here's a dropthatsock treat for your eyeballs...
here's a dropthatsock treat for your eyeballs...
petbitat.com
]]>My reply:
Hi Lindsay,
I wish this were a problem that could easily be fixed with an email. I
will try my best, but in the end, you may have to consult a behaviorist
inyour area (if you are in NYC, you are in luck!- It's my town!). If you
are in NYC, let me know and we'll set up and evaluation.
so here goes-
Your dog has a hierarchy problem. The addition of people and dogs in
the home creates this kind of thing, and in his brain he's lost in the pack
and he feels he has to prove his place all over again. The best thing
to do is to completely shun him and the other dog. All humans just ignore
the dogs and kind of "cut the cord". This is what dominant, confident
leader dogs do when another dog comes into their territory. Other dogs
recognize this as something a leader does, and they will understand it
right away. It brings the humans up in the hierarchy of things. You
should not be playing on the floor with the dogs and certainly not be
allowing the dogs on the furniture (allowing dogs on furniture skews
the hierarchy and makes some mid-ranking dogs feel more powerful than they
ought to feel). I recommend correcting calmly each time there is any
hint of aggression toward a human (stiffening of the body when approached, locked into a stare over a toy or food, etc), then shunning that dog completely, as if
they hadn't existed.
research this:
and see if you're comfortable using one. You need a way to correct
these behaviors that is quick, effective, easy to administer, and can be done
without approaching the dog. The spray commander works from 250 ft.
away.
This is the most advice I can give you in a simple email without
actually evaluating your dog in person.
I hope it helps you, and may the force be with you,
Marlene
]]>
If you are thinking of getting this for your dog, I know a few people I could get you in contact with. And maybe you all could have one big, outrageous party in your dog's honor. I knew a girl who gave her dog a carvel ice cream cake on its birthday. The dog ate it on top of her absent boss' desk, the scene of which has been documented by photo. Don't do that, people. Please. I know dogs are batty for ice cream, whichever flavor you offer, and the crunchies in the middle of the vanilla and chocolate layers are irresistible to human and canine alike. But please don't give your dog ice cream intended for humans. Please. Do the right thing here. Get the cake that's at least digestible by dogs. Okay?
I know all of us shelter workers are passionate about our jobs, while being a little on the kooky side when it comes to behavior, and yes, sometimes dress and grooming. If you, too are a person who loves animals and have been called by some "a little overboard", I have found a necklace just for you, my friendly friend.
You now can wear what looks like a handmade necklace with the word "NEUTER" dangling off it. Only $9.95. And hang it around your neck. I mean literally hang it around your neck. Like a necklace. Yeah.
You could always go with the generic "FIX DOG" necklace to show your neutrality (just so neither the male nor female dogs you work with all day long feel like they've been slighted).
If you're not quite ready for the whole necklace idea, just get the button that says "CUT THE NUTS", my personal fave.
Please, person, whomever you are in the world, PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU, SEND ME A PHOTO OF YOU WEARING THE NECKLACE! (So's I can put that thing right on this BIG, bad baby called dropthatsock.com).
Love you,
Love,
me
He finally gets bit at the end, but not before sending these two dogs into an adrenaline overdose for a good 3 minutes.
Watch your kids, people!
]]>
she'd be a good sunday afternoon snugglefest participator, i bet...
]]>
"Charlie ejects some English mud from his mouth after scooping it up playing fetch."
daily photos of charlie in his fresh gear at www.lovecharlie.org.
Ok, so you've got a dog who convulses with fear at the sight of ______(insert your dog's trigger here- i.e. Nail clippers, uncle Bob, the evil vacuum, women in hats, garbage trucks, car rides, the christmas tree, your father's harmonica, running water, your boyfriend's mother, being restrained by the vet, the wind-up snowman doll that sings "let it snow" and does the mechanical gyration dance, etc. ). He can't control himself, he tries to flee at all costs, clawing his way in the opposite direction.
You happen to really want to help your dog to overcome this fear, or at least be able to see this thing without throwing up. Here's what you do, in a nutshell:
Once you figure out what's setting them off,
Find what they love most in the world (usually food, sometimes toys, perhaps a certain favorite person, etc..)
Combine the two!
In other words, you get a hold of some liverwurst, roast beef, hot dog bits, olive loaf, squeaky tennis balls, gouda cheese, jarlsberg cheese, pecorino romano cheese, queso blanco cheese from the spanish section of the market, whatever your dog goes COMPLETELY NUTS OVER. And give them that thing ONLY when they see the nail clipper, the harmonica, the evil hairdryer, or whatever the trigger is.
If you do it consistently, every time your dog sees the bad, bad thing, he will begin to thing of gouda when he sees it. And THAT, my friends, is the magic of animal behavior!
]]>
i'm exhausted now.
]]>
please help us name him. we're stuck.
he came as willy, next name was joooch. we need it to be perfect, so we're asking for your help. so far we've come up with:
schwartz
booger
walter
dr. teeth
gomez
jorge
disgusting
hans
eighty
geek
i'll consider anything that's not too common. gimme some good ones, people.
use the comment link or the contact page to get at me!
"Well, I have reached a new low. Miss Muffit has never been a good eater, as you know. She sort of grazes, but rarely eats in any sort of a regular pattern. Which makes lots of stuff (training, anticipating potty needs, medications, etc) rather challenging. Anyway, she decided to go on a
bit of a hunger strike this week. It has happened before, and we have found ourselves changing her food each time in an effort to get her to eat. This has been the best that the vet has come up with. Needless to say, she will gladly devour anything that mommy and daddy are eating - she just turns
her snout up at her own food. So, it had been three days as of last night, and she still had not eaten her food. I knew the vet wanted her back today if she still had not eaten it. She was starting to get a little possessive of it, but would not touch it. I had just come home from a work party and
was eating some leftovers in the kitchen. And, of course, she was sitting as pretty as can be with the drool dripping from her mouth as she watched me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and - yes - I did it: got down on my hands and knees and had a small bite of her dry food.
I will give her this: it does taste like crap. But, she ate it right up after that. I hope this
does not set her back too far developmentally.
So, following that little "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" moment, Sophie and I retired for the evening.
Nick Nolte ain't got nothin' on me, baby."
"i had just beat up 10 dogs at the park."
lips
"i wanted to be harry potter..stupid darth vadar."
"luke, i am your father."