Behavior Consulting, Training, Pet Sitting

Have you ever wondered what people really, secretly think of you? What do they say behind your back? Good or bad. Do you really, really want to know?

In the past I’ve really, really wanted to know. I created a single-spaced page of adjectives and gave it to people I trusted to be honest (This was long before computers.)  and asked them to circle all the ones they thought applied to me. When I got them we talked about them. Some of them I decided to keep because I felt they were an innate part of me and I didn’t want to change them. No, I will not tell you what they were.

However, some of them I did want to change. For example, “aggressive” showed up on most of them. Even though it was true, I didn’t like that label. I have spent a LOT of time over my life trying to be just “assertive” instead of “aggressive.” For those of you who think I’m aggressive now, you should have known me then.

I just read this article from Lifehacker: The Accidental Asshole: Pinpoint How You’re Annoying People and Do Something About It He goes into how to do this anonymously through the computer and even gave the link to waiters and strangers.

Here’s a great site with a very long list of adjectives: Moms Who Think

If you think your ego can handle it, give it a shot.

Even Shakespeare had trouble with his dog. He called Korrect Kritters.
He was so happy with our services, he wrote this sonnet.

When Chaos attends ev’ry waking hour,
With still more barks and howls all through the night,
It is enough to turn the sweetest sour,
When lack of sleep meets morning’s dawning light.
Your begging cannot produce harmony,
For Spot, the dog, he knows who’s in the house;
Cooperation works like A-B-C,*
And better manners he will soon espouse.
That villain Chaos must needs meet defeat,
And Calm and Patience have to lead the way;
A good behavior? Here, my boy, a treat!
We both work hard so that we both can play.
Do you have troubles working with your pet?
Call Korrect Kritters, and you’ll be all set.

 *  Applied Behavior Analysis
What is applied behavior analysis?
Understanding why ABA works
ABA Myths
Antecedent -> Behavior -> Consequence (1)
Antecedent -> Behavior -> Consequence (2)

You can never predict when and how your efforts to help dogs might benefit their chances for a long and happy future in a lifelong loving home.

 Training Tails

Cupid Smiled

By Marilyn Wolf, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA

Several years ago, I was volunteering in a shelter. The puppies were in an area separated from the older dogs. There were about ten kennels with at least one pup in each. The wall toward the hallway was block on the bottom and glass on the top so the puppies were visible from the hallway.

I was working with socializing the puppies and introducing them to a collar and leash. The day I was working, there was a litter of Australian Shepherd X puppies only about seven-eight weeks old. Fat, fuzzy, cute, and wrapped around each other sleeping. In the kennel next to them was a four-month-old Weimaraner puppy who recently had surgery on her thigh to repair a broken femur. She was healed, but her fur had not grown back yet. She was bouncy, noisy, and pushy.

When a potential adopter came in, I had to put all the pups  into their  kennels to keep them safe. A young man came in and was looking at the puppies because he wanted to get one as a Valentine’s Day surprise for his wife. As he walked around, I was offering small treats to the pups, who were awake, and quiet. The man walked over to the Aussie pups and wanted to see one of them so I opened the kennel and he bent down to pet them. They were really sleepy so they did not interact much. He would pet them a little while, then stand up and look at the other pups then pet them some more.

Since the Weimaraner was in the kennel beside them, I gave her a treat from my pocket every time she was quiet, and she stopped barking. Then I gave her a treat when all four feet were on the floor and she stopped jumping. Then she started sitting for more treats. Then she gave me eye contact and earned more treats. The man noticed what she was doing because I had not been talking to her at all. I could tell he was beginning to consider her, too.

He decided he needed to step out of the puppy area to call his wife and talk to her about the pups he was interested in. As he walked down the hallway, I saw him put his phone away and smile really big. His wife ran into his arms and they gave each other a big hug. They had both come to the shelter to adopt a puppy to surprise the other for Valentine’s Day.

Almost immediately, she began sitting quietly. The woman was impressed. This is when I knew the man had been paying attention because he began to describe how quickly she “got it.”

Since they lived in an apartment, they were concerned that this pup would have too much energy for their home. We talked about a regular exercise schedule including playing ball, taking long walks, and using Kongs™. Before long, they decided to go to the office and fill out the adoption paperwork. They took her home that day. Cupid smiled.