Dusty's New Attitude

Dusty had his surgery a few days ago and I'm watching him closely to see if less testosterone will make a difference in his aggressiveness. So far, it looks like it's worked except for his sudden desire to make love to my leg. Repeatedly. CFM said it's probably the last gasp.

He does seem to be a little more controllable. This week we start walking on the leash and learning to unwind it from around my body. Neat trick that!

It will be interesting to see how it affects his sleeping. He takes his nappies under the love seat and once he's under, he's in another world. If you walk within two feet of the couch while he's there, he growls and threatens attack. Yesterday morning, he was howling in his sleep. I'd love to get a picture like the one of this little fella singing.



This dog isn't nearly as cute as Dusty but the actions are identical. I keep waiting for him to slam into the side of the desk or door.

Bad Boy, Dusty

This morning, I'm drinking my coffee through a straw!


I live in a house with two Alpha males. Crawfish Man and the Duster. As I've mentioned, Dusty has a little testosterone problem, too much of it. At six months, he's like a spoiled toddler when he doesn't get his way. Though the toddlers probably don't bite. We've had three female Pomeranians before Dusty, Brandy, Sunshine and Spider. They all came to us at just under a year. That means... that they are very hard to put up with until they are raised. I knew that but it still doesn't make it easy.

I've been working with treats, a leash, reverse psychology. But if he has a toy he doesn't want to give up or if it's time to do something he doesn't want to do, he will try to bite you to get his point across. Some of it is bluster, but he does have a problem. And he's marking his territory everywhere. This morning I turned my back and then felt a warm stream down my leg. That's not the first time. He's very intelligent and learns quickly but much of the fault lies in my not knowing how to train him out of these bad habits. I'd like to take him to an obedience class but they are 75 miles away.

Last week, we went to the vet to have his heartworm treatment, a new kind given every six months. (If you aren't giving your dog heartworm meds, you're signing his death warrant, especially in Louisiana.) I discussed neutering with the vet who said it might calm him down a little. After all, even though he has papers, I don't think I'd want to risk passing this bad temper on. Though they say it doesn't always. And you can't wake him up from a sound sleep, he comes out of it like he's in another world, barking and snapping.

Well, CFM said, we're not having him neutered. He'll calm down. I got the impression it was a man thing. You're not cutting the Dustyworks! I said, we're not giving him a lobotomy!

I've struggled with this because he is beautiful and smart and has a lot of personality and loves people but I think I've finally had enough. I have to pick him up from behind sometimes when he doesn't want to go out and last night he bit me - in the face. Tore my lip, left teeth marks on my skin above the lip. I love him and don't want to have to do something tragic in the future so we may have to neuter him. I know, I need to try the training first. Maybe two days of them teaching me what to do would help. I could afford that.

So, I'm standing there trying to piece the pieces of my lip back together, sorry, no pictures for a while, and CFM says, "Oh, you'll be okay. I've had mine split many times. You won't look like a monster or anything." He was a boxer and football player so I guess he knows. But his standards are a little different than mine.

This month's Dusty Update

Dusty was 6 months old this week. So for his birthday yesterday, I baked him a special little Macho birthday cake - not.

I've been trying to let him stay outside as much as possible in the early morning and evening because we are now lifting our leg and establishing our territory. Unfortunately, his territory is MY territory. Yesterday, he peed on my foot!

If I can get to him by 5:30 in the morning and get him out several times a day he does okay, but he still doesn't quite understand that he can't lift his leg and do his macho thing on my furniture.

It's getting really hot, 95 today, so he can't stand much of the heat. I asked the vet about cutting off all his pretty hair. She said if he was going to be out much it might be wise. Dusty told me to consider a mohawk. Like CFM, he says, "it's just hair - it'll grow back. Why, look at Daddy. He's taken to whacking his own hair when you don't give him a haircut. I could ask him to cut my hair..."

Absolutely not. I might go along with the Mohawk, but I don't want him to look like a scalped minature grizzly. That's just sick. No, Dusty. Quit that. Gotta go.

Picture this dog bald? Not me. A Mohawk, maybe.

Little Demon Update

Dustyyyyy! No! Quit that! I said quit! No! Bad puppy. Settle down, baby. You want a treat? Calm and sweet, baby. Calm and sweet.

Want a treat? If you're a good boy, Momma will give you a treat.





The little fart is so smart he's already figured out that he's gotta be a bad boy first to be enticed to be good. A double edged sword.