Recently, Finley started scratching herself, a lot to the point where her normally pale pink skin is quite pink and noticeable through the fur. No, she doesn’t have fleas. It was the first thing I checked for…obsessively. When it wasn’t getting better, the next conclusion I reached was that she was allergic to something she was eating. We had changed her food not that long ago and the scratching started soon after the change, but I had gotten a kind that was grain-free and somewhat hypoallergenic, so I couldn’t be sure. The only real difference between the two foods, other than the grains, was turkey and potatoes, instead of chicken and small amounts of corn. I had been giving her some yogurt and new peanut butter treats. So maybe she’s allergic to one of those.

We finished up that food and went back to the one she was eating at the shelter. We got a free big bag of it from the neighbour since her dog can’t eat it (allergies), so she was getting a slightly different version. They had schnauzer so it was for that breed but the ingredients varied little from the poodle version we had been giving her and I wasn’t about to pass up a $50 bag of food.

All that aside, her skin was getting a little raw from the scratching and nibbling so I wanted to get shampoo or something that would help to ease the itch. She also has a couple of spots on her back where her fur feels very dry and coarse. This happens to me in the winter, to my hair and skin that is, but I couldn’t very well slather her up with moisturizer. Or I could but that would be awfully messy.  Shampoo that moisturizers or helps with the itching is probably the best bet.

I ended up getting two kinds, something expensive and hypoallergenic – didn’t help in the least. I ended up using an oatmeal shampoo that I bought at Wal-Mart. This seemed to work rather well. Although by then I wasn’t sure if it was the food, the lack of giving her yogurt and peanut butter treats or the shampoo itself.  For a couple days, she scratched herself less and then a little bit more over the next three days. Then I gave her another bath with the shampoo.

Which had me wondering, am I bathing her too often? I had read online that bathing your dog frequently was no longer the big no-no it used to be and you can do it as often as necessary. I used a mild shampoo so I figured it was alright and it doesn’t seem to be making the situation worse. But then there are those people who think it’s a sin to do it that often. Some “helpful” store employee at the pet store thinks it’s wrong to do it more than once every three months.

Wait, I can only give them a bath every three months? I felt like asking her how insane she was.  Then I just figured if she wants to give her dog (assuming she has one) a bath only 4 times a year, it’s her choice if she wants a dirty dog.

My question is, how often to do you bathe your dog? Is it better to rarely do it or is it safe to shampoo and clean away?

Miss Finley is a barker. It drives me absolutely insane sometimes but I hate not letting her partake in one of her favourite activities: window-watching. I don’t mind if she barks when someone comes on our property, I like the early warning system, but she will bark at people walking by, neighbours out in their yards, neighbours getting out of their cars, heck sometimes I swear she barks at air (or the squirrel sitting in the tree that I swear was taunting her into barking more). I’ve done a lot of research into curbing this bad behaviour and all I know so far is that there is no quick or easy fix. It’s just a matter of time and patience. There’s also a bunch of different methods that I’ve seen and I’m not quite sure which one to start with. I’ve dismissed any of the methods that use physical punishment, although I am not against the one where you squirt them with water.

One of the basic rules I’ve noticed in my research is to not yell or raise your voice. While I do like this concept, I do have to wonder something. Can Finley actually hear me when she barks? I sure can’t hear myself speak when she does bark; in fact she’s so loud I can’t even hear myself think. This “rule” is so hard to follow. I get frustrated really easily at times, I think it has to do with not seeing much in the way of results so far and she barks so much. Also, barking is one of those annoying sounds that will grate on your nerves and drive you nuts in no time flat.

Getting Fin’s attention when she barks is the biggest hurdle right now. It’s like she gets in this bubble and is aware of nothing else except what is causing this reaction from her. I tried just about every trick I can think of: clapping my hands, knocking on the wall or coffee table, using her clicker, whistling, walking into the room, looking out the window and then walking out the room, waving a treat in front of her and even a few times putting my hand in front of her face to signal her to stop. Yeah I don’t recommend that last one, I almost got bit.  I haven’t tried squirting her with water yet but maybe that will work.

The first thing I really tried was checking out the window to see what she was barking at and then showing no interest in it. I would even leave the room and not come back until she stopped. I did this for 7-10 days and then gave up because I saw no results. She would bark just as long and as frequently as when I started. To be honest, I was getting tired of missing parts of whatever show I was watching on TV or getting pulled away from work I was doing on the computer.

Then I tried using treats and her clicker but that didn’t work to well since I have trouble getting her attention and she would just inhale the treat so she could go back to barking. I started going to her and telling her stop, rewarding her when she did but I think this worked against me. I don’t think she clued in that the treat was for the silence. I also got tired of having to wash my hands after giving her a treat.

Now I’ve moved on to my third technique and I’m hoping this one gets results but I’m not really seeing any yet. I’ve started giving her timeouts. Whenever she starts barking, I call her name and tell her stop or “shhh” (I’m trying to find a word or sound that works, i.e. is nearly identical, in both in French and English- so hard). I then give her a couple seconds or two barks to stop. If she doesn’t then I pick her up and carry her to the kitchen and make her sit on the mat in front of the stove. She then stays there for 30-60 seconds. That’s about the amount of time it takes for anyone walking by the house to leave her line of sight.  Usually this works quite well and when I release her from the stay, she heads back to the window but rarely barks.

I know consistency here is the key and I will admit that I’m not always consistent so it’s likely taking longer than it should but I’m hoping it works but I’ll keep you updated on this.