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Goncharov (1973) dir. Martin Scorsese

the birdkeepers daughter

Some dogs are more prone to this make-you-caatch-them-to-leave-the-dog-park game than others ... since my dog is mostly husky, i knew he'd try it, and i knew that's not how i wanted to spend my time with him. (almost every single husky owner i've ever met has had trouble catching their dog to leave the dog park)

The first thing i did was never move toward him when it was time to leave. When he was a puppy, when it was time to leave the park I would call him as i walked away, toward the little double gate.

Since i worked recall with him extensively, this worked well. Additionally, i never tried to get a hold of his collar until we were in the little space between the gates, where he couldn't get away from me even if he tried.

All i was doing was controlling his experience. My goal was that in his lifetime, me wanting to go, NEVER ONCE turned into a fun game of catch me if you can. EVERY time i tried to get a hold of his collar, i was able to. Not because i was super athletic (nobody is more athletic than an active dog) but because i never tried to unless i was positive i could. So in his experience, i was able to grab him 100% of the time i made the attempt.

But i knew the day was coming. So i planned what i would do. I've found that when raising/training dogs, knowing ahead of time what you will do if/when they don't do what you want them to makes a HUGE difference. You'll always be calm, never desperate, have an air of confidence, they never pick up on you feeling like they are outsmarting you, you just decide ahead of time "this is what i want them to do, and if they don't do it, i will do this about it" Keeps you calm and in control of yourself, and they can sense that.

So anyway, the day came, one day when he was about a year old. I called him as i walked toward the gate, and he came as usual, but then halfway to me, he stopped and acted, you know, that way dogs act when they decide you'll have to catch them first.

But i knew what i was going to do. So i just left. I left him at the dog park, and I walked across the street, and i sat down on the curb in between two cars where he couldn't see me but i could lean out a little and see him in the dog park.

I called the person i was supposed to meet and told them i'd be a little late, and then i sat there.

First Badger acted like a kid who doesn't come in off the playground when the end of recess bell rings. He ran around playful and full of himself.

But after about ten minutes, he began to act a little worried. I waited another five minutes to let him really feel it, until i could tell he was actually concerned, then I walked up to the gate and called him.

He never tried it again.

I wasn't being needlessly cruel. My life is often somewhat chaotic, and my dog goes a lot of places with me in a lot of circumstances. I needed him to understand that if i HAD to leave, and I was telling him he had to go, the risk he was taking was getting left behind (not that i would but then Not Leaving Him In Danger became the barrel he would have me over and he'd have no way to know that's what he was using to hold me hostage, and possibly keeping us both in danger)

Basically, it was no game to be played, so it was my responsibility to make sure i never let him think it could be a game. Even if it would have been fun for me also a time or two. We have plenty of other games to play.

It was similar to the vacuum cleaner. The first time people get out the vacuum and their puppy does little growls and mock charges, it is SO tempting to laugh at how cute it is and have fun provoking your puppy. But that's how you get a dog that tries to attack the vacuum every time you clean the house.

The first time i saw ten week old Badger growl at the vacuum, i left it running while i sat down with my back to it ignoring it and called him over to work on other training with him like the vacuum was super unimportant. And that's how you get a dog that doesn't care about the vacuum. You do have to trade those first few times of teasing your dog and watching the cute little show. But you get a lifetime of the behavior you actually want.

Anyway, Badger has never once hit me with a play bow when i need to leash him, because i've never let him think it's a game we can play.

Images from my dashcon party. We also did a trivia contest.