Monorail Dachshunds

Ok, I admit, I am a big fan of icanhascheezburger.com.  If you have never seen this site they have pictures of cats and dogs posted with comments from the animals.  And of course since they are animals they can't spell very well.

Here is one featured today with two Dachshunds.

Kirby - Treehugger Extreme

Smell the might Pine. Enjoy the majestic beaches.

Kirby has now moved to the state of Oregon. I am sure that there are still small animals to chase, and she will do her best to hunt them out.

There was a quick stop at Devil's Punchbowl, along Highway 101 on the coast, to get sprayed by awesome waves crashing against the rocks.

It is a little cooler though, not quite summer though it is a nice spring. Still, the sweaters will be out out to help our little friend stay warm.

You Love Us So Much....

It has been a few years since Kiry aquired us.  She was around 4 or 5 at the time already.  Her prior owner wasn't too sure but knew it was in that range.  We rescued her as her owner was gone for long periods of time and couldn't take care of her any longer.

When we first brought Kirby home she suffered from seperation anxiety quite strongly.   Dachshunds are know for this type of behaviour so it was to be expected.  We weren't quite sure what to do about it at the time as this was our first pet with this problem.

We tried different techniques with some definately working better than others.  I thought I would share what we learned in case there are others going through the same things.

1. Be Patient and Caring;  We had to remember not to get angry with Kirby.  It wasn't as if she was really doing something wrong.  Just like a baby, all she really wants is to be with her family.
   
   
2. From above I wouldn't recommend shock or spray collars;  Both can be painful to your little friend as the shock can hurt (haven't you ever watched the guys doing it on America's Funniest Home Videos, now I am all for that) and the spray can get in their eyes.
   
   
3. As with all other training, reward for good behaviour;  We tried leaving her for short periods of time, like minutes, just listening outside the door and then coming back in.  If she was good during the time we were gone then she got a treat.  We were eventually able to increase the time gone until it could be a couple of hours easily.
   
   
4. Have a safe place;  Letting them have the run of the house isn't necessiarly the best option, even if bathroom trained.  When we left Kirby at first she would scratch constantly at the doors, eventually cutting into the wood.  It is better to have a place they can be comfortable in, like a pen or crate and that way when they are in that environment they will come to know their friends will return and all is good.
   
   
5. Don't get them excited upon returning;  It was so natural to want to play with Kirby when we got home because she was so exicted to see us.  However this would have a negative effect in working her up into a frenzy that would carry over into the next time we were gone.  We found that it is best to act normal upon returning home, almost ignoring her, until she would calm down.  Then a nice pet and treat and all would be happy.   The next time leaving would also not be as rough.
   
   
6. There are many right ways;  This is what worked for us.  Will it work for you?  Maybe or maybe not.  Try new ways but treat them nicely.  If you have anything that you would  like suggest or has worked for you please leave a comment for others to see.

Thanks!

Where's Kirby? Isleton, CA

Kirby has moved to Isleton, California.  Where is that?  I wasn't too sure myself but we found it easily enough.  It is located right between Sacramento and San Francisco.  The nice part is we are surounded by many waterways.  The bad part is we are surrounded by many waterways.  They are all held back by levees so the land we are staying on could be underwater at any time.

Kirby is enjoying the area too though.  She has found a few cats in the park that she is keeping her eye on and enjoying the sunny weather this week.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Here is a little something for the holiday.  I hope everyone is having a great day!

Hearst's Dachshunds

Yesterday, March 15th, our family had the opportunity to visit Hearst's Castle in San Simeon, California.  Because of restrictions, little Kirby was unable to go on the trip with us.  The mansion was breathtaking, an awe inspiring effort into what can be built with unlimited funds and patience.  Especially patience since William Hearst (Media Mogul) was very fond of changing his mind.

One cool thing we learned was that William Hearst was very fond of small dogs and Dachshunds were his favorites.

Here is another little tidbit found from an unkown contributor.

"The gardeners built a ramp on the inside of one of the large fountains which led up to the rail because they were tired of fishing the dachsies out after they took they're swim - they ramp is still there. Also two of the seats in the front row of the private screening room were reserved for the dogs. Not even the President could usurp their seats."

If you ever have a chance to visit the castle, do.  There are many different tours and lots of history, especially in art, to see.

My Dachshund

The 20,000 Mile Dachshund

No, this is not about the longest hot dog in the world.  This is about a Miniature Dachshund, colored black with brown, about 9 years old (maybe more) who we call Kirby.  Why is she 20,000 miles long?  Well she isn’t yet but we are working on it.

This last year, our family started an adventure of traveling around the United States.  In doing so our little Doxie will have the chance to visit new locations and make new Doxie friends across the whole U.S.  She continues her travels and you can read where she is and who she meets here.

In our travels, one thing that we have found is that stores (like Petsmartco, name changed to protect the not so innocent) don’t make it easy to find what we need to take care of our little girl.  In entering the store, just like clovers in a field, a hunt is joined to find that one special 4 leaf clover, the proper size of clothing, a treat or toy that won’t cause the jaw to drag on the ground just to carry it or a bag of dog food that would feed an army of Dachshunds for a year.  Have you ever been able to find exactly what you need right when you get there?  I know we haven’t.

Because we know Dachshunds are special, we are here now to make those choices easier.  Products will be reviewed based on actual Doxie use, tips including playing and taking care of Dachshunds will be shared and even something fun will be thrown in from time to time.  Overall we hope to create a friendship with other owners of this great breed.

Feel free to share your Doxie travels, ideas for items, tips for care or your thoughts here anytime.  Posts will always be open for comment so that we can all share and learn.

Thanks,

MyDacshund.net