Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

I Could Use Your Help

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Calling all positive trainers!!  I need your help and I need it fast.

How do you deal with a dog that is so treat motivated that the thought of a treat drives her lab shit crazy?

Of course I’m speaking about Delilah.

Delilah typically walks on the left side of me and the treat bag is clipped to my right side.  The moment I reach for the treat, she spins around and shoves her nose at my hand/the bag.

Don't listen to her, she likes to tell tales.

Don’t listen to her, she likes to tell tales.

Yesterday we were walking past two dogs in their yard and I reached for the treat bag, Delilah whipped around and plowed into me, knocking the treat out of my hand and practically knocked me on my ass.  This was all after I’d already pulled a few treats out in preparation.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

  • Pulling my hand away when she reaches for the treat bag and telling her no. (She keeps doing it.)
  • Turning my body away from her. (She follows me.)
  • Treating Sampson first. (She will shove her face between Sampson and my hand.)

As you can see, none of these options work.  

Last night after I regained my senses I thought about how I could possibly work her using the clicker but I drew a blank.

You see, I could really use your help.  Please, please,  give me your best ideas for working with a dog that’s lab shit crazy.  Oh and while you’re at it, any thoughts to keeping her from chomping on my fingers?

You Make Me Smile – August 3, 2014

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You make me smile (or laugh) the funny, sweet, loving things my dogs do on a daily basis that brings a smile to my face or a laugh to my lips.

Delilah, the way you appear to be smelling the dead flowers in the trash can….

Chocolate-Labrador-Retriever

makes me smile.

The fact you think you can trick me into thinking you’re not trying to eat garbage….well that makes me laugh.

Your turn, what are the sweet, loving or funny things your dogs do?  

Observations in Dog Walking

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Let’s face it, I spend a lot of time walking dogs.  Between our early morning walk and two walks in the afternoon, it’s probably close to an hour and a half each day.  I do a lot of thinking on my walks, which is where many of my blog posts come from.

Lately I’ve been thinking about all the things I’ve learned/observed walking dogs.  Things like:

  • Your dog will pass by five houses where no-one is home or outside, but when it comes time for them to take their dump, they’re going in the yard of someone who’s outside watering their plants or someone who is just coming home.
  • Your dog decides the road is good place to crap, just as a car comes along
This seems like as good a place as any.

This seems like as good a place as any.

  • If the yard is sparse, the dog will kick dried grass and dirt to cover their business, BUT if the lawn is nice and lush, large chunks of grass will go flying past your face as you bend down to pick it up. 
  • Your dog will take the biggest dump on the day you grabbed the poop bag with the hole in it.
  • No matter how diligently you watch for other animals, at some point a dog will surprise you by coming from seemingly no-where and charging at you from their e-fenced yard, causing you to crap your pants.
  • There will be cats who totally do not care that you have two large dogs.
I've heard they taste like chicken.

I’ve heard they taste like chicken.

  • Every day you will pass by newspaper boxes full of newspapers nestled in plastic bags.  Until the day you forget your poop bag at home.  That day, you will hustle your dog along home, praying you can get there before they poop.
  • The day you forget your camera, you will cross the path of fox, deer, rabbits and all kinds of wildlife.

Have I forgotten anything?  What kind of things have you observed on your walks?

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