that she didn't want to be cut off from the family? Was she saying that she wasn't about to leave the aroma of baked pork and was afraid she wouldn't get a smidge if I shut her out? Was she sick of being in the mud room? I'm not sure.
I do know this ...1) she was just fed 3 cups of purina puppy chow, 2) she had been inside all day because of the snow, 3) she was locked in her crate (which is in that back mud room) for a few hours prior so we could go to church, and she had just been outside on a potty break.
She isn't a mean dog by any means. She is a little overly excited, and can play rough....and we have had nipping issues with her....but this was an intentional bite....and you don't bite anyone especially the apha male who feeds and supports you!
p.s. I have had a pug that went "meat-crazy" whenever he was around cooked meat. (especially rotissere chicken) If anyone stood between him and the meat, you were immediately considered a threat and he was sure to let you know it. I definately try to stay away from feeding Sophie table scraps. I occasionally give her some meat scraps, but I don't want her to be as aggressive as our pug was......I could see that getting very dangerous with an LGD breed. (large gaurdian dog)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Sophie: 24 and 25 weeks
These weeks are flying fast.
I 'm not too good at keeping this blog updated, am I?
So, now Sophie-licious is now 25 weeks. It seems like a week ago when I picked her up from the airport. She has come a loooong way since then.
She is 27 inches at the shoulder. I am starting to wonder how big she will get. In some ways, I am expecting her to be done growing height-wise. I see her filling out a little...don't get me wrong, she is still lanky and skinny, but I see more muscle mass and she is bulkier in some areas.
Today my wife gave her a much needed bath. The big plastic orange tote/thingy we use won't hold her anymore so my wife decided to bathe her in our outside atrium inside a wheelbarrow. It was 40 degrees all day with some snow flurries, but inside the atrium it is much warmer...especially when the wheelbarrow was filled with nice warm water. Anyway, Sophie was smelling pretty bad...not to mention she is shedding like a bigfoot in the desert so my wife decided to tackle the issue. (much to my delight since I was finishing up yardwork before winter really kicks in.)
My wife looked online for some scent recipes for a really stinky dog and found that if you wash in vinegar and soap, (we used hand soap in equal parts) it would work good.....soooooo, after my wife was done, Sophie came out smelling like a champ, not to mention her coat was so dang soft and shiny. I couldn't believe it....It was a night and day difference. Before, her coat was feeling hard and course (I haven't been the best at keeping up on brushing cause my brush really sucks).....but now,...ooooohhhh so- oh- ophie!!! She looks so much better, shinier, and although she has a hint of vinegar smell...it is so much better. I guess I owe my wife big time.....
I am using a dremel on her nails. I like it better because I get so nervous clipping when she is so wrigley. I am afraid I will snip too close to the tender part. I also use the dremel to file down my chickens beaks. The younger ones keep eating all our eggs, so we square them off at the tips so they aren't so sharp which makes it harder to crack open eggs. You almost can't even tell unless you are up close. Hopefully those little buggers will stop. I guess we shall see.
see ya.....
I 'm not too good at keeping this blog updated, am I?
So, now Sophie-licious is now 25 weeks. It seems like a week ago when I picked her up from the airport. She has come a loooong way since then.
She is 27 inches at the shoulder. I am starting to wonder how big she will get. In some ways, I am expecting her to be done growing height-wise. I see her filling out a little...don't get me wrong, she is still lanky and skinny, but I see more muscle mass and she is bulkier in some areas.
Today my wife gave her a much needed bath. The big plastic orange tote/thingy we use won't hold her anymore so my wife decided to bathe her in our outside atrium inside a wheelbarrow. It was 40 degrees all day with some snow flurries, but inside the atrium it is much warmer...especially when the wheelbarrow was filled with nice warm water. Anyway, Sophie was smelling pretty bad...not to mention she is shedding like a bigfoot in the desert so my wife decided to tackle the issue. (much to my delight since I was finishing up yardwork before winter really kicks in.)
My wife looked online for some scent recipes for a really stinky dog and found that if you wash in vinegar and soap, (we used hand soap in equal parts) it would work good.....soooooo, after my wife was done, Sophie came out smelling like a champ, not to mention her coat was so dang soft and shiny. I couldn't believe it....It was a night and day difference. Before, her coat was feeling hard and course (I haven't been the best at keeping up on brushing cause my brush really sucks).....but now,...ooooohhhh so- oh- ophie!!! She looks so much better, shinier, and although she has a hint of vinegar smell...it is so much better. I guess I owe my wife big time.....
I am using a dremel on her nails. I like it better because I get so nervous clipping when she is so wrigley. I am afraid I will snip too close to the tender part. I also use the dremel to file down my chickens beaks. The younger ones keep eating all our eggs, so we square them off at the tips so they aren't so sharp which makes it harder to crack open eggs. You almost can't even tell unless you are up close. Hopefully those little buggers will stop. I guess we shall see.
see ya.....
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Daily Schedule
For the most part, this is our daily dog schedule. Sometimes it varies.
It seems to work, and we rarely have potty accidents if we stay on schedule.
It seems to work, and we rarely have potty accidents if we stay on schedule.
6am - open crate/ feed 3 cups of dry puppy chow / take out on choker for potty break (she will usually go #1 and #2) She watches me feed our birds.
6:30 am - 8:am - she hangs out with the family.
8:am - 11:am or so - Go to outside kennel. ( 6 feet high, 12 feet wide, 24 feet long)
Noon-ish - she comes into the house (sometimes she goes into her kennel if there are errands to run for an hour or two.)
3:00pm : - potty break/ then hang out with the family.
5:30 - 6:00pm - Feed her 3 cups / potty break / hang out.
7:30 - 8:pm - We take her to the field across the street and let her run around. I take her 15 foot leash, take off the choker, and clip a rope tied to a small checkered ball on the end. She will chase that thing like it was a rabbit. We have alot of fun. This is usually no more than 30 minutes because Sophie tires out. One thing I love about Sophie is that she never runs from us (as have my other dogs in the past). She always stays close around.
9:pm - I take her out for her last potty break of the night (usually #1 and #2). She goes into her crate and knows it it bedtime. I have seen her go to her crate on her own by 9pm if I am behind schedule...so I am sure she understands the routine.
Any advice? input?
Feedback welcomed!
Any advice? input?
Feedback welcomed!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Sophie: 22 weeks and 23 weeks
I am slacking. Sophie is now 2 weeks older!
She stand at 26.5 at the shoulder. It seems like she is slowing down on height, however, she is filling in on weight. I am always amazed at her power and strength. She is one big dog!
I don't have much to say....
We tried some Kirkland brand puppy chow and mixed it with her Purina puppy chow. Although, Sophie liked it, she had ninihara (swahhili for diarrhea) for a week or two. Not bad, but it was evident. We switched her back to Purina and seem to be back on track. She likes it, so we may as well keep her on what she is used to from her breeder. I also compared prices and found that WalMart has the best pricing that I have found so far.
I have noticed Sophie being more alert. She definately makes you feel at ease if you are walking down a dark street. I have had a few close calls with roaming dogs. It amazes me that people either allow their dogs to roam, or walk them without a leash. What dummies.
see ya....
She stand at 26.5 at the shoulder. It seems like she is slowing down on height, however, she is filling in on weight. I am always amazed at her power and strength. She is one big dog!
I don't have much to say....
We tried some Kirkland brand puppy chow and mixed it with her Purina puppy chow. Although, Sophie liked it, she had ninihara (swahhili for diarrhea) for a week or two. Not bad, but it was evident. We switched her back to Purina and seem to be back on track. She likes it, so we may as well keep her on what she is used to from her breeder. I also compared prices and found that WalMart has the best pricing that I have found so far.
I have noticed Sophie being more alert. She definately makes you feel at ease if you are walking down a dark street. I have had a few close calls with roaming dogs. It amazes me that people either allow their dogs to roam, or walk them without a leash. What dummies.
see ya....
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