How's this for a "Stay with Temptation?!"

Last night-- our deck... four dogs and Teddy eating watermelon.  How cool?!?!  And, in Bruschi's case... HOW RARE!!!

Visiting pups are Maya and Sully, friends of ours.

All dogs maintained their composure to the end... when Teddy made the slightest suggestion of offering the remains to Bruschi.... who didn't give him a second to reconsider!

Dogs training Teddy

In training dogs, we put lots of desired behaviors on cue-- sit, down, stay, come, wait, in Bruschi's case "go long" (he runs far in anticipation of a ball coming his way, like a football player).

Well-- i suspect the dogs MAY be conditioning Teddy, with one of their behaviors indicating to Teddy "my buddies are here!"  I just realized the sequence this morning and am fascinated.  

Dogs jumped to attention at something outside as they do when someone is approaching, and Teddy, next to them, gets excited and says "Max here.  Max.  Max Mama."  He seems to think his friend Max is coming over.

I say "no, Max isn't here."  He says "Ganpa (Grandpa) here?" I also say no, and he looks very confused... then moves on to take all the diapers out of the closet and play with them (he has plenty of toys, btw).  

Happening once does not mean its a cue (for dogs or for humans), and I'm wracking my brain to remember if Teddy's previous Max requests were subsequent of window barking.  

Stay tuned....

Toddler encounters of the dog kind-- meeting and greeting on the street

By way of previous blog posts, you know that teaching Teddy how to appropriately approach and greet dogs is super important to me.  This is a life skill on par with crossing the street.   It's in both Teddy and the unknowing dog's best interest that the two-foot does not run up and startle the quadruped....ever.    

What's the proper approach?

I intend for my son to come to a complete stop before he is within petting range of the dog... And further back if possible.  Advancing forward is possible only with permission and in a calm and relaxed approach.  

My first step in conditioning Teddy to this... getting the kid to stop.  When asking isn't enough... I tackle (kidding... kind of).  

What's next?  Well, we had the perfect illustration of that on Friday night... en route to a dinner with dog trainers no less!    

Teddy is naturally very curious about the dogs that he sees (he is my son, after all), and getting him to stop is one thing, but diverting his attention and with it the forward lunging is another all together.  It is imperative for me to satisfy his curiosity, and, unhinge his desire to reach out and touch...therefore conditioning him to do what my mom always told us to do in my grandmother's house... "look with no hands!"

That's a challenge-- especially when the dog shows interest.

More after the jump

Dear Granny...

Dear Granny,

"Only 3 cookies escaped..."

Earlier this evening, when we were home alone, we used our super-powers to get our cookies that you made us off the counter all by ourselves.  No help needed!  They were pretty far back on the counter, so it took a lot of effort.  It was kind of like our mom and dad DIDN'T WANT us to have them.

We kinda ate them all-- well, all except for 3.  And now we are kinda in trouble.  And we need your help to get out of trouble.

(More)

Nine pounds of critter-hunting instinct is hard to handle!

Setting:  Learch house, 11:30ish PM.  Brian has just come home from a night out with friends.  Baby is asleep.  Dogs are slumbering on the couch.  Only noise in the house is the East Dillon Lions cheering on their football team on TV (DVRed from earlier that evening).

Terrier button ears snap to attention:  brraaahhh-arf--arf--arf!
Puggle snout emerges from under blanket:  ruuuufff.  Ruuufff RUFFFFF

Both charge to window, ears pointed, bodies erect, barking at decibels that hearing impaired individuals could easily notice... and, with that, sound levels that could easily awake sleeping baby.

There's no calling them off.  No treat competes with mystery beast outside.  And they are relentless.

Colleen:  Brian, something is outside.
Brian:  Nothing is outside.

Kodi issues unmistakable battle cry (not a bark-- a battle cry.  If only I had gotten it on video).

Colleen:  Really, Bruschi isn't even interested in food he is so focused on the front yard... really?
Brian:  Col, look- there is nothing out there.
Colleen:  I think you should go out and see.
Brian:  What?
Colleen:  (now holding 9 pounds of flailing Rat Terrier who just wants blood and is all but clawing out of arms).  Take the flashlight and go outside.


(More)

Proposed New Park (or life) Rules

Teddy and Bruschi at dog park

This week, my facebook friends have been talkative on various rules and regulations for children and dogs sharing the same space-- including my non-dog enthusiast friends (who I love all the same).  There was conversation of where household dogs should be during kids parties, a super cute video of a dog and child sharing a water fountain, and, the hottest topic...a potential ban on children under 8 being in a neighborhood dog park.  Yowza on that last one, right??

A dog park in our area is considering prohibiting young children from one specific park as a proactive measure, based upon observations of some tense moments, that could have ended badly.  For an area as dog and baby friendly as Arlington, VA-- you have to imagine just what a tough decision this is from all angles.  

After I got over my selfish first reaction "well THATS going to change our Sunday morning dog park outings" (some go to church, we go to the dog park), I started to think just how complicated, and sad this is-- when it shouldn't have to be.  

The fact is, that someone does need to be the the dogs' lawyer.  Children can stress a dog out- easy- and children in motion-- like at a park... all the more so.  And dogs deserve a place to run free of tiny fingers trying to poke their eyes or pull their tails.  Worse, though-- is that all too often children and their parents do not respect the needs and sensitivities of a dog.  Look- we would all fear a child running up to us head on at full speed wielding a stick in his or her hand trying to pet us.  So why can't a dog fear the same thing?  

What makes me really sad- is that no ban on children in a dog park is going to help the larger problem of promoting proper interaction with dogs in public places. I'm glad that dogs will have less sources of stress in a park... and that no dog will take the fall for a menacing child, but what I really want to see is the County's Department of Common Sense and Community Responsibility* adopt the following three simple rules for parks... or, life... whichever you choose:

1.  All children will first obtain permission before petting a stranger's dog.  Simple.  If child can ask to go to park, they can ask permission to pet my pup.  

2. All dog owners reserve the right to ask a child to step away from their dog, at any time, for any reason, or for no reason at all.  Its that person's dog, that person's responsibility.  We know when they are about to get stressed.  

3.  No object, other than a hand (and that hand only with permission, see rule 1) shall ever touch a dog.  That means we do not whack a dog with a toy shovel, or hit a dog with a ball.  Seriously, latter happened earlier this evening to Kodi.


*Currently, there is no actual Department of Common Sense and Community Responsibility, but as i understand, Leslie Knope is rumored to be on the exploratory committee for its creation.

** In the interest of full disclosure, my child stresses out one of my dogs periodically- kid's not perfect.  We're workin' on it.

  

True Story

Its 7:00 AM at my Parent's house where we are spending a few days.  The Toddler gets Kodi's leash off the doorknob, brings it to Kodi and attempts to hook her up.  Almost succeeds, except that his dexterity does not allow him to work the latch on the leash hook.  I assist.  Toddler gets the other leash, and does the same to Bruschi.

Toddler then proceeds to walk the dogs around the house (a circular-design, which has provided ENDLESS amounts of chasing of all 3).   Bruschi, completely in-character, jumps up on the table to rescue any scraps of breakfast left.  Toddler shouts "DOWN."  Keeps on walking.

(I captured a very blurry cell phone photo- blurry b/c the threesome moved so darned fast!)