We still haven't figured out completely what caused Guinny to hurt her leg. She really wasn't doing anything unusual so we think she just twisted wrong.
Last Thanksgiving my nephew Danny was playing in the yard with Guinny. For some reason she started yelping and limping around quite a bit. My nephew rubbed her leg for awhile and that seemed to help. He had several large dogs at the time, including a Boxer and a St. Bernard so he knew how much romping they are good for.
After a couple of visits to the doctor it was decided that she had torn the ACL on her left hind leg. Surgery was in order. On December 11th, my granddaughter Savannah and I loaded her up into the car and left her with the doctors. Of course it snowed for the next 3 days so I couldn't even get out to see her at the vet's and by Monday she was ready to come home. What a shock to see her beautiful leg shaved and stitched. They kept talking about this nice calm quiet dog and I kept thinking, you have the wrong dog, but when Guinny saw us, she was so different from what they had seen. She became the wild woman that we all knew and loved with excitement.Our next problem was keeping this 2 year old calm and quiet. I should have taken lessons on How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond
way before this day, but we all learned what she could and could not do and before long she had the run of the house.Going outside was quite the challenge also because if you put a lead on her, she thought she was going to go for a ride in the car and would get overly excited. Almost to the point that she could re-injure her leg, so we broke the lead rule and let her walk off the porch and into the fenced yard by herself to do her duties. You had to watch her close so that she would not run, or try to play with the neighbor dogs if they were outside.
It's been a major adjustment to the home front and our lives but every day I see improvements and maybe if the weather hadn't been so terrible and we could have exercised her on the lead her recovery time might have been quicker. I really can't say. The nice thing about all of this is that she has calmed down enough to be a real family member and have house privileges 24/7.
Another big plus about all of this is that my four year old grandson was able to learn not to be afraid of her size. He weighs 40 pounds and Guinny weighed 125 pounds. They are best buddies now and Guinny hangs on to everything he says or wants her to do. She almost minds Carl better then she does us.I've always been a big believer of training your dogs. All of mine have always been great animals and a lot of fun. I am constantly reading something about training or different breeds. Please check below on some of my favorites.
Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life
The Newfoundland, Gentle Giant
Check out the Puppy of the Day below. I just love these little guys.
