What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Get to know other Positively members here.

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
Erica
Posts: 2697
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Erica »

Today went just as well for us and much better for several of the others, though still very rough. I am so proud of Delta for his focus and willingness to keep training and working. We had 15 minutes to perform a 10 part behavior chain (a chain in which the cue for the next behavior reinforced the last behavior, and in which the behaviors were all precise, on cue, and performed without hesitation), a four-behavior segment of that chain, and four randomly ordered behaviors from the chain. Only two of five finished in time, me and one other.

That is only one part of the three part assessment. I passed the written exam already. I'll hear back about the training assessment (the aforementioned chain) and the teaching assessment (fellow students pretend to be dog owners, you teach them a new behavior). I have a small worry about the teaching assessment in that after demonstrating the goal behavior, Delta went and visited one of the other dogs for a second before I called him away. However, all the dogs that were out had met and all liked each other; if the border collie (who dislikes Delta's manly scent) had been out, I would have put Delta on lead for sure.

Nothing I can do about it now! Tonight I'm just answering urgent emails and then relaxing. That was a LONG day; first a five hour workshop, then a five hour drive. I'm wiped out.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Sounds like you and Delta were awesome, Erica :D How does a cue reinforce the previous behaviour? Could you give an example please?
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by MPbandmom »

Good News on Sky. She does have a bacterial infection and the antibiotics appear to be working.

She hasn't slowed down to any noticeable degree through all this. I have limited her walks to the medium range version even on days when we had sufficient daylight to take in her preferred longer version.

They will retest her urine in another week.

Sirius has been more eager to go out on walks recently. She is so cute. If she thinks we might be going out for a walk and she wants to go, she will walk over to the door and plaster her side to it. It is nice to see her voting to go on more walks. I still prefer to take them separately because Sirius has her preferred route that is just over a mile, and Sky has her preferred route which starts out the same but quickly becomes different from Sirius' preferred route. If they go together, we go Sky's route, because Sky just needs more of a walk than Sirius tends to take herself on.

Sirius has been driving me crazy with cats recently. :lol: It doesn't help that days are getting shorter and we are walking more in less daylight. She went absolutely bonkers over something last night. Jumping and lunging in a prey mode as opposed to a get away from me mode. At least she didn't re-direct to Sky for once. Another reason it just works out better to take them separately if possible.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

I'm so pleased Sky had something fixable :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

This afternoon, as we sometimes do on a Friday when OH knocks off work early, Jasper and I set off down the trailway to meet OH coming up it. J was excited as he knew we'd be meeting OH, and not really pulling but definitely keen to get going. Usually as soon as he spots OH, which can be when he's little more than a speck in the distance, he starts trying to drag me and I have to let him off lead while OH braces himself :lol:

This afternoon was different - we got much closer to OH before he recognised him. The difference - he had an umbrella up! His face was still visible, along with the rest of his body, his gait... but that umbrella was enough to change his outline sufficiently that J didn't recognise him.

I wonder if he'll be quicker to recognise him if it rains next Friday :?:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Shalista »

So proud of my dog. I know i've commented on this before but i still find it so funny.

normally i dont let bax out while my neice and nephew are over (3 and 5) partially because my neice is TERRIFIED of dogs and cats and also partially because bax used to eat their toys. (like obliterate them into tiny pebbles of plastic)

So the kids left and the toys got put away and bax got let out. I'm sitting enjoying my coffee when bax comes dashing across the room and FLINGS a plastic soldier. then he looks at me. I continue drinking my coffee. He tosses it again. bounces on it a few times. looks at me. I continue drinking coffee. He runs part way across the room to me, wags his tail and then turns around, rushes back to the soldier, and tosses it again. Finally, i get up and take a bit of my egg sandwich and bax comes bouncing over to me for his treat (which he gets) and i retrieve the (unchewed) soldier. I have never seen a dog so delighted to give up something he shouldn't have..... :roll:
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

:lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Shalista »

...although it has led to some odd moments where i let him fling around my laundry for a few hours if the door is closed (so he cant run with my undies through the house) since i know he's not going to actually damage them and he likes them far more than his proper toys :lol:

seriously thinking about buying some sturdy wool socks purely to leave around as toys for him :roll:


If you can't change them.......
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

I just wish Jasper would self-entertain like that! If he wants to play, I have to play with him. DS1 was exactly the same :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Shalista »

to be fair... i think the only reason he likes playing with them is because he knows he SHOULDN'T. forbidden fruit and all that.... :roll:
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Jasper's scared of spiders :shock: :lol: We were walking down one of our regular paths, the sort that normally only wildlife used, so very narrow. The spiders have been busy and several times I felt strands of web going across my face... Then, with Jasper leading, we came to a full-size cobweb strung across the path, about 10" in diameter and 3' off the ground, with a spider (not too large, and the outdoor sort which don't send me into the heebie-jeebies like the big house spiders) right in the middle. Jasper stopped... he moved his head from side to side, trying to understand this strange barrier, then took a step back... and another... I thought of suggesting he jumped over it but then I'd have to get past it. As there wasn't a lot of space for him to turn round (imagine doing a u-turn in a canal with a narrow boat) he reversed several feet before managing to turn to go in the other direction.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Shalista »

sometimes life is just so good. had a friend post on facebook about how her dog keeps pulling on his flat collar and shes looking for solutions. out of alllll the responses she got not a SINGLE one recommended a prong collar or a choke collar. the only discussion between us is if a front clip or back clip harness is better. So happy right now <3

(her dog is a <1 year old Australian shepherd. she just moved somewhere new with lots of new smells. color me surprised hes pulling :roll: :roll: )
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
Ari_RR
Posts: 2037
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:07 am
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Ari_RR »

Little girl: I want to pet this dog! I want to pet this dog!!!

Mother: Sure, let's pet this dog.

Little girl starts pulling mother towards Ari, very excited and animated.

Ari (108 lbs of Ridgeback): What is this strange loud little monster, coming our way??

Me: Sorry, sweetheart, he is too big and tired today... perhaps next time.

Mother: Let's go, honey, this dog doesn't like children.

What?! Why?!
Last edited by Ari_RR on Sat Sep 23, 2017 10:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

You should have replied, 'Oh yes he does, he loves children. They're so tender and juicy.' Or on second thoughts, maybe not :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by MPbandmom »

Haha Arirr, reminds me of a conversation I had with a small voice in the darkness last night.

I was walking both dogs together as it was getting late and rather warm around here too. I hear a little voice out of the darkness asking to pet the dogs. I think the child was at a house across the street. My response, "No." Then I hear from the little voice in the darkness, "How Rude." :lol: :lol: :lol: I responded that one of the dogs was not friendly and didn't hear anything more.

Sky is starting her third week of antibiotics. The vet says things are improving, but have a ways further to go. Sky still seems to think she is perfectly fine.

The dogs pulled me off of my feet yesterday for the first time in quite a while. As I mentioned, I had taken them both together. We turned the corner towards the park and there on the other side of the road was a couple coming up with hill with a medium sized mostly black with a little white dog. Cute little fellow and as mellow as could be, but in about the worst possible place to encounter a medium sized mostly black with a little white dog. Because, they were walking past the fence of the house where a medium sized mostly black with a little white dog lives that is extremely reactive towards other dogs. I have nicknamed said dog, the psyco dog. My dogs know him well, and getting down the hill can be quite a challenge if he is out in the yard.

I dodged into the nearest yard and took a hold of a tree. I have learned that trees are my friend. My dogs proceeded to do their best imitation of psyco dog towards the poor unsuspecting pup who never did them any harm as he walked on up the sidewalk. After he had passed, I thought the dogs had calmed down enough for me to let go of the tree. I was wrong.

Sky, whose fight or flight response tends strongly towards flight, took off the moment she felt her leash go slack. Even though I had the dogs on my waistbelt, I had their leashes in my hands to shorten up the length and limit how much force they could put into charging at the dog. Standing on a hill, I was quickly unbalanced by her surge forward and ended up on the ground. I sat there a little while, telling her that she needed to calm down, and when I stood up, we were able to continue our walk in a reasonable manner.

I should note, that when my two were going off at the other dog, I noticed psyco dog's head peeking over the gate that he sometimes throws himself against as we go past. This always unnerves me, because I'm not sure how well I trust the gate hardware and I would feel better if the gate were taller. I should also note that psyco dog has a doggie sibling who is quite mellow as long as not in the same yard with psyco dog when we go past. I am noticing that psyco dog seems to be spending less time in the front yard which has a 3.5 foot chain link fence right against the sidewalk, and room to go off at things all the way around the corner.

Dog who needs medicine and dinner is whining at me, so time to go.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
Post Reply