German shepherd puppies, ready for world domination. Click for source.
“Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate in their object relations.”
– Sigmund Freud
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Happy weekend, everyone! I’m organizing yet another play date with Bo and a new golden retriever friend, young Levi, on Saturday. Get excited. Lots of photos of frolicking, blonde ruffians to come!
Oh, man. I love Portlandia so much. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are comic gold together.
Let’s just hope that none of us run into people like this at the dog park any time soon…
A patient mix tolerates the aspiring dentist. Source: LIFE Magazine.
Dog-related links from around the Web this past week:
Veterinary Myth-busting Part 2: Feeding Dry Food Prevents Dental Disease. There you have it. I’ve read that kibble doesn’t prevent dental disease in several places, but it was nice to hear it from a blogger’s perspective, too. (Borderblog)
Doca Pet High Tea Feeder. If we do get a big dog (like a GSD), I’m in the market for an elevated feeder. This one is so sleek–and expensive! Sigh. (Dog Milk)
Worth Waiting For: See Scout Sleep Collars and Leashes. This new line of collars and leashes is really beautiful and functional at the same time. I love the simple, bold, geometric designs. (Under the Blanket)
Everyone’s a Critic: Ai WeiWei’s “Sunflower Seeds.” Fern and Theodore are totally bored by Ai WeiWei’s installation. I love it. [Side note: You may recognize Theodore from the cover of Love Has No Age Limit!] (City Dog/Country Dog)
Robert Clark. Photographer Robert Clark’s glamorous studio shots of show-worthy pooches. (Afghan hounds are always the most fun to photograph.) (Pawsh Magazine)
Pomeranian Puppy Refuses to Eat His Broccoli. Oh, the adorable-ness. It’s killing me. Pom pups barely look real. (Best Week Ever)
I was also tagged by Volunteer 4 Paws (formerly Inu Baka). I’m kind of new to the realm of blog tagging, so bear with me; here are my answers. Since I don’t have my long-awaited dog yet, these answers are about me.
While their mamas were out of town, Zoe and Bo got to have a play date. My friend Celeste and I, acting as their temporary caregivers, organized a little play date with the two. My dear friend Angela was also in town for the weekend and so the three of us enjoyed our afternoon with the dogs. It was a beautiful spring-like day and I think they had a lot of fun romping around Zoe’s yard.
Slideshow below:
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Zoe was initially a little taken aback that we had introduced this gregarious, blond ruffian into her yard. Bo would try to chase her around, tackle her, but Zoe primly refused. After a few minutes of unsuccessful romping, Bo quieted down and they calmly followed one another around the yard. Zoe ended up seeking us for belly rubs while Bo, in typical fashion, rummaged through the compost heap (despite our best attempts to stop him).
After half an hour of play time in the yard, we took Zoe and Bo on a walk through the nearby neighborhood, which I think we all thoroughly enjoyed. I can’t wait to get to do this kind of thing with my own dog!
Do you ever organize “play dates”? Do you have any recommendations for making them go smoothly? Bo and Zoe were a pretty good match for one another. Even though Bo’s energy level exceeds Zoe’s, they’re both very mild-mannered and easy going pups. I hope I’ll be able to find one of those myself…
Click for source.
“Another human being will never bring us to the same unqualified, unconditional regard that a dog does. Our full immersion in language brings with it qualification and condition; once we enter the world of signs, we can never again be so single-minded.”
– Mark Doty, Dog Years
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Happy weekend, everyone! Hope it is restful. I may be arranging a small play-date between Bo and Zoe while their owners are out of town. Should be fun! Let’s just up the Bo-ster isn’t too rambunctious for Zoe, the dignified older woman…
Clicker Training for Dogs.
Among crazy dog people like myself, Karen Pryor is a household name. For the unfamiliar, Pryor is largely credited with spurring on the clicker training wave for household pets, especially dogs. Pryor, a respected scientist and researcher, began with a career in marine mammal biology and behavior. As she trained dolphins with clickers, she observed that the positive reinforcement principles behind this method of training would work brilliantly with dogs, cats, and other household animals. Her pioneering work in the positive training field has revolutionized much of dog training philosophy today.
This tiny little book is basically a pamphlet–I think it’s only 50 pages–but it’s a helpful pamphlet nonetheless. It’s the most basic form of a primer to the principles, methods, and steps to clicker training your dog. So, if you know absolutely nothing about clicker training and think you might want to try it yourself, this little booklet would be a good place to start.
I’ve read a more thorough guide to positive training with a clicker in Pat Miller’s The Power of Positive Dog Training, which I highly recommend, but I did want to read at least something by the founder herself. (I hoped I could get my hands on something more substantial, particularly her oft-cited Don’t Shoot the Dog!, but my public library doesn’t carry a copy and I’ve been buying too many books lately… Someday, I’ll get around to reading it!)
Clicker Training for Dogs reinforced my interest in clicker training, but I admit that I have hesitations. I know that it works wonders and that it’s the most efficient method to reinforce a dog’s behavior. But here’s why I hesitate: I’m not sure how reliable I would be with a clicker. I know that precise timing is everything. I also know that I’d need to have a clicker in hand almost constantly.
So, I’d like to open the floor. I’m curious: Are any of you clicker trainers? Do you have any advice for a novice trainer like myself? Is it something that I would need to do with my dog from the beginning? How did you figure out your timing? Do you have to carry a clicker with you everywhere?
Whew. I really want to do it, but I am anxious about my consistency. And, as you can tell, I have loads of questions. If you have any answers, even some generic advice, I’d love to hear it!
Let it be known that I hold strong leash biases. I LOVE a soft, non-nylon leash, especially a rope leash or a leather leash. I DETEST retractable leashes in almost all walk circumstances. And I hate a nylon burn on my hand, which has happened many times at the SPCA.
Now that that’s out there, here are some great leashes that I like the look of from around the Web:
(Click on the pictures to shop!)
Mendota leash, $12.19 at DogSupplies.com.
This is the leash I’m pretty sure I want. After having used a Mendota leash with Dublin before, I was sold. After a few uses, it becomes very soft, and the braided rope is very strong. The leash is also quite affordable. I think it could probably qualify as a rope leash, too? They’re also sold in a slip-collar version, which is also appealing.
Zoey's reflective leash, $7 at DogSupplies.com.
I bought this leash in orange already, because sometimes I like to go running with Bo at night. I feel like both of us are so much safer with this leash, since we tend to run around a lot of busy streets when it gets dark. I do wish the tape was on both sides of the leash, but for $7, I really can’t complain!
Latigo leather twist leash, $18.29 at DogSupplies.com.
A nice, classic burgundy leather leash, which is also 6 feet long. It seems like a nice 6-foot leather lead is somewhat hard to find. And you can’t beat that price.
Hands-free runner dog leash, $35 at Olive Green Dog.
Look, ma! No hands! This could be a great option for those who like to run with their dogs.
Do you have a particular leash that you’re loyal to? Any that you’d recommend?
This little girl found her valentine. Source: LIFE Magazine.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Are you watching the conclusion of the Westminster Kennel Club show tonight? I’m going to watch it with my husband and his hilarious poetry colleagues from the university, who have an annual tradition of watching Westminster at a local sports bar. I am so excited. Could there be a more ironic combination of things? Poets + wings + cheap beer + dog show = I think not. Who’s your bet for the big win?
Dog show fun aside, here’s a few interesting links from around the Web:
Famous Artists Photographed with Their Dogs. Apparently, famous painters have a thing for dachshunds. Who knew? (Flavorwire)
5 Reasons to Adopt a Dog. These are the standard, excellent reasons, or at least, a great place to start in listing them. I like reminding myself of these reasons. I’m always surprised at how many people look sad or disappointed when I say I want to adopt an adult dog. “Don’t you want a puppy?” they plead. Next time, I’ll gently remind them of some of the elements on this list. (The Bark Blog)
NYC Dog Art Tour. A collection of canine artwork from around New York City. (Loving the Dog Art Today site redesign, too! So sleek!) (Dog Art Today)
Sharing the Love. Sweet-faced border collies and a dachshund with their Valentine’s message. (Raising Addie)
OK, maybe not THIS crazy... Click for source.
I don’t want to be the kind of crazy dog lady (CDL) who has so many dogs that she tiptoes the line of being an animal hoarder. I want to have the right number of dogs that I can adequately care for, train, and love. (In my mind, that’s 3 at max for me, but we’ll see… I know some people can definitely handle more. Starting with one for a few years, and then we’ll see how that goes!)
I don’t want to be the kind of CDL who is constantly judging other dog people or freaking out about differences in the way we rear and raise our canines. I want to be humble and gracious, always willing to learn from someone else and always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t want to be the kind of CDL who neglects personal care. I want to take great care of my dogs and great care of myself–as much as that’s possible! I know people who do both.
I don’t want to be the kind of CDL who sacrifices human relationships constantly or pushes people out of her life for the sake of her dogs. I want to maintain strong, intimate, and healthy relationships with humans, as much as I may be tempted to neglect them for the love of dogs.
What do you think? Is it possible for a CDL to be all of these things?
Click for source.
“The fact of the matter is, I like not knowing how Lucille experiences the world, I like the mystery of living with a dog. There is something deeply rewarding about the moment when she and I manage to transcend the language barrier, to reach across the boundaries of species and communicate with one another, understand what the other wants and feels. But there is something equally rewarding about honoring the moments when we can’t.”
– Pack of Two, Caroline Knapp
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I’m off for a long weekend! Hope you all have pleasant ones and I’ll see you on Monday!
