i pick him up thurs fri or sat... can't wiret more have a jungle cat of a grandaughter in my arms

This is exciting. Can't wait to hear how it goes. I know you will keep thorough notes on the dog so whoever adopts him after you (if you don't foster fail ) will have a great start on what they are getting with him.

Amy, you have earned my heartfelt respect!! As I said, it really breaks my heart to see so many beautiful dogs listed with the various shelters and know that so very little can be done for them - - thank you ma'am from the bottom of my heart for the effort you've put into "fostering" Blazze (we'll see how *that* goes ) and the help you gave to get the others pulled.

Thanks, Al and Jenn...a day or two of quiet normalcy and then the work begins. I cannot fail this guy!

He's home. And a tiny thing he is. Hands feeding a breeze..I even dropped a few pieces accidentally and could point to them on the ground, no repercussions. I'm having a tiny suspicion aggression may not have been the problem... house training may be an issue. He has not meet Ami and Archer yet but they ALL know about each other... He's forming his head off in the crate in the garage and they are basking in return. But until he goes a whole day without prong on his crate, there he stays! Except for walks and training and tethered in house time

So happy! However, I'm pretty sure you're going to be a foster failure...

DarkDiamond wrote:

So happy!  However, I'm pretty sure you're going to be a foster failure...

Don't know about that yet - he won't pee/poop on leash, just in the crate. This morning, the crate tray was completely out of the crate, the sheet over the crate was completely inside the crate...

The rescue has already had an inquiry about him.

Hmmm....I may have spoken too soon. Husband just said he's a sweet dog and just needs a stable home with rules...then said, "he may be a foster fail..." We'llllll see. Gotta get the potty thing straightened out!

So, okay, Sky's got Blaze beat, at least she doesn't do anything in the crate except watch me. Really funny, she'll willingly go in the crate and then, with the door open, she'll lay and stare at me.

Best of luck resolving everything ... Sweet dogs are neat! Avalanche is a playful puppy ( 6ish), Sasha is a stick in the mud - she wants her walks and her food then it's slug around. Sky is my sweet little girl, I get kisses and gently pawed when she wants attention.

Just now catching up, what a great thing you're doing for him! Hope the potty issues subside whether he stays or goes. Good luck with it all!

I'm hoping to foster animals at some point when the kids are older and able to appreciate and help out with the effort. So I like to hear how it works out for others.

Not so great at the moment. Since I'm going to need to tether him to me indoors to get this potty thing straightened out, I introduced him to Ami (on leash, thankfully) earlier than I had intended. He tolerated the initial sniffing then growled and lunged. We were able to have each dog sit on either side of Wayne (leashed) and feed bits of string cheese. That went well but as soon as it was over and we stood up, Z'ev lit into him again. This is going to be the Rubic's Cube, dog version for a while...sigh.

Also - did I mention, the coordinator is doing much better with Max today and he's not going to be put down? But - Jenn, if you are willing she might be interested...

Amy, lest we forget it's change that is the biggest challenge to a dog. And this boy's been through a lot of changes in the past few days. (( Okay, don't slap me, I know you know that! ))

Sounds like Zeyev might not be used to other dogs or maybe just strange dogs in a new situation, it took me - what? - something like three months before Sky and Sasha weren't playing dominance games. Even at that, Sasha will sometimes wander around with her nose up Sky's "patooti" until Sky just gets tired of it.

I've never fostered - don't even think it would be practical for me here - but since my dogs are all rescues I have a pretty good sense, I think, of what you're going through.

It pleases me greatly that Max isn't going to be put down. These pups that end up in rescue have been through so much trauma - separation, unknown - that's it really a wonder that more don't react.

Just remember - to Quote Cato the Elder - patience is the greatest virtue.

Amy, I think this is awesome what you are doing! Personally, I would be a foster fail EVERY time, haha. Keeping in mind where Blazze just came from, where he was probably kept in a kennel and doing his business in there, I believe once he has stability, the potty thing will resolve itself. Stability is the biggest thing for him right now, and once he has that, I have no doubt he will be an awesome dog/playmate.

Maybe not such a great pal for Ami...we'll have to work on at least leash aggression and what may be full out dog aggression.

Z'ev spent the after noon with Wayne while I did some shopping. We put Ami and Archer on the their lines with their bones while Z'ev went for an almost 4 mile walk. No pee or poop. He then crashed on the floor next to Wayne until about a half hour ago...I took him out for pee/poop before back in the crate. And he pee'd on a tree!!!! But no poop.

And the crate - I am getting concerned. He has bent the hell out of it (it is double carabinered on all joints and door). And, broken some of the welds on the back side. He's rubbing the top of his nose raw. No more tray, cardboard for absorbancy and disposable. No cover. Wayne put a radio out there. And...I did something I may regret. Fully knowing I may regret it. After removing his leash, I threw a large, frozen, raw beef bone in there. Tiny peanut went right in with no complaint. But, when I went to the other end of the crate to inspect the wire...he not just growled. He snarled. With teeth bared. So I gave him a very loud firm "NO" until he relaxed, then it was good boy in soft soothing sounds. We repeated this about 4 times and then when he was relaxed, I turned out the light and left.

I think I will wear carhardt overalls, jacket and double glove with padding and kevler to take him out. I do not intend to remove that bone until he is in the house with Wayne. If he comes out of the crate willing, I will continue to give him a bone. If not...no more bones and I'll have to figure something else out to get him in the crate. He was so content sleeping by Wayne

When I told Wayne the SHARP lady said without us he would have been euthanized, Wayne interrupted me and spat out "NO...MURDERED!!!" One of the many things I love about that man...he is compassionate to the core! And, so far, Z'ev is exactly the kind of dog I think Wayne prefers...the velcro kind. Me, I like my independent, wooly SOB with all his piss and vinegar and sass. Each to his own, I guess

And, finally - Josh has requested we not introduce Archer until he is back from his trip. We can do that.

Here's some pics I finally got around to take. It is a bit of a circus around here - Wayne letting the Ami and Archer out the back door while I come in the front door. Not to mention we have been worried about Z'ev's kidney function (his urine was just about orange and exceedingly strong smelling, he wouldn't pee on leash, both nights he dumped his water dish all over the crate so everything was wet, first night I used a crate waterer that attaches to the crate. That was pulled off. Second night a big old water bowl in the corner. That was on the opposite end of the crate and upside down. We were afraid he may have been dehydrated either in transport or at the ACC)

Here, just coming back from a walk with Wayne - met a neighbor and Z'ev was a perfect angel.


Sitting so pretty - look at those bright blue eyes!

Hoping with time and patience he will turn around. Such a wonderful thing you guys are doing for him. I'm sure he hasn't known much good in his life, which is a shame because dogs deserve nothing but love.

I look forward to your progress with him!

Met another neighbor this morning on our first potty/training walk. Neighbor was on a 4 wheeler going to his Mom's house. My practise with the dogs is any vehicle approaching, we get to the very edge of the road and dogs sit until the vehicle is passed. Neighbor stopped to say hello, we went over and Z'ev climbed up on the 4 wheeler, into my neighbors lap and started kissing him then snuggled into his chest!
Neighbor commented on how well-behaved he was...

I finally got the persnickety peanut to tolerate his crate...doing something I probably shouldn't have, given his resource guarding. I put a bone in there - figured pup won't pee or poop where food is, the bone will keep him busy...and I succeeded on all fronts. Including eliciting his resource guarding. But, its manageable. Once he's had the bone a while and buried it in his blanket, he's willing to come out. But you better believe there is NO WAY that I will put my hand in that crate or even pull him out. He comes out on his own or he stays there...bladder and breakfast seem to have a positive effect on leaving the crate. And...no pee or poop in the crate this morning, the sheet covering was intact, Z'ev was happy to see me, pee'd outside!

And, his pee is now a much healthier deep yellow...I'd prefer a lemon yellow but at least we're going in the right direction...I still remember Lucy's dog. Wayne has been concerned about "pre-renal" failure which means the kidneys shut down due to dehydration. I was worried about stressed induced rhabdomyalisis. So training sort of took a back seat to hydration and pee...this boy holds his urine unbelievably long. So far he is only pee'ing 2, maybe 3 times a day. But, yesterday, he pooped with me under the blue spruce at the edge of the brush and again on the walk with Wayne. Who reported that it was plenty moist, and formed. So he is far less concerned about hydration at this point.

Hand feeding is going well...though its hit or miss as to how much to feed. He's a bit on the thin side with sharp vertebra, shoulder blades and ribs. And his coat is a bit rough, not very glossy. So I gave him a full cup of Taste of the Wild, High Prairie for breakfast and dinner on Sat. In addition to the cheese used for a treat. Well...on Sun, he was not interested in either meal other than a bit of a pick. So today, I only gave him a little over a half cup for breakfast. He's tiny (hence the "peanut") Only 43 pounds. I'm used to feeding 2 big lummox - so anybody with a tiny Siberian - feel free to chime in on amounts (Dave...how much does Mylo eat a day?)

And, I got a first hint of his true personality today...he's gonna be a talker! I was encouraging him to drink some water after breakfast since he didn't spontaneously - swished my finger in his bowl. He put my hand in his mouth but it was more playful than aggressive (I was also holding the empty kibble baggie) - I told him "no" and he proceeded to give me some very playful backtalk...which I am at a loss to translate into the written word (usual for me, no

And, I saw a bit of the aggression - he was anxious to get back IN the crate to check on his bone but I had to take of the prong collar which gets a bit caught in his fur. He was not happy and started, not quite to growl but you could see the tension building. Gave a firm "eheh" and took him by leash over to the other side of the shop, switched the leash from prong to regular collar, led him back to the crate and as he started to enter, I could easily and quickly just release the snap and shut the door. Then, as I was locking/double locking the door, he started to growl defensively hunched over his bone to which I again became quite firm. Then he relaxed and proceeded to give me a whole bunch of classic husky talk back. So we "spoke husky" back and forth for a minute, then he settled quietly and relaxed over his bone and that was that.

I know its generally not a good idea to correct growling but my gut says that this is the first part of the wind up and setting the boundary is a good idea. Of course, I am not, any time soon, going to take anything away from him. In addition to setting the boundary, I want him to know what is his is his and won't be messed with. In the interim, I won't let him have anything except from my hand or just the bone in the crate. Once I get, sit, down, and wait established, then I'll start with leave it with his kibble.

Amy, considering your write up on the first 24 hours <??> it looks like you're all making amazing progress. I realize that this isn't a lot of help, but I have an old Chevy S-10 hubcap - that holds about 4 cups, I fill it in the morning and Avalanche and Sky will have it empty by the time to come to bed. Avalanche is being allowed to eat about a cup a day - which is his norm - and sky is skarfing the rest.

I agree with the correction for growling in this case. I don't know the last time that Sasha growled at me for doing something around her food ... but I too, corrected that growl - not because of the growl but because of the guarding it was "covering". She now, finally will set and wait for her food, make eye contact if I tell her to set; if I don't then she waits till I step back - but gods, it seems as if it's been a long time getting there. I think you're going to have an easier time of it then I did - at least I hope you do!

We'll see, Al...he's been on good behavior with all the newness. I'm begining to see him relax, now

time for a shot! alergy that is

Hmmm...maybe I should change this from scrapbook to training? The start with Z'ev has been rocky. He does not like the crate. At all. His crate is all but destroyed, held together by an impressive number of carabiners ( actually these stainless steel ovoid things with spring) I can't give him water in the crate which is distressing to us because he was dehydrated when we got him, very strong very dark urine. To the point where hydration and pee were the overwhelming focus the first 2 days.

He is a true Jekyll and Hyde. So sweet and loving and cuddly on walks, meeting people. But, I have resorted to hand feeding with kevlar gloves and am ordering a muzzle. His snarling behavior in the crate suggests the extremes to which he could go so I am being proactive. And for the time-being, I will be the only one to feed as Wayne is horrified at the thought of an emergency strong correction should there be a "misunderstanding"

I have, however, changed the crate shutting behavior from snarl to typical husky back talk. Which I consider progress. And the crate destruction seems to have stabilized. Now, he gets handfed beside the crate, door open. He takes food from my hand just fine - the worst I have experienced is, when I was trying to get him to drink by swishing my finger in the water bowl (holding on to the empty food baggie, without thinking) - Z'ev put his mouth firmly in his hand but no bite attempt or growling. Still, I took that as a warning. Now, thank you Al Jones, I feed 2/3 his allottment by hand then dump the last third in his crate from overhead (I will not stick my hand in his crate - that is HIS space. THen, after he is in - bits of cheese but only if he sits and only if there is no trash talk (oddly enough, when he started to snarl, correcting him made him worse. Joining in the "husky trash talk" seems to calm him and he stops. GO figure. I can now get him to sit on command in the crate, feed him the bits of cheese alternating with latches. No snarling, no back talk. Only wailing despairingly as I leave. BUt that is only lasting about 10 minutes now. Thankfully.

That report pleases me immensely!! Will you excuse me if I laugh at "member of the family" -- I thought you were just fostering him??

In some ways, your write ups on him remind me so much of the hassle Sasha and I endured as she settled. You've really done an amazing job considering that it's really only been a week - bet it feels like longer!

On one other note, Avalanche will take my hand if I'm doing something he doesn't like, sometimes it's a solid grip "I don't like that!" and sometimes it's much lighter - If I grab his tail, for example - not a bite by any stretch. He doesn't have hands but he can definitely control things with his mouth!

Now after a major hassle with a new FedEx driver I have crates I need to set up.

Which crate did you buy? When it's time to crate in house, I'll need to buy another. Probably also some concrete pavers so he doesn't dog up the rug like he does the cardboard that is now under the crate.

Now, the next thing to figure out is... how the he'll do I get housework and meal prep done with all this training? And the compensatory time for Ami?

As for member of the family... we'll see.

Crates - I got two of these. Since Sky likes her crate and Sasha has gone into it a couple of times, I got one for each of them. I also got one each of this crate pad. Since Z'ev is a little more rambunctious than mine are, it probably would not be anywhere near solid enough.

It's almost funny, Sky'll head for her crate at the first sign that I'm getting ready for bed -or- any time that she wants to get away from Sasha. She'll irritate Avalanche until they're both flat out on the floor - pooped! (But oddly they won't play with each other outside but will both play with the neighbor dog who comes over to visit .. weird dogs!)

With me it was fairly easy, Sasha and Sky would walk together with no fuss so, even though they had dominance issues, walking them helped tone that down. If they're both off lead, they tend to stick together. In the house, on the other hand, there were times I thought they were going to tear each other apart - never any damage done to anything except my nerves - but Sasha was determined that *this* is *her* house and Sky was the outsider. If they haven't had a good meeting yet, I'd take the tried and true - walk them together one with Wayne and one with you until they settle to walking together.

Hey ... you're one who changed the title to "family member" ...

Blazze becomes Z'ev, the persnickety peanut and now the demolition guy. FInished the crate destruction today, after I posted I thought that was stabilize.I am able to hand feed him easily - oooo, I think I know what may have got him hot under the collar - he wouldn't take his breakfast this morning, holding out, I believe for the cheese he gets in the crate OR, Josh handfed him through the crate last night. And, he really seemed to like Josh and relaxed more than ever with Josh. I offered him his breakfast 3 times, he turned his head so I put him back in his crate and no cheese since he didn't eat his kibble. When I left he wailed and wailed like a pathetic waif. Maybe this was his revenge.

He also wants to come in the house. He looks at the front door when we go by, especially when he sees Wayne. The problem is, he doesn't just destroy the crate, he goes after the floor beneath the crate (the tray was history the first night) so first I put cardoard on the floor IN the crate. Nope. SHredded. So then I put cardboard under the crate and another piece in the crate - the floor is concrete and cold. I don't want him sleeping on that bare...well, Wayne has his plastic down (which, of course needs to be replaced now.) And he has a moving blanket in there...I nicely folded it for him so no bumps, lumps and nice a cushiony. It now has holes and is bunched up in one corner. Then I did have a flannel sheet over it to keep the drafts out...the is now bunched up in the crate.

My plan is a spot in the sunroom, out of the way, and Ami not allowed in there due to the pillow. He's kept out by a flannel sheet hung from a long bungie strung across the double wide doorway. The sheet only goes half way up, I hooked the bungie to the hinges. The computer desk is just around the corner from where I want to put the crate. Given his propensity to dig, I think I will put concrete pavers down on the floor (hmm...will I need a spacer so mold won't grow on the carpet? Then a sheet of plastic, then, I dunno, old blanket or something, I won't use the tray given his history. THen I'll get a bunch of old clothes and put that in there. He can do with them as he sees fit.

Tonight, he gets an old fleece pullover of mine that has a few holes. I didn't shower today and I'm wearing it now to get it nice and stinky. It will go in the crate at his last walk.

I think we're making progress. He's delighted to see me when I come in. I can mess with the latches without any back talk. He sits on command, outside and in the crate. When walking, he automatically sits when I stop and waits very patiently until I start again. He waits at the door on command. And he's starting to make eye contact. When I fed him his cheese treat for going in the crate he took it from my fingers very gently (I hand feed with flat open palm, like horses.)

Getting time to start "place" and "down" The problem with down is...down he goes and over he rolls. Belly rub, please. And, we're about to "accidentally" at the end of 3 mile walks, meet Wayne and Ami. But stay on opposite sides of the road. Walk parallel for a bit then each go our separate way.

I'm finding I can notice tension just as it starts to develop. For now, "sit" seems to take care of that beautifully. If that continues, I may start to put a few piece of kibble in a bowl and hold the bowl for him. Him who be tethered to the tractor I am able to put on and off his prong collar, too. I'm possibly considering a Baskerville Ultra muzzle so he can be handfed by a variety of people but, not sure of that.

Enough blather for tonight. Movie time and dessert!

Woahhhh I missed all thisss!!!! Just caught up.
It's so wonderful that little Z was rescued by you
He has such a sweetie face and I love his little dots on his muzzle.
I wish good progress with the demolition boy.

A Little Siberian (boy)? That's my Mylo alright haha
I feed him a total of 2 cups per day of TOTW Pacific Stream
Half cup for breakfast, 1 full cup for lunch, and half cup for dinner.
He was weighed last month and he was a healthy 44lbs.