todays rampage is on how to talk to a pup.. at least a dane pup..i.e. one of our dane pups...
there exists a video of my conversaation with audry-- one of the white pups...
someone taped it and told me to watch" how i taught her a trick,"
WRONG !!... she taught me how she wanted to have a conversation with me.
it is interesting... and on video somewhere..
she came in play mode and sat in front of me and offered me her right paw- i didn't take hold of it but just shook it twice and let go.. she immediately offered me the other paw and i very briefly tried to say -- no , we humans use right paw shaking only... with a little hop she flipped up ht left paw-- so i gave it 2 shakes and dropped it. i swear she said "you got it !" and offered me her right then left back and forth many times really pleased withherself.. as i was with myself..
later when she sat in front of megan i quickly warned megan and she offered alternating paws -- and she did that !!.
this whole bit of talking with your dog needs more thought.- and key to it all is not using your muscles to control a pup-- or later a big dog because eventually you will not be able to do it--( sort of like having a cute little baby boy that you dress up in nice trousers and keep his shirt tucked in...... 20 minutes later he is 6'2" and his pants have no obvious means of support and if you have not managed to verbally convince him his plumbers butt is politically incorrect, there is not a darn thing you can do about it.)
so back to the cute little dane pup......and why i prefer dogs to teenagers with drooping drawers....
dane pups may wrestle and bang each other around unmercifully, but i don't think any rough behavior like that on our part is understood by the pups... i know there is a program for puppy testing which i have seen used alot with golden trainers..( and i do not approve)_.-- where you roll a pup onto his back and see how long he struggles, i forget why the trainers pinch between the pups's toes to make them flinch-- but that is part of this test.. and rolling a ball and see if the pup goes after it -- i forget if that is a good thing for retreiving work -- or a bad thing indicating prey drive... whatever... a very long time someone came to test a litter i had-- before i started sdp--
i was particularly fascinated to watch the tennis ball routine- they rolled the ball and teh dane pup never moved but looked at them with a "and then what are you going to do next? " then there is the very delicate bit about offering them a toy in their mouth- and then yanking it away.. so many times i have seen 2 or 3 pups tug and yank at some toy.. but if a human is on the other end- they don't participate-- and that may be as it should be... "if you want it.... as leader.. you should have it and i'll let go"
if you offer them a toy and they take it, LET GO !! THE LAST THING I WANT is for a 160 pound dane to think it is fun to drag around anything with me at the other \end.. it could be my pantleg -- later we can deal with teaching "tug" if we have to ...
i think this concept has alot to do with my association with donkeys-- if you want them to go somewhere... you ask politely . period... if you demand by pulling on their lead rope-- their head goes up and rear end down and feet dig in.
downsize that 1000% to using your muscles to do anything with a dog/dane/pup. if you ask a pup to walk with youand they don;t right away-- you tug a bit to insist--- YOU MUST RELAX THE LEASH IMMEDIATELY before the pup has a chance to "stiffen" .. once the leash is loose you are then dealing with their mind and not their back legs.
there is a 4 million dollar lesson there...
the other very closely rrelated is HUGGING. this is not affection in thier eyes - at least to begin with-- especially with pups .. you are grabbin g their head and pulling them.. and they pull back.
so that is todays assignment-- watch every singlel interaction with the pups-- i don't want to see any "stifffening-- " regardless of how slight...
maybe that is how i decide who is a trainer-- and who lugs dogs around into submission.
did i say that?????/
audry had a conversation with me--- and thankfully i had nothing better to do than sit and think with her.-- i am looking forward to continuing that conversation today---
now it is about all those concerte swquares--- i must now go to play with my mental blocks.
