No-Word Walking

Every once in awhile, I walk Monster Face without saying anything. I control her with my movements and sharp tugs of the leash. I kind of came to this after reading somewhere how dogs may care less about *what* you say, than *how* you say it, or more importantly *what you do* after you say it.

They read your motions, the way you are standing; they read gestures made by your face.

But for me, trying to walk a "stubborn" bulldog, it's more about me than my puppy. When I use words, I express to her, me, and the world what I want, and then when she doesn't comply, there's only frustration. And then I use more words and get more anxious and then I get more frustration, which ultimately leads to anger.

In teaching, it's many times helpful to start a class with a short written assignment. This quiet, reflective period brings down the "tone" and the energy of the class, and gets the students ready to learn and the teacher ready to teach. The thing is, people get excited when they talk, it takes effort, their breathing rate increases, etc. And so sometimes the best thing to do to calm oneself (and others) down is not say anything.

So if you find yourself frustrated with trying to walk a "stubborn" dog try this. I think it's more people than dogs who get angry or "stubborn," and we have to learn to control ourselves sometimes more than the other way around.

Another Walking Trick - Leash Behind the Back

Sometimes I forget this, but another weird trick when Ruki is being stubborn and pulling all over the place while walking is to hold the leash behind my back.

It works like magic. I think that maybe when I hold the lead in front of me and across my body (holding it in my right hand while she's on my left), she feels a little too close and sees the lead, which she doesn't like.

When the leash is behind me, she has some more slack in the lead, and I think it feels more that she's following me rather than the lead pulling her.

Cherry Eye Update

So a few months ago we had Ruki's cherry eye cut out by the breeder. Apparently, she didn't do such a great job. There's still part of the cherry eye in the far corner (away from the nose).

It's up and down on the swelling and infection. Sometimes it looks fine, just a bit of extra pink flesh. But most of the time it's swollen, and occasionally it's way gunky--yellow and green. We apply a hydrocortisone and antibiotic ointment, and that brings down the swelling and the pus. But I'd like a more final solution.

Her other eye had a cherry eye pop out three times already. But the key--and this is the key--is to immediately close her eye, and push in on the bottom lid, and "pop" the cherry eye in back in. So far, this has worked, and her un-cut eye looks great!

Chewing on Feet - Allergies?

So Ruki's been in the habit of chewing on her feet after she wakes up from naps. At first, I just thought it was weird, but then I decided to Google it just to figure out what's going on...

And apparently dogs chew on their feet because they get itchy from allergic reactions. Crap. Another thing to worry about.

I talked to the vet technician on the phone--again, the Merwin Free Clinic--and she said that it's probably allergies, but I shouldn't worry about it unless it starts bleeding. So for now the 10 or so seconds that Ruki spends chewing at her feet isn't such a bad thing.

I also noticed some cracks on her pads. I'm going to put Bag Balm on them 2-3 times a day for the next few days and see if that helps.

012506 Update: Since I started worrying about it, Ruki pretty much stopped chewing on her feet. My suspicion is maybe the fabric softener or detergent in the towel we use to line her crate is the culprit. I'll check to see if she chews after the next time I wash that towel.