[nagdu] Stress Issues

[Tami Kinney]

Glad your boy is doing better on the meds! 

It has come to my attention, as well, that finding creative means of
getting a poodle to play is not any work at all. /lol/ Finding creative
means of getting your poodle to let you do something besides play ...
There's the challenge! Even now, when Mitzi can be clearly observed to
be knuckling down into her work, as on the job as you can wish and then
some, I can never be sure it's not all just a game to her. /smile/ It's
the boring parts of her job she finds stressful. You know. Lying down
under a table. Not as easy as one might guess. Just sitting doing
nothing while the human chats? Tough stuff, man! /smile/

So then her reward and her mini-vacation is a good "find". Or even a
quick random working walk at poodle speed, while I dance the dance
around obstacles. Then I can put her on a find -- find DD is a great one
-- and she really kicks it into gear. /smile/ If she can find the door
while people are watching, it's an extra kick for her, because they're
just so impressed! /lol/ This makes me laugh, so that's fun for both of
us.

Wonder how much less stressed I would have been during training and all
if I'd had that one figured out back then. But, nope! I had to go
worrying about every little thing, make sure I did it right... Then I
again, I was pretty hazy in the brain department, what with all the
demands on my time playing with the poodle pup and still trying to find
time to train the thing.

Best wishes for a quick recover to Bogart.

Tami

On Wed, 2011-09-07 at 10:59 -0700, GARY STEEVES wrote: 
> Hi:
> 
> Yes, I try to make time for a bit of play with bogart every day, or several times a day. However, he is pretty good with expressing his needs. Usually the little games only last a couple of minutes before he is able to go and lie down. But I think it makes our bond better. He plays a bit with my girlfriend but not with anywhere near the intensity that we play together.
> 
> By the way, Bogart is now on some antibiotics and something else to help with his 
> Diarrhea.  We just started last night and he is already feeling better. He ate about two handfulls of food this morning using the rolling kibble to him on the floor game. :) Things are looking up.
> 
> 
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Criminal Justice Major Extraordinaire <orleans24 at comcast.net>
> Date: Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:11 pm
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Stress Issues
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> 
> > hi, Lora,
> > What you might want to look here is how to make adjustments with 
> > your schedule so your dog has some free time and you both can 
> > play together.
> > I had a busy schedule myself for a while.
> > Still, I'd slip in a time slot for Odie and I to have a break 
> > from one another and we'd also play little games of hide and seek.
> > Other times, we'd lightly wrestle each other on the floor or I 
> > wukk throw a toy across the apartment by the front door to make 
> > him chase it upon bringing it back into the bedroom.
> > He will lie down on the floor and chew on it, especially if it 
> > is a nyla bone.
> > Sometimes during school, I'd happily take Odie's harness off of 
> > him to let him stretch, spraw out next to me while I sat at a 
> > table and he lie down on the floor.
> > At times, I'd bring a few bones for him to play with or chew on 
> > just to help relieve pressure and stress.
> > One game I remember playing with Odie was when I decided to fit 
> > myself into his porta crate.
> > He'd look at me and have that look as to say, "Uh Mommy! What 
> > are you doing in there?"
> > Just some thoughts and suggestions.
> > Bibi 
> > 
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