Canine Training & Behavior | Grimm's Furry Tail

Archive for the ‘Canine Training & Behavior’ Category

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Posted in Art & Photography, Canine Training & Behavior, tagged Dog, dogs, Friendship, Grimm, imitation, Pets, photography, pit bull, Rufus, training on June 5, 2013| 27 Comments »

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If so, Grimm has been given the best compliment of all by his buddy Rufus. If Grimm chases a bunny, Rufus chases after Grimm and the bunny; if Grimm starts to munch on a stick, Rufus munches on the same stick with him; if Grimm decides to commence a raid to steal a shoe, guess who has appointed himself his sidekick? Yep, mini-Grimm…err…Rufus.

Grimm decided to survey the yard from the safety of the sunflowers. Rufus decided to join him, but since his legs are so much shorter than Grimm’s, he gave himself a boost.

The attraction between these two isn’t just one-sided, either. Grimm now expects his minion to follow his lead. If I let Grimm out alone, he waits at the bottom of the deck until I let Rufus out with him and then the two of them race off around the yard to find their next adventure. Sometimes, though, Grimm loses Rufus in the tall grass and brush in the empty field. Grimm comes tearing back, but Rufus, with his stumpier legs and clumsier movement, can’t keep up (it’s like watching a rhinoceros chase a cheetah). Because he is too short to see over the grass, he stops and turns in a circle, looking for Grimm. If he sees him, he comes running. If he doesn’t, he waits where he is, confident that his friend will come find him. Grimm then sighs, looks at me as if to say,”Why can’t he find me?”, then turns around and goes to collect him.

Rufus sticks by Grimm, even when foraging for tasty edible plants.

Even Zella is confused by their love affair. Sure, they both still play with her and she plays with them, but it is a rarity for her to have one-on-one playtime with one of the boys. Lately, she has taken on old Charley’s role as referee and lets them know when they are too rowdy or rough. Sometimes, she even leads the whole gang in their outside adventures, but after a while, the boys get bored (and a little jealous) of her finding all the bunnies and go about doing their own thing. Zella very rarely follows them–she likes to forge her own way and is more independent.

Rufus mimics Grimm’s movements and eats the exact same leaves he does.

I should just start calling my wonderdog duo Grufus. Why use both names when they are always together? I should just save myself the trouble. The real trouble, though, is that when these two are deep in their Grufus universe, I don’t exist. Sure, they both still seek out my affection and are enthusiastic upon my return home from an absence, but their obedience goes out the window. If I tell one to come, but the other is allowed to stay outside, then the one who was supposed to come back to see me just pretends he didn’t hear me. I have no reward readily available to trump their joy of just getting to be together.

Grimm tastes a leaf, finding the juiciest tidbit…

…and Rufus joins in, performing a perfect synchronized taste test.

To prevent my two young hellions from combining to form one monstrous demon, I need to work on increasing their independence from one another. Sure, it’s great they have a true brotherly friendship, but the co-dependence isn’t really that healthy. Grimm already has some remnants of separation anxiety when he is away from me and I don’t need Rufus to have the same when away from Grimm. Time to work on increasing Rufus’ self-reliance. He can do things on his own, but he does prefer to have Grimm by his side as his role model. Grimm, I know, just likes having a minion around.

Rufus poses by himself in front of the sunflowers. Independence in a dog can be a good thing.

Grimm makes a good role model, but I don’t want Rufus to become an exact copy. Plus, some of Grimm’s habits are not ones I necessarily want Rufus to have. I don’t want to shatter the bond they have, but I do want to give them individual opportunities. They each have so much to offer and I need to allow their own personalities to shine. They are canines, not clones. Time for Grufus to become Grimm and Rufus again. No more monkey see, monkey do. Independence training, here we come!

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The Poop On The Pillow

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Life & Musings, tagged Dog, dogs, embarrassment, Grimm, Humor, Pets, pit bull, poop on May 3, 2013| 47 Comments »

If you own dogs, or any pets for that matter, you have to have a healthy sense of humor. Dogs either have the best timing in the world or just know instinctively how to embarrass us humans. I think, really, they are just trying to keep us humble.

No one likes to speak of the dark side to owning pets. They are, after all, animals who never apologize for their bodily functions, follow their instinctual drives and go where their nose takes them. If that happens to be your boyfriend’s crotch, well, tell him not to make any sudden moves.

Oh, please don’t bring up all the embarrassing things we do!

Over the years, I have definitely been annoyed, embarrassed and angered by (and apologetic for) my dogs behavior and actions. I wonder, though, how many times my dogs may have thought the same about me? Even though we live on the same planet, our worlds are entirely different and I am constantly amazed that we have made it thus far together.

Take, for instance, poop. Humans don’t like to talk about it (generally—I have a few friends who always have to bring up some aspect of their bowels during a conversation). Dogs, on the other hand, use it as a calling card, a treat or as a way to make our lives just plain miserable. One day, I even woke up from a very pleasant slumber to roll over and find poop on my pillow. Poop…on my pillow…looking at me with it’s little poop face. Charley, my old geriatric dog, had unknowingly dropped a solid turd during his sleep, and since he has a bad habit of resting his derriere on my pillows, said turd had a very comfy resting place.

It’s not enough that I’m constantly toting little green bags around whenever we go for a walk—from my dog’s perspective, since I immediately bag the waste, they must think I am fascinated by their excretions. Really, I’m not. But if I don’t scoop the poop, then either: 1) I step in it or 2) the dogs step in it and drag their poop-foot all over the house or 3) the dogs step in it and then jump on someone who is over for a visit and smear poop on them (try explaining to a hysterical friend that the mud they were angry about my dog getting on them is actually feces). I won’t even go into the whole eating-of-cat-poop nightmare. Poop breath is, well, poopy.

Those wild young 'uns can keep their rough, hard sticks. I prefer comfy, soft beds. And yep, you ain't seeing things. I do have my rump on my owner's pillow. I make my own rules--ain't nobody gonna tell me I have to use a pillow only for my noggin. [Needless to say, guess who's changing their sheets today? Thanks, Charley, for putting your dog butt on my pillow.]

There is a very good reason why I don’t let Charley sleep on my bed anymore. He has his own bed now.

Related to the poop issue is the butt and genital licking issue. I know canines don’t use toilet paper, but dear God, the licking is out of control. I have three male dogs in my house and the penis licking never stops. If they are not licking their own, they are licking each others. I know…too much information. But while I’m sharing all their deep, dark secrets, I might as well bare all. And, speaking of baring all, Zella, my female dog, has no shame. She lets it all hang out all the time.

Zella likes to let it all hang out. Even Rufus is a little embarrassed by her lack of modesty.

Another instance where my dogs and I have differing opinion is in the olfactory department. They just can’t seem to grasp the concept that dead things are not perfume. Grimm especially likes to generously apply his cologne—eau de putrid—after I have spent considerable time either giving him a bath or right before I have to be somewhere and really don’t have time to bathe him. Having to smell and then clean the death slime off my dogs is slowly driving me insane. I don’t even understand how one dog can find so many dead things. He must have them stockpiled somewhere where only he knows. My neighbor has even been a witness to the downfall of my sanity caused by the smell of decay.

One day, after Grimm coated himself in a particularly slimy dead thing, I drug him to the hose to commence the decontamination process. I happened to start a conversation with Grimm while I bathed him.

“Why would you do this? Why do you roll in dead things? This is just disgusting. I mean, what is this? Not only do you stink to high heaven , but you are coated with yellowish grease! You are driving me crazy!”

My neighbor, who happened to be walking by, stopped to witness the spectacle before him without my being aware of the fact. Here I was, berating my dog and talking to myself, while the stench of a rendering plant wafted through the air. I’m pretty sure my disheveled appearance left no doubt in his mind to the depths of crazy I had fallen.

I heard a chuckle and my neighbor said to me, “When that dog of yours tells you why he does the things he does, I want to know, too. He does look pretty proud of himself, though.”

“How long have you been standing there?”, I asked.

“Long enough.”

“Long enough to decide I am a completely crazy person, you mean.”

“Pretty much, but also long enough to see how much you love that damn dog.”

He left, chuckling to himself and I couldn’t help but start chuckling, too. The absurdity of the situation made me laugh out loud and Grimm, in response to my laughter, wagged and wiggled, causing death-slime water to sling all over me. I laughed louder. I probably even got some death juice in my mouth and eyes. I completed my chore, dried Grimm off and went inside. I was tired after all the scrubbing and was ready for a nap. I told myself, the only thing that would make my day complete would be to find a piece of feces on my bed. It would have been the icing on the cake…or, in my case, the poop on the pillow. I giggled to myself. What else can you do? It’s either laugh or cry, and I chose laughter.

Even fresh after a bath, Grimm sniffs the air, triangulating the location of his next source of death cologne.

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A Lesson On Chewing

Posted in Art & Photography, Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Parody, tagged chewing, Dog, dogs, Grimm, Humor, lesson, munching, Pets, photography, pit bull, Puppy, training on January 21, 2013| 22 Comments »

Everybody knows that puppies like–need–to chew, but did you know there was a particular art involved in this skill? Me neither, until I caught Grimm today tutoring Rufus, the foster puppy, on the ins and outs of gnawing, munching, grinding and chewing. Apparently, Grimm has some super advanced, PhD degree in this oh-so-subtle canine art form. Abbreviated “CMM”, it means “Canine Master of Mastication”. After all the things Grimm has chewed up and destroyed in his young age, why am I not surprised?

“Rufus, there are several body positions used when munching an object. I’m demonstrating the standing technique, while Zella illustrates the prone technique. Observe closely.”

First, Grimm had Rufus watch while he demonstrated appropriate chewing techniques. He discussed textures, shapes, appropriate tongue and jaw placement, body positioning, using paws for object stability and even chewing hazards, including owner anger over inappropriately munched items. I had no idea Grimm even thought about the possibility of broken teeth or wooden shards embedded in his mouth when he chewed, much less my feelings on the matter. I guess he really does have a CMM degree.

“Here, Rufus, we’ll start with this frisbee.”

Grimm started Rufus’ lesson on chewing with an already broken-in frisbee. After the frisbee gnawing was mastered, he moved Rufus on to sticks (both twigs and larger limbs) and then to bones and, finally, pupil’s choice. Rufus was a very dedicated student and listened intently to his master’s suggestions in order to achieve optimal item destruction. I’m sort of getting worried–having two dogs with advanced CMM degrees in my house may lead to complete home wrecking.

“How am I doing, Grimm? Is my technique okay?”

“Grrrr…this twig is chewy and it tickles my nose. No fear, though, right Grimm?”

“What do I do if I get a splinter in my eye? ‘Cause I think I got a splinter in my eye. Do I need safety glasses?”

“How long should I gnaw on this bone before I just give up? It’s really hard.”

“For my pupil’s choice item, I found this weird papery thing to chew on. Tastes like wasps.”

Finally, after all the munching, Rufus’ jaws were mostly worn out. Grimm told him he was a quick study and gave him an A+ for the day’s work. If they keep this pace up each day, I won’t have anything left in the yard to chew, much less dogs with teeth.

“Show me your play-bite-and-hold form, Rufus. I’ll be your sparring partner.”

They decided to move on to a different area of schooling–canine play and tackling techniques. Don’t tell me Grimm has a PhD in canine kinesiology, too (although nothing about Grimm should astonish me at this point)! I guess I should just be happy Rufus has such an excellent teacher, as I know without a doubt that Grimm is a master at giving affection. Hopefully, that will be Grimm’s next lesson for his young student (even if his pupil is already well on his way to conquering that skill without Grimm’s help). I’m optimistic this A+ puppy will continue to thrive–with Grimm as his teacher, he can’t fail.

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It Takes A Pack

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Life & Musings, tagged Dog, dogs, foster, Grimm, Humor, musings, Pets, pit bull, Puppy, training on January 11, 2013| 22 Comments »

Take two days of rain, add in one old dog and three young ones, mix in some outdoor play time and what do you get? If you answered mud puppies, you are correct. Other answers that would be considered acceptable would include: dirty floors, happy dogs and an owner wishing for a maid and/or personal assistant.

The red pup with no name (yet…I’m working on it) is still here with all the other pooches. I have to stop and remind myself that he has only been here for nine days and that it can take considerable time for a foster to find a new home. It’s not that I don’t like the boy (because I do), it’s just that I feel like he is growing up too fast and he is bonding fiercely to me and my critters. If he finds a permanent home, I think I will feel a bit guilty taking him away from his buddies.

He has become Grimm’s little minion. They will wrestle and play for a good bit but eventually Grimm gets exhausted. At this point, I usually find the pup imitating a land shark by hanging off of Grimm’s rear legs by his puppy teeth. Grimm, who is now too tired to care, just drags him around and eventually just sits on him. The pup never gives up trying to get his big, black foster brother to re-engage in puppy battle. I never thought I’d see the day, folks, but Grimm seems a bit worn out by crazy puppy antics.

Grimm and the pup race ’round and ’round the tree. If the pup catches up to him, Grimm’s legs become chew sticks.

Zella has set fairly strict boundaries with the new arrival. When he starts acting the fool around her, she quickly lets him know he is not being amusing. The pup calmly accepts his rebuttal and goes to find Grimm. Usually by this point Grimm is already worn out and looks at me for help. This is when the red pup gets to practice crate training and gets to munch on a tasty kong toy filled with peanut butter and other fun edibles.

Zella attempts to hypnotize the pup into submission. If you look closely, you will see that she already succeeded in subduing a ladybug.

Charley pretty much just does the same thing he always does: sleep, eat, referee when he feels it’s needed, and sleep some more. The pup definitely respects his much older elder. He only tried to jump on Charley once and all Charley did was look at him, as if saying, “Really? I am too old and tired to mess with the likes of you, boy.” The pup seemed to understand and hasn’t tried it since. He is always on his best puppy behavior when old Charley is awake and around. Charley is like the godfather in the woofers world. No one messes with him.

The pup can feel Charley watching him and knows not to try any shenanigans when the old patriarch is around.

Each of my dogs has a slightly different relationship with the new arrival and he is learning much from all of them. Grimm instructs him on the joys of friendship, Zella teaches him the importance of boundaries and self-control and Charley shows him how to show proper respect. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I guess it takes a pack to raise a pup.

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Time Marches On

Posted in Art & Photography, Canine Training & Behavior, Life & Musings, tagged Chinese New Year, Dog, dogs, Grimm, life, musings, New Year, Pets, photography, pit bull, resolutions on December 31, 2012| 14 Comments »

As 2012 draws to an end and 2013 takes over, we resolve to change things about ourselves. With a new year comes new opportunities, new beginnings. A fresh year washes away the stains of the old and we are given a new start. Why a new year is needed, I can’t say…one of our human weaknesses, I guess.

Canines need no such delineation of time. They take each day as it comes with no lingering thoughts on the past. Something not working for them? They alter their approach immediately. They make no excuses or apologies for their behavior or actions and they never resolve to change anything…they just change. We wish they would stop eating the cat poop, getting on the counters, digging in the garden, munching flip flops…and we can change these behaviors by training and conditioning a dog. Canines, however, don’t consciously make an effort to change for anyone other than themselves. If something works, why try to fix it? Something not working? Try another tactic.

That’s what we humans do with a new year. It is a chance to try new tactics and fix what isn’t working…or so we resolve. Sometimes we are successful, sometimes we fail and try again the next year. For me, I have resolved to break the rules a bit and follow the canines example and heed the lessons I have learned from them.

Be yourself. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain, even when it may not be popular to do so. Celebrate your individuality and take a stand for your own beliefs. Do what feels right and because you believe in the outcome.

Share what you have with others. Even if it is only your time or experience, giving away a part of yourself may make a tremendous difference to someone else. More often than not, you will gain something in return.

Stand up for the little guys. Don’t allow the weak to be bullied by the strong. Speak out when you see an injustice. Help those that need a hand. One day you may be the one who requires assistance.

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t beat yourself up when you fail. Learn to laugh at yourself and your mistakes. We are only human after all.

These are the lessons I’ve resolved to incorporate into my life. Time marches on and I’m not getting any younger. Life is too short to worry about the little things. I resolve this year to make no more yearly resolutions. If I follow the advice of the woofers, I shouldn’t have to. Here’s to another year of life, lessons and laughter…let’s make it a happy one!

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Weight of the World

Posted in Art & Photography, Canine Training & Behavior, Life & Musings, tagged behavior, Dog, dogs, Grimm, musings, Pets, photography, pit bull, think, weight of the world on December 17, 2012| 10 Comments »

Grimm has seemed very pensive lately and I’m not sure why. Is it a sign of maturation? Of innocence lost? He’s not sad or depressed as he still plays with wild abandon, but I feel like I should get the boy a journal or something. What deep canine thoughts flow through his brain?

I think my pup is growing up. He seems more serious at times and is more apt to pay attention in his lessons and training. He has also decided to start alerting me to outside noises and what he considers to be possible threats. His watchdog bark starts deep enough, but when he thinks he hears something that really needs my attention, he goes into a “WOO-WOO-WOO” yodel which, frankly, isn’t really scary and is more humorous than anything. His “sister”, who is about 25 pounds lighter than he is, has a much fiercer bark. Grimm does, however, have a much more intimidating appearance–until he starts wiggling. If someone actually ever broke in, I’m sure he would give everything away for a few chest scratches. The other dogs? Charley would sleep through the whole ordeal and Zella would probably bring them a rope to play tug. Tough dogs I’ve got, huh?

Grimm still frolics and chews like crazy, but he actually chews on his own toys nowadays which, even up until a couple of weeks ago, was unheard of. He is starting to actually stay seated for attention and doesn’t knock me down nearly as often when he tries to sprint out the back door. Is his training finally paying off or have my wishes been granted? Maybe it’s a combination of both. Or maybe I’ve just forgotten that he has always had a contemplative aspect to his personality, as the picture above, which was taken recently, has a lot in common with the picture below that was taken almost a year ago. Maybe my canine is just a deep thinker at times…okay, rare times, but still at times. As long as he doesn’t take on the weight of the world and become too serious, I think I can manage.

“Wash the weight of the world from your shoulders.”

~Unknown

“We are shaped by out thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

~Buddha

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In Full Swing

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Play & Recreation, tagged Dog, dogs, Grimm, Humor, Pets, pit bull, swing, Tarzan, tug, Vine on November 23, 2012| 7 Comments »

Apparently Grimm thinks he is some sort of Tarzan. See for yourself:

“AaaaaaahhhhUhUhAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUhUhAaaaaaahhhh!!!”

Earlier this week, he and Zella decided that it would be awesome to mimic beavers and gnaw one of the climbing arms of my Lady Banks rose off of its base. This old rose has climbed all over the hackberry tree it neighbors and thus this vine was very well anchored in and around the tree. Once separated from its base, the vine then became a free-floating, dangling stem for the dogs to grip onto and hang from. Zella quickly tired of the swinging-from-the-vine game and decided to go munch on a frisbee instead. Grimm, however, thinks he is some gravity defying Cirque du Soleil protege and refuses to leave the vine alone.

When he grabs the vine with his mouth, his front legs can no longer reach the ground. At times, his whole body is dangling from the rose vine as he slowly twirls in a circle. He tugs and wrestles with the organic climber but no matter how hard he tries, he cannot pull the vine down. He has, however, caused the vine to knock against some of the dead limbs of the hackberry tree which support it, so at least he has managed to prune the tree for me.

Zella also pretends she is Tarzan at times, although she likes to swing from a proper rope and not a vine. Here she is doing her impersonation of soap on a rope.

Some dogs really enjoy tugging on a rope or other such toy. Certain breeds, especially pit bulls, American bulldogs and other “bully breeds”, have a deep, ingrained desire to grasp, hold and tug. This was originally what these types of dogs where bred for and this genetic trait can be seen in our dogs today. With their big ol’ heads and strong necks and jaws, these dogs can literally dangle from a rope or other such instrument. However, this sort of grasping and grappling isn’t so easy on their teeth, especially when you have a dog like Grimm who now thinks any tree branch within mouth’s reach would be fun to try to hang from.

See any splinters in there? Take a good look–this may be the last time Grimm has pretty teeth. Because he likes to hang from woody vines and tree limbs, he may soon start looking like a hillbilly.

Tarzan…I mean Grimm…hopefully will become tired of swinging from his vine. It looks like this vine may very soon become too high for him to reach. All of his chomping and tugging has slowly whittled away it’s end. Time to get out more ropes so I can save my trees. Apparently my dog has a chainsaw for a mouth.

“AaaaaaaahhhhUHUHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUHUHAaaaaaaahhhhh!!

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Nosing Around

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, tagged curiosity, Detection dog, Dog, dogs, Grimm, Humor, nose, nosy, Pets, pit bull on November 14, 2012| 2 Comments »

I think I have the nosiest dogs in existence. I’m glad that they have enough confidence to stick their snouts in random bags and boxes, but it gets a little embarrassing when they start to investigate other people’s private purses. With the way they want to sniff and explore inside bags and satchels, you would think they worked as detection dogs. I can guarantee, however, that my canines have never earned a dime moonlighting as sniffer dogs (unless you count the time Grimm almost ate the coin that he found while rooting under the driver’s seat of my car).

Whenever I come back from shopping or if a package arrives, all three of them immediately start sniffing and nosing at the bag or box. They don’t steal anything from the bag, even if groceries are present; they just seem to want to check out the wares.

These three dogs may be some of the biggest busy-bodies you ever did see.

Me: Hey, guys, haven’t you ever heard the saying, “Curiosity killed the cat?” Leave the bags and boxes alone. Nothing in there is for you.

Zella, Charley & Grimm: What do you mean, curiosity killed the cat?

Me: You know–it’s a warning. Something you might not expect may cause you harm if you poke around in something that is not your business.

Grimm: Are you saying that someone is trying to kill us? Well now we’ve really got to sniff and inspect all the packages–maybe there’s something dangerous in there…or even a dead kitty.

Me: I give up.

All my canines act like little kids when I come back from the store. What’s in the bag? Whatcha got there? Is anything for us? They do, however, seem to know when a certain box of food or treats or a toy is for them. I don’t know how they figure this out, but they do. They’ll pay more attention to the canine item in the bag than they would to a human one even if it is something they have never seen (or smelled) before. How do they know ? It’s almost spooky at times.

Grimm can be a nosy little bugger.

A dog’s nose is truly a remarkable organ. Their sense of smell is said to be more than 10,000 times more sensitive than ours. We have utilized this ability from the day the first human partnered up with the first canine. A dog’s nose has helped our species in so many ways over the centuries. It allows us to procure food by tracking prey or finding and retrieving game; helps us to avoid danger by sniffing out explosives and contraband; provides us with a way to search for our missing, wounded and dead; and more recently assists us in detecting cancer, mold, termites, bedbugs and other natural dangers. Dogs have allowed us to make the world safer and more accessible because of their awesome scent detection.

As impressive as a canine’s nose may be, when it is shoved in areas it doesn’t belong it can become a nuisance, like when a pooch pokes his or her sniffer into someones crotch. My dogs don’t do that (thank goodness) but I have had to apologize when my canine’s cranium has been buried neck deep into some friends purse or backpack. I have no idea what my dog was looking for, but their busy-body, nosy self just had to take a peek. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but nosiness seems to have distinguished the dog. Seems dogs also have a talent for spinning deterrents into assets.

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The Wonder Years

Posted in Art & Photography, Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, tagged behavior, Dog, dogs, Grimm, growing up, Humor, Juvenile delinquency, Pets, photography, pit bull, teenager on November 8, 2012| 10 Comments »

Lately I’ve been hearing from everyone who runs into Grimm, “Wow! He’s got a big head!”. Even people who see him on a daily basis comment on how much bigger it seems. I tell them two things: he’s a pit bull, so he’s going to have a fat head and he is still only a teenager in dog years and still has some filling out to do. Sometimes, because of his size, people forget he still really is just a big puppy…although now he’s a big puppy going through the teenage stage.

“Did someone say I have a big head?”

The teenage years in dogdom can be aggravating. Think we humans have a monopoly on juvenile delinquents? Think again. All of my dogs have gone through a teenage rebellious age–interestingly enough, the girls of the species have always been the worst. In my case, it isn’t because my dogs are reaching sexual maturity (as all have been spayed or neutered at or before reaching six months of age), but because they are becoming socially mature. They are still learning the ins and outs of the world and, like us humans, tend to get into more trouble as they learn from their mistakes. They have their own wonder years–the transition from pup to adult–and during this time, they are putting out feelers to see what they can (and can’t) get away with, both with people and other dogs.

Case in point: Grimm couldn’t seem to be serious today about taking some photos. All I wanted was a nice portrait to commemorate his growing up. This is what I got:

“You like this look? This is my gangsta’ face. Peace, yo.”

See what I mean? Delinquent, for sure. I’m pretty sure if he were able, he actually would have thrown some popular hand signal into the mix–peace sign, not the other. He wouldn’t dare to be vulgar, I hope.

The pictures didn’t get any better as the day went on. I thought making him pose with Zella would make him take things a little more seriously. Nope. See for yourself below:

“Is this a pretty face? I’m a boy–why do I have to look pretty?”

Because Grimm ruined the picture by sticking out his tongue, I had to take one of Zella by herself so she would at least have a decent portrait.

Zella is much happier when she doesn’t have to have her photograph taken with rambunctious Grimm. Like a typical little brother, he always tries to annoy her.

After several more failed attempts to take a nice portrait of Grimm, I resorted to bribery. “If you sit still and smile nicely like the handsome young dog I know you to be, I will play frisbee with you. Please. Do this one thing for me.” Finally, he did:

See? Was that so hard?

Grimm mostly is a good boy. Sure, he drives me crazy at times like most teenagers do. All I can say is thank goodness I don’t have to worry about teaching him how to drive or underage drinking or teenage pregnancy. Now if we can only solidify the fact that flip flops are not in fact food, we’ll be doing okay.

I always thought the reference to the wonder years as a rite of passage had to do more with the youth wondering about how the world works. Really, now I think it has more to do with wondering if the youth will survive long enough to reach adulthood. It’s not about the wonders of the world, but the questioning of, “Are they going to make it?”. Sometimes I wonder about Grimm: will the crazy decisions he makes and the crazy antics he performs allow him to reach maturity? Only time will tell. It’s not that I let him play in the street or run rampant–he just does perplexing things (as I’m sure you’ve read about on this blog). Between his obsession with eating plastic frisbees (and then vomiting bloody foam and frisbee pieces days later) and not watching where he’s going (he runs into things constantly with his large cranium), well, all I can say is we’ll see. I wonder how many times my parents thought the same about me.

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Life in the Fast Lane

Posted in Art & Photography, Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Play & Recreation, tagged behavior, Dog, dogs, Grimm, Humor, life in the fast lane, Pets, photography, pit bull, play on November 3, 2012| 4 Comments »

Grimm has been operating in only two modes lately: dead to the world and go speed racer. He is either passed out cold or running full blast. I bet you can guess which rate of motion drives me crazy. Why can’t he have a happy medium? To make things even more interesting, he somehow enlisted Zella in on the action, so now it is double the anarchy, double the fuss.

Charley tries to help me keep the younger ones in line. He referees their play and corrects them when they get too rowdy. When they are especially bad, Charley bores them to tears with stories of life when he was younger. “Back in my day, we didn’t have them fancy frisbees you young ‘uns love to chase. We had to chase old tin pie pans…or rocks…or if you were really lucky, you got to chase a stick.”

Grimm never just walks anywhere anymore. He sprints…and makes himself an obstacle course, too. For example, if he and I are leaving the bedroom to, say, go to the kitchen, he sprints out the bedroom door, jumps completely over the two steps that lead into the living room, jumps onto the couch, runs it’s length two or three times, jumps off the couch and runs a lap or two around it, scoots under the kitchen table, commando crawls under a dining room chair, then speed slides into the kitchen where he comes to an immediate halt and sits pretty, waiting for a possible treat. Makes me tired just typing it. At this point, I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if my Evel Knievel canine decided to add a circle of fire to his route. Why he can’t just walk straight from the bedroom to the kitchen is beyond me. My room is only about 25 feet from the kitchen–Grimm’s circuitous route has to at least triple the distance. Seems to me the shorter route would get him to the treat faster.

*Boing*! Gotta keep moving! Come on, Zella, no time to waste!

My wild dog does the same thing outside. I expect him to run around when he’s out there, but there’s run around and then there is run A round. Grimm literally runs three full, perfect circles of the yard before he commences exploration of his terrain. He makes up obstacle courses outside, too–over the bush, through the culvert, backflip off the deck and weave through the bamboo. I get dizzy just watching him.

Now I know what you are going to say: you must not be exercizing him enough. Unless I can find an Olympic marathon runner who wants to have a tag-a-long canine training partner, there is not much more I can do. I run him. I work him. I let him play with his canine buddies for hours (three hours today). At this point, I feel like I am just helping him increase his stamina and am shooting myself in the foot. Don’t get me wrong–I tire him out and he sleeps like the dead, but once he’s refreshed, well, life in the fast lane commences–again.

I brought back my frisbee AND Zella at the same time!

Lately, he can’t even seem to just sit still. He’s constantly shuffling his feet and his butt keeps bopping from side to side. I frequently find myself telling him, “Calm your body!” When he’s in a down, he slithers side to side like he needs to itch his back. Really, he’s just inch-worming his way slowly across the floor. Technically, he’s doing what was asked–he’s still down–he’s just not staying put. I have to make everything extremely clear with him. It’s like making a deal with the devil–gotta read the fine print or else he’ll walk on a technicality.

Grimm’s crazy energy seems to correspond with the cooler weather we’ve been having. If it actually gets really cold, maybe he’ll hibernate and I won’t have to worry about wearing him out. This life in the fast lane is tiring business. I’m ready for a slow ride–it’s time to take it easy.

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Too Close

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Life & Musings, tagged behavior, Dog, dogs, Grimm, Humor, loyalty, musings, Pets, pit bull, separation anxiety, training, Velcro dog on September 27, 2012| 178 Comments »

There’s a term people use for dogs that stay constantly by their owners: velcro dogs. These canines are akin to the famous fabric hook-and-loop fastener in that they cling strongly to their person and it can be difficult to separate them. Some velcro dogs will also display separation anxiety and become destructive to property or themselves when unable to be with their favorite human. I should also point out that some people have separation anxiety from their dogs and actually seek out or encourage velcro behavior.

I, for one, like being able to go to the bathroom without being dogged or hounded by four-legged critters. Even the terms “to dog” and “hounding” came about from the fact that canines can be hard to get away from. That being said, I do have a velcro dog. Yep, that’s right, Grimm is as sticky as glue–Gorilla glue, not the puny Elmer’s variety. And, alas, if I forget to close the bathroom door completely, private time becomes doggy social hour. Nothing is more annoying than having a live dog rug underfoot when you are trying to urinate or move your bowels. No amount of threats or shoving mean anything to a dog when your pants are down around your ankles. They know a compromising situation when they see it.

Wait…are you going to the bathroom? I’ll come with you. Oh, you’re just throwing away a piece of trash? I better follow you, just in case. I know it’s only twelve feet away from where we are now, but you may need my help. You just never know.

Now don’t get me wrong–I like having a loyal dog. Loyal as in, “I will warn you of possible intruders” or “I won’t run away with the first person to offer me a tasty treat” or “I will protect you from bodily harm.” Not loyal as in “I will help you flush the toilet” or “I will trip you when you are cooking hot things because I lay behind you when you are at the stove.” I like to think Grimm would perform well in all of the first scenarios and I know for a fact that he can do all of the second ones. This dog is never more than ten feet from me at all times unless we are outside. Even then, he will keep me in his sight.

Charley, in his old age, has developed some velcro dog tendencies, but only when indoors. Really, he is only attached to me when I am sitting down, like when I’m writing or watching something on television. At times like those, he likes to lay at my feet. I can deal with that sort of attachment.

Are you fixin’ [Charley is a Texas dog through and through] to sit down? If so, I’m gonna lay on your feet. Hope ya don’t mind, but if you do, too bad. I’m gonna do it anyway.

Zella, on the other hand, is more independent. She likes to sleep on the couch, away from me and the other dogs, when we are relaxing inside. She’ll watch me to see what’s up, but won’t follow me room to room like Grimm does. When outside, she doesn’t run away or try to escape and comes when called, but she doesn’t have to keep me in her sight.

If you need me, let me know. I’ll just be over here lounging on the couch.

George Eliot (who was actually Mary Anne Evans– but I digress) once said:

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.

While I agree that we, as humans, seek affection from those who would love us despite our short-comings, attachment and affection are not the same thing. Attachment can become co-dependence, co-dependence can become obsession and obsession can become neuroses. A neurotic dog is not something I want to encourage. I don’t want to find Grimm turning into the canine version of Single White Female.

For now, Grimm is working on his stays and learning some independence. To teach independence, I start by increasing his confidence. To do this, I work him in scenarios that he is not entirely sure of (like walking through ladders, climbing on unstable (but not dangerous) objects, jumping over obstacles, etc.) so that he learns he can do things by himself. When I leave rooms, I make him stay on his dog bed and reward him with low-key praise when I return (as long as he stays on his bed and doesn’t come to me–I go to him). So far, he’s doing well. He shows great aptitude in learning new behaviors.

I owe it to Grimm to help him foster some independence. I love the relationship we as humans can have with our dogs. I don’t, however, need an entourage wherever I go. We don’t have to be attached at the hip. As Alex Clare sings, “I don’t want to hurt you, but I need to breathe. At the end of it all, you’re still my best friend.”

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him

to be worthy of such devotion.”

— Unknown

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Powered by Pit Bull

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Play & Recreation, tagged Austin, Dog, dogs, extreme sports, Pets, pit bull, Recreation, scooter, sports, Texas on August 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The weather here in Austin finally cooperated. It was a chilly 77 degrees this morning (I know, all things are relative; but if you live in central Texas, you have to be part reptile, and anything between 65 and 90 degrees is “chilly”.) Perfect weather for EXTREME SPORTS—dog scootering.

Okay, I’ll admit, dog scootering doesn’t sound that extreme, more mediocre at best. And no, it’s not watching a dog scoot around on it’s butt. Dog scootering is akin to dog mushing, but instead of a sled, you use a scooter of some type while the dog/dogs pull you. Some people call it scooter-joring or dryland mushing, but those terms sound no better.

I use a measly Razor scooter because: I already had one handy (yes, I am 35 going on 12); I’m not dedicated enough to the sport to buy a $300 plus scooter; it’s small, light and easily portable; and I find the tiny four inch wheels and low carriage greatly increase the risk of a rock or crack in the asphalt causing a major crash and road rash. I know, extremely stupid, but that’s what makes it an EXTREME SPORT.

I apparently want to make it even more extreme. Only one of my dogs is even remotely trained in formal pulling. Grimm doesn’t know “Gee” from “Whiz” and to him “Whoa” means keep running as fast as you can. He also has a bad habit of looking around and not focusing on the job at hand. Zella has a fairly good grasp of “Gee”, “Haw”, “Go Steady” and “Yip Yip” (I use this as the command for speed up). Grimm does like to mimic his smaller, older “sister”, so he does fairly well for a beginner.

Two extremely fast and agile pit bulls pulling like crazy make for one exciting ride. Zooming along at 15-20 mph (I know, doesn’t seem that fast, but 4 inch wheels/looming death, remember?) can be quite exhilarating. I definitely get lots of comments and strange looks from people. Most people think a scooter powered by pit bulls definitely helps to keep Austin weird. Honestly, though, it’s a great workout for them and me, both mentally and physically. You wouldn’t believe how much you use your core muscles for stability. They sleep like babies the rest of the day.

You will probably never see dog scootering enter the EXTREME SPORTS arena, but trust me when I say it can be extreme–extremely stupid if you’re not careful. Do as I say, not as I do and all that. My dogs and I are just doing our part to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Pit bull power could be another source of green energy, if you’re up for the challenge!

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Get In My Belly!

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Life & Musings, tagged damage, destruction, Dog, Humor, job, money, Pets, pit bull, Puppy, vet on August 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

In a few weeks, Grimm will be one year old. The puppy stage will (hopefully) soon be over. I know, however, that pit bulls can be slow to mature (and Grimm, bless his little heart, is a little slow in everything). I fear, though, that his constant destruction mode will never wane. He is a mouth with legs attached.

I should have known he would be a one-dog-wrecking-crew…even when he was sick with parvo, he still ran amok seeking items to ingest. Apparently, he never received the memo that parvo pups don’t like to eat. He was akin to a baleen whale–he just ran around with his mouth open and whatever filtered in was fair game. Even now, he is finally getting over a bought of gastritis secondary to eating frisbees. He puked up yellow, green, red, blue and purple pieces for days (I haven’t even had a green frisbee around for months, so who knows how long that piece of plastic was floating around in his stomach). What didn’t come out the front end came out the back (and 2-3 inch long pieces of plastic scraping through your intestinal tract can NOT feel good). One ultrasound later, and no obstruction…yet. It is never good news when your veterinary radiologist tells you, “I’m sure we’ll be scanning him again fairly soon. He’s the type to get frequent flyer miles.”

This all got me thinking: how many things HAS Grimm eaten since I rescued him? Let’s make a list along with cost of damage:

1) Seatbelt in car [approx. $250 to replace]

2) Floormats in car [$50]

3) All of Zella’s stuffed toys are now destuffed and mangled, no longer even resembling their original forms (and most are now long gone to the landfill) [$45, Zella had a LOT of stuffed babies]

4) Multiple frisbees (see above) [$15]

5) Two leashes [$20]

6) Vacuum cleaner cord [old vacuum=$85 + new vacuum=$150 for grand total of $235]

7) One metal crate, which led to me purchasing the most heavy duty crate available without special ordering [destoyed metal crate=$150 + new heavy duty ProSelect crate=$350 for grand total of $500]

8) Shoes, shoes and more shoes [at least $225, Brooks running shoes ain’t cheap]

9) One dog bed [$25]

10) Multiple blankets and towels [$50]

11) Door frame [$50]

12) Two books [$15]

Dear God! Why did I make a list? This dog now owes me almost $1500 in damages. This doesn’t even take into consideration the veterinary costs needed to diagnose and treat him, and we’re not even through year one yet. This dog needs a job–anyone need their car or house turned shabby chic? How about an organic paper shredder? Demolition job openings, anyone?

**Sigh** We still have a few weeks to go yet. Cross your fingers that this list doesn’t get any bigger. New puppy owners, consider yourselves warned. I know others of you out there must have similar bad pups–what were your first year damages?

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Windows to the Soul

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Life & Musings, tagged behavior, Canine, communication, Dog, dogs, Eye, Eye contact, language, life, Martin Buber, Pets, soul on July 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.”

–Martin Buber

Have you ever truly looked at your dog’s eyes? Gotten lost in all the colors and patterns, the striations and lines? For that matter, have you really ever looked at your own eye? They aren’t just brown or amber or green or blue; a symphony of color exists in the iris. In people, there have been studies that suggest eyes really are the window to the soul–certain patterns in the iris seem to be linked to certain personality traits. To my knowledge, no one has tested this theory in canines. There have been, however, studies on cognition and perception in dogs by testing their ability to track our eye movements and read our intent. Dogs, they have found, are very good at following our gazes, though some breeds and individuals are better at it than others.

Of all my current dogs, Zella makes the best eye contact. She will watch my face very closely and look where I look, especially when she wants my help in finding a frisbee. She will follow my gaze and go in that direction, periodically stopping to look back at me to follow my line of sight again until she finds it. Grimm “looks” for frisbees by snuffling around with his nose or he follows Zella’s lead–he doesn’t watch my eyes the way Zella does. When Zella is unsure of which toy to bring me to play with, she comes up to me, whines, and watches my eyes closely. When I look at the toy I want her to bring to me, she will return with the correct one. Pointing at the toy doesn’t work as well with her, unless I look at it also. Charley and Zella will make eye contact with me, look at the back door, then make eye contact again when they want to go outside. I am still waiting for Grimm to learn some of these behaviors from them. He pretty much just gallops along wherever they go. Whereas Charley and Zella have seemingly mastered communication using eye contact, Grimm has barely scratched the surface. All of my dogs know the “Watch Me” command, which is useful for getting their attention and keeping them distracted from trouble, but young Grimm has the attention span of a fly.

It goes both ways–we can learn a lot about a dog by looking at their eyes, too. A “whale eye” or dilated pupils in a dog can signal fear whereas squinted eyes can relay excitement or appeasement. Most people at some point have seen the “hard eye” of an aggressive dog or a dog that means business. For some dogs, making eye contact with a human can be considered a threat. Some dogs naturally follow a human gaze, others have to be taught. Learning how to communicate with your canine companion can be challenging–I’m still trying to figure out what works best for me and Grimm. It’s hard enough at times to communicate with other Homo sapiens; I’m always amazed that we humans do as well as we do with Canis lupus familiaris.

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Ring Around the Sunflowers

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Life & Musings, Play & Recreation, tagged chase, dogs, frisbee, Humor, musings, Pets, pit bull, quarry, sunflowers on June 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“If we don’t chase things, the things following us can catch up.”

–L.M. Montgomery

My two younger dogs love to play chase. Up, down, back and forth they race, dancing around each other in a complicated ritual. And, for the most part, their game is ritualized, with an unspoken set of rules. For them, the rules are as follows:

Rule #1: Grimm is always the chaser, Zella (holding a high value toy) is always the quarry. This is how she likes to play the game, and as she is the boss, this is how it is played. If Grimm grabs a treasured toy (usually a frisbee) and flaunts it in front of Zella, she totally ignores him. She will usually go on a hunt for her own frisbee in order to start the game.

Zella starts the game by searching for a frisbee.

Grimm gets ready to start the chase.

Rule #2: The chaser (Grimm) is never allowed to tackle the quarry. He tried that tactic once and Zella quickly put a stop to it (she is very good at effectively correcting another dog without actually hurting the other dog in any way). The chaser may nip at heels, tail or flanks, but he better not actually jump on the quarry. Now, if Grimm gets going too fast and it looks like a tackle may happen or appears unavoidable, he actually now will speed up and jump completely over Zella, at which point she will turn around and sprint the other way.

The chase is on!

Grimm nips at her flanks, and Zella puts on speed.

Rule #3: When the chaser finally catches his quarry, the quarry must play tug with the valuable object before the chase can restart (this is Grimm’s rule, and since Zella set the other rules, it is only fair that he has one, too). This usually lasts for about three to five minutes, then Zella gives him the frisbee. He carries it around for a little while, then gets bored and drops it. He saunters over to some greenery in the yard and starts his impression of a goat. All the while he is munching his greens, he is eyeing the frisbee and pretending not to see Zella sneak around to snatch it up again. As soon as she has it in her possession, the game renews.

Time to play tug.

Grimm watches to see if Zella is going to restart the game. He dropped the frisbee in the middle of the sunflowers.

Zella gets the frisbee to begin the game all over again.

Watching my dogs play their ritualized game reminded me that all of us play our part in our own ritualized games each day. At times we are the quarry, at other times the chaser. I also realized when watching their play that the quarry can have just as much power as the chaser and the chaser is just as much at the mercy of the quarry. Without one, you cannot have the other. For me, this was again another reminder of the delicate balance we face each day, but probably don’t stop to realize it. I would never have guessed that two pit bull’s play could spark an epiphany. Have I ever mentioned what terrific teachers dogs are?

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The Shoes That Were Eaten To Pieces

Posted in Canine Training & Behavior, Humor, Life & Musings, tagged dogs, Fetish, Flip Flops, Footwear, Humor, Imelda Marcos, Obsession, Shoes on June 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

My dog Grimm has a problem. He has an entirely unhealthy fascination with footwear. He cannot help himself. Maybe you could call it a fetish, but if you are a shoe, you are in danger. Sneakers, pumps, loafers, flip flops (oh, how he loves flip flops!)–doesn’t matter. If he sees one, it immediately becomes his favorite chew toy. I know, I know…puppies eat shoes. But, he’s almost 10 months old, so I thought he would have outgrown this by now. Also, I constantly keep the shoes in the house off the floor, mostly behind closed doors, but he’s like a shoe ninja–he uses crazy stealth techniques that a 60 pound dog shouldn’t know. He creeps silently into closets and onto the dresser tops where a shoe may be placed, and sneakily runs off with it. He will take the coveted shoe into his kennel or with him to his dog bed or to my bed and commence destruction. If confronted, this is what happens:

Me: Grimm, is that a shoe?

Grimm: What? No, no… [here he starts to slowly crawl on top of said shoe so that I can no longer see it] I was just chewing on my feet.

Me: Then why is there a shoe lace hanging out of your mouth?

Grimm: Uhhh….hey! Look how cute I am when I roll on my back with my feet sticking up in the air! [he proceeds to roll around on his back with his feet in the air]

Me: Stop eating shoes!!!!!

Shoe? What shoe?

I’m sorry…I couldn’t help it. I think I have a problem…

Nevermind! The flip flop is mine! It is…my precious….

His obsession is getting out of hand, though. When he meets a new person, the first thing he does is sniff and inspect their shoes. Occasionally I see him secretly taste their shoe, but the person doesn’t notice–he or she is too distracted by his banging, whipping, waggling butt and tail that they never notice the doggy drool left on their footwear. I notice, though, and am secretly horrified. I guess it could be worse–he could be one of those embarrassing crotch sniffing dogs.

One of many taste-tested shoes

Hopefully one day my dog will outgrow this obsession, although right now I think he is secretly dreaming of invading Imelda Marcos’ closet. Dreams of shoelaces, treads and heels drift through his little brain. I will continue to try to thwart his actions and hopefully put an end to this irksome (not to mention expensive!) behavior.