Molly spends the night in her crate...
yipping at any feline foolish enough to venture too close...
after going "out" in the back yard...
she spends some quality time in "dogland"...
also yipping at any feline, foolish enough to come too close...
here we are, on a walk...
with me practicing the correct leash grip...
and Molly working on ways to get her muzzle out of the Haltie collar...
[she is much easier to control with this collar...]
the spot on top of the rise, between the "stop" signs...
is where we had the accident last December...
that dislocated my finger & still makes me a bit nervous to pass...
then, after a drink...
a cruise past the cat food...
[which she thinks I didn't see...]
and a desultory nibble of HER food...
it's back to "dogland" and a pig's ear...
made that much better by growling & yipping...
at any felines, foolish enough to venture too close...
eventually, it's back to the crate for the night...
I've pretty much gotten the cats trained to eat while she's in there...
otherwise, if I don't pay really close attention...
she'll scarf their food, ignoring her own...
soon, it'll be school time for her...
I wonder if she'll compose a special "class song"?
she has a "welcome home song", a "this is MY pig's ear/toy song"...
and a "let me out NOW song"...
I'll have to take my camera that does video along, just in case...
2 comments:
May I make a suggestion? Never let her get in front of you when walking. She translates this as "I'm in control of this outing". If it takes a hundred corrections every walk, put her back in her place beside you until she gets it. This will help in the obedience classes too - she will go into them expecting you to tell her what to do. When dealing with dogs, I think of my husband's words - "Cats are your friends, dogs are your minions." And, actually, there's nothing wrong with that - it's their nature to follow a leader without question if the leader is strong - it makes them secure. If the leader's not strong, it's also their nature to try to take over because, hey, SOMEONE'S got to be the leader. An illustrative story: in the 1980's we had a fox terrier, and a more stubborn dog you couldn't find. I took my Koehler dog training book and started with all the commands - sit, stay, heel. I got nowhere with him. One day, we had to move his doghouse and dog run to the other side of the property. I took the doghouse on the cart and my husband took the dog on a leash. That worried me because my husband walks with crutches, and this dog pulled like a freight train. I was afraid the dog would pull him over. Well, I looked up and saw them coming across the back yard, the dog glued firmly to his left side, 6" from his left crutch. I almost fell over. This dog had dragged me all over the yard, me futilely saying "heel" the whole time. At the basis of it all, it isn't commands or training - it's all in who's the boss. My husband had never walked the dog before, but the pooch took one look at him and figured out without a word spoken that the human was definitely in charge, and no use fighting back. It was all in my husband's mannerisms and demeanor. To use Cesar Millan's term, his "energy". I will never be a good dog owner because I want to be my animals' buddy and that will never work with dogs. I know it's hard to recalibrate from the relationship you've had with all your cats, but Molly will always be a hard nut to crack until she unswervingly sees you as the head dog. It's not a question of affection - I'm sure she loves you, but right now she must not respect you very much. Anyway, that's my two cents. I worry because you have to have such a grip on the leash, she will pull you over or yank your arm or hand again.
...hi Calico...You are right about not letting Molly "lead me" when we're out... the picture was "posed" to show the grip as well as Herself in the Halti collar... so to get my hand, the leash AND the dog into the picture, I moved back...
holding the leash this way, she must walk NEXT to me...if I let her get "farther out in front", she stops suddenly or darts across my path, almost tripping me... she's getting used to the "short leash"...
and doesn't toss her head nearly as much as before...
the really good thing about this grip is that I can let go of the"loop" & still have the "handle" around my wrist... since the Halti collar pulls their head around towards you,when there's any tension on the leash, it stops any charging or wild barking right in its tracks... keeping her from jerking me off my feet...
since I've been more disciplined about walking more regularly, I'm stronger & less shaky on my feet too...
I wish that I could just let her run, but too many people don't follow the rules and she'd get "into it" with some other dog...
perhaps after she learns a few more manners...
you're right too about "cats being friends"... & "dogs being minions"... I just have to reactivate my "in charge" persona,
& return to the days of teaching jr high band, when I had "minions"...
& that takes energy, so I suppose it's good for me...
I know that needing to spend the energy training, interacting & walking with her is also good for me... and that living alone as I do,
having a barking dog is a good thing, since neither neighbor does anymore...
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