In my line of work, I get to meet many people from many walks of life. Some people are quite fascinating. I learn a lot from them.
The other day, I met a doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, I.E., "Chiropractor". He was quite interesting. He told me all about his work..how he manipulates one's spine to work out kinks, cure sore necks, and adjust one's posture. He showed me diagrams of the spine and neck and showed me how he uses his hands to align one's back. Fascinating!
That night, after dinner, I took my lovely 13 month old doggy out for a walk. The weather was mild and lots of people were out with their kids, walking their dogs, or even just sitting on their front porches. My doggy loves an audience, and with so many people out, he just HAD to show them his chiropractic skills!!
In a split second, he went from walking calmly beside me, to whipping around behind me. He tried to pull my arm out of its socket!! He then whipped around in front of me...spinning me 180 degrees. Once I got my bearings, I realized that he had the leash wrapped around his snout..so when I bent down to help him, he jumped back resulting in propelling me forward with my arm outstretched...At this point, I was sure that he had indeed dislocated my shoulder. Fortunately, though, it wasn't my shoulder that was dislocated, but he had managed to sprain my finger. Dozens of people looked on, but because I had a forced smile on my face, they couldn't see that I was in distress!!
In the evening, after a long hard day, I sat staring at this ball of fluff at my feet. I pondered about his career as a chiropractor and thanked my lucky stars that he didn't want to be a yoga instructor!!!!
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Menthol, Please
In exactly 8 days, I will have had my PWD for 1 full year. It's been a crazy year, one of ups and downs, happiness and pain (mostly mine!), and much, much learning.
In this year, I've learned a lot about myself:
A) I'm a real softy
B) I can be a doormat to those big brown eyes
C) I'm way, way, WAY too interested in my dog's poop!!!
So now, I'm also wondering what this second year will bring. The 1st year (AKA the puppy year), I learnt that my dog has the will power of a superhero. This dog will never back down from something once he's put his mind to it. I also learnt that just because something is under 1 years old, it doesn't mean that he's not strong. In this year, I've been pulled, dragged, bitten, and thrown to the ground. I've also had my thumbs and fingers twisted and sprained...fun times.
I've been told that the 1st dog year is equivalent to 7 human years, therefore, by all logic, my dog will be a teenager before this next year is up. GREAT!! I already have a teenager in the house. He's a great kid, but my son is prone to mood swings, rolling his eyes, and listening to really loud music. I have a feeling, doggy's teenage years will be just as tumultuous. My teenage doggy is already picking up some pretty bad habits...between you and me...I think my doggy secretly SMOKES!!
Let me explain. When hubby or teenage son walk our adolescent dog, he never strays from them, always dutiful by their side. However, when I walk him, it becomes a game of "hold on to the leash", as he tries to get on every lawn, pee on every tree, and go into every public garbage can in the city. Now doggy doesn't like all garbage, he's very particular. But, doggy will pick up every single cigarette butt or discarded cigarette package he finds. I don't know where this habit came from! No one in my family smokes, yet, when out for a walk, in the evening, after his dinner, he likes to kick back and enjoy a smoke. If this keeps this up, I'm afraid I'm going to have to lock up the brandy.
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
In this year, I've learned a lot about myself:
A) I'm a real softy
B) I can be a doormat to those big brown eyes
C) I'm way, way, WAY too interested in my dog's poop!!!
So now, I'm also wondering what this second year will bring. The 1st year (AKA the puppy year), I learnt that my dog has the will power of a superhero. This dog will never back down from something once he's put his mind to it. I also learnt that just because something is under 1 years old, it doesn't mean that he's not strong. In this year, I've been pulled, dragged, bitten, and thrown to the ground. I've also had my thumbs and fingers twisted and sprained...fun times.
I've been told that the 1st dog year is equivalent to 7 human years, therefore, by all logic, my dog will be a teenager before this next year is up. GREAT!! I already have a teenager in the house. He's a great kid, but my son is prone to mood swings, rolling his eyes, and listening to really loud music. I have a feeling, doggy's teenage years will be just as tumultuous. My teenage doggy is already picking up some pretty bad habits...between you and me...I think my doggy secretly SMOKES!!
Let me explain. When hubby or teenage son walk our adolescent dog, he never strays from them, always dutiful by their side. However, when I walk him, it becomes a game of "hold on to the leash", as he tries to get on every lawn, pee on every tree, and go into every public garbage can in the city. Now doggy doesn't like all garbage, he's very particular. But, doggy will pick up every single cigarette butt or discarded cigarette package he finds. I don't know where this habit came from! No one in my family smokes, yet, when out for a walk, in the evening, after his dinner, he likes to kick back and enjoy a smoke. If this keeps this up, I'm afraid I'm going to have to lock up the brandy.
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Would You Like Fries With That?
My doggy's favourite day of the week is Tuesday. Tuesday is not only garbage day, but as an added bonus it's recycling day as well.
Because recycling is only once a week, the bins tend to overflow with stuff. Well meaning homeowners, eager to help the environment, fill the bins to the brim with paper, plastic cups, wrappers, and bottles. Now, this is a good thing when the weather is nice, but not such a good thing when it's the slightest bit windy. When it's windy, the pretty streets are lined with garbage. And, that's when doggy is happiest!! Walking him down the street is a nightmare, because he picks up EVERYTHING!!!
Just this week alone, he picked up an empty paper coffee cup from Tim Hortons, a bunch of napkins from McDonalds, and a pack of empty Export A's. His favourite thing, though, was a McDonalds hamburger wrapper. He would not let go of that at all. He put it in his mouth at the beginning of our walk, and did not drop it till we were back home 40 minutes later. I keep having visions of the vet doing blood tests on my 1 year old and finding out that he has high cholesterol and the bone density of a 90 year old!
A few days ago, we got a letter in the mail telling us that garbage pick up would be down to one day a week as well....oohhh what fun my doggy will have. I can hardly wait to see what other 3 course meal, followed by a cigarette my doggy will have next Tuesday!!
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
Because recycling is only once a week, the bins tend to overflow with stuff. Well meaning homeowners, eager to help the environment, fill the bins to the brim with paper, plastic cups, wrappers, and bottles. Now, this is a good thing when the weather is nice, but not such a good thing when it's the slightest bit windy. When it's windy, the pretty streets are lined with garbage. And, that's when doggy is happiest!! Walking him down the street is a nightmare, because he picks up EVERYTHING!!!
Just this week alone, he picked up an empty paper coffee cup from Tim Hortons, a bunch of napkins from McDonalds, and a pack of empty Export A's. His favourite thing, though, was a McDonalds hamburger wrapper. He would not let go of that at all. He put it in his mouth at the beginning of our walk, and did not drop it till we were back home 40 minutes later. I keep having visions of the vet doing blood tests on my 1 year old and finding out that he has high cholesterol and the bone density of a 90 year old!
A few days ago, we got a letter in the mail telling us that garbage pick up would be down to one day a week as well....oohhh what fun my doggy will have. I can hardly wait to see what other 3 course meal, followed by a cigarette my doggy will have next Tuesday!!
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 6 May 2012
One, Two, Cha Cha Cha
I love to dance. Ever since I was a little girl, I'd listen to my sister's Beatles' albums and move my little feet.
As I got older, still too young to understand that Disco sucked, but old enough to get together with my friends on Saturday nights, we'd practice our boogie moves in their basements till 8pm!! (Oh yes, I was a wild one back then).
The 80's and 90's was where it was at for me. I would start dancing on Friday night and not stop till Sunday night. For me, it was always about music and movement. I still love music, I still love dancing, but now I can appreciate other types of dance. I marvel at the Meringue, I love the Paso Doble, the jive makes me smile.
Now, as an adult, I've come to understand where dance originated. Dance is an extension of life, and depending on the people and culture of that particular dance, it can describe the life, loves and ills of a culture.
Such was my discovery when I finally came to the realization that my relationship with my dog is very much like dancing the Cha Cha. With my doggy, every time I make any headway, I just slide back to the place I was before. With my doggy, it's like taking 2 steps forward-3 steps back (1-2-cha-cha-cha). No matter what I do with him, any training, any progress-it barely lasts 2 days. By the 3rd day, I'm right back where I started.
This became painfully clear to me, after I had my 7th straight PERFECT walk with him. One week prior to our perfect walks, I had begun to step on the leash when he bit it. I did this for a few days, and it looked like he finally started making the connection between biting the leash and lying flat on his stomach barely able to move. I took him out on a Sunday night, and poof, the magic had happened. We walked perfectly together. Then, the next afternoon it was the same...and the day after that as well. From Sunday night to the next Friday, my walks were wonderful!!! I was finally starting to feel good about having a dog! For the 1st time in almost a year, I wasn't questioning why I had gotten one in the first place. I was happy!!!
Then, Friday happened. Friday was the day he was going to get groomed. I walked him to the groomer-but since it wasn't the regular time I walk him, he was acting up a little bit. He didn't bite the leash, but he was pulling so hard, I got leash-burn on my palm!! I dropped him off at the groomer, and a black cloud immediately lifted off my shoulders-I felt free!!! I remember having the very same feeling the 1st time I went out on my own without my newborn son-I remember feeling weightless.
I had a great Friday. I had lunch with my co-workers that day-something that I hadn't done in a year. I was never so relaxed. It was the perfect Friday. That afternoon, I got the call from the groomer to tell me that my doggy was ready. I still felt good because I knew that things had been looking up between my doggy and me. I knew I was finally able to handle him.
I got the the groomer, and my gorgeous doggy came out running. He was so excited to see me!!! He was jumping all over the place, he was nipping, licking, you name it. Now, in retrospect, what I should have done is ignore my pooch. I should have waited till he calmed down before we left. However, I was too eager to show him off. The groomer had done an excellent job with the PWD pet retriever cut. He just looked too cute.
So, while he was jumping and nipping, I put the leash on him and left. The walk was a nightmare. There was so much leash-biting, pulling, and jumping, that it actually took us 45 minutes to walk 20 feet!! This dog was in the zone!! Absolutely nothing was going to snap him out of it!!! It took us about an hour to get home-the same walk usually takes about 12 minutes!
When I finally got home, muddy, bitten and in tears-I put him in his crate. The second he went in, he fell into a deep, deep, sleep.
Two steps forward, three steps back...One, two cha, cha, cha!!!
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
As I got older, still too young to understand that Disco sucked, but old enough to get together with my friends on Saturday nights, we'd practice our boogie moves in their basements till 8pm!! (Oh yes, I was a wild one back then).
The 80's and 90's was where it was at for me. I would start dancing on Friday night and not stop till Sunday night. For me, it was always about music and movement. I still love music, I still love dancing, but now I can appreciate other types of dance. I marvel at the Meringue, I love the Paso Doble, the jive makes me smile.
Now, as an adult, I've come to understand where dance originated. Dance is an extension of life, and depending on the people and culture of that particular dance, it can describe the life, loves and ills of a culture.
Such was my discovery when I finally came to the realization that my relationship with my dog is very much like dancing the Cha Cha. With my doggy, every time I make any headway, I just slide back to the place I was before. With my doggy, it's like taking 2 steps forward-3 steps back (1-2-cha-cha-cha). No matter what I do with him, any training, any progress-it barely lasts 2 days. By the 3rd day, I'm right back where I started.
This became painfully clear to me, after I had my 7th straight PERFECT walk with him. One week prior to our perfect walks, I had begun to step on the leash when he bit it. I did this for a few days, and it looked like he finally started making the connection between biting the leash and lying flat on his stomach barely able to move. I took him out on a Sunday night, and poof, the magic had happened. We walked perfectly together. Then, the next afternoon it was the same...and the day after that as well. From Sunday night to the next Friday, my walks were wonderful!!! I was finally starting to feel good about having a dog! For the 1st time in almost a year, I wasn't questioning why I had gotten one in the first place. I was happy!!!
Then, Friday happened. Friday was the day he was going to get groomed. I walked him to the groomer-but since it wasn't the regular time I walk him, he was acting up a little bit. He didn't bite the leash, but he was pulling so hard, I got leash-burn on my palm!! I dropped him off at the groomer, and a black cloud immediately lifted off my shoulders-I felt free!!! I remember having the very same feeling the 1st time I went out on my own without my newborn son-I remember feeling weightless.
I had a great Friday. I had lunch with my co-workers that day-something that I hadn't done in a year. I was never so relaxed. It was the perfect Friday. That afternoon, I got the call from the groomer to tell me that my doggy was ready. I still felt good because I knew that things had been looking up between my doggy and me. I knew I was finally able to handle him.
I got the the groomer, and my gorgeous doggy came out running. He was so excited to see me!!! He was jumping all over the place, he was nipping, licking, you name it. Now, in retrospect, what I should have done is ignore my pooch. I should have waited till he calmed down before we left. However, I was too eager to show him off. The groomer had done an excellent job with the PWD pet retriever cut. He just looked too cute.
So, while he was jumping and nipping, I put the leash on him and left. The walk was a nightmare. There was so much leash-biting, pulling, and jumping, that it actually took us 45 minutes to walk 20 feet!! This dog was in the zone!! Absolutely nothing was going to snap him out of it!!! It took us about an hour to get home-the same walk usually takes about 12 minutes!
When I finally got home, muddy, bitten and in tears-I put him in his crate. The second he went in, he fell into a deep, deep, sleep.
Two steps forward, three steps back...One, two cha, cha, cha!!!
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 29 April 2012
I'm Putting my Foot Down!!!
There are not too many things in life I hate. I dislike a few things (traffic jams, obnoxious people, sour milk after it's been poured into my coffee), but not much I hate. I guess I could say I hate not getting enough sleep, or growing older, but those are things that many people have in common, and it's always easy to vent to a co-worker or friend, and feel better afterwards.
But, I can say without hesitation, I HATE walking my dog. I really do. It's not the going outside in all types of weather, or even the waking up early, coming home at lunchtime, or even the after dinner walk. I totally get the health benefits of doing that. I know that if it wasn't for my little pooch, I would always come up with an excuse for not going outside to exercise. The weather, the time, my schedule would all play a nice role in keeping me from exercising. Therefore it's not the walk that I despise...it's the walk WITH my dog that sends a cold shiver down my spine.
Hard to believe we've had him for almost a year now, but it's true. We picked him up from the breeder on May 28th, 2011. A little 8 week old munchkin just waiting to be taken home to a nice, loving happy family. Now one would think that after having had a dog for almost 1 year, and, said dog not having had any prior experiences with any other owners, one would think that life would be easy for everyone...WRONG!!! Life is easy for hubby. Life is easy for 15 year old son...life is a nightmare for me!!!! After almost a year of living in our home, our dog still does not respect me. True, the biting has stopped, but the nano-second that hubby leaves the house, doggy goes on a rampage. I have to lock up all the sofa cushions in the guest bedroom, have to hide the dish cloths on top of the stove, have to put all waste-paper baskets on top of tables, have to put our shoes on top of the dryer. When doggy sees he has nothing but his toys to play with, he tries to take the carpet out of the hallway and drag it up the stairs. Once I roll up this carpet and put it in the closet, doggy starts eating our plants!!! It NEVER ends!!! He only does this when I'm alone with him!!!
Now this is why I hate my walks. When I go for a walk accompanied by hubby or son, doggy just walks between us like an angel. But, when I'm alone, he goes for the leash in the nanosecond it takes for me to step out of the garage!! I've tried everything. I've tried staying in the garage with him for 40 minutes waiting for him to go into a calm, submissive state. That did not last long! I've tried being very assertive when the leash is in his mouth, that is, snapping the leash, making him stop walking, being firm. That never worked. I've also tried ignoring him when he's biting or yanking the leash, but that works even less. I longer I ignore him, the more excited he becomes by having the leash in his mouth and he works himself into a frenzy!! I've tried the harness too. That worked great up until doggy turned 45 lbs. Then it was harder than ever to control the pulling and biting.
One day I was walking him when hubby called me. As usual, I was fighting back the tears as doggy was trying his best to dislocate my arm from its shoulder. Then, hubby suggested I step on the leash. So I did. As doggy was whipping himself up into a leash biting frenzy, I stepped on the leash and brought my foot down as close as possible to the start of the leash nearest his neck. Doggy did not like that one bit. I never heard him growl like that. Actually, I was sure he would bite my foot off, but he never did! I stayed like that for a few minutes and started the walk again. He began with the leash again, so I stepped on it again. This time I stayed there for 5 minutes. Cars driving by pointed and stared, but I didn't care. My doggy was actually lying down and was going into a calm state.
So now, this is my life. Sometimes I only have to step on the leash once, sometimes I have to step on it more than 7 times, I'm just hoping that one day, doggy will make the correlation between leash biting, and not being able to move.
Only time,( and a steel belted leash) will tell.
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
But, I can say without hesitation, I HATE walking my dog. I really do. It's not the going outside in all types of weather, or even the waking up early, coming home at lunchtime, or even the after dinner walk. I totally get the health benefits of doing that. I know that if it wasn't for my little pooch, I would always come up with an excuse for not going outside to exercise. The weather, the time, my schedule would all play a nice role in keeping me from exercising. Therefore it's not the walk that I despise...it's the walk WITH my dog that sends a cold shiver down my spine.
Hard to believe we've had him for almost a year now, but it's true. We picked him up from the breeder on May 28th, 2011. A little 8 week old munchkin just waiting to be taken home to a nice, loving happy family. Now one would think that after having had a dog for almost 1 year, and, said dog not having had any prior experiences with any other owners, one would think that life would be easy for everyone...WRONG!!! Life is easy for hubby. Life is easy for 15 year old son...life is a nightmare for me!!!! After almost a year of living in our home, our dog still does not respect me. True, the biting has stopped, but the nano-second that hubby leaves the house, doggy goes on a rampage. I have to lock up all the sofa cushions in the guest bedroom, have to hide the dish cloths on top of the stove, have to put all waste-paper baskets on top of tables, have to put our shoes on top of the dryer. When doggy sees he has nothing but his toys to play with, he tries to take the carpet out of the hallway and drag it up the stairs. Once I roll up this carpet and put it in the closet, doggy starts eating our plants!!! It NEVER ends!!! He only does this when I'm alone with him!!!
Now this is why I hate my walks. When I go for a walk accompanied by hubby or son, doggy just walks between us like an angel. But, when I'm alone, he goes for the leash in the nanosecond it takes for me to step out of the garage!! I've tried everything. I've tried staying in the garage with him for 40 minutes waiting for him to go into a calm, submissive state. That did not last long! I've tried being very assertive when the leash is in his mouth, that is, snapping the leash, making him stop walking, being firm. That never worked. I've also tried ignoring him when he's biting or yanking the leash, but that works even less. I longer I ignore him, the more excited he becomes by having the leash in his mouth and he works himself into a frenzy!! I've tried the harness too. That worked great up until doggy turned 45 lbs. Then it was harder than ever to control the pulling and biting.
One day I was walking him when hubby called me. As usual, I was fighting back the tears as doggy was trying his best to dislocate my arm from its shoulder. Then, hubby suggested I step on the leash. So I did. As doggy was whipping himself up into a leash biting frenzy, I stepped on the leash and brought my foot down as close as possible to the start of the leash nearest his neck. Doggy did not like that one bit. I never heard him growl like that. Actually, I was sure he would bite my foot off, but he never did! I stayed like that for a few minutes and started the walk again. He began with the leash again, so I stepped on it again. This time I stayed there for 5 minutes. Cars driving by pointed and stared, but I didn't care. My doggy was actually lying down and was going into a calm state.
So now, this is my life. Sometimes I only have to step on the leash once, sometimes I have to step on it more than 7 times, I'm just hoping that one day, doggy will make the correlation between leash biting, and not being able to move.
Only time,( and a steel belted leash) will tell.
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 22 April 2012
The Sound of Grinding, Crunching Metal
My year old doggy pulls. He pulls and pulls during our walks. Sometimes, he pulls like crazy just until he poops, and then he's calmer. Most of the time, however, he's just crazy!! The pulling never stops.
So, I do what any one in my position would do...I'm constantly on the lookout for twigs that I can give him during our walk. My rationale is that if he's busy with something in his mouth, he won't pull so hard. This plan has been know to backfire however. Because he's so use to having something in his mouth when I'm walking him, his nose is always low to the ground. He runs onto any lawn he sees and constantly tries to pick something off the front yards. Most times it's twigs...but, many, many times it will be blown over Kleenexes, Q-tips, paper bags, empty cigarette packs, or Styrofoam coffee cups. Doggy just loves recycling day!!
He's a clever little guy, my little doggy. He knows that once this stuff is in his mouth, he has to run to the end of his leash to keep as far away from me as possible. He knows that he has to pull with all his might against me (as I try to reel him in), because once he gets close to me, I'm going to be prying his jaws apart trying to get the foreign objects out! He just HATES that. He looks at me with a rather puzzled look thinking, "OK Lady. Twigs-yes, Kleenex-no? C'mon, what's the diff?" And he's right. I should never have started this on our walks, but now I don't know how to stop it :(
Yesterday, I knew I had to end this practice. There we were, walking our usual walk...pulling, yanking, biting the leash...(I keep waiting for that wonderful bonding moment between master and doggy...), when, in the blink of an eye, doggy ran onto someone's lawn and snatched something off the front stoop. At first, I didn't think anything of it. We just kept walking and doggy was quite calm. Then, I noticed that he wasn't closing his mouth!! There was something in there!! It was small enough to fit in there, and I couldn't see what it was. As soon as doggy got wind of the fact that I wanted to peer into his mouth, he ran to the end of his leash and pulled as hard as he could. There was NO WAY he was going to let me look into his mouth and take away the tasty mystery morsel!!
And then, it started...the grinding, crunching sound that made my stomach turn. I had absolutely no idea what was in there, but doggy loved it. For close to a dozen times, I tried to get him to open his mouth so that I could see what was in there..but to no avail. This was one time that doggy was NEVER going to let me win!! This taste was too new...too different. The sound went on and on. Crunching, grinding..sounded like he was crushing his teeth against a metal beam. It was so gross.
Each time I looked at him, his mouth was opened but the mystery object was not about to come out. This sound, and thus the chewing, continued for about 20 minutes. I kept imagining this steel object making it's way through my doggy..trying to come out the next day!!! That evening, after explaining to my hubby, we put doggy on watch. I was petrified of what would come out of him. The next day he was fine, and the day after that as well. Whatever he had eaten, did not seem to have affected him in any way.
The next night, as we were walking, I saw a snail on the street...I closed my eyes and made a secret wish that it was a snail (shell and all) that puppy had eaten 2 days ago. I'll never know for sure, but I'll start carrying around garlic butter with me...just in case.
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
So, I do what any one in my position would do...I'm constantly on the lookout for twigs that I can give him during our walk. My rationale is that if he's busy with something in his mouth, he won't pull so hard. This plan has been know to backfire however. Because he's so use to having something in his mouth when I'm walking him, his nose is always low to the ground. He runs onto any lawn he sees and constantly tries to pick something off the front yards. Most times it's twigs...but, many, many times it will be blown over Kleenexes, Q-tips, paper bags, empty cigarette packs, or Styrofoam coffee cups. Doggy just loves recycling day!!
He's a clever little guy, my little doggy. He knows that once this stuff is in his mouth, he has to run to the end of his leash to keep as far away from me as possible. He knows that he has to pull with all his might against me (as I try to reel him in), because once he gets close to me, I'm going to be prying his jaws apart trying to get the foreign objects out! He just HATES that. He looks at me with a rather puzzled look thinking, "OK Lady. Twigs-yes, Kleenex-no? C'mon, what's the diff?" And he's right. I should never have started this on our walks, but now I don't know how to stop it :(
Yesterday, I knew I had to end this practice. There we were, walking our usual walk...pulling, yanking, biting the leash...(I keep waiting for that wonderful bonding moment between master and doggy...), when, in the blink of an eye, doggy ran onto someone's lawn and snatched something off the front stoop. At first, I didn't think anything of it. We just kept walking and doggy was quite calm. Then, I noticed that he wasn't closing his mouth!! There was something in there!! It was small enough to fit in there, and I couldn't see what it was. As soon as doggy got wind of the fact that I wanted to peer into his mouth, he ran to the end of his leash and pulled as hard as he could. There was NO WAY he was going to let me look into his mouth and take away the tasty mystery morsel!!
And then, it started...the grinding, crunching sound that made my stomach turn. I had absolutely no idea what was in there, but doggy loved it. For close to a dozen times, I tried to get him to open his mouth so that I could see what was in there..but to no avail. This was one time that doggy was NEVER going to let me win!! This taste was too new...too different. The sound went on and on. Crunching, grinding..sounded like he was crushing his teeth against a metal beam. It was so gross.
Each time I looked at him, his mouth was opened but the mystery object was not about to come out. This sound, and thus the chewing, continued for about 20 minutes. I kept imagining this steel object making it's way through my doggy..trying to come out the next day!!! That evening, after explaining to my hubby, we put doggy on watch. I was petrified of what would come out of him. The next day he was fine, and the day after that as well. Whatever he had eaten, did not seem to have affected him in any way.
The next night, as we were walking, I saw a snail on the street...I closed my eyes and made a secret wish that it was a snail (shell and all) that puppy had eaten 2 days ago. I'll never know for sure, but I'll start carrying around garlic butter with me...just in case.
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
Sunday, 15 April 2012
I Saw that Look!
So, anyone that has been following my blog since July, will know that I have not had an easy time walking my little PWD. I've had good periods...which consist of maybe 2 good walks in a row (out of about 1 trillion), but for the most part, it's been a nightmare.
It's not that my little PWD is a "bad" dog either! He's great! He's very respectful of other dogs, he knows when to play and when to walk away. He definitely knows his place in the complicated echelons of the canine world. He knows his place in our home too. In the grand hierarchy of his mind, at the very top is hubby (the only person in the family that has no interest in the dog whatsoever). Hubby doesn't care if we have a dog or not, hubby only walks him in the mornings, and the only reason for that is that hubby wants to get his daily exercise. Hubby has made it very clear that he doesn't care if we were to give away our little PWD tomorrow. Somehow, this indifference has translated itself to reverence in our dog's mind. He WORSHIPS the very ground hubby walks on!!! Hubby had become the prime alpha member of the family!! Wherever hubby goes, doggy is sure to follow...makes my tummy turn if you ask me!!!
Soon-to-be-15 year old son is next in line. No matter what antics doggy is up to (whether I'm chasing him around the dining room table trying to get the dish rag out of his mouth, or chasing him around the house trying to keep him from eating the baseboards), as soon as son enters the room, doggy drops everything he's doing, and he just sits there, angelic-like, waiting to be pet or played with.
Now of course, there's me! I have absolutely no status in my doggy's mind whatsoever! I am below hubby and son, below other doggies and their owners, below sticks, rocks twigs and moss...I have zero status. Whenever I take him out for a walk (2ce a day minimum), he tugs and pulls on the leash..bites the leash, plays tug-of-war..you name it. What I find has helped my walks a bit, is that if I ignore him for a full day, he will walk slightly better with me. He'll still pull me down the street so hard that I have to run to keep up with him, but at least he won't put the leash in his mouth..that is...until I make eye contact with him. I try to avoid doing so at all costs. Once we establish eye contact, I know I'm finished. It's in that nanosecond of our pupils aligning, that he jumps in front of me, grabs the leash and never lets go.
When I'm out with him, I look ahead of me, I look up, I look to the side...doggy does everything in his power to make sure I see him. He runs out in front of me to face him, I quickly dart my eyes to the side to avert his stare. He runs to my side..then accidentally, I'll smile at an elderly lady waiting at the bus stop. I see she's looking at doggy, naturally, my eyes go down to him. Uh oh!!! I panic. He's noticed we made eye contact and for the next 30 minutes of our walk, he'll be biting, pulling, tugging...and he'll be oh so HAPPY!!!!
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
It's not that my little PWD is a "bad" dog either! He's great! He's very respectful of other dogs, he knows when to play and when to walk away. He definitely knows his place in the complicated echelons of the canine world. He knows his place in our home too. In the grand hierarchy of his mind, at the very top is hubby (the only person in the family that has no interest in the dog whatsoever). Hubby doesn't care if we have a dog or not, hubby only walks him in the mornings, and the only reason for that is that hubby wants to get his daily exercise. Hubby has made it very clear that he doesn't care if we were to give away our little PWD tomorrow. Somehow, this indifference has translated itself to reverence in our dog's mind. He WORSHIPS the very ground hubby walks on!!! Hubby had become the prime alpha member of the family!! Wherever hubby goes, doggy is sure to follow...makes my tummy turn if you ask me!!!
Soon-to-be-15 year old son is next in line. No matter what antics doggy is up to (whether I'm chasing him around the dining room table trying to get the dish rag out of his mouth, or chasing him around the house trying to keep him from eating the baseboards), as soon as son enters the room, doggy drops everything he's doing, and he just sits there, angelic-like, waiting to be pet or played with.
Now of course, there's me! I have absolutely no status in my doggy's mind whatsoever! I am below hubby and son, below other doggies and their owners, below sticks, rocks twigs and moss...I have zero status. Whenever I take him out for a walk (2ce a day minimum), he tugs and pulls on the leash..bites the leash, plays tug-of-war..you name it. What I find has helped my walks a bit, is that if I ignore him for a full day, he will walk slightly better with me. He'll still pull me down the street so hard that I have to run to keep up with him, but at least he won't put the leash in his mouth..that is...until I make eye contact with him. I try to avoid doing so at all costs. Once we establish eye contact, I know I'm finished. It's in that nanosecond of our pupils aligning, that he jumps in front of me, grabs the leash and never lets go.
When I'm out with him, I look ahead of me, I look up, I look to the side...doggy does everything in his power to make sure I see him. He runs out in front of me to face him, I quickly dart my eyes to the side to avert his stare. He runs to my side..then accidentally, I'll smile at an elderly lady waiting at the bus stop. I see she's looking at doggy, naturally, my eyes go down to him. Uh oh!!! I panic. He's noticed we made eye contact and for the next 30 minutes of our walk, he'll be biting, pulling, tugging...and he'll be oh so HAPPY!!!!
For more blogs, please visit http://cluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/ and http://thecluelesspuppyowner.blogspot.com/
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