alk about sticking my neck out.......we don't use our muscles to control our dogs..99.4% of the time. but that other. .6% you have to do something--and fast....as in applying my foot to lachy lst night... now if i had actually kicked him, he would have yelped and been lifted off the floor... non of that happened.. i needed to scare him.. and it had to be that instant... so let me analyze the details...
to play the sequence of last night... we have an ongoing problem in that lachy and ceecee are not getting enough people time ... in the house at mail call...walking around. talking to people in a polite fashion.. and because they are not doing that, it was getting easier and easier to stick them in the condo .. a self perpetuating problem.. they are only going. to get worse and ultimately be uncontrolable. a downward spiral.
i had said i wanted them in the room for mail call... so they let in lachey who baRRELLED OVER TO ARGUE WITH gismo behind the barrier recovering from neeutering surgery.. from the other room i heard several people all yelling lachy's name over and overr.. he was obviously not paying attention to anything except an arguement with gizmo.
i went running out and realized i had to establish control very quickly. he heard me say his name and turned and lay down. i was "lecturing him" witout touching him.... while he was laying there... just to have him quiet down and realize he was not the biggest thing in the room. i stopped to take a breath and he bolted for the door. you have seen hundreds of dogs pull that same thing- and it can be deadly"take off and run and i'll figure it out later.". he had to know that was totally unacceptable.... and i needed to return him to lying down . at "A"---- aproximately where we started....instantly !!
granted a spray bottle, or pennines in a water bottle or heaven forbid . a whiffle bat --are things one could use in this situation.... but the instant behavior was far more critical than to even pick up a bottle or bat.
you may not have noticed... but lachey is one huge dog. and because wearing a collar while out rough housing with other dogs can be a lethal problem we don't leave collars on dogs
. being faced with needing to move him back to position "A". i graBBED THE ONLY THING AVAILABLE .. SKIN AND EARS. -- AND IF THAT HURT HIM HE WOU LD HAVE MOVED... BUT NECK SKIN AND EARS ARE BUILT TO TAKE ROUGH HANDLING IN EITHER PLAY OR ACTUAL DOG FIGHTS.. ----THE FACT THAT I TRIED TO MOVE HIM did not make the slightest difference. ..he backed up and sat down-- classic "drag me" position... i needed to get his rear end up and move him... with 2 hands al.ready busy.. i had only a foot to use... so i did.
now if i had actually kicked him.. he would have yelped and been lifted off the floor... neither happened... he barely moved at all... but i did get a coulpd feet when i realized i was never going to get back to "A" - here's where the part about " tell a confused dog to do something they already know how to do " like "get in that bed and lie down"
which he did and i totally released all contact with him.. and said "good doggie" .. i left him there to think before anything else... he could have chosen to bolt again... but he decided not to... if he had-- the camera people wou ld have been horrified because i would have fallen on him and pinned him .. even at my age... which i hav done more than once with a "stay there" and back off without touching him... the whole process needs instant reaction... to scare and not hurt them.. they do far worse to each other playing
finally giving him a cookie.. and allowing him to decide to get a drink when i quietly reminded him to go back and lie down.... which he did.... i thin k he got the message because the rest of the night he kept coming to me to be patted and talked to.
we will re enact th e situation tonight on camera....and see what happens... talk about sticking my neck out....
having the cameras constantly on us has had the effect of not allways discip;ing a dog when they need it... for fear of the camera people comments. that is very real-- but lachy was out of control last night... he was asking for it ... so he got it. he needs to think more carefully... so before you come down too heavily on my head .. i think one or maybe 2 of these episodes is what allows us to politely say "please" for the rest of thier lives. it is timing... and carrying spray bottle just does not stop 2 dogs from fighting.
i think the last time you all had a great deal to say was the day i was joyfully bitten by jiminey and quickly grabbed him by the upper jaw and slapping him... he haD to know teeth on humans is not acceptable.... you can say "please" forever.. but one "just don't do that" done instantly .. with good timing... works
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we have 2 potential mothers to deal with today
please... stop telling. us to give shots to hurry up the [process.... mommy nature is in command.. and messing with mommies is not a good idea
we just talked with george as her progress is not quite typical.. so. lynn and reese are going to woburn...
