[nagdu] Still food and chewing problems

Mon Nov 26 18:01:48 UTC 2012

Mary, et al.,

It seems to be really human to feel guilty when our dogs break the 
rules, especially when they're young. I've been a guide dog user for a 
whopping 4 plus years now, so I guess I'm still more or less a newbie. 
/smile/ I feel guilty over all sorts of Mitzi quirks still. I'm just 
used to it, I guess. /smile/ The quirks she still expresses are the ones 
I can live with or don't think are a big deal, but I still feel guilty 
because she is not perfect. Silly, yes, but there it is. Even though I 
owner-trained her, I do not feel any extra pride when she is absolutely 
perfect. I just expect it, I guess. Why wouldn't she be? Also a silly 
assumption. /smile/

You've just reminded me that we have a yearling mutt in the house for 
this Christmas... Oh, a fun time will be had by all. /lol/ Gotta 
remember to start the behavioral stuff for the special season. She's got 
all the leave it, drop it, bring it, etc., down conceptually and is 
getting better and better at consistency and even self-management... 
Sometimes. But she is still an adolescent, so... Yay!

Mitzi does not, not at all, encourage her in theft and vandalism. Of 
course she wouldn't do that. She's perfect, remember? Mwahahaha!

Tami

On 11/26/2012 09:41 AM, Julie J. wrote:
> Mary,
>
> If it was my comments on behavior that upset you, I'm sorry.  We all
> have to decide what we can live with and what we can't.  Monty does some
> things that I'm sure would drive some people right around the bend.  He
> barks like a maniac in the house sometimes.  He is truly nuts when new
> people come to the house, but at least he doesn't jump on them anymore.
> He's quite OCD about eating on schedule and will remind you rather
> rudely and incessantly until you can't take it anymore.  However there
> are other things that I absolutely will not put up with and have worked
> very hard to eliminate.  Snatching food is one of these.   I just cannot
> live with a dog that will steal food off my fork as it travels from my
> plate to my mouth.  And yes, I have experienced this first hand.  When I
> first had Monty he would jump up on the kitchen counters to steal food.
> He's tall enough that he can put his face on the dining room table
> without stretching.  It's really unpleasant to eat with a dog breating
> on your food.  I worked with him for many months to get him really,
> really reliable around food.  I used his motivation for food to teach
> him to mind his manners around food.  He learned that he could get a
> treat from me if he ignored food in the environment.  This involved many
> sessions of setting up situations where I could teach him what I wanted.
>
> Likewise if it was important to me I could teach him to not bark or to
> lie in a particular place when people come to the door.  I choose not to
> because those things aren't as important to me as the food issue.  Also
> Monty is 5 and has lots of experience.  I don't think I would have said
> the same things or felt the same way when we were in the middle of
> addressing the food snatching a few years ago.
>
> Julie
>
>
>
>
>
> On 11/25/2012 10:02 PM, mary wurtzel wrote:
>> Hello,
>> My dog does this diving thing sometimes walking in and out of
>> restaurans.  I am trying so hard to correct him.  I use the
>> buckle-high when I know we could have a problem.  Sometimes food can
>> appear in more unlikely places, though.
>> I also have a question about Christmas.  I have felt guilty because of
>> the people on the list who say their dogs never try to get thingsing
>> to chew when loose at home.  My dog is still under my watch.  I am
>> concerned about him getting hold of low-hanging ornaments on the
>> tree.  It's like having toddlers again.  I used to babyproof as much
>> as possible so I didn't need to be beaying, "no" all of the time.
>> Perhaps people could think about making generalizations which may make
>> the newbies like me,  feel we are not doing a good  job with our dogs.
>> This food issue, and chewing are our big challenges.  Felix is doing a
>> marvelous job of guiding me.  He is so careful with my balance
>> challenge, slowing down for cracks or unlevel places, being so careful
>> that I don't bump in a narrow spot.  I am so grateful for him and so
>> proud of him.  I will never be able to pay back the  Guide Dog
>> Foundation for this great independence.  Mary
>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: d m gina <dmgina at samobile.net
>>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> Date sent: Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:09:53 -0500
>>> Subject: [nagdu] Exercising at the air port
>>
>>> Ah yes I had to dream up a title for this one.
>>> When we came home, walking threw the air port, my dog would dive
>> for
>>> food, so off we go, dive pull back,
>>> Walk more dive pull back.
>>> I tell you, he is good at his art, a lady was behind me saying,
>>> "oh chips, Oh crackers, Oh hotdog.
>>> I was so pleased when we got our cases and left the air port.
>>> I couldn't get to the gentle leader at that time.
>>> I didn't think I would need it so I had it in my suit case.
>>> yes my dog sure had me exercising that day.
>>> I so tried hard to keep control of him.
>>> That is when I wish I had a way to know what he was looking at
>> before I
>>> had to take a dive to keep him from doing it loll.
>>
>>> --
>>> --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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>
>
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