Dogs
© photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2009
I've written before about Tanner's natural ability to open doors, latches and locks. He must have made a habit of watching us use these devices, and then duplicates the movement with his snout. He is able to open our front door, open my bedroom door, unlock the child-guard latch on the gate, open the gate on the chain link fence at parks, unlatch Oliver's crate, and can turn on the water fountain at the dog park. Amazing! You can read more about this at my earlier post, Tanner, Our Houdini.
Tanner's latest conquest is to open the pocket door (with a cat door installed) that separates my cat's food and litter from the dogs.You're probably thinking, "Oh, opening a pocket door is not that difficult." Think again. This one has a lock on it--a tiny little turning latch--that used to keep this door secure.
Now we're in training AGAIN. "No Tanner. Leave It!" I have started having him sit outside that door while I work in the room; it's the laundry room. Basically, I'm teaching Tanner that the laundry room is off limits. I put him in a STAY position and he watches me fold laundry or collect cleaning supplies. He's getting the idea, although he clearly does not like being told he cannot check out the cat dish or see if the kitty is napping in there. What's fun about that?, he's probably thinking. Poor Tanner.
I won't be swayed, though. It is my intention for him to know that I'm the boss. That means what I say goes. Period. No questions asked and no sad brown eyes.
He's getting the idea. Sometimes he follows me toward the laundry room and then does a double take at the door and backs up. It's kind of cute, like a kid stopping before he takes a cookie out of the jar. Good boy, Tanner.
Wednesday, August 26 is National Dog Day. I made those words Tanner-colored in his honor. I gave some consideration to running a photo slide show in today's post, but decided that my site has plenty of those. Better to dedicate this post to my latest doggie success story--Tanner learning to leave the cat food dish alone. That's a big deal at my house. Sounds boring, huh? Actually, I'm beaming with pride.
I hope you, too, can celebrate something endearing about your dog today. Give him a special treat and an extra belly rub. It's good for you too.
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- A Stylish Dog Blog? Or Dejavu?
by Carrie Boyko, CEB Whew! I just finished walking the red carpet with Tanner and Oliver. We thought we could kick back and relax. Not this week. Suddenly we're stylish. It's de ja vous! Recipients of the Stylish Blogger Award have 2 responsibilities:Share...
- Pup Profiles Coming Soon....
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Big Smile, Please! Would you like to see your pup here on the blog? I would too! Shortly I will begin featuring Pup Profiles of reader's dogs, just for fun. I hope you'll join in. You'll need to...
- Porch, Please? The 'odd Duck' Communication Methods Of My Goofy Golden Retriever
by Carrie Boyko, all rights reserved (c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2010 Tanner's Way of Requesting Porch Time Tanner, my goofy, lovable Golden Retriever, has a few quirky behaviors. He's a master of Houdini-style escapes from all manner of...
- Dogs With Cat Problems, Or Perhaps It's The Other Way Around
Find us at Facebook Follow us on Twitter © photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2008PatchesA Rare Moment of Camera Friendliness I probably don't mention it often enough, but I do have a cat. Her name is Patches; she was adopted shortly after Xena, our...
- How To Teach Your Dog To Use A Pet Door
By Ruthie Bently We recently installed a pet door so our cats can go in and out, and I was reminded of trying to teach Nimber to use a dog door to go out. Pet doors can be a blessing, as your pet can let themselves out and you don’t have to play doorperson...
Dogs
Houdini Strikes Again: New Training Challenges
© photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2009 Tanner Created a Porch Doggie Door
through a Hole in the Screen
I've written before about Tanner's natural ability to open doors, latches and locks. He must have made a habit of watching us use these devices, and then duplicates the movement with his snout. He is able to open our front door, open my bedroom door, unlock the child-guard latch on the gate, open the gate on the chain link fence at parks, unlatch Oliver's crate, and can turn on the water fountain at the dog park. Amazing! You can read more about this at my earlier post, Tanner, Our Houdini.
Tanner's latest conquest is to open the pocket door (with a cat door installed) that separates my cat's food and litter from the dogs.You're probably thinking, "Oh, opening a pocket door is not that difficult." Think again. This one has a lock on it--a tiny little turning latch--that used to keep this door secure.
Now we're in training AGAIN. "No Tanner. Leave It!" I have started having him sit outside that door while I work in the room; it's the laundry room. Basically, I'm teaching Tanner that the laundry room is off limits. I put him in a STAY position and he watches me fold laundry or collect cleaning supplies. He's getting the idea, although he clearly does not like being told he cannot check out the cat dish or see if the kitty is napping in there. What's fun about that?, he's probably thinking. Poor Tanner.
I won't be swayed, though. It is my intention for him to know that I'm the boss. That means what I say goes. Period. No questions asked and no sad brown eyes.
He's getting the idea. Sometimes he follows me toward the laundry room and then does a double take at the door and backs up. It's kind of cute, like a kid stopping before he takes a cookie out of the jar. Good boy, Tanner.
Wednesday, August 26 is National Dog Day. I made those words Tanner-colored in his honor. I gave some consideration to running a photo slide show in today's post, but decided that my site has plenty of those. Better to dedicate this post to my latest doggie success story--Tanner learning to leave the cat food dish alone. That's a big deal at my house. Sounds boring, huh? Actually, I'm beaming with pride.
I hope you, too, can celebrate something endearing about your dog today. Give him a special treat and an extra belly rub. It's good for you too.
Follow All Things Dog at Twitter
Subscribe to my posts via Email. It's free and easy:
Find me at Facebook: All Things Dog Blog
- A Stylish Dog Blog? Or Dejavu?
by Carrie Boyko, CEB Whew! I just finished walking the red carpet with Tanner and Oliver. We thought we could kick back and relax. Not this week. Suddenly we're stylish. It's de ja vous! Recipients of the Stylish Blogger Award have 2 responsibilities:Share...
- Pup Profiles Coming Soon....
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Big Smile, Please! Would you like to see your pup here on the blog? I would too! Shortly I will begin featuring Pup Profiles of reader's dogs, just for fun. I hope you'll join in. You'll need to...
- Porch, Please? The 'odd Duck' Communication Methods Of My Goofy Golden Retriever
by Carrie Boyko, all rights reserved (c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2010 Tanner's Way of Requesting Porch Time Tanner, my goofy, lovable Golden Retriever, has a few quirky behaviors. He's a master of Houdini-style escapes from all manner of...
- Dogs With Cat Problems, Or Perhaps It's The Other Way Around
Find us at Facebook Follow us on Twitter © photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2008PatchesA Rare Moment of Camera Friendliness I probably don't mention it often enough, but I do have a cat. Her name is Patches; she was adopted shortly after Xena, our...
- How To Teach Your Dog To Use A Pet Door
By Ruthie Bently We recently installed a pet door so our cats can go in and out, and I was reminded of trying to teach Nimber to use a dog door to go out. Pet doors can be a blessing, as your pet can let themselves out and you don’t have to play doorperson...