Dandy21
07-31-2009, 06:37 AM
[or: Misha knows what he wants to do...]
Many of you here know that Misha is a dog that needs a job, just something fun for him to do. You also know that I have been trying to think of something he'd like to do, and between school and having difficulties finding places that will test for what I want to do, nothing has come of it. Tonight, I finally realized what Misha would enjoy doing more than anything, and I think I really knew it, but was trying to ignore it.
Since Misha's been back from GA, his recall has gotten better and better. He's allowed off-leash in the woods in our backyard for brief potty breaks, and drags a 15' lead on afternoon walks. He is absolutely on-leash at all times at night -- the times when he likes to run off. One of the times he ran off was my fault, because I had him chase something that was in our yard. He also likes to run off at night so he can go chase the deer.
Tonight, while I was getting his food ready, I put down his leash and told him to "Ho". (I'm hoping to teach him to ground tie.) We'd just chased a cat off, and while Misha was only there as a deterrent, he still helped. I turned around to get his food and something starts to come around the corner. It's a possum. Misha is standing only about 3' from it, and his leash is on the ground. I reiterate "Ho" and it turns around and leaves (decided it had the wrong address, or something). I keep him on leash, and his leash around my wrist as I finish getting his food stuff. I decided for ignoring it he was going to get Mixables with his supper tonight. Well, his bowl is downstairs in his kennel. I walk him around and he starts sniffing where the possum was, so I tell him "Go get it." I thought it had run off into the woods or something, and that when he got to the end of the leash, I'd tell him he'd done enough. Boy was I wrong. The possum was eating his food. I've thought that he wanted and enjoyed finding live things, so I've never discouraged his drive. He runs into the kennel and jumps, 6' to get to the possum. He's luckily still on the end of the leash, so the possum has enough of a head start to be out of harm's way. He stands in the corner, and once I call him off of it, he continues to point at it. Now if only someone could teach the dog how to bark once he's treed something...
That was Misha's excitement tonight. He's getting praised and treated like nothing else, not only for leaving it initially, for chasing it when I asked, but also for leaving it even though it was *right there*.
PS -- If the possum shows up around our house again, and is that friendly with people, we will call Animal Control -- but since he didn't approach me, we're kind of hoping that he got enough of a scare to go away and we'll be keeping the animals' food inside at night.
Many of you here know that Misha is a dog that needs a job, just something fun for him to do. You also know that I have been trying to think of something he'd like to do, and between school and having difficulties finding places that will test for what I want to do, nothing has come of it. Tonight, I finally realized what Misha would enjoy doing more than anything, and I think I really knew it, but was trying to ignore it.
Since Misha's been back from GA, his recall has gotten better and better. He's allowed off-leash in the woods in our backyard for brief potty breaks, and drags a 15' lead on afternoon walks. He is absolutely on-leash at all times at night -- the times when he likes to run off. One of the times he ran off was my fault, because I had him chase something that was in our yard. He also likes to run off at night so he can go chase the deer.
Tonight, while I was getting his food ready, I put down his leash and told him to "Ho". (I'm hoping to teach him to ground tie.) We'd just chased a cat off, and while Misha was only there as a deterrent, he still helped. I turned around to get his food and something starts to come around the corner. It's a possum. Misha is standing only about 3' from it, and his leash is on the ground. I reiterate "Ho" and it turns around and leaves (decided it had the wrong address, or something). I keep him on leash, and his leash around my wrist as I finish getting his food stuff. I decided for ignoring it he was going to get Mixables with his supper tonight. Well, his bowl is downstairs in his kennel. I walk him around and he starts sniffing where the possum was, so I tell him "Go get it." I thought it had run off into the woods or something, and that when he got to the end of the leash, I'd tell him he'd done enough. Boy was I wrong. The possum was eating his food. I've thought that he wanted and enjoyed finding live things, so I've never discouraged his drive. He runs into the kennel and jumps, 6' to get to the possum. He's luckily still on the end of the leash, so the possum has enough of a head start to be out of harm's way. He stands in the corner, and once I call him off of it, he continues to point at it. Now if only someone could teach the dog how to bark once he's treed something...
That was Misha's excitement tonight. He's getting praised and treated like nothing else, not only for leaving it initially, for chasing it when I asked, but also for leaving it even though it was *right there*.
PS -- If the possum shows up around our house again, and is that friendly with people, we will call Animal Control -- but since he didn't approach me, we're kind of hoping that he got enough of a scare to go away and we'll be keeping the animals' food inside at night.