Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, October 24, 2010
be inspired
http://www.flixxy.com/useful-dog-tricks.htm
you may need to copy and paste the above- it won't link for some reason.
how many different behaviours were taught for these tricks?
you may need to copy and paste the above- it won't link for some reason.
how many different behaviours were taught for these tricks?
Thursday, October 14, 2010
I have recently been asked a couple of times about the advisability of adopting 2 dogs, especially getting 2 pups from the same litter. It is an interesting question, as there are no clear answers and many things to consider.
First of course is financial. Two dogs are at least twice as expensive. Food, vet bills, boarding or daycare, training- these all add up fast. Can you really afford 2 adult dogs? Next is housing. Two dogs take up a great deal more room than one, especially when they are roughhousing in your living room! If you rent, it is exponentially harder to find a rental with more than one pet. Another point is lifestyle. It’s one thing to visit friends or relatives with one dog tagging along, quite another with two (or more!). If you are active socially, two dogs may be too much! Twice as much mud tracked in. Twice as much dog hair to vacuum up. Two voracious maws cruising the appetizers on the coffee table.
There is a myth about adopting littermates I need to discuss. The biggest positive people mention is that the dogs will be friends for each other, keep each other company and be playmates so they won’t need as much exercise. To me, this sort of adds up to people thinking that two dogs will be less work. The truth is- maybe, and not. The truth is raising littermates to be well adjusted members of your family is far more work than raising a single dog. All dogs need to be socialized, taught manners and given obedience training. With one puppy, you do it all once. With two puppies you must do it all three times. That is, individually with each pup, and again with them as a team. They will never be reliable unless they truly know a behaviour separately before being asked to do it with the other dog there. You must be sure to start right away when you bring them home, as they are already a little ‘pack’, and you need to establish your relevance as a leader or they will shut you out. All too often I see littermates living together who look only to each other, paying little or no attention to the human members of the family. This means that the dogs are basically out of control, running their own lives, and generally are not easy to live with. It also often leads to a very large and ugly problem which generally develops when the dogs mature, at about 2 years of age. This problem is usually referred to as ‘sibling rivalry’. Without training and leadership from the human members of the family, dogs that are raised from pups together often come into conflict with each other. This can quickly escalate until they are actively trying to kill each other. Once it has reached the stage of fighting, resolving the problem is a very difficult proposition and re-homing one of the dogs is often the only solution.
In summary, getting a dog is a big decision, and taking on two at once requires even more thought. It’s a ton of work, and a long term commitment either way. Raising littermates can be a very rewarding experience. However, as a life long dog owner and professional trainer, my advice is start with one. If, when the first dog is trained you still want a second dog, your first dog can help train the new pup, and you have the recent experience of working with the first pup to guide you with your new friend. If you already have your duo, please make sure you are training and providing the leadership your pups need!
First of course is financial. Two dogs are at least twice as expensive. Food, vet bills, boarding or daycare, training- these all add up fast. Can you really afford 2 adult dogs? Next is housing. Two dogs take up a great deal more room than one, especially when they are roughhousing in your living room! If you rent, it is exponentially harder to find a rental with more than one pet. Another point is lifestyle. It’s one thing to visit friends or relatives with one dog tagging along, quite another with two (or more!). If you are active socially, two dogs may be too much! Twice as much mud tracked in. Twice as much dog hair to vacuum up. Two voracious maws cruising the appetizers on the coffee table.
There is a myth about adopting littermates I need to discuss. The biggest positive people mention is that the dogs will be friends for each other, keep each other company and be playmates so they won’t need as much exercise. To me, this sort of adds up to people thinking that two dogs will be less work. The truth is- maybe, and not. The truth is raising littermates to be well adjusted members of your family is far more work than raising a single dog. All dogs need to be socialized, taught manners and given obedience training. With one puppy, you do it all once. With two puppies you must do it all three times. That is, individually with each pup, and again with them as a team. They will never be reliable unless they truly know a behaviour separately before being asked to do it with the other dog there. You must be sure to start right away when you bring them home, as they are already a little ‘pack’, and you need to establish your relevance as a leader or they will shut you out. All too often I see littermates living together who look only to each other, paying little or no attention to the human members of the family. This means that the dogs are basically out of control, running their own lives, and generally are not easy to live with. It also often leads to a very large and ugly problem which generally develops when the dogs mature, at about 2 years of age. This problem is usually referred to as ‘sibling rivalry’. Without training and leadership from the human members of the family, dogs that are raised from pups together often come into conflict with each other. This can quickly escalate until they are actively trying to kill each other. Once it has reached the stage of fighting, resolving the problem is a very difficult proposition and re-homing one of the dogs is often the only solution.
In summary, getting a dog is a big decision, and taking on two at once requires even more thought. It’s a ton of work, and a long term commitment either way. Raising littermates can be a very rewarding experience. However, as a life long dog owner and professional trainer, my advice is start with one. If, when the first dog is trained you still want a second dog, your first dog can help train the new pup, and you have the recent experience of working with the first pup to guide you with your new friend. If you already have your duo, please make sure you are training and providing the leadership your pups need!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
maisy's knee
all i can say is that she is now feeling better after her cruciate surgery last thursday, and she's driving me BATS!! 7 more weeks of this is going to be an eternity. please stop whining, Maisy, please.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
shooter and the floor- all fixed
finally a breakthru! for the first time since she fell, she joined me in the bathroom! patience, lots of really yummy treats scattered into the 'danger' areas and just allowing her to get over herself has resulted in her finally forgetting. so glad. now if she'd just stop standing on the deck barking at nothing i would be a happy camper.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Shooter and the kitchen floor
The other day I made a mistake. I spilled something on the kitchen floor, and just very casually mopped it up, leaving the floor wet, and apparently, slippery. Just a few moments later, puppy Shooter comes flying into the room, attempts to corner and wipes out. Dramatically. Poor baby. I thought nothing of it. In fact, I laughed. Unfortunately, Shooter thought a great deal about it, and none of that was complimentary. 2 days later, I was still carrying her through the room if she needed to go.
Oops. My bad.
At first it was funny. Silly little doggie won't walk on the floor. It became unfunny quite fast. She had scared herself really badly, and wasn't forgetting about it as I supposed she would. The other human in the house tried pushing her into the room once or twice, until I caught him and made him stop. He got peed on for his efforts. It took many many yummy treats and sweet talking and encouragement, but she is now finally going through the room- around the edge, to avoid the exact spot she fell. A couple more days, the trauma should have faded completely, and all will be well.
The lessons we learn! You never really know what is going to happen to cause a dog trauma, and it doesn't have to look serious to us to be very serious for them. Huh.
Oops. My bad.
At first it was funny. Silly little doggie won't walk on the floor. It became unfunny quite fast. She had scared herself really badly, and wasn't forgetting about it as I supposed she would. The other human in the house tried pushing her into the room once or twice, until I caught him and made him stop. He got peed on for his efforts. It took many many yummy treats and sweet talking and encouragement, but she is now finally going through the room- around the edge, to avoid the exact spot she fell. A couple more days, the trauma should have faded completely, and all will be well.
The lessons we learn! You never really know what is going to happen to cause a dog trauma, and it doesn't have to look serious to us to be very serious for them. Huh.
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