[nagdu] Smack Down

Thu Apr 26 15:28:23 UTC 2012

LOL Tami, the idea of Mitzi squeaker guiding cracks me up.  she can say her 
human was squeaker trained for sure.  I wonder if all of the dogs will start 
using that positive reinforcement?

When life gives you lemons, throw them at something.  Always makes me feel 
better.
Lisa Belville
missktlab1217 at frontier.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Smack Down

> Julie,
>
> You can get them at most pet stores, at least out here. The company is JW 
> Pet, so you can also check their site:
>
> http://www.jwpet.com/
>
> I think you can order from there... I may have to start doing that myself, 
> since between lost balls and balls finally giving up after years of hard 
> play and chewing, I'm needing to restock. /smile/
>
> They come in several sizes, and for our dogs, I prefer the size that is 
> just a little larger than a tennis ball. Mostly because I can kick it 
> under the poodle, so she can't block with her legs. /lol/ That girl was a 
> soccer pro in her last life for sure! I was clearly not. /lol/
>
> Anyway, the squeak is quite something, and the different sizes have 
> different squeaks... The dogs go nuts! So do the people if the dog plays 
> indoors, but in a different way. They now make a ball with a softer 
> squeak, but it doesn't hold up as well if you have a hard chewer. Or if 
> you take your ball to the park where you dog shares it with other dogs as 
> a token in some sort of inexplicable power politics. Everybody can see 
> what Mitzi is doing there and how the other dogs respond and so on, but we 
> can't figure out exactly what it all means to them. If the other dogs 
> aren't interested in the ball, or we're there alone, then we play soccer 
> till we drop. However... The instant one of her special friends comes in, 
> she grabs it and races to throw it to them. She is very pleased with 
> herself, this much is clear. Then she will pretend she doesn't care, then 
> she will start letting me know it would be nice to have a walkabout... 
> Preferably wherever her friend is so that she can ignore the "theft" of 
> her ball more visibly. If the dog engages in play with me with Mitzi's 
> ball, Mitzi will wag and grin like there is no tomorrow. She may or may 
> not engage in the chase of the ball... If she does and even if she races 
> ahead of the other dog, she will tag the ball and let them grab it when 
> they get there. Or she will get the ball, then drop it for the other dog 
> as she passes on her way back. She will prance and wag and grin like a 
> fool for doing this. I don't get it. It's pretty funny, though. /lol/ Some 
> buddies, she will taunt with squeaking when they come in, then snark 
> horribly and viciously when they come over to investigate... Then they 
> will shrug and trot away, and she will leap up to chase them down and 
> throw the ball under their nose... They will take the ball, and the two of 
> them will then trot around quite happily. What is up with that? Who knows? 
> It's danged funny, though.
>
> Anyway, I can tell you that the balls will stand up to some pretty hard 
> chewing over time, and the dogs love it and cannot resist it even after 
> the squeaker comes lose and the ball goes quiet. Cool! One shadow ball 
> managed to be run over by the garbage truck, which stopped with the ball 
> sighing it's last sound out under it... When the truck drove off, the ball 
> popped back into shape with a reverse squeak, and we went back to playing 
> with it. It lasted a couple of more years, and may be one of the now 
> somewhat worn ones still rolling around the house. /lol/
>
> Daisy has been known to tear one up every now and then, but she likes the 
> squeak so stopped doing that. Silly girl. Zay hasn't quite figured out 
> what to do with them yet... She's going to be a power chewer for sure, so 
> we'll see.
>
> Anyway, that's all I know. Oh, except that Mitzi will use a shadow ball to 
> squeak guide when we're on a trail. I know where the turns are or the 
> trouble spots are because she will squeak a certain way as she leaps 
> across the exact spot  I need to turn while leaping across the trail. This 
> works, and I started laughing and clicking her for that, which is positive 
> reinforcement, so yes I actually tasked trained her to squeak guide. For a 
> stubborn , obnoxious poodle child, she is really very easy. /lol/ She also 
> doesn't like to have to listen to me whining and complaining when I get 
> lost in a 1 ft square of grass because I walked off the trail and am 
> confuse. How boring for her! Thus, squeak guiding began. Silly poodle!
>
> Also, the squeak is so impossibly tempting to a dog, it has been a great 
> boundary and recall training tool. As well as the regular soccer ball. I'm 
> really grumpy this last week or so, because I have neither and can't 
> afford to run out and buy replacements while we're over in this nice big 
> yard. Unfenced. So I have to keep the dogs on leash because Mitzi has 
> decided boundaries are too boring for her... Well, she's getting better 
> when I give her a little freedom, since being on leash is really not for 
> her. But she's still routinely flipping me the finger over the issue, 
> so... More leading the dogs around the yard on leashes for me! /lol/ If 
> only I had brought the proper training supplies!
>
> Anyway, if you find them, let me know how they work with your giganto 
> power dog. We have one of those in the works, so I will be coming to you 
> desperate for ideas about toys for the thing. /lol/
>
> Tami
>
> On 04/25/2012 02:46 PM, Julie J. wrote:
>> Tami,
>>
>> Where can I get the balls you described...the ones that don't break the 
>> windows or TV when they go ricocheting through the house?   And how big 
>> are they?  Meaning will my horse of a dog be in danger of swallowing 
>> them? Are they pretty durable?  Monty can bite a regular tennis ball in 
>> half.  He's what I'd describe as a strong chewer, but not quite in the 
>> power chewer league like Mark's dog!
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Julie
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 4/25/2012 4:14 PM, Tami Kinney wrote:
>>> OMG! Do you have bubble wrap for all the furniture. That would be *a 
>>> lot* of rowdy between the two of you. /lol/
>>>
>>> Oh, this from someone who plays soccer with the dog in the house, even 
>>> if with a j-Squeak ball and not a regulation soccer ball... What I love 
>>> about our "shadow balls" is that when they bounce off the TV or the 
>>> computer screen or other breakable things, they don't break them! /lol/
>>>
>>> The puppy's game is keep away... Guess who gets to do the puppy chasing? 
>>> /lol/ We're turning the use of contraband for tokens to keep away from 
>>> me into work on "bring it" and "drop it" now, and are making progress. 
>>> Whew. But then I must play keep away when she initiates the game with a 
>>> toy or bone. /lol/ I keep complaining that I am way too old for this, 
>>> but she has as much concern over my feeble decrepitude as Mitzi does 
>>> when I say the same thing about soccer.
>>>
>>> DD does some wrestling with his oversized brick of a puppy, but he is 
>>> made of sterner stuff than I... She's a sweetie and works to remember 
>>> "gentle" but she is still a big pup with a strong mouth, so when it's my 
>>> arm with which she forgets "gentle," I am not having fun. /lol/ I'll 
>>> leave the smack down to you big, strong manly types!
>>>
>>> Tami
>>>
>>> On 04/24/2012 02:49 PM, Marion Gwizdala wrote:
>>>> Dar,
>>>>    What I call "smack down" is simply rough housing with my dog. I'm 
>>>> not a fan of professional wrestling, but they have a program called 
>>>> "Smack Down". He loves it when I play rough with him, grabbing his 
>>>> feet,pushing him around, and smacking his muzzle. It's all in fun and, 
>>>> sometimes, he gets the best of me! He's knocked me down a couple of 
>>>> times and once took off one of my shoes and ran away with it! My family 
>>>> has started calling him by the nickname Larry gave him: Dogzilla!
>>>>
>>>> fraternally yours,
>>>> Marion
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "d m gina" <dmgina at samobile.net>
>>>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 5:11 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] National Convention
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> OK what on heavens is smack down,
>>>>> is this with a ball?
>>>>>
>>>>> Original message:
>>>>>> Cindy and All,
>>>>>>     Behind the Anatole, where the patio and relief area are located, 
>>>>>> is a
>>>>>> huge park called Anatole Park. It has a rubber path for jogging and 
>>>>>> walking.
>>>>>> It's a great place to play ball, Frisbee, or smack-down, my dog's 
>>>>>> favorite!
>>>>>> grin)
>>>>>
>>>>>> Fraternally yours,
>>>>>> Marion
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>> From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 10:24 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] National Convention
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>> Where do you go to the park for your dog to play at convention, 
>>>>>>> Marion.
>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cindy
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> --Dar
>>>>> skype: dmgina23
>>>>>  FB: dmgina
>>>>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>>>>> every saint has a past
>>>>> every sinner has a future
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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