What do you mean I can’t eat these?
Relax, they’re just plastic eggs, you don’t want to try passing one of THOSE.
Happy Easter, from all of us at Heart Like a Dog.
By Jodi
By Jodi
As often happens someone leaves a comment that really gets me thinking. On Thursday’s post when I made a complaint about Delilah’s recall, Carol said, “Why not use “READY” as your emergency recall?”
And 2 Brown Dawgs said, “I have discovered a new recall with Storm. I have been saying “cookie time” when it is time for her gigantic cookies. Even if she is distracted in the yard she comes a running. That did not take long….lol….2 days I think.”
Both of these comments have been rolling around in my head for the last couple of days.
Maybe I’ve missed the whole point of recalls. As I learned it, a recall was for my dog to stop whatever they were doing and come sit in front of me.
Here’s a show stopper, I stopped asking them to sit in front of me a long time ago. I figured what’s the fun on a walk if you have to stop whatever you were doing to go sit in front of someone.
BORING.
Besides I hate asking my dogs to sit in dirt or puddles if that’s what happens to be in front of me. I mean they are sitting on their tuchas and well, it’s a delicate spot after all.
No, when I want my dogs to come sit in front of me I say, “FRONT.”
As you know I have a lovely area for walking the dogs off-leash. I also have Delilah who has run off on me a few times.
I’ve said this before, I think I sometimes confuse myself and in turn the dogs, with my commands. Sampson’s recall is “Come,” so when I first started working with Delilah I chose “Here” thinking there might be times when I only wanted one dog, but as it turns out they both respond to both commands.
Reinforcement is the best way to train so I recall my dogs frequently when we walk, by saying “Here” or “Come,” but if I pay attention to what I’m doing I notice I also talk to them.
A LOT.
I talk to them like they are people and capable of understanding what I’m saying. I do this because I know that most of the time they DO know what I’m saying.
I’d like to go this way. Wait up, big guy. Stop. Come on pretty girl. Hey…hey…hey. Wait a minute, I have to pick up this poop.
And when I see that I’m losing Delilah, they all come out. Every. Single. One.
Well not the wait a minute I have to pick up this poop, (although with Delilah that might actually work) but you get the point, I panic. Blind panic.
Surprised? I didn’t think so.
So it’s more about training me than them, isn’t it? I mean they already know what all those words mean. I know this because they RESPOND to them.
So what’s been rolling around in my head?
The words EMERGENCY RECALL.
Does this mean you have more than one recall?
Like your regular every day “hey come on over here” recall and then your “holy shit I need you here five minutes ago” recall?
I’m rolling around the idea of “Cookie Time” in my head. Like randomly out in the yard or in the house singing out “Cookie Time” and then giving them something really yummy, that they don’t get on their walks. Like dehydrated turkey hearts.
Then testing it on a walk.
What do you think? Do you have more than one recall or do you strictly adhere to one? What rewards do you give your dogs when they return to you? I ask this because my dogs don’t care much for tugging, or toys which is why I use food.
By Jodi
My little grandchildren were over on Sunday for our traditional St. Patrick’s day dinner. My grandson is five and my granddaughter is two.
They’re both a little shy with the dogs when they first come in and truthfully I can’t blame them. I mean to put it into their perspective the dogs look to them like a bull or horse look to us.
And if I saw a bull or horse running full at me, I’d whimper a little bit too, even if my Daddy were holding me and telling me I was okay.
But once the dogs settle down, the kids are very comfortable around them.
Which doesn’t mean I don’t watch them, I’m constantly watching and educating them.
Watch out for the dog.
Don’t do that to the dog.
She doesn’t want you to pet her right now!
The last one was after my grandson decided he wanted to pet Delilah. Which is in and of itself a good thing. I was in the kitchen doing something (now here’s a surprise, I can’t remember what) when he made the announcement, “I’m going to pet her.”
The assumption is if I’m in the kitchen and both dogs are with me, I’m probably working with food. Delilah can get a little snarky around food, so my eyes were focused on the interaction.
He proceeded to stroke his hand down her back and then back up, moving her fur in a way she is only accustomed to when she is being toweled.
Delilah shifted slightly to her right. He moved with her and continued his stroking.
Delilah moved again, again he moved with her.
Delilah barked and walked away.
At which point I said, “She doesn’t want you to pet her right now.”
He decided he would then pet Sampson.
I took the opportunity to explain to him that dogs cannot speak to us and tell us that they do not like something, instead they might bark at us like Delilah did.
I also showed him Sampson’s teeth and said, do you see these big teeth? If you continue to do something a dog doesn’t like, the dog might bite you. And that would really hurt. Then I showed him a scar I have from a dog bite and explained that I didn’t get it from either Sampson or Delilah, but we should still be respectful about what dogs need and how they speak to us.
A few moments later my grandson had taken off the door-sized magnet of Sampson that I have on my refrigerator and was showing it to Sampson.
I heard him say, “This was when you went to the beach in North Carolina Sampson when you had little teeth.”
It was a cute ending to our lesson of love.
It’s not just a lesson of love to prevent my grandchildren from being bitten, it’s also a lesson of love for my pets. To be their voice and not put them in a position where they are forced to speak for themselves.
What types of lessons of love do you teach your little friends?
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