Entries Tagged 'Tootie' ↓

We took Tootie to the dog park again. It is the best way to wear her little ass out. I brought my camera along again and got some really great photos that I’ll post a little later. In the meantime, I want you to watch this lil’ home movie I made. It stars Tootie and two other dogs, one of which was feeling slightly amorous. Trust me, you’ve never seen dog on dog action like this.

UPDATE: The dog park photos are now up on Flickr. You could probably not give a shit, but if dogs humping on each others’ faces makes you laugh, then right this way.

All of the sudden and for no apparent reason Tootie began barking loudly and constantly. It quickly became very annoying. So, the boyfriend walked with her outside. She took three steps and stared at the trash can. And that was it, she turned around to go back inside.

So far as we know she was barking specifically in order to go look at the garbage.

I’ve done it.

While out walking Tootie this morning I saw a dog sitting contentedly at the front door of his home. The wooden door was slung open, but the glass screen door was closed, trapping the dog behind it. He just sat there, looking out the window, happy as a lark to be watching the cars drive by or the birds gather on his lawn.

Then it occured to me. I have a glass screen door. I can open the wooden door and allow Tootie a window to the world. This may seem like an obvious solution to you, but for whatever reason it never occured to me.

It never occured to me on all those mornings when I was trying to prepare for work at my computer with her paws digging into my back that she could be fully entertained by an open door. She is particularly wild in the AM, when we typically play the eternal game of In & Out, but now she is sitting at the door, peeking out, not barking or scratching at the pane or anything. Perfectly happy.

Like I said, I am a goddamn genius. Thank you doggie in the window on Thistlewood Lane. You’ve just saved my mornings.

Last night I dreamt that I gave my dog half a Benadryl to make her calm down.

I think this makes me a bad mommy on so many levels.

Today is Tootie’s birthday. She’s one. She’s currently demolishing a file folder in the floor besides me, but it’s her birthday, so I’m just letting her.

The boyfriend is going to cook her a rabbit for dinner. He wanted to buy a live, real rabbit, maybe a lame one, and let her catch and kill it. I told him that was totally fucked up, and that there would be no backyard killings, birthday or not. So he bought frozen rabbit for her instead.

She may get an extra walk or two, also. And a trip to PetSmart for more dog food and maybe a pig ear. But it’s below freezing right now, so we’re staying put. We can play birthday when the sun starts shining a little brighter.

UPDATE: That rabbit was gone in under a minute.

UPDATE #2: Birthday party photos!

You haven’t really lived until you’ve seen (and smelled!) a puppy vomit up your own dog’s poop.

As part of Tootie’s training I must ignore her when we reunite. This is the cornerstone to amichien bonding. If her song and dance of trying to reestablish dominance becomes aggressive, for instance scratching or jumping in the face and biting, she must be removed from the room and placed in time out. After she has ceased barking and whining for ten seconds she may be allowed back into the room with you. You must then ignore her once again. If her ritual of trying to establish dominance by jumping on you escalates to biting or aggressiveness once more, you escort her gently by the collar to the time out room (which you have cleared for any thrashing that may occur.) Each time she is led to the time out room for unacceptable behavior she must wait longer and longer after ceasing barking to be let back into the training room.

This is Tootie’s fourth time in time out. It is sort of like Super Nanny for dogs.

I just let her out of the bathroom, her designated time out room, and she came in and jumped up on me. It didn’t hurt, so I let her. I ignored her while I looked at a few photographs lying on the boyfriend’s desk.  She calmed down for a minute, until I sat down at the computer. She then bit me on the knee. (Her bites are hardly painful–she is barely gripping me at all–she is just trying to remain the Alpha dog.)

So now this is fifth time to time out. She’s hardly putting up a fuss anymore. Just whimpering sporadically. I need to wait a minute and half now for silence before I let her out, since she’s had to go back to many times. I suppose this could go on all morning, though I suspect she’s pretty close to getting it now.

This requires a lot of patience. Something I am short on, so this is training for me, too. I was going to go to a yoga class at the Y at 8:30, but it looks like I’ll miss that now. I’ll just hit the treadmill instead.

If she’s quiet 30 seconds longer I can let her out. Hang on…

I let her out. It went well for a while. She even laid down and gave the sigh that they are supposed to give when they give up the Alpha role. But the second I sat down she starting the fake biting again. So Tootie is now serving her sixth time out sentence. She must wait two minutes after being quiet before getting out.

At this rate I won’t make it to the Y before it closes. This is only Day Two. Let’s hope my perseverance pays off.

The boyfriend bought me this book called The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell after I complained about my dog not knowing I’m the boss. She listens to the boyfriend, but runs all over me. This has to end or every article of clothing I will forever be muddy, and the bruises from her nips and bites will never heal.

I began reading it Friday and finished it yesterday. There is a second book included in the extended paperback that is a 30-day training manual based on the principles of the book I just finished. I haven’t yet delved into the 30-day plan, but I plan to this evening, because tomorrow starts Day One of Tootie’s training.

I’m starting immediately because I can already see good results. The concept is based on wolf pack mentality. Packs have Alpha pairs, male and female, but only the strongest, most intelligent and agile dogs become Alphas. When a dog is introduced to a family it assumes the role of pack leader, because the humans do not. We try shouting at them, scolding them, but that is not how dogs communicate. By understanding how dogs assume the role of Alpha is the key to letting your dog know who is boss.

It is important that your dog not be the Alpha because it is not fair to it. Dogs don’t know how to cope in a human world, so their leadership role isn’t befitting them and it stresses them out. Separation anxiety in dogs is actually the animal’s fear that it’s baby, its subordinate–the dog it must look out for–will never return. Dogs have no concept of time. By becoming the Alpha you can let your dog relax and enjoy his role. Dogs who aren’t the Alpha don’t jump or become aggressive or bite for no reason. They don’t constantly run underneath your feet, because they are no longer trying to protect you from falling off that cliff that isn’t there.

Ignoring your dog is one of the biggest ways to let it know you are the Alpha. One of the first steps mentioned is the Five Minute Rule. Every single time you separate from your dog, whether it be for eight hours or eight minutes, you must reestablish that you are the Alpha. You do this by ignoring your dog completely until it stops jumping up on you and barking and licking–that is how he is trying to show dominance. Eventually the dog will give up this song and dance. At that point you wait five full minutes before addressing the dog in any way. From the time you come in the door you may not make eye contact, speak to it or acknowledge it in any manner. You may only push it away if it is jumping and scratching. This must happen every time you reenter a room where the dog is. (This is a lifestyle and not a quick fix. This rule must be adhered to for the rest of the dog’s life, but she says it becomes second nature.)

Alpha dogs in the wild are naturally the strong and silent type, hence the ignoring. And man, is it hard. You want to ruffle her fur and pet her sweet head, but you mustn’t. It isn’t fair to your dog in the long run, it stresses them out. But I’ve been following this rule pretty strictly (guests too!) and she’s been much calmer. She doesn’t follow me from room to room! It’s amazing.

I can’t wait to dive in head first. I think I can create a good bond between Tootie and I so long as I follow the principles in the book and respect my dog, never force my will on it but through clear, non-threatening signals show it I am boss, and that she can just chill the fuck out and chew on a leg bone or something. Mommy’s got it covered.

When Tootie is outside and wants back in, she’ll sit at the side door and do this funny little chicken bark. It is really about 1/4 of a bark. She doesn’t even open her mouth. She just does this little chicken bleat that blows her floppy lips out.

When she does the chicken bark I find myself amazed yet again that I fell in love with a damn dog.