The dog musing/vent thread

[PWCorgi]

I miss my Kaylee. So much. I have her collar sitting on the table and it's just awful. And every morning and night when I'm letting all the dogs in and out it feels like I keep forgetting someone.

It also doesn't help Hannah isn't doing well either and her time is really coming up fast.

I hate dogs.

I'm sorry

A herd of 8-9 deer ran through our neighbor's field this morning while I had the dogs out.

Hurray for understanding boundaries, leave it, and recalls...

Thinking I may need to rig up a barrier to protect my newly planted fruit trees from deer nibbling over the winter...

Yay for a great recall!

We were playing disc in the park with Talon the other day. David was throwing the discs as I took pics and at one point we had three people walking right past us 2 with dogs and Talon barely glanced at them, didn't faulter to do his "job" and come back to us.

Then we had a serious test. David through the disc and as soon as he did I looked were it was going and it was right at a loose dog. O_O Some kind of shepherd/husky mix I think. David was faster than me and immediately recalled Talon and, even though he obviously saw the dog, Talon recalled off the disc, and immediately came back to us! ^_^

This kind of makes up for him being such a jerk in the house lately.

Siri has a pretty awesome recall, she's never REALLY blown it and given me a reason to not trust her. But...I just don't feel like I will ever REALLY trust her. She can be SO prey driven that I feel like I could never be better than a squirrel. Last week she did recall and keep focus on me across the street from a herd of squirrels, but at the same time they weren't running away from her, just eating corn from a feeder.

I want to trust her, but there's always something that holds me back. I think it's just that fear that if she DOES blow it, she could get lost/hit by a car/etc.

ETA: She runs on a 100ft long line, and I've never had to step on it to stop her or anything. It drives me nuts that I don't trust her, but I can't lol.

 

[DJEtzel]

I'm sorry





Siri has a pretty awesome recall, she's never REALLY blown it and given me a reason to not trust her. But...I just don't feel like I will ever REALLY trust her. She can be SO prey driven that I feel like I could never be better than a squirrel. Last week she did recall and keep focus on me across the street from a herd of squirrels, but at the same time they weren't running away from her, just eating corn from a feeder.

I want to trust her, but there's always something that holds me back. I think it's just that fear that if she DOES blow it, she could get lost/hit by a car/etc.

ETA: She runs on a 100ft long line, and I've never had to step on it to stop her or anything. It drives me nuts that I don't trust her, but I can't lol.

Idk what it is, but for some reason I can't trust smaller dogs as much off leash.. Like my little rat terrier was perfect with her recall but I NEVER let her off leash... While the bigger boys are always off leash. Maybe it's that I think she can run faster or disappear quicker.. And couldn't defend herself as well?

 

[PWCorgi]

Idk what it is, but for some reason I can't trust smaller dogs as much off leash.. Like my little rat terrier was perfect with her recall but I NEVER let her off leash... While the bigger boys are always off leash. Maybe it's that I think she can run faster or disappear quicker.. And couldn't defend herself as well?

I feel like it's not size for me, I feel like it would be any dog, no matter the size. I'm terrified of having her get hit by a car. But the more we get into agility, the harder it is to work her on a long line.

 

[Babyblue5290]

Siri has a pretty awesome recall, she's never REALLY blown it and given me a reason to not trust her. But...I just don't feel like I will ever REALLY trust her. She can be SO prey driven that I feel like I could never be better than a squirrel. Last week she did recall and keep focus on me across the street from a herd of squirrels, but at the same time they weren't running away from her, just eating corn from a feeder.

I want to trust her, but there's always something that holds me back. I think it's just that fear that if she DOES blow it, she could get lost/hit by a car/etc.

ETA: She runs on a 100ft long line, and I've never had to step on it to stop her or anything. It drives me nuts that I don't trust her, but I can't lol.

See I'm the same way with every other dog I know. Art for one I don't trust. He's never really done anything, but I can see it in his eyes. If a squirrel ran past or a cat I know he'd be off, maybe not every time but just once.

Talon on the other hand is different He's not perfect, but he's so focused on his frisbee/ball he doesn't really care about what else is going on. I'm a nervous person who doesn't like to take chances really, but for some reason Talon is different. We did have him on a long line for a long while, even though he never showed any interest in diverting from his path. After the millionth time of my legs/finger/arm almost being chopped off, plus Talon getting his leg tangled and almost breaking it one time we stopped doing it. It also severely limits the distance he can go from me to get the disc, but the last time we had it on he spun suddenly and then jumped for the disc and it wrapped around his leg and he screamed so loud I was afraid his leg was broken. That really scared me away from using it. At this point, with him in this particular area and when playing frisbee I feel like there's a much greater risk with it on than with it off. THough we still use it if we go to a new area or if I'm doing obedience rather than frisbee.

 

[Beanie]

I feel like it's not size for me, I feel like it would be any dog, no matter the size. I'm terrified of having her get hit by a car. But the more we get into agility, the harder it is to work her on a long line.

I'm the same way. There's nowhere around here we're allowed to have them off leash so it doesn't matter, but even if we could, I just don't think I could do it. It only takes a split second.
Agility is the only time I feel like I can take them off leash and not have to worry they'll run out of the ring or away from the practice jump or something on me. Agility is probably higher value than I am. =P

 

[SpaceMutt]

I feel like it's not size for me, I feel like it would be any dog, no matter the size. I'm terrified of having her get hit by a car. But the more we get into agility, the harder it is to work her on a long line.

I'm the same way. There's nowhere around here we're allowed to have them off leash so it doesn't matter, but even if we could, I just don't think I could do it. It only takes a split second.
Agility is the only time I feel like I can take them off leash and not have to worry they'll run out of the ring or away from the practice jump or something on me. Agility is probably higher value than I am. =P

I'm so with you guys. Unfortunately, I've witnessed multiple dogs (none of them mine, thank goodness) get hit by cars, in different towns and settings, literally right in front of me Seeing that happen more than once, I just can't bring myself to not think about what could happen, even when I'm not immediately near a busy road.

 

[Laurelin]

So this happened when I came home from work:

I let Summer wear her fleece shirt while I was out. She loves it and gets cold easily. I came home and let them out and Summer had the neck hole around her waist and her back legs in the arm holes and the rest looked kind of like a skirt. I... didn't notice and opened the door. Summer runs outside and pees all over her sweater/skirt.

 

[Oko]

I am still not used to having a dog that likes to stare at me all the time. It's a little unnerving.

 

[Laurelin]

How can an 8 lb dog and an IQ ball be so darn loud!?

 

[Emily]

I am still not used to having a dog that likes to stare at me all the time. It's a little unnerving.

Hahahaha... I always imagine Blossom singing that Sting song to me, "Every breath you taaaaaake... every move you maaaaake...." LOL

 

[Beanie]

I am still not used to having a dog that likes to stare at me all the time. It's a little unnerving.

Just wait until you wake up in the middle of the night with her face inches from yours, just staring...

 

[Laurelin]

Just wait until you wake up in the middle of the night with her face inches from yours, just staring...

In my version, then she pukes in your face. (seriously happened)

 

[SpaceMutt]

This is how you know you've entered CrazyTown: when you see a child's rocking chair on the curb to be thrown away with the other trash, and you think "I bet that would be fun to use in dog tricks" and nab it.

So far, the plan is to attach a string or rope to the chair, teach Astro to tug it to start it rocking, teach him to hop up onto it and sit up on it, then combine them into starting the rocking and then hopping up. Who knows if that will actually work, but at the very least the chair is the perfect size for reaching him confidence in hopping up onto things, balancing, and sitting pretty.

 

[meepitsmeagan]

I love working with my little herder boy. We are really enjoying obedience work. Hoping to debut early next year!

 

[StillandSilent]

Gambit stares. Its not a tender loving stare either. It more of a 'put your dead body in a rocking chair and run around in your underwear' kind of look. After three years I've just about gotten used to it

 

[Kootenay]

Having a Malinois puppy and a horrible stomach flu is a bad combination. She put up with one day like a champ, but day 2 is getting to be a bit much for her patience.

 

[Oko]

Just wait until you wake up in the middle of the night with her face inches from yours, just staring...

This has actually already happened. I had to suppress my scream. She was just sitting there..staring at my face. And then when I opened my eyes she was like OH YAY YOU CAME BACK TO LIFE.

Also, tried to let Feist out to pee last night because I knew she had to, and she would not go out, which is weird because she loooves the backyard. Whatever, fine. Opened the door to let her out half an hour later and heard creepy coyote/wolf scream noises really close by. Uhhh ok that explains it.

(We have coyote/wolf mixes that live on the golf course down the street from my house.)

 

[Beanie]

I left Auggie and Pepper at home when I took Baby P to agility and my dad said he let Auggie stay out of his crate at night and sleep in the living room with him (dad sleeps in the recliner because of his acid reflux and the ulcer.) The second night I was talking to him on the phone and asked how Auggie was. He said he's a pretty good boy but he woke up that morning and Auggie had jumped up in the recliner "and he was just standing there. He wasn't barking... he was just staring. It's kind of creepy."

Yes, yes it is. At least it's not just me LOL.


Payton is not a creepy stare-r, Payton jumps up in the bed and is just all out like YAAAAAAAY SNUGGLE *throws body against yours*

 

[Sit Stay]

I remember being weirded out by Quinn's staring when I got her. Even as a puppy she had no problem maintaining eye contact. On the drive home, she barely slept - she just sat on my lap, calmly staring into my eyes.

I love it now! And teaching her to watch me was a breeze. But I remember being slightly weirded out, but impressed at the same time.

 

[Finkie_Mom]

I miss my Kaylee. So much. I have her collar sitting on the table and it's just awful. And every morning and night when I'm letting all the dogs in and out it feels like I keep forgetting someone.

It also doesn't help Hannah isn't doing well either and her time is really coming up fast.

I hate dogs.

Manners Minder?

I'm hoping to bring one or both of the dogs to teaching next week and I'm kinda terrified. Traveler should be fine but Didgie is a screamer. She's been getting really good at trials but this will be.....different.

But I need to get them used to doing that so I think my face my be burning for a few days while teaching.

But that's awesome that they were such good demo dogs!

Yeah I may borrow a Manners Minder from work... Jari is usually really great (he's been watching classes from a crate since he was 8 weeks old and I've used him for demo work pretty much since then, too LOL), but I think it was because I didn't work him AT ALL beforehand. Usually I do training with them before I teach and I just didn't make it to the building in time for that.

Kimma is awesome if I just let her on her mat the whole time (a la Control Unleashed) but I think that makes people nervous since I have to just drop the leash and leave her there as I walk around and help people. Even though she will stay on that thing the whole time. With my more advanced classes I will do this since they know me and my dogs a bit by then, but not a beginner/puppy class. I tried her in an ex-pen with the mat, and apparently that made everything different and scary and full of anxiety. Her anxiety has been through the roof the past couple of months anyway. I should have known better than to try something new with her. They really are great demo dogs and could care less about everyone while I'm using them. Last week was just an anomaly.