“Poo-Chi” is done with his medication and seems fine, except that he keeps rubbing at his eyes. No redness, swelling, or tearing that we can see, so it’s hard to tell what’s causing it. I’ll just have to keep an eye on him to see how long he keeps doing it and to see if it gets worse.
The shelter I adopted him from called today to check up on him. I talked to their behaviorist about “Poo-Chi’s” pica and the behaviorist agreed with me that the plastic muzzle wasn’t the best option as it only prevented “Poo-Chi” from engaging in a behavior rather than actually correcting it.
He suggested getting “Poo-Chi” used to the kennel by making it a game to come in and out of it. This way, he’d be less excited upon exiting it, such as when I let him out after having him crated for a while. Part of the game would be to have him follow a bunch of commands before he exits the kennel and after he exits it. The idea is to encourage “Poo-Chi” to focus on me, rather than his drive to tongue-wash the floors. By doing this, his mind would hopefully be redirected and he won’t eat things he shouldn’t.
This sounds like an interesting thing to try for the next time that “Poo-Chi” will be home without his humans.
Earlier this week, I found a dog park within walking distance of me. While it didn’t turn up on my online searches, it’s not a new dog park. “Poo-Chi” has been wonderful with the other dogs so far, and is thankfully learning better humping manners. (One of “Poo-Chi’s” problems is that he’d keep trying to hump other dogs, despite being fixed. It’s his way of saying to the other dog that he’s dominant. At the park, he’s getting to meet other dominant dogs, who don’t like being humped and/or try to hump him. This way, he’s learning he can’t hump every dog he meets 
)
Since none of my stories can be positive throughout, one problem with the dog park is that the ground appears to be so rough that it made “Poo-Chi’s” paw bleed. It didn’t seem to bother him and other dog owners have suggested that it might be because “Poo-Chi” has dry skin. The behaviorist said to refrain from going to the park for a few days so the wound can heal and that hopefully the skin will callous over. I can’t even see where the cut is, but as long as “Poo-Chi” doesn’t start obsessively licking it and it doesn’t appear to be infected, I’m just going to leave it alone.
