Author Topic: Is my Saint an anomaly?  (Read 6657 times)

Yaz

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Is my Saint an anomaly?
« on: January 26, 2006, 09:38:45 am »
First let me preface this by saying that we love Gershwin dearly but, Man is he a slob! I know it is dangerous to compare dogs of the same breed, yet the comparison between Gersh and Guinness, our previous Saint, is inevitable at times. Gershwin is four months old, which means that he does not lift his leg to pee. But his back legs are constantly covered in dribbles of yellow urine. I can not bear to watch him urinate because he will pee and then casually place his back paws in the exact spot he urinated in as he walks away.
We used to tie Guinny up on the porch so he could sleep in the fresh air and enjoy the neighbourhood view. If he had to pee he would bark to alert us inside the house. And if we did not get to him in time he would make a valiant attempt to get down the porch steps and urinate. Gersh, on the other hand, if tied on the porch will not make a peep as he contentedly relieves his bowls right in front of the door and then settle to take a nap with his head resting inches from the poop or pee he just did. And yes, this is at the exact same age as Guinness was. Needless to say, Gershwin is no longer left unsupervised on the porch.
The last...interes ting thing that I wonder about Gershy, is his penis. He has it hanging out of its sheath quite a bit and it is, ahem, quite large. Why this is frustrating/disgusting is that the penis out its sheath is very slimely and sticky, which makes it unsanitary for him to lie and sit on the same floors that my one year old son crawls on.
Please, someone tell me that having a slobby puppy does not mean I will have a slobby giant on my hands!

Lyn

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2006, 09:56:03 am »
Yaz, Bubba did the penis thing also. And he ended up with a red rash on his peepee from it dragging on everything. I swear it looked like carpet burn. My vet seemed to think it was just hormone related. Bubba did eventually quit doing it, although I can't remember how old he was. I can see your concern though with your little one crawling around on the same floor.

We never had the pee problem though.

Sorry I'm not much help but I can relate.

Offline coonie1970

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2006, 10:43:29 am »
Yaz
I cant help with the pee problem Judge has always been quite good about peeing outside away from his play area.
The penis thing? I know all about that. Up untill I got Judge fixed his was always out in the wind for everyone to see. It also would get red and swolen. I havent noticed it at all since he was fixed.
Maybe you should talk to a trainer to see if they can give you any advice.
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Offline shangrila

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2006, 10:05:30 pm »
Well I can tell you that zoey had a problem aiming her pee for a while when she was a baby too. Between her having accidents, stepping into puddles she just made in the yard, and pee accidentally splashing onto her legs, we seriously had to bathe zoey every other day for the first month or two (so 3-4 month old). After that she got a hang of it, but I do still try and keep the fur around her back legs trimmed because otherwise it is so bushy that it gets in the way sometimes... Going to the bathroom on the porch doesn't suprise me much either. We don't have a back porch so zoey never had this problem, but I see the porch as an extension of potty training and in my experience saints have been slow to potty train.
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Offline Saintly Girl

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2006, 05:03:33 pm »
Maxwell used to squat too much and then he would end up peeing on his front legs.  Gross.  As for his penis, it used to do that but not anymore. Fixing must help.  He was super slow to potty train.  7 long months!!!

Gypsy Jazmine

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2006, 01:27:23 am »
When my dogs are being uuummmmm dogs I just repeat my dog mantra to myself over & over..."You can't fault a dog for being a dog" ;D Try it...It works! :) Try this one for size & be happy you have Gersh & not Pippin!...LMAO! :D
« Last Edit: February 15, 2006, 01:37:08 am by Gypsy Jazmine »

Offline tanimara

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2006, 01:35:57 pm »
From what you are saying about your puppy I feel you need to realize that your Saint puppy is a puppy and growing up will take some time.  I also feel you are being unfair to this pup by expecting him to be clean and sterile, he is after all a dog. Perhaps you need to get a stuffed animal and you wont have to worry about germs, house training, etc.... Jackie
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Offline horsepoor21

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2006, 02:11:41 pm »
Tanimara , that wasn't very nice  :-[

Yaz , I don't have a saint , but my newfie girl is extremely messy and doesn't care wheather she stands in her potty either , I'm hoping she grows out of it as well ! My newfie mix boy had the "boy" thing going on too until I got him fixed .... Good luck ! :)

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Gypsy Jazmine

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2006, 05:06:41 pm »
Tanimara , that wasn't very niceĀ  :-[

Yaz , I don't have a saint , but my newfie girl is extremely messy and doesn't care wheather she stands in her potty either , I'm hoping she grows out of it as well ! My newfie mix boy had the "boy" thing going on too until I got him fixed .... Good luck ! :)


I'm sorry but I feel I need to say something about Tanimara's comment...What I sense is frustration in her words...& I also want to ask how many others felt the same way but did not have the guts to put it out there...Like I said, you surely can't fault a dog for being a dog....A dog is only going to be as good as we train them to be & some things just can't be helped...I think we all need to be realistic in our expectations of our dogs.

Offline Teamshredit

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2006, 06:03:17 pm »
I understand Tanimara's frustration, on the other hand Yaz is not a new dog owner, she is just wondering if this is normal for a Saint, for her last one didn't have the same behavior. It doesn't seem appropriate to make condescending remarks when someone is making an effort to understand their dog. This is coming from an inexperienced and new dog owner. I got off topic, I apologize.
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Offline Kermit

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2006, 06:13:42 pm »
Yaz, since your baby boy is a sloppy one now, you might indeed have a bigger sloppy one on your hands as he grows up! Wish I could assure you otherwise! I'd prepare for the worst if I were you. All male dogs are different, and you might really have one on your hands who is going to show his willy to the world for the rest of his life! You could always put some pants on him!! ;) I used to have a terrier who always "let it all hang out" his whole life. Since he was a smaller dog, it wasn't as offensive as one might find it on a giant breed.
Seriously, if the urination on his legs is becoming a sanitary problem, I'd suggest this: inside the door where he comes in from doing his business, keep a container of baby wipes. Give his legs/feet/weewee a good once over right as he enters the house. Then you can be sure he won't get urine on anything inside.
As for his willy being on the carpet/floor (I can imagine you cringing now), I'd say designate a special area for him to lay down when he is inside. A doggie bed or pillow or a special blanket just for him that your child won't be playing on. You can start now and teach him a command like, "go lay down on your blanket". This is great also when there is company. :)

I'd hate for his habits to get in the way of you enjoying his companionship. Get creative on ways that you and he can live together without anyone being unhappy. :)

Yaz

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2006, 06:21:47 pm »
Gosh, I did not mean to get anyone's knickers in a twist with my original post. I wrote that post during a very challenging morning with the kids and the dogs. We love Gersh dearly but I would be lying if I said his slobbiness didn't get to me during his puppy stage. Now that he is almost five months things are getting a lot better.

Please bear in mind that I have a three year old, two year old and one year old so neatness is not something I need to have to make me happy - I've always said that a messy home is a happy one ;).  I have raised and trained dogs for over nineteen years and have dealt with the poop eaters, the garbage chewers, the rolling in dead animals. I squeeze impacted anal glands myself and have no trouble with any of this (I should mention that I am a nurse). So I do take umbrage at the stuffed dog comment. I do think that my post is similar to someone venting about some bad habits their spouse has - would you arrogantly tell them they did not deserve to be married and should get an inflatable doll instead? Of course not, you would recognize that their venting over habits has nothing to do with the love they have for their spouse.

Just something to think about before you judge another person.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2006, 06:25:24 pm by Yaz »

Offline rickie

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Re: Is my Saint an anomaly?
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2006, 06:55:20 pm »
Hang in there. I hope things get better for you. I had a lab, that used to roll in the MOST disgusting things. My Aussie was good as gold, and well..... my two Basset's both like to "recycle" (yup, poop eaters). Just be glad you don't have a male horse (gelding) in a pasture that likes to just "hang" around at times.  :)  Been there. Best wishes
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