[nagdu] What do you do when you're angry with your dog?

Tamara Smith-Kinney tamara.8024 at comcast.net
Tue Mar 23 15:52:39 UTC 2010


Meghan,

Love how you describe hwo your relationship has grown and will keep growing.

I think I gave Mitzi some nose bumps early on in putting the harness over
her head, so now she's stsill a little persnickety about making sure I'm
paying attention and am holding the harness just right, etc.

I lost the whole targeting approach when we moved in with Daisy, since she's
difficult to dodge and will go for the treat and try to get herself into the
harness.  /lol/  I think Daisy's ready to move into a new phase in learning
better house obedience, so we'll see if we can manage.  Poor old hound in
rehab needs such careful treatment to keep her sane that I find myself
making many compromises while I work on one bit at a time, let her plateau
for awhile, then work it some more.  /smile/

So I guess I'll be dancing the harness dance for awhile!  Although it just
occurred to me that Daisy is less intrusive more and more of the time now,
unless she's really on a tear.  Or unless it's a family outing, in which
case she dashes between her dad and me making her case that she should come
with us.  /smile/  Even when her dad puts her collar on her and has told her
she's going, the sheer excitement of it all turns her into quite the
whirling dervish.  And opera diva!  Which is not a good argument for her
case, BTW, since she doesn't always manage to settle down in the car, and
that coonhound vocalization is pretty hard to take when it's right in your
ears.  /smile/  She's doing better at being quiet in the car, too, and at
quieting down when she forgets herself... Maybe my ears will stop ringing
some day?

Keep on enjoying your Kirby, and I wish you many more happy years together.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Meghan
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 3:54 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] What do you do when you're angry with your dog?

Kirby used to not come when I grabbed the harness.  I used clicker, had her 
target my fist right through the harness.  Tada, dog in harness.  Once she 
was always doing it, I taught her the command "work", and now, if I say 
"Kirby, work," she comes running and dives into the harness.  I think she 
had a couple of nose bumps from the harness straps when she was a sensetive 
green little guide dog, and that made her a little reluctant to get into the

harness.  Now it's the best thing ever, though.

I can also just snap the clicky thing on the leash, and there she is, just 
like magic.  This works if she's running like a doofice having a great time 
in the yard or if we're just in the house.  No matter what, there she is.

I'm loving this whole working a dog in the prime of their working period. 
This is the first dog I have had long enough to see what the prime years 
really are like, and it's lovely.  I thought I was bonded to my first dog 
after 19 months...wow, we're coming up on 3 years, and let me tell you, I 
feel like I know every little thing that makes her tick...and stop ticking. 
It amazes me to think that in 3 more years, I'll know her even better and 
the level of understanding we have right now will seem like nothing.

What wonderful animals.  As long as I have a dog or two in my life, I can 
take on anything, I'm certain of that.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 1:34 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] What do you do when you're angry with your dog?


> Dar,
>
> I've been entertaining myself with the image of you storming out of the
> house in a huff with your cane while your dog watches from the crate...
> Well, I've done the same, although I don't crate Mitzi.  I just grab my 
> cane
> and blow.  Whaching the ground vigorously to make sure it knows I'm mad at
> it!  /lol/  It's a wonder I haven't broken a good cane that way.
>
> Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but there are just times when the "hard to
> get" game is not nearly so amusing as Mitzi thinks it is.  Actually, I can
> take a 3-minute walk around the block to convince her she really, really
> wants to put on her work clothes.
>
> A couple of months ago, we were taking some guests to the train station, 
> and
> Mitzi was being too cute and cool to let me just put the harness on her
> without trying to chase around after her.  Oh, aren't we funny?  So I
> finally got disgusted, tossed the harness into a corner, grabbed my cane 
> and
> blew out with everyone else to get in the car.  Including Daisy, who was
> delighted.  We have never, ever before taken Daisy without Mitzi.  It's
> usually the other way around if we're not taking both dogs.
>
> Since then, we haven't had a single game of "hard to get."  Funny how that
> works...  I guess it's not so amusing if you have to stay home by your
> lonesome, is it?  /grin/
>
> The flip side is that I can't even think that I might want to go out
> somewhere without having a poodle attached to my leg.  /lol/  Makes it 
> tough
> to get ready, especially with the coonhound bouncing around in front of me
> to make sure I don't forget her...  We don't have a convenient staging 
> area
> by either of the doors, so I need to grab things up from here and there, 
> put
> them down to take a final trip to the loo, pick them up, put them down and
> remember to grab the think I almost forgot this time...  /lol/  Turns into
> quite a production because I can't take a step without tripping over a 
> dog.
>
> Talk about the Law of Unintended Consequences!  Problem solved!  New
> problem!
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of d m gina
> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 9:44 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] What do you do when you're angry with your dog?
>
> Oh he loves to go everywhere.
> I knew when I took this stand I would be watched.
> He doesn't wait for dad any more.
> Now even going outside, I just get the bag and he comes running.
> Now he thinks all bags are for him smile.
> Took four years of training but I did the trick.
> I am pleased for both of us.
>
> -- 
> --Dar
> skype: dmgina23
>  FB: dmgina
> www.twitter.com/dmgina
> every saint has a past
> every sinner has a future
>
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