Today we went out sans the belt but with the under-leg halter. Things were better, but it was because TootSweet was somewhat cautious after yesterday; the fall upset him. Maybe that's the key to training him--I can crash to the ground periodically.
He did well today, because even when a dog went past him, he kept one eye on the end of the leash in case I wanted to whop him. He was completely aware of why he was getting whopped, too. It is hard to train a dog that is smarter than you are and is certain he is the boss of the household. I did a search yesterday on the Internet about leash problems, and I've never read such a pile of garbage in my life. One so-called "expert" went into a long spiel about how a misbehaving dog is stressed and needs understanding and gentle coaxing. What balderdash. A dog that is misbehaving needs correction, not a shrink. An undisciplined dog puts himself and his owner in danger. All the real experts say so.
It is an enormous advantage to go out with a long-legged, active dog. It has forced me to walk with a vengeance, doing 5K in 40 minutes even at a walk. When summer hits, I'll have to be out at four a.m. in order not to overheat TootSweet, but we'll be there.
jueves, 29 de marzo de 2012
miércoles, 28 de marzo de 2012
Crashing and burning, again...
Having sung victory yesterday, it was inevitable that today would be a minor disaster. Off TootSweet and I went, doing just fine for almost two kilometers, when two small dogs and owners trotted by in the opposite direction. A poodle gone bonkers, a swift lane change, and we were both lying by the side of the jogging path with two concerned runners asking if we were okay. I said I was fine, but could they help me hang the dog from the nearest tree?
From that point on, I kept the dog on the same side (to my right), but I held the leash quite short in my left hand and swung the rest of the leash in my right hand and whomped my poodle on his butt at the next attempt to loose control. It's a cloth leash, so it isn't much in the way of discomfort for the dog, but at least it got his attention and let him know things were not as they should be. I've decided to toss the choke collar because it is going to wind up hurting the dog, but I have another weapon in my arsenal, a kind of doo-dad that puts pressure under the dogs front legs if he leaps ahead. I also have a runner's belt that you can use to attach a leash so your hands are free (to break your fall...), so I will look like someone in medieval armor by the time we are geared up. So be it.
Meanwhile my knee is bandaged and my sternum hurts. Damn it! Adrián is getting a HUGE headstart in this bet.
From that point on, I kept the dog on the same side (to my right), but I held the leash quite short in my left hand and swung the rest of the leash in my right hand and whomped my poodle on his butt at the next attempt to loose control. It's a cloth leash, so it isn't much in the way of discomfort for the dog, but at least it got his attention and let him know things were not as they should be. I've decided to toss the choke collar because it is going to wind up hurting the dog, but I have another weapon in my arsenal, a kind of doo-dad that puts pressure under the dogs front legs if he leaps ahead. I also have a runner's belt that you can use to attach a leash so your hands are free (to break your fall...), so I will look like someone in medieval armor by the time we are geared up. So be it.
Meanwhile my knee is bandaged and my sternum hurts. Damn it! Adrián is getting a HUGE headstart in this bet.
lunes, 26 de marzo de 2012
Losing bets
Last week as I joined some members of the training team at the corner where we gather in the park, I innocently asked Adrián why he didn't run (his preferred exercise is swimming). Guffaws resounded, including his own--though a bit sheepishly. Adrián is one of those "Do as I say, not as I do" people, who can train you to perfection but is lazy himself.
The upshot was a bet between the two of us that in three months he would be running 5K in 25 minutes, and I would be doing it in 35. Not a hope in Hades on my part, but it doesn't matter, maybe Adrián will get into shape pressured by the bet (a lunch or dinner) or by the jokes of his trainees.
For my part, I decided my standard poodle was going to run/walk with me and behave if I gave out in the effort. He is a great dog, but he goes bonkers when he sees other dogs (he wants to socialize and play) and you can forget about "sit", "down", or "heel".
The first day was terrible. I made the mistake of going out a bit late in the morning when there are plenty of other dogs with their owners, so the work was a nightmare. If you've ever seen a small poodle leap around like a circus dog, just ramp it up to standard size and you get the picture. He could have leapt over me in a single bound, but thank gosh he didn't. My main task was trying to keep him in his lane beside me. Since lane-changing could send me crashing over him, I keep him on my right side by my stronger arm. But it was very, very hard.
The second day he did much better. He actually allowed one dog to pass by us without going into his circus act. He couldn't keep up the self-control, but I did managed to walk a bit. He begins to pay attention, and I can change directions suddenly with him reacting too instead of heading off to some other place.
Today I went out a little after six a.m., and it was great. He passed a small dog without becoming hysterical, although a larger dog presented him with a near-breakdown of mental health. The good thing, though, was that with TootSweet walking with me, there is no getting distracted and slowing down, so even with a minimum of trotting, I had quite a workout. He gets tired, since he isn't in optimum condition, so that helps keep him more or less under control.
We may win the bet. Adrián has probably not even started yet. I'll find out tomorrow, but the Tooters may haul us to victory and a free dinner.
The upshot was a bet between the two of us that in three months he would be running 5K in 25 minutes, and I would be doing it in 35. Not a hope in Hades on my part, but it doesn't matter, maybe Adrián will get into shape pressured by the bet (a lunch or dinner) or by the jokes of his trainees.
For my part, I decided my standard poodle was going to run/walk with me and behave if I gave out in the effort. He is a great dog, but he goes bonkers when he sees other dogs (he wants to socialize and play) and you can forget about "sit", "down", or "heel".
The first day was terrible. I made the mistake of going out a bit late in the morning when there are plenty of other dogs with their owners, so the work was a nightmare. If you've ever seen a small poodle leap around like a circus dog, just ramp it up to standard size and you get the picture. He could have leapt over me in a single bound, but thank gosh he didn't. My main task was trying to keep him in his lane beside me. Since lane-changing could send me crashing over him, I keep him on my right side by my stronger arm. But it was very, very hard.
The second day he did much better. He actually allowed one dog to pass by us without going into his circus act. He couldn't keep up the self-control, but I did managed to walk a bit. He begins to pay attention, and I can change directions suddenly with him reacting too instead of heading off to some other place.
Today I went out a little after six a.m., and it was great. He passed a small dog without becoming hysterical, although a larger dog presented him with a near-breakdown of mental health. The good thing, though, was that with TootSweet walking with me, there is no getting distracted and slowing down, so even with a minimum of trotting, I had quite a workout. He gets tired, since he isn't in optimum condition, so that helps keep him more or less under control.
We may win the bet. Adrián has probably not even started yet. I'll find out tomorrow, but the Tooters may haul us to victory and a free dinner.
martes, 20 de marzo de 2012
Offical Springtime today
We went to the quinta on Sunday since Monday was a national holiday; all the orange trees are in bloom and the air is redolent with the fragrance of the flowers. Birds sang, roosters crowed, sheep baaahed, horses neighed, and insects buzzed. Even our favorite toads were out after the sun went down.
Just so this doesn't seem like some kind of earthly paradise--it almost is--we came back with mosquito bites bigger than anything in the whole history of blood. The danged insects could only be heard as they buzzed around our ears deep in the night, but by then it was too late. I'm surprised we didn't find them in the morning, the size of sparrows, staggering around on the floor filled with several liters of blood--our blood.
They shouldn't have been in the house, but there is no way to guard against them during the moments of carelessness when a door is left open--this is what happened, too, as we hauled in the books I mentioned on my last post. We have the Asian mosquitoes, that bite during the day, and the familiar variety, that attack you at night. We spend small fortunes on insect repellent, including what we get for the horses.
A great wind is blowing outside on this first day of spring, which means we are having a change in the weather. The plants in my garden are sprouting--peas and squash for the moment. I love springtime--it's one of the two times a year you can actually sit outdoors comfortably, as long as you have mosquito netting...
Just so this doesn't seem like some kind of earthly paradise--it almost is--we came back with mosquito bites bigger than anything in the whole history of blood. The danged insects could only be heard as they buzzed around our ears deep in the night, but by then it was too late. I'm surprised we didn't find them in the morning, the size of sparrows, staggering around on the floor filled with several liters of blood--our blood.
They shouldn't have been in the house, but there is no way to guard against them during the moments of carelessness when a door is left open--this is what happened, too, as we hauled in the books I mentioned on my last post. We have the Asian mosquitoes, that bite during the day, and the familiar variety, that attack you at night. We spend small fortunes on insect repellent, including what we get for the horses.
A great wind is blowing outside on this first day of spring, which means we are having a change in the weather. The plants in my garden are sprouting--peas and squash for the moment. I love springtime--it's one of the two times a year you can actually sit outdoors comfortably, as long as you have mosquito netting...
sábado, 17 de marzo de 2012
Springtime, again
Here it is springtime once more, and a long weekend to boot. Everyone is out on the running path again, including Nordic Walking Woman. I hadn't seen her in a long time. My training team gets new shirts soon, although I have promised to hide mine under another shirt when I'm doing spectacularly badly. Either that or I have to print my age in big numbers on my shirts.
Once more, the doves seem to be working up to crashing into my windows, the parrots are so loud you can't be outdoors in peace, the mosquitoes have made a big comeback, and I decided to do some spring cleaning. Having put off going through our medicine cabinet for years, I decided it was high time; there are deposits in pharmacies where you can toss your outdated medications to make sure they aren't re-used or resold. By the time I was through, I was appalled. The cabinet was almost empty, and one of the medications had an expiration date of 1997! This seems to be the week for other old stuff, too. You may know that Encyclopedia Britannica will no longer be published in book form but will now be available on the Internet. Several people think this will make the lovely books a collector's item before long, and today when my husband went to tour a house on a property he just bought, he found a complete set of abandoned Britannica plus a large number of good books in English, all of which are now in his car. We, too, have a set of Britannica including the Children's Britannica and the gorgeous set on the great thinkers. Maybe they will become valuable and our kids can do something with them after we croak. All I can say is, the younger generation needs them. They can't spell or punctuate, and I'm thinking about sending the great thinkers series to the Republicans this year as a political donation. Maybe like a virus or osmosis, something of cognitive processes will seep through to them. God knows they need help. (This is a mere figure of speech, I'm an atheist...)
Ever wondered why liberals don't go bonkers and shoot people like that old deaf drug addict Rush Limbaugh or try to blow up the local NRA chapter?
For anyone looking for a good escape read, there are the Henning Mankell books about Detective Kurt Wallander, and all the Inspector Morse books are good reading too. I made the horrible mistake of reading the last Wallander book first (there was no clue it was the last book when I bought it) only to be stunned with it ending as Wallander sinks into Alzheimer's disease. I've managed to get over the shock by reading the other books, but they are all somewhat dark. What is it about these Swedes who are doing police or suspense novels? The books are excellent but they seem to be profoundly affected by Swedish winter weather.
Next week we are celebrating my husband's 70th birthday with a big bohemian musical party with plenty of food and drink. I have ordered a really nice cake, just the right size to manage to get 70 candles on it. None of this silly business about candles in the shape of a 7 and a 0. Like the birthday card said, there'll be a hot time at the birthday party, especially if you're in the room with the cake. One of my kids suggested we get a blowtorch to light the candles. Otherwise we will need a team of candlelighters in order to get the last ones lit before the first ones have burned to stumps. I think four people are enough to get the job done without setting each other's hair or clothing ablaze.
There was near tragedy today. I spilled coffee all over the breakfast room table and got some on my Kindle!!!! I think it has come through okay, but I'm not sure yet. There are controls on each side of the device to turn the "page", and one side seems to be on the fritz. This is not a problem since the other side works, but maybe after the coffee dries out inside the thing....well, I'll wait and hope for the best.
Once more, the doves seem to be working up to crashing into my windows, the parrots are so loud you can't be outdoors in peace, the mosquitoes have made a big comeback, and I decided to do some spring cleaning. Having put off going through our medicine cabinet for years, I decided it was high time; there are deposits in pharmacies where you can toss your outdated medications to make sure they aren't re-used or resold. By the time I was through, I was appalled. The cabinet was almost empty, and one of the medications had an expiration date of 1997! This seems to be the week for other old stuff, too. You may know that Encyclopedia Britannica will no longer be published in book form but will now be available on the Internet. Several people think this will make the lovely books a collector's item before long, and today when my husband went to tour a house on a property he just bought, he found a complete set of abandoned Britannica plus a large number of good books in English, all of which are now in his car. We, too, have a set of Britannica including the Children's Britannica and the gorgeous set on the great thinkers. Maybe they will become valuable and our kids can do something with them after we croak. All I can say is, the younger generation needs them. They can't spell or punctuate, and I'm thinking about sending the great thinkers series to the Republicans this year as a political donation. Maybe like a virus or osmosis, something of cognitive processes will seep through to them. God knows they need help. (This is a mere figure of speech, I'm an atheist...)
Ever wondered why liberals don't go bonkers and shoot people like that old deaf drug addict Rush Limbaugh or try to blow up the local NRA chapter?
For anyone looking for a good escape read, there are the Henning Mankell books about Detective Kurt Wallander, and all the Inspector Morse books are good reading too. I made the horrible mistake of reading the last Wallander book first (there was no clue it was the last book when I bought it) only to be stunned with it ending as Wallander sinks into Alzheimer's disease. I've managed to get over the shock by reading the other books, but they are all somewhat dark. What is it about these Swedes who are doing police or suspense novels? The books are excellent but they seem to be profoundly affected by Swedish winter weather.
Next week we are celebrating my husband's 70th birthday with a big bohemian musical party with plenty of food and drink. I have ordered a really nice cake, just the right size to manage to get 70 candles on it. None of this silly business about candles in the shape of a 7 and a 0. Like the birthday card said, there'll be a hot time at the birthday party, especially if you're in the room with the cake. One of my kids suggested we get a blowtorch to light the candles. Otherwise we will need a team of candlelighters in order to get the last ones lit before the first ones have burned to stumps. I think four people are enough to get the job done without setting each other's hair or clothing ablaze.
There was near tragedy today. I spilled coffee all over the breakfast room table and got some on my Kindle!!!! I think it has come through okay, but I'm not sure yet. There are controls on each side of the device to turn the "page", and one side seems to be on the fritz. This is not a problem since the other side works, but maybe after the coffee dries out inside the thing....well, I'll wait and hope for the best.
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