Grateful

It's Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and while it seems a bit cliche, I'm going to take a moment to be grateful for all I have... especially these two little creatures:

Maisy has been my rock this year, carrying me through some hard times. I almost lost her in September, so I am also so grateful for all of you who donated to her vet bills. I'm also thankful to have Pyg. We don't know each other very well yet, but we do love each other. I feel so fortunate to have found him. Finally, as always, I am grateful for the friends who've become my family. Sara, Laura, Ryan and Lauren, Megan, Elizabeth, Margaret, Nicky, and Cesar. I'm so fortunate.

So, here's to you and yours. May you always have a furry face and the love of friends and family surrounding you.

Pyg's Personality

It's been about a month since Pyg came into our life. That really isn't very long, but he's fit into our lives so seamlessly that it feels like he's been here forever. I cannot begin to express how much I love him and how happy I am that fate brought us together.

I knew going into it that foster dogs/newly adopted dogs often take several weeks or months to really settle in and express their true personalities. I definitely saw glimmers of who Pyg is early on, but it's been fun to watch him blossom.

Here's what I know about Pyg so far:

He's playful. Perhaps this is just youthful exuberance, but Pyggy loves playing. Whether it's with another dog or by himself, Pyg has a cheerful attitude. Maisy still adores playing with him. I see her initiating play with him at least once every day, sometimes more. For her part, she's getting less awkward. At first, she was convinced that humping him was the best invitation to play ever, but now she's doing more appropriate play bows.

He can entertain himself. This is awesome, because if Maisy doesn't want to play and he does, he's perfectly content to go off by himself with a toy. His favorites are long floppy toys that he can shake and kill. He's not much into dissecting them, which is fine with me. He also likes to pick up Kongs and throw them in the air, and oddly, empty cat food cans.

He has an off-switch. Pyg is also quite happy to take a nap or chew quietly on something appropriate. He loves his Nylabone (Maisy never touched them as a puppy), and Kongs, too. He's a fan of bully sticks and cow hooves. And when he's tired of chewing, he'll take a nap. I suspect some of this will change as he gets more comfortable. The other day he chewed on a wooden yard stick.

He is less intense than Maisy. Although this will likely change as he continues to settle in, so far he's a bit more subdued. Whereas she will clearly (obnoxiously) make her desires known, he tends to be a bit subtle about it. After two brief scuffles, he's learned not to take food from Maisy, and if anything drops in the kitchen, he'll back away. Poor Pyg; Maisy can be a bit of a bitch. That said, he's not afraid to take advantage of things. The other day he swooped in and stole Maisy's Kong when she left it to tell off the cat.

He's definitely a lap dog. Oh my. Where Maisy really, really doesn't care to be touched (she will cuddle on occasion, but only briefly, and only when it's her idea), Pyg loves nothing more than to be with people. He will curl up on my lap, or worm his way between me and my boyfriend when we're together. He loves to be petted, and we've begun to discover all his favorite rubbing spots. If I stop petting him, he'll rub his face on my hand. It's adorable.

He doesn't like to be left alone. I wouldn't call it separation anxiety, but it's clear that Pyg's had a bit of upheaval in his short life. I've been watching him pretty closely, and he's definitely getting better about it, but if he had a choice, he'd go everywhere with me. On a similar note, he does not like being contained. Four foot x-pens? Yeah, he climbs over them. Baby gates? Knocked over. Wire crates? Escaped from... although I don't know how. It wasn't destroyed. Sigh.

He loves food, and he's an eager learner. I'll post soon about our training, but let's just say that he is quite willing to work for kibble at home, and that I'm having a ton of fun putting some foundations on him. It also inspires me to get back to training with Maisy again. I'd like to get them both into classes sometime soon, but... money. And time.

He's a bit cautious about new dogs. This is perhaps the most interesting thing of all, and I'm curious to see how it'll shake out. He's had a few minor outbursts. Nothing I would call true reactivity, but given his age (10 months) and the fact that reactivity tends to emerge during social maturity (a year and a half or so), I'm being pretty proactive with him. Again, I'll write about this soon, but right now he tends to be a bit wary, though it is lessening as he settles in.

That said, he's a confident little bugger. The other night he was up on a wobble board like he'd done it his whole life. Maisy, who has actually been around wobble boards her whole life, just looked at him like he was crazy. He will jump on counters and climb on uneven surfaces. He is so different from Maisy in this way.

He definitely makes me laugh. Although he's kind of physically ugly (a matter of personal preference, I know), I can't help but call him cute when I watch him running around. He's just... wonderful. I adore this little dog, and I'm so very grateful to everyone who cared for him when he was a pup and made it possible for him to come home.

What is an NQ, Really?

Not an embarrassment, nor an effort to humiliate you,

not even an act of stubborn defiance.

An NQ is a tribute to your dog's willingness to try,

and a demonstration of your own character.

Your dog doesn't know or care that there was no score.

This fact may remain in the record forever

but no one will remember when you accept it with grace.

And few humans do that well without practice.

Though an NQ may damage your pride,

through it you can practice humility,

learn to accept defeat with dignity,

and show courage while facing your fears.

An NQ says that you loved spending time with your dog,

that you viewed her as a worthy teammate,

that you believed in her so much

that you wanted to show the world how wonderful she is.

In a world of multi-tasking and shallow interactions,

an NQ shows that you shared a deep connection,

that you gave each other everything you had,

and that your dog is a cherished friend, not an ego stroke..

Because when the day is done and the trial over,

an NQ proves that you accept your dog, flaws and all,

that you respect her efforts, no matter how poor,

and that it is not winning, but love, that matters.

Author's Note: This post was inspired by both What is a Title, Really?, a lovely take on why we do dog sports, and by some appallingly bad sportsmanship I saw last weekend. It is not intended as criticism of the original. 

Pyg's Past

It all started when I received Pyg's health records from Secondhand Hounds. The precious few sheets I had- those that told me everything I would ever know about his past- were confusing. Dates didn't line up like I thought they should. Some of the info didn't jive with what I'd been told. His supposed breed mix was different on various documents, as was his birthday. He was a mystery.

My friend Nicky advised me to let it go. I would never know about his past, she told me. Let go now and just enjoy the dog in front of you. Sound advice, I know, but... well, I have amazing google-fu. If something exists on the internet, I can almost always find it. And I knew something had to be out there about Pyg.

There was.

On April 30, 2013, Pyg was “rescued from a very neglectful situation” along with his mother, Belle Belle, and his two siblings, Princess Leia and Wookie. Belle Belle was a three-year-old shih tzu (or maybe a shih tzu mix), and the puppies were about three months old. 

Click to embiggen.

The Animal Rescue Foundation in Mobile, Alabama, who took in the dogs, is a no-kill, foster-based rescue. Belle Belle found a home quickly; she was adopted on June 5, 2013. I don't know when Pyg's brother and sister found homes, but I assume it was relatively quickly. Pyg, though... I cannot for the life of me understand why, but he languished in rescue.

Then again, using this as his Petfinder picture probably didn't help. Such an ugly little face.

He was, by all accounts, sweet and friendly, but there just weren't any takers, even after he went to a large event called Adopt-a-Palooza in October. Of course, I am happy this was the case, as Pyg was meant to be my dog. But for that to happen, he needed to travel cross-country from the gulf coast to the frozen wastelands of Minnesota.

Pyg took a plane from south Alabama to north Alabama thanks to an organization called Pilots N Paws. Then, he had a car trip to Chicago, and then another plane ride. I actually found pictures from that first leg of the trip on facebook, and as I read the comments from the volunteers who had lovingly cared for him over the course of six months, I was touched. These women truly cared about the dogs they had selflessly taken in. They cried as Pyg left on his grand adventure. I am so grateful that they took care of him until Pyg and I could find each other.

Leaving on a jet plane! (Is "jet" an overstatement?)

There is still much that remains a mystery about Pyg's past. I assume that he lived in a rather deprived environment during his critical socialization period, an assumption backed up by his occasional fearful behavior and tendency to get overwhelmed by new situations. But at least now I know the rough outline. Oh, and did I mention I dug up some puppy pictures? Yeah, totally did. 

Ew, kid cooties!

Probably around 12 weeks old.

Awww... he was even an ugly puppy. (PS- please don't be offended when I call him ugly! I know lots of people find the underbite endearing, but... I just don't. However, he has an absolutely ADORABLE personality, and I love him to pieces. I am so very happy I adopted him.)

Dear Maisy

Dear Maisy,

You have been an exemplary dog for nearly 7 years, and I have never before needed to write a letter of warning to you. Even through the worst of your reactivity, we have been able to work out a nice balance of special accomodations and appropriate behavior. However, your behavior today was simply inexcusable.

Now, perhaps you've been feeling a bit ignored lately- after all, we have recently hired a new canine companion who has changed some of the social dynamics here at the Thompson Household. However, I would like to remind you that you did participate in the screening and hiring process of Pyg.

Or, maybe you've heard my comments about how you are "the most expensive dog ever" these past few months. I'd like to point out that this was hyperbole on my part, and not to be taken seriously. In particular, it was not a challenge to which you need to rise.

I will state this as simply as possible: Rat poison is not food. Further, when vomiting is induced following such a dietary indiscretion, the resulting puke is also not food.

Please refrain from eating either of these substances in the future, or I may need to take further action.

Sincerely,
Crystal
CEO of the Thompson Household

Note to blog readers: Maisy is fine. She attempted to eat some rat poison at a neighbor's house this morning. Since I wasn't sure if she actually got some or not, I contacted our vet, who advised us to induce vomiting, which I did. There did not appear to be any poison in her puke, and she's been just fine since then, but still. THIS DOG.

Steve White Seminar: Get To or Got To?

 As a crossover trainer, Steve naturally had some interesting things to say about the comparison between primarily reinforcement-based training and mostly punishment-based training. The cool thing is that he’s not dogmatic about it. As a current K9 cop, he really can’t be. If he gets preachy or holier-than-thou, he’s not going to be able to reach anyone.

He even showed us a few hard-to-watch videos of “training.” He always warned us before he did so (there’s no shame in not wanting to watch someone abusing an animal), but felt it was important that we understand the reality of the world out there.

Despite his willingness to watch and discuss punishment-based methods, he believes that it is not suitable as a teaching tool. People and dogs alike do not learn what to do through punishment; by its very definition, it’s suppressive. Because of that, punishment should only be used as an emergency brake. (It’s not clear to me how much or how often he uses punishment, nor under what circumstances.)

For him, using primarily positive methods comes down to a very simple fact: he wants to work with dogs who believe they get to do things instead of dogs who think they’ve got to. In his opinion (and he stressed that there is no science behind this, just anecdotes), with positive training, you have to put a lot of effort in up front, but down the road things get much easier. In contrast, traditional training starts out fairly easy, but over time, the “got to” component makes it so that the trainer has to work harder and harder. In his estimation, “get to” dogs require about 80% less training over the course of their lifetimes than “got to” dogs.

Interestingly, Steve sees training as a continuum of force. At one end, the traditional end, there is a lot of coercion. The dog has to do things, or else. The trainer uses pain to get compliance. At the other end of that continuum, we have the so-called positive training methods. But even this, Steve said, is inherently manipulative. Think about it: we trainers control access to resources, forcing our dogs to earn things they want. This isn’t necessarily bad, but we do need to acknowledge that our actions are not all sunshine and rainbows.

Despite this, I think it’s so much better to create a dog that gets to work in order to earn what he wants than a dog who’s got to work in order to avoid unpleasant things. The former tends to create dogs who are willing, while the latter can create dogs who perform grudgingly. Steve himself experienced that- he crossed over because he was tired of constantly fighting with his canine partners.

I love my “get to” dog. I may be manipulative, but it’s benevolent manipulation, and I somehow doubt that Maisy experiences it as force. But what do you think?

Review: Merrick Hungry Dog Value Pack Dog Chew Treats from Chewy.com

This month, Chewy.com was kind enough to send us the Merrick Hungry DogValue Pack Dog Chew Treats to review. Now, we've reviewed a lot of things for the blog, and we've liked them all well enough, but here's something I really, truly will buy again.

When the box containing these chewies arrived at my office, my first thought was: whoa. Did they run out of normal-sized boxes? Because that box was big. But no. The bag of treats was big, too. In fact, it was 2 pounds, which is a huge amount of treats for less than ten bucks.

Something that cheap, you expect to get junk. It's not, though. I can't claim to know everything that Chewy.com sells, but everything I've seen on their site is good quality. (I wouldn't feed it to my dogs if it wasn't, free or not.) These chewies, for example, are all U.S.-made. None of that scary crap from China!

The Hungry Dog Value Pack is more like a surprise grab bag than a standardized product. When Merrick has an item that's misshappen or too big or too small to sell as part of their standard line, they instead package up all those things as the Value Pack. Consequently, you get some a random mix of odd-sized/shaped items. The pack we received (only half of which is pictured since the rest was eaten before I thought to get the camera out!) included ears, snouts, tails, hooves, and knuckle bones. The reviews on Chewy.com suggests that others have gotten horns or antlers.

My dogs loved these. Like, gobbled them up and begged for more. So I was surprised when I saw several reviews stating that the Value Pack is only suitable for big dogs, or that the items are too big for smaller guys. I mean, I have small dogs. Maisy is 16 pounds and Pyg is 12 or 13. Neither of them had trouble with anything in the bag.

So, two thumbs and eight paws up from our household!

Disclosure notice or whatever: Chewy.com sent me these for free, but didn't tell me what to say. I just really liked these!