Man, just when we thought our dog was perfect, he tore up a corner of carpet in the extra bedroom that we keep him in while we're gone. Also, he's apparently chewed off the last few inches of the FM antenna on our stereo in that room. That's a little ominous, considering the cornicopia of compter and other miscellaneous cables around there. Well, we can probably fix most of the carpet. Today Banjo's stuck in his crate, which he doesn't really like all that well. We'll see how this shakes out...
Also, Saturday is the annual Lockheed Great America Day, where they rent out the entire amusement park for Lockheed people and guests. It's pretty fun, but also amazing when you consider that all of the people there are somehow connected to LM.
Then on Sunday, it's our fantasy baseball draft! Yes, we're that dorky, that BOTH of us play fantasy baseball. Too bad we can't do it in person with all of our college friends, but it's still a good way to keep in touch. Maybe after the draft I'll post some team reviews, per Sky's tradition.
Happy Spring! (unless you're in the northeast, as I just checked the Dartmouth webcam and there appears to be a good blanket of snow up there still) (Check that - yesterday it looked all white, but today it looks like it's mostly melting. Muck season!)
5 comments:
Hope this was an 'exception.' Especially since I think you're talking about the carpet in the room Mom and I may be sleeping in when we see you.
-Dad, live from the Brevard Library in Cocoa, FL
See. I don't know about keeping him cooped up as a behavior-modifying theory. He knows you're mad, but I'm sure he has no idea why. Training dogs is all about proper incentives, not senseless punishments (that said, I've never trained a dog before in my life...)
Yes, put that dog to work. Start a compost heap, and leave all your cardboard packaging and newspapers in the room with him. Or, you could get a hamster.
We got a nice big snowstorm last weekend, but it's melting now.
Crating him isn't a punishment - most behaviorists say that dogs actually see crates as dens, and are happy in them during the day. We may try that bedroom again or possibly the yard, but we thought we'd try crating first and see how he does with that.
Also, I have been reading about dog memory and agree - if you don't catch the dog in the act of doing something wrong it doesn't make any sense to punish them after the fact because they don't make the same associations we do. We caught him chewing that carpet again this weekend and squirted him with a spray bottle, so I am hopeful that he will get the point and not chew it any more. He seems to be very smart and respond to correction well - he just needs to learn the rules of living in the house.
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