Here’s some pics of my foster kittens that are rapidly becoming cats and have won my heart. They are unbelievably brave, confident, and extremely loving (not to mention comical). Maybe it’s because they are named Buddha and Gandhi. I know it’s hard to believe that “they” would show up as cats – at my home, you’d fully have expected them to be dogs!
“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too!” Samuel Butler
Have you ever walked over something that made you trip and you quickly look back – not to see what you tripped on but to see who’s laughing at you? Why is watching someone almost fall so funny? I think our dogs are more kind when we make a fool of ourselves than human observers!
My advice – when you are out in public, take a dog. No one will notice you as you trip over the invisible crack in the sidewalk. Your dog will, but I can promise that he’ll trip along with you and stop to lick you if you’re down.
I don’t think a video or photo is necessary for you to understand what “that” is. It is extremely important to have your dog spayed or neutered for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons is to help reel in their desire – uh, attraction – to females in heat.
I have recently learned that you can remove the equipment, but that doesn’t necessarily remove the animal instinct or memory of what to do. This is just a bit of advice and further reason to “fix” your pup.
I’m not talking about the posturing they do as a demonstration of dominance because male and female dogs do this fixed or not. When a dog mounts another dog (often this happens during or after play), they are attempting to say “hey, look at me, I’m alpha!” Usually, wishful thinking!
I’m referring to keeping a neutered male with a non-spayed female. When she is in heat, the dynamic may change. He will go into the “I’m your man” mode and be protective of her. He may become aggressive to other males in the family. She will be othe object of his affection and she will like it! There will be no puppies out of their relationship, but their dynamic will be as if there were.
Be aware of changing behaviors and since you spay and/or neuter your dogs, this will be an education that you don’t need!
I’m constantly reminded how similar our relationships with our pets are to the relationship we have with humans.
My Great Dane is so in need of a constant reminder that I think she’s a “good” girl. Not mentioning any names, I’ve known a few women that can get caught in that level of insecurity. She came to me with a history of instability. As is true for a lot of rescued dogs (insert humans), they have a history that needs to be healed before they can move on.
I’m learning to balance the right amount of affection and attention for Violet. If I were to give her a lot of attention in an attempt to over-compensate for her past, I’d be doing her a disservice. She needs to learn to trust me and my intentions toward her. She needs and deserves to be a confident creature that is not too “needy.”
There is a balance we need to have with our pets. Some times, it’s a bit of an “I love you – now go away!” Haven’t we all felt that way toward a human or two?
Shortly after this video clip, I was saying. . .you guessed it – “I love you, now go away!”
Wait! Don’t let your blood pressure rise. . .I’m just messin’ with you! Dogs, if given the chance will thrive in an environment that is “natural” to them. If a dog is allowed to be outside and has a lot of room to roam, they will adapt to that. If a dog is kept in a high-rise condo and taken out for daily walks, they will adapt to that environment.
I can’t speak for the dog. Maybe they’d all prefer to go back to their roots and exist at least part of the time as their particular breed was intended. I do know that if they are given exercise, structure, food, and affection, they seem to be what we’d call happy. If you are providing all of these, I wouldn’t stress about what it is you aren’t providing. Dogs living in shelters would gladly take their place.
My dogs love running on the property and chasing (killing and eating) lizards and whatever else they can find. They also express great pleasure in coming inside and curling up on a cozy bed and sleeping by the fireplace. The latter certainly isn’t a pleasure their ancestors enjoyed. I’m sure they would have if given the chance.
It was especially cold this particular night . . .I don’t know, do you think they are happy?
There are various methods for training and it can be confusing. As far as I’m concerned, the only absolute is that you don’t need to hit your dog. Should you use hand signals? Treat or no treat? Is there a right or wrong way to train? On-leash or off-leash?
Start somewhere. Training and behavior modification go hand-in-hand. Consistency and intention are the common denominators regardless of the method you choose.
Here’s a concise, well-written article that explains Learning Theory, Teaching New Behaviors, Putting Behaviors on Cue, & Proofing.
What are your ideas and thoughts on training methods?
It’s no wonder that our dogs wait anxiously at the front door. Good things happen there. Other than the observation of a bird in the tree or a car going by, the front door usually represents something good.
Most don’t open the door to someone they aren’t glad to see. Our dogs learn from us that the front door is an exciting place. First off, it’s where we come in (unless it’s the garage door, etc). When our friends or family arrive, we exude an energy that tells our dog “get excited – they’re here!”
So, if an over-exuberant dog at the front door is going to annoy who is arriving (or you), ask your guests to never return or see if lowering your level of energy and taking the focus off your dog helps. Here’s how to work with your dog at the front door.
I’m not talking about black, white, brindle, harlequin, etc., I’m talking about what is your dog’s favorite color?
For so long, we were told that dogs are color-blind, meaning they see black and white and various shades of gray. In the 1980’s studies were done that proved otherwise. Dogs do see “in color.” They don’t see color as we do. . .
“Instead, dogs see “VIBYYYR” (Violet, Indigo, Blue, Yellow, and Red). The colors Green, Yellow, and Orange all look alike to dogs; but look different from Red and different from the various Blues and Purples. Dogs are very good at telling different shades of VIB apart. Finally, Blue-Green looks White to dogs.”
This article explains the study. I knew that Olive saw color when she picked out this hat with a yellow daisy. They were her favorite.
Not! There are some training methods that encourage hitting your dog to get it to understand what not to do. One of the techniques is whacking the dog on the nose with a rolled up magazine or paper. And, I’m not talking about a tap either.
I won’t say this form of training doesn’t work. It does. It works like spanking kids with a paper worked. We may have flinched every time the person who enforced that discipline walked by whether we had done anything or not. This may also be true for the dog “trained” in this manner.
Most people who ask me my opinion on hitting a dog, are asking because it’s not an action they want to take – they just don’t know what to do. They don’t want to intentionally inflict pain on their pet. Nor should they.
If you have reached the point of frustration because your dog just doesn’t get what you want from them, step back and see if you’ve actually shown them in a way they understand. If this behavior is out of your control or has to do with aggression, contact a behavorist for assistance, or send me your question in the box to the right.
Hitting your dog can make them hand-shy and it’s not an action they will always respect.
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of retractable leashes. I understand why they are used and were initially thought of as the latest and greatest leash option. My dislike:
The retractable leash is ok if you are taking your dog out for a potty break and want to give it space to sniff around without letting it off leash. Beyond that, unless it is kept retracted, I don’t recommend this leash for training or when control is needed.
