Category: Blog

I got stays with Marcie and Maggie by using traditional training methods, because I haven’t found another way to do them.

Macy doesn’t have a stay.  She will hang out at t the table for a few moments, but I have to be motionless.

I don’t want to continue this problem with Dulce, so I have been taking extra lessons with clicker trainers, and trying to get a good place to create a stay for both dogs.

I’ve finally hit on a plan that I think will work.

First, I am training close and trying to get duration first.  I am also using the crate in crate games.

So, I have both dogs on the following schedule and am using a stop watch:

Crate "stay": 10 minutes.  I use what we have from crate games to get them to stay in the crate with the door open for 10 minutes.  Both dogs have tried exiting but Macy is the most successful.

Down "stay": 5 mintes.  I reinforce the down stay by treating in the stay, and putting them back.  Neither of them can stay for the entire 5 minutes yet, but it isn’t bad.

Sit "stay": 3 minutes.  Again, treating when they are in the sit and putting them back if they get up.

Stand "stay": 1 minute.

I am right with them, sitting close so I can fix any problems and plan to stay that way until we are completely successful over several trials.  Then I’ll start adding distractions.

I am very picky about training stays as my first obedience beagle had a stay problem, and I’ve never really been able to get the concept in Macy’s head.  I know people add distractions WAY to soon, and I might be going overboard the other way.

Loving our pet sitters.

Using Prestigious Pets in Dallas, at www.prestigiouspetsdallas.com and they come by each day and give the girls a potty break.

Price is right, and I feel safer and better with a pet sitter than I do using a doggy day care.  I don’t think the girls would really enjoy it. 

It’s also nice that someone is here and checks on the house each day.

It’s fun that they occasionally post pictures on Facebook — I can’t look at Facebook stuff at school using the school computer but can use my phone.

The treadmill is gone.  Just left a bit ago.  Also got my accident release signed, so after school Tuesday, I plan to go pay the chiropractor, get a receipt and release, and then send those to both insurance companies and I will FINALLY be done with the two accidents.  Can’t believe that the first one took this long.

Back when Marcie was sick with pancreatitis I decided I didn’t want finances to be involved with end of life decisions.  Thus, I enrolled Macy with @VPI Insurance.

Man, oh, man, am I glad.  Like myself and Marcie, Macy is allergic to Texas.  Not exactly sure what, but to stay happy and healthy Macy needs allergic medication and it’s more expensive than mine! 

So far, they have paid all the allergic expenses except for the deductable — $100 on my policy – and they will pay up to $560 a year I think.

Here’s the best part – when her policy expires and we renew next year, the allergy expense goes back to zero, and after the deductible we get reimbursed again.

Speaking of which, Dulce has an ear check visit scheduled this evening.

Nice to have some peace of mind, at least when it comes to vet. expenses.

Macy Q’ed in Open JWW today!  Had a score of 98, was moving fast, and very clean.

However, Novice didn’t go as well.  As a good friend said, she was great until I told her to stop, she couldn’t do the table down, or the teeter, but got everything else, including the Novice weaves.

Got something interesting in the mail yesterday – a post card already stamped and addressed to my vet, thanking her for treating Macy.  I think I’ll fill it out and send it on, it is a nice thought even though I do see her on a regular basis at agility trials.

I really recommend the ear packing.  For those who missed that ….

My vet will pack infected ears with medication, using a syringe (no needle). 

For me, the old way

• Flush ears twice a day
• Medicate twice a day

Didn’t work because frankly when you already have an ear infection all of that works and it really runs the relationship you have with the dog.  Makes me sad when I think about how I used to have to chase down Marcie (no longer with us), because she had really short ears and got infections a lot.

Besides @VPI covers it 100%!

So far, I have been happy with @VPI with an insurance company, though I know dog people who have had trouble with them.

I will say that the best way to handle pet medical expenses, is to put money away in a bank account and let it earn interest.  However, I have never been disciplined enough to do that.  So I went the insurance route.  Right now, I pay it yearly, which makes it a bit cheaper.  Can’t remember exactly how much it was but I think around $700.00 for the first dog for the full coverage, included Well Care, and less for the second.  I’ve got a third, older dog on Well Care and Injury Only and the Injury Only was just over $100.

I had only Well Care claims for the first year with Macy and then she was hit will allergies, ear infection, and hot spot.  The majority of that has been covered after the deductible.

As I blogged before, I had a bit of problems with Dulce, I checked the “had seen vet before” box as I assumed she had – dumb move – she had not.  In June, she came up with blood in urine, blood in stool, ear infection and high white count.  VPI wanted all of her vet records and my vet office said they had been getting a lot of that.  That held things up, but now that the mistake has been corrected, they have reimbursed for most of the charges.  The detail doesn’t show up on the website, but I”m sure part of the difference is the deductible.

Thank you @VPI!

Note VPI stands for VPI Pet Insurance and @VPI is their Twitter Handle.

Hey, it's something I can vent about.

So Macy's coverage is great — they've paid out $110.73 for her allergies, and $141.69 for her ear infection.  100% of what I've submitted so far, but I'm sure I'll hit their limit, eventually.  They are covering her allergy meds, and if she is like Marcie, she'll probably be on them forever.  Especially since she is one unhappy and sick pup without them.  Still kicking myself for taking her off of them to see if that was the problem.    They are doing real good on the CareGuard Premium, I just happen to go to an vet that charges more than they allow, but every little bit helps.

Maggie's Heartworm is still in process.  Still haven't seen or heard of Dulce's process.

Macy has had three really good runs so far.  We're currently waiting for our novice run.

While she hasn't Qed, she has been up, happy and trying.  I have gotten a ton of compliments.  Her Open JWW today was her best — she was actually ahead of me on the weave poles, but was behind me the rest of the run.  We had too many faults to Q, I think a refusal and time faults, but not sure — have to see the score sheet.

And man oh man did I screw her up.  Did a blind cross and ended up in the wrong place.  She is NOT Marcie and she did NOT appreciate it.  Once she got over that she had a good run.  AND SHE DID THE TEETER.  It wasn't a pretty teeter, in fact it was a refusal then teeter but she did it!