She’ s went from 7.2-7.8 pounds on 1/4c-1/2c(dry/can/people food as a topper)to 7.0 pounds since starting(1/8cup daily) currently switching up Acana Grasslands & Nature’s Variety Instinct Beef & Lamb.We are trying to get her down to 6.5 at the lowest but if she loses more than that I will up her dry food accordingly.So,for the past week Lacey has been eating dry dog food in her crate at night.She now goes in there after all the humans go to bed & automatically goes to her crate without being asked.Took her a while to go on her own but she did it!She’s been on 1/8 cup of dry dog food(Acana/Orijen/Nature’s Variety Instinct)switched up nightly and weight is good.. So,we are very pleased that she’s accepting dry food a lot better even Nature’s Variety Instinct because it has ACV which is/was the reason she refused Primal Frozen Raw was she didn’t like the taste/smell;but has gotten used to it over the past few months.Tear stains are actually becoming a lot more crummy on the whiskers/sometimes doesn’t have any at all!So,Lacey’s only been getting 1/8 cup of dry food a day & she’s starting to eat her food nightly in her crate..But she won’t eat unless she HAS to!Overall,so far weight’s been better.I don’t plan on cutting her back anymore.With her eating an 1/8-1/4 cup(can food only) every Saturday,there’s really not much use for can food although Brownie does help too.When Lace gets can food so does Brownie(1/4c+1/4 dry-Earthborn Adult Vantage)For her an 1/8 cup of can food with one can having about 12-14 servings that’ll easily last her over 3 months straight.She’s getting less exercise about 30-1 hour daily or she will be barky like when she was a puppy,on dry food from 1hour to 3 hours on 1/4cup-1/2 cup of dry/can food.
Category Archives: Lacey & her crate
Back in March 2010,Lacey went on her first trip
Back in March 20101,Lace went on her very first airplane trip to an outer island,The Big Island aka Hawaii..While it took about a month to crate train her she caught on very quickly and occasionally still goes in there to chew her bone at night.The morning of the trip our family awoke early Friday morning even Lacey was awake earlier than usual,we got our things together…We had brought puppy pads,dry dog food(no can food),crate,carrier,measuring cup,her favorite toy dog,leash,collar,brush….
Before we left Lace went pee like always then we got in the car,got breakfast on the way and went to the airport.Lace had to be in her carrier at the airport but still we had to go through security even Lacey…The security had to make sure we had her paperwork & all…When we,my mom,dad & I passed through security,Lace had to go through security too…Not knowing till after though I did tell my parents we can’t put her in her crate when she passes the belt,Lace was inside her airline carrier & went through the belt till….security officials told us that there is a dog in there.As quick as we could they quickly passed her…Lucky for us,she’s fine & not even a whimper!What a saint!
As we sat down and waited for the plane,Lace was in her airline carrier..We took her to the bathroom in the airport & brought a puppy pad with us in the stall..There she did make a little.Owners went & out went Lace in her airline carrier of course,back to the waiting area…
When it was time to get on the plane,we had already put her inside her airline carrier and when we rode the plane for about 45 minutes she was very quiet.not a peep or a sound.Just completely quiet..enjoying her ride….When the plane landed she did move somewhat,because when the plane lands it’s very bumpy….
There in Hilo,we got the car where Lacey happily greeted 2 ladies while my parents got the car..She was in her regular carrier & outside walking..One lady had a dog at home who she happily played with Lacey & her friend(the lady’s friend).She was happily wagging,sniffing and went potty…
From there we went to my Aunty & Uncle’s house in Hilo, and there Lacey ran around in their house,the porch..She drank water but didn’t eat…After a while we left..and went to the Bed & Breakfast where we were staying also in Hilo.Few hours later it was time to meet my aunty & uncle for dinner.Of course,Lace couldn’t come with us so we placed her in the crate..She had water,food,treats…whimpering/crying as I shut my door…An hour or so later we came back from dinner and as I opened the door what did I find??A loose dog that got out of her crate by herself!Surprised?Not really..She’s done that at home too.She probably thought we were mad at her or something.
Then my dad tells my mom he can’t sleep there because of the crickets so he slept at my aunty’s & Lace & I slept in the room my mom was to share with my dad.Obviously owner had to bathe but the whole time Lace was crying..When my mom carried her she was quiet but when she was down she cried so my mom had to hold her the whole time…Then the interesting thing,we brought puppy pads and placed it in the bedroom like we do at home,but she wouldn’t go because well..This was NOT home to her…She literally held her pee for over 14 through the night(Saturday morning) and again we tried to get her to pee on the puppy pads but she just wouldn’t GO!So I took her outside and finally she went.Saturday during the day she went around with us,letting us know when she had to pee,had water,table food… Friday night,Lace went inside her crate by herself knowing she’s tired she walked inside,got comfy and laid down.I closed her crate door & she ate her own dry food..Saturday morning she woke up giving a whimper or cry and that partially woke me up..She knew her time was up in her crate..
In the evening it was time to go home…Back on the plane went Lacey but this time as we landed in Honolulu she didn’t move when we landed.She’s so easy to travel with and accommodates very quickly!She was a joy to bring on the trip!
Looking back at Lacey’s first year:Health and all
Name:Lacey Princess Maltipoo Akamine
Current Weight at one year old:7.11 pounds according to vet records,7.6 according to home weight
Birth Date:March 13 2009
Born:Kailua,HI
Breed:Maltese/Toy Poodle
Mom:Poodle
Dad:Maltese
Adopted:july 17 2009
Age of adoption:16 weeks old
Found on:Kijiji.com
Price:$600
Name of Vet:Dr John Kaya
Vet Hospital:VCA Animal Hospital aka VCA University Hospital
Weight at first vet visit:4.5 pounds
Dog Food:Science Diet & IAMS,Beneful Prepared Meals till December 2009
Puppy Pad Training:9 weeks
Health Issues:Yeast infection in ear,worms,UTI,Spaying(February 2010)
First Heat:November 2009
First Treats:Nutro Dog Biscuits,Pupperoni,The Goodlife Recipe treats
First Walk:November 2009
Shortest Walk:<<<than 5 minutes
Longest Walk:62 minutes on her birthday
First Time Out: December 2009
First Thanksgiving:Thanksgiving 2009:Family Dinner
First Christmas:Christmas 2009:A new top,Waggin Train
Brands of dog food we tried:Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,Chicken Soup for the Pet lover's Soul,Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed/Super5Mix Complete Health Chicken,Halo's Spot's Stew
Current Dry Food Brands:Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,Halo's Spot's Stew(Wholesome Chicken & Wild Salmon flavors),Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural
Brands of Can Food we tried:Natural Balance,NV Instinct & Prairie can food,Wellness Can Food then lost interest,Halo's Spot's Stew Can Food,Merricks
Current Brands of Can Food:Merricks
First introduced to Raw(Freeze Dried):January 2010
Started accepting Freeze Dried Raw:Feburary 2010
Brands we tried:Stella & Chewy till APril 2010 then we'll be switching to Nature's variety Freeze Dried
First Freeze Dried Raw Treat:Primal Pet Turkey Liver(A birthday present)
Organic Treats she's tried:Trader Joe's,Waggin' Train,No Grainers
First Boarding Facilities we considered:Di Ventus Dog Hotel & Spa
First Boarding Facilities we looked at:The Ohana Doggie Day Care,Pets in the city
First Starts understanding people conversations:7-8 months old
First Command:SIT
Commands she knows:sit,stay,don't move,time out,sit & stay,shake paw/hand,"eat",hi5,shake your tail,down aka sit,lay down,kiss,learning roll over,"wait",inside,outside,table manners at the table
Uses Common Sense while walking:About 8-9 months old
Checks for cars like a human(right,left,right,left,center,then walk)about 10 months-1 year old
Goes outside for afternoon poop:December 2009-learned by example of aunty's dogs
Vaccinations:Distemper,Parvo,Lepto
First Carrier:casual Canine
First Crate:Pet Mate Kennel Cab
Characteristics:A definite mix of Maltese/Toy Poodle.Brains of the poodle.Looks of a maltese.eyes are poodle.Loves to play.Loves to sample food
Types of food she tried:Mexican,Italian,Japanese,Chinese
Favorite Fast Food:KFC chicken skin
Shops we shop at:Naturally Pet,Halo’s Purely for Pets,The Pet Spot,Kalihi Pet Store
Misc:Also tried Hartz Oinkies
Able to climb steps:10-11 months old
First Shampoo;Sergent’s Puppy Shampoo
Current Shampoo:Halo’s Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo/Earthbath Shampoo
Grooming:Cardinal Pet Gold Metal Pets Unicoat Professional Spray
Lacey’s first successful night in her crate!!
Tonight we placed Lacey in her crate again.She went in w/a slight struggle but she quickly got comfy in her crate.So 30 minutes passed..All was quiet…Not a scratch nor a whimper…another 30 goes by and absolutely nothing!she was sleeping..quietly and confortably…An hour goes by then another hour…she is doing great!no cries,no whimpers…After about an hour or two impressed as I was I gave her a piece of Waggin Train.Now,I can be away from her crate and she’s still calm and quiet….I will let her out in a few hours to sleep with me since she should only be crated up to 7 hours and shouldn’t hold her pee longer than 6 hours.
Lacey & her crate:The past 3 nights
On Sunday we got Lacey her crate..The past 3 nights were something else altogether…The first night,she was inside her crate.Did good for about 30 minutes.Then she is scratching her crate,biting her crate,cries..So after about an hour I took her out to sleep with me on the floor.Next night(Monday)we placed her inside her crate and was about the same only difference was I placed her favorite dog then a tshirt w/my “smell” on it but didn’t work..I tried treats(Waggin’ Train)by placing it all the way to the back..but she’d only put in as much of her body she had to use to get to the treat then back out “backwards”..Picture 2/3 of your dog’s body halfway in the crate and the other 1/3 out of the crate.I tried lining up her food inside her crate..I tried treats in the KONG..nothing…I fed her in her crate,gave her water in her crate which she did good with…still nothing…What no one has ever mentioned was ” a routine” when I thought back to what worked before for her a lot of it dealt with routine..SO last night(Wednesday night don’t recall how Tuesday night was)I tried a routine…I did my usual..meds,coconut water,snack,brush teeth..eventually my parents went to bed…i was already ready…So we got her crate right next to my pillow.She went inside.. placed only water inside her crate although many advised against it..but she does drink water at night regardless..and she went potty about an hour before bed..was great for the first 30 minutes.. was relaxed…slept..able to move around..stand up…lay down…no whimpers,no cries/barks…no scratching…another half hour went by and she started w/her scratching but no biting her crate..She did this for about 15-20 minutes.As time went on through the night she’ll scratch her crate,got her crate door open once,cried a few times when I was asleep(I still heard the slightest cry and my eyes would open up in just half a second like a mother’s instinct..console her…go back to sleep)if I left for more than a few seconds she’d react w/a cry or a whimper.If I went to the computer even a few feet away she’d react but I had to be right there by her side..Literally laying right next to her crate…Somehow after 4 or 5am she let out a whimper or cry as if she’s telling me “I am not supposed to be in here more than X amount of hours”.then I gave her breakfast in her crate.Some she ate on her own.The rest I hand fed her in her crate.She held her pee for as long as 8 hours and right after her meal( a day’s worth) she made a whole puddle of pee on her mat.Lacey is the type of dog that likes everything to be in a routine.If something is not “normal” in a routine she tends to get worked up or misbehaves..We’ll try it again tonight and see how she does..
Note:Every site I looked up & read about crate training & every dog owner I have spoken to basically gave me the same info that I have already done..Not one site/owner said anything about trying a routine for a dog.
Lacey tries her crate at night
Initially she was doing good in her crate.She didn’t whimper or really cry except a few times but started to scratch her crate with her paws.I placed her favorite toy inside her crate & she sort of calmed down for a while then started scratching her crate again.She was in there for about 2 hours.She laid down,drank water,chewed on chew toys,relaxed,ate some of her food though I found it’s easier for her to eat it with her crate door open.She’ll eat anything(dog food & stella & chewy’s)that I put in her crate dish even Primal Pet treats.I tried to give it to her by itself and she’d lick it,spit,lick it,spit but when I placed in her crate tray she gulped it up along with her Halo’s!After some cries & scratches I let her out for the night(inside the house not outside).
So,we’re trying to bring Lacey to hilo with us and the airline(Hwn Airlines) told us we don’t need a health certificate from Dr Kaya for her.That she should be under 20 pounds,the hXlXw(see previous blogs)but others are telling me that we need to follow the Animal Quarantine Law for Hawaii.I emailed the links to my mom & I will let her make the call.Although we did cancel with Pets In The City our last option depending what Dr Kaya says is the criteria & from whatever my mom decides we may end up leaving her at VCA even though that’s not what I initially wanted.I might try to schedule her at Pets In the City again.I am sure she can easily pass the socializing with other dogs and with a little practice the crate part as well.Look for an update later as we have Dr Kaya at 5pm(HST) to get her distemper shot.
Lacey & her crate
Now,Lacey sees her crate also as a place to play and to take her food & water from the crate tray.No longer do we have to hand feed her,place her food on a plate or to get her to take her food in a doggy bowl.She now laps up water every now and then through the day & night from her crate tray and if she plays a lot & goes on walks she takes her water from her doggy bowl.she’s doing really really well with the crate & I am more than beyond impressed on how well she does with the crate.Her previous owners must have fed her in the crate,introduced her to the crate after she was weened from her mom, and drank water in the crate.It’s impressive to know that all we needed was a crate!
