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How to Introduce Children to Your Dog – Use A Clicker

Jun 18th, 2013 by

How can a clicker help you safely introduce a child to your dog? Watch and learn.
A little girl sleeps with her dog.

5 Steps to Introducing a Child to Your Dog

1. Make sure the child has a space where they can watch the dog from a protected spot. Behind a baby gate or from a crib should work.

2. Allow the child to smell and taste items belonging to the dog—toys, blankets, etc.

3. Charge the clicker. Click and immediately pop a favorite treat into the child’s mouth. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Some treat ideas? Cheerios, M&Ms, blueberries, or small pieces of cheese.

4. When the child looks calmly at the sitting dog without screaming or waving her arms, click and treat.

5. Slowly increase the intensity by having the dog walk or play while clicking and treating the child for her calm response.

Eventually, after many days of incremental progress, the child will be able to calmly approach the dog from the side and pet him nicely.

What have we learned from this simple method to introduce a child to your dog?

Don’t Take Dog Training Advice From People Who Know Nothing

Yes, it was a joke, people.
 
Little boy meets a dog at the park.
 
I know a little about training dogs. I know far less about raising kids.

In my defense, clicker training is an effective way to teach people (click the link to see a fun video on clicker training the Fosbury Flop for the high jump). I suspect a clicker would be a great tool for teaching pre-verbal children.

But teaching children and dogs how to interact safely is too important to leave to a moron. Luckily, there are some awesome resources for keeping children safe around dogs.

This information is so useful you should bookmark this post now and send it to everyone you know who is introducing their dogs to children or children to dogs.

But what if you don’t have kids, don’t want kids, and none of your friends have kids. Is any of this important?

What Every Dog Person Should Know About Kids

They’re everywhere! Where do they all come from?

You’d almost think they were the result of something fun, like sex.

Honey the Golden Retriever is a puppy chewing on her toy.

When is it too early to teach a puppy to be gentle with kids? Never.

When Honey and I are out walking, I see kids pointing her out to their moms. Most of the time, their parent tells them to politely ask if they can meet my dog. But every once in a while, a toddler will slip her leash run toward Honey shrieking and waving her little arms.

I don’t worry.

  • We worked hard to teach Honey bomb-proof bite inhibition.
  • Honey can sit and stay calmly in the presence of a runaway toddler.
  • If the parents don’t take charge of their child, safety first. Honey and I can outrun any toddler, if necessary.

Unless you life in a retirement community, you probably have kids around you too. And even retirees have visiting grandchildren.

Don’t wait. Check out the resource list above. And make a plan.

Who knows? If you prepare your dog for children, you might be more likely to bite than they are.

Your Turn: How does your dog respond to children? Have you done special training or preparation to help your dog cope with kids?
 
photo credit: Girl with her dog by najarich via photopin cc and Little Boy with pup by rumpleteaser via photopin cc. Click images to learn more about the photographer.

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Posted in Puppy Training, Responsible Dog Guardians | 9 Comments »

Take Control to Feel Less Scared – Good for the Dog; Good for You

Jun 17th, 2013 by

Does taking control of a situation make you feel less scared?

I don’t know about scientists. But sailors know it’s true. And so do dog trainers.

How Does a Dog Control a Kayak

Honey enjoys kayaking. But when the motion of the boat startles Honey, she responds. She stands up.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever rides in a kayak on Cayuga Lake.

Uh oh, the Captain has abandoned the ship. I’d better stand up.


 
It happens when we face into a wake or wave or when we bump over a log or rock in the shallows.

I’m not sure what she’s hoping to accomplish by standing. I think a few things go through her mind:

  • she can see better 
  • she’s less passive and takes more responsibility for her balance
  • if she had to, she could jump out of the boat.

The greater “control” she feels when standing is an illusion. But it’s an instinctive way of dealing with her mild fear.

I don’t think it’s an accident that effective training techniques give a dog a greater sense of control.

If trainers work to give dogs choices when they’re afraid, should we be doing the same thing for frightened people?

Fear on a Sail Boat

Very few people sail on our lake in October. What’s the meteorological term for typical conditions? Oh yeah, yucky.

The first season Mike and I learned to sail, we went out at the end of October. The sky got very dark, it started to rain, and the wind started gusting to around 25-30 miles per hour (40-48 kph).

The boat heeled to 40 degrees in the gusts. When that happens, things start flying around in the cabin and everyone aboard has to hold on tight.
 

A sailboat has a severe heel.

Yep, that’s definitely more heel than I’d feel comfortable with. (Not Pam & Mike; click image to learn more about the photographer.)


 
Mike’s a cool cucumber and he got us home without much help from me.

But there were two times I felt more comfortable. First, when I was braced in the companionway that led below. And second, when I was standing on the roof of the cabin clinging to the mast while I tried to figure out how to bring some sail down on a boat I knew little about.

Both positions gave me a feeling of more control. And standing on top of the boat gave me something to do—try to reef the sail and hang on for dear life.

But when I was clinging to the mast, that was the one time Mike looked scared. He wasn’t in control. And he had no way of knowing I was going nowhere because I was going to stay on that boat no matter what.

Ultimately, neither of us were in control.

But the illusion of control makes us feel less scared.

Gain Control to Feel Less Scared

One thing that frightens me more than falling into 40 degree water from a sailboat during a storm is dealing with computer code.

What if I screw up? And lose years of work?
 

Honey the Golden Retriever smiles in her Doggy Ride bike trailer.

I bet I’d feel more comfortable if you just taught me to drive.


 
I’m reluctant to ask for help from someone who knows more than I do. Why? Because if I learn how to solve a problem for myself, I’ll feel more in control. And less frightened when the next problem comes up.

I can’t control what happens on my computer. Not really. No more than Honey can make the kayak ride less bumpy by standing up.

But if I can convince myself I have a little more control, maybe it will give me more confidence to face the next problem.

And having enough courage to tackle new things is good for the dog. And good for people.

Your Turn: Does feeling a sense of control make you less fearful? How about your dog?
photo credit: BotheredByBees via photopin cc

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Posted in Good for the Dog; Good for People, Reflections | 12 Comments »

5 Reasons I Rely on My Vet in a DIY World

Jun 15th, 2013 by

Dog in a bike trailer.

The original owner of the bike trailer, Shadow. Our vet managed her care when she had cancer and referred us to other specialists.

Thanks to the internet, you can:

  • learn how to castrate your dog (don’t; it’s terribly cruel)
  • diagnose animal illnesses
  • buy home vaccinations
  • “prevent” and “cure” disease
  • and regulate your pet’s diet.

So why does anyone bother going to the vet?

Here are the 5 reasons I take my dog Honey to the vet for her check up every year.

1. The Internet Lies.

I love the internet. But it’s full of nonsense.

According to the internet, the 1969 moon landing was a fake, Elvis Presley is still alive, and the most effective way to train your dog is to treat him like a wolf (even if wolves don’t act the way these proponents say they do).

See? Nonsense.

To keep her licensing current, my vet reviews current scientific literature before newspapers, televisions shows, and websites distort it to promise something the researchers never intended.

If I see something intriguing online, I ask my vet about it. She usually knows just what I’m talking about and has information about the research that inspired the information.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever is a puppy chewing on her toy.

If you want to be popular, take a puppy to her first wellness vet visit. Who could resist this face?


 

2. Going to the Vet Saves Me Money.

Honey can’t tell me how she’s feeling. But annual vet visits are one way I can look for problems before Honey is sick enough to show symptoms.

But I’ve also saved money directly.

Honey’s heartworm medicine was on a recall list. The office manager gave me a credit for the pills we hadn’t used and applied it to our new bill. If I had bought the heartworm preventive online, I would have lost that money.

3. A Caring Stranger Sees Things I Don’t.

Have you ever seen someone after a long absence and been shocked at how different they looked? Yeah, me too.

But I bet their family didn’t notice any changes.

When you live with someone every day, they change slowly over time and you never notice it.

The vet, who only sees Honey once a year (hopefully), will notice changes in her mood or appearance that might escape my notice if they happened gradually enough.

4. A Vet Keeps Good Notes.

At Honey’s last appointment, our vet looked at her chart and said, “I noticed last year you were asking about Honey’s fear issues. How’s that going?”

I didn’t even remember bringing that up with the doctor.

We were starting Honey’s bike cart training and someone suggested I mention Honey’s timidity to my vet in case it had a medical basis. I had forgotten about it. But it was right there in Honey’s chart.

At the time, the vet didn’t believe Honey’s lack of confidence was caused by a health issue. And several months of training that boosted Honey’s confidence proved the doctor right.

But I found it helpful that our vet was keeping track of these things for us.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever rides in her bike trailer.

I thought this trailer was for taking me to the dog park and to get ice cream. I didn’t know it also went to the vet.


 

5. I Want My Vet to Thrive Financially

I’ve never seen anyone mention this in their reasons to go to the vet. But it’s very important to me.

I want my vet to make money.

I want her to invest in her staff so they stay for many years. I want her to have the equipment she needs to provide excellent care to her patients. And most important to someone without a car, I want her to afford the rent for her downtown office only 8 blocks from my house.

We have many excellent vets in our area, including a world-class vet school. But without a car, they might as well be on the moon for all the trouble I’d have getting to them. I feel very lucky that the vet I would choose regardless of her location is easily available to me. In a pinch, I could carry Honey if I had to.

Rely On Your Vet

More Americans than ever live with pets. But fewer of them visit the vet annually.

Pets will pay the price. But so will their people.

It’s hard to medically care for someone who hides her pain, doesn’t speak English, and is covered in fur. So why make it harder by ignoring one of the best resources available to you—your vet?

Even in a DIY world, I’m happy to rely on my vet.

Note: I’m very thankful to the vets and staff at Cornerstone Vet Hospital. I’ve had bad vet experiences in the past. And it only makes me appreciate your good care even more. Thanks.

Your Turn: Are you fortunate enough to have a vet you trust and like working with? If so, what do you appreciate the most?

 

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Posted in Responsible Dog Guardians | 15 Comments »

Dealing with a Fitness Fail

Jun 14th, 2013 by

Honey the Golden Retriever is coaxed into her DoggyRide bike trailer.

You agreed to join K9 Kamp and now I have to ride in this damn cart? You’d better have some good snacks there.

It’s the eternal question:

If your fitness plans go wrong, do you curl up on the couch with a bag of chips or pick yourself up and make a new plan?

Because my plans for K9 Kamp went wrong this week and could have caused a big fitness fail.

Let me refresh your memory.

K9 Kamp challenges a dog and her person to get fit together by adding an extra 30 minutes of activity 3 or 4 times a week. But we put our own spin on the challenge because Honey needs to gain a few pounds and I need to lose more than a few pounds.

I decided our activities should make me work harder than Honey, like kayaking. Or pulling her in my bike cart.

But Honey had other ideas.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever jumps into her DoggyRide bike trailer.

Yeah, I remember how to do this. But I can’t guarantee I’m staying.


 
We spent last year teaching Honey to ride comfortably in my DoggyRide Bike Trailer (affiliate link). By the fall she was doing great. Then winter came and we haven’t worked with her in 7 months.

I knew Honey wouldn’t hop into the cart immediately. But I thought with some good snacks she’d remember the fun we had last year and I could take her for a few short rides this week.

Honey wasn’t interested.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever sits in her DoggyRide bike trailer.

I’m in. Are you happy?


 
She stepped into the cart without too much coaxing. She even got her whole body into it once or twice. But it was quickly obvious we wouldn’t be riding anywhere this week.
 
Honey the Golden Retriever hops out of the DoggyRide bike trailer.

Honey has left the bike cart.


 
Damn, now what am I going to do for K9 Kamp? Time to get out the chips make a new plan.

To make sure I got more exercise than Honey, we changed our regular routines. On a walk, I practice Honey’s recall. But instead of hiding behind a tree and waiting for her to run back to me, I asked her to sit and stay while I jumped around like an idiot (thank heavens it’s summer or the students in the high school overlooking our favorite creek would have gone insane). I burned a few more calories and tested Honey’s ability to sit despite distractions before calling her to my side.

When we played fetch, I raced her to the ball. And yes, it counts. Because I’m bigger I burned more calories than she did running the same distance.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever poses in front of her Doggy Ride bike trailer.

I’d rather sit pretty in the hot sun than ride in that damn trailer. Unless… you don’t happen to have some liver, do you?


 
Sorry I don’t have any pictures. My camera has a setting that prevents the lens cover from opening when I’m embarrassing myself too much.

It was a good lesson for me. I’ve had my fitness plans interrupted before when I sprained my ankle running (Ithaca has terrible potholes). And when my bike’s tires go flat (again, potholes).

I have a list of ways Honey can exercise when it’s yucky outside—nose work, fetch, tug. But I need to keep my own list at the ready. Because life is conspiring to keep me from being fit.

Your Turn: Has your dog changed your fitness plans? How did you deal with it?

Fit Dog Friday badge

 

 

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Posted in Responsible Dog Guardians | 28 Comments »

What if Dogs Planned Summer Vacations?

Jun 13th, 2013 by

Honey the golden retriever is sad when camping.

What do you mean it’s too early for s’mores? It’s NEVER too early for s’mores.

If your dog planned your summer vacation, how would it be different?

♦ Instead of calling “shotgun” to see who rides in the front, dogs would bark and the last one to let out a woof has to drive while everyone else gets to chase the car.

♦ The people would go to the kennel and come back smelling like shampoo and dog biscuits.

♦ Tours of historic sites would include where the first dog chased a squirrel, the Catsylvania battleground, and monuments to Lassie, RinTinTin, and Benji.

♦ They’d already have tickets to the big summer music festival, Barkaroo, featuring Sir Paul McBarkney, Tom Petties and the Heartbreakers, and the Icelandic singer, Bjärk.

♦ The cooler of food for the camping trip would be empty by the first rest stop.

♦ To get a break from the daily grind of snacking, napping, and sniffing, the dogs would “staycation” at the office.

♦ Everyone would complain about the long lines to meet Goofy and Pluto at Disney World.

♦ The local science museum would hire extra security for their new exhibit on bones.

♦ Every holiday snapshot of the family would be a butt view.

Honey the Golden Retriever fetches her ball in Flax Pond.

I’m so glad I found a beach where people are allowed to roam off leash.

♦ People would only be allowed on the beach if they were attached to their dogs by a six-foot leash.

♦ Long hikes would never end at the trailhead because the deer, chipmunks, and squirrels everyone would chase just wouldn’t run in that direction.

♦ After returning home, another vacation would start the very next day. After all, why shouldn’t you have fun more than once a year?

 Your Turn: What kind of vacation would your dog plan?

Update: Some people had trouble seeing the graffiti on the lighthouse in yesterday’s Find the Puppy Wordless Wednesday post. I’ve blown up the image and include it here.

A pop-eyed pug decorates the Cayuga Lake lighthouse.

Graffiti of a pop-eyed pug decorates the lighthouse marking the inlet on Cayuga Lake at Ithaca.

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Silly Stuff | 13 Comments »

Find the Puppy – Wordless Wednesday

Jun 12th, 2013 by

I look for puppies everywhere.

Honey the golden retriever passes the Ithaca light house in a kayak.

You’re not going to find any puppies near the lighthouses. I’m the only one out here.

But I was surprised to find this one.

 

Kayaker with a dog passing a lighthouse in Cayuga Lake.

Why are you looking for puppies out here? You got me.

Did you spot it?

No, not Honey.

Look again.

Pug graffiti on Cayuga Lake lighthouse.

That smooshy faced thing isn’t nearly as cute as I am.

Extra credit if you recognize his little Japanese friend.

Japanese wood sprite graffiti on a lighthouse.

Would you call that an anime puppy?

Your Turn: Where’s the most unexpected place you ever found a puppy?


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Posted in Silly Stuff, Wordless Wednesday | 26 Comments »

Julia Child Loved Cats

Jun 11th, 2013 by

Julia Child is a public television deity in a holy trinity that includes Mr. Rogers and Big Bird.

Imagine how popular she’d be if everyone know how much she loved cats.

Two cats in Provence.

Two cats in Provence.

We Love Julia

Julie Child was an unlikely television star. At six feet, two inches tall (188 centimeters), she was a striking, if not conventionally beautiful woman.

And that voice!

Her close friend, Jacques Pépin, called it “shrill and warm at the same time.”

I loved watching her show when I was a kid. She looked like she was having so much fun. And although I could never imagine cooking the complicated French dishes she made on her show, I was sorely tempted.

Who wouldn’t want to be as confident and fun-loving as Julia Child?

Julia Loved Cats

Julia Child has been the subject of several documentaries and even a feature film. Several autobiographies have been written about her. But not until Patricia Barey and Theresa Burson wrote, Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats (affiliate link) did I have any idea how cat crazy Julia Child was.

Apparently her love of cats (documented thoroughly in her letters and photographs of her) was not important enough to include in her biographies, until now.

Julia Child adopted many cats throughout her life. She wrote extensively about their escapades to her family. And she decorated her letters with her collection of cat stamps.

Julia Child said, if you're afraid of butter, use cream.After she wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 50th Anniversary Edition (affiliate link), Child traveled frequently. Production of The French Chef for public television took even more time and meant she could only indulge her kitty love while vacationing in Provence. When she returned to Cambridge for the next television season, she left her beloved cats with her close friend on whose land she had built a house.

But even if she couldn’t always have live cats with her, Child filled her house with cat tchotchkes and artwork. She took in strays and found them new homes.

If Julia Child hadn’t discovered her love of cooking first and had been born a few decades later, I’m reasonably sure she would have become a cat blogger.

Passion Is Irresistible

Honey the Golden Retriever is not a dog I am afraid of.

Did you say we’re getting a cat? When?

When Julia Child cooked a Sole Meunière, I wanted to head to the fish market. When she reminisced about French bistros, I’d start checking bargain airfares to Paris. And now that I’ve read her descriptions of her beloved poussiquettes, I imagine introducing Honey to a kitten.

Happy, passionate people are hard to resist. And Julia Child appeared to be both.

I may never be able to turn out a perfect, crusty French bread. I’ll certainly never speak fluent French. But there’s a pretty good chance I could come to love cats.

And that’s not a bad way to imitate a television deity.

Your Turn: Were you a Julia Child fan? Did you know she was a crazy cat lady?

It’s Pet Travel Tuesday. You can see my full review of Julia’s Cats at A Traveler’s Library.

Disclaimer: Books links in this post are to Amazon. If you buy something using the link I will earn a few cents but you will not pay more. Thanks for supporting Something Wagging This Way Comes.

 

photo credits: Phil Denton via photopin cc and  Andrea Schaffer via photopin cc. Click images to learn more about the photographers.

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Posted in Pet Travel Book Club | 18 Comments »

Taste Doesn’t Matter – Good for the Dog; Good for You

Jun 10th, 2013 by

Unless you’re talking about kibble, taste is the least important thing ever.

So why did I ever make such a big deal about it?

Honey Has Good Taste in Dogs

It probably wouldn’t surprise you that Honey is attracted to Golden Retrievers. If she spots one in a crowd or on the street, she wants a closer look.

Honey the Golden Retriever poses on a dog bench at Provincetown, MA..

Hey, you said if I got up on this bench I’d see Golden Retrievers. You tricked me!

But other fuzzy dogs also capture her eye.

Abby, for instance, lives in our neighborhood. She has long hair and a floofie tail like a Golden. But that’s where the resemblance stops.

Abby doesn’t find Honey the least bit interesting. But Honey loves Abby. If we see Abby and her person a block away, we have to alter our path to say hello or we’ll never finish our walk.

Despite Honey’s tastes running to Golden Retrievers and other fuzzy dogs, she has become good buddies with the hound mixes we’ve fostered, especially Cherie.

Honey’s taste runs toward Golden Retrievers. But she knows that other dogs also make great playmates. Even if they don’t cause her to run over to say hi.

Good Friends with Bad Different Taste

I used to think taste was important. I assumed that if someone’s taste in music, movies, politics, animals, architecture, etc. was different from mine, I wouldn’t enjoy spending time with her.

What a stupid notion.

Here’s what finally convinced me.

Honey the Golden Retriever plays tug with her person on the beach.

You like playing tug? You’re ok in my book.

I once tried to watch the show, Family Guy. I didn’t expect to like it. After all, the main character is drawn with testicles on his chin (go look and tell me I’m wrong). But everyone was raving about it so I decided to give it a chance.

I made it through ten minutes of the most sexist show I had ever watched before switching it off in disgust. And then I started the internal rant. “No wonder women continue to be treated so badly. This is entertainment?”

(In fairness to the creators of the show, it may have turned out better by the end. But I couldn’t take any more misogyny in my evening’s entertainment.)

The next day I mentioned my experience to a friend who said, “Oh, my daughter and I love that show.” She rocked my world.

You see, my friend is the best person ever. She’s a community leader. She has parented any number of children who needed a reliable, loving adult. And besides being a near saint, she’s a lot of fun with a good sense of humor and is someone who loves to dance.

She’s certainly not the mouth-breathing, evil, woman-hating person I imagined watched that show.

And then it hit me. It’s only a matter of taste. And taste is not terribly important.

Bad Friends with Good Taste

I thought back to a long friendship I had in Philadelphia. This friend had excellent taste. At least it agreed with mine.

We especially liked going to the movies together. And our tastes were so similar that if she recommended a film, I’d see it without reading a review or synopsis just based on her opinion.

After a long car ride, I realized how unlikable this friend was. She was totally self-absorbed. And she shared shockingly inappropriate information with near-strangers. (If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Let me just say that my husband never expected the Brooklyn Bridge to be where his knowledge of my friend became equal to that of her gynecologist.)

It was during that drive that I realized our friendship only lasted because we spent most of it sitting quietly in the dark watching movies.

Dog (And Cat) Lovers Have Great Taste

Just like Honey knows that a good playmate doesn’t necessarily have long golden fur and a floofie tail, I’ve learned that good friends have very different taste.

Honey the Golden Retriever poses with hound mix Cherie,

True friendship doesn’t come from enjoying the same things. But from looking out at the world together in an open way. Woof!

As I check out the blogs and Facebook pages of friends I’ve made through Something Wagging This Way Comes, I see a wide world of different tastes. Many of the people I’ve come to love the most, adore things that I can’t stand: NASCAR, Disney World, Dancing with the Stars, the Cheesecake Factory, 1980s pop music.

And I bet many of you would go insane if you were forced to enjoy my favorite things: baseball, long talky movies with no plots (anyone for My Dinner with Andre or Wings of Desire?), folk music, camping, and sailing. As I look at my list of favorite things, I see activities that many people describe as slow and boring.

Luckily we have one really important thing in common: a love of animals and openness to learning more about them. I think that’s a wonderful foundation for a deep and long-lasting friendship.

And who knows? Maybe the way Honey has learned that houndy dogs with short coats are fun to play with, I’ll learn to appreciate the musicality of Rick Springfield or the adrenaline rush of cars racing in circles.

But even if I don’t, I’ll be happy to realize that true friendship has nothing to do with taste. And that’s one lesson that is as good for me as it is for my dog.
Your Turn: Does your dog have strong tastes? Do you? And do you think they’re important?

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Posted in golden retriever, Good for the Dog; Good for People, Reflections | 22 Comments »

Why Do We Expect So Much From Dogs?

Jun 8th, 2013 by

“Do I really have to go to that party? I won’t know anyone and I’ll feel so awkward.”

“She just rubs me the wrong way. If she wasn’t my sister-in-law, I’d never talk to her.”

“I know the store is only 2 miles away. But riding my bike on the road scares me. What if I get hit by a car?”

Sometimes we’re socially awkward. We dislike people for no reason. And we’re scared to try new things.

No big deal, right? We’re only human after all.

Then why do we expect so much from our dogs?
 

My dog rides in a canoe.

Shadow didn’t ask to go canoeing. But she was happy to be with us and she figured out how to balance in the tippy boat.

 

The Life of a Dog

Most dogs make very few choices. They

  • go on walks where and when it’s convenient for their person,
  • eat what’s put in front of them (unless the counter or garbage happens to be unguarded),
  • socialize with whoever approaches them.

They rarely get to choose who to live with. And I’ve never heard of anyone asking the dog whether he thought they should have a baby.

Luckily, dogs are amazingly adaptable.

They form a bond with us. And they are happy to share our lives, no matter how chaotic and unpredictable they may be. And they do all this without human reasoning to make sense of what’s happening around them.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever puppy lies down with a root beer bottle for company.

They call it socialization. All I know is if they keep dragging me out to crazy events when I’d rather nap. It’s enough to drive a puppy to drink.


 
But some dogs find life in human society harder than others.

Their loving people have the job of explaining why their dog barks and growls at someone else’s off-leash dog who is “just being friendly.” They face the pressure of friends who don’t understand why they can’t just put the dog in a kennel and go on vacation for a long weekend. And they start to feel a little nuts from managing every interaction between their “crazy” dog and the rest of the world.

But dogs aren’t crazy. They’re just acting like humans.

Some Dogs Are Like Neurotic Humans

A happy, well-adjusted dog barks, roots through trash, rolls in stinky stuff, sniffs butts, and growls when someone irritates her. That’s normal dog behavior. And some people devote most of their relationship to trying to keep their dog from behaving like a dog.

A dog challenged by life in our world does all those doggy things. But they also bark insanely when someone walks by the window, pull and lunge on leash at every strange dog or person who comes within 30 feet, or cower at loud noises.

Some people see those dog behaviors as problems. But I see their human equivalents all the time.

A person who can’t tolerate any challenge to his political or religious world view reminds me of a dog snarling at the mail carrier through the window. Someone who uses sarcasm or insults to push people away reminds me of a dog snarling on the end of his leash. And the person who fears trying anything new makes me think of a dog cowering from distant gunfire.

We don’t consider people with neurotic behaviors to be failures. We give them talk radio or television shows and pay them millions of dollars. Others become famous comedians. And some are just the quiet person on the block doing the same thing every day.
 

Honey the Golden Retriever watches Santa rappel down the side of a building.

Aren’t I socialized enough? I can’t imagine why you need me to see the bearded guy in red rappelling down that building.


 
So why do people get so upset when dogs aren’t “perfect?” Y’know, when they’re acting just like regular humans?

What People Think of Dogs

I know what the problem is. People think too much of dogs. And people think too little of dogs. Here’s what I mean.

Dogs are heroes.

They guide blind people. They rescue babies from burning buildings. They sniff out land mines.

Deep down, we know that very few dogs (and very few people) rise to these lofty expectations. But somehow we want all dogs to be noble and heroic. We think too much of them.

And yet we also think too little of them.

We expect them to follow us on the end of their leash without expressing any opinion about where we go or what we do. Some people routinely pull their dogs away from anything they want to explore on a walk. Who has time for all that sniffing?

We think too little of them to care about what they want.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see every dog (and person) as she is? Appreciate her for just that? And let her have the coping tools she needs to be comfortable in this world?
 

Honey the Golden Retriever plays tug on the beach with her person.

Ah, finally you’ve listened to me. This is what I’ve been waiting for all day.


 

Dog Coping Tools

People mediate to clear their busy thoughts. They watch tv to drown out anxiety. They go to therapy to heal past wounds.

How is that different from a dog wearing a thundershirt? Practicing calm reactions with a clicker and treats? Or taking medication to lessen anxiety?

This isn’t a world-shattering notion to most people reading this. You’re already crazy enough to read nearly 1000 words about human expectations for dogs.

And the people who need the biggest attitude adjustment about dogs will never see this.

But if you’re living with a dog who doesn’t meet society’s expectations for a perfect dog (and that would be most of us), I hope you’ll be encouraged.

You’re not the crazy one for listening to your dog, loving him as he is, managing his anxiety, and helping him cope with a world that doesn’t always make sense.

You respect him for being a dog. And being no crazier than any human.

This post was inspired by Bella, Silas, Boogie, Morgan, Desmond, Ducky, and every other wonderful, crazy dog lucky enough to be loved by someone just as crazy as they are.

Your Turn: Do most people have unrealistic expectations for dogs?

 

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This K9 Kamper is a K9 Kayaker

Jun 7th, 2013 by

Honey the Golden Retriever waits to go kayaking.

What’s taking you so long? Get those kayaks down here. My feet are getting wet.

She has curvaceous, strong legs. A slender, shapely waist. And long, golden hair.

Let’s face it. Honey is a babe.

I feel like a schlub walking beside her. Luckily, K9 Kamp has given me an idea.

The K9 Kamp Challenge

The K9 Kamp Kommandants, Jodi of Kol’s Notes and Peggy of Peggy’s Pet Place, challenged me to spend 30 minutes more exercising with Honey 3 or 4 times a week.

But since Honey is skinny and I’m trying to help her gain a little weight, I’ve tweaked the challenge. I need the extra exercise more than she does.

How can I add two extra hours of exercise to our week, bond with Honey while doing it, and keep her from burning any extra calories until she puts some weight back on?

I’ll plan exercise in which I have to work and Honey doesn’t.

Our first activity? Kayaking.

Kayaking at Kamp

Kayaking is the perfect exercise to give me a workout instead of Honey.

  • The extra 45 pounds makes it harder to paddle the boat.
  • Honey’s presence in the front of the kayak means I can’t use my legs to paddle so I’ll work my arms and core harder.
  • And if I get tired, Honey can’t take over without opposable thumbs.

Besides all that, we pull our kayaks on a cart six blocks to our put-in spot and have to carry them down a steep bank to get to the water (and back up the steep bank to return home).

Throw in some angry cross winds and power boats to dodge and you’ve got yourself a workout.

One calculator predicts I burned 971 calories. And that wasn’t taking into consideration the extra 45 pounds in the front of the boat or fighting the wind.

I couldn’t find a calculator that told me how many calories Honey burned watching me paddle. But I bet it wasn’t too many.

Success!

Honey the Golden Retriever is a kayaking dog.

I don’t know why you think this is going to be such good exercise. The current will take you out to the lake even if you don’t paddle a stroke.

 

Honey the Golden Retriever is kayaking down Fall Creek.

See? We’re halfway to the lake and you’re not working hard at all.

 

Honey the golden retriever passes the Ithaca light house in a kayak.

Ok, I take it all back. That wind was scary. I’ll be glad when we get around the lighthouse and return to my nice quiet creek.

 

Honey the Golden Retriever splashes in the creek after kayaking.

That was quite a workout. What? You expect me to pull you out of the water?

 

Koming to K9 Kamp

What’s next for the Kamping K9 and her Kourageous Kaucasian (whew, this alliteration is getting tough!)?

Stop back next week. And join the fun yourself.

After all, if you stop making excuses about exercising, the only thing you’ll lose is your but (and maybe your butt).

 

Fit Dog Friday badgeIt’s the FitDog Friday Blog Hop brought to you by SlimDoggy and co-hosts Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love. Join the Hop or just enjoy the links below – lots of fun fitness tips and advice!

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