More on dogs
Let's preface this with “my dog” my little girl is a podgiest shedder . Although short hair , Often when brushing her , It looks like I killed a poodle . Her hair gets every where . In everything . Friday , I went in to have my catheter checked and to be tested for U.T.I. s With me laying there , Pants down to my ankles . The nurse saw , and spent not a little “time” picking dog hair off and out of my penis . I have very seldom have been this embarrassed . We had a good laugh about pet's and our trails and tribulation's of dog ownership . She has a Shitsu . I figured her for something bigger . Most in this part of the country have cow or working dog's . There are a lot of pit bull and pit mixes . But they aren't popular . My own little girl , Is half heeler a working breed and half English bulldog . I can't convey how almost cartoonish she appears . Think Silvester and Tweety bird cartoons . The Bull dog with wide powerful shoulders , very narrow rear end . then add a long , whip like tail . A very un bull dog nose and head . And she is not graceful by any means . I have lost count of the times she has “tripped” over my drain hose , Or insisted on climbing under the covers and catching my catheter and pulling it . She is shall we say “very opinionated” . In the house , She want to be treated like a little girl . Out side it's don't bother her she has too many things she has to do , Or if I insist ,,, Ok pet me and let her get back to what's important to her . She loves to howl . Like a wolf . Long and drone out . Not something either of her breeds or the mix of breeds does . At times she gets in my face and insists I join her . At close to sixty pounds , she is the smallest dog I have ever had . But with how clumsy she is , she more then makes up for her size . She doesn't even come close to smart . But she makes up for it with stubbiness .
She used to love ridding on the back of my quad . Would insist on ridding with me . Now , For some reason she won't come close to it . Unless she doesn't think I'm watching she will climb on it and sit as if the wind is in her face . But if I call to her she goes and hides . I have never given her any reason to not want to ride . She has never been on a leash or “made” to obey commands . I have just encouraged her when she does do as I ask .
What brought this post about ???????
This morning she crawled out from under the covers and sat , starring at me ,,,,,, Yawning from time to time . Each yawn getting more dramatic , Until I yawned with her and then she started her howl .
Now who is training who .
Comments
eeetime 6 months ago 1
@nytwatch1 I know how you are feeling well having lost my wife to cancer and my two spoiled and loyal Bichons sit on her dresser before me.
It is hard but we must move on - survive in their memories. My best to you and your pup...
nytwatch1 6 months ago 1
Yes thank you @eeetime , Both of us woke up one morning and found ourselves old . We had always been outdoors people and dogs . I'm 73 and she is 14 . At one time it was my wife her chow my airdale/Wolfe mix my bearded griffon our blue heeler and just days before my wife passed away this little girl .all the others have passed away now . I miss all of them . All of them went with us to our gold mine's . All had their own "thing" . Tense was the wolf mix and thought bears were put on this earth just for him . Coco had to watch me intently as I was gold dredging and would swim under water from time to time checking on me . Peanut , the chow stood guard over Mama . Blue dog had` to be in the middle of every thing . making sure every one was doing their jobs . In the months after my wife passed away from cancer my two biggest dog's ,tense and coco passed within weeks of each other at 17 and 19 years` old . peanut died the next year followed by blue dog . Every one we got as puppy's . In amongst all them big dog's ranging from 60 pounds to peanut at 140 pounds and tense at 180 pounds we raised two cats . Two of meanest cats you ever saw that would come with the dogs when called .
eeetime 6 months ago 1
@nytwatch1 sounds like she has everything under control. She has reached her golden years and just wants to retire. Animal are wonderful that way. They know who they are, and where they are in life, not like many humans...
nytwatch1 6 months ago 1
@eeetime , no She always follows me to the gate , But if she is told to mount up she just turns her back and walks off . She has the run of my property . No lease no tie up to any lines , If at any time she wants to she can just amble though the closed gate and out to the road if she was of a mind to . But she treats the property line as if sacred , I can leave home any time and she will walk out to the gate and then go about her business until I return .
I put it up to old age , She's 14 years old and just wants to be a home body . She has paired up with my neighbors two dogs . They sit shoulder to shoulder ,all three and watch for whatever goes by . no chasing cars no barking at the fence line just looking like a dog mafia warning all others to stay out . Like today , She was out all day doing whatever she does . and at 6:ooPM wanted in and now is asleep on my couch . I never need to worry about her wandering off . If I go out side within a Mininet or two she will beside me . She doesn't get into trash or cause trouble or tear things up . Although she will bring her two buddies to scratch at the door wanting treat's . She's a good girl , She just wants things her way . I should add the property we have is 10 acer's , North boundary is farm land east is neighbor with her two dogs and horses , west is open land , about 1/2 mile past me , so if she wanted to roam off there isn't anything to stop her . She just doesn't .
For years we lived most of the year in my gold claim's . She had to deal with bears , mountain lions , bob cats , coyote' rattle snakes , all kinds of wild critters . As we both have gotten old I can't get out "there" any more . and she just wants a quite life . Although when she was in her prime to see her get behind a 7 or 8 hundred pound bear to run it off and come back all proud of herself . It was something to see .
eeetime 6 months ago 1
@nytwatch1 - maybe if you leave her and she sees you riding off she might change her mind. Else she feels her riding days are over. Is she showing any other changes in behaviors that might lead you to believe that there are overarching issues...
nytwatch1 6 months ago 1
@eeetime No she doesn't scare easily . I have seen her stand up to mountain lions , coyotes , and much bigger dogs . We used to ride often , almost every day . It was that just one day she said no . Where I ride is high desert . It ranges from open flat salt pans , miles across to pine forest to winding rock trails climbing from 3,000 ft to 10,oooo feet . That s our back yard . I mean out the gate across the highway and open country for more than 200 miles south . She just gets it in her head to do or not to do something and that's it as far as she is concerned . No amount of treat's or threat's will change her mind , And I have no reason to punish her or "spank" her . She always act's as if the property line is "Holy" not to be crossed for any reason . And not to let any thing or any body cross the "line" into the property . This is all her , I have never trained her to do or be something . I love her as she is . In all her stubborn I am to be addressed as her highness glory .
eeetime 7 months ago 1
Something may of scared her. You might try just sitting on it, not moving, talking to her, giving her treats. Does she wear eye protection when you ride? Try a flat course with no bumps...
On the hair, can't help; I have always had dogs with non shedding hair; bichons, and poodles...
Rigel 7 months ago 1
“Now who is training who?”
Dogs are really good at this! Lots of trainers/owners/handlers who don’t realize this!