I often write about just how different Lilah and Ritter are from on another. Well, this post is no different. Psh, why would it be?
Cat owners have long known that a laser is a cheap and relatively lazy way to play with a pet. This same concept also applies to dogs. But it is kind of dependent on how strong of a prey drive your dog exhibits.
For example, Lilah has a strong prey drive which is why she loves to chase after the soccer ball or root around for lizards. Ritter has a low(er) prey drive and is more laid back, happy to just do his own thing and relax next to you.
So, as the video will display, they have different views in regards to the laser pointer and just how much of their attention it deserves.
Despite the thunk sound of her muzzle hitting the ground, when Lilah goes after the laser against my leg, it doesn't hurt at all. It's more like a hard nudge with a soft muzzle, and oddly a pleasant feeling (to me at least).
Ritter's a smart guy. I think Ritter realizes that the laser is an intangible thing that no matter how hard he tries to catch, will still exist to tease him. Understanding this, he deems it unworthy of his extended attention, when the floor beneath him is tangible and completely lickable.
Lilah, however, will spend a good while chasing the laser around, even tracking it to where she thinks it's hiding under he dog bowl/feeder. She will lie down and wait for it to come back out so she can hunt it.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Private Lessons
Today Lilah and I joined my mom and Ritter for their private training class so that we could address the issues between the two dogs. One thing that I need to mention is that this is the same trainer that taught the Beginner's class that Lilah and I attended when she was a puppy (over a year and a half ago).
And though it's been a long time since Lilah last saw the trainer, I'm pretty damn sure she remembered him. Because even though she's a wiggle-butt greeter under normal circumstances, she just played herself up to the max level. She wiggled her butt. She greeted him politely enough without jumping on him. She reacted positively and intelligently to his instruction. And followed every damn one of his commands.
In a way, it could be said that Lilah's behavior made me and the trainer both look good as well; showed that I was capable of applying the training and handling her, and that the trainer was successful in teaching me how to train her. Seriously though, where was the barky and obstinate dog that I was so used to? The one that snatches up any piece of paper product that you drop? The one that gives you a flat tire and untied shoelaces when you try to leave a room? *sigh*
Lilah with all her star power and ability to make others shine along with her, however, did not make Ritter's issues any less apparent. Poor Ritter was his normal public self: nervous and reserved, wedged into the small space next to my mom's stool. Reservation among strangers is more the standard for their breed.
Lilah is a huge anomaly in that regard. Any person that passed the training area and made eye contact with her for the briefest moment got that weirdly bushy butt of hers wiggling and her little paws stamping in excitement. An elderly Asian lady actually threw away all semblance of dignity and spent a couple minutes making funny faces at Lilah and wiggling her body in answer to Lilah's. It was kind of bizarre, but that's the kind of draw Lilah has. A very potent and dangerous power.
If Lilah were a human, she'd be that sister that you just hate because she's so damn good at making you look bad. And she can't help but do it every time.
And though it's been a long time since Lilah last saw the trainer, I'm pretty damn sure she remembered him. Because even though she's a wiggle-butt greeter under normal circumstances, she just played herself up to the max level. She wiggled her butt. She greeted him politely enough without jumping on him. She reacted positively and intelligently to his instruction. And followed every damn one of his commands.
In a way, it could be said that Lilah's behavior made me and the trainer both look good as well; showed that I was capable of applying the training and handling her, and that the trainer was successful in teaching me how to train her. Seriously though, where was the barky and obstinate dog that I was so used to? The one that snatches up any piece of paper product that you drop? The one that gives you a flat tire and untied shoelaces when you try to leave a room? *sigh*
Lilah with all her star power and ability to make others shine along with her, however, did not make Ritter's issues any less apparent. Poor Ritter was his normal public self: nervous and reserved, wedged into the small space next to my mom's stool. Reservation among strangers is more the standard for their breed.
Lilah is a huge anomaly in that regard. Any person that passed the training area and made eye contact with her for the briefest moment got that weirdly bushy butt of hers wiggling and her little paws stamping in excitement. An elderly Asian lady actually threw away all semblance of dignity and spent a couple minutes making funny faces at Lilah and wiggling her body in answer to Lilah's. It was kind of bizarre, but that's the kind of draw Lilah has. A very potent and dangerous power.
If Lilah were a human, she'd be that sister that you just hate because she's so damn good at making you look bad. And she can't help but do it every time.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Who Needs an Alarm Clock?
I'm a pretty deep sleeper; I've always been. However, I find that setting my cellphone's alarm to vibrate and placing it on my wooden bedside table to be very effective. Others in the house, on the other hand, use obnoxious and loud alarms that are equally annoying and ineffective.
But despite the wonderful waking powers of a loudly vibrating cellphone, I have discovered an alarm clock with near perfect get-your-ass-out-of-bed-ability. What's the name of this magnificent device? you might ask. Why, none other than LILAH!
It's 8 AM, and you're snug in your bed, dreaming gentle dreams, when you hear something odd penetrate your REM sleep. *Scritch* *Scritch* The sound of claws scratching against the painted wood of your bedroom door, followed by a muffled whimper. Maybe it's an instinctual reaction reaching back to those primal days when men feared beasts descending upon them in their sleep, and so grew unconsciously hyper-aware to the sound of claws, I can't really say. But I'm awake.
The dogs are not allowed upstairs where the flooring is predominately carpeted. Ritter though, with his insecurities, found a way to knock down the makeshift barrier (ok, really just a package of Bounty paper towels) and make his way upstairs. He usually does it during the day when no one is downstairs. Interestingly while Ritter is running around upstairs trying to locate my mom, Lilah remains downstairs calmly lying about the hallway.
That being the case, how come my mom never complains to me about Ritter scratching at her door in the morning to wake her up? Sure, she'll come across him, sitting pretty and waiting for her outside the bathroom in the morning, but that's after she's already woken up on her own accord.
*Sigh* So purchase yourself an alarm clock dog today. The cost? Only a couple extra hours of sleep everyday.
But despite the wonderful waking powers of a loudly vibrating cellphone, I have discovered an alarm clock with near perfect get-your-ass-out-of-bed-ability. What's the name of this magnificent device? you might ask. Why, none other than LILAH!
It's 8 AM, and you're snug in your bed, dreaming gentle dreams, when you hear something odd penetrate your REM sleep. *Scritch* *Scritch* The sound of claws scratching against the painted wood of your bedroom door, followed by a muffled whimper. Maybe it's an instinctual reaction reaching back to those primal days when men feared beasts descending upon them in their sleep, and so grew unconsciously hyper-aware to the sound of claws, I can't really say. But I'm awake.
The dogs are not allowed upstairs where the flooring is predominately carpeted. Ritter though, with his insecurities, found a way to knock down the makeshift barrier (ok, really just a package of Bounty paper towels) and make his way upstairs. He usually does it during the day when no one is downstairs. Interestingly while Ritter is running around upstairs trying to locate my mom, Lilah remains downstairs calmly lying about the hallway.
That being the case, how come my mom never complains to me about Ritter scratching at her door in the morning to wake her up? Sure, she'll come across him, sitting pretty and waiting for her outside the bathroom in the morning, but that's after she's already woken up on her own accord.
*Sigh* So purchase yourself an alarm clock dog today. The cost? Only a couple extra hours of sleep everyday.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Touch!
If you're around the house in the afternoon, you might find yourself annoyed by the constant repetition of "Touch."
It's a simple game/training exercise of getting the dog to touch an object (my hand) with its paw or nose. It's pretty easy to teach and can be a fun challenge for your dog. In conjunction with treats I also use a clicker to accustom the dogs to future click-training. I think touch is usually the starting off point for more demanding skills like turning off lights, closing doors, etc.
But I have a problem. The dogs, being miniature, can't reach the light switches even if we had easily dog-accessible switches for them to try to turn off. I tried to get them to shut the cabinet door as a precursor to closing actual doors, but the loud slamming sound disconcerts them. What to do?
They do enjoy it though, as limited as it is right now. Both Ritter and Lilah love to learn and they love to do tricks, for Ritter especially if there are food treats involved. Hmm, what useful thing can I teach the to do with touch...I'll have to get back to you when I figure something out.
It's a simple game/training exercise of getting the dog to touch an object (my hand) with its paw or nose. It's pretty easy to teach and can be a fun challenge for your dog. In conjunction with treats I also use a clicker to accustom the dogs to future click-training. I think touch is usually the starting off point for more demanding skills like turning off lights, closing doors, etc.
But I have a problem. The dogs, being miniature, can't reach the light switches even if we had easily dog-accessible switches for them to try to turn off. I tried to get them to shut the cabinet door as a precursor to closing actual doors, but the loud slamming sound disconcerts them. What to do?
They do enjoy it though, as limited as it is right now. Both Ritter and Lilah love to learn and they love to do tricks, for Ritter especially if there are food treats involved. Hmm, what useful thing can I teach the to do with touch...I'll have to get back to you when I figure something out.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Ritter's First Day of School
I never got around to writing about Ritter's first day of (dog) school, so here goes.
It was difficult getting him into the car. Ritter didn't grow up with car rides, and what we know, very limited interactions with cars in general. It was a struggle getting him into my car. After a lot of pulling, pushing, luring and coercing, I finally just picked him up and deposited him onto the back seat.
It was his first time going on the freeway. Up until that point, the fastest Ritter had ever traveled was 45 MPH on wide boulevards. There's was a little more pacing and panting than usual on the 35 minute drive, but overall he did well and seemed to enjoy looking out the window.
It was difficult getting him out of the car. Getting him into the car was nothing compared to getting him out. Once again there was pulling, pushing, luring and coercing, but he managed to keep dancing around on the back seat and would then jump into the front seat. What happened next though really made me wish we had just sucked up some pride and copied the woman in the car next to us. Pick the dog up from the car to carry it out (though her dog was probably 15 pounds lighter than Ritter).
I won't dance around it: he peed on my perforated leather seats. I wasn't angry with him because what good would that do? He's already scared and anxious enough to let loose his bladder, no point in adding to his fears. The small confines of my back seat made it difficult to get in there and pick him up though. At that point I sucked up any semblance of dignity I had wanted to maintain, and showed the world just how little control I could exert over my mom's dog when I finally carried him awkwardly out of the car.
Once he entered the store he was fine, albeit his normal anxious self. My mom worried that Ritter wasn't learning anything while he hid underneath her stool. But really the in-store training is meant for the owner of the dog. I thought Ritter did well considering he was in a completely foreign environment.
After class we wandered in the store. He was very patient and didn't fuss at all, unlike some other dog we know. *cough*lilah*cough* While my mom and I were looking at a product, Ritter sat patiently near us. To my left I hear two young boys comment about a dog and start to run my way when their dad tells them to slow down and ask.
"Can we pet him?" they asked. Two boys between 5 and 8 stood about a foot away from us.
I said yes of course and they pet Ritter on the head and shoulder. The boys giggled and ran back to their dad who told them to say thank you. So cute. And Ritter, while not lapping up the attention, was dignified and gentle.
My mom also reported that a young girl who petted him commented on how soft his fur was, which is very true.
In the couple of weeks that my mom has bee working with him on the training, he seems to be doing very well. As long as you have some chicken to treat him with, I'm sure Ritter could even learn how to steer a car.
It was difficult getting him into the car. Ritter didn't grow up with car rides, and what we know, very limited interactions with cars in general. It was a struggle getting him into my car. After a lot of pulling, pushing, luring and coercing, I finally just picked him up and deposited him onto the back seat.
It was his first time going on the freeway. Up until that point, the fastest Ritter had ever traveled was 45 MPH on wide boulevards. There's was a little more pacing and panting than usual on the 35 minute drive, but overall he did well and seemed to enjoy looking out the window.
It was difficult getting him out of the car. Getting him into the car was nothing compared to getting him out. Once again there was pulling, pushing, luring and coercing, but he managed to keep dancing around on the back seat and would then jump into the front seat. What happened next though really made me wish we had just sucked up some pride and copied the woman in the car next to us. Pick the dog up from the car to carry it out (though her dog was probably 15 pounds lighter than Ritter).
I won't dance around it: he peed on my perforated leather seats. I wasn't angry with him because what good would that do? He's already scared and anxious enough to let loose his bladder, no point in adding to his fears. The small confines of my back seat made it difficult to get in there and pick him up though. At that point I sucked up any semblance of dignity I had wanted to maintain, and showed the world just how little control I could exert over my mom's dog when I finally carried him awkwardly out of the car.
Once he entered the store he was fine, albeit his normal anxious self. My mom worried that Ritter wasn't learning anything while he hid underneath her stool. But really the in-store training is meant for the owner of the dog. I thought Ritter did well considering he was in a completely foreign environment.
After class we wandered in the store. He was very patient and didn't fuss at all, unlike some other dog we know. *cough*lilah*cough* While my mom and I were looking at a product, Ritter sat patiently near us. To my left I hear two young boys comment about a dog and start to run my way when their dad tells them to slow down and ask.
"Can we pet him?" they asked. Two boys between 5 and 8 stood about a foot away from us.
I said yes of course and they pet Ritter on the head and shoulder. The boys giggled and ran back to their dad who told them to say thank you. So cute. And Ritter, while not lapping up the attention, was dignified and gentle.
My mom also reported that a young girl who petted him commented on how soft his fur was, which is very true.
In the couple of weeks that my mom has bee working with him on the training, he seems to be doing very well. As long as you have some chicken to treat him with, I'm sure Ritter could even learn how to steer a car.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Hide and Seek
If I ever get lost, I want them to send Ritter for me!
Yesterday, as part of the car ride adventure, we took the dogs to play at my grandma's house. It's a very nice yard with a large (empty) pond, a small grass area, stone walkways, raised ground areas, a bridge, and a long driveway. Overall it seems like a fun place to adventure if you're a dog or a young child.
When you read puppy books, they suggest playing hide and seek with your dog as a part of a bonding game. I guess also if you wanted to practice recall with them too.
Our yard, before the trees were cleared and the new fence put in, had a lot of vegetation to hide behind. I sometimes used to play hide and seek with Lilah when she was little, but she often found other things more interesting than looking for me. Or maybe she didn't feel it worth it to actively go to me, when I was clearly hiding behind the apricot tree.
Ritter, however, is a joy to play this game with. He'll trot around the yard with a slightly worried expression on his face as he searches known hiding places. Sometimes he gets help from bystanders in the yard, pointing towards my hiding place, but he always finds me to receive his reward of kisses and lots of affection.
So that's what we spent a lot of time doing at my grandma's backyard. Ritter found me majority of the time, with Lilah hot on his heels. After a certain point though, Lilah kind of stopped caring and Ritter hounded me everywhere so as not to lose sight of me.
I do wonder though, if I could wait long enough for Ritter to rescue me. The longest I've seen him in motion was yesterday and that was maybe an hour at most...Let's just hope we aren't separated by too much distance then when I get lost.
Yesterday, as part of the car ride adventure, we took the dogs to play at my grandma's house. It's a very nice yard with a large (empty) pond, a small grass area, stone walkways, raised ground areas, a bridge, and a long driveway. Overall it seems like a fun place to adventure if you're a dog or a young child.
When you read puppy books, they suggest playing hide and seek with your dog as a part of a bonding game. I guess also if you wanted to practice recall with them too.
Our yard, before the trees were cleared and the new fence put in, had a lot of vegetation to hide behind. I sometimes used to play hide and seek with Lilah when she was little, but she often found other things more interesting than looking for me. Or maybe she didn't feel it worth it to actively go to me, when I was clearly hiding behind the apricot tree.
Ritter, however, is a joy to play this game with. He'll trot around the yard with a slightly worried expression on his face as he searches known hiding places. Sometimes he gets help from bystanders in the yard, pointing towards my hiding place, but he always finds me to receive his reward of kisses and lots of affection.
So that's what we spent a lot of time doing at my grandma's backyard. Ritter found me majority of the time, with Lilah hot on his heels. After a certain point though, Lilah kind of stopped caring and Ritter hounded me everywhere so as not to lose sight of me.
I do wonder though, if I could wait long enough for Ritter to rescue me. The longest I've seen him in motion was yesterday and that was maybe an hour at most...Let's just hope we aren't separated by too much distance then when I get lost.
Doggy Passengers
Yesterday my mom and I took the dogs for a drive. Lilah loves riding in the car for some reason and it's good for Ritter to see the world outside, even if it is a little blurry and muted. He used to hate riding in the car. It took herculean strength to lift his unwilling body into the car. Then he shivered and drooled in the back seat at first, the car racing along at the speed of 5 MPH. Not to mention he peed in my car when we tried to coerce him out...
I'm a visual person; I enjoy diagrams. And so you shall receive diagrams. Specifically diagrams of how the dogs are placed when we ride in the car. (Do not judge me by my poor textual diagrams)
P = People
L = Lilah
R = Ritter
Notice a pattern here?
Lilah has pretty much always ridden in the front seat. When she was a puppy, she typically sat in the front passenger seat, on the front passenger if there was one. It really made no difference if there was a person under her fuzzy butt or not. It was only recently that she started (forced) to ride in the back, perhaps to allay Ritter's fears.
So going back to the initial story, the dogs were riding in the back, and my mom and I were in the front. We stopped by the local BR to get some ice cream. I stayed in the car with the dogs while my mom went to purchase the ice cream.
As soon as the car door was shut, Lilah hopped into the front seat and quite prettily sat her rump down. When my mom returned, Lilah refused to move. She did however grace my mom with a look that boldly stated, "Yes? May I help you with something?" As is required in any stand off with Lilah, my mom pressed on determined, lowering herself into the seat.
What could Lilah do but yield? Lilah deigned to grant my mom half the seat and waited patiently for the drive to begin.
I'm a visual person; I enjoy diagrams. And so you shall receive diagrams. Specifically diagrams of how the dogs are placed when we ride in the car. (Do not judge me by my poor textual diagrams)
P = People
L = Lilah
R = Ritter
One Person + Ritter
- - -
[] []
P
R
[] []
- - -
Two People + Ritter
- - -
[] []
P P
R
[] []
- - -
One Person + Lilah
- - -
[] []
P L
[] []
- - -
Two People + Lilah
- - -
[] []
P LP
[] []
- - -
Two People + Two Dogs
- - - - - -
[] [] [] []
P P or P LP
R L sometimes R
[] [] [] []
- - - - - -
Notice a pattern here?
Lilah has pretty much always ridden in the front seat. When she was a puppy, she typically sat in the front passenger seat, on the front passenger if there was one. It really made no difference if there was a person under her fuzzy butt or not. It was only recently that she started (forced) to ride in the back, perhaps to allay Ritter's fears.
So going back to the initial story, the dogs were riding in the back, and my mom and I were in the front. We stopped by the local BR to get some ice cream. I stayed in the car with the dogs while my mom went to purchase the ice cream.
As soon as the car door was shut, Lilah hopped into the front seat and quite prettily sat her rump down. When my mom returned, Lilah refused to move. She did however grace my mom with a look that boldly stated, "Yes? May I help you with something?" As is required in any stand off with Lilah, my mom pressed on determined, lowering herself into the seat.
What could Lilah do but yield? Lilah deigned to grant my mom half the seat and waited patiently for the drive to begin.
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