So... want to hear how a barking dog killed an elderly woman?
Here's what happened: Someone I knew a few years ago had... not HAS... that's one of the tragic consequences of this story... She HAD a beautiful dog - gorgeous show dog actually - who didn't care much for other dogs. And when a dog walked down the street, past her house, he'd get up in the window and bark his fool head off 'til the other dog passed. And he WAS ALLOWED to do this, right? She never trained him not to do it... just tolerated it and would sometimes tell him to stop (that's not training) - and this went on for YEARS! Well, this unaddressed behavior led to an old woman's death.
4 Comments
"House Dog" Remember that old term? Hard to imagine, but there was a time when it was UNUSUAL for dogs to be inside our homes. Crazy, huh? When it was accepted that dogs - OF COURSE! - lived outdoors. And once in awhile you’d meet someone who had a special (and lucky and somehow, more loved) dog that lived indoors with the family and was referred to as a “house dog.” Click here for more
__________________________________________________________________________________ Got a Can? Yes, For Diarrhea! This can can firm up diarrhea.
Not the pumpkin pie filling with all the spices, but 100 percent canned pumpkin. The amount you give depends on the size of the dog. Jetta was 70 pounds. If she had diarrhea, I gave her about half a cup. Then an hour or so later I’d give her some more. I used my intuition and saw how it was going. NOW…. This is not to say that if your dog is ill, you don’t need a vet and that you just need to rush to the grocery store for some pumpkin. If the dog has more than two "episodes," or it lasts more than one day, or if it’s bloody, or if it’s accompanied by other symptoms… call your veterinarian. (Constant diarrhea can cause dehydration.) All dogs have minor bouts of occasional diarrhea at some point and it’s usually due to something they ate that didn’t agree with them and it’s no big deal and pumpkin can help get them regular more quickly. Keep it in the cupboard. (Unused portions freeze well too.) Guess what treats constipation? Same as above. I swear!!!! It works for both! Pilling Tricks How do you pill your dog? Have you ever done this? That’s how I learned to do it when I was a teenager and got my first dog. I forced her mouth open and stuck my hand in her mouth, placing the pill on the back of her tongue so she'd swallow it. Ugh! (That’s what she said too!) Then I learned to hide the pill in a piece of meat or cheese, but sometimes the pill would fall out, or she’d detect it and separate it, eating the meat and spitting out the pill. Later I figured out another way that worked MUCH BETTER... Click here for a better way to pill your dog...
__________________________________________________________________________________ Pee NOW, Please! Dogs can be taught to potty on command. People who show and compete with their dogs know this. If you enter a competition… you pay entry fees, you buy gas to travel out of town, you often stay one or two nights in a motel, you eat in restaurants… it gets expensive. So the LAST thing you want, after the expense and often waiting hours for your few minutes in front of the judge, is for your dog to relieve him- or herself in the ring. Because it can be distracting to the other canine competitors, pottying in the ring is an absolute NO-NO and will get you a big fat ZERO. When I was competing in obedience and agility with Dancer, I always made sure she pottied before we were called into the ring. Even if she didn’t “need” to go, she would at least TRY. She would literally squat…. Even though nothing came out.
Click here to read more about pottying on command... __________________________________________________________________________________ What's In a Name? Don't Like It? CHANGE It! Do you like your dog’s name? Think you picked a good one, or do you regret it every time you call him for dinner? If the latter, please know that it is quite all right to change his name. And if he is a rescue, and this was the name an abuser screamed at him on a regular basis, please DO change it. When I got Jetta, her name was Brook. I didn’t like the name Brook and I had planned, long before I ever found her, to name my next Doberman Jetta. I spoke with her breeder/owner many times before she sent her to me, and while referring to her as “Brook,” in my mind, I kept thinking of her as “Jetta” and somehow it came out “Bretta.” So I decided to just call her Bretta, which I did for the first week or two I had her. Click here to read more about changing your dog's name...
__________________________________________________________________________________ Find It Game Fun For Dogs And Kids (and Adults)! This ”Find It!” game allows kids to play with dogs while teaching them some manners, without getting bitten, scratched and knocked down, especially puppies. This is a great game to teach your dog before teaching him obedience behaviors. (It’s also a great idea to teach tricks before teaching obedience.) This game (like any game or trick) teaches your dog to start paying attention to you. It helps set a good foundation, and gets him in the mode of learning. It’s very fun. If your dog likes treats or toys, he will go CRAZY to play this game and your children will go nuts playing this game with him. Eventually, you can teach and play this game outside, but start training (like ALL training) in the house. Tell Fido to wait. If necessary, have someone hold his leash, or tie him up. (Always supervise tied dogs to prevent tangling and choking and use a harness, never a collar.) Place a favorite treat or toy 10-15 feet away, in plain sight. Release him and tell him to ”Find it!” What joy! He’ll be ecstatic. You be, too. Click here for more on the "Find It" Game...
__________________________________________________________________________________ Yes, I Was An Abusive Dog Trainer Do you subscribe to The Whole Dog Journal? It's an amazing publication! The Whole Dog Journal is one of the two things that helped me change from being a force/punishment trainer to being a gentle/positive trainer. Now, please keep in mind, I've been training dogs since I was a kid, in 4H, and back then... and for years and years after, force/punishment training (intimidation, "corrections" and jerking dogs around by the necks with choke chains and worse, which is INHERENTLY ABUSIVE) was all we knew. I learned abusive methods at age 16, in 4H, with my first dog, Tasha. Back then, it was all we knew. Of course, there are still trainers today who abuse dogs (one of them being National Geographic's "The Dog Whisperer,") but most trainers are better educated now. Click here to read more about my transformation...
__________________________________________________________________________________ Every Dog Should Be Muzzle-Trained So… I was at a dog show in California, competing in an agility trial with my black Doberman, Dancer. Someone I knew, another exhibitor, had a beautiful, red Doberman she’d rescued from a bad home where she was kept on a chain in the yard. My friend was looking for someone to adopt her. I didn’t want another dog, but I offered to take her until she found a permanent home. Uh-huh. You know how that goes! She was in my home just a few days… and I couldn’t let her go. I named her Mocha. I forget now what her original name was… but I changed it right away. She showed signs of possible abuse and I imagined they yelled her name at her… I didn’t want to remind her. Mocha suited her. She was SO GRATEFUL just to be inside my house. And in my bed… Click here to read more on muzzling dogs... __________________________________________________________________________________ "Dammit Jetta!” (Blaming dogs for things they do that we don’t like) "Dammit Jetta!!!" Oops. I made a HUGE mistake. It's a mistake I NEVER make. Shocked myself, in fact. I blamed Jetta for something she did. Blamed Jetta for something SHE did. She did it. And I blamed HER. That was wrong. I had her at the park. It was raining (Yes... in July - It's Oregon) and her feet were muddy. When leaving, I put her in the car - the backseat, which had a protective cover - and she did something she rarely - but sometimes - did. While I packed my things, she jumped over the console between the two front seats and onto my seat. Muddy paw prints on my seat!!!___________________________________________________________ Click here to read more on blaming dogs...
__________________________________________________________________________________ |
- Candy -
Want my Doggie Tips delivered to your Inbox? Subscribe! (Spam stinks. I will never share your address or send you junk. PROMISE!) Archives
February 2024
Categories |