This Is What I Mean

[Shadrack]

so, got the professional trainer out from the place that i had suggested to me by a few different people, and he was great, really helpful, and i've noticed some replies on my new thread of teaching Ace Play Dead, which i havent been able to reply to (sorry).

BUT

Once again im very sickly, i just got out of hospital again. this time, Blood clots in my lungs, theres every chance that i could end up back in, but as of right now im home, But being home, and being there for my dogs are two very different things, i cant even walk around without the help of my housemate to hold me on my feet, without help, i fall. even to the toilet, sorry to say it, but i need help with everything, even getting up from my chair. im weak, i cant balance, and i cant even sit and play with my dogs because now im on blood thinners, and even when Ace or mishka knick my skin, i bleed something horrible.

is it even possible to have well behaved dogs when their owner is sick most of the time? i only got out of hosp today, and barely had a chance to let them out properly around me, even though their both small, being so unsteady on my feet, even their size is enough to knock me down. This is pretty much a rant, and sorry to do it here, i had to get it out, i love them to death and i feel incredibly guilty about it. once again. thinking maybe, the place i got the professional trainer through, they offer dog walking, so maybe i might hire them to walk them, although i wont be able to afford it daily or anything, but its still better than nothing >__>

[Simply Grand]

Oh you poor thing, I feel for you It really sucks when life circumstances impact on our ability to care for our dogs however much we want to, and when things are tough is usually when we need them the most!

Definitely get them walked as often as you can afford. Do you have friends or family who could help out with a roster to take them out each day for a good run around?

Another thing to consider if you are going to be unwell for a while would be putting them into foster care for a while, I know you would miss them terribly but it might be worth thinking about.

[hankdog]

I'm sorry Shadrack. Get as much help as possible with the dogs. Can you get your housemates to just run them through their tricks? Anything will help burn up their energy whilst you take care of you. Wish you a speedy recovery.

[Little Gifts]

Empty - can't commit to a thought tonight!

Edited May 19, 2014 by Little Gifts

[Rainy]

I completely understand where you are coming from, at times during my illness I've wondered weather I should send my girl back to her breeder because I feel I'm not doing her justice. But you can get there in small steps something as simple as playing fetch down a hallway will bun off some energy ( I used to sit on my ass at one end while they ran up and back) but my saving grace has been giving the dogs jobs to do, I know you can't train them right now but before you go in next time maybe teach them to bring you items like slippers, remote, books etc or tricks like taking your socks off and closing cubbord doors so you can get their brains working while you are laid up. I hope you are feeling better soon

[Shadrack]

Thanks for the messages guys, I'm on my phone and it won't let me do the quotes but you should know what you sent lol

Yea having them around makes me want to get well again, I miss playing with them, and I enjoy our training sessions (most of the time) LOL

I'm sure my housemates will take them out into the yard for extra plays, she's been really good through it and took on their care when I was admitted to hosp.

Unfortunately foster isn't really an option, I could be sick for 3-6 months and that's a little long to be without my babies sadly.

Haha the sight of my housemates trying to get the dogs to do tricks is funny as it's not a bad idea, but my housemate kinda has her way and she will stick to it, which would prolly mean by the time I'm well again the clicker will mean nothing to mishka, she also rewards for anything that looks cute which generally means everything they do xD thank you, I'm hoping I recover quicker than doctors estimated it would just be brilliant haha.

Aww that's a good idea, just before I got sick I was teaching mishka to touch an object, I use a pair of gardening gloves right now, and she's at the point where she'll bite them but I can't actually get her to hold onto it haha. I'm sorry you had health problems and this might sound bad, but I'm glad I'm not the only one keeping my kids, I was feeling a little selfish and expected a lot of comments calling me a range of things, so this is definitely nice, and positive, I don't feel so bad.

[Rainy]

LoL I get it, I'll be having brain surgery at some point in the next few months so I'm still teaching them thing to keep them occupied

Our new one is she had learnt to play tug by herself we have a hanging tug out the back and when she is a bit feisty I can send her to play tug.

You just need to think outside of the box and you will be fine

[PuddleDuck]

I had 3 months of bedrest when I was pregnant and my toller spent the entire time with her head on my tummy while I lay I the couch. My kelpie x GSD is a bit more high strung so I taught him how to pick stuff up for me, then spent some time each day dropping the remote, books, etc and he was really happy

[PuddleDuck]

I had 3 months of bedrest when I was pregnant and my toller spent the entire time with her head on my tummy while I lay I the couch. My kelpie x GSD is a bit more high strung so I taught him how to pick stuff up for me, then spent some time each day dropping the remote, books, etc and he was really happy

[cavNrott]

As long as your little dogs don't knock you off your feet they will be so happy you're home and with them again.

It is of zero importance that your dogs learn to play dead or do tricks. What is important is that they are well behaved and don't run around you like idiots and knock you over. I don't consider tricks to be of any importance even in the best of circumstances. IMO obedience training and being well behaved is important. Tricks are not.

I understand your position very well. I need further spinal surgery but I'm not prepared to go ahead with it because I have no one to care for my dogs. I manage to a degree with strong pain relief medication. My dogs are gentle and they're careful they don't trip me up.

Your housemate is clearly very helpful to you and I feel sure she is prepared to let the dogs outside to toilet. She would more than likely be prepared to walk them for you until you are back on your feet. I gather she cared for the dogs when you were in hospital.

While you are not able to walk around safely it may be worth getting a four wheel walking frame to aid you until you're steady on your feet.

[persephone]

There are lots of things you can do with the dogs when you are sitting/lying down - and while 'tricks' may be seen as unimportant , to me, they are a fun way to communicate , to learn what your dog likes , and to laugh!

For the dogs - tricks mean learning, and listening - communication , and closeness to you.

tricks can include lying still ...... waiting for food ..... offering a paw .... jumping ..... picking up things ....

If you can separate the dogs , one at a time with you may be much more settled .

Use a calm and slower voice when talking to teh dogs ...

definitely get yourself a walking frame!! They , as well as toilet aids /shower chairs , etc . can be rented/bought from various places like THIS

[Shadrack]

LoL I get it, I'll be having brain surgery at some point in the next few months so I'm still teaching them thing to keep them occupied

Our new one is she had learnt to play tug by herself we have a hanging tug out the back and when she is a bit feisty I can send her to play tug.

You just need to think outside of the box and you will be fine

ohh dear, im sorry you need brain surgery! that must be worrying. aww, i wish mine would play tug by themselves but instead, they just chew on the toy then try and eat it, they cant have any of them kinds of toys unserpervised anymore for that reason. i do still want to teach them stuff, their slowly learning house manners with the help f a professional trainer, and thats going really well, im just not sure whether i can have him out while im so sick.

I had 3 months of bedrest when I was pregnant and my toller spent the entire time with her head on my tummy while I lay I the couch. My kelpie x GSD is a bit more high strung so I taught him how to pick stuff up for me, then spent some time each day dropping the remote, books, etc and he was really happy

you know, that actually sounds like it would of made the cutest photo! its nice they where gentle, we had another issue last night. My housemate got me into bed, and everything, and then Lovely mishka, i know she missed me when i was in hospital, Jumped up and wanted to give me a hug, but she jumped all over me, and really hurt me, i ended up in tears. and on the blood thinners, im at risk of internal bleeding as well, so its not the best thing. But with my housemates help she was able to settle her, so her training session last night ended up just being in bed trying to teach her to be gentle around me, and to hug me 'nicely' without all the jmping and scratching.

As long as your little dogs don't knock you off your feet they will be so happy you're home and with them again.

It is of zero importance that your dogs learn to play dead or do tricks. What is important is that they are well behaved and don't run around you like idiots and knock you over. I don't consider tricks to be of any importance even in the best of circumstances. IMO obedience training and being well behaved is important. Tricks are not.

I understand your position very well. I need further spinal surgery but I'm not prepared to go ahead with it because I have no one to care for my dogs. I manage to a degree with strong pain relief medication. My dogs are gentle and they're careful they don't trip me up.

Your housemate is clearly very helpful to you and I feel sure she is prepared to let the dogs outside to toilet. She would more than likely be prepared to walk them for you until you are back on your feet. I gather she cared for the dogs when you were in hospital.

While you are not able to walk around safely it may be worth getting a four wheel walking frame to aid you until you're steady on your feet.

i get theat tricks arent important from certain views, but for my two, especially Mishka, they still are important for her, it keeps her mind active, and learning tricks actually makes her more behaved and learning to focus more on what i want from her, the way i teach her is not to show her what i want, but using the clicker reward in baby steps, like teaching her to touch the glove. First i rewarded for any attention paid to it, then once she figured that out, only reward for touching it, feet , head, anything, after that, only her nose. then only when she bit it.. So shes usingher mind to try and figure out exactly what i want, she sleeps better, shes a little calmer. and i think its ust really helpful sometimes for them to learn trcks, just from that standpoint..

Spinal surgery? that sounds painful, and you probably should have it lol are there any good kennels around? im sure someone would have to help you out, a friend maybe? you should be in pain, im so sorry your living with it.

my housemate has been very helpful with it all thank goodness, im actually kinda shocked over it. and she generally takes them to the toilet anyway, its been wet and cold here, and im also very prone to catching Pneumonia, the last year i think ive been very sick, off and on though, and this is the sckest ive been so having people around willing to help have truly been a life saver.

Speaking of them My housemate is actually out getting a walkin g frame from her friend that doesnt use hers anymore haha, so ill have that for around the house, then ill just need help with the 3 stairs we have. i think thats the trickest part about small dogs too, while big dogs have the weight to knock someone down, when your not good on your feet, little dogs seem to be more dangerous to have around the way they just rush around your feet lol.

There are lots of things you can do with the dogs when you are sitting/lying down - and while 'tricks' may be seen as unimportant , to me, they are a fun way to communicate , to learn what your dog likes , and to laugh!

For the dogs - tricks mean learning, and listening - communication , and closeness to you.

tricks can include lying still ...... waiting for food ..... offering a paw .... jumping ..... picking up things ....

If you can separate the dogs , one at a time with you may be much more settled .

Use a calm and slower voice when talking to teh dogs ...

definitely get yourself a walking frame!! They , as well as toilet aids /shower chairs , etc . can be rented/bought from various places like THIS

To me, tricks are important like id explained earlier, Mishka has become so much more well behaved while having solid training sessions than whe she wasnt. there are still obviously issues, but that requires more traning. Sitting down and training is good, i might try some tonight, the only issue is Ace, no matter how much i clip his claws, they are still very sharp, and they cut me, i got a cut this morning when i went to see him, and t bled for so long, my blood wont clot properly on these blood thinners, and i dont have the speed or anything to properly control his excitability like i normally would. Mishka is different, she sees the clicker now and completely focuses so i can still do her training, but i think shes also more of a 'trick dog' than Ace is anyway.

The dogs have been seperated a bit lately, when they get together, its a crazy circus so we often bring them out seperately then together when theyve calmed slightly.

The waking frame will certainly make things easier for me, i cannot wait, i wont feel like such a burden once i have it lol. All thats left is to navigate the 3 stairs we have :) I would love to hire some aids, but with all the medication im taking, i just cant afford it, as well as Registratioons are due and all that lovely fun stuff of owning a dog xD

[JulesP]

There is a company that makes covers for dogs nails. They are called Soft Claws. No idea were you would get them in Australia though.

ETA: Just found some for you at Clipper World! http://clipperworld.com.au/soft-claws/soft-claws-for-dogs-c274.html

Edited May 20, 2014 by JulesP

[cavNrott]

To explain what I mean by the difference between obedience commands and tricks I note the follwing were all mentioned as tricks.

tricks can include lying still ...... waiting for food ..... offering a paw .... jumping ..... picking up things

Lying still is an obedience command . If they are told to lie down (though I use a different word) or given any other command they know to hold that position until I give the release word.

Another obedience command: waiting for food. Their food bowls are placed in front of them and they don't move towards them until I give them permission to eat.

Offering a paw is a trick I teach. My dogs do a very impressive high five as well as a gentle shake hands. This can an icebreaker with people who are uncertain around dogs and the local kids love a dog who'll give them a high five ;)

They will pick up an item if they know the word for that item. If they don't connect word with the item I don't ask them to pick it up. This can be a very useful command for those of us who have limited movement. I must investigate it further.

Jumping...nope., no jumping for two reasons. One is because jumping isn't great for their joints and secondly I don't want them jumping up on people.

Their are other tricks I won't teach such as the bang, bang, play dead. Begging is another trick I won't teach. I don't teach them to spin either. These are tricks I don't care to see dogs performing.

It really is doing what you and your dogs have fun doing together. If your dogs enjoy learning tricks and you enjoy teaching them then it's all good.

Good to hear you'll have the use of a four wheel walking frame. It should give you more confidence to walk around until you have more strength and better balance. I hope your health improves and you're feeling better very soon.

[persephone]

Jumping up onto something when when needed is a fun,and useful trick/exercise, esp if one is bed bound /chair bound :) A bit like putting paws on a bed edge /door/whatever

Most of my dogs have always loved playing "pick it up" , whether it be clothespegs, sox, dropped pens or usb sticks :) yes, a VERY useful trick !

Hmmm..lying still is not "the action of "Down" ..lying still is relaxing ...and just being still and settled ...

My 'waiting for food' is a fun thing ..started with playing around with food ..and altered to whatever the pup/dog likes doing best ...it is usually not related to a bowl of food - that's different . I guess the principles the same - but it is 'played' anywhere /anytime :)

Sorry, Shadrack for digressing -

if you look at side of communicating with your dog ..there is much fun (which, by the way , does not need to be loud/excitable/fast) there to be found !

as cav&rott says :)

It really is doing what you and your dogs have fun doing together. If your dogs enjoy learning tricks and you enjoy teaching them then it's all good.

[cavNrott]

Jumping up onto something when when needed is a fun,and useful trick/exercise, esp if one is bed bound /chair bound :) A bit like putting paws on a bed edge /door/whatever

Most of my dogs have always loved playing "pick it up" , whether it be clothespegs, sox, dropped pens or usb sticks :) yes, a VERY useful trick !

Hmmm..lying still is not "the action of "Down" ..lying still is relaxing ...and just being still and settled ...

My 'waiting for food' is a fun thing ..started with playing around with food ..and altered to whatever the pup/dog likes doing best ...it is usually not related to a bowl of food - that's different . I guess the principles the same - but it is 'played' anywhere /anytime :)

Sorry, Shadrack for digressing -

if you look at side of communicating with your dog ..there is much fun (which, by the way , does not need to be loud/excitable/fast) there to be found !

as cav&rott says :)

It really is doing what you and your dogs have fun doing together. If your dogs enjoy learning tricks and you enjoy teaching them then it's all good.

I must take pick it up further with my dogs: I seem to be dropping things a lot lately and it will come in very handy if they'll pick up for me. This one would be handy for both of us Shadrack since we're both a bit physically compromised.

I agree that lying still isn't the action of 'down'. The dogs will hold the position they are in if I ask them to, no matter what the position. They will 'settle' if they're a bit antsy for some reason.

Waiting for food is the same with all things edible. Anything edible? (this is a matter of opinion) on the ground is not to be touched unless I give them the ok. This is non negotiable.

Ummm...jumping: if I'm on or in my bed, both dogs are on the bed with me no need to teach that one, they must have been born knowing it :)

What we're doing with our dogs, be they called tricks or commands doesn't matter as long as we're interacting with them. One of my dogs is deaf and training her is a challenge. It's really great if she 'gets it'. When I say 'my' dogs I actually mean one of them with some of these ^ things. I try to teach the little deaf girl with hand signals but it's slow going. She's so excitable that she's difficult to teach.

[Shadrack]

ohh ill have to get those soft claws when i have the money, they actually look really good, and it will help prevent bleeding too. thankyou!

Ahhk, yea, i thought you meant that tricks are completely pointless straight out and that dogs only should learn obedience. but yes, Ace is very good at holding positions, his release word really came in handy haha so teaching 'dead' well at least part of it was really easy, as good as it looks, im not sure whether i'll teach him the start of it where they just drop to the ground, its just as cute when he does it from down :D

so, got my walker, and waiting for the shower chair to arrive that i hired, thanks for the links and helpful tips, it really was needed, i didnt know you could hire stuff like that, so it'll certainly make things easier and means i will most likely not have to go back to hosp, Because those here a few reasons i was going to go back, being unable to move around without falling and the fact that i couldnt have a shower (no one wants to go without a shower for too long you start to feel extra dirty.) And Mishka is slowly learning that when i get into bed, she has to be gentle. Ace, not so much, i havent been able to spend much time with him sadly, he's still a bit rough and will knock me over, and if im sitting, knock me and really hurt my chest.

thinking about getting the trainer back out for this to teach them, but im not sure they work that way >_> would it even be worth getting them out if i cant really do anything with the dogs? or would he do it? im trying to think of ways to safely have them around me, especially since i cant afford the soft claws yet.

Pick it up i think is what im slowly teaching Mishka, thats where you teach them to touch an object yea? and eventually move on to biting and holding it there mouth? then to bring it to you? eventually theyd learn different words for different objjects?

She learnt the start well, shes up to the bite where she bites it then gets the click, but i cant get her to hold it LOL she bites it for a second, then looks at me, then the clicker, then sniffs the clicker or puts her paw on it xDD its kinda cute

Edited May 21, 2014 by Shadrack

[Rainy]

I back chained 'pick it up'

so i started with giving the item to them

holding mu hand under the jaw so they had to hold it for a moment

getting a longer hold

give hold give back

then pick it up and give

[Shadrack]

thats a good idea! but ill have to see if mishka wont back away when i try it because she didnt learn to touch the glove right away, so i gently tapped the glove against her nose and clicked, so forcing the interaction, and maybe 5-10 mins of that she figured out what i wanted from her LOL my housemate laughed at me for it, telling me it wouldnt work, she found it hilarious, so ill definitely try that, its a trick i can probably work on in my physical state as all i have to do is sit there, theres no real moving around, the only moving around is when i put the glove in a different position to 'get her thinking' although she wont interact with the glove if i put it down. it has to be in my hand.

[Rainy]

Maybe start agin with a different item then move on to the glove

Edited May 21, 2014 by Rainy