I'm reading If a Dog's Prayers Were Answered ... Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs by Suzanne Clothier. And I have a lot to say, but I just read the bit about resource management and that struck a chord.
Dogs do need to know that they aren't in charge of the good stuff. I don't have the stamina to engage in that "Nothing In Life Is Free," but I do expect things of Ms. Ziggy Stardust to get good things in return. I do a lot of treats when she does things well, and I'm sort of random about it so I'm like Vegas. I reward behavior a lot when it's unsolicited - if she chooses to sit outside the kitchen when I'm busy and watch laying down from the doorway, that's worth a treat. If she gets off the bed as soon as she sees me coming with the intention to change the sheets: treat. If she brings me something that I dropped and don't want her to have: deserves a treat. And so on.
But I don't like entitlement in dogs or in humans, and so she has to show gratitude. That means listening to me, doing as I ask (within her limitations right now), etc. She sits a lot, and usually without me saying anything. If I have the food bowl, she sits and waits out of my way. If I go to open the door, she sits and waits. If I am pulling something out a bag, she sits and waits because not infrequently it is for her.
But I realized from reading today that I'm a little lazy about this and should emphasize it more. She was NOT happy when that was about raw chicken, and she did NOT want to sit and wait on the bed like I told her to. She was fine with sitting at the door and waiting for permission, but having to get on the bed and lay down and wait? That's too much! But, I insisted, and she did it. She surely did want that chicken.
Ziggy waits to be invited to go in and out the dog door, and here's the root of some of our problems: she is trying to show respect, that she knows that I am in charge of her access to the house and to the backyard. That is a good thing. But I find it annoying to have to encourage her to go in and out on her own.
Ziggy isn't so much alpha or dominant as she is just puppy jackass. The vet tech told me that she acts like a Lab male puppy - I've never seen a Labrador act like this, but he insists that they are just as hard-headed.
IT's not that I think that there's anything inherently wrong with a dog asking permission to have acces to something desirable - it's just that I don't want to always be bothered with it. I run into the same issues with my employees and even my friends. My friend that was over the other day just kept asking a million questions. "Can I put these in a bowl? Do you want them in the fridge? Should I throw this away? Do you want me to remove these?" and on and on and on. An employee is constantly asking me to explain why and goddammit, it doesn't fucking matter why usually. JUST DO WHAT I SAID. I called the office on Friday to check in with her and she cried out in delight, "Oh, my fearless leader!" and started in on many question and issues and I had to deal with them resolutely.
So I guess I have leadership skills, with people and with my dog, but honestly it's not my favorite thing. I'm really hoping that Ziggy won't need this forever and I'll be able to just trust her.
One of my favorite things that she does is when I'm walking intentionally someplace, at a brisk pace and clearly with a purpose, Ziggy falls in line right beside me. It would look like heeling, but it's not at all because it's much more voluntary and intentional. It's Ziggy being my sidekick, ready to help wherever she can lend a paw, offering moral support because we're in this together. I saw her do it with my friend, too, and it just warms my heart. I feel a twinge of sadness when I see all the dogs out walking with their people, their spirits broken or at least badly battered. No sniffing, no exploring, no zest for life, just a zombie-like meander. I like how Ziggy advances on life with insane zest, so very spirited always. It's not always easy to be her person, but it's always entertaining.
I really like Clothier's belief that it's possible to nurture a spirit like Ziggy's, to be very kind and gentle with dogs and they can learn to be the same, that each dog is so very different and has different needs. Yes, yes, and yes. Even if I had raised 200 other Catahoulas, none would be like Ziggy Stardust.
***
Ziggy is happily gnawing on her marrow bone. I told her to drop it and she backed up nervously. "Sit." She complied immediately. "Drop." She laid down. I held out my hand and said, "Give me the bone" and she dropped it into my hand. And I immediately gave it back to her with praise.
We aren't perfect but there's no question in my mind that Ziggy sees me as the leader. Every so often I have to test it with somebody else's quiz, and Im glad we pass.
Which is not to say that she wants to give me all her good stuff. I'd come into the room where she's chewing and was dancing around her. She discreetly pushed her bone to the side and grabbed a rope toy and distracted me with it. Smartie pants. She knows all my tricks and uses them on me.
Dogs do need to know that they aren't in charge of the good stuff. I don't have the stamina to engage in that "Nothing In Life Is Free," but I do expect things of Ms. Ziggy Stardust to get good things in return. I do a lot of treats when she does things well, and I'm sort of random about it so I'm like Vegas. I reward behavior a lot when it's unsolicited - if she chooses to sit outside the kitchen when I'm busy and watch laying down from the doorway, that's worth a treat. If she gets off the bed as soon as she sees me coming with the intention to change the sheets: treat. If she brings me something that I dropped and don't want her to have: deserves a treat. And so on.
But I don't like entitlement in dogs or in humans, and so she has to show gratitude. That means listening to me, doing as I ask (within her limitations right now), etc. She sits a lot, and usually without me saying anything. If I have the food bowl, she sits and waits out of my way. If I go to open the door, she sits and waits. If I am pulling something out a bag, she sits and waits because not infrequently it is for her.
But I realized from reading today that I'm a little lazy about this and should emphasize it more. She was NOT happy when that was about raw chicken, and she did NOT want to sit and wait on the bed like I told her to. She was fine with sitting at the door and waiting for permission, but having to get on the bed and lay down and wait? That's too much! But, I insisted, and she did it. She surely did want that chicken.
Ziggy waits to be invited to go in and out the dog door, and here's the root of some of our problems: she is trying to show respect, that she knows that I am in charge of her access to the house and to the backyard. That is a good thing. But I find it annoying to have to encourage her to go in and out on her own.
Ziggy isn't so much alpha or dominant as she is just puppy jackass. The vet tech told me that she acts like a Lab male puppy - I've never seen a Labrador act like this, but he insists that they are just as hard-headed.
IT's not that I think that there's anything inherently wrong with a dog asking permission to have acces to something desirable - it's just that I don't want to always be bothered with it. I run into the same issues with my employees and even my friends. My friend that was over the other day just kept asking a million questions. "Can I put these in a bowl? Do you want them in the fridge? Should I throw this away? Do you want me to remove these?" and on and on and on. An employee is constantly asking me to explain why and goddammit, it doesn't fucking matter why usually. JUST DO WHAT I SAID. I called the office on Friday to check in with her and she cried out in delight, "Oh, my fearless leader!" and started in on many question and issues and I had to deal with them resolutely.
So I guess I have leadership skills, with people and with my dog, but honestly it's not my favorite thing. I'm really hoping that Ziggy won't need this forever and I'll be able to just trust her.
One of my favorite things that she does is when I'm walking intentionally someplace, at a brisk pace and clearly with a purpose, Ziggy falls in line right beside me. It would look like heeling, but it's not at all because it's much more voluntary and intentional. It's Ziggy being my sidekick, ready to help wherever she can lend a paw, offering moral support because we're in this together. I saw her do it with my friend, too, and it just warms my heart. I feel a twinge of sadness when I see all the dogs out walking with their people, their spirits broken or at least badly battered. No sniffing, no exploring, no zest for life, just a zombie-like meander. I like how Ziggy advances on life with insane zest, so very spirited always. It's not always easy to be her person, but it's always entertaining.
I really like Clothier's belief that it's possible to nurture a spirit like Ziggy's, to be very kind and gentle with dogs and they can learn to be the same, that each dog is so very different and has different needs. Yes, yes, and yes. Even if I had raised 200 other Catahoulas, none would be like Ziggy Stardust.
***
Ziggy is happily gnawing on her marrow bone. I told her to drop it and she backed up nervously. "Sit." She complied immediately. "Drop." She laid down. I held out my hand and said, "Give me the bone" and she dropped it into my hand. And I immediately gave it back to her with praise.
We aren't perfect but there's no question in my mind that Ziggy sees me as the leader. Every so often I have to test it with somebody else's quiz, and Im glad we pass.
Which is not to say that she wants to give me all her good stuff. I'd come into the room where she's chewing and was dancing around her. She discreetly pushed her bone to the side and grabbed a rope toy and distracted me with it. Smartie pants. She knows all my tricks and uses them on me.
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