My daughter's dog is a hoot! We have been dogsitting this week as Debi has seeded her lawn and is awaiting the arrival of new grass. To keep her doberman, Akkadian, from rolling around in the mud and muck, Dorothy and I took him in for the next two weeks. I have to say that this dog is a wonder. Named after an ancient culture, he has all the traits of greatness.
We often think that dogs do not understand what we say. They do. And through Pavlovian conditioning, we have taught him a number of habits good and bad. And through his own initiative, he has come up with his own.
Since this dog was a pup, he has been a character. When Debi first got him and brought him home, he chewed everything in sight and pooed everywhere, like all pups will. When he finally got his bodilly functions undercontrol, we really started having fun. He would go around the house following anyone who would pay attention to him or just look his way. This often made for some funny instances when we would plan to walk around the house, passing each other. AK would start with one person, then in mid step follow another, then another, until he finally would sit down because he was confused as to who he should follow.
We have a big pool and a nice sized yard. "DingDong" as I call him, will not go near the pool on a dead run, but does like to sneak up on the dog in the pool and bark at him. At four years of age, I am not sure if he realizes that he is barking at his own reflection! He does not like the pool, or water for bathing or sprinklers. Probably due to his incident falling into the pool when he was only about 5 months old, and I had to rescue him because he could not swim.
He does have some tricks which Dorothy (his "grandmother") says are cruel. He loves to play "Dead Dog" and "Undead Dog" but we are working on "Dead Dog" and "Zombie Dog". He also sits, lies, puts his head down, and waits, but is struggling with walk and fetch. He rarely gets out of the yard, so walk is foreign to him. He does take me for a drag around the block, though. Fetch is really foreign to him. He likes to get the toy, but won't give it up and prefers to get close and tease, then run away. He knows how to give sad eyes for part of my lunch and he puts his nose on my chair when he wants my attention. When it is time for us to leave to go somewhere, he goes outside and waits for his treat through the doggie door. But the funniest thing is when he eats off a fork and gently takes the morsel and puts it in his mouth. One night, we had the TV on and were sitting on the couch. We realized that each night, we did not watch the TV, but watched him wrestle with himself and his toys! Who needs Cable when you have a dog?
When he first arrived, Dorothy would not have anything to do with him. She did not want him. Now, she talks to him, pets him, shares breakfast with him, and even put a sleeping area in our room so he could sleep next to our bed. She hates to leave him alone at anytime and often will leave the TV on for company and if we are out at night, will turn lights on in the garage and house so he can see.
And talk about a great watchdog! Dobermans are known for keen hearing. He can hear the neighbors get into their car with windows and doors shut. He can hear and respond to the garage door opening. Open up a bag of potato chips in the pantry with door closed, and he will be there when you open the door up, be sitting, and have sad face on.
I don't have grandchildren. I have a grand dog. And that he is.
Doughnut
Showing posts with label Dobermans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dobermans. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
My 80 pound Lap Dog
Growing up, I never had a large dog. I had a Pekinese named Buffy that was really my mom’s, and I had to terriers we called Mr.Chips. But large dogs were not supposed to be dogs that city people kept, these breeds were reserved for farms and people with large houses and yards. I did have a German shepherd for about a month when I lived in Morning Sun, Iowa in a house that would now fit in my front room. I got the dog when it was a puppy, never realizing that he would get so big, he would take over the kitchen. Great dog, though, just too big at the time.
My daughter bought a dog when she moved into Shields Hacienda West in Phoenix about four years ago. When she approached me about it, I told her that she would have to take care and not get anything that would tear up the house, or dig in the yard. She was responsible for getting it trained. I also expressed that her work schedule of ten hour days and a busy social schedule would not necessarily be conducive to bringing a dog into the household. I likened it to a child. She said she wanted a dog for protection and companionship and she promised she would take good care of it. All that was left was to convince her mother. Here I got myself between a rock and a hard place. Knowing full well that Mom did not want an animal in her house (we had flushed multiple goldfish); I encouraged my adult daughter to convince her mother. I should have known better. I should have taken a break there and eaten a Twix.
To make a long story short, it is better to apologize out of ignorance.
Enter Akkadian, a lonely little Doberman, AKC registered puppy from Indiana. He was sent to my daughter via his own airplane ticket about four months after he was born. Shipped in what is now his toy box, he arrived at Sky Harbor crying, but he had made many friends on the plane who thought it was their duty as flight attendants to keep him company. AK immediately took to Debi, and he became a fixture in our home. When Debi came home for a visit in November of 2006, he came with her. This once hold-me-in-the-palm-of-your-hand- puppy no was about two feet tall and had paws the size of baseball gloves! Our house in Paxton was not big enough. When he went outside, he had never seen or felt grass, and he the snow and rain he felt was totally foreign to him. It was fun to watch.
When we moved to Phoenix permanently a year ago, Akkadian and I became fast friends. He went everywhere with me and he often cried outside my door at night. I became his master; my daughter was second to me. My wife was ambivalent. She had to warm up to a dog that could stand on his hind legs and be taller than she was. But, she warmed. He became her “grand dog” and now we “dog sit” during the day and when Debi is away.
Akkadian has his own bowl here, his own bucket of toys; his bed must be brought to our house for extended stays. And believe it or not, she puts a blanket over the couch in the family room so he can sit with her and watch TV at night. She has been converted, at least to an Akkadian lover.
Grand dad, though, still gets the royal treatment. Whenever our Dobie comes home for a visit, he immediately runs to my chair. If I am not there, he runs to my room and looks in my bed. Since he loves a good game of hide and seek, I often hide in the bathroom. Once he discerns I am in there, he will lie on the floor until I appear. When he finds me, he gently takes my hand in his mouth, leads me to the couch, and then jumps up onto it next to me and stares in my face until I acknowledge him by rubbing his butt.
What a relationship. I wonder if that would work with my wife and me?
Doughnut
My daughter bought a dog when she moved into Shields Hacienda West in Phoenix about four years ago. When she approached me about it, I told her that she would have to take care and not get anything that would tear up the house, or dig in the yard. She was responsible for getting it trained. I also expressed that her work schedule of ten hour days and a busy social schedule would not necessarily be conducive to bringing a dog into the household. I likened it to a child. She said she wanted a dog for protection and companionship and she promised she would take good care of it. All that was left was to convince her mother. Here I got myself between a rock and a hard place. Knowing full well that Mom did not want an animal in her house (we had flushed multiple goldfish); I encouraged my adult daughter to convince her mother. I should have known better. I should have taken a break there and eaten a Twix.
To make a long story short, it is better to apologize out of ignorance.
Enter Akkadian, a lonely little Doberman, AKC registered puppy from Indiana. He was sent to my daughter via his own airplane ticket about four months after he was born. Shipped in what is now his toy box, he arrived at Sky Harbor crying, but he had made many friends on the plane who thought it was their duty as flight attendants to keep him company. AK immediately took to Debi, and he became a fixture in our home. When Debi came home for a visit in November of 2006, he came with her. This once hold-me-in-the-palm-of-your-hand- puppy no was about two feet tall and had paws the size of baseball gloves! Our house in Paxton was not big enough. When he went outside, he had never seen or felt grass, and he the snow and rain he felt was totally foreign to him. It was fun to watch.
When we moved to Phoenix permanently a year ago, Akkadian and I became fast friends. He went everywhere with me and he often cried outside my door at night. I became his master; my daughter was second to me. My wife was ambivalent. She had to warm up to a dog that could stand on his hind legs and be taller than she was. But, she warmed. He became her “grand dog” and now we “dog sit” during the day and when Debi is away.
Akkadian has his own bowl here, his own bucket of toys; his bed must be brought to our house for extended stays. And believe it or not, she puts a blanket over the couch in the family room so he can sit with her and watch TV at night. She has been converted, at least to an Akkadian lover.
Grand dad, though, still gets the royal treatment. Whenever our Dobie comes home for a visit, he immediately runs to my chair. If I am not there, he runs to my room and looks in my bed. Since he loves a good game of hide and seek, I often hide in the bathroom. Once he discerns I am in there, he will lie on the floor until I appear. When he finds me, he gently takes my hand in his mouth, leads me to the couch, and then jumps up onto it next to me and stares in my face until I acknowledge him by rubbing his butt.
What a relationship. I wonder if that would work with my wife and me?
Doughnut
Monday, August 24, 2009
Doga
I have lived a good many years and my knowledge of the world is, I think, somewhat large. I have not seen it all, but a good many strange things. I mean, county fairs aside, I have been many places and viewed many things. The two headed pig, the cow with a window at its stomach, the bearded lady, the big water spicket suspended in air with water flowing are all sights which have amazed and astounded me. Heck, I’ve even been to Roswell alien hunting and visited "The Thing" in New Mexico. But the article in the Arizona Republic the other day about a new service that is being offered to dog owners just astounded me. Surely it is a sign of the Apocalypse.
Doga….Yes, Doga…Yoga for dogs. A new service that helps owners relax their dogs. Doga hopes to make the dogs less excitable, more in shape, and more fun. Utilizing Doga helps dogs become civilized, more compatible and accepting of other dogs. Having a Zen dog is the “in”thing. Apparently just playing with man’s best friend and his favorite squeeze toy in the back yard is not enough. Dogs should not get the paper and your slippers, they should strive to a higher purpose.
Backyards and public parks are outdated. Disciplining a dog with a newspaper passé’. People actually pay to take their dogs to a storefront in a strip mall where they get in a big circle with other dogs and then each owner helps the dogs into a pose and holds them there for a period of time. These poses are natural to animals and promote good circulation and mental discipline, while the dog breathes in through its nose and out through its mouth.
Imagine if you have a large dog, say a Doberman, or a dog like Marmaduke. How does one hold them in a position? These dogs would be more likely to hold you in a position! My daughter’s Dobie has trouble controlling himself when I go over there. He is so happy to see me. I immediately grab his nose out of my crotch and move him into Warrior One where he pants in my face and tries to hold his nose about an inch from my face. When we work our way to the couch, he takes on the doggie lotus position and stares blankly at me until I rub his ear and coax him into dead dog where his head is extended off the couch, chin up; his paws straight up I the air and his eyes rolled back in his head as he waits for me rub his belly, This is discipline.
As I read the article, I wondered if these people really have so little to do that they have to resort to paying someone to tell them how to play with their dogs. Then I realized, it was not for the dogs, they were using the animals as an excuse to start a social club! Their poor animals were nothing more than conversation starters, a way to get a relationship started with another human being. Man’s best friend was nothing more than piece of meat that could be bribed with a treat and a smile, and then discarded to the back yard when the real action begins.
Doggone…..
Doughnut
Doga….Yes, Doga…Yoga for dogs. A new service that helps owners relax their dogs. Doga hopes to make the dogs less excitable, more in shape, and more fun. Utilizing Doga helps dogs become civilized, more compatible and accepting of other dogs. Having a Zen dog is the “in”thing. Apparently just playing with man’s best friend and his favorite squeeze toy in the back yard is not enough. Dogs should not get the paper and your slippers, they should strive to a higher purpose.
Backyards and public parks are outdated. Disciplining a dog with a newspaper passé’. People actually pay to take their dogs to a storefront in a strip mall where they get in a big circle with other dogs and then each owner helps the dogs into a pose and holds them there for a period of time. These poses are natural to animals and promote good circulation and mental discipline, while the dog breathes in through its nose and out through its mouth.
Imagine if you have a large dog, say a Doberman, or a dog like Marmaduke. How does one hold them in a position? These dogs would be more likely to hold you in a position! My daughter’s Dobie has trouble controlling himself when I go over there. He is so happy to see me. I immediately grab his nose out of my crotch and move him into Warrior One where he pants in my face and tries to hold his nose about an inch from my face. When we work our way to the couch, he takes on the doggie lotus position and stares blankly at me until I rub his ear and coax him into dead dog where his head is extended off the couch, chin up; his paws straight up I the air and his eyes rolled back in his head as he waits for me rub his belly, This is discipline.
As I read the article, I wondered if these people really have so little to do that they have to resort to paying someone to tell them how to play with their dogs. Then I realized, it was not for the dogs, they were using the animals as an excuse to start a social club! Their poor animals were nothing more than conversation starters, a way to get a relationship started with another human being. Man’s best friend was nothing more than piece of meat that could be bribed with a treat and a smile, and then discarded to the back yard when the real action begins.
Doggone…..
Doughnut
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