Sunday Of Shame

Today started off sort of slow, but then it picked up and I was really optimistic half way through. Now I have a headache and a surprise visit from Tilly (neighbor's dog who stays with us from time to time) put us completely off course again.

• Walks:   1h 45min. I won't try to claim it would have been a lot more, but having Tilly come stay with us meant we can't go for more than very short walks. She has an issue with her shoulder and isn't to be exercised. 
• Exercise:   0. I meant to do the ball (etc) exercises this evening, but with Tilly here it's not possible. (She's a resource guarder with a very low stress threshold, I can't train anything high energy and I can't reward with food or play, so...)
• Training:   25min. This was what made me feel so happy today! We put about 15min into a partial obedience program (heel through a course, stay under march, stay, recall to heel, send, distance control). Not the most impressive stuff nor the most precise performance, but we had fun! Monster was so involved in the training, he sort of made me wake up... While competition obedience has never really been my thing, today it was so much fun. As wind down/reward (I managed to end the training in time this time, rather than drag it out until it became boring!) we did a nosework session outside as well, where Monster had to search for a piece of plastic in the garden (I hid it up a tree) and got a bully stick for finding and retrieving it. It took ten minutes. I meant to do some more obedience training indoors this evening, focusing more on precision, but, you know, Tilly.
• Planning/preparation:   0. I'd like to say I've spent this quiet evening with Tilly planning to make up time tomorrow. But I haven't. And I won't.
• Other:   0. I realized today that I can't remember the last time I just played with Monster. Just for no other reason than it's fun, just got down on the floor and wrestled him or something. Can't do it with Tilly here of course, but she's not here all the time and like I said I think it's been quite some time since I did it. Must be remedied. But hasn't been today. I also haven't read any of the stuff I meant to read about precision obedience before I messed it up any more...

Is blaming Tilly really the way to do this...?

No, it's not. I just... It feels like climbing up a steep, sandy slope. You fight like mad to get anywhere at all, and the smallest thing will knock you back again. But it isn't Tilly's fault, I'm just looking for a scapegoat. Again. That's ugly behavior.

Today's Sunshine

Alright, let's give this a go anyway... I've spent a lot of time since the last post just playing with Monster, both to use up some of his nervous energy and to try to make sure he associates me being physical with him with fun and games, rather than with stress and conflict. I don't know how well the second part's working, but I think I got the first one down. He's now conked out on the couch next to me, he's eaten (always a good sign with regards to his stress levels), and he's ignoring sounds from the outside.

Don't type so loud, I'm trying to sleep here!

We haven't been playing any "useful" games at all (i.e. training games), just high energy goofing around, lots of wrestling, jumping around on the furniture, playing tug, and "ambush the thief"*. He's shown some clear signs of being uncomfortable around me, like when he sees me coming and he's doing something he shouldn't (like stealing the new sheets from the bags in the hall, in order to shred them...) he's displayed evasion and pacification. Since I know where his "bad behavior" is coming from, and he can't really help himself (the tension needs to be released somehow!), I've told myself that no matter what he takes it into his head to do I'll let him - or even loot the bags with him - as long as he doesn't get into something that would be harmful to him. Today is not a day for teaching or enforcing rules and good behavior. So what if I have to buy new stuff (or do without): Monster comes first! Priority one is getting back to normal, until then special rules apply. (And yes, I'm aware that there will be some setbacks in basic good behavior around the house once things are back to normal. Worth it.) We've also been for another (fairly short) walk, and I did my best to be fun and engaging for most of it - and he seemed (it's quite dark out, so reading more than basic posture - if that - is difficult) to enjoy himself. We didn't see anyone else - and if we had I would have turned and ran for the hills, no more triggers today! (And the closest hills are an hour's drive away, so that would have been some solid exercise...)

Woohoo, let's wrestle some more!

All in all, I think I've done the best I could to quickly right the ship. Let's see how it plays out over the next few days... In other - but possibly related - news, I got a desperate craving for salt, and wound up eating about a spoonful or two of table salt! Weird... Straight away I started feeling a lot less weak and off kilter. Anyone got a clue what that's about?


(* A game where Monster "steals" something - it can be absolutely anything, including his own toys, the difference is in how he behaves with the thing he has: when he's a "thief" he splays out his legs, looks at me over his shoulder, runs off with sort of straight legs (think Monty Python and silly walks), and blows loudly through his nose. Then I "angrily" stomp-runs after him for a few steps, until he's far enough away to not see as I turn and hide behind some corner. That's the ambush... Monster will come sneaking back - "stolen" item and all - and caaaaaaarefully walk around the corner where (he knows) I'm waiting to jump out at him. And I chase him for a few seconds, and usually set up a new ambush again. He loves this game (if I wasn't so mature and sensible I'd love it too), and it usually ends with him circling around me and hitting me with the thing he "stole", until I'll get down on the floor and wrestle with him for a bit.

You'll never catch me!

It's a lot of fun, and I believe(?) that the over the top threatening behavior from me is good for his confidence around people. I know he's (usually) not scared of me, but he finds it very difficult to be around people who are arguing for example... Who knows. I'm doing the best I can.)

Today's Sunshine

Monster and I did some impromptu hide and go seek on our walk today. Working on the long line (~50 feet) I'd duck behind bushes and rocks whenever I got the chance, and he'd come bouncing around to find me. It's a simple game, and one I expect most of you play with your dogs, but for us it's been a bit tricky before. Either Monster is fixated entirely on something, and won't register that I'm missing (and I can't stay hidden forever, since anything could turn up on the path when I'm not looking and trigger Monster), or he's got half an eye on me at all time and hiding isn't possible. But today he was calm enough to explore a little without me, giving me opportunities to "disappear", while also alert enough to notice I was missing.

Found ya!

It was fun, and I think it was good for us too. I'm most likely reading far too much into it, it's just one walk after all, but I think it might mean that he's feeling a little more confident. He doesn't need me so badly he has to keep track of my every move, and he isn't so suspicious of the world he'll freak out and fixate entirely on anything. Right?

Well, it's at least good enough to be happy about for one day.

Another Dog Game!

This one's a favorite, and gets played almost daily: "Where'd you go?"

You can play this both inside the house and outside, all you need is something to hide behind. As you and the dog are walking together somewhere, let him get ahead of you and then slip away and hide. Below, Monster and I was leaving the kitchen for the living room, when I instead hid behind a cupboard.

There you a- eeek!

And when the dog comes back to see where you went, you jump out at him and roar (from dog height, not from above). So the dog backs off around the corner again, and the game resets. We like to repeat a "found you" three or four times, but you'll quickly see how long your dog thinks it's fun.

In the case above Monster also has a rawhide bone in his mouth, that works fine for us but isn't necessary. If your dog has resource issues you may want to avoid that, though.

If your dog is skittish or uncertain, you can of course be more gentle in the "jump out and scare him" part! Or skip that entirely.

What's it good for? Maybe it helps Monster feel less threatened by people doing unexpected and odd things, moving suddenly or raising their voices. I wouldn't play this game if Monster showed any signs of discomfort, but it's clear he loves it. You can't quite see it in the photo above, but to the left of the refrigerator there's an oven with dark glass making a kind of mirror. Often when we play in this particular spot I can see Monster stopping just before the corner and looking at the "mirror" to see where I'm at, then he'll grin and trot around the corner. He's not actually scared, is my point, or even surprised.

(And yes, Monster can see and understand what's in a mirror. He also likes to watch TV - especially sports or anything with bears. And no, he's not just listening. And yes, I'm sure about the mirror. In fact, he often comes up behind me when I'm brushing my teeth in the bathroom and seeks eye contact through the mirror. It's a bit of a pain, because I try to make sure to always reward eye contact, meaning I now have to keep dog treats in the bathroom which goes against my hygiene principles... Still, it's also kind of awesome, so I'm not really complaining!)

You know, people say I look kind of dumb... Shows how smart they are.

Dog Games, Part Deux

Quick and simple game today: Where's the doggy?

What? I'm right here dude.

This game is played by putting a blanket (or jacket, or whatever) over your head and letting the dog "find" you. I call it "Where's the doggy?" because that's what I said (whispered actually) the first time I did this, much as you do with a small child when you cover your face and ask where the child went. Monster loves this game, and will jump up on me and frantically try to dig my face out from whatever is covering it. Once he's "found" me he's so happy he almost ties himself into a knot, wagging his tail and jumping and running around.

Fun, quick and simple. What's it good for? No idea... Maybe it helps make your dog interested in keeping contact with you?

A note of warning though, as this is again a game which may be a problem to play with a large dog, at least if they get as into it as Monster does. You may need to set some rules about how the dog is allowed to dig you out, as well as how he's allowed to celebrate once he's succeeded.
(Black eyes and claw marks usually aren't what we're going for.)

It's All Fun And Games!

Do you play with your dog? I don't mean teaching your dog things in a playful way, I mean playing dog games with your dog.

I do, and I think everyone should. I was talking to some friends and realized that not everyone does, though. In fact, some people didn't understand what I was talking about, so I figured I could give a few examples. If you want scientific studies that playing with your dog is a good thing (or if you want support for the opposite) I'm sure you can find something if you go looking. I don't don't really care: I think it's good, I think it's fun, that's all I need.

I can sign off on the "fun" part!

Today, we'll be teaching you the kissing game. It's very complicated - like all dog games! What you do is you sit down opposite your dog (in our case I sit and Monster lies down, because he's pretty darn big) and you kiss him. I'm not being weird here, at least not in that way. It's simply quickly touching your lips (or I suppose you could go with your nose or your chin if that feels better) to the front part of your dog's muzzle, while looking into his eyes. Very quickly your dog will catch on to this game, and it becomes a staring match where you both try to be the kisser instead of the kissee. Look, look, look, kiss! Haha, I got you!

Smooooooch!

Yeah, that really is all there is to it. Dog games are simple. What makes it fun? No clue... Perhaps it's just that the dog thinks it's so much fun? Perhaps it's because there's no goal, no right or wrong?

What's it good for? Monster has a bit of a problem with people staring at him - and with him being asked to stare at people - as well as with people bending down over him or having their faces very close. I think this game helps him with that, making people's faces and staring eyes a lot less threatening. But even if I didn't think that I'd still play this game, simply because we both think it's fun.

If your dog doesn't think it's fun, don't play! (You may want to give it a few tries to see if he catches on, especially if he's not used to you playing with him, but if he's clearly uncomfortable you should of course stop.)

And be careful your dog doesn't get too excited, at least if he's Monster's size. If we play this game when Monster's stressed, or if we play with too much energy or for too long, he'll eventually start using his paws too. Getting hit in the face with a flying Monster paw can really hurt.

Monster also gets a reward if he manages to land several kisses in a row: he gets to chew on my nose a little. I'm not sure how this rule came about, but that's the thing with the dog games: they happen naturally and you both understand the rules involved. Dogs can't talk, but you know you can still understand them if you try. Considering how hard they work to understand us, I think they deserve the same from us from time to time...

There will be more dog games in future posts. Maybe tug (although everyone knows that one, and most even use it in training, it's still a dog game because you don't have to teach it to your dog), or hide and go seek (which sort of qualifies, at least on the fun part), or push and shove, or hand over paw, or I'm gonna get you, or where'd you go, or...

Human, you're feeling sleeeepy. When I bark once you will wake up and want to play. WOOF!