[nagdu] 2 dogs around the house

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Rox,

Oh!  I'm still learning the managed the group obedience thing.  Very
difference from the more formal obedience work I do with Mitzi.  Oddly, the
"competitive obedience' with the two of them has done a whole lot to improve
her obedience in difficult areas like sit, down, stay.  /smile/  She learned
the commands on the first go-round, of course.  But she's just not a sit,
stay, down sort of dog!  /grin/

These days, she even does a really good "under" in restaurants or meetings,
at least most of the time.  I don't even have to mention it, she just does
it.  She can even lie quietly for a couple of hours or more.  /smile/  We
don't get to practice that very often, so I'm really thrilled when she does
that when it counts.  I only spent a couple of years fearing it would never
happen...  Her poodleness is very busy and airborne.

She discovered all on her own that pulling off the covers and yanking my
pillow might just get my lazy butt up and even playing.  /smile/  If all
else fails, biting and pretending to tear (before she gets to actual
tearing) at blankets and pillows is a good motivator for me.  My health is
much better now, so she rarely has to take such drastic measures unless she
needs to go out in the middle of the night after I've taken my sleeping
pill.  Then she has to work it quite a bit.  She's very creative when she
needs to be, I'll give her that.

Meanwhile, in the evenings, Daisy likes to curl up behind my knees while we
all nap to our favorite TV shows.  When we get all comfy cozy, she has her
head on my legs and is all heavy and relaxed.  So I will sometimes have a
restless Mitzi stealing my pillows and trying to pull of the blankets Daisy
has firmly anchored down....  While Daisy's head gets heavier and heavier...
/lol/  Getting out from under her at that point takes quite a bit of work!
And once Mitzi has settled down beside the couch where I'm snuggled up,
heaven forbid the phone should ring.  /lol/  I don't even try anymore.  I
figure they can always leave a message, and I will get back to them just as
soon as I dig out from under the dogs.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of The Pawpower Pack
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 1:51 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] 2 dogs around the house

Hi Ioana,

my husband and I have four dogs between the two of us.  One of my dogs  
is a bit of a loud mouth but I don't know if she's influenced any of  
my other dogs to be loud.  My dogs will all bark if someone comes to  
the door but then they all run to get me.

I do notice that younger dogs watch the older ones and copy them  
sometimes.
I am Deafblind and Mill'E does hearing dog work for me at home.  One  
of her "jobs" is to wake me up in the morning. I'm a hard sleeper so  
sometimes she needs to get creative.  If I'm really tired and she  
can't do it any other way, she removes the covers and takes the  
pillows from under my head.  Laveau, my guide dog has learned this  
trick from Mill'E and this morning I was awakened at 6 am to a  
Doberman removing my pillow and a Golden removing my blankets.  My  
dogs also enjoy doing obedience games together.  I do have pretty  
strict rules for how things like feeding times work so not to cause  
drama.
I really enjoy having more than one dog and I think my dogs enjoy  
having other dogs for company.


Rox and the Kitchen Bitches
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"It's wildly irritating to have invented something as revolutionary as  
sarcasm, only to have it abused by amateurs." -- Christopher Moore
pawpower4me at gmail.com

Windows Live Only: Brisomania at hotmail.com
AIM: Brissysgirl Yahoo: lillebriss

_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/tamara.8024%40comcast
.net