I love this quote: "Properly trained, a man can be a dog's best friend." By Corey Ford. What do you think?
Then there's this: "Friends can betray you. Stranger's can't." William C. Deitz.
Dogs won't betray you either. Gotta love 'em!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Nag--Don't Nag?
I was reminded of a cardinal rule recently as I watched parents trying to discipline their little children at the dinner table.The rule was mentioned that no toys were allowed, yet the kids brought their newest favorite items as they sat down, and fiddled with them instead of eating.They were told repeatedly to not have toys at the table, but nothing was done about it. So, guess what? The kids kept playing instead of eating. They blew off further warnings of having said toys confiscated, etc. And why not? Nothing happened.
The dog trainer in me was dying to grab the offending items and pitch them into the living room but, being a guest, I just watched the power struggle continue.This was nagging--ineffective nagging. Dogs will do exactly the same as kids if they don't believe you'll follow-through. They may not know the words (or maybe they do) but they can tell the meaning.
As with kids, if we don't enforce the rule--whatever it is--and continue to nag, we are rewarding their bad behavior. What's a parent or dog owner to do?
Simple. Enforce the rule the first time it's broken once you're sure the culprit understands. It's much kinder and more effective to have the incident handled right in the first place. Think about it. Do you like being
nagged? Probably not.
A quick, decisive response enforces the rule, says I mean it!, and then it's done.The rule is remembered, you're respected for keeping your word, and the kid/dog now has the security of understanding there are consequences for their actions.
Happy New Year to you and all your four legged friends!
The dog trainer in me was dying to grab the offending items and pitch them into the living room but, being a guest, I just watched the power struggle continue.This was nagging--ineffective nagging. Dogs will do exactly the same as kids if they don't believe you'll follow-through. They may not know the words (or maybe they do) but they can tell the meaning.
As with kids, if we don't enforce the rule--whatever it is--and continue to nag, we are rewarding their bad behavior. What's a parent or dog owner to do?
Simple. Enforce the rule the first time it's broken once you're sure the culprit understands. It's much kinder and more effective to have the incident handled right in the first place. Think about it. Do you like being
nagged? Probably not.
A quick, decisive response enforces the rule, says I mean it!, and then it's done.The rule is remembered, you're respected for keeping your word, and the kid/dog now has the security of understanding there are consequences for their actions.
Happy New Year to you and all your four legged friends!
Monday, December 13, 2010
People food is good.
Too often we hear that we shouldn't ever feed our dogs "people" food. It's bad for the dogs, or they'll get fat, or it's not balanced nutritionally. Bah, humbug! With the right choices, I disagree.
Good people food IS good for dogs. We just need to use common sense. Think about it. Commercial dog foods haven't been around all that long and dogs were doing just fine on table scraps. I feed my Westies a diet of cooked rice (aids in digestion), assorted cooked and raw veggies, some fruits, cooked meats and eggs, some top quality dog kibbles and a daily vitamin. They are doing just great.
Not all veggies are appropriate,but carrots and green peppers can be given either raw or cooked. My guys love them. Cooked green beans cut up work well too. Just stay away from potatoes, pastas, and onion. My veterinarian says avocado is bad for dogs, but it's featured in some brands of dog foods, so I don't know. Radar and Dazy love raw tomatoes and apples, which also have the benefit of cleaning their teeth too. Take it easy on the cooked beans and spicy or salty foods. I share my leftover soups with the dogs 'cause they have lots of good things already cut up and cooked. I only feed cooked lean meats and eggs. Be careful with pork. It can cause digestive upsets for some dogs. So fried eggs are great--sausage is not.
Balance out the dogs nutritional requirements with commercial dog food and the daily vitamin. It takes a little more work, but your dogs will love you for it and should thrive.
Good people food IS good for dogs. We just need to use common sense. Think about it. Commercial dog foods haven't been around all that long and dogs were doing just fine on table scraps. I feed my Westies a diet of cooked rice (aids in digestion), assorted cooked and raw veggies, some fruits, cooked meats and eggs, some top quality dog kibbles and a daily vitamin. They are doing just great.
Not all veggies are appropriate,but carrots and green peppers can be given either raw or cooked. My guys love them. Cooked green beans cut up work well too. Just stay away from potatoes, pastas, and onion. My veterinarian says avocado is bad for dogs, but it's featured in some brands of dog foods, so I don't know. Radar and Dazy love raw tomatoes and apples, which also have the benefit of cleaning their teeth too. Take it easy on the cooked beans and spicy or salty foods. I share my leftover soups with the dogs 'cause they have lots of good things already cut up and cooked. I only feed cooked lean meats and eggs. Be careful with pork. It can cause digestive upsets for some dogs. So fried eggs are great--sausage is not.
Balance out the dogs nutritional requirements with commercial dog food and the daily vitamin. It takes a little more work, but your dogs will love you for it and should thrive.
Savin' the Day
If you have girl dogs you know how particular they can be about where they, well, pee. They've just gotta have grass. So what do you do if you're staying with folks with only a cement patio? A good friend passed this tip on: buy about 3 rolls of real live grass sod, lay it out in an appropriate spot outside, and show your female dog that this is the newest, very best place to pee. Might take a little persuasion, but once she gets the hang of it, it works great. You can also use this on a boat or other situations. Real grass is more dog friendly than artificial turf, is easy to find (a sod farm, or nursery department of a hardware store), and is recyclable. Cool, huh?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Cow Worship
One thing I've learned is to not try to understand the mind of a Westie--my chosen breed. Honestly, it can drive you crazy. For instance, my first Westie--the guy on the cover of SIT-STAY-DIE!--worshiped cows. Honest! Somehow, in his fluffy little brain, he decided cows (collectively meaning steers, bulls, and cows) were deities to be honored. He was gaa-gaa over them! He soon learned what habitat they lived in, and on road trips was constantly on the look out for pasture land and cattle guards because there might be cows. His happiest experience was when he was (French) kissed by a cow. OMG! McGyver was in ectasy for days....
Do you have any stories to share of dog worship?
Do you have any stories to share of dog worship?
Monday, November 29, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)