Dog Talk

Quote: DRich

Just so you know there is another option. When I put my last dog down I had the vet come to the house and I think it was much better for the dog, and it was better for me too.

My mother did that with her dog this year. It had to be easier on the dog. I had to help carry the body bag to the car, but once we zipped it up was not that emotional.

Quote: AZDuffman

My mother did that with her dog this year. It had to be easier on the dog. I had to help carry the body bag to the car, but once we zipped it up was not that emotional.

Yeah, my parents did that with their last dog. Dog doesn't need to go to the vet, and lot of them don't like the vet's clinics anyway.

Quote: Face

And that's what sat at #1 on my list.

"A tired dog, is a good dog"

Quote: petroglyph

"A tired dog, is a good dog"

So far, so great =)

Really, my one and only single beef has been the potty training, and even that I feel as though I've gotten off light. He's not once pissed in the house, not one single time. This is probably due to my smoking habit, as it's easy for me to get him outside hourly. But we did have some poopin' issues. The first two times or so I dragged him by the collar right to it, gave him the "No!", and stuffed him in his crate for a spell. He knew he did wrong, but in hindsight, I can see he didn't "get it". I think it was the fourth time when I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck instead, tight enough that he yelped and tried to bite, but I had him too good. Put his face right in it. Like, not literally smooshed him, but close enough to touch the tip of his nose. And I think that did it. We've now gone several days without incident and I think we have an understanding.

Walking training I've not started, and likely won't as it's just too damn cold to do it properly. About the only part of this I'm engaged in is not letting him strain. He can walk with me or behind me, but f#$% this dragging me around BS. Ain't havin' it.

Can you believe I actually ran him yesterday? I don't think I've ran since 2002 (sports aside). In full ski gear, no less. He's definitely brought some much needed light into my life.

All the rest is simply going great. I can get him from ripping around the house 100mph barking and biting in play to completely relaxed and cuddly in about 40sec. I get up in his s#$% while he's eating, sometimes stop him for a minute and not letting him resume until command, just to prevent any possible issues with possessiveness. When I eat, he's not allowed near me. I can already lay right on the floor with a plate of chicken and just tell him "Out" and he'll f#$% off without repeatedly returning, and I'm nixing the begging the same way. He's simply not allowed to beg, and does not get my food. Gonna train him right, as I can't stand people who've elevated their dog to child status. That's not a dig, EB. I (accidentally) slept with my dog the other night, and it was awesome. But some even in my family let their dog dominate and run the roost, and I can't. F#$%ing. Stand it. Then they wonder why picnic tables get trashed and kids get bit. Just waiting to put a .38 in that goddamn rott of theirs... oooh, I f#$%ing hate wild dogs ><

But that advice is the best. "All they wanna do is please. Show 'em how and you're gravy". And he certainly does. He's my little shadow, barely leaves my side. He no longer cowers before me UNLESS he's doing something new. And you can see the "Is this OK?" all over his face. Point and "No!" if it's not, lovings and rub downs if it is. And the training just happens on its own.

I haven't laughed in a mighty long time. 12/22/14, I remember the day. But this little s#$% had me rolling last night.

Best decision that was ever made for me =)

really great pic.

a couple of things:

*in addition to scolding him for pooping in the house, you need to do great praise for pooping outside. but you probably knew that, just saying. Some say the nose-into-the-poop does no good. They do have an instinct to do it away from "the den" which ultimately makes it possible to be house-trained in the first place.

*been meaning to respond to gun-shy avoidance you mentioned. If you are going to do a lot of shooting around the dog, without hunting, it'll be harder. Seems to me the gun range will always have a lot of really loud guns too; louder makes it harder. You don't see people bring dogs, not really. Anyway, to start, nothing beats the .22 'short', which is barely louder than stepping on a stick. Every shot brings reward at first, and for a long time.... yes, for weeks. You work it up louder from there with caution.

My dog doesn't rule, but I do hand
feed him meat while I'm eating, he
loves it and it's fun. He sleeps with
me, which is a wonderful thing. I
can reach down and pet him anytime,
and he comes up and lays next to
me often. He gives me joy multiple
times a day. Real joy, I can feel it while
it's happening. What else in your life
does that for you every single day.
A dog is the only creature you can have
an unhindered relationship with, they
are very close to us emotionally. We
share 30 common emotions, no other
creature even comes close.

Once you get the poop training done, it's
done. I let mine run around the yard
with me out there, he never goes more
than 30 feet away from me. On a leash
everywhere else. He's at my feet right now.

Quote: odiousgambit

really great pic.

Thanks, OG. He's such a sweetheart <3

Quote: OG

a couple of things:

*in addition to scolding him for pooping in the house, you need to do great praise for pooping outside. but you probably knew that, just saying. Some say the nose-into-the-poop does no good. They do have an instinct to do it away from "the den" which ultimately makes it possible to be house-trained in the first place.

Oh, sure. Mine is almost completely a positive-reinforcement-based philosophy, not unlike how I raised my kid. Negativity HAS to come, IMO, but it's def the positive stuff that I put the effort and energy into. Including the excitement/lovings/treats when doing "good". And yup, seems to be working on both counts =)

Quote: OG

*been meaning to respond to gun-shy avoidance you mentioned. If you are going to do a lot of shooting around the dog, without hunting, it'll be harder. Seems to me the gun range will always have a lot of really loud guns too; louder makes it harder. You don't see people bring dogs, not really. Anyway, to start, nothing beats the .22 'short', which is barely louder than stepping on a stick. Every shot brings reward at first, and for a long time.... yes, for weeks. You work it up louder from there with caution.

I don't have a specific idea on this, I'm just trying to avoid gun-scared, like my old dog was. With her I just started shooting (I was maybe 12, didn't know any better) and you could not get her near a gun after that. Even if I just picked one up, she was gone. I don't want that.

This won't be a "gun dog". I don't shoot birds, and I can fetch a varmint just fine by myself. But I do shoot, and I intend to introduce my kid to it this summer, so the dog should at least be comfortable, IMO. So I won't have to worry about the high caliber rifle crack, as the dog won't be with me if I use one of those to take meat, and as I've half a mind to give tanning a shot, that means I won't be using a boom stick, either. I think my version of "perfect" would be for it to remain completely at ease for the .22 / .17, to tolerate my SD stuff (.38 / 9mm), and to just not go bats#$% and run away when I get my .454 =D In other words, I ain't need his back to be my gun rest, I just wanna shoot without a search and rescue.

I suppose that will also help (or perhaps the other way around) with all of my unmuffled toys. He does OK with a stock wheeler, less so with a snowblower, and I ain't even tried him with my wheeler or the race car. I suspect he'd lose his s#$% with either of those after seeing his response to the snowblower. Perhaps a combo of both can be used and we'll just call it "sound training"?

Anyway, I'm gonna do exactly what you said. Put him on the porch, go to the range (personal, not public), rip one, then treat.
Repeat for a mag.
Then bring him 10' closer.
Repeat for a mag.
And then 10' closer until he's in my lap.
Repeat for that month.
Success?

Hope so =)

Is the dog keeping his nuts?

Face, when will we see some Go-pro of your
puppy while he's still young. He must be
growing by leaps and bounds.

Quote: petroglyph

Is the dog keeping his nuts?

Negative. Eunuchs only for this guy. I'm not a breeder and ain't very patient when it comes to behavior, so he's going in sometime within the next 40 days. Was gonna be last week but they ain't dropped enough yet.

Quote: Evenbob

Face, when will we see some Go-pro of your
puppy while he's still young. He must be
growing by leaps and bounds.

Yeah, he's growing pretty quick. Can absolutely notice a change every two days, even with seeing him constantly. But I got my ass KICKED this week by a bug. Flat on my back for 48, and now 48 later I still can't walk to the kitchen without breaking a sweat. Thank god for global warming (or, if you prefer, "global warming"). I'd have died going back to work if not for 40 and rain.

But no vids yet. It's tough with the weather, and he don't really do anything yet but be cute or be a supreme a#$hole. Joking, mostly, as for a puppy, I'd rate him as exceptional. He had I think two more poops in house before I broke it just-like-that, and then 3 more when he discovered the basement and thought he was sneaky, but it's been 5-6 days or more now and I think we're in the clear.

Perhaps when I'm 100% (or at least above 40% =p) I'll go for a walk and set em loose on camera. Worst case, I'll be starting my recon crick walks upon returning from vacay, so I'll get some then.