First off, yes I know it has been FOREVER since my last entry and I apologize for that. Work has been hectic as of late, and it seemed like typing away at the computer was the last thing I wanted to do. You can't stay mad at this face though. Believe me, I've tried.
Well before I get into the meat of it all, Ilse is doing well and is always seems to find new ways to make me go "aww".
One thing that I noticed about doing the whole "puppy raiser" thing is simply how difficult it can be to train a dog in public. You run in to a lot of different situations some good, some bad.
The questioners, the "look, smile and go on with your day", the "aww"ers, the "pet without asking"ers, the "I'm going to pretend to not care but stare at you when you're not looking"ers, and my personal favourite, the "I'm going to tell you you're doing something wrong"ers.
Questioners:
While I don't mind at all when people ask about Ilse and who she will assist, sometimes I'll be out with others, and the person will ask a couple questions, then a couple more and for good measure about 7 more after that. While I don't mind, it would be nice if people were able to realize, "oh this person might not have 30 minutes to spend answering how many times a day does she go to the bathroom.
"Look, smile and go on with your day"ers
These people are probably my favourite. Don't get me wrong I enjoy meeting new people and talking to them, however it is nice to be able to focus on our training when we are out and I can add in distractions for her bit by bit. Also, when people look and smile at me, it gives me a good feeling, just knowing that a stranger appreciates what I am doing. On that note, if you haven't smiled at a stranger for something random lately, do it! A smile has the power to change the course of someone's day.
"Aww"ers
These people mean well but quickly get caught up in puppy syndrome. While they will ask if they can pet her (which I really appreciate) once they start petting her they will let her nip and jump and well... be a puppy. But I can't be having that. I need Ilse to learn that doing that, is not acceptable behaviour. The "aww"ers have resulted in me saying, "Yes, you can pet her; as long as she stays sitting, and if she nips or jumps, you need to stand up and ignore her". (but people don't always comply). But can you blame them really? Look at this pup! (she looks huge in this picture!)
"Pet without asking"ers
These people drive me up the wall!! Rule number 1 with pets; ALWAYS ask the owner if you can initiate contact with the animal. You never know how they might react and it is for your safety and the dogs. The animal could bit, or perhaps even have an allergy to something you recently touched. Please people ask to pet!
"I'm going to pretend to not care but stare at you when you're not looking"ers
These people just make me laugh. Their natural habitat is restaurants. They will sit at their table and steal a look when I am engaged in a conversation. It's okay to look, its not like I have two heads or something... although, it kinda seems that way, since she is with me about 16+ hours a day. But, I enjoy looking over, catching your eye and having you quickly divert your line of sight back onto your entrée.
"I'm going to tell you you're doing something wrong"ers
Well, not sure what to say to these people, other than. Okay, thanks for your input, but I will ignore you (for the most part). For instance, I generally have a pocket full of kibble whenever we go out to reward Ilse when she performs an action/behaviour that I would like her to. I have been told that this is a bad way of training an animal. While this can be true if you need to dangle food in front of their face in order to get them to sit, I find its quite the opposite if you reward the behaviour after it occurs. It's not a bribe, it's a "reward".
Lastly, this is one situation I had. While finishing a meal at Boston Pizza with several colleagues I stood up to put on my coat. Ilse decided, "I want to check out what's over there!" and began pulling quite hard on the leash. This is a behaviour that is undesirable, so I performed a correction, which is a quick side-pull on her leash, which grabs her attention. It shows her that what she is doing is non-desirable and most importantly non-aggressive. However, after performing the correction, a man (larger than myself) comes over to me quite aggressively and sternly says "You need to have more respect for her!" I was quite taken aback by it all and started to explain that it was a correction, but by then he was already walking back to his table. I was confused by it, my colleagues were confused by it, the people at the table next to us were confused by it and the server was confused by it. So, I learned some people aren't going to like what I do, but I guess you can't please everyone.
Sorry for having so long between posts. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!
- P&I
Well before I get into the meat of it all, Ilse is doing well and is always seems to find new ways to make me go "aww".
One thing that I noticed about doing the whole "puppy raiser" thing is simply how difficult it can be to train a dog in public. You run in to a lot of different situations some good, some bad.
The questioners, the "look, smile and go on with your day", the "aww"ers, the "pet without asking"ers, the "I'm going to pretend to not care but stare at you when you're not looking"ers, and my personal favourite, the "I'm going to tell you you're doing something wrong"ers.
Questioners:
While I don't mind at all when people ask about Ilse and who she will assist, sometimes I'll be out with others, and the person will ask a couple questions, then a couple more and for good measure about 7 more after that. While I don't mind, it would be nice if people were able to realize, "oh this person might not have 30 minutes to spend answering how many times a day does she go to the bathroom.
"Look, smile and go on with your day"ers
These people are probably my favourite. Don't get me wrong I enjoy meeting new people and talking to them, however it is nice to be able to focus on our training when we are out and I can add in distractions for her bit by bit. Also, when people look and smile at me, it gives me a good feeling, just knowing that a stranger appreciates what I am doing. On that note, if you haven't smiled at a stranger for something random lately, do it! A smile has the power to change the course of someone's day.
"Aww"ers
These people mean well but quickly get caught up in puppy syndrome. While they will ask if they can pet her (which I really appreciate) once they start petting her they will let her nip and jump and well... be a puppy. But I can't be having that. I need Ilse to learn that doing that, is not acceptable behaviour. The "aww"ers have resulted in me saying, "Yes, you can pet her; as long as she stays sitting, and if she nips or jumps, you need to stand up and ignore her". (but people don't always comply). But can you blame them really? Look at this pup! (she looks huge in this picture!)
"Pet without asking"ers
These people drive me up the wall!! Rule number 1 with pets; ALWAYS ask the owner if you can initiate contact with the animal. You never know how they might react and it is for your safety and the dogs. The animal could bit, or perhaps even have an allergy to something you recently touched. Please people ask to pet!
"I'm going to pretend to not care but stare at you when you're not looking"ers
These people just make me laugh. Their natural habitat is restaurants. They will sit at their table and steal a look when I am engaged in a conversation. It's okay to look, its not like I have two heads or something... although, it kinda seems that way, since she is with me about 16+ hours a day. But, I enjoy looking over, catching your eye and having you quickly divert your line of sight back onto your entrée.
"I'm going to tell you you're doing something wrong"ers
Well, not sure what to say to these people, other than. Okay, thanks for your input, but I will ignore you (for the most part). For instance, I generally have a pocket full of kibble whenever we go out to reward Ilse when she performs an action/behaviour that I would like her to. I have been told that this is a bad way of training an animal. While this can be true if you need to dangle food in front of their face in order to get them to sit, I find its quite the opposite if you reward the behaviour after it occurs. It's not a bribe, it's a "reward".
Lastly, this is one situation I had. While finishing a meal at Boston Pizza with several colleagues I stood up to put on my coat. Ilse decided, "I want to check out what's over there!" and began pulling quite hard on the leash. This is a behaviour that is undesirable, so I performed a correction, which is a quick side-pull on her leash, which grabs her attention. It shows her that what she is doing is non-desirable and most importantly non-aggressive. However, after performing the correction, a man (larger than myself) comes over to me quite aggressively and sternly says "You need to have more respect for her!" I was quite taken aback by it all and started to explain that it was a correction, but by then he was already walking back to his table. I was confused by it, my colleagues were confused by it, the people at the table next to us were confused by it and the server was confused by it. So, I learned some people aren't going to like what I do, but I guess you can't please everyone.
Sorry for having so long between posts. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!
- P&I
