I implied recently that I was getting a little worn-out keeping up my New Dog Owner Odyssey entries, but here's at least one more entry, back by popular request. *
* Okay, one person that I know of let me know he liked these entries. {Hint: That's all it takes.}
On MON 8/17, after I finished my breakfast sandwich [whole wheat English muffin, egg, American cheese slice, McD's mild picante sauce], there was some cheese remnants on the plate, so I placed it on the floor next to my chair. [I've been VERY consistent about NOT giving the dog any table scraps, but I confess that occasionally I place a plate of crumbs or other "remnants" such as these on the floor for him to enjoy.] He started licking the plate but couldn't get any traction on the wood floor. After having it slide all over the place, he picked the plate up with his teeth & carried it to underneath the dining room table, which is on a carpet. He dropped the plate--where it could no longer slide--& finished licking it. Is this not a sign of super-duper intelligence or what?!
Sammy continues to respond less than positively when in the proximity of other canines. I'm learning what his concept of proximity is, as I take him on our walks. * When he spies one of his peers **, he's instantly "on point." If the other dog is, across the street, he strains at his leash & may give a "woof" or two under his breath. Unless the other dog barks. If we're any closer than that, he gets down into what I identify as "attack position," puts his ears back, & barks. And I think I can tell the difference now between his bark when someone is approaching our front door & his bark whenever another dog is in proximity. The 2nd bark is more like a sharp-guttural-barking-snarl. He strains mightily against his leash, as if to launch himself at the other critter.
* Who am I kidding? I'm sure that there is no doubt in his mind that HE is taking me on HIS walks.
** Fellow pee-ers
So, I've been telling Lois * that we need to get a choke collar & teach him to heel. When I mentioned this to my daughter Sarah the other day, she said that the preferred nomenclature [love the word!] was "pinch" collar. [Oh, great, I thought to myself. PC-talk is part of dog-obedience jargon.]
Instead, Lois brought home a special harness, suggested by the vet, which slips over his head [the dog's, not the vet's] & front legs. When the leash is attached, it definitely restricts his movements.
* As an aside, I suggested to Lois that maybe this was Sammy's way of being fiercely protective of his master; that maybe this was his way of warning other dogs that he was prepared to defend me against potential threats. After laughing hysterically, she responded, "Really? Seriously??"
Sammy definitely does not care for this contraption. In fact, he's given to nipping at us when we are in the process of slipping him into the harness. Sarah suggested giving him a doggie treat while we slip the harness on, as a way to (a) reward him for cooperating; & (b) distract him, which also serves the purpose of keeping him from nipping at us. Although my personal moral code abhors bribery, even in the case of animals, we've been resorting to this, & it seems to be working.
He still strains mightily against the leash when we encounter his pee-ers [sometimes I just crack myself up], but he's easier to restrain. He still won't listen to me at times, however, & stop or sit. The need to teach him to heel is definite, so I am open to suggestions. I am also going to check out YouTube one of these days. [Whenever I detour there, I seem to get distracted by WatchMojo Top 10 lists {which I heartily recommend} or Jimmy Fallon Hashtags {which I also heartily recommend; they almost always make me laugh & Lois & I often take a peek at one set after we do our daily devotion at the end of the day--a good de-stressor & we usually both find ourselves laughing. *}]
* Yes, this may be a sad commentary on the state of our mutual mental health.
When we went for a walk TUE 8/18, as we strolled the perimeter of Bel Air school during recess time, I pointed out to him that when the teacher blew her whistle, kids stopped playing almost immediately & lined up to go inside, i.e., when I say "stop" or "sit", he should stop or sit almost immediately. He either was unimpressed or failed to make the connection, thereby casting doubts on my previous comments about "super-duper" intelligence.
I'm a newspaper guy. * [Bear with me. This is dog-related.] We subscribe to both the Omaha World Herald (morning) & Norfolk Daily News. (afternoon) When we travel to Lincoln to spend time with the kids, I try to pick up a Lincoln Journal Star. When we're on the road, I'm always disappointed if our hotel does NOT include a free local newspaper and/or USA Today [despite some misgivings about the latter], & I will make it a point to try to purchase local newspapers when we're traveling, if necessary. ** My point? As I browse the comics in every newspaper I peruse, I am selective in my choices, but I have yet to develop an affinity for Marmaduke. This is oddly reassuring to me.
* After reading this particular musing, you may conclude that my newspaper habit is related to my OCD. You may be right. Whatever.
** My MAIN objective in garnering multiple newspapers used to be acquiring comics. Now my main objective has shifted to perusing for news & commentary that can be incorporated into my blogs. Too bad, so sad.
A Continued Fascination * with the Facebook Analogy
When I took Sammy for our noon-time stroll by Skyview Lake the other day, which is usually the longest of our 3 daily strolls, I took a few more side trips than usual off the pavement in order to encourage Sammy to "do his business" [if you catch my drift]. I did this because when we did our morning stroll, no #2 was forthcoming [if you catch . . . pardon me for being mildly graphic]. As we continued our noon-time stroll, he seemed less & less inclined to "post" this particular type of message [if, blah, blah, blah]. So, for the sake of encouragement, I began making frequent side trips, as aforementioned, to what looked to me like suitable FB sites, i.e., additional sign-posts, shrubs, trees, posts, etc. I am not one that usually finds myself speaking my thoughts aloud to my dog, but suddenly & without forethought, as we headed off-trail toward a set of three parking lot posts, I verbalized aloud, "Let's check these new Facebook sites out, Sammy."
Well, he gave each of these three sites a quick glance but moved on quickly w/o making any comments [If . . . ]. Eventually, he did leave a suitable comment, which gladdened my heart. As to my verbalization, it caught me by surprise. What does that say about my ever-evolving [oops, don't like that word; let's say 'developing'] relationship w/my dog? The state of my mental health? Deteriorating social skills? Whatever.
* Obsession? Whatever whatever.
As an aside, I'm very careful to teach my side-kick to avoid inappropriate sites. These would include trees & shrubs located well within people's yards, vehicles [I've seen other people let their dogs post comments on tires. I find that repugnant.], small children, & houses. Although I've avoided them so far, my political leanings have left open the possibilities re: government buildings, such as public restrooms at Skyview Park, which Sammy seems oddly attracted to.
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