Dogs

Army daughter's dogs are not ever going to be trained well.  They don't care enough to do so. The dogs come when called, one is completely housebroken (and the other has accidents every couple of days), and they don't beg for food when people are eating at the table.  For them that's enough. 

Not for me.  We have a dog and two cats who are permanent fixtures around here.  Now we have another dog.  Since Army daughter's yip-yip had four puppies (Maltese usually have one or two) she decided that since they are so cute I should have one.  It's fine with me as long as I get it trained.  That dog will have a different purpose than the dog we have now.  Our big dog is a great guard dog.  She definitely has a good sense about who is good and who isn't, who should be allowed out of their vehicle and who shouldn't.  She keeps the coyotes, mountain lions, and bad guys away.  She wants to come with us  everywhere we go and gets really perturbed when I leave in the work truck because she knows she doesn't get to come.

Our newest dog is named Kelev, which means Dog.  I didn't want to start off calling her yip-yip.  She is five weeks old, eating puppy food, and is no longer hanging out with mom even though she should be with her mother for another couple of weeks (I think mom was tired of dealing with four puppies).  Her training starts now.  The first night she was really whinny because she's been used to curling up with her brother and sisters.  Now she was alone in my room in a big box.  I didn't want to listen to her all night so I did the unthinkable. 

Our cat has been cooped up in a playpen for the last month.  He still has somewhere between two weeks and a month before he can come out.  He's not supposed to walk around much while the three breaks in his pelvis are healing.  He gets really lonely.  Not anymore.

I decided the best place for the one pound dog was with the 18 pound cat.  She is now in the playpen.  He hissed at her when she bit his tail.  I wonder if the cat will teach her how to use the litter box?  I sure hope so. 
It's really important to train a dog well.  Otherwise it will just be a yip-yip.

Maltese dogs are bred for killing rats and mice (and ducklings, which I wrote about yesterday).  I'm really looking forward to having one of these dogs that are well trained and able to keep the mouse population at bay better than the cats do.  These breeds also bark when anyone comes.  It doesn't matter if it is friend or foe, they will let you know. 

I know that if TSHTF there are two sides to the dog ownership issue.  They cost a lot to own.  It's not just food but medical issues (big dog got fox tails in her ear and had a nice vet bill).  They aren't always quiet when you want them to be.  If you are trying to stay hidden a dog will give you away.  On the other hand, they make good companions, kill things, and help with perimeter control.

How much food does the dog eat?  Our 85 pound dog eats about three cups of food per day.  The little one, when full grown will eat about 1/2 cup per day.  Total that's 3 1/2 cups of food per day.  If one pound of our dog food gives us 2 1/2 cups of food, they will eat about 1 1/2 pounds a day.  If so, then a forty pound bag will last about 25 or 26 days.  This means we will go through 13 to 14 forty pound bags of food in a year.  We usually only have three or four bags on hand.  I guess we should be storing more.  Dogs can eat meat, fruit, and vegetables too but it sure is easier and cheaper to give them dog food.