Anyone with Terrier Experience?

[oursarge]

Well I didn't think we needed another dog after we lost our beautiful Noah. We ended up getting a Westie Puppy, a pet store/puppy mill rescue. She is adorable and has a great temperment but she's making me nuts! I considered myself terrier experienced, I had a Westie before and I had a terrier mix after the Westie. She's way different than Mandy or Koty. I can't keep her occupied. She has toys on top of toys, she likes balls and chases them but otherwise she ignores the other stuff. She has a marrow bone she doesn't play with much. When she's outside we play chase the puppy and we chase a ball that is almost as big as she is. She enjoys that. We also take her for long walks. Nothing tires her out, she's like the energizer bunny, I do put her in the crate late morning 'til after lunch so I can get things done.

The problem is when she's outside she's eating dirt, she eats weeds, she picks up rocks [My last Westie died when she swallowed a rock so the rocks freak me out]. I don't think she can have rawhide because she has intestinal issues and I don't like Nyla bones they splinter. I wish she'd like the marrow bone. She has a doggy trainer but everything we try Deanna doesn't like, she hates Kongs, I even tried freezing her hamburer & rice in the kong and freezing it, she still didn't play with it. She does like one toy where you put dry dog food in and the food falls out when it's rolled, she learned how to use that in seconds, that's also a ball. I'm going crazy trying to get her to stop pacing and just try to occupy her mind and body, she knows how to sit, she's worse at night. Maye it's all the mediction she's on .

She's so smart in some ways but in others she doesn't get it. She has a bladder infection, she is on medication for that but I don't think it's working at all and we'll probably end up with further testing there. I never saw a dog go so much, it must be 20 times a day, that doesn't seem normal to me. She also doesn't understand the urge to go out and letting us know she needs to, she doesn't seem to understand so we take her out. To make matters even worse she has giardia and coccsidia. She was treated once and that didn't work now she's on something else and Imodium too. The dog food they gave her is for puppieswith intestinal issues. Anyway anyone have any ideas how to keep her occupied an has anyone ever had problems wit Giardia? We've been trying hard to get rid of it but it seems like it wants to stay. Thank you!

[WashingtonBay]

I'll just wish you all the best for now, I'm too wiped to respond, but might have some ideas come morning! :)

[oursarge]

I was wiped out when I was writing it, I don't even know if it makes sense, probably nobody has had these issues anyway, seems I am the "lucky" one lately. Her one medication is done, she had a couple more days of the anti biotics for the bladder infection and 2 more days of wormer [To kill the giardia/coccsidia I guess]. Once they are over if she is still having issues I guess we'll have her retested and hope there are other treatments if they are not gone. It's bad enough to have one of these things but 3 at once! I'm glad she's energetic but nothing keeps her amused for more than a minute except for her balls and then she sometimes isn't interested in them. PUPPIES! They are very cute but they are alot of work, I knew that going in but I never had a puppy like this, my other Westie was different as far as the keeping amused thing, she was a terror but didn't pace she just found something and played with it. She had rawhide though, with this one's intestinal issues I'm afraid to give her rawhide.

[elevenelevenxo]

Poor little girl! Sounds like she's one sick little puppy....but that's good that she's still so energetic (even if she's driving you nuts, lol).

Try feeding her boiled chicken and white rice for a while. Might help her tummy a bit.

As far as the bladder infection goes.... I can't help you there. Your vet would be your best answer. Best of luck in figuring out what's going on though!

And as far as her energy levels - I've never personally had a terrier, but I've heard people call them "terrors" before...haha! We were walking at the park once and got to talking to this gentleman who had a cute little Fox Terrier puppy - I asked him about the energy level of the little guy and his words were, "It's 90mph until 8:00 when the wheels fall off!" LOL. I thought that was cute. :) But my first boss had a Westie....and I'll tell you, that little guy had a bunch of energy too. His owner does agility with him now and it really takes the edge off him when he has a job to do. ;)

[clpUPMICH]

Can you find a puppy play group? I have a 9month old black lab puppy, and the best way to tire him out is with other dogs. I can walk him for miles and it doesn't make a difference ... but a good wrestling match with another dog does. I've never horseback ridden with anything smaller than a lab, but if she's as smart as you say and has decent recall, maybe you could take her horseback riding? She'll learn to stay out from underfoot, as long as she doesn't disappear and get lost. I seem to remember you have fields you can ride through where you wouldn't have to worry about traffic. Or maybe sign up for agility classes? I had a neighbor once who had a westie, and he would get loose in the neighborhood and be gone for hours because no one could catch him - waaayy too much energy ;)

My dogs get shots for giardia, but I've heard it can be awful :( Good luck!

Crystal

[oursarge]

Thanks everyone. The problem with her having the giardia nobody will want her with their dogs since it's so catching. I haven't even brought her to the stable because of their dogs, I don't want them to get it. She loves the horses, I've already had her on Sarge holding onto her and letting him walk, she liked it but she needs to be leashed or she'll be gone, she chases everything so she can't be left to just run loose. I just hope we can get rid of all of her issues, I love my vet, I'll give them one more chance to deal with this if it's not gone and if it doesn't go away we might try another vet for a 3rd opinion [We already had 2] or try to get her to Cornell. Westies have alot of allergies so I worry about the diet too and there are so many conflicting things out there, mostly she eats hamburger & rice now with some food from the vet that is good for digestion but I don't like the ingredients in it, all the stuff Westies are supposed to be allergic to.

She might like agility, I have to talk to that with the dog trainer, maybe that will give her an outlet for some of that excess energy. I know she loves her ball, she rolls it like a soccer ball. That was funny about the wheels falling off, that is what happens with her, she'll be going and going and going and then around 10 or 11she lays on my feet and she's out but by then I'm worn out too! She really is so cute though and I'm sure [HOPE] she'll be a good dog but we have to survive the puppy time and get rid of this illness. I have to ask the vet about a Giardia shot.

Thanks again!

[shelsnsaus]

What drugs have they tried with her? There are many available for Giardia, and I know of a recent rescue who had a bad infection and it took them quite awhile to clear it up. Panacure was the one that did the trick for her, metrondonizole was used as well. As far as her urinary condition goes; have they tried a urine culture to see what particular bacteria she has and what its most likely to respond to or what its resistant to? A urine culture will be sent out to the lab where the efficacy of different antibiotics will be tried against the bacteria to see which is most effective.

I'm going to agree the dog park etc, once she's cleared up, will be a wonderful resource for her and you to burn some of that energy off!

[Gliderider]

OH my I sure hope she gets cleared up soon. Poor girl.

My son has a Rat Terrier I hate to say it but she is still hyper at 9 years old and gray. We have a large fenced in yard we let her run during the day with the Boxer puppy's. They have helped slow her down some. He lets her follow him around the farm while horse back riding. Maybe once she is cleared up if you have some buddies with dogs you all could step up some play days.

[LittleRedMare]

We have a jack russell/boston terrier cross who just turned 1 yr. She also eats everything. We don't give her rawhide or any sort of bone because she devours them in 5 minutes. The only toy she hasn't destroyed is her kong- which she loves. We're constantly trying to find new ways to keep her occupied. Her newest favourite activity is chasing the spray from the garden hose :) I have a video of it that I'll try to post.

We also went through some intestinal issues with her that eventually cleared up after feeding her ground beef and rice for a few weeks. I hope you get your little one's issues sorted out soon.

How old is your pup? I wouldn't say ours has less energy now than when she was a puppy, but she does seem better able to control it. We still can't tire her out, but when we stop playing she will settle down and just cuddle or amuse herself.

[Dogote]

try doing what some pit bull owners do..... make a spring pole, or flirt pole.... she's a terrier(hunting dog) so she probably has a prey drive that is only stoked when the prey is moving. tie some leather or a cloth, or even a stuffed animal to a rope, tie the other end to a stick... or make the spring pole using a sturdy frame and springs(there are how-to guides all over the net, just type in Spring Pole) and she can tug on it, and it will tug right back. some dogs even manage to get airborne with it, which they love.. but supervised play is important because some dogs have manage to break their backs if they get too out of control.

i have a jack russell mix(no idea what her mom was... just a hairy poodle terrier mix) Amber is sometimes like a terrier, and then sometimes she's not. in fact she reminds me more of a collie in disposition.. "PLAAAY!! oh sorry i'll wait" and then she'll lie down until you are ready to play. she isnt interested in toys either.. she will chase a ball but she PREFERS to wrestle the ball away from you. she is something of a hunter though. she's killed raccoons, rats, and a few chickens(until i showed her the importance of differenciating between the two!) she gets a lot of enjoyment out of hunting too. she's a terrier with a job you might say, so she's well rounded and very settled compared to other terriers i've met. i'm not saying you should do this with your dog though. that is for you to decide. but there are all kinds of terrier sports out there.
one of these might also be fun for her. just make sure she doesnt destroy it.... YouTube - Roxy vs The Raccoon Tail Ball Thingy

I dont know what to tell you about her illnesses. sometimes the diet can cause UTIs... maybe an elimination diet is called for here? remove everything and then slowly add a little until you find the culprit? ask your vet first though.
ETA about giardia... thats a bacterial infection of the intestines right? otherwise known as beaver fever? i've only heard of that happening if you drink stagnant water(usually still water like ponds or puddles). that SHOULD be easily cleared up as long as she doesnt have access to those things.
http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/giardia_aka_beaver_fever

i didnt see where you said how old she is... but i dont know if that will matter except when she goes potty. it seems until they are over five months old all they do is pee..... with my puppies in the past it crossed my mind that "i might as well just dump the water straight on the floor because thats whats gonna happen two seconds after they drink it!"
If she was in the mill/pet shop for too long then you may be dealing with her potty training issues for life. i've heard several times from several sources that puppy mill dogs are almost impossible to train because they have lost their instinct to remain clean.. especially if they had no choice but to sit in their own filth day in and day out.

[lovesfortune]

i don't have any advice, but just wanted to say others sound like they have some new things for you to try. i hope she's better soon for you and you find a way to get rid of some of that energy!!

[oursarge]

What drugs have they tried with her? There are many available for Giardia, and I know of a recent rescue who had a bad infection and it took them quite awhile to clear it up. Panacure was the one that did the trick for her, metrondonizole was used as well. As far as her urinary condition goes; have they tried a urine culture to see what particular bacteria she has and what its most likely to respond to or what its resistant to? A urine culture will be sent out to the lab where the efficacy of different antibiotics will be tried against the bacteria to see which is most effective.

I'm going to agree the dog park etc, once she's cleared up, will be a wonderful resource for her and you to burn some of that energy off!



Thanks everyone, she's tired today, maybe she had too much stimulation yesterday. She seems to want to eat and sleep and not all that much more today. I have to wake her up to give her an anti biotic. I'm never happy, she's tired and I'm thinking something is wrong with her, she's too active and she drives me crazy!!!! She is a funny little dog, I just hope that we can get her straightened out. I think I might try some agility stuff, we live very rural, there's nothing around here so there are no dog parks. The dogs at the stable are huge, I'm afraid they'd have her for lunch. I would like her to have friends we might just have to look for some but I'm not sure where.

For her Giardia first he have her Flagyl but the generic name starts with an "M". That didn't help much. She just today finished Albon and she's on Panacure, 2 more days of that [The vet said 6 days of Panacure]. She eats Hamburger and Rice along with a gastro intestinal food from the vet. We put that in a toy she rolls around to eat a piece at a time as it falls out. For the bladder infection they did a test and found alot of white blood cells and put her on Simplicef 100 mg, 1/2 a tablet a day for 8 days [I guess that's broad spectrum] but didn't do a culture, that might be next. She takes Imodium too and FastTrack which is doggy probiotics. Too much stuff but hopefully something will work. Today she hasn't been going as much so maybe it's working, I'm not sure, she's alot quieter today. If that doesn't help we'll do a culture. It's just maddening to have a puppy that has all these issues, I feel so bad for her. She's so smart and learns fast, I just wish she'd learn the housebreaking fast. Thurs. will be a month we've been working on it but then she got the giardia as soon as she got here, the rescue said they gave them something to prevent it but the stress of traveling and to a new home probably caused it to flare up. I don't know if they are telling me the truth or not. We got her at 6 months old, the rescue had her for a month + so she wasn't in a cage all that long, not yrs like some of those poor dogs so fingers crossed there is hope for her.

Thanks again!

[clpUPMICH]

Thanks everyone, she's tired today, maybe she had too much stimulation yesterday. She seems to want to eat and sleep and not all that much more today. I have to wake her up to give her an anti biotic. I'm never happy, she's tired and I'm thinking something is wrong with her, she's too active and she drives me crazy!!!! She is a funny little dog, I just hope that we can get her straightened out. I think I might try some agility stuff, we live very rural, there's nothing around here so there are no dog parks. The dogs at the stable are huge, I'm afraid they'd have her for lunch. I would like her to have friends we might just have to look for some but I'm not sure where.

[I


My 85lb Lab's best friends used to be a pack of Boston Terriers, so you'd be surprised at how well some big dogs play with the little ones. I'd ask your vet, since it sounds like you have a good relationship with them, if he has some smaller dog clients (especially Westies!) that he could recommend you contact with play group information. You'll have to set up your own most likely ... or maybe even put up your information in the vet's office and wait for people to call you? I love dog play dates ... everyone goes home happy - a tired dog is a good dog!

Or if your horse is pretty steady, I can put my Lab's on a leash and pony them, but my horse doesn't panic if there's rope under his tail or the dogs are crossing back and forth.

[oursarge]

Once Deanna gets healthy maybe we can find some doggies for her to play with. We live so far from everything, our vet is 45 minutes away. The closest dogs for her to play with would be the stable dogs, they have 2 huge German Shepherds, a shepherd mix who does not like little dogs and I just remembered the 2 puppies, well one is 2 but one is maybe Deanna's age, maybe they can play once Deanna gets rid of the Giardia, I can't take her anywhere when she has that since other dogs can get it. She's tired today, she chased her ball alot yesterday and today, it's warmer today and I think she doesn't like the heat because she's more wiped out today. Thanks everyone for your help!

[Petra]

I didn't get to read the whole thread. I am not surprised you are worn out if she doesn't get to burn her energy outside. There is no way you will ever be able to keep up with her. She needs to be able to go outside and run around at least for a little. If you are worried about her eating stuff I can send you a muzzle. It is not something that will bother her. It's just a plastic basket that allows her to drink and bark; just not eat. That way you'll be able to let her run around. You had her for quite a while I doubt she'd just take off and not come back. She sounds too smart for that.
Can't you ask your husband to fence of some area for her? Or get the invisible fence. Ours works great! My dogs learned how far they can go. I can even take the collars off now and they still don't get out of their area. Too bad you don't have two dogs - they would keep each other occupied.
I cannot help with the medical issues. My dogs have never been sick.

My little Sam is full of energy too. He is still not allowed outside. He is really good though. He tries to get attention once a while, but we ignore him if he whines and get him out of his pen when he is quiet.

[oursarge]

Hi Petra, she's out alot, she has a big yard all fenced in, chain link, 4' high and she's out there for hrs during the day running with her ball or her water bottle, two things she likes. I check her for ticks a few times a day, the yard needs to be sprayed again though but we've had so much rain the spray will just wash off. she also doesn't like rain or getting wet so it's been hard if it is raining to even get her to go outside, if it's nice then she plays with the ball. I've thought about a muzzle for her, I have one actually just have to find it, a soft one like the vets use. I don't think she'd enjoy it though because she uses her mouth for her ball, she plays with that and she'll also chase a tennis ball, she loves to fetch both in and out of the house so a muzzle would cramp her tennis ball play. She doesn't like the heat, today is the first day we've had that's hot since she came here and she seemed to be more laid back with the heat. She did play with her ball for at least an hr and 1/2 today that's non stop running after it but then got hot and wanted back in the house where she went to sleep! Maybe the trick is to keep her hot!

Hugs to Sam, he's getting so big. We've had my parents here for days and I was getting ready for them for days so I haven't even had a chance to write to ask how he's doing. Take care and thanks.