I was tired of seeing Kimo so brown every day. And no sign of Donna giving him a bath.
So I decided late in the afternoon to do it.
Last time, I carried him to the basin and the bath wasn't very successful because the basin is too small for him now and I missed a lot of spots. But mainly the faucet can't easily reach to all of his body.
So this time I took him to the driveway and brought out the hose. It went fairly well. He didn't struggle or fuss much, but I had my hand on his collar most of the time just in case. And it was much easier for the water to reach his body using the hose (instead of trying to splash with my hand).
There's still some tinges of brown on the coat here and there. And his tail is still pretty brown. But it's not too bad as the majority of his fur is now sort of white again.
[Sat 9/26, posted 9/28]
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
shushing Petey
Took Kimo out. Saw Diane. She said it's her last day here and Max was being dogsitted. Shucks, no picture of Max.
back home? RMAS come. Kimo still goes wild. Take him out w/ them.
Ann comes w/ Fifi & Mochi and I walk with them.
Petey's house. Petey barks. I told her that yesterday(?) Malia's daughter (I think) was on the porch and Petey was barking. She called Petey's name a couple of times and he quieted down and remained quiet as we left. Good sign.
So Ann tried calling Petey's name and he quieted down if only for a few moments.
No such luck with Keith though. I refrained from calling Petey to him.
[Sat 9/26, posted 9/28]
back home? RMAS come. Kimo still goes wild. Take him out w/ them.
Ann comes w/ Fifi & Mochi and I walk with them.
Petey's house. Petey barks. I told her that yesterday(?) Malia's daughter (I think) was on the porch and Petey was barking. She called Petey's name a couple of times and he quieted down and remained quiet as we left. Good sign.
So Ann tried calling Petey's name and he quieted down if only for a few moments.
No such luck with Keith though. I refrained from calling Petey to him.
[Sat 9/26, posted 9/28]
Friday, September 25, 2009
the incident
I was walking with RMAS and remarked that Kimo seems to be getting more used to Miki again (after struggling at the beginning).
Reina asked if he's scared of Miki and I said yes. [Actually now that I think of it, I believe Ann asked me that later, not Reina?] She also mentioned the incident and Amy said what incident. I said the one where Kimo growled and Miki jumped him. Reina said Kimo went after Shammy first. But I completely don't remember that. And I don't think it happened that way. (But maybe it did.)
I'm trying to find the date of when the incident happened, but apparently it predates ths blog. It's probably buried in my log someplace.
***
Looking through my 2007 log.
3/25 - the last walk with Harold
5/16 - get permission to walk Oliver
8/12 - Kimo bites Amy
11/23 - the incident
12/5 - went for walk with Amy (seems OK)
Hmm. So apparently he was OK for a while after the incident. I think it was a problem with Miki with Reina, but not Miki with Amy.
[Fri 9/25, posted 9/27]
Reina asked if he's scared of Miki and I said yes. [Actually now that I think of it, I believe Ann asked me that later, not Reina?] She also mentioned the incident and Amy said what incident. I said the one where Kimo growled and Miki jumped him. Reina said Kimo went after Shammy first. But I completely don't remember that. And I don't think it happened that way. (But maybe it did.)
I'm trying to find the date of when the incident happened, but apparently it predates ths blog. It's probably buried in my log someplace.
***
Looking through my 2007 log.
3/25 - the last walk with Harold
5/16 - get permission to walk Oliver
8/12 - Kimo bites Amy
11/23 - the incident
12/5 - went for walk with Amy (seems OK)
Hmm. So apparently he was OK for a while after the incident. I think it was a problem with Miki with Reina, but not Miki with Amy.
[Fri 9/25, posted 9/27]
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Musubi follows us
Kimo was running back and forth and barking. So I took him out. When we went out, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary so I don't know what he was so excited about.
We walked up to the end of the street. Keith barked a little. And Petey barked more than a little. Musubi (Malia's black and white cat) was out and came over. He tried to cuddle up to Kimo and lay down on the road so Kimo would sniff him.
It was slow going walking back because Musubi would walk next to Kimo and kind of cut in front of him. For a while they were walking parallel as we made it down the road.
Then Nalu and Kristen came with the young son (Kahola or something?) pushing the baby daughter in the carriage. So I decided to turn around and walk with back up the street. Though I kept a little separation between us.
We got to the end by the Hayashida (now Au) grass. The kids wandered close and Kimo let off a soft growl. Danger signal. Nudge him away.
We walked back down. Musubi continued to follow us. Head to the driveway and continues to follow us. Mom is watching because she's waiting for us to go to Donna's house. Kimo goes up the steps. And Musubi follows him up the steps too.
Take Kimo in back and Musubi follows up the side of the house. Close the gate to keep them hopefully separated. Then walk back up to Malia's house. Musubi followed me.
Then turn around and go back home. Unfortunately, Musubi trailed me back down. Don't know if he's hungry or something. Better not feed him or I'll never get rid of him.
Anyway, went out to feed Kimo. And Musubi at the side of the house. Kimo was barking cause Pat was out with Keith. But then Keith saw Musubi and started going wild, so I think she cut her walk short. Musubi came up next to the gate and lay down there. Finally Kimo finished eating. And Musubi wandered away.
[Sunday 9/20, posted 9/21]
We walked up to the end of the street. Keith barked a little. And Petey barked more than a little. Musubi (Malia's black and white cat) was out and came over. He tried to cuddle up to Kimo and lay down on the road so Kimo would sniff him.
It was slow going walking back because Musubi would walk next to Kimo and kind of cut in front of him. For a while they were walking parallel as we made it down the road.
Then Nalu and Kristen came with the young son (Kahola or something?) pushing the baby daughter in the carriage. So I decided to turn around and walk with back up the street. Though I kept a little separation between us.
We got to the end by the Hayashida (now Au) grass. The kids wandered close and Kimo let off a soft growl. Danger signal. Nudge him away.
We walked back down. Musubi continued to follow us. Head to the driveway and continues to follow us. Mom is watching because she's waiting for us to go to Donna's house. Kimo goes up the steps. And Musubi follows him up the steps too.
Take Kimo in back and Musubi follows up the side of the house. Close the gate to keep them hopefully separated. Then walk back up to Malia's house. Musubi followed me.
Then turn around and go back home. Unfortunately, Musubi trailed me back down. Don't know if he's hungry or something. Better not feed him or I'll never get rid of him.
Anyway, went out to feed Kimo. And Musubi at the side of the house. Kimo was barking cause Pat was out with Keith. But then Keith saw Musubi and started going wild, so I think she cut her walk short. Musubi came up next to the gate and lay down there. Finally Kimo finished eating. And Musubi wandered away.
[Sunday 9/20, posted 9/21]
Kimo goes to Ala Moana
Decided to go watch the women play tennis at Ala Moana and took Kimo with me.
I took the stalls near the Magic Island parking lot because I feared there wouldn't be much parking and it turned out to be a longer walk to the tennis courts than I thought. They have some nice walkways, but I didn't see anybody else walking their dog. Probably because of the No Animals Allowed on the sign. Well I figured if I walked by the sidewalk by the street, then I'm not really in the park. Sort of. They had a nice stone wall by the sidewalk and we walked much of the way on that. Making sure that Kimo trailed behind me.
Finally we reached the tennis courts but I didn't recognize anybody player. Then I saw Ann by her car and she said they start playing at 10:30. Hmm. I thought they started playing at like 8:00 or 8:30. OK, a little early. Still about 45 minutes to go.
OK, more walking. So we went back to the stonewall and walked back to the car. Then drove the car a little closer. And back to the tennis courts. The players were warming up. At first I thought Joyce was warming up with Ann. But Bry said Joyce was warming up with her opponent and I took a closer look.
Anyway, Kimo was panting. And I dripped some water out of the faucet and he lapped up the drops. We watched for a while but the sun was beating down. Kimo kept heading for the grass, I think he wanted shade. We finally headed home.
Kimo usually goes up on the back seat. But this time he sat on the floor. I guess cause it's cooler there?
Anyway, took Kimo home and off to dim sum.
[Sunday 9/20, posted 9/21]
Back
I took the stalls near the Magic Island parking lot because I feared there wouldn't be much parking and it turned out to be a longer walk to the tennis courts than I thought. They have some nice walkways, but I didn't see anybody else walking their dog. Probably because of the No Animals Allowed on the sign. Well I figured if I walked by the sidewalk by the street, then I'm not really in the park. Sort of. They had a nice stone wall by the sidewalk and we walked much of the way on that. Making sure that Kimo trailed behind me.
Finally we reached the tennis courts but I didn't recognize anybody player. Then I saw Ann by her car and she said they start playing at 10:30. Hmm. I thought they started playing at like 8:00 or 8:30. OK, a little early. Still about 45 minutes to go.
OK, more walking. So we went back to the stonewall and walked back to the car. Then drove the car a little closer. And back to the tennis courts. The players were warming up. At first I thought Joyce was warming up with Ann. But Bry said Joyce was warming up with her opponent and I took a closer look.
Anyway, Kimo was panting. And I dripped some water out of the faucet and he lapped up the drops. We watched for a while but the sun was beating down. Kimo kept heading for the grass, I think he wanted shade. We finally headed home.
Kimo usually goes up on the back seat. But this time he sat on the floor. I guess cause it's cooler there?
Anyway, took Kimo home and off to dim sum.
[Sunday 9/20, posted 9/21]
Back
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
AMF, RMAS, MRB
barking in the morning. It's Ann w/ Mochi & Fifi. Take Kimo out to walk with them. Stops to sniff Paco. Then Paco briefly joins us, walking between Kimo and Mochi.
Next I thought Kimo was barking at planes, but it's RMAS. Have Kimo eat jerky on the landing as they come back down. But he doesn't want to go down the steps. I ask if Hershey was already here and they said he was. So I went to get Hershey and Kimo started barking as I left (not sure if it was at RMAS or maybe because he wanted to go with me). Anyway, I took Hershey and trailed them but never quite caught up as they ducked down the driveway.
Later, I heard a dog barking up the street. Possibly Banzai. Actually it turned out to be MRB (Melissa with Rudy and Blue). I looked for my treats to distract Kimo and couldn't find them. So I grabbed his collar just as he was going wild. Then I finally found the treats in my pocket and treated him as they were coming back down the road. He took the treats though he would turn and look up the road in between. But no outburst as they passed.
Maybe he was tired after that. Buddy visited as he was in the back and not a peep.
[Wed 9/16]
Next I thought Kimo was barking at planes, but it's RMAS. Have Kimo eat jerky on the landing as they come back down. But he doesn't want to go down the steps. I ask if Hershey was already here and they said he was. So I went to get Hershey and Kimo started barking as I left (not sure if it was at RMAS or maybe because he wanted to go with me). Anyway, I took Hershey and trailed them but never quite caught up as they ducked down the driveway.
Later, I heard a dog barking up the street. Possibly Banzai. Actually it turned out to be MRB (Melissa with Rudy and Blue). I looked for my treats to distract Kimo and couldn't find them. So I grabbed his collar just as he was going wild. Then I finally found the treats in my pocket and treated him as they were coming back down the road. He took the treats though he would turn and look up the road in between. But no outburst as they passed.
Maybe he was tired after that. Buddy visited as he was in the back and not a peep.
[Wed 9/16]
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
The literature about dogs is not quite the same as the literature about, say, Norwegian rats. Dogs get the literary respect: there are brilliant memoirs about dogs like J. R. Ackerley’s “My Dog Tulip” and Elizabeth von Arnim’s “All the Dogs of My Life”; there’s James Thurber and Virginia Woolf and Jack London; there’s Lassie and Clifford and, of course, Marley. White rats, on the other hand, get most of the scientific attention. Alexandra Horowitz’s “Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know” attempts to rectify that situation, exploring what science tells us about dogs without relegating our pets, emotionally, to lab rats. As a psychologist with a Ph.D. in cognitive science, as well as an ardent dogophile, Horowitz aims “to take an informed imaginative leap inside of a dog — to see what it is like to be a dog; what the world is like from a dog’s point of view.”
Her work draws on that of an early-20th- century German biologist, Jakob von Uexküll, who proposed that “anyone who wants to understand the life of an animal must begin by considering what he called their umvelt . . . : their subjective or ‘self-world.’ ” Hard as we may try, a dog’s-eye view is not immediately accessible to us, however, for we reside within our own umwelt, our own self-world bubble, which clouds our vision.
Consider one of Horowitz’s examples: a rose. A human being experiences a rose as a lovely, familiar shape, a bright, beautiful color and a sublime scent. That is the very definition of a rose. But to a dog? Beauty has nothing to do with it; the color is irrelevant, barely visible, the flowery scent ignored. Only when it is adorned with some other important perfume — a recent spray of urine, perhaps — does the rose come alive for a dog. How about a more practical object? Say, a hammer? “To a dog,” Horowitz points out, “a hammer doesn’t exist. A dog doesn’t act with or on a hammer, and so it has no significance to a dog. At least, not unless it overlaps with some other, meaningful object: it is wielded by a loved person; it is urinated on by the cute dog down the street; its dense wooden handle can be chewed like a stick.” Dogs, it seems, are Aristotelians, but with their own doggy teleology. Their goals are not only radically different from ours; they are often invisible to us. To get a better view, Horowitz proposes that we humans get down intellectually on all fours and start sniffing.
Her work draws on that of an early-20th- century German biologist, Jakob von Uexküll, who proposed that “anyone who wants to understand the life of an animal must begin by considering what he called their umvelt . . . : their subjective or ‘self-world.’ ” Hard as we may try, a dog’s-eye view is not immediately accessible to us, however, for we reside within our own umwelt, our own self-world bubble, which clouds our vision.
Consider one of Horowitz’s examples: a rose. A human being experiences a rose as a lovely, familiar shape, a bright, beautiful color and a sublime scent. That is the very definition of a rose. But to a dog? Beauty has nothing to do with it; the color is irrelevant, barely visible, the flowery scent ignored. Only when it is adorned with some other important perfume — a recent spray of urine, perhaps — does the rose come alive for a dog. How about a more practical object? Say, a hammer? “To a dog,” Horowitz points out, “a hammer doesn’t exist. A dog doesn’t act with or on a hammer, and so it has no significance to a dog. At least, not unless it overlaps with some other, meaningful object: it is wielded by a loved person; it is urinated on by the cute dog down the street; its dense wooden handle can be chewed like a stick.” Dogs, it seems, are Aristotelians, but with their own doggy teleology. Their goals are not only radically different from ours; they are often invisible to us. To get a better view, Horowitz proposes that we humans get down intellectually on all fours and start sniffing.
Monday, September 7, 2009
growling by the front door, part 2
Sometimes Kimo growls when he's lying by the railing by the front door and people come to the front door.
I noticed he does this to my mom and he even did it to Christie a couple of times.
I don't notice him doing this to me.
But today, he was lying down and I came out and he started a low growl.
I think it's because he doesn't want people to move him out of his spot.
Instead of forcing the issue, I usually get Kimo to move by putting treats on the ground just out of his reach. Then he has to get up to get the treat.
So that's what I did. I put a trail of treats. One in reach (that he can reach without getting up) and the rest just out of his reach. It took a little while but he finally got enticed enough to get up to get the treat. So once he got up, I went behind him and gently herded him down the steps with my legs.
[Mon 9/7]
I noticed he does this to my mom and he even did it to Christie a couple of times.
I don't notice him doing this to me.
But today, he was lying down and I came out and he started a low growl.
I think it's because he doesn't want people to move him out of his spot.
Instead of forcing the issue, I usually get Kimo to move by putting treats on the ground just out of his reach. Then he has to get up to get the treat.
So that's what I did. I put a trail of treats. One in reach (that he can reach without getting up) and the rest just out of his reach. It took a little while but he finally got enticed enough to get up to get the treat. So once he got up, I went behind him and gently herded him down the steps with my legs.
[Mon 9/7]
Sunday, September 6, 2009
RMAS with Kimo in the front
Kimo barking. For some reason he didn't want to go to the DH gate and went to the ewa gate instead. Pooped then went up the front steps. Didn't feel like forcing him to walk.
Later I hear barking and it's RMAS. So not back to how he was when he used to not bark at them (actually it was HMAS back then). However he came away from the railing when I called him as they went up the street.
I wanted to take him out to follow them, but he lay down. [don't remember this, but that's what I wrote down] So I decided not to.
As they came back, I hand fed him some kibble and jerky and massaged him. And no barking as they walked by.
Then came some rain.
[Sun 9/6, posted 9/7]
Later I hear barking and it's RMAS. So not back to how he was when he used to not bark at them (actually it was HMAS back then). However he came away from the railing when I called him as they went up the street.
I wanted to take him out to follow them, but he lay down. [don't remember this, but that's what I wrote down] So I decided not to.
As they came back, I hand fed him some kibble and jerky and massaged him. And no barking as they walked by.
Then came some rain.
[Sun 9/6, posted 9/7]
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Kimo growling at the door
I was reading the paper in the front steps with Kimo on the top level. Then I noticed Kimo growling. I got the leash and pulled up slightly so he wouldn't jump and bite me. Everytime I pulled up, he would growl. So I kept doing it until he got tired of growling, then led him down the steps.
Then I noticed Christie was by the front steps waiting to come out. So evidently he was growling at Christie.
I notice he growls at my mom too. So this is another problem to be solved.
[Sat 9/5, posted 9/7]
Then I noticed Christie was by the front steps waiting to come out. So evidently he was growling at Christie.
I notice he growls at my mom too. So this is another problem to be solved.
[Sat 9/5, posted 9/7]
bonus walk
Finally was thinking of getting rid of the Pedigree dog food, but I saw I could just unzip the zip lock and it opened and tried a little on Kimo. And he ate it. I think it might be similar to the food that Koa eats. And Kimo eats if he's over there and there's food in Koa's bowl.
Anyway, I took out Kimo and saw Ann out with mochi & fifi. And Paco was out too. So I proceeded forward to Paco. And Kimo went over to sniff and Paco lay down. On to Mochi & Fifi. I don't think Kimo went over to sniff, but he seemed OK being in their vicinity.
So we walked with them to the back of the street. Or they walked with us since they rarely come down to our side of the street.
Then after AMF went home, I went to the beginning of the street and saw RMAS come out. So we went walking with them too. I'm still not bringing him too close to Miki and lag more with Amy and Shammy. He seemed OK, except the out-of-tune truck came down and he acted up at the truck revving.
[Sat 9/5, posted 9/7]
Anyway, I took out Kimo and saw Ann out with mochi & fifi. And Paco was out too. So I proceeded forward to Paco. And Kimo went over to sniff and Paco lay down. On to Mochi & Fifi. I don't think Kimo went over to sniff, but he seemed OK being in their vicinity.
So we walked with them to the back of the street. Or they walked with us since they rarely come down to our side of the street.
Then after AMF went home, I went to the beginning of the street and saw RMAS come out. So we went walking with them too. I'm still not bringing him too close to Miki and lag more with Amy and Shammy. He seemed OK, except the out-of-tune truck came down and he acted up at the truck revving.
[Sat 9/5, posted 9/7]
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Neil Sattin's DVD (and Kevin's book)
The DVD arrived on Tuesday and it was still in shrinkwrap. The person who I bought it from must have received it as a gift or bought and no longer had any use for it. I dunno.
Anyway, I looked at first disk early Thursday morning. Neil seems like a nice mild-mannered fellow. Not an alpha type. So maybe that's why he was attracted to NDT. And maybe there's hope, because I'm not an alpha type either. Though I get the impression the LCK is an alpha type (NTTAWWT of course).
I had told Sue that I ordered a new dog training video and she said that's good because sometimes it's hard to picture what to do just by reading the book. And sure enough, I think she's right. The demonstration of how to push comes across much clearer when you see how it's done. And Neil's demonstration of prey vs. predator movement would be hard to convey by reading from a book.
Anyway, I tried some pushing Thursday morning. Kimo doesn't really push though. As soon as his chest touches the hand without the food, he tends to stop. Even when I have his favorite treat, chicken jerky. Other times, he comes then stops to sit before reaching the hand, because that's what I've trained him to do. To sit before I give him the food. Maybe that's why LCK doesn't like NILIF?
In the afternoon, he was barking and I had him come for food. I'm trying to get the hang of pushing. And I was moving my hand away and backing up as he came for the food. That seemed to work. Also I was touching the side of his chest, though not really pushing, as he took the food.
It might have been my imagination, but he seemed to be barking a little less intensely. Until the UPS truck came at least.
He was barking at the fence. And it was harder to get him to come. But after the truck drove off he was in a somewhat excited state. And I started to get him to chase me which led to him running back and forth for a while.
After that he seemed calm and lay down on the grass.
Well, we'll see how this goes.
[Thursday, 9/3, posted 9/4]
***
Well, weeks later, I have pretty much given up on pushing with Kimo as I seemed to make little progress in the first several attempts. However, what I do is present him with little strips of chicken jerky and let him pull it out of my hand. I figure that's sort of tug of war, but more like for real. If that's why dogs tug. He doesn't really tug much with toys either.
Anyway, I'm now slowly making my way through Behan's book [bought used on ebay, the original edition, I assume it's the same as later editions]. It's written much more clearly than I anticipated. Apparently his wife helped him in the clarity part as it is much less obscure (am I using the right word?) than his blog posts. Trying to keep an open mind since it is not a widely-accepted theory. Then again, he has experience with lots of dogs. And if it works, it works. [9/27 a.m.]
[6/12/10] As I continue to slowly go through the book, I'm struggling. Kevin uses unfamiliar terms, terms that he just made up to explain what he's thinking. I guess I kind of understand what he's trying to say, but my problem is trying to understand exactly what every word in his sentences mean. Plus Kevin is a terrible writer, using his unfamiliar terminology and really long run-on sentences (and more thoughts in parentheses in an apparent attempt to clarify what he just said). It would help if Kevin used an editor (provided the editor is not also from outer space).
I think once I get past the chapters on theory (of which I think is questionable -- but that doesn't really matter) and get to the actual training, it should get clearer.
***
Here's a review of Neil's DVD and Neil's response to the review. The reviewers seem pretty-informed and are of the positive school (which seems to be the accepted approach these days). Oops, actually it's Kevin's response, not Neil's. The comments following the review are interesting with input from Kevin, LCK, and Trisha (apparently the big four, along with Neil, of the NDT universe). [9/27am]
***
[6/12/10 via naturaldog on twitter] That Mutt blog (Lindsay Stordahl - who seems like a very nice person by the way she writes) relates her experiences on using pushing with her dog, Ace. She's having better success with Ace than I am with Kimo. The idea of taking the dog's breakfast with you on the morning walk sounds interesting. Maybe I might try that. Or maybe just remember to bring the treats cause Kimo's really not that attracted to his regular kibble.
Kimo went wild again when he saw Miki and Shammy coming down the street. If I could get him to push (or play tug) [instead of just holding him] when that occurs, I can see where that would have been helpful.
Anyway, I looked at first disk early Thursday morning. Neil seems like a nice mild-mannered fellow. Not an alpha type. So maybe that's why he was attracted to NDT. And maybe there's hope, because I'm not an alpha type either. Though I get the impression the LCK is an alpha type (NTTAWWT of course).
I had told Sue that I ordered a new dog training video and she said that's good because sometimes it's hard to picture what to do just by reading the book. And sure enough, I think she's right. The demonstration of how to push comes across much clearer when you see how it's done. And Neil's demonstration of prey vs. predator movement would be hard to convey by reading from a book.
Anyway, I tried some pushing Thursday morning. Kimo doesn't really push though. As soon as his chest touches the hand without the food, he tends to stop. Even when I have his favorite treat, chicken jerky. Other times, he comes then stops to sit before reaching the hand, because that's what I've trained him to do. To sit before I give him the food. Maybe that's why LCK doesn't like NILIF?
In the afternoon, he was barking and I had him come for food. I'm trying to get the hang of pushing. And I was moving my hand away and backing up as he came for the food. That seemed to work. Also I was touching the side of his chest, though not really pushing, as he took the food.
It might have been my imagination, but he seemed to be barking a little less intensely. Until the UPS truck came at least.
He was barking at the fence. And it was harder to get him to come. But after the truck drove off he was in a somewhat excited state. And I started to get him to chase me which led to him running back and forth for a while.
After that he seemed calm and lay down on the grass.
Well, we'll see how this goes.
[Thursday, 9/3, posted 9/4]
***
Well, weeks later, I have pretty much given up on pushing with Kimo as I seemed to make little progress in the first several attempts. However, what I do is present him with little strips of chicken jerky and let him pull it out of my hand. I figure that's sort of tug of war, but more like for real. If that's why dogs tug. He doesn't really tug much with toys either.
Anyway, I'm now slowly making my way through Behan's book [bought used on ebay, the original edition, I assume it's the same as later editions]. It's written much more clearly than I anticipated. Apparently his wife helped him in the clarity part as it is much less obscure (am I using the right word?) than his blog posts. Trying to keep an open mind since it is not a widely-accepted theory. Then again, he has experience with lots of dogs. And if it works, it works. [9/27 a.m.]
[6/12/10] As I continue to slowly go through the book, I'm struggling. Kevin uses unfamiliar terms, terms that he just made up to explain what he's thinking. I guess I kind of understand what he's trying to say, but my problem is trying to understand exactly what every word in his sentences mean. Plus Kevin is a terrible writer, using his unfamiliar terminology and really long run-on sentences (and more thoughts in parentheses in an apparent attempt to clarify what he just said). It would help if Kevin used an editor (provided the editor is not also from outer space).
I think once I get past the chapters on theory (of which I think is questionable -- but that doesn't really matter) and get to the actual training, it should get clearer.
***
Here's a review of Neil's DVD and Neil's response to the review. The reviewers seem pretty-informed and are of the positive school (which seems to be the accepted approach these days). Oops, actually it's Kevin's response, not Neil's. The comments following the review are interesting with input from Kevin, LCK, and Trisha (apparently the big four, along with Neil, of the NDT universe). [9/27am]
***
[6/12/10 via naturaldog on twitter] That Mutt blog (Lindsay Stordahl - who seems like a very nice person by the way she writes) relates her experiences on using pushing with her dog, Ace. She's having better success with Ace than I am with Kimo. The idea of taking the dog's breakfast with you on the morning walk sounds interesting. Maybe I might try that. Or maybe just remember to bring the treats cause Kimo's really not that attracted to his regular kibble.
Kimo went wild again when he saw Miki and Shammy coming down the street. If I could get him to push (or play tug) [instead of just holding him] when that occurs, I can see where that would have been helpful.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Kimo attacks broom
I was sweeping the back slab and Kimo was lying on the pillow.
I gently touched him with the broom in an attempt to prod him off. And he went wild and attacked the broom wrapping his legs around the broom. Good thing I used the broom.
After a while he calmed down a bit (though it was kind scary in the meantime) and I steered him off the area as I continued sweeping.
[The next day he jumped right off without much protest.]
Wednesday 9/2, posted 9/5am
I gently touched him with the broom in an attempt to prod him off. And he went wild and attacked the broom wrapping his legs around the broom. Good thing I used the broom.
After a while he calmed down a bit (though it was kind scary in the meantime) and I steered him off the area as I continued sweeping.
[The next day he jumped right off without much protest.]
Wednesday 9/2, posted 9/5am
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