Heart Like a Dog

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

Follow-Up Friday – May 23, 2014

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Smile – May 18, 2014

Mama, there are so many things to sniff, please let me up.

Mama, there are so many things to sniff, please let me up.

Here’s what I love about you.  Yes, I’m talking to you dear reader.  It’s that you get what an important and significant milestone this is and you celebrate it with me!  I’m so incredibly grateful to be able to share it with you.  Thank you.

Chloe is Not Coming

There was a problem with commenting on this post.  Some of you tried and could not.  I had updated some plug ins and I think there were some conflicts.  I went in and deactivated some, and it seems to have worked.  I’m sorry for those of you who tried but could not comment.

Emma had the best advice: “Some people just will never get it, it may be best for you to just drink in this situation.”

I like the way  you think Emma!

Mary asked, “I have wondered more than once, how do you educate people? Maybe we could carry a pamphlet with training and dog etiquette tips to hand out.”

For me the question is, will they be open to it?  I mean let’s face it, the typical dog owner is not one the amazing folks of Blogville nor are they HLAD readers.  It’s tough to educate someone who a) doesn’t want to be educated or b) feels they know everything they need to.

Speaking of Mary, have you all checked out her new blog?

Lauranne had the next best comment: “I think you should try the slapping them round the head with the clip end of the lead technique.”

Oh my lord, can you imagine if I could do that without being arrested?  I imagine there’d be a good many folks walking around my neighborhood with welts on their heads. 🙂

2 Brown Dawgs said, “You better not come and train with us because we are using the Hillmann method to reinforce sit and it has us saying “sit, sit, sit” several times.”

Oh my, maybe it’s different when you are training hunting dogs, I’ve been told if you repeat it six times you will need to say it six times before the dog sits because that is what it learns.  You will have to keep me posted on how this works out for you.

Houndstooth left a very lovely comment explaining how hard they’ve worked with their girl Morgan.  I encourage you to go back and read it, but in it she said, ” I truly believe that there’s a misfire in her brain.”

I know you’ve been through a lot with Morgan, and I know how hard you’ve worked.  I do believe that dogs can have misfires in their brains just as well as humans can.  In Chloe’s case, I do suspect her owner hasn’t worked with her, but that is just my thought. 

What the ?

Don't get any ideas Mama, I will bite you.

Don’t get any ideas Mama, I will bite you.

Was that not the stupidest dog invention ever?  I can’t even wrap my head around it!

Vlad and Barkley’s Dee asked, “Did you go check out the Youtubes on this thing?”

Good lord, NO!  I think I would have to try and find out their names and hunt them down and go West Virginia Back-woods Hood-rat on them!

Jan said, “I remember that this company was looking for an American distributor for their poop catcher. I assume you won’t be applying for the privilege.”

That would be a correct assumption Jan! LOL

M.K. Clinton said, “Can you believe that anyone would stoop to the level of harnessing a bag to their dog’s butt and not stoop a bit lower and just pick that crap up?!?! ”

No, I actually can’t.  First I can’t believe someone made one and second I can’t believe anyone would use it!  How much lazier can you be?

Let it Go

Mary said, “I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. You have to just go with the flow sometimes.”

I’m a pretty firm believer in that myself Mary.  I think I was just upset with myself that I forgot it, I can’t remember the last time I forgot an appointment. 

Jan said, “According to Freud, anything we forget is done on purpose. (I’m paraphrasing) So maybe it is all for the best. Our subconscious minds may know more than the conscious mind.

My fee for this session will be waived.”

Thanks for waiving the fee, Dr. Jan, I do appreciate it. 🙂  I’m fairly sure something was telling me we needed the break and since the last time we were at therapy the therapist and I talked about what a stress it was on the dog owner, I’m pretty certain she’ll understand.

 That’s it for me, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Let It Go

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Delilah’s on board

For the longest time I was leaving Delilah with Hubby while I took Sampson for his morning walk, but last week Hubby had to leave early for some blood work.  I felt bad leaving her sweet little face and I was feeling my oats or something and figured what the heck?  I hooked her up and took her with us.

I have to say, she’s on board with the morning walk.  She is SO good (most days) just walking slowly along.  It’s like she understands that Sampson cannot move quickly, most morning she just walks sedately along beside him.

Look at them, you'd think they were perfect dogs.

Look at them, you’d think they were perfect dogs.

Sampson’s a Dillwad

So I mentioned before that Sampson is on a harness to help with his pulling.  It works fine, until he sees someone or something he loves and then nothing will hold him back.

One of our neighbors across the street is an older woman with MS.  She absolutely adores the dogs and when she sees me out with them and she’s out, she calls us over.

Sunday night I was taking Sampson for his walk and I heard her call me and then she said, “Hi Sampson!”  Well that was it, he was a dog on a mission and dragged me over, jumping and lunging in his quest to get to her.

Since then he’s been a little gimpy on his leg.  ERRR!!!

Healing a leg is like fine wine Mama, it takes time.

Healing a leg is like fine wine Mama, it takes time.

Let it Go

Sampson was scheduled for his last therapy appointment last night.  I called yesterday morning and confirmed the appointment.  In order to arrive on time I needed to leave work at 3:45.  I cleared it with my boss.

At 4:30 I looked at the clock and about lost my mind.  I flew out the door calling the vet on my way home.  My appointment was for 5:00 and they were closing at 6:00.  I had my choice of arriving late and only getting a partial therapy appointment or canceling my existing appointment and rescheduling.  Once I found out there was no penalty for canceling I determined it wasn’t worth risking my life or Sampson’s to try and get there during rush hour.

I was beating myself up pretty badly when I got home, telling Sampson what a horrible dog Mama I was.  I had received a delivery essential oils so I took out some Abundance, rubbed it on my wrists and took a couple really good sniffs.  I stopped crying and decided my missing the appointment was either the Universe’s or my brain’s way of telling me either Sampson or I or both of us, needed the break.  I took Delilah for a walk.

The Sweetest Thing

I saw this posted yesterday of the Lab Rescue page I belong to.  It was written by a little girl who was picking up her dog.

A little girl's letter to her dog

 Is that not the sweetest thing ever?

This is Thursday’s Barks and Bytes Blog hop, the blog hop for all bloggers.  Hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog, grab a badge and join the fun!

Heart Like a Dog

Chloe is Not Coming

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What’s the first thing you learned in basic obedience class?  Not the first thing you taught your dog (which was probably sit) but the first thing you learned?

If I remember correctly, it’s not to repeat your command.  I ask my dog to sit, if (s)he does not sit, I use a treat and lure the dog into a sit.  When I am walking Delilah and call her to me, I reward her when she comes, if she does not come I say, “Too bad” and I put the treat away.  I wait a few seconds and I try again, usually the next time she’s very quick to respond.

For a long time Delilah and I went to a drop in obedience class and there was this couple that had a pair of labs and they about drove me to drink.   Okay truth here.  It doesn’t take much to drive me to drink, but that’s entirely NOT the point.   The point is these people would say, “Sit, sit, sit, sit” and then “Stay, stay, stay, stay” until it took all my energy not to swing my leash and whap them upside their head with the clip.

When I’m out cruising the neighborhood with the dogs, I naturally notice the houses with dogs.  There’s one house we pass that has a German Shepherd dog and the dog barks incessantly.  She hears us from about two to three houses away and she barks until we are at least two three houses beyond her.

Do you want to come and play with me?

Do you want to come and play with me?

Now don’t get me wrong, my dogs bark when other dogs walk past, but not to that degree.  AND if my dogs are barking like lunatics, I go and check the situation out and typically call them away from it.  Unless of course it’s something that requires my attention.

So this dog is barking her fool head off as we walk past and the owner comes outside and I hear, “Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come.”

I wanted to scream, “Chloe is not coming. Walk over to your dog and get her.”

In the truth is stranger than fiction category, yesterday when we were walking past that house the woman stopped me to compliment me on how beautiful the dogs are.  As we stood chatting for a few minutes she informed me that Chloe always alerts her when dogs are walking by and that she can’t walk Chloe because Chloe loses her mind when she sees another dog.  Of course, “she only wants to play.”  But I wonder if she actually had the opportunity, if she would even know how.

How do you explain proper socialization to people?  Or the importance of exposing your dog to many situations to help them become a well-rounded dog?

How do you handle situations like this?

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