It’s all back on the farm today–I’ve got to start working on getting the word out about my memoir and working on my talks in Mexico City and Philadelphia. Maybe I’ll see you there?
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Winter comes and goes, like a hummingbird flitting in, darting out. One day it’s snowy and cold, the next it’s sunny and in the high 40’s. Saturday was balmy–we took the dogs on a long walk in a friend’s woods and they came home sopping with black mud. On Sunday the ground was frozen, but not too slippery, so their friend Remus was able to come play. He belongs to Janna Light, a Karen Pryor Academy graduate and owner of Paws and Effect pet sitting business, and Remus instantly became one of Willie and Maggie’s best friends.
Is there anything more joyful than watching dogs play well together? Lots of things compete (grandchildren playing chase with grandpa, laughing with friends ’til your rib cage hurts), but I’m not sure that much beats it.
Here’s something else that brings winter happiness: One of my new Amarylis from White Flower Farm bloomed over night. You can see from the photos of the dogs playing why I crave color so much in winter–the dogs and field are lovely, but a study in brown, black and white. I suspect that colorful house flowers keep me sane over the winter. (That and knowing that we get to go to Mexico in early March. I’ll be speaking with a host of others, including Dr. Pamela Reid, Roger Mugford, Steve and Jen White at the Congreso Internacional de Comportamiento Animal in Mexico City. Oh boy. If you’ll be there, come up and say ¡hola!
And here’s a bud below, soon to bloom too.
Here’s to good things blooming soon in your life too. Anything you are looking forward to?
Susan Tyson says
I am looking forward to listening to you in April in Philadelphia!
karen says
Late night, I am often observed by my trying-to-sleep husband, my staring through the darkness at pictures on my laptop. He sleepily yawns while seeking a better spot, and asks of the pictures’ subject, “Border Collies or White Flower Farm” ?
I audibly chuckled with that deep knowing smile when I read today’s post.
Particularly the White Flower Farm amaryllises allow us to peek into Nature and watch her pregnant, plump self give birth, practically in real-time! Talk about a perfect example of Distraction and Re-Direct this time of year!
I audibly chuckled with a deep knowing smile when I read your post.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could commission a Rembrandt or Vermeer to truly depict our BCs this time of year, while evoking our emotions when seeing our dogs play? They would know just how to paint our current gray skies , and how to integrate yet distinguish, the sky from our BC’s, yielding, “Study of Black, White, and Mud”. Priceless.
What I look forward to? Using fewer Costco small towels to clean their muddy paws, and seeing more of your pictures of dogs at play. JOY!
rita penner says
Speaking of dogs at play, when, in your opinion does biting rough-housing play turn into bad pack behaviour in a group of dogs that are more or less used to each other on a walk at the off-leash dog park? The group comprises of young (1-2 yo) dogs mostly, 3 german shepherds plus other large dogs, and on this particular day one smaller (also 1-2yo) clearly (imho) becoming traumatized dog. Mine (5yo) doesn’t let any of this bother him. He just runs a little faster if anyone is overly bothering him but it really bothers me to see the under-dog huddling at one after another person’s legs, hoping for protection and no one but me helping him. I plan to not walk with this group anymore. The owners feel, the dogs are just playing but I know fear when I see it.
Trisha says
I’m reminded of Dr. Michelle Wan’s study that found a significant difference between experienced and unexperienced dog owners is the ability to see fear or distress in a dog. Every trainer and behaviorist I know would give just about anything to motivate dog owners to read signs of discomfort and fear. So, I cringe with you when thinking about the poor, huddled dog who is being bullied by others. If you know the people well you might say s/t like “Hey, I just saw this great video on signs of fear…” or “Have you seen this research..”. I’ve often said things like “I know you are a dog lover and are experienced around dogs, thank heaven you are able to read the signs of fear that others can’t!” This is, of course, before they say anything at all. If you can’t find a way to educate, then I agree your best bet is to avoid. Sigh.
Andy says
I’m looking forward to two things:
1) Getting my sponsored shelter dog, Tucker, placed after months of trying to find a home! He is an absolutely lovely shy gigantic boy but we are swamped with dogs needing homes in the this part of the country right now. Once that happens I’m laying off directly sponsoring dogs and I’ll get to help my friends with theirs, which will be much easier.
2) Checking out twenty zillion musical CDs from the library. The university I work at has a great collection and I’ve caught up on some amazing classical, jazz, and field recordings. It’s now time for a deep dive in to ridiculous old school musicals. I’m going to keep “Surrey with the Fringe On Top” on repeat, I fear.
Erin rudolf says
I’m ready for spring too! While this winter has been mild, it’s so bipolar. One day the dog park is snow covered, then it’s a lake, and the next day it’s an ice rink. I’m ready for color, brats and flip flops 🙂
Trisha says
Andy: “Chicks and geese and ducks better scurry! When I take you out in the surrey…” Love it too!
Anne says
I’m ready for my driveway not to be an ice rink, and also warm breezes and grass!
Bettina says
Looking forward to get to know a tiny dog joining my life by mid Feb..preparing the house in terms of getting rid of electric cables dangling invitingly etc
Talking to my Vet about which follow on jabs and when.
As I am getting her from a german breeder it will b a bit of a 2 day drive to get there. A week stay to get to know each other initially…followed by another 2 days drive plus a night in a hotel again…so much to think about
My Border Collie Merl has left me in Oct last year..life without a dog is not a happy life …sooo for the first time I am getting a puppy…just hoping to get it right..having gotten 2 of Patricia‘s DVD‘s and watching utube films on puppy training and reading The Puppy Primer
Phew……. ;-)))) sooo looking forward to this tiny personality developing
Jann Becker says
This weekend we leave St. Louis, forecast high 27, for San Diego and Palm Springs, CA, forecast high, 80. We’re meeting son Nick, who’s not quite 25 and lives in Irvine with a cat who has pretty much trained him. Our wonderful house and dog sitter always leaves the place spotless and the dogs healthy and happy.
Soon after we get back we take 8-year old Kira for her annual checkup with a new vet, same 24-hour practice. Little bro Dooley is due for a booster of the new canine flu vaccine a week later so he gets to come along and if she doesn’t mind the waiting room (thank you, CGC!) he’ll behave reasonably well too.
rita penner says
Thanks so much for that insight. It had never occurred to me that the other humans in the dog walking group were unable to see the under-dog’s fear. The mentioned study’s findings are very definitive. Looking back now, after I tried to protect her from the bullies when she huddled around my legs, there was a decision that seemed to be made by the others about when to interfere with what was going on. They decided that only one dog should be allowed to ‘play’ with the smaller dog. She still looked very fearful but at least it was an improvement. If this under-dog had been mine, I would have been outa there in a hurry. This smaller dog isn’t learning anything good. And the other dogs seem to be learning only to ‘pick’ on the weak. If I owned one of the aggressors, I would also leave, but I wouldn’t be certain as to how to teach better behaviour. Thanks for your previous answer!
em says
Beautiful flowers! The red fix in my house is still coming from poinsettias (yes, I know about the dangers- I never had them when we had cats, but now that we’re down to one elderly dog who never, ever counter-surfs, I feel like we’re probably safe with a pair up on top of the highboy).
I’m happy, though, because it’s nearly primrose season, outdoors and in (my grocery store always gets a wave of little potted primroses in various colors that do surprisingly well indoors- I transfer them outside, where they do even better, once spring has sprung).
And yes, indeed, watching dogs play happily is one of the most heart-lifting, soul-restoring things in the world. Sandy has been brightening up a bit over the last few weeks because we’ve been actually running in to friendly people and dogs she meshes well with out and about, so she’s been regaining her confidence.
It’s hard to fully see how Otis’ passing has affected her because she’s a very sensitive dog, making it difficult to say how much is Sandy being sad for her own reasons and how much is Sandy being sad because WE’RE sad, but Sandy has been undeniably subdued and uncertain these past few months. Where I see it most clearly is in her social behavior with other dogs- she had a couple of slightly nasty run-ins almost immediately after Otis’ death-no biggie really, just dogs (at least one of them familiar) who responded to her friendly, circle wagging, crescent posture with hostile posturing, charging, and bark/snaps that didn’t come close to connecting. It shocked her, though, because she hadn’t gotten a reaction like that in literally years, and she’d never had to actually deal with anything beyond some hostile eye contact- she just veered away at let Otis handle it.
Neither she nor I fully understood the degree to which Otis had been smoothing her social path. He was so solid and so adept at managing and forestalling confrontations that neither Sandy nor I had actually worried about the actions/reactions of other dogs in years. Dogs who might be anxious or hostile focused on Otis, without giving Sandy as much as a glance, and he handled them so smoothly and calmly that even their owners often didn’t notice. Dogs who got too pushy or too rough in play were quelled by Otis. Dogs who thinking about whether to raise a stink about Sandy getting petting from their owner caught Otis’ eye and thought again.
Even the highly habituated deer in the park near our house responded differently to Otis. When he was with us, all we’d see was a flash of russet and white rumps disappearing over the ridge. The week after he died, two does actually stood on the path in the forest, snorting and stamping at Sandy and I (a full-sized, healthy human and an old but quite vigorous 75lb dog) . For weeks I felt so odd being without him- like I was naked somehow-vulnerable and exposed. I hesitated to attribute Sandy’s newfound nervousness at greeting dogs entirely to her own feelings, and not also perhaps a to a reflection of my own diminished confidence. But now it’s been long enough that I can say that yes, Otis really did make Sandy’s social life much easier, and it’s taking her some time to recover her skills as well as her confidence, but that positive dog social interaction is integral to her overall happiness.
Fortunately, she’s found several new playmates to enjoy a romp with for a few minutes most days, and the improvement in her overall mood is dramatic. She’s brightening back up to her old self, and it warms my heart.
As a last thought, to rita penner, it’s been my observation over the past ten years, watching dozens and dozens of dogs play, that not every social match up is a viable one. Frequently dogs displaying signs of nervousness or even fear on first encountering new dogs, especially in a group, will simply get over it once they get through a short period of introduction and adjustment to the common style of play, becoming a happy member of the party without further trouble, and in most cases, as long as there is no actual hostility on the part of the Overdogs it is not usually useful to interfere too much in this introductory period.
Generally, however, the transformation from uncomfortable to happy happens inside five minutes. If dogs continue to seem frightened or overwhelmed beyond that stage, it probably isn’t going to work out without a much more carefully managed setting. It can be difficult to for some people to distinguish between dogs reacting to novelty nerves (first day of school, best to ignore it) and ongoing anxiety (getting bullied on the playground, best to intervene) and dogs can indeed make things worse by targeting the odd dog out. I don’t like to speculate on why this is -I think this aspect of dog social behavior is a fascinating subject for study- but there is a definite insider/outsider component to dog social interactions that can turn nasty when we force dogs who don’t gel socially to stay in proximity to one another against their own preferences.
Rather than wading through the morass of trying to influence multiple dog owners and multiple dogs, it’s generally better for the owner of an unhappy dog to avoid a group that is too much for him and seek out better-matched playmates. (As a former great dane owner I would be remiss not to mention that matching is not always about size- a big, slow, gentle dog may do much more for a fearful dog’s social confidence than a zippy, bossy, barky small one).
Good luck with this situation- it’s super tough when the dogs in question aren’t yours. A gentle invitation to walk/play at a separate time with your dog only might be welcomed, though. I applaud your sensitivity in noticing the issue.
Hannah M. says
I am looking forward to not putting on 12 layers to take my German Shepherd to the dog park or out for our walk and still coming home frozen!
I’m also really looking forward to reading your book, Education of Will tonight! (Since I live in Wisconsin and I’ll be wishing for warmer weather for a few more months)