![]()
I was talking to a gal other night, bragging shamelessly about Pilot. I mean, he's a pretty awesome dog. What is there not to brag about? However, in the middle of my conversation, a thought dawned on me: Pilot is my ideal dog.
I have been a "animal foster parent" for several years now and have had a number of different dogs (along with other critters) come and go in my life. All of them were good dogs, in their own ways. Most were not stranger friendly, and some were aggressive toward other dogs and animals. A couple got car sick easily and hated to travel. Despite such "shortcomings", they were good dogs and eager to please. However, none of them were the "perfect" dog for me. What is my "ideal" dog? Well, even I didn't know the answer to that question until the other night. Pilot is an full time extrovert. He likes to go places and meet people, so he's the perfect travel companion and therapy dog. He LOVES kids. Like, seriously, kids rank at the top of his priority list. If he sees kids, he will cry and cry until they come pet him. However, his love of people makes him a horrible watch dog. Though he is a champion sparrow killer, and he believes that he will one day catch the wascaly-wabbit who frequents our yard, Pilot is great with animals. He is always eager to meet new dogs and play with them. Cats are "whatever". Chickens are ignored. He behaves excellent when around unstable dogs, whom he has learned to ignore and keep his eyes on me. His energy level is set at "firecracker" which is just a notch below "force-of-nature". If I do not take him on a walk at least twice a week, he keeps me up at night. The more walks I take him on, the more calm and centered he becomes. One of his favorite things to do is jog. That is NOT my favorite thing to do, but, I jog as often as possible, just for him, because I love him. I am planning to get a bike, and I have no doubt that Pilot will enjoy biking as much as jogging (and so will I). All that energy translates into mental energy as well, and I have found that teaching Pilot new tricks is nearly as important as taking him on a walk. He learns knew things quickly and retains what he learns. Up to date, he knows 20 different commands and tricks, including "roll out a rug with your nose", "wipe your paws", and "play dead". Also, my schedule is pretty much non-existent. It is crazy and unpredictable. Thankfully, Pilot rolls with it. I've no doubt that he'd like a predictable schedule better, but he is clearly not a dog that has a great need for it. So, in short, my dog is:
Yep. Pilot is my ideal dog. And to think that he was a skunk-smelling roadside drop-off that some cowboy found and put in my truck. You may call it good luck, or happenstance, or whatever, but I call the whole thing a God-send. Link Up![]()
Before you leave: I've started a animal centered link up called "The Pets & I Critter Hop". My plan is to post the link up every Monday. If you have any blog posts concerning animals - pets, wildlife, funny stories, tips, item reviews, or even just pictures - please link it up below! It is my hope that this link up will grow into something pretty popular where people will come to find lots of amazing stories, pictures, and helpful tips.
I am NOT an organization buff. If you look at my home, you will notice right away that organizing is not my thing. BUT, when I am forced to do it, I do it well (not as well as my mother, but she’s had way more experience than me).
One of the few things that I like to keep organized is the dog stuff. I am roommates with my sister, Kristyn. She has 6 Golden Retrievers, give or take a couple (she takes in rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes them, and she occasionally has a litter of puppies). Needless to say, the house has often “gone to the dogs”. I never like it when that happens, because then my sister and I can NEVER find what we need. Kristyn: “Where is the slicker brush?”
And the cat fight begins. Hey! I said we were sisters, not Nobel Peace Price enthusiasts... or winners. (Girls. Can’t live with ‘em. Can’t live without ‘em.)
To eliminate the unnecessary bickering, I try to keep the dog stuff under control. My sister also tries… Some of the time. I think the rest of the time she gives up trying. Anyway. Here is what I do to organize the dogs: - Eliminate clutter - Sort supplies into categories - Make a containment system for each category Eliminate Clutter![]()
The first step is to gather all of your dog supplies into one area. Toys, collars, leashes, crates, treats, clothes, food, paperwork, etc. EVERYTHING.
Once you have it all in one area, sort it out and get rid of this stuff: - old, broken, and nasty, dirty toys - broken crates and nasty/ruined bedding - old, worn, or wrong size collars, leashes and tags - old, stained, torn, or wrong sized clothing - disliked or out-of-date treats - bent, broken, cracked, or just plain nasty grooming tools - old or disliked shampoos and conditioners - out-of-date medicines and vitamins - items from doggies/pets you no longer own - out-of-date papers, certificates, bills, licenses, etc. As you do this, you may find it necessary to close your eyes and drop the stuff into the deep, dark blackness of the trash. “But I could fix this.” or “This belonged to my first dog.” and “A friend/family member gave this to me.” or “But this little dress is so cute!” are NOT acceptable! If it’s broken, throw it away. If it’s old and worn, throw it away. If you don’t like it, throw it away. If it has dead dog’s name on it, throw it away. If it is too big/small for your pet to wear, give it to charity ASAP. You don’t need it cluttering up your life and cramping your psychological peace. If you really have trouble with eliminating things, you must repeat this to yourself over and over again: “I must set myself free of these materialistic things. They are cluttering up my life and destroying my peace of mind.” If it helps, mentally say those words to yourself in Morgan Freeman’s voice. You will obey them without question. Sort into Categories
Once you have decluttered, then you should start sorting everything that you are keeping into categories.
- Leashes, collars, and tags - Toys (inside & outside) and clothes - Grooming supplies - Medicine and vitamins - Food and treats - Crates and bedding - Paperwork & Medical info Containment![]()
When everything is sorted out, you should move each category to the area where you use it most. Leashes and collars go by the door. Food and treats stay where the dog is fed. Grooming stuff stays near the grooming station. I put the outside toys and Pilot's doggie backpack next to my shoes.
Once you have everything in the proper area, you then need to find a way to contain it all. Now, most people like to take this moment as an excuse to go buy new baskets, boxes, or containers to put stuff in. Unless you are rich and able to constantly buy that stuff, or you just seriously don’t have any boxes to organize stuff into, then I say DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT fall into that trap. For a trap it is. It quickly turns into a bad habit and a money burner. The only container I suggest you purchase, if you don’t already have one, is a dog food storage container. I've been using a 24 gallon Bergan Stack-N-Stor for several years now and really like it. Amazon Affiliate Link
For everything else, though, I suggest that you use what you already have.
Find boxes or baskets that are already empty or can be emptied (another thing to go through, I know, but it’s more junk out of your way!). If you have shelves, clean them off and use them as well! I like to store our toys in collapsible hampers, laundry baskets, milk crates, or plastic shelving units, all which are readily available in our home. Outside toys stay near the door, while inside toys stay near the beds, crates, or in the living room where the dogs can lay down and play. Bedding and unused crates go on shelves and in the closet. Doggie clothes are thrown into a plastic drawer or hang on hooks. Leashes and collars go in plastic drawers, on hooks, or on a shirt hanger. Medicine and vitamins stays on a shelf, up high, or in the refrigerator. Grooming supplies go into a portable basket. Treats are put into large yogurt/vitamin/cottage cheese containers. Food dishes are placed next to where the food is stored and distributed. Now, for that pesky paperwork. In my file box, I have folders dedicated solely for each of my pets… which, currently, consists only of Pilot (I’m going to add a ferret to the mix someday, though). In his folder I store his medical history, vaccination records, medication labels, and stuff like that. For emergency purposes, I have taken pictures of his vacc and med records and stored them on my phone. Kristyn, on the other hand, has folders in her planner for each dog, and she stores all their paper work there. When she takes the dogs somewhere, the planner follows. Usually, this only takes a maximum of two hours for me to complete – half that, if everything is still in a semi organized state. To keep it all neat and organized, I make sure things are put up where they belong, and I try to sort through each category once a month. But sometimes we get busy, things don’t get put up where they go, aaaaaaand…. yep. 2 hour organization bash, here we come!
I have had a few people ask me some questions about Pilot's trick dog training. Although I have answered them individually, I would like to address them publicly, as I'm sure other people have similar questions running through their minds.
What is the point of the Trick Dog Title?![]()
There are a couple of reasons for getting Pilot his TDT:
Do you have to pay for it?
That depends on what you want. You can teach the tricks to your dog for free. You can even print out the list of tricks he needs to learn for free. If you want to attend a Sparks Team on Facebook to get tips and training advice, then that is also free.
If you want to get your dog titled, you have to pay for it. If you want to attend live classes with an instructor who will work one-on-one with you and your dog, you also have to pay for it. If you don't have the books yet, then you will have to pay to get those. All of those things are legitimate things to pay for. The title comes on nice paper for you to frame. The instructor is spending valuable time with you and your pooch. The books by Kyra Sundance are ALL WORTH BUYING. Next to Caesar Milan, I recommend all of her stuff. What's the ideal age for a dog to really get into trick training?![]()
This totally depends on the dog. Some get it early, and some get it later.
As a general rule of thumb, most dogs reach full maturity at 2 years of age. This means that, mentally, they are able to understand and retain more. So, I would say that 2 years old is the golden age. However, the younger that you start a dog to training, the better, because they get used to exercising their brain with you. The younger they are, though, the smaller steps you must take. You can't expect a young dog to learn 15 tricks in a month. Probably not even in two months. A puppy that is 8 months old or younger doesn't have the attention span or the desire to learn a lot of things. They just want to play games. So you must work with them gradually, repeating the tricks that they have learned over and over again and treating any new tricks like games. If they aren't getting a new trick, just stop and drop it for a few weeks, then try again. Young dogs can't retain quite as much information and they need longer spans of time to memorize what they have learned. Eventually, one day, a light bulb will turn on in their head and you'll find that training suddenly gets a lot smoother. You'll also find that you are doing more "training" with them, and less "game play". This usually happens around the age of 2 years, in my experience. However, I have seen dogs as young as 11 weeks to 5 months old earn their Novice Trick Dog Titles! If you would like a book to help you out with training your puppy, "51 Puppy Tricks" by Kyra Sundance is a great one. It shows you how to teach tricks from the puppy's perspective, gives great tips for those having difficulty, and it sorts the tricks according to Easy, Intermediate, and Advanced. You can also find all the same tricks, and more, in "101 Dog Tricks". Another book that I personally found helpful in starting out Pilot was the "10 Minute Dog Training Games" by Kyra Sundance. Pilot was about a year old when he was given to me and he still just wanted to play, not learn anything, and he was rather stubborn about sticking to that mentality. Reading this book, I learned to just "play" with him, and when I started playing with him, he started having fun learning. It helped a LOT. Amazon Affiliate Links
I'm sure you've heard that you "can't teach an old dog a new trick", right? Well, that saying is wrong. Senior dogs can earn trick titles too! Again, as with a very young dog, it is a slower process. They learn slower and are more stubborn, because they are set in their ways. Also because of their physical limitations, they can't do everything a young dog can, so you must keep this in mind. But, it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks!
A can of soft dog food being spoon fed to them will probably get their attention. You will have to use a lot of patience, because, by the age of 8, most dogs are used to training humans. Not humans training them. How much time does it take?![]()
This is completely dependent on the dog and yourself. On average, a dog could learn 15 tricks a month, which means that you could have an expert trick dog in roughly 4 months. On the other hand, for some, like Pilot, it may take a year before he is really ready to start learning.
Some dogs will eat trick training up, because they love the mental challenge and the bonding time with you. Other dogs will enjoy it, but it will take longer for them to mentally ingrain it. Some dogs will think it is a cute past time, but will not feel that they should really devote much of their valuable time and energy to it, except to please you on occasion. Do not feel offended if your dog is like that; it is nothing personal. It is simply the way he/she feels about the activity, and probably any activity that requires the use of their brain and energy. It does not mean that they are dumb, either. It simply means they are smarter than the rest of us and are content with their life at present. Some breeds of dogs will do better than others, but over all, it depends on your determination and the dog's willingness. What are some good beginner-level tricks?
All of the trick books by Kyra Sundance have difficulty levels and are listed by Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced, so as to make it easy to choose the difficulty level. They also sort them according to sport and tell you which ones you can build on and which ones have prerequisites. However, I have found that the difficulty level is very little help with Pilot. So, I choose tricks according to what he would like to learn or what he already naturally does or what I am determined for him to learn. For instance, "Roll-Over" is listed as Intermediate, but it has been the easiest trick Pilot has ever learned, and he loves to do it all the time. Thankfully, the book leaves room for you to pick-and-choose.
Aside from teaching your dog basic manners - sit, down, wait, stay, lay down, leave it - some easy tricks to learn are "Take A Bow", "Spin In Circles", "Peek-A-Boo", and "Hoop Jump". (Video Links) ![]()
Wow, first of the month already? And on a Monday. Ouch.
Well, it is a perfect day to scream, and allow me to be among the first to scream... WHITE RABBIT! I must be the first person, you know. And, undoubtedly, I am the first person to White Rabbit you. Even if you are reading this late, even if somebody else screamed "White Rabbit!" at you today, I can promise you that I AM the first. Consider the time stamp on this post. What time did it post and/or deliver to your email? 1AM... Yeah. I AM the first person to White Rabbit you this fine 1st day of June. I rule this game. Okay, I'll shut up now. Trick Dog!
Trick dog? Is that a thing?
Yes it is! And it's gradually becoming a very popular thing among dog owners. Do you remember Lassie? Benji? Rin-Tin-Tin? They were all "trick dogs". Their owners and trainers taught them a bunch of tricks, which they would preform anywhere, even on camera. Not only did their tricks make them look heroic on screen (and make them rich & popular), but it made them great companions and useful working dogs, and their skills have made millions of people happy for many years. Now days, it has become really easy to find content that teaches you to train your dog the exact same tricks - all by yourself! This is what I am doing with Pilot. It's my hope to turn him into a titled trick dog. He's already well on his way! Teaching dogs to do tricks is fun and rewarding, thus why it's become quite a popular thing for dog owners to do. It turns a dog from "a pet" into "a stinking awesome person I love more than my in-laws". Okay, not really, but you get the point. Trick training makes your dog a valuable companion, and not just an annoying back yard door bell. Your dog becomes a joy for everyone - friends, family, and strangers - to be around. Despite what you might think, it's not that hard to train a dog to do tricks, especially if he is willing to learn and you're willing to spend some time with him. It's actually a breeze, what with all the great content available on the internet to help you along. There are some great books available that teach you how to train your dog. My favorites are by Kyra Sundance from Do More With Your Dog.com. Her books have detailed, bright, colorful pictures. They explain how to do all of the tricks so well, that even the children understand how to do it. She has a few DVD's now that go along with the books, so you can sit and watch how to do it! These three books by Kyra are the best, and they are my favorites. They've helped me a lot in my training of Pilot and other dogs (Amazon affiliate Links - read my disclosure policy): Which dog is a Trick Dog?
Any dog can learn tricks. Rin-Tin-Tin was a German Shepherd. Lassie was a Collie. Benji was a mutt from the pound. So was Old Yeller. Pongo and Purdy were cartoons....
The trick for you is to choose a dog that has a willingness to learn and an eagerness to please. Most herding breeds, like German Shepherds and Australian Shepherds, crave the mental exercise that trick training provides. Some terrier breeds, like the Rat Terrier and the Parson "Jack" Russell Terrier, thrive on trick training. As far as hunting breeds, I've never met a Labrador or a Golden Retriever who were not eager to please and willing to learn. Bully breeds, guardian breeds, and little companion dogs are typically more stubborn and it takes a lot more work to convince them to do a trick, but they will do it if you have patience and persistence. Random note: DON'T tell me that you have no patience. Nobody HAS patience. You learn patience. If you aren't a patient person, get over it and start learning how to be. Trick training isn't just for the dogs, you know... The AKC website has great information about all the different groups and breeds of dogs. If you have a favorite breed, you can look it up on the AKC website and learn more, or you can get on YouTube and see if you can find a Dogs 101 video about it. Both give you a great idea of what it takes to properly care for that specific breed, and how easy they are to train. If you aren't sure what breed of dog might best suite you, AKC has a quiz that you can take which will suggest a few dog breeds that would best fit your home, family, and lifestyle. If you have a mutt dog and can guess what breeds it has in it, you can try out the AKC breed comparison tool and make a guess as to what independence level your dog will be/is. It's fun to play around with, if nothing else... Otherwise, if you have a dog that loves to hang out with you, is playful, and wants to please you, then you have the makings of a trick dog. No matter how dumb or smart you might think your dog is, it all depends on how much time and effort YOU are willing to put into it, and how willing your dog is to do it with you. Pilot as a Trick Dog![]()
Pilot is a little more independent than what is ideal for a trick dog. He has his own ideas about how things should go. But, he is creative and energetic, and he really, really needs the mental exercise. So, before I started teaching him any tricks, I had to spend a lot of time convincing him that he wanted to learn.
MANNERS Learning manners was the first stepping stone I took to teaching Pilot tricks. Before getting his breakfast or supper, he had to sit politely. Before he could go outside, he had to sit and wait for me to open the door. Before I would open the gate to go for a run, he had to sit. Once he had "sit" mastered, I moved it to "lay down". Good manners got positive results and made him happy. If he forgot his manners, then nothing would happen and he wouldn't get what he wanted. He started paying attention and listening for queues, because he knew that good things would happen when he did the right thing. EXERCISE I figured out pretty quickly that I had to give Pilot more exercise, especially before training sessions. I cannot begin to explain how much that helped him to focus. His energy level is set at FORCE-OF-NATURE, and if he doesn't get it out of system, then he won't focus on learning new things. He just becomes this really irritating ball of energy with sharp toe nails. Seriously, if you have a dog that is out of control, he/she probably just needs more exercise. The last few months, Pilot has come to the point where he loves to do tricks, anytime, anywhere. This makes me really happy. He is learning new tricks faster, and he enjoys doing his old tricks over and over again. His favorite trick is "Roll Over". He does it all the time, whether I ask him to or not. Some days are better than others, and some days are just horrible, but that's why it's called LIFE. Here is a video I recently made of Pilot getting some exercise, playing with his little sheep friend, and finally doing some tricks with me. White Rabbit Link Up
Don't forget to link up your newest, most recent blog post below! I love to read them!
(I do read all of them, so keep in mind that it should stay family friendly and it must be new. No more than 72 hours old.)
Being a blissfully single woman whose got nothing better to do than blog and write books, I spend a great deal of time fussing over my fur baby: Pilot, my dog.
This year for "May The 4th Be With You" day, I wanted to make a Star Wars dog costume so my dog could geek out with me (who knows; I might use the costume for Halloween later as well). I planned to make several really cool costumes all by myself, then have a photo shoot with my sister's Golden Retrievers and Pilot, and use the pictures to make a Geeky post for May the 4th #StarWarsDay. Well, needless to say, that did not work out as planned. The only costume that came together in time was Pilot's X-Wing pilot flight suit costume. The simplest two costumes were going to be Chewbacca and Han Solo: - Chewbacca costume: a wide brown leather belt, strips of gray tape, and a little brown bag. Put the strips of gray tape on the belt at intervals, attach the little brown bag, and VIOLA! your furbaby costume is done. - Han Solo: black vest, white shirt (unless your dog has white fur, then the shirt is not needed), a toy gun belt, and a toy gun. TA-DA! Slip it all on your dog and your pooch is now the dashing Han Solo! It couldn't get any easier, right? Well, in our house, you learn that what should be easy is extremely complicated, and what should be difficult takes a few seconds to do, and what should be impossible takes only a few minutes... Yeah, any plans made in our house are bound to turn into one, gigantic, Firefly/Serenity mess (geeky fandom pun, in case you missed it). Anyway, all that to say that I only got one costume done:
The X-Wing pilot flight suit was really easy to make, as long as I had a little imagination.
For the computer chest piece: Small square Card Board piece (whatever size suits your dog) Gray Tape 3 pieces of light colored felt 2 pieces of dark colored felt 2 white, large Lego bricks 1 gray, large Lego brick 1 back of a cell phone case (or anything that's black and square/rectangle shaped) 1 Quarter 1 Dime 1 stick of hot glue (using hot glue means that you can use most of the items again later) 12" of Elastic (depending on dog size) I took the piece of cardboard and covered it in gray tape. Then I hot glued the Lego bricks side-by-side, followed by gluing the back of an old cell phone next to them. I took the quarter and glued it just underneath the camera opening of the cellphone back, then I took the dime and placed it down and a little to the left of the quarter and glued it there as well. After that, I glued the felt squares in the remaining spaces, placing the two darkest ones above the Lego bricks. After that, I literally stabbed holes in the top corners and tied the elastic through them so that the entire thing could hang from my dog's neck. For the white vest: This took more effort than I thought it would, because I couldn't find a piece of white fabric in our house to save my life. Finally, I found an old toddler t-shirt. So, I just cut the sleeves off, cut the bottom off, cut the neck out (cutting makes me happy, can't ya tell?) and made a bib-like apparition. After that, I sewed the bottom corners together: right corner to right corner and left corner to left corner (sewing does NOT make me happy, so I don't put much effort into it). TA-DA! There I have the vest thingamajig... it's a little bit big for Pilot, but nobody will notice... The Orange Jumpsuit/Shirt: Now, this is the most striking part of this suit, so I was a lot more picky about it; I pulled an old orange t-shirt out of my dresser and turned it into a shirt for my dog. For this part, I will let you watch a video. This particular video really, really, REALLY simplified making a dog shirt, and I did not watch it before I made Pilot's dog shirt. My dog shirt was a lot more complicated... *cough, cough*... BUT, I like how mine turned out better than the one in the video. However, I did not have the time to make a video explaining how to make a dog shirt (I'll save that for another time, I guess). So, for a simplified way of making your dog a shirt out of your old clothes, here is a really easy video to watch. Once you have the orange shirt/jumpsuit for your dog, and the other two accessories all made, then your pet's X-Wing Pilot Flight Suit is all ready to go! Enjoy! ![]()
The Educational Link Up party is below. If you'd like to join, here are the "Rules of the Galactic Highway":
· Your post must be educational. · Your post must fall into one of the following categories - Sci-Fi, Geekdom, or Science. · Check out what your hosts are up to. - We have been having some great Science, Geeky fun this week and we would love you to check it out. The Hosts will be the first few spots on the link up. · Follow the person above you or find your fandom and comment on at least one post. - Let's make the universe a little smaller by sharing the love! Have fun! - If I know the Sci/Fi, Geek, Science world I know you will have tons of fun with this! Keep the fandom conflict out of it though. Trekkies and Wookies can coexist! Co-Hosts Meagan from More Than A Coupon Queen Jess from Benoit Academy Andrea from Waldorf Salad & Cottage Fries Kassondra from Motherhood Community Nessa from 2 Dorks In Love
As far as I'm concerned, my parents raised me right, and one of the things that they did right was raise my sister and I on STAR WARS. She and I took it from there and made sure the younger siblings got plenty of Star Wars education....
Although some people think it's corny and stupid, Star Wars made a huge impact on the movie making world with its incredible effects (which were, at the time, very incredible), its great story line (at the time, it was really great), and its fantastic characters which left a mark on the hearts and minds of fans everywhere. - Did You Know: All six of the live-action movies debuted in the month of May? As a result, Star Wars fans created a totally awesome "Star Wars Day" which takes place on May 4th when everyone can say "May the Force be with you". One of the first records of "May the 4th" being used is in 1979, which was described by author Alan Arnold while he was chronicling the making of The Empire Strikes Back for Lucasfilm: Friday, May 4
Once the internet became a big thing, "May the 4th be with you" evolved from a saying, into a hashtag, and finally into a full blown holiday! And the best thing about it is this: it is totally fan made.
To celebrate this very cool, fan made holiday, Pilot (my dog) has donned a pretty impressive outfit. Since his name is "Pilot" it only seemed right for him to be in some sort of flying/pilot suit. Therefore, I made him his very own X-Wing fighter pilot suit! I know it's hard to tell (note the sarcasm in my cyber voice), but I made the entire thing by myself. That's right! It was all "DIY"... Tomorrow I will be posting a "How I Did It" blog post for a very special Geeky Group and Link Up that I've come to enjoy hanging out with. So, stay tuned! BONUS: Did you know that the movie "IRON LADY" is really, really good? It's all about Margaret Thatcher, that wonderful woman mentioned in the above quote. She was the first female prime minister in Britain, and she was a fantastic role model for girls and women everywhere. After you are done watching the ENTIRE Star Wars trilogy today, you should find the "Iron Lady" and watch it too! |
Kathryn FoglemanAuthor of the fantasy series, Tales of the Wovlen, Kathryn spends a great deal of time in the world of her imagination, having tea with fire breathing dragons, writing books on flying space ships, and practicing her mad scientist laugh with gusto. However, on occasion,she returns to this world just to play with her dog and blog about her fun. My BookGrab a Button!![]() Archives
September 2018
Categories
All
|