Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
He's learning to relax a bit
I turned around in my computer chair after publishing the last post and he was lying on my home office floor. Believe it or not, that's progress. He's learnng to chill out a bit. Saving it up for when the fun starts later :-)
Making Progress!
Well, Tango has been doing pretty well in the household behavior department. Mind you, this is in terms of improvement, but, hey, gotta start somewhere. He has not taken any books off of shelves, nor actually taken any unapproved article for play except for a few socks. The socks seem tough. He really likes them. Of course, from a dog point of view, what's not to love? Really they're pretty much ideal as a tug toy - long, kinda stretchy, but tough enough to not shred instantly.
Still no potty problems, he has been using the doggie door faithfully whenever he needs it. I can't leave him unsupervised for any great length of time, just because he does tend to find things like socks... So, a friend told me the other day, that my house is full of temptation. This is true. I have a basket of clean laundry in front of the TV and a couple piles of dirty laundry sorted and ready to go into the machine on my bedroom floor. My reply was that if he learns to resist the in-your-face temptation of my particular brand of housekeeping, he will be fine anywhere.
I don't think he's solid yet on the idea that you can't just take anything you can reach, he still tries to do a bit of counter surfing, but he really has gotten better. I can leave him unattended for five or ten minutes at a time without walking into a living room full of shredded whatevers when i check up on him.
In terms of skills and tricks:
Sit - really solid
Lie down - really solid
Stay - we're working on it
Shake -really solid
Go outside - pretty good
Come - pretty good-solid
Off (as in get off the couch/bed/whatever)- pretty good
I have also been getting him and Teddy to play more quietly inside. More wrestling, less barking.
Although he is a pretty high energy dog, he has become less frenetic as he has settled in. I think a portion of his hyperactivity is anxiety at all the changes. Tango is the kind of guy who would do really well with an established routine.
By the way, he is pretty good about baths. I dragged him into the shower the other day and he let me soap him up and rinse him with only a feeble attempt at escape. After I let him go, he came back into the shower because he thought that maybe the bath sponge would be a good toy. We discussed it, and he agreed that maybe it wasn't appropriate (in other words, I put it out of reach).
Well, that's all for now.
Still no potty problems, he has been using the doggie door faithfully whenever he needs it. I can't leave him unsupervised for any great length of time, just because he does tend to find things like socks... So, a friend told me the other day, that my house is full of temptation. This is true. I have a basket of clean laundry in front of the TV and a couple piles of dirty laundry sorted and ready to go into the machine on my bedroom floor. My reply was that if he learns to resist the in-your-face temptation of my particular brand of housekeeping, he will be fine anywhere.
I don't think he's solid yet on the idea that you can't just take anything you can reach, he still tries to do a bit of counter surfing, but he really has gotten better. I can leave him unattended for five or ten minutes at a time without walking into a living room full of shredded whatevers when i check up on him.
In terms of skills and tricks:
Sit - really solid
Lie down - really solid
Stay - we're working on it
Shake -really solid
Go outside - pretty good
Come - pretty good-solid
Off (as in get off the couch/bed/whatever)- pretty good
I have also been getting him and Teddy to play more quietly inside. More wrestling, less barking.
Although he is a pretty high energy dog, he has become less frenetic as he has settled in. I think a portion of his hyperactivity is anxiety at all the changes. Tango is the kind of guy who would do really well with an established routine.
By the way, he is pretty good about baths. I dragged him into the shower the other day and he let me soap him up and rinse him with only a feeble attempt at escape. After I let him go, he came back into the shower because he thought that maybe the bath sponge would be a good toy. We discussed it, and he agreed that maybe it wasn't appropriate (in other words, I put it out of reach).
Well, that's all for now.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wow! A great scooter dog!
OK, Tango is definitely a great scooter dog. He is really doing well, and he is eager to run, eager to please, and really the only scary part of todays run was when he and Teddy both saw a squirrel as we were going downhill around a corner in the rain... He has started to take up Teddy's habit of working out the excitement of wanting to chase something by just running a bit faster which is OK by me as it is definitely preferable to following critters over lawns, through shrubs, etc.
We also did more "doggie drill team" today. It was a bit more successful than yesterday, I actually got the two of them to sit down and/or lie down at the same time more than once.
I took a little video of it, if it's not too dull I'll post it. Otherwise, I'll just shoot more until it looks good:-)
Also, I have to get some video of the scootering - the lighting just wasn't very good today because it was raining.
The scootering seems to be helping to calm him down some, he's still pretty rowdy at times, but he is crashed out in his crate right now.
I think Tango would probably be a great agility dog. He is very people-focused and he is very trainable. He is both food and praise motivated and he likes the stimulation of having school.
He's getting better about personal space. Every time he comes up and pushes his face at me, I push him away, have him sit, and then pet him as long as he remains sitting. For a guy his height, that's a pretty essential social skill and he's definitely picking up on it.
He still wants to play all the time and gets kind of loud about it, but we are working on stop and outside when the volume gets a little too high.
Today he started going outside and hanging out in the yard by himself a bit. This is progress because previously he wouldn't stay out there unless I was there too. In general, though, you don't have to worry about where he is, because where he likes to be most is right next to you.
A thing I have noticed about him since I have had him is that he has obviously been trained to stay off of the furniture. My dogs all hang out on the sofa, chairs, bed, whatever, but Tango doesn't get up on the furniture, even if invited. Upon reflection, I have decided that I'll maintain and reinforce this behavior so that he doesn't have to relearn it.
Tango has continued to be very good about house training and has not had an accident in the house except the aforementiond Roomba incident. Actually, today he and Teddy were playing and one of them turned the Roomba on by stepping on it and it commenced shuttling around the room as they were wrestling. It was kind of funny to see that although they were very involved in playing, they never once stepped on it while it was moving around...
We also did more "doggie drill team" today. It was a bit more successful than yesterday, I actually got the two of them to sit down and/or lie down at the same time more than once.
I took a little video of it, if it's not too dull I'll post it. Otherwise, I'll just shoot more until it looks good:-)
Also, I have to get some video of the scootering - the lighting just wasn't very good today because it was raining.
The scootering seems to be helping to calm him down some, he's still pretty rowdy at times, but he is crashed out in his crate right now.
I think Tango would probably be a great agility dog. He is very people-focused and he is very trainable. He is both food and praise motivated and he likes the stimulation of having school.
He's getting better about personal space. Every time he comes up and pushes his face at me, I push him away, have him sit, and then pet him as long as he remains sitting. For a guy his height, that's a pretty essential social skill and he's definitely picking up on it.
He still wants to play all the time and gets kind of loud about it, but we are working on stop and outside when the volume gets a little too high.
Today he started going outside and hanging out in the yard by himself a bit. This is progress because previously he wouldn't stay out there unless I was there too. In general, though, you don't have to worry about where he is, because where he likes to be most is right next to you.
A thing I have noticed about him since I have had him is that he has obviously been trained to stay off of the furniture. My dogs all hang out on the sofa, chairs, bed, whatever, but Tango doesn't get up on the furniture, even if invited. Upon reflection, I have decided that I'll maintain and reinforce this behavior so that he doesn't have to relearn it.
Tango has continued to be very good about house training and has not had an accident in the house except the aforementiond Roomba incident. Actually, today he and Teddy were playing and one of them turned the Roomba on by stepping on it and it commenced shuttling around the room as they were wrestling. It was kind of funny to see that although they were very involved in playing, they never once stepped on it while it was moving around...
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Scooter Dog For Sure!
Wow! I hooked up Tango and Teddy this evening and we had a great run! Other than the fact that he hasn't figured out that we don't stop to say "Hi" when running, Tango has picked up all of the basics, and he's progressing pretty well on that one too.
It was fast, almost exhilarating.
We had school aftterwards, and Tango has learned shake but he seems to be a southpaw.
We also practiced jumping through the hoop again. It's a little tough because his legs are so long he gets them caught in the hoop.
Then, for the finale, I got the horrible idea of having both Teddy and Tango sit and then lie down in unison. Don't know what I was thinking, but it ain't easy doing a doggie drill team, even with only two of them! They were so concerned that the other one was going to get something, or take something that wasn't his, that they had a very hard time focusing on their own business. Lots of trying to cheat and get both treats, lots of on dog lies down the other gets up. Eventually, however, we managed to do it a couple of times. I think it's probably good practice for them to have to control their competitive urges and cooperate with each other instead.
It was fast, almost exhilarating.
We had school aftterwards, and Tango has learned shake but he seems to be a southpaw.
We also practiced jumping through the hoop again. It's a little tough because his legs are so long he gets them caught in the hoop.
Then, for the finale, I got the horrible idea of having both Teddy and Tango sit and then lie down in unison. Don't know what I was thinking, but it ain't easy doing a doggie drill team, even with only two of them! They were so concerned that the other one was going to get something, or take something that wasn't his, that they had a very hard time focusing on their own business. Lots of trying to cheat and get both treats, lots of on dog lies down the other gets up. Eventually, however, we managed to do it a couple of times. I think it's probably good practice for them to have to control their competitive urges and cooperate with each other instead.
Tango on a leash
Well, we went for a walk this morning and Tango got to experience a Halti. Apparently he walks nicely on a pinch collar, but I tend to like the Halti better becuase I have had good luck with dogs learning not to pull at all wearing the Halti.
The updside of the Halti is that it uses the same principle as a horse hackamore - steer the nose and the rest will follow. They're pretty easy to use, and although I have the older model, the newest models now have a safety line on them. Before, if a dog pulled hard, turned to face you, and backed up, he could pull out of the Halti. The new line attaches to the collar so if the dog pulls out of the face harness, you are still connected.
The peril of the Halti is that if your leash is slack and your dog gets up some steam and lunges for something, it could probably do some damage to his neck. You can guard against this by paying attention and being sure he doesn't get enough slack to get a running start.
The dogs generally don't like the Halti much, at least not at the beginning, and the more stubborn ones will stop periodically to try to paw it off of their faces. They get over this, however. I rationalize working through this period by pointing out that if the dog is more pleasant to walk, there will be more walking.
I have also found that some dogs, after a few months of Halti walking, will walk nicely without one. I think this just depends on the dog.
Anyway, at first Tango was pretty annoyed by the Halti, but by the end of our walk, he had figured out that he WAS outside and checking out the neighborhood. I think it will take him a couple more walks before he doesn't try to scrape the Halti off, but he's progressing.
He is also figuring out that he gets more and better attention if he comes up and sits by you instead of just walking up and shoving his nose in your face, lap, armpit, whatever. We have more work to go on that, but he's making progress.
Tango is not only lovey-dovey, he's smart. He figured out pretty quickly that the standard routine is to go straight outside when coming out of his crate. This morning, I watched him leave his crate, go out the back screen door, and then make a direct loop for the doggie door on the other side of the patio. He knows that if he goes straight out and turns right around that I will just kick him out again so he was going from one door to another instead. Clever boy.
I have let him sleep in the bedroom in his crate the last few nights and he whines just a tiny bit and then quiets down and goes to sleep. I think he likes being in with the "pack".
We are still working on being quiet during the day when he is in his crate. Because I work from home, he tends to get whiny when he sees me moving around. I am confident that he will figure out that he can just hang out quietly with everybody else (my dogs tend to chill out in my office when I'm in there).
Well, more work to do. I'll do some "school" later today, basic obedience and maybe some tricks to keep things fresh.
The updside of the Halti is that it uses the same principle as a horse hackamore - steer the nose and the rest will follow. They're pretty easy to use, and although I have the older model, the newest models now have a safety line on them. Before, if a dog pulled hard, turned to face you, and backed up, he could pull out of the Halti. The new line attaches to the collar so if the dog pulls out of the face harness, you are still connected.
The peril of the Halti is that if your leash is slack and your dog gets up some steam and lunges for something, it could probably do some damage to his neck. You can guard against this by paying attention and being sure he doesn't get enough slack to get a running start.
The dogs generally don't like the Halti much, at least not at the beginning, and the more stubborn ones will stop periodically to try to paw it off of their faces. They get over this, however. I rationalize working through this period by pointing out that if the dog is more pleasant to walk, there will be more walking.
I have also found that some dogs, after a few months of Halti walking, will walk nicely without one. I think this just depends on the dog.
Anyway, at first Tango was pretty annoyed by the Halti, but by the end of our walk, he had figured out that he WAS outside and checking out the neighborhood. I think it will take him a couple more walks before he doesn't try to scrape the Halti off, but he's progressing.
He is also figuring out that he gets more and better attention if he comes up and sits by you instead of just walking up and shoving his nose in your face, lap, armpit, whatever. We have more work to go on that, but he's making progress.
Tango is not only lovey-dovey, he's smart. He figured out pretty quickly that the standard routine is to go straight outside when coming out of his crate. This morning, I watched him leave his crate, go out the back screen door, and then make a direct loop for the doggie door on the other side of the patio. He knows that if he goes straight out and turns right around that I will just kick him out again so he was going from one door to another instead. Clever boy.
I have let him sleep in the bedroom in his crate the last few nights and he whines just a tiny bit and then quiets down and goes to sleep. I think he likes being in with the "pack".
We are still working on being quiet during the day when he is in his crate. Because I work from home, he tends to get whiny when he sees me moving around. I am confident that he will figure out that he can just hang out quietly with everybody else (my dogs tend to chill out in my office when I'm in there).
Well, more work to do. I'll do some "school" later today, basic obedience and maybe some tricks to keep things fresh.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Introducing Tango!
Wow! What to say about Tango! He is sweet, affectionate, and very playful. He doesn't really care who he plays with as long as SOMEBODY will play with him.
He's a fairly big guy and enthusiastic, so he probably wouldn't be great in a home with small children - unless they are already accustomed to unintentional knockdowns :-)
Tango has been started with dog scootering and has taken to it very well.
Tango has also started school and has shown himself to be a very motivated student. He has his sit down quite nicely and lie down is getting better all the time. He is also pretty good at stay in a controlled situation.
Tango is currently learnig not to jump up when he gets excited. He is showing definite improvement in this area. He is also learning about personal space and about being a little more polite when asking for attention.
I have had Tango as a foster for a week now and the only potty training mistake he has made in the house was pretty much my fault. It's not really fair to turn on the Roomba in a small room with a new dog and expect eveything to be fine. Oops.
Tango is working on distinguishing between dog toys and people toys. He's got the simple stuff down, but tricky items like plush toys and pillows are still snagging him from time to time.
Tango is a real talker. When he plays he likes to bark and when he wants something from you he'll yodel at you.
He has been crating pretty well. I don't give him a lot of free range time around the house right now because of the appropriate toy issue, but he is getting more freedom as he adapts to the household routine.
He has definitely got a hang of the doggie doors and the screen doors on the patio (my guy showed him all of the ways to get between the back yard and the house).
So far he has not attempted to climb my 4' chain link fence. He likes to go out and play in th eyard but he doesn't particularly like to be locked out in the yard without a person there.
He's getting a bit better about this as time goes by, so this could be temporary anxiety because of his bouncing around a bit from pound to foster care.
He definitely enjoys leash time, but he needs a fair amount of work before he would be considered a proper leash dog.
He's a fairly big guy and enthusiastic, so he probably wouldn't be great in a home with small children - unless they are already accustomed to unintentional knockdowns :-)
Tango has been started with dog scootering and has taken to it very well.
Tango has also started school and has shown himself to be a very motivated student. He has his sit down quite nicely and lie down is getting better all the time. He is also pretty good at stay in a controlled situation.
Tango is currently learnig not to jump up when he gets excited. He is showing definite improvement in this area. He is also learning about personal space and about being a little more polite when asking for attention.
I have had Tango as a foster for a week now and the only potty training mistake he has made in the house was pretty much my fault. It's not really fair to turn on the Roomba in a small room with a new dog and expect eveything to be fine. Oops.
Tango is working on distinguishing between dog toys and people toys. He's got the simple stuff down, but tricky items like plush toys and pillows are still snagging him from time to time.
Tango is a real talker. When he plays he likes to bark and when he wants something from you he'll yodel at you.
He has been crating pretty well. I don't give him a lot of free range time around the house right now because of the appropriate toy issue, but he is getting more freedom as he adapts to the household routine.
He has definitely got a hang of the doggie doors and the screen doors on the patio (my guy showed him all of the ways to get between the back yard and the house).
So far he has not attempted to climb my 4' chain link fence. He likes to go out and play in th eyard but he doesn't particularly like to be locked out in the yard without a person there.
He's getting a bit better about this as time goes by, so this could be temporary anxiety because of his bouncing around a bit from pound to foster care.
He definitely enjoys leash time, but he needs a fair amount of work before he would be considered a proper leash dog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)