Post by sandysfarm on Feb 1, 2014 16:09:20 GMT -5
Oh, I am glad I posted this. All your stories gave me such a good laugh. Greyhounds really are unique creatures apparently - I guess I just need to meet more of them so I can see it for myself! And lotsoffreetime - your bit about Merlin being up for adoption just about made my tea come out my nose. Well written indeed.
I guess River is more like a Tiana and that's my problem. When I ask her if she wants to go outside she does her absolute best to ignore me completely. After the phrase has been uttered, she won't even make eye contact. It's like I'm the teacher and she's the really shy kid in the class. I ask the question and she looks anywhere but at me in the hopes that, somehow, it'll make her invisible. I think she's hoping that if she ignores me completely I'll pick someone else to go outside with me (unfortunately for her, there isn't anyone else). I honestly thought before reading your replies that she just might not know the phrase (I've also always used the same one) but now I see that no, her behaviour is completely consistent. She knows exactly what I'm saying.
So yes, just like Tiana she will hold it until she gets absolutely desperate, at which point she cries and waits for me to come to her to see what might be up. And then I ask if she wants out and she tries not to look at me. And sometimes she gets lucky and I give up and go away so she can hold it for another hour until she is truly truly desperate.
Sometimes I honestly think that River is a cat in a dog's body. And this explains it - see, I was kind of concerned that I just really wasn't reading her right. As an owner of Labs previously - who just about die of excitement when a human uses the phrase "want to go for a walk?" - I thought her body language was a greyhound thing. I thought that maybe she was just being efficient and waiting until I was truly committed to the walk (coat on, boots on, keys in pocket, boots done up, gloves on, poop bag in pocket, leash in hand) before thinking about getting up. But from the sounds of it, I just picked a silly one. I've even resorted to actually leaving without her - something which would have made my labs absolutely crazy - but the most reaction that's ever elicited is a deep sigh on her part.
And the truly strange thing is, once we get outside she loves it out there. Her absolute favorite thing is to play in the snow. She wades in it and buries her face in it and gets all frisky. Nope, even in this harsh "polar vortex" cold snap, it's clear she loves winter. Especially if it means climbing to the top of snowbanks by our neighbours' driveways (some of which are taller than me now) to poop and then - this is the best part - getting to watch me climb up there and collect it.
So, thanks. It's nice to know that River is, in fact, still a dog. Just a quirkier dog than I realized.
Hi
You might want to re read your post for a clue. Do you pick up the lead, walk toward your dog and clip the lead on? Do you bend down over her when you're getting her ready to go? Something in your body between the time you decide she's going out and the time you actually get her out is scaring her and making her avert - she's telling you as she turns her head away or lowers her eyes ...and you're missing it.
Try this for a while; leave a four foot light cotton line on her 24/7. When you think she should be going out,
get your coat on, get your boots on, but "without making a
sound with your voice" don't chant at her, don't
talk to her, do not "reassure" her - just dress yourself.
Now quietly and matter of factly get yourself to the dog without coming at her straight on - curve your path so you start and arrive behind her front shoulder. Keep your body's front plane away from her -
which is a good rule permanently -
Have a cube of stewing meat in your hand. hand her the meat, bending down away from her, take up the
cord, clip it firmly to your shortest leash, turn around and walk to the front door
open it and walk out, say :"Time-to-go-out". let her hang out and pee or not, for
five minutes, come back in - While she's still on leash, walk her to the fridge, open it and hand her something. By making it more of a two- pronged food event you're reducing her ability to stress about the worrisome part. With clients I say always bigger, juicier, more shockingly beautiful treats if you value your time.
So since you've accidentally given her some miscues around goimg out, we've stripped
the need to go right down. Is it the way you handle her? Boots? Coat? Leash? Neck sensitivity? Dunno, but now you can look at her reaction one frame at a time. I suspect it's a body language issue.