Monday, April 19, 2010

All About Louise

Meet Louise my four and half month old Jack Russell Terrier- Spitz. She is one adorable little pup who loves to stay beside me the whole day. Louise was previously owned by an office mate's sister-in- law who had to give her up since she was migrating to another country. At four and a half months old Louise weighs 15 pounds and is highly intelligent. She learned to climb stairs within 10 minutes and learned the command "sit" in just 5 minutes!  I was really amazed at how fast she learns, I've had other dogs before but none of them can compare to Louise's ability to learn.



Louise's mother is a purebred Jack Russell Terrier while her father is a purebred Japanese Spitz. Louise inherited most of her traits from her mother, she is 90 percent JRT and 10 percent Spitz. I was sad to find out though that Louise was bought from a puppy mill. Her previous owner informed me that after 4 and a half months Louise's mom is again pregnant. Yes we all know that it is not healthy at all, the owner should have waited another year before she gets the dam pregnant again. However, even though Louise was born in a puppy mill she is in excellent condition. I have recently brought her to a vet and had her thoroughly checked and I'm glad she is very healthy.

Having Louise around has brought me sheer joy, although at times she gives me a momentary dark cloud when she poops or pees on my furniture or on any part of the house but that's just a part of raising a dog. She is very affectionate and protective towards me. I would jokingly tell my family that with Louise around I do not need a bodyguard! She goes wherever I go, sometimes when I would fall asleep on the couch I'd wake up seeing her laying down on the floor near me and she would not dare make a sound. Right now she is my alarm clock lols , she would wake me up at exactly the same time everyday at 8 am, how? Well, she would jump into my bed and scratch my leg without barking until I am fully awake. This mutt has certainly learned another trick!


I am trying to correct certain behaviors that Louise's previous owner has taught her. She has allowed her to do her toilet needs inside the house with newpapers because she did not like her getting messy. It is the kind of nightmare I am facing right now but I know this would soon stop with constant repetition, in due time she will be potty trained. Louise is used to being fed with canned tuna and dog food but I decided to make her home cooked meal.  This way I am sure that Louise eats fresh food without any preservative. Her staple diet is pork and beef with vegetables. This is more economical than buying dog food. I have been observing how much she consumes in a week and I noted that 1 kilo of pork or beef lasts her the entire week. I would usually cook all of the 1 kilo meat and put the rest in the fridge. Louise is a picky eater, and you'd laugh your head off if I tell you what she likes and does not like. 

Just to illustrate at how picky my little Louise is, she would not eat bread without peanut butter or cheese etc, on it! Usually when she eats bread she would only eat the ones with the most spread and leave the ones that does not have. I tried feeding her sardines, this little mutt did not even touch it! I experimented on other food combination like squash with rice and fried fish and still she would not eat. Finally I gave up and cooked her ground pork with grated carrots and thinly sliced cabbage, now guess what? Yes, you bet she ate all of it!



Like a child, Louise likes to be babied and she is happy when she sees me when I come home from work.She does misbehave at times and turn a deaf ear when she does not want to answer me. Though Louise is very loyal and loving towards me she is not friendly to new faces. She would bark fiercely at an unfamiliar face and would stay on guard until the other person leaves. I am hoping to raise a well rounded friendly dog but as many breeders have told me Louise like any JRT would need expert training. JRTs are very intelligent but they are also known to be stubborn, training starts at an early age or else it would be hard to train them when they become an adult. They certainly have a mind on their own sometimes and I have seen that in my little Louise. Sometimes she can be a handful when she see new faces in my place. She would bark and bark and would not shut up in spite of being told not to. Lolz at times she reminds me of  the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Louise can be both. She can be Hyde to strangers and Jekyll when we are alone.

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