2023, animals, home, Mysteries, pets

Doggy Dilemma

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You all know that one of my favorite parts of summer is going barefoot, or wearing zorries, which is pretty much the same as going barefoot.  If I’m dressing up I might put on one of my pairs of Birkenstocks, but that’s as much as I like to encase my feet at this time of year.

The exception is when I’m walking the dog.  I should say that I CAN walk the dog wearing zorries – my feet can handle it, but I sometimes worry that if Guinevere takes off after a squirrel or rabbit and surprises me, zorries might not be the best footwear in an emergency.  So I wear tennies. And socks.

That’s where my doggy dilemma comes into play.  Guinevere, whatever issues she may have, is pretty smart and has definitely figured out that my putting on tennis shoes almost always means she is going for a walk.  Like all dogs, she loves the walk and from the minute the shoes go on, she begins to prance around, whine and bark until her halter is on and we are out the door.  This is very annoying and it’s not something I’ve ever had to deal with in all my life with dogs.

I’ve tried putting on the shoes 15 minutes ahead of time and spending time picking up or doing dishes, but so far this hasn’t fooled her.  The minute there is a whiff of walk, she starts her impatient song and dance.   I wonder if I have to just bite the bullet and occasionally put on the shoes, hang out at home and then take them off and not involve a walk at all.  I’m pretty sure she’ll figure this out as well.

When have your pets trained you?

29 thoughts on “Doggy Dilemma”

  1. We own a terrier. We are constantly subjected to activities being turned into obscure games.

    Any time the leash comes out, Kyrill starts racing around the house wanting us to chase and catch him. We don’t, but he does this until Husband stands by the front door, when Kyrill dives underneath the space below the lamp table.and waits for Husband grab him and put on the leash.

    Any time I sit on the sofa I am required to play vigorous tugging so Kyrill can satisfy his deep need to shake and kill something.

    We cannot leave the dining room chairs pulled away from the table or he will be up and on the table. We cannot leave socks, pens, or coffee cups in his reach or the pens and socks will be destroyed and the coffee consumed. When he sits and stares up at the media cabinet it means that he wants to play chase the ball and we need to throw it down the hallway.

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    2. He stole a $10 bill out of my purse last night and ripped it into lots of little pieces. I had inadvertently left my purse on a livingroom lamp table.

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  2. Having no current pets, and I think I told the older stories recently, the animals training me are the birds, squirrels, and insects. I need to keep an eye on our raspberries for the dreaded cane borer. There is a neighborhood squirrel who does a major scolding of someone every day at some point, and I often try to locate him to see what’s up. I like to sit out with my teacup in early morning (well, 8:00-ish) to hear the purple martin conversations.

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  3. The cat expects the door to our bedroom to be left open and the bed made when the dog is crated and we have left for the day. She likes to nap on the neatly folded down comforter at the foot of the bed, and cries if we leave the door closed and she can’t get into the room.

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  4. Rise and get me to feed you, Baboons,

    Phoebe the popular puppy has me trained in all kinds of ways. My mother’s end-of life-process disrupted her house training because I was away so much. I also took her with me on one trip to my brother’s house. I knew they would enjoy her as a puppy. Since arriving home from the “Mom Travels” I have been consistently home which has allowed me to take up working with her again. She had her first no-accident day on Sunday. Then on Monday three “accidents.” One, I think, was an angry on-purpose non-accident since I was in a Master Gardener meeting and she came downstairs, looked at me, and squatted. Phoebe has me trained to be hypervigilant about her toileting needs.

    Bootsy, The Elder, now moves sooooo ssssllllooowwwllllyyy at age 14 or 15 years. We are now trained to baby her, helping her up and down, through doors, and muting Phoebe’s enthusiastic assaultive behavior when she wants to play with Bootsy. At this point Bootsy, The Elder, does not get that. In the past Bootsy would have nipped at Phoebe and put her in her place. Phoebe could use some of that, but Bootsy is just afraid of her, so we have gates and doors around the house to separate the two of them. Bootsy is the second aged, dying being of my summer.

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    1. Thanks. I’m absolutely sure that YA would dress this dog up all the time if the dog would take it. But usually she just becomes paralyzed when you put something on her. The exception is this hat, which she’s kind of gotten used to so she’ll move around a little bit when the hat is on, but not a lot.

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  6. I know Humphrey has trained us to burp him after he gets a drink.
    And I’ve trained both dogs (I think) to know when they get morning snacks and evening snacks: Soon as I head for the door. I’m trying to train Humphrey not to drool in Kelly shoes… But maybe that’s my training to take him outside before treats.

    If any of us go outside in the evening, they think a walk is coming and they get all excited too. They’re really bummed if I just to to the shed. And soon as Kelly puts her shoes on, they know. She’s tried sneaking out the back door, but they make loops around the house; they’re not missing a walk. I’ve tried to distract them on one side while she goes the other way. Nope, they sniff her out.

    We have got them trained to jump into the back of the gator if we’re running up the road. If we back up to a hillside, they both can get in. Humphrey has learned he CAN ACTUALLY jump the 3′ up into the back. Bailey, being smaller, has decided I need to help her in.
    I got her in the scissor lift the other day, but she wasn’t very happy about it.

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  7. Training update. This morning after I put the tennis shoes on I did a few things upstairs and then when we went downstairs, I put Guinevere in her kennel for a few minutes while I finished up. Of course, as soon as I let her out the kennel she started to whine. But luckily, since I was already to go, the whining was pretty short-lived.

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  8. The neighbors have a little puppy named Dewey that they walk every day, the cutest little guy. He’s been getting trained, so I try to have some dog treats on me when I’m in the yard. He’s learned how to sit on command, but he’s gotten to the point where he doesn’t have to hear the word “Sit” – if he thinks you’ve got a treat, he sits very still and looks up at you with big puppy eyes.

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  9. Our pets have us trained to a T. Especially our little Chihuahua, Boo Boo. He hops around when it’s time to feed the cats their canned food because he gets to lick the can (precisely between 2:30-3 p.m.). And then at 5 p.m. he skitters around and makes Boo coos like a baby because it’s his dinner time. He’s a very hot mess!

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        1. I have several friends in Indianapolis so that’s where I’m headed. Made my motel reservation last month. Can’t do the air quite yet!

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  13. I am very well trained. Pippin and I have been together for nearly 14 years. He has trained me to wake up at 2 a.m. if he is sitting near the side of the bed and panting. It is no joke. It doesn’t matter how I feel about it or what the weather is doing outside. We are going out and he has business to take care of. NOW. If I don’t comply with this, the results are disgusting.

    He has also trained me to participate in killing the squeaky toys. He loves to play tug and bugs me about it incessantly. Since I love to read, write, crochet, and play my instruments, playing tug is often inconvenient. I can do it when I’m reading but not when I’m crocheting or playing an instrument. Tug is the most important thing I can do for Pippin. It really means a lot to him. He has also trained me to buy the toughest available toys I can find. He needs the ones made for much bigger dogs. He kills all stuffed toys and eats the stuffing, or finds the little squeaker and tries to eat that.

    If he had it his way, I would be at home, in my recliner, all day and all night every day. Anything else makes him think I am going to leave and that makes him anxious. He starts being naughty, or at least annoying, when he’s anxious. He will dart in front of me when I’m walking in an effort to stop me. Sometimes he actually trips me or I step on him, both of which are frustrating for me. He has taught me that any travel is not his thing and I shouldn’t consider it. When we go somewhere, it’s a very big deal for him and he isn’t happy. I’ve learned his triggers and I try very hard to avoid them but I’ve concluded he’s a psych basket case and I do the best I can.

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  14. i am a mean old master
    my dog trainer taught me the dogs need to learn at puppy age that i am the boss
    their treat is pleasing the boss
    i praise them and they love for my praise
    when i reprimand they know they did bad
    cats … who cares
    they puke and purposely poop under furnature and know they can get away with it
    ernie’s got that pre wake up meow historically and i’ve acclimated . not happily but i’ve acclaimated
    lately not so much. he’s getting old
    it’s his last year i’m guessing but we’ll see
    debbie was out of town and i woke up with ernie sleeping in my back like he does to debbie often
    i had to laugh
    i’m so tired when i lay down these days i don’t notice he’s there

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