I have an eleven-year-old rescue pittie. (If you hear “pit bull” it’s pretty safe to assume it’s a rescue). She weighs 50 lbs. and as a young ‘un her favorite activities were running 5 miles on a treadmill at full speed and on an incline, dragging a tire, and yanking me off of my feet every time she saw another dog. She did not like the other dog. I don’t know how she knew this but she did.
We are both older now and slowing down. She sleeps a lot and even short walks merit three or four hours in a coma. She’s had ten cancer surgeries and is on chemo and I’m very slowly saying goodbye to her.
And so, when I opened the front door last night and there was a cat ten feet away, color me surprised when she launched her (leashed, because I’m not idiot) suddenly two-year-old self straight at the cat, who DID. NOT. MOVE. Perhaps it was deaf, or pooping, or stupid.
I’m not a cat fan but I’m not a monster so I kept her snarling, screaming (pits make an otherworldly noise when they’re really committed to mayhem) self from the deaf, pooping or stupid cat and went on our walk.
It took twenty minutes for her to forget about the cat. Every fast-twitch muscle fibre was on full alert and she practically danced through the walk. Upon return to our front yard she remembered the now-departed cat and launched a frenzied search and sniff mission to satisfy herself that her earlier threats had satisfied their purpose.
It’s 10:50 AM and she’s still asleep. I will miss my sweet girl when the day comes, and I know last night was a shock to both of us but I confess that even at the expense of the cat’s mental health, seeing Bonnie’s long-lost youthful vigor return for a few minutes made me a little wistful for our youths.
We tried to get training for Mia The Entitled Princess Shih Tzu Who Must Always Have a Pillow to Rest Upon--mostly to keep her from killing Mittens The Cat when our older son brought said cat home from college. We missed the chance to train Mia when she was young, because we only got her when she was six years old and set in her ways. We wanted her to respond to some basic commands and also not kill a cat, but our trainer decided that the entire regimen of training would be focused on getting Mia to relax. There would be no commands. We were just supposed to get her to CHILL. Everything else, in theory, would come later. But our training budget and our patience ran out long before we got there.
Old puppy who leaves around like he’s king tut, looks at me like I’m the strange one and basically bosses us around until we cater to his every whim. Who’s the boss around here?😂🤣😂
When it comes to a dog that needs intimidation, this is my move.
Stand with your feet slightly apart ready to make a martial arts move. Catch the dog's eye and stare. Get as angry as you know how to be— no angrier. Pretend your dog is guilty of genocide. Start jumping up and down and shrieking maniacally. If the dog runs away, pursue it. End by sticking your face in the dog's face, staring to deliver the message, “I meant that."
Remember, with some dogs either you are Hitler, or they are Hitler.
God gave us anger or reason. This is the exact same move that Jesus made in the temple with the money changers.
Also, let your walks be enjoyable for both you and the dog. I don't think that's the time for discipline, because your dog isn't big enough to be a problem.
I just freak out at home whenever the little mut makes you angry.
I recommend finding a trainer who uses positive reinforcement/behavioral modification. Leash pops are bad for you and the dog. They also come out a model of dominance vs submission, which in turn is based on old and subsequently overruled science on how wolf packs operate (and probably prevails among male trainers because of well, the kinds of primate displays of dominance we saw in the Oval Office last week. Look at how well that went. Positive reinforcement focuses improving the connection between human and animal with rewards (usually high value food) for good behavior rather than leash pops for bad.
It took me a long time to come around to this notion. I'm a daughter of the OPC, after all, who went to an OPC-allied Christian school which had a literal board of education, and male teachers who believed it only worked if it left bruises. (Not on me; I was a compliant child, and had learned at home to keep my objections to myself.) But eventually I learned that it really did work better to reward the good behavior than to try to snarl away the bad. I'm still not very good at the timing of my treats, but the change in method made all the difference with two dogs.
I don't know anyone in your region. I do know a good trainer in Philly, whom my vet recommends highly. I'm not suggesting you come up here, but if you need help finding someone there, I can contact my vet's local person and ask for ideas.
The level of trauma our bodies endure when colonoscopies come into play is not expected. Our internists instruct us to work with the colonoscopy centers and adhere to their instructions. Then we discover the most difficult part of self care. Our collective experiences are seldom discussed in the company of friends let alone strangers and infinite interaction with cyber beings. My personal experience was a four year illness that resulted in my flora getting knocked out of wack. A four year hell of no sugar, bread, dairy. This interesting illness led to my immune system properly stopped. It kicked up an autoimmune disease that sent me to talking one to one with the reaper. We assume the liquid cleaner and fasting and doing our part to conserve our lifespan is business as usual. I survived the near fatal dance with a colonoscopy. Miss Holly as well. This procedure is not to be taken lightly although “routine “. Our MDs could benefit greatly from understanding our fears, our humanity and our bodies distress. We are all unique yet we are all considered horses. I’m a Zebra. There are many Zebra. I’m just glad a woman of integrity and character has the courage to discuss and enables me to share this hell I too went through.
I have an eleven-year-old rescue pittie. (If you hear “pit bull” it’s pretty safe to assume it’s a rescue). She weighs 50 lbs. and as a young ‘un her favorite activities were running 5 miles on a treadmill at full speed and on an incline, dragging a tire, and yanking me off of my feet every time she saw another dog. She did not like the other dog. I don’t know how she knew this but she did.
We are both older now and slowing down. She sleeps a lot and even short walks merit three or four hours in a coma. She’s had ten cancer surgeries and is on chemo and I’m very slowly saying goodbye to her.
And so, when I opened the front door last night and there was a cat ten feet away, color me surprised when she launched her (leashed, because I’m not idiot) suddenly two-year-old self straight at the cat, who DID. NOT. MOVE. Perhaps it was deaf, or pooping, or stupid.
I’m not a cat fan but I’m not a monster so I kept her snarling, screaming (pits make an otherworldly noise when they’re really committed to mayhem) self from the deaf, pooping or stupid cat and went on our walk.
It took twenty minutes for her to forget about the cat. Every fast-twitch muscle fibre was on full alert and she practically danced through the walk. Upon return to our front yard she remembered the now-departed cat and launched a frenzied search and sniff mission to satisfy herself that her earlier threats had satisfied their purpose.
It’s 10:50 AM and she’s still asleep. I will miss my sweet girl when the day comes, and I know last night was a shock to both of us but I confess that even at the expense of the cat’s mental health, seeing Bonnie’s long-lost youthful vigor return for a few minutes made me a little wistful for our youths.
Aww so sweet! Lilo is only two so here’s hoping for some comas eventually
Bonnie has been on Prozac since she was two. Maybe Lilo would enjoy better living through chemistry.
We tried to get training for Mia The Entitled Princess Shih Tzu Who Must Always Have a Pillow to Rest Upon--mostly to keep her from killing Mittens The Cat when our older son brought said cat home from college. We missed the chance to train Mia when she was young, because we only got her when she was six years old and set in her ways. We wanted her to respond to some basic commands and also not kill a cat, but our trainer decided that the entire regimen of training would be focused on getting Mia to relax. There would be no commands. We were just supposed to get her to CHILL. Everything else, in theory, would come later. But our training budget and our patience ran out long before we got there.
And how does one get a dog to be chill? other than pot which I am open to
Massage was involved. Massage and infinite patience.
We failed.
The cat is still here, but she is kept on a floor that the dog never goes to.
Haha I have the same problem with my 11 month
Old puppy who leaves around like he’s king tut, looks at me like I’m the strange one and basically bosses us around until we cater to his every whim. Who’s the boss around here?😂🤣😂
Lol’ed a lot, we have a 6 month old rescue pup who eats a toddler sock nearly every day. What was I thinking lol. Love her tho.
Does she pass it or does she need a colonoscopy
So far has always passed them 😅 or committed
* Vomitted *
When it comes to a dog that needs intimidation, this is my move.
Stand with your feet slightly apart ready to make a martial arts move. Catch the dog's eye and stare. Get as angry as you know how to be— no angrier. Pretend your dog is guilty of genocide. Start jumping up and down and shrieking maniacally. If the dog runs away, pursue it. End by sticking your face in the dog's face, staring to deliver the message, “I meant that."
Remember, with some dogs either you are Hitler, or they are Hitler.
God gave us anger or reason. This is the exact same move that Jesus made in the temple with the money changers.
Also, let your walks be enjoyable for both you and the dog. I don't think that's the time for discipline, because your dog isn't big enough to be a problem.
I just freak out at home whenever the little mut makes you angry.
I recommend finding a trainer who uses positive reinforcement/behavioral modification. Leash pops are bad for you and the dog. They also come out a model of dominance vs submission, which in turn is based on old and subsequently overruled science on how wolf packs operate (and probably prevails among male trainers because of well, the kinds of primate displays of dominance we saw in the Oval Office last week. Look at how well that went. Positive reinforcement focuses improving the connection between human and animal with rewards (usually high value food) for good behavior rather than leash pops for bad.
It took me a long time to come around to this notion. I'm a daughter of the OPC, after all, who went to an OPC-allied Christian school which had a literal board of education, and male teachers who believed it only worked if it left bruises. (Not on me; I was a compliant child, and had learned at home to keep my objections to myself.) But eventually I learned that it really did work better to reward the good behavior than to try to snarl away the bad. I'm still not very good at the timing of my treats, but the change in method made all the difference with two dogs.
I don't know anyone in your region. I do know a good trainer in Philly, whom my vet recommends highly. I'm not suggesting you come up here, but if you need help finding someone there, I can contact my vet's local person and ask for ideas.
The level of trauma our bodies endure when colonoscopies come into play is not expected. Our internists instruct us to work with the colonoscopy centers and adhere to their instructions. Then we discover the most difficult part of self care. Our collective experiences are seldom discussed in the company of friends let alone strangers and infinite interaction with cyber beings. My personal experience was a four year illness that resulted in my flora getting knocked out of wack. A four year hell of no sugar, bread, dairy. This interesting illness led to my immune system properly stopped. It kicked up an autoimmune disease that sent me to talking one to one with the reaper. We assume the liquid cleaner and fasting and doing our part to conserve our lifespan is business as usual. I survived the near fatal dance with a colonoscopy. Miss Holly as well. This procedure is not to be taken lightly although “routine “. Our MDs could benefit greatly from understanding our fears, our humanity and our bodies distress. We are all unique yet we are all considered horses. I’m a Zebra. There are many Zebra. I’m just glad a woman of integrity and character has the courage to discuss and enables me to share this hell I too went through.
Another one that had me doing the mad dash to the bathroom so I didn't wet my pants. Be the alpha dog Holly, you know you can do it.