Sedi, our little German Shepherd suffers from occasional (daily) incontinence.
Well, actually, she doesn't suffer in the least.
She could give a rat's ass if she pees all over the place.
I'm the one who suffers.
I'm the one who wipes up and mops the puddles if we (the royal 'we') forget to take her out on a regular basis.
That regular basis is about every 2 hours….. Day and night.
Mon mari refuses to participate in this at night, saying he'd rather just clean it up in the morning.
HE'D rather just clean it up.
Harrumph!
I buy bed pads that I put on her bed, so when she wets, at least she doesn't soak her bed.
Now if I could only get her to understand the importance of sleeping with the tail end on the pad.
Apparently it's soft, because she often treats it like a pillow, somewhat defeating the purpose.
Someone, who shall remain nameless but is a stateside member of my immediate family, suggested doggie diapers.
Nappies for nipper….
Poochy pouches….
Um…..
We don't have 'Dogs R Us' here.
For the most part, dogs and cats are considered animals (don't tell) and treated as such. When there useful life is over, well….. You get the picture.
But, from a practical standpoint….
Just think about putting a diaper on a German Shepherd…..
Then think about:
a. Changing it every few hours
or
b. Taking it off every 2 hours so she can go outside and pee like a real dog.
I'll take the mop – and tile floors.
Strangely enough, her incontinence disappeared for the entire spring and summer. We both got to sleep right through the night.
Now, that's it's winter, and cold, we're back to every 2 hours.
Amazing, isn't it, what we do for the 4-legged members of our families?
The alternative isn't acceptable.
Time to go….
Her new nickname is Sweetpea…. after the flower…..
On another front, I learned something new the other day.
Cabbage, the kind one uses to make cole slaw, is known as white cabbage here.
The looser leaf variety, known as Savoy cabbage, is called green cabbage.
I have a new favorite winter vegetable….
Warm Savoy Cabbage and Leek Salad
To trim Savoy cabbage, break off and discard the bright green outer leaves.
1 medium leek, about 3oz (75gr) sliced
2 cups shredded Savoy cabbage, about 8oz (225gr)
2 – 3 strips bacon, 2oz (55gr)
1/4 cup dry-cured, Greek olives, 12, pitted
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp truffle oil or good olive oil
Trim leek. Cut in half the long way and rinse well. Thinly slice.
Remove dark green outer leaves from cabbage. Cut off a thick slice, avoiding the core. Lay flat, cut into 3 or 4 wedges, then thinly slice the wedges.
Pit olives if needed and roughly chop.
Sauté bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat. When brown and crisp, remove and drain. Pour off bacon fat.
Add olive oil, leeks and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, 5 – 7 minutes. Add cabbage and sauté, stirring frequently, until it wilts and starts to brown. Add vinegar and Greek olives; stir well to combine. Crumble bacon and add. Reduce heat and let heat through, 3 – 4 minutes. Divide onto two plates, drizzle with truffle oil, garnish with a few more olives and serve.
In addition to this, for the weekly menu for December 11 we have Shrimp Creole, Coq au Vin Blanc with Morels, Pulled Pork Stew, Turkey with Lemon and Honey and more ways with green cabbage….
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Know what you mean about the aging furry friends. My dear departed Tillie was incontinent (oddly, with pooping only) for the last year or so of her life but otherwise healthy in body, if not really in mind. Have you tried restricting her water after dinner? It works for me – otherwise I have to go to the bathroom at least once in the night, although luckily I don’t have to go outside! 🙂
I love cabbage, too, but on to more important things. Sedi.
Fortunately, I married a dog trainer. So I sent her your post and here’s what she thinks.
Isn’t the Internet great?
First of all, Sedi needs a checkup with a veterinarian (not a vegetarian) for issues that might be impacting her digestion. A dietary change, based on results from the vet, might help.
So get her a checkup from the neckup, and from the neck down.
Second, said dog trainer recommends crate training if the vet cannot find anything wrong. This surprised me, because the spouse aka dog trainer is not fond of them.
Not for human convenience, not for anything else. Our three have NEVER been crated. And they have made their “mistakes,” (though while new to the house).
So I was surprised at this recommendation.
But it is so that a dog will not “potty” in its own den, and if its den is a crate, then that is the starting point for “eliminating” its potty problem in the house.
Later, the concept of the crate/den is expanded, room by room, until the dog considers the whole house its “crate” or den, and would never dream of using the newly renovated kitchen as a poo corner. Because
This means making the whole house accessible and comfortable to the dog. This also means taking the dog out for regular “walks” in the yard — whether Sedi “goes” or not.
So it means regular and scheduled times outside. Sometimes “regular” means 0200. At least, for the dog. For that to work, the dog must be trained to alert the human that it’s time to go, NOW.
We put a bell on the door. The dogs ring the bell; they get to go out. Anytime. Without exception. Even at 0200. Even if they are playing with us, just for the fun of interaction. Without exception.
Even if they are left looking in the door in the freezing cold (for a few minutes, honest) — they know that ringing the bell means a trip outside.
And the back yard is their toilet — never their “den” inside.
So just some advice — send a note if you want to communicate further with the household dog trainer and you can be put in touch — all for the cost of your (and our) Internect connection!
Zoomie, I just hope someone does this for me when I’m old ;-)) – well, maybe not making me go outside to pee….
4 Borders, thanks for the great tips! Dogs really do want to be good and behave for us. I love the idea of the bell!