Last night Linus & Einstein played together. They've been trying to play for awhile. The problem always is that Einstein starts barking because he's excited & then Linus gets scared & runs for safety (love seat, couch, behind Mom, behind Dad). Einstein then stands and barks at him trying to get him to play thus scaring him further.
When Puddles was here, she would get scared of Einstein even before the barking because of his size. She & Linus would chase after the same toy together but eventually Einstein would want to join in. Puddles would get scared & start barking. Einstein would get annoyed & start barking. Linus would run & hide.
Last night Einstein was chasing Linus. They ran back & forth at a rather shocking speed considering that they're basset hounds. They ran from the back door to the front door & back again. At one point, Linus ran right out the dog door with Einstein hot on his heels. It was pretty funny & good to see. Linus gave all appearances of playing & not being scared. Eventually though Einstein started to bark & so Linus jumped up next to me on the couch. Chris grabbed a toy & tossed it. Linus launched himself from the arm of the couch & took off after it with Einstein hot on his heels. He ran back with the toy & Chris tossed it again. Unfortunately, Einstein started barking again & back up on the couch went Linus. He would take off after the toy a few more times before he decided that wasn't fun anymore with Einstein barking at him.
But it was actual playing! Einstein's been trying to play with Linus since he got here. Linus is such a submissive Zeta dog that he would just get scared. When Einstein started going Alpha on him for no apparent reason at random times, that really didn't help. We seem to have the Alpha thing under control. Einstein really isn't an Alpha type personality so when Chris & I started working on reminding him that we were in charge using some of the techniques in Cesar's book, it didn't take long for him to respond.
Yay! Linus is playing!
Showing posts with label Einstein. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Einstein. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Long time no blog
Things have been a bit crazy. We finally got our carpet in. After we got that done, we started dragging in the computer stuff & sorting through it all. We threw out a lot, put some in the donate pile, and we have a lot to keep. When we go back through that, we may pull some of it out to add to the donate pile.
A good trip to IKEA resulted in a very overloaded Outback. We've started putting one of the cabinets together. Linus & Einstein both needed to come in and help. Bassets & power tools, not a good mix so Chris did the assembly while I passed him parts & kept the dogs safe.
We've also been helping some friends pack for their move. Everyone pray or cross your fingers or whatever your personal preference is that everything works out with their current prospective new house.
As a result of this, their sweet little rat terrier, Puddles, is staying with us. It's kinda funny watching Puddles & Linus try to run away from each other. It's a contest as to who is more scared. Tonight is flying night but we're going to leave Puddles at home. It'll give her a chance to get settled in plus I'm not sure how well she'll be able to handle the heat. Then there's the danger of her getting squished under 2 bassets in the back seat.
She's a good dog. It'll be fun having her here.
A good trip to IKEA resulted in a very overloaded Outback. We've started putting one of the cabinets together. Linus & Einstein both needed to come in and help. Bassets & power tools, not a good mix so Chris did the assembly while I passed him parts & kept the dogs safe.
We've also been helping some friends pack for their move. Everyone pray or cross your fingers or whatever your personal preference is that everything works out with their current prospective new house.
As a result of this, their sweet little rat terrier, Puddles, is staying with us. It's kinda funny watching Puddles & Linus try to run away from each other. It's a contest as to who is more scared. Tonight is flying night but we're going to leave Puddles at home. It'll give her a chance to get settled in plus I'm not sure how well she'll be able to handle the heat. Then there's the danger of her getting squished under 2 bassets in the back seat.She's a good dog. It'll be fun having her here.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Linus, the barking seal
Linus & I had some snuggle time on the couch. He seems to have calmed down.
We call him the barking seal because that's what his bark sounds like. It's pretty cute. Einstein's deep bark with Linus' higher pitched bark. He's cute.
Linus has been getting braver. He's not afraid to drink from the main dog bowl which has a 2-liter bottle feeding it which makes a burping noise. He used to be afraid of it so we had to have a regular water bowl for him.
We have to sit both food bowls out in the living room but that's because of Einstein. He would completely block access to the kitchen so Linus couldn't get the food. Linus would get hungry enough that he'd start whining. So, with both bowls in the living room I can keep the food dominance under control.
Otherwise they get along fine. They'll lay together. Linus likes to lick Einstein. Do dogs have grooming rituals? Einstein doesn't seem to care & they are cute.
We call him the barking seal because that's what his bark sounds like. It's pretty cute. Einstein's deep bark with Linus' higher pitched bark. He's cute.
Linus has been getting braver. He's not afraid to drink from the main dog bowl which has a 2-liter bottle feeding it which makes a burping noise. He used to be afraid of it so we had to have a regular water bowl for him.
We have to sit both food bowls out in the living room but that's because of Einstein. He would completely block access to the kitchen so Linus couldn't get the food. Linus would get hungry enough that he'd start whining. So, with both bowls in the living room I can keep the food dominance under control.
Otherwise they get along fine. They'll lay together. Linus likes to lick Einstein. Do dogs have grooming rituals? Einstein doesn't seem to care & they are cute.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Dogs & paint
We painted the computer room this weekend! Pictures are here. This is our first home improvement project. Wow! We're very lazy. ;-)
I had to go back over the baseboards & the windowsill today. The paint is fairly white while wet & with the fading sunlight I missed a bunch of spots. It dries darker so I got in & touched everything up before we lost the light again.
Of course, we had doggy supervision. Einstein's painted self is also on the picture page. Linus was in the room just as much but managed to not get painted. The dogs were pretty bored. Linus started cruising the coffee table. Einstein tried guarding the food. Nobody liked their treats. I finally dug out the toys that you put food & treats inside & then they have to roll them around to get it out. One is a orange rubber ball that gives up it's treats fairly easily. Einstein latched onto that one & was pushing it all over. The other is hard plastic & looks like a blue six-sided die. This one is harder since it's square & sometimes it has to be flipped a couple of times to get the food out. We bought this a long time ago for Darwin. He was unamused. He wound up smacking it off the wall as hard as he could. We put it up & didn't bring it back down for a long time. These toys did help keep the guys entertained. Once we got down to just the baseboards, Chris took them both for a walk.
This morning Linus wanted to play so I threw dogny (stuffed floppy dog with squeakers) and he took off after it. After a couple of tosses, Einstein decided he wanted to play too. He would chase Linus who was chasing dogny. Linus didn't seem to care much. As Einstein played, he got wound up & started barking. Well, barking is just too scary for Linus so he jumped up on the couch. Einstein put his front paws on the couch & barked right in his face. Linus cowered but refused to get up & play. I finally had to distract Einstein. Linus is getting braver all the time so I'm sure that they'll start playing together eventually.
Linus' foster parents came by today. We led them through the maze of stuff into the relatively clean living room. Linus didn't seem to remember them at first & ran out the dog door. We did get him back inside eventually. He laid on the couch & let them pet him. I think Linus recognized them a bit since he did stay & let them pet him. They were so excited to see him. They had an adopt a pet yesterday that his sister Lucy was at. Adopting a rescue dog is definitely more work but the rewards are so great. It's been wonderful watching Linus come out of his shell. Have we been frustrated & down right angry at times? Heck Yah! Especially at 5 am. He's worth all of it though. He's such a sweetie, full of love & bounciness. Lucy is a bit more shy than Linus is but I'm sure that she's worth the work just as much as Linus is. So, anybody want a basset hound to love? Just give them a call or e-mail and ask about Lucy.
I had to go back over the baseboards & the windowsill today. The paint is fairly white while wet & with the fading sunlight I missed a bunch of spots. It dries darker so I got in & touched everything up before we lost the light again.
Of course, we had doggy supervision. Einstein's painted self is also on the picture page. Linus was in the room just as much but managed to not get painted. The dogs were pretty bored. Linus started cruising the coffee table. Einstein tried guarding the food. Nobody liked their treats. I finally dug out the toys that you put food & treats inside & then they have to roll them around to get it out. One is a orange rubber ball that gives up it's treats fairly easily. Einstein latched onto that one & was pushing it all over. The other is hard plastic & looks like a blue six-sided die. This one is harder since it's square & sometimes it has to be flipped a couple of times to get the food out. We bought this a long time ago for Darwin. He was unamused. He wound up smacking it off the wall as hard as he could. We put it up & didn't bring it back down for a long time. These toys did help keep the guys entertained. Once we got down to just the baseboards, Chris took them both for a walk.
This morning Linus wanted to play so I threw dogny (stuffed floppy dog with squeakers) and he took off after it. After a couple of tosses, Einstein decided he wanted to play too. He would chase Linus who was chasing dogny. Linus didn't seem to care much. As Einstein played, he got wound up & started barking. Well, barking is just too scary for Linus so he jumped up on the couch. Einstein put his front paws on the couch & barked right in his face. Linus cowered but refused to get up & play. I finally had to distract Einstein. Linus is getting braver all the time so I'm sure that they'll start playing together eventually.
Linus' foster parents came by today. We led them through the maze of stuff into the relatively clean living room. Linus didn't seem to remember them at first & ran out the dog door. We did get him back inside eventually. He laid on the couch & let them pet him. I think Linus recognized them a bit since he did stay & let them pet him. They were so excited to see him. They had an adopt a pet yesterday that his sister Lucy was at. Adopting a rescue dog is definitely more work but the rewards are so great. It's been wonderful watching Linus come out of his shell. Have we been frustrated & down right angry at times? Heck Yah! Especially at 5 am. He's worth all of it though. He's such a sweetie, full of love & bounciness. Lucy is a bit more shy than Linus is but I'm sure that she's worth the work just as much as Linus is. So, anybody want a basset hound to love? Just give them a call or e-mail and ask about Lucy.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Something FINALLY went right today
After an exhausting mentally fatiguing day at work, I came home to 2 happy bouncing dogs. After taking down the gate, I could see into the living room and saw that Linus had NOT chewed on anything! Whoo Hoo!
Einstein did a chewie dance lite (not the full blown chewie dance) with the basted rawhide braid that I left (they each got 1).
Linus did later on in the evening decide to chew up some purple post-its. No, I didn't catch him in the act. I was too tired.
Einstein did a chewie dance lite (not the full blown chewie dance) with the basted rawhide braid that I left (they each got 1).
Linus did later on in the evening decide to chew up some purple post-its. No, I didn't catch him in the act. I was too tired.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
What's in a name?
We have renamed the dogs. You know how parents will call one child by another child's name? Well, we did our own variation on that. We've been calling them both Linestein. It's pretty funny. Einstein responds to it but I think he's used to us calling him all kinds of silly names. Linus hasn't much but then he doesn't always respond to Linus either. It depends upon his state of fraidiness.
Linus has definitely figure this walk thing out. When we start putting on our shoes & Einstein does his happy-barky-I'm-going-on-a-walk dance, he runs & hides under the kitchen table. When we get home, he throws on the brakes just inside the door so we can take the gentle leader off.
He has really been having a rough time on walks lately. I think it's because it's summer (kids are out of school) & it hasn't gotten really hot yet so everyone is out playing, gardening, mowing, talking, hanging out, the usual stuff. Linus does not like any of this. His walks have gotten shorter because he's been getting so freaked out. He needs the walks but we don't want him to have a nervous breakdown either. One of us will take him home while the other takes Einstein on a much longer walk which he seems to enjoy a lot.
Einstein is not happy with the gates. He's used to having the complete run of the place while we're gone. He sat in the entryway & wouldn't move until I came to get him yesterday. This morning he was in the living room. Once we get the computer room back to normal, Linus should be able to go more places but if he keeps up his chewing we may just leave the gates up.
Linus has definitely figure this walk thing out. When we start putting on our shoes & Einstein does his happy-barky-I'm-going-on-a-walk dance, he runs & hides under the kitchen table. When we get home, he throws on the brakes just inside the door so we can take the gentle leader off.
He has really been having a rough time on walks lately. I think it's because it's summer (kids are out of school) & it hasn't gotten really hot yet so everyone is out playing, gardening, mowing, talking, hanging out, the usual stuff. Linus does not like any of this. His walks have gotten shorter because he's been getting so freaked out. He needs the walks but we don't want him to have a nervous breakdown either. One of us will take him home while the other takes Einstein on a much longer walk which he seems to enjoy a lot.
Einstein is not happy with the gates. He's used to having the complete run of the place while we're gone. He sat in the entryway & wouldn't move until I came to get him yesterday. This morning he was in the living room. Once we get the computer room back to normal, Linus should be able to go more places but if he keeps up his chewing we may just leave the gates up.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Linus & home repair
Look! Evidence that Linus is playing! He rummaged through the toy pile until he found a bone he liked. As soon as I got the camera, he stopped.
The stuffed platypus from Ty is his favorite toy. We frequently have to retrieve it from the backyard. One day Chris picked up in the yard & tried to get Linus to play with him. Linus refused & later snuck out to bury the platypus under the photinias. Chris recovered him & has decided that playing with it in the backyard isn't a good idea.
He has come out of his shell so much. He's happy & hyper. He's all wriggly whenever he sees us. He's started
jumping on us & on Einstein to get to the front of the petting line. We've decided that we're not going to do what Cesar would & insist he be calm and submissive before we give him affection. He's not used to getting it or wanting it. However, the jumping has to go especially since he does it while we're walking and/or carrying things. He's so happy & such a sweetie. He is umimpressed with the Nylabones a friend recommended to us. The one he dug out of the toy basket was one of those freeze-dried real bones. If he continues to chew on it, we'll get him some more. Anyone want some Nylabones? Einstein's never cared for them either.Any ideas on how to stop Linus' whining in the morning? We think he's just waking up & wants out. I got up with him this morning at 6 (which is late for Linus) so Chris could sleep in. On the theory that maybe he's waking up to the sunlight we're going to toss a blanket over his crate tonight. Cross your fingers for us. I did do some more research on barking collars. It looks like that ones that the dog sets off himself have maybe a 30% success rate. Collars that are activated by remotes are the best when combined with verbal training. Would you believe that it is extremely cheaper to buy a collar to shock your dog than another more humane way (noise and/or vibration)? We're going to keep working on it but I was grouchy enough this morning that researching it was therapeutic.
Kyanos came down some this morning. Linus responded well to verbal warnings to leave her alone. He watched her very intently while Einstein fell asleep. So things are going good on the Linus/Kyanos interaction front. I was doing some knitting & Linus decided to help out by jumping up on top of my laceweight cashmere/silk blend strung with beads. Everything was saved & Linus curled up in the now clear spot beside me. Linus has also taken to hopping up in Einstein's papa san. So far Einstein is allowing it. We'll see how long that lasts.
We actually started working on the master bathroom today. We'll finish up tomorrow.
Photos are over here.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I'm a bad blogger
Stuff has been happening & I haven't been blogging about it. So here's a little catch up.
I got the living room cleaned out, so today was the first day that Linus was left to wander freely around the kitchen & living room as well as having outdoor access while I was at work. Pictures are up on the .Mac photo page for anyone who doesn't believe that I did finally clean up all of the stuff that's been accumulating on the bar for over a decade. And no I didn't just stuff it all into Chris's cubby. I actually threw a bunch of stuff away!
Linus & Einstein were very happy to see me & jumping up and down on the other side of the gate. When I took it down, I was overwhelmed with dogginess. The amazing thing is that Linus joined in on some of the craziness. I was sitting on the floor with 2 bassets wriggling & competing for petting. Then when I was wrestling Einstein around, Linus would dart from the couch or love seat and push his way into it. I made the same excited fussing noises for Linus that I had been for Einstein but dialed the rough housing way back. He looked like he was having fun and then he would dart back to safety waiting for another opportunity. It ended with me sitting on the floor giving each dog ear scrunchies until my fingers got stiff. It was really great to see Linus play like that.
As for the great crate moving that happened yesterday, we did move Linus' crate into the kitchen & we swiped Mom's clock/radio/alarm & set it to a talk radio station. Linus pitched a fit for about 30 minutes (maybe he doesn't like Christian talk radio, maybe we should try KERA tonight) when we put him to bed but then he settled down. I haven't asked Chris if Linus woke him up this morning or not. Chris took the van so he got up at 5 am anyway. He might have woke Linus up.
Chris bought a ball at Petsmart. He really wants a dog that will play fetch. We bought some training treats. Chris tried tossing the ball & only wound up scaring Linus back inside. So, we got the ball & the treats & sat down with Einstein. We did the touch trick he learned in agility and soon he was pushing at the ball. We tried rolling it between us & saying "touch" but that didn't work but it's a start.
He was great at flight night on Tuesday. We had two long walks - I was just in a walking kind of mood & I had brought my iPod. He walked great! Of course, there wasn't anything around to scare Linus except a brief buzz by a bicyclist. Walking around the neighborhood last night didn't go so well. There were lots & lots of people out. He & I turned back home at the "Corky Memorial Loop" since he was so frantic. Chris & Einstein continued on for awhile. Linus really hates the Gentle Leader. I had been hoping that he would get used to it. I kept remembering how Darwin was afraid of the choke collar (thanks to a bad puppy kindergarten teacher who hated beagles [yes, she did say that]) but came to associate it with walks. Then I realized that Darwin had loved walks, walks were 2nd to food but above everything else. Linus is afraid of walks so I guess we'll just have to deal with life as it is. Chris & I are trying to look at our schedules together to see if we can both sign up for dog obedience classes at Petsmart. Linus needs it & the 3 of us could use a refresher course.
Well, I should be fixing dinner & reading my book for my summer study that starts tomorrow so I'll sign off.
Bye!
I got the living room cleaned out, so today was the first day that Linus was left to wander freely around the kitchen & living room as well as having outdoor access while I was at work. Pictures are up on the .Mac photo page for anyone who doesn't believe that I did finally clean up all of the stuff that's been accumulating on the bar for over a decade. And no I didn't just stuff it all into Chris's cubby. I actually threw a bunch of stuff away!
Linus & Einstein were very happy to see me & jumping up and down on the other side of the gate. When I took it down, I was overwhelmed with dogginess. The amazing thing is that Linus joined in on some of the craziness. I was sitting on the floor with 2 bassets wriggling & competing for petting. Then when I was wrestling Einstein around, Linus would dart from the couch or love seat and push his way into it. I made the same excited fussing noises for Linus that I had been for Einstein but dialed the rough housing way back. He looked like he was having fun and then he would dart back to safety waiting for another opportunity. It ended with me sitting on the floor giving each dog ear scrunchies until my fingers got stiff. It was really great to see Linus play like that.
As for the great crate moving that happened yesterday, we did move Linus' crate into the kitchen & we swiped Mom's clock/radio/alarm & set it to a talk radio station. Linus pitched a fit for about 30 minutes (maybe he doesn't like Christian talk radio, maybe we should try KERA tonight
Chris bought a ball at Petsmart. He really wants a dog that will play fetch. We bought some training treats. Chris tried tossing the ball & only wound up scaring Linus back inside. So, we got the ball & the treats & sat down with Einstein. We did the touch trick he learned in agility and soon he was pushing at the ball. We tried rolling it between us & saying "touch" but that didn't work but it's a start.
He was great at flight night on Tuesday. We had two long walks - I was just in a walking kind of mood & I had brought my iPod. He walked great! Of course, there wasn't anything around to scare Linus except a brief buzz by a bicyclist. Walking around the neighborhood last night didn't go so well. There were lots & lots of people out. He & I turned back home at the "Corky Memorial Loop" since he was so frantic. Chris & Einstein continued on for awhile. Linus really hates the Gentle Leader. I had been hoping that he would get used to it. I kept remembering how Darwin was afraid of the choke collar (thanks to a bad puppy kindergarten teacher who hated beagles [yes, she did say that]) but came to associate it with walks. Then I realized that Darwin had loved walks, walks were 2nd to food but above everything else. Linus is afraid of walks so I guess we'll just have to deal with life as it is. Chris & I are trying to look at our schedules together to see if we can both sign up for dog obedience classes at Petsmart. Linus needs it & the 3 of us could use a refresher course.
Well, I should be fixing dinner & reading my book for my summer study that starts tomorrow so I'll sign off.
Bye!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Nap Time!
I had a fun weekend out with the gals, staying up late, & eating way too much junk food.
The inevitable happened & I crashed when I got home on Sunday. Chris needed to run some errands so Linus got to join us for his first Nap Time.
Nap Time started because I couldn't sleep on the couch anymore without my joints waking me up in screaming pain.
When Chris got home, he found out that someone had joined us.
Kyanos must have decided that Linus was safe. You may also have noticed that the boys swapped sides of the bed at some point.
The inevitable happened & I crashed when I got home on Sunday. Chris needed to run some errands so Linus got to join us for his first Nap Time.
Nap Time started because I couldn't sleep on the couch anymore without my joints waking me up in screaming pain.
When Chris got home, he found out that someone had joined us.
Kyanos must have decided that Linus was safe. You may also have noticed that the boys swapped sides of the bed at some point.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
What Linus did during our vacation
Mom kept us up to date with his antics via e-mail. So, here are the Linus Files from vacation. All were written by Mom.
As you can see "Granny" had lots of fun with the dogs while we were on vacation. And I haven't even started on the adventures of the water heater.
My addition to the chewing spree is this:
I was trying to thread beads onto some yarn to knit a scarf with. I was sitting on the floor with the only empty flat spot in the house - a cookie sheet that I got out of the cabinet. They're the tiny seed beads. Really tiny. Linus decided he wanted attention and kept squirming onto my
lap. I rearranged things for him so he could sprawl. I could still work with his head in my lap so I let him stay. Well, being a dog, he wanted 100% of my attention and kept trying to crawl onto the cookie sheet to lay down on the beads. After a bit of shoving, he decided to see what was so fascinating about those little colored things. The next thing I know, his head moves & he "tastes" them. Beads fly everywhere as he slurps his tongue back into his mouth. I scrambled & rolled him over onto his back & started retrieving my beads. Do you know how many folds & pockets of skin that are in a basset's mouth. Unfortunately, I do know now & it's a heck of a lot. They looked pretty silly laying up against his white teeth. I finally got all of them that I can see, release Linus (who actually didn't mind my getting them back) & went back to work, he hopped up on the love seat. He hopped down again awhile later & wandered off. In the oblivious zone I was in I forgot about what he had already done. So when Mom fed the dogs I hopped up & brought Linus' food bowl to him & them helped Mom with some stuff. I looked back and saw Linus with an empty food bowl & a string hanging out of his mouse. I ran over & sure enough, it was my yarn. The yarn with all of the beads on it. He had swallowed 12 inches or more of a laceweight cashmere/silk yarn with a short twisted wire beading needle & a bunch of beads. I pulled and it came sliding back out. Linus was fine due to the tiny size & extreme bendability of the needle. My beads are up off the floor now. Yes, I am a slow learner.
The Linus Files
May 25
May 26
Yes, Linus's nose and ears are still attached to his body- but barely. First of all whiny butt started squealing at 6 AM. Last night he whooped for 20 minutes and then went to sleep so I opened the bedroom door for Kyanos to explore. I finally got up at 6:30 and released the hounds of hell. Champ and Einstein were laying in their crates as if to say "what is his problem." They all zoomed outside. I got up to go warm me some blueberry bread. Came back to find Linus chewing on something and wondered what. I soon found out as I pulled my cell phone out of his mouth. He took it off the coffee table and drug it up on love seat. Little (ha!) teeth marks in the metal casing and antennae. I looked over and saw him chewing something else- my cell phone clip. The twerp!!! He's getting real brave and following me up stairs and checking on me in the up stairs bathroom. I'm going to start putting up the TV remotes. Yesterday they were in the floor and I don't know if he accidentally knocked them off or I caught him before the chewathon began. Einstein and Champ say that's why I love them best.
May 26: 2nd message
Subject line: Dead Meat
Are you really sure you want Linus to be here when you get home? Don't you think he really should go on a walkabout as the Aussies say? Just kidding. I was knitting with your wooden needles. (I had just tried to take out a dog's teeth marks from the needles just minutes before.) I knitted three rows and decided to go get my steak out to marinate. Big mistake. Something told me to go back immediately. He had drug the yarn and one needle over to the love seat for a little snack. I quickly grabbed it and put it up. He's now looking at me with big soulful eyes as if to say, "lies, all lies granny."
May 26: 3rd message
May 28
Subject Line: fun, fun, fun
They came; they visited [My brother & his family]; Linus freaked. They got in around 4:30 PM. Puppies spent the time outdoors as it wasn't raining. Poor Linus was so freaked that he didn't want to come in after everyone went to bed. I finally chased him out of bushes. Hey, I forgot to tell you something.When I grab the 3 cookies and tell them it's bedtime, Linus is the first to race to his crate. He starts to immediately crunch his cookie. See, we're making progress and he's not scared of me at all- just new people. Walks have not gone so well as any noise really freaks him. I think obedience class will really help. Einstein and Champ are walking real well in tandem now that I put both on a 4 foot range leash. They don't tangle and try to trip me so much.
May 28: 2nd message
Subject line: Life is normal
Just wanted to let you know that the McCann's got gone around 7 AM. Linus has now been running in and out of yard as usual. He's busy snooping, chewing and being his usual inquisitive self. He seems to love to lean forward from love seat to sniff my hair as I'm reading or watching TV. Funny.
Linus ate 2 cups yesterday in morning and evening plus this morning. I'm still serving it to him on couch and Champ looks at me like I'm nuts. Einstein played Top Dog yesterday morning. The dogs didn't eat much Sunday night after company went to bed. Einstein finished his breakfast, tried to eat Champ alive to chase him off and then polished off Champ's breakfast. Linus was on couch saying got to eat fast, got to eat fast. Champ hid under the table. Funny as he doesn't usually get his butt kicked. Took him down a peg but no blood spilled.
Linus is very inquisitive. I'll be reading or watching tv. He wanders off and goes up stairs. Comes belting back down when I wander out. He loves to drag Champ's small blankets out of his crate. He only does it to Champ. Sneaks pencils off tables to chew and loves socks. Sudden movements still startle him and he takes off when he's in the house.
As you can see "Granny" had lots of fun with the dogs while we were on vacation. And I haven't even started on the adventures of the water heater.
My addition to the chewing spree is this:
I was trying to thread beads onto some yarn to knit a scarf with. I was sitting on the floor with the only empty flat spot in the house - a cookie sheet that I got out of the cabinet. They're the tiny seed beads. Really tiny. Linus decided he wanted attention and kept squirming onto my
lap. I rearranged things for him so he could sprawl. I could still work with his head in my lap so I let him stay. Well, being a dog, he wanted 100% of my attention and kept trying to crawl onto the cookie sheet to lay down on the beads. After a bit of shoving, he decided to see what was so fascinating about those little colored things. The next thing I know, his head moves & he "tastes" them. Beads fly everywhere as he slurps his tongue back into his mouth. I scrambled & rolled him over onto his back & started retrieving my beads. Do you know how many folds & pockets of skin that are in a basset's mouth. Unfortunately, I do know now & it's a heck of a lot. They looked pretty silly laying up against his white teeth. I finally got all of them that I can see, release Linus (who actually didn't mind my getting them back) & went back to work, he hopped up on the love seat. He hopped down again awhile later & wandered off. In the oblivious zone I was in I forgot about what he had already done. So when Mom fed the dogs I hopped up & brought Linus' food bowl to him & them helped Mom with some stuff. I looked back and saw Linus with an empty food bowl & a string hanging out of his mouse. I ran over & sure enough, it was my yarn. The yarn with all of the beads on it. He had swallowed 12 inches or more of a laceweight cashmere/silk yarn with a short twisted wire beading needle & a bunch of beads. I pulled and it came sliding back out. Linus was fine due to the tiny size & extreme bendability of the needle. My beads are up off the floor now. Yes, I am a slow learner.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Who's loveseat is it anyway?
Life has been a tad stressful & chaotic lately.
No sooner had my brother & his family departed for their cruise but my Mom arrived with her dog, Champ. We introduced Champ & Linus to each other in our backyard. The intros seemed to go fine. Linus was intimidated a bit but he didn't run off in terror either. He even let Mom pet him.
The 3 dogs seem to be cohabitating nicely. Einstein & Champ have always gotten along (unless there are chewies involved). They love to play & run. At my Mom's house there's enough space for them to get up to a good speed as they tear down the hallway & see if they can turn instead of slamming into the door. We don't have very good running space at home but they certainly do try to make the most of it. Linus just hunkered down on the loveseat & tried to ignore the crazed dogs barking & running around having a great time.
The biggest source of contention is the loveseat. This piece of furniture doesn't really get used by Chris & I. Usually it's the dumping spot for pillows or afghans while we use the couch. So, when my Mom comes down to visit, she clears it off & sets up there. She can see the TV, have access to a lamp, put her feet up, and sit and chat & knit with me over on the couch. Well, Linus decided that the loveseat was his. Now that he's feeling more confident instead of running for his cave, he'll run for the loveseat. He was unamused when my Mom plopped down there. She was less amused when he jumped up after she left & sat on her yarn. I have a feeling it's going to be a source of contention until we leave on vacation. At that point, Mom will probably move over to the couch & let Linus have the loveseat. He's a silly dog.
Mom's been taking him for walks & taking him into the backyard on the 12 foot lead. He's starting to used to her. Tonight we'll have her let Linus in the backyard without the lead & then see if he'll come inside for her or if he hides in the photinas. She walks Einstein & Champ together & them comes home and takes Linus out by himself. She says he does a lot better when walked on his own instead of tandem with Einstein. I'm sure that's true. She's also getting Einstein back into shape. We'd gotten fairly sloppy about his walking habits. When Mom walks, she power walks & expects the dogs to keep up. No sniffing or snuffling or marking everything just walking at a good clip. Einstein's not happy but he's learning to keep up. He's also being reminded that pulling is a bad thing.
Heck, Chris & I are hoping that when we get home Mom will have both dogs leash trained & Linus won't cry all night. ;-)
Actually I am going to sign up Linus for beginning obedience when we get back. If Chris's schedule allows, we're also going to take Einstein for a refresher course. Needless to say, Chris & I both need refresher courses too. We're both very committed to helping Linus become a well behaved & happy dog. He'll never be the people dog that Einstein is but that's OK. Heck, I've been shy all of my life & I'm pretty happy so I think Linus can be happy even though he's got some social fears. He'll get there.
We're starting to see glimpses of his personality. He got one of the branches that Chris trimmed off the tree, hauled across the yard, and then sat down and started chewing on it. That's not anything that Einstein or Darwin have done. He steals socks and my wrist braces, again unique to Linus. He's a sweetie.
No sooner had my brother & his family departed for their cruise but my Mom arrived with her dog, Champ. We introduced Champ & Linus to each other in our backyard. The intros seemed to go fine. Linus was intimidated a bit but he didn't run off in terror either. He even let Mom pet him.
The 3 dogs seem to be cohabitating nicely. Einstein & Champ have always gotten along (unless there are chewies involved). They love to play & run. At my Mom's house there's enough space for them to get up to a good speed as they tear down the hallway & see if they can turn instead of slamming into the door. We don't have very good running space at home but they certainly do try to make the most of it. Linus just hunkered down on the loveseat & tried to ignore the crazed dogs barking & running around having a great time.
The biggest source of contention is the loveseat. This piece of furniture doesn't really get used by Chris & I. Usually it's the dumping spot for pillows or afghans while we use the couch. So, when my Mom comes down to visit, she clears it off & sets up there. She can see the TV, have access to a lamp, put her feet up, and sit and chat & knit with me over on the couch. Well, Linus decided that the loveseat was his. Now that he's feeling more confident instead of running for his cave, he'll run for the loveseat. He was unamused when my Mom plopped down there. She was less amused when he jumped up after she left & sat on her yarn. I have a feeling it's going to be a source of contention until we leave on vacation. At that point, Mom will probably move over to the couch & let Linus have the loveseat. He's a silly dog.
Mom's been taking him for walks & taking him into the backyard on the 12 foot lead. He's starting to used to her. Tonight we'll have her let Linus in the backyard without the lead & then see if he'll come inside for her or if he hides in the photinas. She walks Einstein & Champ together & them comes home and takes Linus out by himself. She says he does a lot better when walked on his own instead of tandem with Einstein. I'm sure that's true. She's also getting Einstein back into shape. We'd gotten fairly sloppy about his walking habits. When Mom walks, she power walks & expects the dogs to keep up. No sniffing or snuffling or marking everything just walking at a good clip. Einstein's not happy but he's learning to keep up. He's also being reminded that pulling is a bad thing.
Heck, Chris & I are hoping that when we get home Mom will have both dogs leash trained & Linus won't cry all night. ;-)
Actually I am going to sign up Linus for beginning obedience when we get back. If Chris's schedule allows, we're also going to take Einstein for a refresher course. Needless to say, Chris & I both need refresher courses too. We're both very committed to helping Linus become a well behaved & happy dog. He'll never be the people dog that Einstein is but that's OK. Heck, I've been shy all of my life & I'm pretty happy so I think Linus can be happy even though he's got some social fears. He'll get there.
We're starting to see glimpses of his personality. He got one of the branches that Chris trimmed off the tree, hauled across the yard, and then sat down and started chewing on it. That's not anything that Einstein or Darwin have done. He steals socks and my wrist braces, again unique to Linus. He's a sweetie.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Visitors are scary
My brother (Ray), his wife, & their daughter E (my niece) stopped by for the night. They're on their way to a cruise farther south in TX. We had a nice dinner & then E got to run around in the playground for awhile.
The playground is in a park within walking distance of her house. Unfortunately, too many people think that a park means they can let their dogs poop everywhere & not pick it up. We had to keep E on the sidewalks because of all of the piles. She'd been in the car all day & needed to run and play.
She seemed to like the enclosed slides the best. The short one was a straight slide down. The taller one had twists in it and wasn't very slippery. She came down the first couple of times dragging herself forward with her feet. The last time she somehow walked/crouched down the slide.
We had a problem with the dogs. They don't have pets so she's not used to them. Einstein was inside when we got home so I grabbed his collar to put him outside. He loves people so he wanted to wait for the new people to come in so he could say hi. I thought I had him out the door but he got away & ran for the entryway and the front door. E had just been sat on the ground & she saw a 55 lb basset hound charging toward her. Needless to say she was scared. Einstein didn't touch her and I got him outside. Linus shot from his crate to his cave. E actually went through his cave a couple of times and never noticed him. Linus just looked at her with huge eyes and tried to make himself into an even smaller ball.
Chris & my brother took both boys for a quick spin to wear them out a little. Chris said Linus was hard to deal with because he was so scared of the new person walking with him. He retreated back to his cave & didn't move until bedtime. When we let Einstein in, we left him on the leash.
Ray likes dogs so Einstein did get some attention after E went to bed. He wasn't totally neglected.
Happily Linus decided not to cry last night. I wonder if leaving a radio playing downstairs (music or talk?) would help him. Ideas?
The playground is in a park within walking distance of her house. Unfortunately, too many people think that a park means they can let their dogs poop everywhere & not pick it up. We had to keep E on the sidewalks because of all of the piles. She'd been in the car all day & needed to run and play.
She seemed to like the enclosed slides the best. The short one was a straight slide down. The taller one had twists in it and wasn't very slippery. She came down the first couple of times dragging herself forward with her feet. The last time she somehow walked/crouched down the slide.
We had a problem with the dogs. They don't have pets so she's not used to them. Einstein was inside when we got home so I grabbed his collar to put him outside. He loves people so he wanted to wait for the new people to come in so he could say hi. I thought I had him out the door but he got away & ran for the entryway and the front door. E had just been sat on the ground & she saw a 55 lb basset hound charging toward her. Needless to say she was scared. Einstein didn't touch her and I got him outside. Linus shot from his crate to his cave. E actually went through his cave a couple of times and never noticed him. Linus just looked at her with huge eyes and tried to make himself into an even smaller ball.
Chris & my brother took both boys for a quick spin to wear them out a little. Chris said Linus was hard to deal with because he was so scared of the new person walking with him. He retreated back to his cave & didn't move until bedtime. When we let Einstein in, we left him on the leash.
Ray likes dogs so Einstein did get some attention after E went to bed. He wasn't totally neglected.
Happily Linus decided not to cry last night. I wonder if leaving a radio playing downstairs (music or talk?) would help him. Ideas?
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
We walked
It was very scary. There was the mother & her daughter sitting in their yard with their big barking (but staying on his side of the street) dog. There were the (big?) scary sounding dogs on the other side of the fence. They apparently smelled good since Einstein wanted to stop & sniff while Linus wanted to run. Then there were the 2 couples leaving a house. That was very stressful. For me! Linus was bucking & trying to run while Einstein was trying to drag me back so he could say hi. We survived that. We eventually ran into 2 girls who were on our side of the street & were Einstein groupies. Linus hid behind me while Einstein did his happy wriggle dance of joy for the girls. We eventually made it the last 3 houses to ours & staggered inside. OK. I was the one staggering. Linus was running. Einstein was dragging his heels.
The head collar is a big help. I was able to keep Linus at my side most of the walk. I now understand why horses rear after watching Linus doing a pretty good imitation several times. The song about "Walking in the Light of God" popped into my head. So the last half of the walk I was singing that. I'm sure I was butchering both the tune & the lyrics but it helped me stay calm while Linus was pitching a fit & falling in it and dragging Einstein along behind me. Einstein needs some leash walking refreshers too.
Let's see we did lots of:
We are walking in the Light of God...
We are waiting in the Light of God.....
then there was We are turning in the Light of God.....
or We are stopping in the Light of God.....
I'm sure people thought I was a tone deaf Christian nut job who couldn't control her dogs. Everything but the Christian and the nut job part aren't true, of course. (I didn't say I could carry a tune. I said it was true that I wasn't tone deaf.)
We are home now. Linus has pawed at his head (I took the leash & collar off when we came inside.) & rubbed it furiously against the floor & the loveseat. He's laying in front of the loveseat panting very very hard. Einstein is probably off laying on the cool tile.
I should be cleaning. Instead I'm going to do some knitting, weigh some yarn, and watch Stargate Atlantis. Then I'll clean some more.
The head collar is a big help. I was able to keep Linus at my side most of the walk. I now understand why horses rear after watching Linus doing a pretty good imitation several times. The song about "Walking in the Light of God" popped into my head. So the last half of the walk I was singing that. I'm sure I was butchering both the tune & the lyrics but it helped me stay calm while Linus was pitching a fit & falling in it and dragging Einstein along behind me. Einstein needs some leash walking refreshers too.
Let's see we did lots of:
We are walking in the Light of God...
We are waiting in the Light of God.....
then there was We are turning in the Light of God.....
or We are stopping in the Light of God.....
I'm sure people thought I was a tone deaf Christian nut job who couldn't control her dogs. Everything but the Christian and the nut job part aren't true, of course. (I didn't say I could carry a tune. I said it was true that I wasn't tone deaf.)
We are home now. Linus has pawed at his head (I took the leash & collar off when we came inside.) & rubbed it furiously against the floor & the loveseat. He's laying in front of the loveseat panting very very hard. Einstein is probably off laying on the cool tile.
I should be cleaning. Instead I'm going to do some knitting, weigh some yarn, and watch Stargate Atlantis. Then I'll clean some more.
Just another day
I got home & dumped some groceries in the entryway along with my books & bag. Linus shot out of his crate as per usual. He actually sat at the back door & let me put the lead on him instead of cringing away. Einstein shot inside while Linus & I headed out. I kept thinking that I had forgotten something. Linus finished his business & we came back in. I heard something in the entryway & remembered the groceries. I ran in & discovered Einstein with his head buried in my bag of potato chips. I had Darwin flashbacks & almost started laughing. :-) No pictures I'm afraid.
One thing I've noticed about bassets is their need to make trails. Our beagle, Darwin, never made any trails. They only started to appear after Einstein arrived. Linus saw the trails & is following along.
Linus received a card in the mail. It was from his Granny McCann welcoming him into the family.
Well, enough fun & photos. Time to get to cleaning the house for the relatives that will be swarming in soon.
One thing I've noticed about bassets is their need to make trails. Our beagle, Darwin, never made any trails. They only started to appear after Einstein arrived. Linus saw the trails & is following along.
Linus received a card in the mail. It was from his Granny McCann welcoming him into the family.
Well, enough fun & photos. Time to get to cleaning the house for the relatives that will be swarming in soon.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Life has been eventful
Yesterday was Flying Night.
The plan had been to leave Linus at home. Going out to the field would be a big much for him plus it would give my joints & Einstein a break. Unfortunately I didn’t get home until ½ hour before we had to leave. So, Linus came with us.
I had stopped at Petsmart on the way home & bought a Gentle Leader head collar. I LOVE THIS COLLAR!!!!!! Linus can’t drag & pull on the leash all the time. (see photo)
It’s easier for me to correct his behavior through the leash. My joints love this collar too.
He got in the car easily by jumping up once he saw Einstein get in. He was fine during the drive. He was not happy when we got to the field & we met our 3 friends. The noise of the electric motors didn’t seem to bother him as much as the people.
We went on a short walk while Chris unloaded the car (Sneaky of me.). He tried to lunge & discovered the new collar. He did not like it. He would walk & pull, get a tug on the leash, and then shake his head or paw at the collar or try to rub it off in the grass. He did get the nose loop pushed up over his eyes. The fitting video said to keep it loose enough that it could reach the fleshy part of his nose. Basset hounds have a very long nose so evidently it needed to be tightened a bit.
The collar itself doesn’t bother him. He was good as gold while I fitted it on him. He ate some food & got something to drink while he was wearing it. He just doesn’t like it pulling on him.
We got to the relaxed stage of the walk a lot quicker. Einstein was on his flexi. He seemed to enjoy zooming out past Linus. Linus didn’t seem to like it as much. After a short spin we were back at the field.
Linus let everyone pet him. Bruce made sure that Einstein didn’t feel slighted by petting him first. Einstein pretty much has everyone trained that they have to come over & pet him. Glen liked the fact that Linus didn’t try to give him kisses like Einstein does.
Linus was pretty scared so I pulled him up onto my lap. Einstein showed his superiority by jumping up on the table & hanging over my shoulder.
I’m sure that violates all kinds of things in Cesar’s book but I don’t really care. Einstein is not a domineering dog. We call him our Zeta dog. Since he’s been showing Linus that he’s the top dog, we started calling him our Alpha Zeta dog.
A guy came by to talk & fussed over Einstein for several minutes. Einstein was thrilled. Linus thought about jumping off my lap & hiding under the table.
I even got to fly. Chris got my plane in the air.
Then I handed him Linus’ leash & he handed me the transmitter. I had a great flight. Chris sat on the ground with Linus. He wound up pulling him into his lap. Linus’ poor little heart was beating really fast. He did great though. A lot better than I thought he would.
He conked out on Einstein’s back for the trip back. Einstein didn’t seem to mind.
Hopefully that will continue to be the case. With Einstein & Darwin, Darwin didn’t like Einstein to be that close to him. We joked that Darwin was saying “Mom! Dad! He’s touching me! Make him stop! He’s touching me!” like a little kid. We had to make room for Einstein on the back seat & then make a place for Darwin to crawl onto in the back to get away from him.
On to today.
Chris got up first this morning. When I came downstairs, Linus was on the couch. I heard whining & looked to see Linus hopping up to catch sight of me over the back of the couch. He’d whine when he saw me. It was really cute. I went & sat next to him and he shoved his head into my lap. He’s such a sweetie dog.
The morning walk went so much better with the head collar. He’s starting to get more used to it. He also is walking with his head up more. A neighbor & his dog scared him but his reaction is getting less & less extreme.
This afternoon was his first appt at Angel Vet. Like a complete doofus, I left the sheet with all of the detailed list of medical care that he had received from the Flower Mound Humane Society on the coffee table. Duh! I’ll fax it to them tomorrow. He was pretty scared. I kept him on my lap while we waited. When he had to be weighed he curled up in the corner of the big scale trying to hide. Everyone at the vet thought he was sweet & cute. They’re always so nice and understanding. Almost everyone asked how I was doing since Panda had died. They’re great people. If you need a vet, this is the best place!
Dr. Slough (Panda’s vet) saw Linus. He said that Linus was in great shape. He did have a yeast infection in his ears (Yes Mom - he needs ear drops twice a day! Aren't you thrilled?) but that’s common to bassets. I clean Einstein’s every week to prevent that. He had lost 7 lbs since the FMHS had weighed him. Dr. Slough was surprised at that & had him reweighed but it was still 40 lbs. He said that Linus was at a good weight so he doesn’t need that much fattening up. He encouraged me to bring Linus’ food out where he is to encourage him to eat. I probably don’t need to shove it under his nose like I have been but within sight would be good. Dr Slough was kind enough to visit with me about Panda and we had a nice chat about the medical advances for renal failure in cats & dogs. I checked out & paid & started to leave. I had another Duh! Moment and turned around to get him microchipped. That was the #1 reason I had taken him in today. Duh! The #2 reason was so that he would have been seen at Angel Vet in case Mom needed to take him in while we were gone. So, he’s microchipped. (They checked to see if he already had one but he didn’t.) After all of the money I dropped there (6 months of Interceptor & Frontline plus the ear infection medicine & the chip), he’s officially a Vanderbilt. He’s stuck with us now.
He kept climbing into this little alcove by the checkout desk that held 3 safety cones for when they mop the floor. He was so cute. I know he was really scared though but that was the last thing before we left.
Once we get the rabies certificate, I’ll get his city license so he’ll be a legal resident.
He’s crashed on the love seat resting up from his stressful day.
The plan had been to leave Linus at home. Going out to the field would be a big much for him plus it would give my joints & Einstein a break. Unfortunately I didn’t get home until ½ hour before we had to leave. So, Linus came with us.
I had stopped at Petsmart on the way home & bought a Gentle Leader head collar. I LOVE THIS COLLAR!!!!!! Linus can’t drag & pull on the leash all the time. (see photo)
It’s easier for me to correct his behavior through the leash. My joints love this collar too.
He got in the car easily by jumping up once he saw Einstein get in. He was fine during the drive. He was not happy when we got to the field & we met our 3 friends. The noise of the electric motors didn’t seem to bother him as much as the people.
We went on a short walk while Chris unloaded the car (Sneaky of me.). He tried to lunge & discovered the new collar. He did not like it. He would walk & pull, get a tug on the leash, and then shake his head or paw at the collar or try to rub it off in the grass. He did get the nose loop pushed up over his eyes. The fitting video said to keep it loose enough that it could reach the fleshy part of his nose. Basset hounds have a very long nose so evidently it needed to be tightened a bit.
The collar itself doesn’t bother him. He was good as gold while I fitted it on him. He ate some food & got something to drink while he was wearing it. He just doesn’t like it pulling on him.
We got to the relaxed stage of the walk a lot quicker. Einstein was on his flexi. He seemed to enjoy zooming out past Linus. Linus didn’t seem to like it as much. After a short spin we were back at the field.
Linus let everyone pet him. Bruce made sure that Einstein didn’t feel slighted by petting him first. Einstein pretty much has everyone trained that they have to come over & pet him. Glen liked the fact that Linus didn’t try to give him kisses like Einstein does.
Linus was pretty scared so I pulled him up onto my lap. Einstein showed his superiority by jumping up on the table & hanging over my shoulder.
I’m sure that violates all kinds of things in Cesar’s book but I don’t really care. Einstein is not a domineering dog. We call him our Zeta dog. Since he’s been showing Linus that he’s the top dog, we started calling him our Alpha Zeta dog.
I even got to fly. Chris got my plane in the air.
Then I handed him Linus’ leash & he handed me the transmitter. I had a great flight. Chris sat on the ground with Linus. He wound up pulling him into his lap. Linus’ poor little heart was beating really fast. He did great though. A lot better than I thought he would.
He conked out on Einstein’s back for the trip back. Einstein didn’t seem to mind.
Hopefully that will continue to be the case. With Einstein & Darwin, Darwin didn’t like Einstein to be that close to him. We joked that Darwin was saying “Mom! Dad! He’s touching me! Make him stop! He’s touching me!” like a little kid. We had to make room for Einstein on the back seat & then make a place for Darwin to crawl onto in the back to get away from him.
On to today.
Chris got up first this morning. When I came downstairs, Linus was on the couch. I heard whining & looked to see Linus hopping up to catch sight of me over the back of the couch. He’d whine when he saw me. It was really cute. I went & sat next to him and he shoved his head into my lap. He’s such a sweetie dog.
This afternoon was his first appt at Angel Vet. Like a complete doofus, I left the sheet with all of the detailed list of medical care that he had received from the Flower Mound Humane Society on the coffee table. Duh! I’ll fax it to them tomorrow. He was pretty scared. I kept him on my lap while we waited. When he had to be weighed he curled up in the corner of the big scale trying to hide. Everyone at the vet thought he was sweet & cute. They’re always so nice and understanding. Almost everyone asked how I was doing since Panda had died. They’re great people. If you need a vet, this is the best place!
He kept climbing into this little alcove by the checkout desk that held 3 safety cones for when they mop the floor. He was so cute. I know he was really scared though but that was the last thing before we left.
Once we get the rabies certificate, I’ll get his city license so he’ll be a legal resident.
He’s crashed on the love seat resting up from his stressful day.
Monday, May 14, 2007
One paw on the brake, One paw on the gas
That seems to be the way that Linus "walks". It's all stop (when I've made him stop) or full out until I make him stop again. After trying to get him to "Hold" unsuccessfully, I decided to take a page out of Linus' book. When he steps on his leash, he stops. He doesn't understand what's happened.
Sooooo, when he sped up, I slowed down and the leash tightened. He'd strain and I'd slow even more. Einstein loved this. He got to sniff & mosey & generally take his time. When Linus would stop pulling and slow down, I'd speed up a little and we'd all walk along. Until Linus would decide to speed up again. I didn't yell "hold" or "wait". I didn't jerk or tug on the leash. Linus looked back a couple of times but must have decided it wasn't me because he stopped looking. Which was the idea. I don't want to turn our walks into a bad thing in his mind. If his little puppy brain starts to associate straining on the leash (& gagging himself) with something he's doing and stops, then that's the whole idea.
The almost sea-sickness inducing lurching (fast, slow, fast, slow) reminded me of flying my R/C plane. I'm still getting the hang of it so sometimes I'll start porpoising. I'll start to dive a little, over correct & nose up too much, over correct & I'll dive a live. Get the idea?
Same thing with Linus. Surge up in speed, slow down in speed, surge up, surge down. Eventually he started to figure things out, get a little tired, and his speed leveled out some. We had a nice stroll after that. We heard some birds (Yes, I heard them. I need my full attention on Linus so the iPod stays at home.), they sniffed some bushes, everybody had a nice time.
No scary things happened until almost the end of the walk. We had a jogger on the other side of the road. A cat yowling. Each time he looked up, slowed down, and then went on.
Right now he's sacked out on the love seat resting up for bedtime. ;-)
Sooooo, when he sped up, I slowed down and the leash tightened. He'd strain and I'd slow even more. Einstein loved this. He got to sniff & mosey & generally take his time. When Linus would stop pulling and slow down, I'd speed up a little and we'd all walk along. Until Linus would decide to speed up again. I didn't yell "hold" or "wait". I didn't jerk or tug on the leash. Linus looked back a couple of times but must have decided it wasn't me because he stopped looking. Which was the idea. I don't want to turn our walks into a bad thing in his mind. If his little puppy brain starts to associate straining on the leash (& gagging himself) with something he's doing and stops, then that's the whole idea.
The almost sea-sickness inducing lurching (fast, slow, fast, slow) reminded me of flying my R/C plane. I'm still getting the hang of it so sometimes I'll start porpoising. I'll start to dive a little, over correct & nose up too much, over correct & I'll dive a live. Get the idea?
Same thing with Linus. Surge up in speed, slow down in speed, surge up, surge down. Eventually he started to figure things out, get a little tired, and his speed leveled out some. We had a nice stroll after that. We heard some birds (Yes, I heard them. I need my full attention on Linus so the iPod stays at home.), they sniffed some bushes, everybody had a nice time.
No scary things happened until almost the end of the walk. We had a jogger on the other side of the road. A cat yowling. Each time he looked up, slowed down, and then went on.
Right now he's sacked out on the love seat resting up for bedtime. ;-)
Wipeout!
It finally happened. Linus knocked me off my feet.
We were going for a "quick" walk this morning. Linus did his business so I decided to turn around & head back the way we came.
I'm not 100% sure how it happened but the next thing I knew I was falling over Linus & heading for the sidewalk. Somehow I managed to drop & miss landing on the newly filled Dispoz-A-Scoop bag. I hit the sidewalk & rolled to grab a hold of the leashes that I'd dropped.
Linus was cringing and not moving while Einstein was checking out the scenery.
No injuries. Linus did try a few more times on the way back to the house for a repeat performance but failed.
We were going for a "quick" walk this morning. Linus did his business so I decided to turn around & head back the way we came.
I'm not 100% sure how it happened but the next thing I knew I was falling over Linus & heading for the sidewalk. Somehow I managed to drop & miss landing on the newly filled Dispoz-A-Scoop bag. I hit the sidewalk & rolled to grab a hold of the leashes that I'd dropped.
Linus was cringing and not moving while Einstein was checking out the scenery.No injuries. Linus did try a few more times on the way back to the house for a repeat performance but failed.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Walking & other stressful activities
Linus is afraid of lawn mowers. How did I figure this out? We left for our walk ( I even tried going out the door first.) & Linus went absolutely berserk when he heard our neighbor mowing his lawn. He flailed around like a 47 lb fish at the end of a line. He tried to run into the house, away from the house, into the wall, back into the house. I managed to finally get the door closed & locked with all 3 of us on the outside. It was a lot easier to focus on Linus then. I headed off down the street away from the noise. He was freaking out, yanking hard on the leash, and running as much as I would let him. I yanked him to a stop "Wait" and fought him until he stopped moving with the collar loose. He was breathing really hard & fast & shivering. I waited until he stopped shaking & then we started walking again. It was hard to resist the urge to pet & fuss over him, kneel down & give him a hug but Cesar says that sort of thing just reinforces the panic reflex. So on we went.
A car pulled into a driveway & 3 people got out. Nutso time again. I kept pulling him over beside me. No orders to Wait or Sit, just using the leash to tell him to get back beside me. Again I resisted the comforting urge. I stayed there until they'd gone into their house. Linus relaxed and off we went again. Turning onto the next street I heard another lawn mower in the distance. Guess what? Everybody and their uncle mows their lawn at dusk. It made for a stressful but productive walk.
Throughout all of this Einstein walked behind me. Usually he charges ahead but I guess he wanted some distance between himself & a panicked Linus. Can't say as I blamed him. I made Linus "Wait" whenever Einstein wanted to smell something. Linus was still tense & breathing hard.
Another car with people & another mower came & went with less anxiety than before. I guess Cesar knows what he's talking about.
Surprisingly the 2 motorcycles that went by didn't even faze him. Having been an outside dog, I would have thought that he'd heard mowers all the time. I guess not. It'll be interesting the first time Chris had to mow or I have to vacuum.
During this, I told Linus to Wait twice when he was making for the street & he actually stopped! I was impressed.
We got to another house with a couple & a little boy getting out of their truck. Linus started freaking. Then he noticed the 2 girls riding their bikes in the street & freaked some more. I stopped & started reigning Linus in like I had been doing the rest of the walk. I looked back & saw that Einstein was at the end of his leash wagging his tail at the little boy who clearly wanted to pet him. I thought for a moment & said that it was OK if he wanted to pet Einstein and then started to get a better hold so that he wouldn't knock the kid over. All this time Linus is going nuts on the end of the leash. He ran every which way including between my legs at one point. The lady commented that I had my hands full. I told her were Linus had come from and that he was afraid of people so he really shouldn't be petted but that Einstein loved it. Einstein put on his charming cutie routine & received pets from the adults and squeals of joy from the boy. The girls stopped so I repeated what I had told the woman. You know, about don't pet the freaking out terrified dog but you can pet the happy nice one? sigh. Linus had started to wear himself out and was leaning up against the back of my legs. I saw something & turned around just in time to see one of the girls petting him and darting back. I was too tired to be mad but she's lucky that Linus isn't the type to bite when scared. She may not be so lucky the next time an owner says no & she doesn't listen. I had my hands too full to talk to her about it. The little boy finally screwed up his courage and petted Einstein. He and Einstein were both thrilled. A minivan stopped in the middle of the street and a guy I recognized from our walks asked about the second basset hound. Linus was almost beyond additional freaking by now but he did feel honor bound to try a little.
On we went. I was ready to agree with Linus and head for home. Unfortunately, he hadn't done his business yet. Plus this was good for him. The rest of the walk was fairly downhill, terrorizingly speaking. He actually started walking with some slack in the leash (I'd given up on that and had focused on keeping him calm.). He did both of his jobs & even decided that he needed a brief lay down under a tree. He got up readily when I asked him. The girls came back around on the sidewalk this time (I still don't get that. Bikes are for the street. Sidewalks are for walking. But then I don't get people walking down the middle of the street pushing a baby stroller either.) and I pulled the guys out of the way. Linus didn't put up a fuss. He even stopped to wait at the next street corner even though I'd forgotten to tell him. He tensed up when we got back to the house but the mower had been put away so we made it inside without any problems.
He's plopped in his cave but I think he earned it.
Well, I think I'm going to go look for some yarn to try some Scribble Lace with. I think we all earned a break. Guess I'm not such a bad pack leader after all.
A car pulled into a driveway & 3 people got out. Nutso time again. I kept pulling him over beside me. No orders to Wait or Sit, just using the leash to tell him to get back beside me. Again I resisted the comforting urge. I stayed there until they'd gone into their house. Linus relaxed and off we went again. Turning onto the next street I heard another lawn mower in the distance. Guess what? Everybody and their uncle mows their lawn at dusk. It made for a stressful but productive walk.
Throughout all of this Einstein walked behind me. Usually he charges ahead but I guess he wanted some distance between himself & a panicked Linus. Can't say as I blamed him. I made Linus "Wait" whenever Einstein wanted to smell something. Linus was still tense & breathing hard.
Another car with people & another mower came & went with less anxiety than before. I guess Cesar knows what he's talking about.
Surprisingly the 2 motorcycles that went by didn't even faze him. Having been an outside dog, I would have thought that he'd heard mowers all the time. I guess not. It'll be interesting the first time Chris had to mow or I have to vacuum.
During this, I told Linus to Wait twice when he was making for the street & he actually stopped! I was impressed.
We got to another house with a couple & a little boy getting out of their truck. Linus started freaking. Then he noticed the 2 girls riding their bikes in the street & freaked some more. I stopped & started reigning Linus in like I had been doing the rest of the walk. I looked back & saw that Einstein was at the end of his leash wagging his tail at the little boy who clearly wanted to pet him. I thought for a moment & said that it was OK if he wanted to pet Einstein and then started to get a better hold so that he wouldn't knock the kid over. All this time Linus is going nuts on the end of the leash. He ran every which way including between my legs at one point. The lady commented that I had my hands full. I told her were Linus had come from and that he was afraid of people so he really shouldn't be petted but that Einstein loved it. Einstein put on his charming cutie routine & received pets from the adults and squeals of joy from the boy. The girls stopped so I repeated what I had told the woman. You know, about don't pet the freaking out terrified dog but you can pet the happy nice one? sigh. Linus had started to wear himself out and was leaning up against the back of my legs. I saw something & turned around just in time to see one of the girls petting him and darting back. I was too tired to be mad but she's lucky that Linus isn't the type to bite when scared. She may not be so lucky the next time an owner says no & she doesn't listen. I had my hands too full to talk to her about it. The little boy finally screwed up his courage and petted Einstein. He and Einstein were both thrilled. A minivan stopped in the middle of the street and a guy I recognized from our walks asked about the second basset hound. Linus was almost beyond additional freaking by now but he did feel honor bound to try a little.
On we went. I was ready to agree with Linus and head for home. Unfortunately, he hadn't done his business yet. Plus this was good for him. The rest of the walk was fairly downhill, terrorizingly speaking. He actually started walking with some slack in the leash (I'd given up on that and had focused on keeping him calm.). He did both of his jobs & even decided that he needed a brief lay down under a tree. He got up readily when I asked him. The girls came back around on the sidewalk this time (I still don't get that. Bikes are for the street. Sidewalks are for walking. But then I don't get people walking down the middle of the street pushing a baby stroller either.) and I pulled the guys out of the way. Linus didn't put up a fuss. He even stopped to wait at the next street corner even though I'd forgotten to tell him. He tensed up when we got back to the house but the mower had been put away so we made it inside without any problems.
He's plopped in his cave but I think he earned it.
Well, I think I'm going to go look for some yarn to try some Scribble Lace with. I think we all earned a break. Guess I'm not such a bad pack leader after all.
Who's really the pack leader in this house?
I got to the section in Cesar's Way called "Who's Top Dog in Your House".
Here are the questions:
Does Einstein jump on us when we come home?
Sometimes. Ummm.... OK he usually does if he's been left inside the house. Not so much if we left him outside. But yes, he does that to both of us.
Does Einstein go out of the door first when going on walks? (Or anywhere else that involves a leash & a door)
Yes. Always, with both of us. You mean it's not because he's so excited about his walks?
Does Einstein bark at you to get something and then you do it?
Walk? Ummm... Generally yes, not every time though!
Play? Yes
Does Einstein wake you up early in the morning because...
He needs a drink? Yes
He needs to go potty? Yes
Just plain wants out? Yes
Do you let him...
Drink? yes, we're already awake, why not?
Potty? definitely - who wants to clean up accidents in the crate?
Wants out? Once we realize that, No. He goes back in the crate.
Anything else he makes you do?
Ummm... Does leaving the papa san in the living even though it's in our way but he likes it so we left it count? Yeah, I guess it would.
Ummm... Oh, does buying a dog pillow for every room where we tend to spend time in because he won't hang out with us otherwise count? He just doesn't like laying on non-cushy stuff. Oops! I think that counts.
Not looking good for us.
It looks like Einstein wins.
He's surprised that there's any doubt.
For the record, Panda could beat him up with 1 declawed paw tied behind her back.
Here are the questions:
Does Einstein jump on us when we come home?
Sometimes. Ummm.... OK he usually does if he's been left inside the house. Not so much if we left him outside. But yes, he does that to both of us.
Does Einstein go out of the door first when going on walks? (Or anywhere else that involves a leash & a door)
Yes. Always, with both of us. You mean it's not because he's so excited about his walks?
Does Einstein bark at you to
Walk? Ummm... Generally yes, not every time though!
Play? Yes
Does Einstein wake you up early in the morning because...
He needs a drink? Yes
He needs to go potty? Yes
Just plain wants out? Yes
Do you let him...
Drink? yes, we're already awake, why not?
Potty? definitely - who wants to clean up accidents in the crate?
Wants out? Once we realize that, No. He goes back in the crate.
Anything else he makes you do?
Ummm... Does leaving the papa san in the living even though it's in our way but he likes it so we left it count? Yeah, I guess it would.
Ummm... Oh, does buying a dog pillow for every room where we tend to spend time in because he won't hang out with us otherwise count? He just doesn't like laying on non-cushy stuff. Oops! I think that counts.
Not looking good for us.
It looks like Einstein wins.
He's surprised that there's any doubt.
For the record, Panda could beat him up with 1 declawed paw tied behind her back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
