Dogs inspire a lot of things, from art to knitted sweaters. They also inspire some very odd conversations, conversations that only other pet owners or perhaps parents could understand. One such conversation I've been having a little too frequently over the last year is what a "bully stick" is and what it's made of. (And why I would give one to my dog.)
If you aren't aware of "bully sticks" you may be one of the blessed few who are ignorant of this fascinating item and conversation piece. Or you may just call it something else.
Bully stick, bull pizzle, steer stick, bull stick, bullies, pizzles, pizzle chews; these all refer to the same dog chew. But what is it?
"Pizzle" is an old word for "penis," and that's the first unsavory hint at the chew's origins. It most commonly refers to a bull's penis, but may in fact be the penis of any animal. What this means is the chew your dog delights in devouring (likely in record time) is a piece of bull penis that has been stretched and dried.
Om nom nom. Can we have another pizzle treat, please?
Now try to explain that to a first-time dog owner or someone who grew up only feeding rawhide chews to their dogs. Better still if the person you're talking to is male. Yeah...Welcome to the wonderful world of Dogs.
This puppy (<1 year) spent Thanksgiving in the cold, pouring rain. He alternated between pacing and pawing at the objects keeping him from entering a warm, dry home. He tried to jump the gate, dig under it, and when he failed he cried.
I hope your Thanksgiving was spent warm, dry, and surrounded by loved ones.
After last Christmas I caught some items on sale, one of which was a pretty little knitted sweater for dogs. The size guide said a size large would fit a dog with a chest girth of up to 34". Well, Mr. Dexter has a 30" chest and would look quite smashing in a knitted Christmas sweater. Part of me said the size guide didn't sound right (usually Dexter is considered an XL or XXL due to his deep chest), but I bought it with the justification that it was cheap as dirt (no, really, it was. Clearance sales can be awesome).
Back at home I excitedly tried it on Dex and found I couldn't even get it past his shoulders. Nice. I kept it, figuring that either I'd give it to someone with a smaller dog or keep it until we had a smaller dog.
Little did I know that not two months later a Heeler mix half the size of Dexter would waltz into our lives. A Heeler mix who would also look smashing in a knitted Christmas sweater.
One night last month I spontaneously decided to train with Fig around midnight. What I did not anticipate was that one random training session would turn into Fig insisting--yes, insisting--that we train every night at around midnight.
Witness the second day after our spontaneous midnight training session. Fig is trying very hard to tell me something really important. And despite being human and therefore entirely disconnected from what dogs really want, I manage to figure it out. Enjoy:
Many years ago I saw clicker training in action on the set of a movie. I was impressed but since I didn't have any pets at the time it was easy to let it slip from memory. It wasn't until sometime after 2005 that I learned what that trainer on set had been doing was called "clicker training." I also learned that it had many practical applications for many different species.
In 2007 my husband and I adopted our first dog and tentatively tip-toed into the world of clicker training. It took some practice to develop better timing and coordination (to handle leash, clicker and treats), but I got the hang of it. The more I practiced the better I got. The better I got the easier it was to teach my dog new things and that's when we really started having fun with training.
I'm pretty good at capturing--where you capture a behavior as it's happening--and luring--which is where you lure the dog into a position or behavior and reward. Shaping is another way to teach a dog a behavior. It involves using approximations to achieve a certain behavior. I find it difficult to approximate what my dog needs to do and what I need to do to shape a behavior. I often find our progress going in a different direction than I had intended. As a result, I tend to rely more on luring and capturing.
About a month ago I set out to practice shaping behaviors with Dexter. (I REALLY need the practice). So I taught Dexter to open his mouth on cue as our first exercise.
I have no idea why I chose to teach him to open his mouth on cue. I wish I had a good reason, an answer that would make you go, "Ahhh... Makes sense!" But I don't. I don't have any reason. I suppose it's just one of those things that happens when you spend too much time with dogs. But let's pretend that I set out with a well thought out plan. And that plan was to teach Dexter to open his mouth so he can portray a talking dog in the movies. That sounds better than, "I dunno why I taught my dog to do that..."
At any rate, I did teach him to open his mouth on cue. We're now at a point where I don't need the clicker or treats (as you only need those when you're teaching and perfecting new behaviors). His reward for doing as I ask is praise and scritches.
And now, without further ado, is a video of Dexter opening his mouth for scritches:
Back in September my husband came home on leave from Afghanistan. We had just over two weeks together with nothing to do or get in the way. Needless to say, my priorities changed instantly and drastically.
By the time he had to go back I had fallen out of the habit of writing here. I had formed new habits which took precedence and kept blogs out of mind. Once I had the time and mind to update this blog I didn't much have the desire. (And the dogs rejoiced! For computer time is lame time to the spotty duo.)
But here I am, back again. With photos and video!
Witness the spotty duo welcoming their favourite guy in the whole wide world home:
(Dexter had already welcomed him home when this video was taken. This was Fig's turn and Dex did NOT want to be left out. I can't say that I blame him.)
