The Dog Blog

Choosing a dog can be tough, whether you are an experienced dog person or a potential first time dog owner. There are both ethical and practical implications. During the next few weeks I am going to go over these issues and provide you with some advice and homework (for when you are looking.)

As I walk into the park by my house I see a man kicking a dog that is down on the ground. He is methodically kicking the dog and saying “AAHAT” each time.

I rush over and say, “Please stop”! The man hurls an epithet or two and mutters that he “knows what he’s doing” and then goes back to kicking the dog. I tackle the man to the ground. The dog is then taken by a two women that had been watching and wincing with each kick. They call the police.

I subdue the man and the police arrive and arrest the man. He is convicted of animal cruelty and serves a year in jail.  I am considered a “hero”.

However what if the man says “ I am a dog trainer, I wrote a book, I am a behaviorist, I have been helping dogs for 20 years”!

Then would I go to jail for assault? Would the “trainer” get away with his “methods”, and I am then considered the problem?

Now that Bubbles has had her final set of puppy shots and she's getting a much better grasp of basic puppy stuff, we're getting out on adventures daily. House training in the eye of this particularly brutal winter is daunting but surmountable. But getting her out regularly, keeping an eagle on her when in the house and managing (Pillar 5) her is the key. She is learning a "go potty" cue and is also getting that being ruffled and cooed at is ALMOST as good as homemade dehydrated beef jerky.

Yesterday was a 7-poop walk. Just two from Claude and five from other dogs with owners, who either didn’t notice what their dog was doing, or didn’t have a poop bag at hand. I always carry at least two bags with me because Claude is a serial pooper. For example, this morning he pooped three-times on the walk. Nonetheless, I always try to get all the poops in one bag. I know this is more information than most of you need to know but this is interesting … I think I have unintentionally trained Claude to be a Poop Detection Dog — a PDDX in fact.

Lately, I have been taking a bunch of classical conditioning treats on walks because both Hugo and Claude have been jumped on and bitten recently. Claude simply ignores most attacks (as he ignores lots in life), but he is getting old and I would not want the onset of geriatric grumpies to change his stellar doggy demeanor. And so, whenever we see other dogs (and people), I offer him a food reward.