Pardon the span of time, I've been ridiculous. I can't call it ridiculously busy, even though it has been, because all around, it's just been silly.
Anyway, a few things brought to my attention lately:
1. Please don't tie your Pekingese to a cable in the backyard while you go to work. She slipped her collar, wandered under your fence, and we picked her up sitting literally in the middle of the road; no fear of my approaching Jeep at all....She did have a nice day hanging out with us though :) Anyway, glad we knocked on the right door later that evening, 'cuz your kids looked grateful to have her back...Nice job on her coat though; super clean and well brushed.
2. If your dog is a jerk to other dogs at the park (and again, I know I harp on this over and over) Will You PLEASE intervene?!
K, so here's the scene: Random indiscriminate ranch/cattle dog growling, posturing and preventing the obviously sweet tempered Golden-doodle from following his dad. Meanwhile, Dad is a good 40 ft away just calling his guy, and Ranch-dog's mom is standing there ineffectively calling out nonsense like "He doesn't want to play with you...Come on___(insert your dogs name here)___, leave him alone, ha ha ha, he isn't into you."
..........................uh, yeah...............So I walk, mind you, WALK, at a normal pace, the 30 or so feet to this situation and shoo Ranch-dog off this poor dog. That poor dog who is avoiding eye contact with your Ranch-dog's glare and raised lip; who is turning his face away and licking his lips in placation....
DAD: Go help your dog.
MOM: STOP LETTING YOUR DOG DO THIS. I've seen you there several times, and the moment your animal collects a pack, he decides he is now Ruffio leading the Lost Boys into battle. That way, I don't have to look like I am responsible for him when I shoo him out of the nicer dogs' paths.
3. The beautiful relationship of the strange guy with the huge glasses and his Wire-Haired Pointing Griffon, and his new hunting puppy. The early morning hours I see you teaching the new pup to stick to you...To You...and not just to the older Griffon. That nasty, mud coated rope the pup drags so you can effectively stop his little pup rushes when they are inappropriate. How you don't let him jump on anyone. And how you stop idiotic Humans from spending too much time with him.You I love.
Thank you.
This man can be an example for the rest of us. This man realizes puppies aren't just about Cute. They require teaching and patience and time....A lot of freakin' time.
Which actually brings me to the lesson I would like to talk about today: Time.
Give some of it to your dog.
There are good ways, and not so good ways to give time to your dog. Yes, they are members of the family, but so often we mix up the order in which we are teaching the dog to interact. Affection, Food, and A Little Exercise. This seems to be the order in which most of us "talk" to our dogs.
We need the affection much more then they do.
Now, don't get me wrong, cuddling our guys is good for everyone involved. But in a natural dog society, the leader doesn't just allow the lower ranking members to rush up and demand to be noticed. How many times a day do you think you pet your dog just for existing near enough for you to reach out and touch?
When was the last time your dog walked up to you and you first said "Sit" and then pet him?
Exercise, Structure (or discipline, if you're an avid Millan follower) and then Affection. This is the proper order of things if you want to see your dog behaving. So many well-meaning humans give their dogs stuff, instead of Time.
"I have no time to walk him, so I took him out to pee (or let him out in the yard) and gave him a bone to keep him busy."
"She's crazy so we keep her mostly in her crate."
"We would walk him, but with the kids' schedules, we just don't have the time."
Make time.
You may only have time for ten minutes around the block before the kids get home, but use that. Take the dog around the block. Get them out of that backyard and DO SOMETHING with them. No time for even that???
ok, ok...I get it, life is nuts! There are days when I too feel as though I have no time to walk my dogs...But guess what, I can find some minutes in there somewhere to go out in the yard with them. Throw the ball around, play tug with the little guy (he LIVES for it) and maybe grab a treat or three and practice a couple things. Time. Any little bit of it spent exercising (there's that word again) your dogs' mind, is good for him. Keeping up with his physical needs is probably going to the be best solution to a lot of your behavioral struggles, but I've seen dogs who run miles a day and still don't know what being calm is.
Exercising a canine comes in two parts: His body, and his mind. Neglect one or the other, and you will suffer. So will he.
And no, getting another dog to "keep her busy" is not a solution. Now you just have two dogs who don't listen to you....
No comments:
Post a Comment