Take it to the Max!
Created | Updated Jan 13, 2009
Happy Birthday Dear Maxim!
Well, we finally received his official papers which confirmed that his date of birth was 24th June, so therefore on Christmas Eve he was 6 months old. In doggy terms this is real teenager time, and signs of his male horomones kicking in are evident. We'll have to wait until he's fully mature before we can "take him to the vet to get tutored!" as I euphemistically keep telling him. Whilst neutering can be done at an earlier age, it does have the drawback of stunting the dog's maturity, and you could end up with a dopey mutt.
Two steps back
We had a week of despairing recently, where it seemed he had gone backwards: instead of getting better at sleeping through the nights, he was waking earlier (4 something am is not my best time of day), and after being house-trained, he had a couple of wee-wees indoors. I rolled up my sleves, set my chin to 'determined', and resolved to conquer the barking thing. Research told me that whilst it was all very well going for shock collars or citronella sprays, unless the cause of his barking could be determined then these were just treating the symptoms, and not likely to lead to a permanent solution. A bit of observation and analysis convinced us that he was too unaccustomed to being left on his own, and so would experience separation anxiety when waking. We moved his crate from the freezing cold garage into the warm and cosy utility room, which had the added advantage of being at the back of the house, and therefore less likely to be heard by the doctor next door. We went back to using the crate for sleeping in, as he is less likely to pee in what is his bed. And - the piece-de-resistance - we left a piece of unwashed clothing on top of the crate, so that the comforting smell1 would calm his anxiety. One week after this new regime, he had woken at around 5.10 each morning, but just given a little whimper and then gone quiet again until after 6, and more recently he has even gone to 6.30 (when the humans' alarms go off) without a squeak. Huzzah!
Going for Bronze
We are still persevering with training class - he gets bigger and stronger every day, so it's really important that he knows and will respond to basic commands. The Kennel Club runs a Good Citizen Dog scheme, and the entry level is the bronze award. Owners are expected to know a dog's basic needs (food and water, place to sleep, knows its place in the hierarchy, i.e. not the leader of the pack), to have the dog properly licensed, and to always carry the means of cleaning up after him. On top of that, the dog has to show that he understands various commands, such as recall. One that Max does very well is the contol going through a doorway or gate. At the gate, the commands given are 'sit' and 'wait', while I go through the gate, then call him after me, turn round, get him to 'sit and 'wait' again while I close the gate, before continuing the walk. 'Stay' is another command that is tested for the bronze Good Citizen award - he has to stay in one position (either sitting or lying down) for a full minute, while I have the lead at full stretch. Much of his improvement in behaviour is down to the new gentle leader collar we got at around Christmas time: it acts by putting some pressure at the back of the dog's neck, where its mother would lift it, which in turn makes him more obedient.
Splash
He does need a lot of exercise, particularly somewhere he can be let off the leash and have a bit of a jump and run around. Recently we've been taking him to an old fisherman's path near the tow path by the River Lagan. It's a lovely spot, with water gushing over a weir, and swans gracefully swimming on the river. The path between the river and an old mill stream is quite overgrown and doesn't get many other users, so he's safe enough to be let loose, and thoroughly enjoys the freedom of being able to charge up and down the path, sniffing the various smells. Last Sunday, as he was leaping about, I heard an ominous splash. Rushing to the spot where the ripples were, I couldn't see him at first, and my heart froze. Would I have to kick off my Uggs and leap into the freezing cold water? Then I saw his little wet face peering up at me from right next to the low concrete wall. Should I try to get him to swim a few metres to where there was a bank he could clamber out onto? I decided to go for a more immediate approach, and reached down and grabbed the scruff of his neck with my right arm. Although the wall was vertical, he was able to scrabble a bit with his claws and get some purchase to assist the ascent, and once his front paws were up he wriggled his rear end up with relative ease. And oh what a sorry sight was my soggy doggy! I got him home as quickly as possible and towelled him dry with a big warm towel. He must learn to stop chasing the birds...
And finally...
I've blatantly pinched this from the jokes thread, cos it made me laugh out loud:
Ten Peeves that Dogs Have About Humans
- Blaming your farts on me...not funny... not funny at all !!!
- Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG!
- Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?
- Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it!
- Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.
- The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo Hoooooooo what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.
- Taking me to the vet for 'the big snip', then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!
- Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
- Dog sweaters. Hello ??? Haven't you noticed the fur?
- How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.
Now lay off me on some of these things.
We both know who's boss here!
You don't see me picking up your poop do you?
