Thanks so much for your response. YES, she has
been spayed and all 3 of her puppies were spayed at 8 weeks of age. One
of the puppies has a VERY bad heart murmer and Colorado State University Vet
School specialists said she would likely only live for a year or two. It
was quite challenging to find this special puppy the right home, but I am very
happy to report she was adopted by a wonderful vet who can love her and be
very aware of her condition until its time for her to cross the
bridge.
Yes,
Luna let me handle her puppies openly even when they were first born. It
took a while for them to really latch because Luna kept
licking neurotically and pushing them off the tit. She must
have just been soooo stressed about all the events... she has really been
through the ringer. I would put the puppy on the tit and
then just stroke her so she would relax and focus more on
me than the suckling puppy until she would practically fall asleep. She
still has a super fondness for puppies whenever we see them and she lets them
climb all over her and knaw at her face/ears. She is really a gentle
giant (photo enclosed)
In
terms of the barking... what about a citronella collar at night? When it was
cold and the windows were closed, she couldn't hear all the noises outside and
therefore would sleep soundly. Now that the weather is warm and my
windows are open, its really a problem because she barks at EVERYTHING and its
a true nuisance.
-adrienne
In
a message dated 5/23/01 12:21:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
acustode@rational.com writes:
Also, separate topic... since I am new to this list, can
anyone summarize
for me any successes which have been discussed with
reducing the nighttime
barking Pyrs are so famous for?
Easy one first. None. Is that
summary enough?
<<Any
thoughts about whether this is
normal behavior or suggestions?
You have a basically
very nice girl that has a lot going for herself
temperament wise and
certainly has Pyrenean instincts. She is probably not
so well bred
as the shyness seems excessive and is hereditary. We have all
seen
it at times and it reliably goes from one generation to the next.
Working breeders say they do not care, but this is one of their major
mistakes and one the great lies many of them tell the public. Of
everything
you describe I would be concerned with the shyness as it can
lead to violence
if it overwhelms the dog. Your dog may get better
as it matures and becomes
more familiar with you, but the problem is
there. Please do not breed her
again (neuter her) and I hope all
the puppies were neutered.
For the interim I would keep her out of
the room with guests. I would be
careful when walking and meeting
strangers. It is fairly common that Pyrs
sometimes bark and
sometimes not at strangers. Pyrs are historically
legendary in
their abilities to discern ill intent of strangers. With a shy
fearful dog I think this trait may be a little skewed as surely 40% of
the
people you meet are not out to do harm (at least one would hope
not). Don't
put her in a situation where she has to be touched.
You may see that she
will make the overture herself when she is
comfortable. If you really want
her to be more friendly, try
taking her to obedience or any other dog group
activity. Sounds
like give time and a little space she can work it out.
I
admire her spirit with the changes and the puppies. Did she let you
assist
in whelping and handle the newborn puppies without getting really
upset? If
she did I think that is very good and says something
about not only the dog
but you and your family.
Thanks
for sharing this with us.
Joe