Monday, May 8, 2006
When we adopted Luna she was not crate trained. This was a bit of a hurdle for us because the boys are crate trained and we have not had success in “un-crate training” them.
After many of the boys’ puppy habits were broken, we tried giving them more freedom in the house. We were very curious to see how the boys would react to their new found freedom so we set up a video camera. Needless to say it was a complete disaster. The boys were nervous wrecks. They paced, they whined, they barked, they barked at each other - it was chaos. It seems that they just prefer to be in their crate when we are not at home. It is where they feel safe.
So knowing that the boys need to be in their crate while we are away, I knew that one of the first orders of business for Luna was crate training. To gauge her progress and see how much she protested we again setup the video camera. To help ease her into crate training we were only gone for a small amount of time. The first time we put her in the crate we didn’t even go anywhere, we just stood in the driveway for about 5 minutes. After we came home each time, we let them out and then reviewed the tapes to see how the little one did while we were away.
Needless to say the first couple times were disastrous. Luna never settled, she whined, scratched and barked the whole time. She even started to get the boys worked up and they joined in and started whining as well.
But we kept with it and by the end of the week we had made significant progress. The boys started to act like their usual selves and went to sleep shortly after being put in the crate. By them ignoring Luna and her cries, this helped her to settle. She still protested a bit in the beginning but after only a few short minutes she was laying down and going to sleep.
Now it is safe to say that Luna is fully crate trained. Not only does she eagerly go into the crate when we leave the house, but she also goes to the crate on her own when we are home. The little one is not much of a morning person, so on weekdays when we get up for work, the first place she runs is to her crate. There she can get an extra hour or so of uninterrupted sleep.
Friday, May 5, 2006
With family in town last week, all the chairs on the lanai were taken. This meant that Benjamin, Henry and Luna weren’t able to use their regular seats. Henry, however, made the best of the situation. He hopped into his outdoor toy basket and made himself comfortable. He’s always thinking!
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Henry loves the water and when he is not swimming he likes to float in his Pug Tug. While relaxing last week, we got the Pug Tug back out and Henry was as anxious as ever to go for a ride. We weren’t too sure what Luna would think of the boat, but she was brave and decided to set sail with her brother. The interesting part was that Luna would only ride in the boat if Henry was with her. If Henry was not in the boat she wanted nothing to do with it. Henry being in the boat really made her feel safe.
Monday, May 1, 2006
Last week my Mom, Dad and Sister all came to town for a visit. It was great to take a break from work and to have a chance to spend some time with the family. Benjamin, Henry and Luna had a great time as well because no one spoils them quite like their Grandma and Grandpa.
Grandma and Grandpa came bearing gifts and treats. Plus, they even made sure that they got the boys and little Luna frozen custard from our favorite ice cream shop. Doggie dishes of ice cream are actually on the menu and every doggie dish comes topped with a bone. It is funny because the boys and Luna want nothing to do with the bone until after they have finished their ice cream.
Oh and don’t worry, we didn’t get a fourth pug. We accidentally ordered four doggie dishes. We kept the extra one because we thought the cat might enjoy it. No such luck. She didn’t want anything to do with it.
Friday, April 21, 2006
People often ask me if pugs shed. When asked this I always laugh and then offer up a definitive “Yes, yes they do and they shed a ton!” But sometimes I feel that people that don’t already own pugs don’t really understand how much pugs shed.
To help manage my gang’s shedding I brush them fairly regularly with the Zoom Groom. The other night I took the boys and Luna out in the yard for their regular brushing and this is how my shirt looked afterward.
So how do you stop the shedding?
Well, I have found that you don’t. Nothing I have tried has ever stopped my pugs from shedding. Instead I find the only thing you can do is minimize the shedding and do your best to keep up with it around the house. I find that brushing the boys and Luna with the Zoom Groom helps to get rid of a lot of the hair at once. This still doesn’t stop them from leaving fur all over the rest of the house, but it does help a bit.
The other main thing that I do in the battle against fur is vacuum. Now this may seem silly, but I vacuum every day. When I had a regular, bag type vacuum I used to vacuum every two or three days. Then I got a Dyson that has a clear canister. After I ran the vacuum, I was disgusted by the amount of hair that it picked up. I wanted to test it, so I ran the Dyson again the very next day. Needless, to say I was shocked by the amount of fur it picked up after that I now vacuum every day. It was kinda like Scared Straight for neat freaks.
The only other tactics that I have in the battle against shedding is to have pug friendly decor. For instance, the carpet through most of my house is a light color. My sofa is an odd, fawn-like color. An added bonus is this items are all within my personal taste. So not only do I like them, but if I miss a day of lint rolling the fur doesn’t show quite as bad. Now, if you own both a fawn and black colored pug you have my sympathy. The decor tips will be of not luck for you.
Good luck in your battle against shedding!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Sometimes we think we should have re-named Luna Henjamin. The more we learn about Luna the funnier it is because she is an odd cross of the boys. The traits she takes from Henry are:
- they are similar in physical looks (same colors/ buggy eyes, tail curls toward the right side, is snorty)
- neither are morning people
- both will stop at odd places because they have an irresistible urge to scratch
- both bark at you to egg you on
I could go on but you see what I mean.
But she is also so much like Benjamin that it is crazy, too. Just like Benny, Luna has:
- times when she gets sudden bursts of energy and just runs around in circles
- an insatiable appetite
- the annoying habit of jumping on your leg at meal time
- the ability to sleep standing up
- the constant urge to chase the cat
- a huge dislike of all water related activities
- the need to gives lots of kisses
- the quirk of scratching to settle down
- the disdain of being put on her back
It is just too weird. Luna has some of her own traits, too, like the way she scoots across the carpet to rub her belly, the way she grunts at you if you are not giving her her dinner quick enough, the way she perches her butt up in the air when she chews her bones.
One trait that they all have, though (but is very un-ladylike) is that they all lift their legs to pee-pee. Yup, even Luna will cock herself up on a little bush or perch her hind legs up the side of a tree to go potty. It looks absolutely ridiculous.
She really must admire her brothers because she sure has picked up a lot of their habits! So much so that she is perfect combination of the both of them! Henjamin, Benry, whatever you call her, Luna is fits right into the mix!
Monday, April 17, 2006
Well, Luna had to go back to the ophthalmologist for her follow-up appointment. She has chronic dry eye and was taking 3 separate drops 3 times per day. When she first went to the eye doctor her tear production in her right eye was a 3 and in the left it was a 5. (This is on a scale of 20 with 20 being the highest.) So, needless to say, her condition wasn’t good. The eye specialist put her on the medications and we were diligent to follow through and get her well. Well, when it came time to go back to see how the meds worked, boy were we in for some good news!! Luna’s tear production had increased to 20 in each eye! The vet said she had never seen such a dramatic increase. The vet thought Luna maybe would’ve made it to a 15 at best, but she has resumed normal tear functionality. We were overjoyed! The vet gave some extra kudos because she said that Luna is overall healthier now (diet, exercise and outlook on life) and that has dramatically helped her eye health, as well. They were even able to eliminate one of her medications so now she only gets 2 medications 3 times per day. GO LUNA!!! Good job, girl!
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