Lord Rusticus!
May. 27th, 2012 07:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lathrielMeet Rusty!
Rusty loves his squeaky carrot!
Sometimes he fetches it...
And other times, he just cuddles with it. In his mouth.
That's Rusty!
Rusty loves his squeaky carrot!
Sometimes he fetches it...
And other times, he just cuddles with it. In his mouth.
That's Rusty!
He is the sweetest, most playful, most adorable little guy. He's so incredibly smart, and is learning very quickly. I'm learning a lot, too, about being a different kind of mom--being a mother to cats is much easier, for one thing. Being a mother to a dog in a house full of cats is no picnic. The cats are adjusting though--Luke spends most of his time upstairs still, but he does come down to use the litter box, and even comes to sniff around when Rusty is sitting on the couch with me. Lando is being strangely dominant, which I can't say is a surprise, but it's a little unexpected. He usually just doesn't care about things--he's very interested in Rusty though, especially in letting Rusty know who's boss. Leto is nervous, but not nervous enough to stay out of the kitchen when he thinks there might be food for him to steal ;D
But mostly, the big difference between owning cats and dogs is, owning a dog requires a lot more time, focus, energy, and selflessness. And it's surprisingly easy for me to give those things away to something I love. <3
Anyway, I'm reading a lot on dog training methods (positive reinforcement!) and feeding choices (no grain, all natural!). But if any of you veteran dog owners have any suggestions on how to train a dog that is too smart for its own (or my own?) good, let me know!
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Date: 2012-05-28 12:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-28 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-28 12:57 am (UTC)As far as training, I am a huge fan of the clicker. It works WONDERS with Sadie ~ who is a white German Shepherd, veryvery clever and too crafty for her own good. Clicker training, if you haven't come across it, just means using a clicker to mark when an animal has done something right. The second after you click, you give a treat. So it's total positive reinforcement, but the sound allows immediate capture of desirable behaviors and encourages problem solving skills as they try to figure out what gives them a click. I use it with my mustangs, too, and it's pretty much the only thing that allowed me to break through Gypsy's blocks. You can click any behavior and build on it, so we've taught Sadie to pick up her own toys, fetch things on a verbal command (she knows "get your toy," "get your brush," "find the kids," etc. So fun!), and run obstacle courses. It turns training sessions into games and it's so easy my kids can do it, too. <3
CONGRATS on the new family member!!!
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Date: 2012-05-29 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-28 01:00 am (UTC);-)
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Date: 2012-05-29 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-29 05:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-29 01:25 pm (UTC)