Outing & Halloween

When maw and paw took us to Petsmart to get us a pool, we saw some other things we really liked.


Basil: Oh birds!
Guinn: What's he going on about now?!


Mom, I really want one or a few. Can I? Pullease?


I promise I won't bite hard.

Hey Guinn? Where did you go?



I'm over here....HELP.

Guinn: Mom and everyone else were trying to turn me into a lobster and dip me into butter.

Basil: You're on your own man.

Structural Analysis

Mom has been studying so much that we thought we would help her.


Let's test this bridge out.


Seems structural sound to me. Can you calculate the deformation of these supports due to our laterial load?

Maybe another day...

Bullie Bootcamp: Days 4-7

I feel like the boys see a change in the dynamic and know something is up with their mom. Basil moreso than Guinness. Guinness just seems like he still needs time to settle in. He still seems very much on edge especially now that we're exerting our authority.



Personal Space:

They are beginning to stay in the dining room while I'm in the kitchen and in the hallway when I'm in the bedroom. They still try to crowd my feet, but I just kick back so they learn. It's more Guinn than Basil. They also seem to be learning to occupy themselves. They "Watch Me" for a while and they seem bored and begin to play with one another.



Firming up basic obedience: "SIT". Reading Jan Fennell's book.

Guinness sits very nicely and IMMEDIATELY upon verbal or sign command. He sits intuitively. Basil however does not and is food driven mostly. I have to pretend I have food in order to get him to sit and it's not immediate. I began working with him on the "Sit" command using a high value treat - these liver biscotti treats by Woolf. They are pricey, but they work! After just 5-10 treats to teach him Sit, Come, and Heel he got the hint. Since then, just a gesture (sign command) and he sits. I will do it more until he gets it intuitively. He doesn't like sitting on cold floors.



Baby Gates:

We gated the kitchen from the dining room and living room. We just plan on using them to maintain some space from us and them. We put out additional water bowls in the dining room so that they can still have plenty of water and don't feel like the water is being rationed or guarded. Guinness seems to love the extra water bowl. Perhaps it's because it's not next to Basil's bowl and he doesn't feel a need to guard it or be guarded against it.



Toys:

Basil hogs the toys and bones. If Guinness gets the bone, Basil will hound him for it and steal it right under Guinn's nose. Today, I picked up all their toys around the house and yard as they watched and put them all away. This is how we control the play (Fennell). Sunday morning, they got into a squabble over one of the two bones in the living room, so they got put in time out for 30 seconds.

Poolside

Only the best for my boys...


Ahh that's the good life.

The Case of the Missing Banana

Mom had a banana in her school bag. She put her bag down on the steps and went on her usual routine of house cleaning, cooking, feeding us, and picking up the tootsie rolls out back. Basil was awfully quiet and when mom returned she couldn't find the banana that was in her bag and there were two frenchies suspiciously licking the rug. Basil took it OUT of mom's bag and ate the whole thing - banana peel, stem and all.

Bullie Bootiecamp: Day 1-3

After a lot of great advice from someone with experience with "behaviourially-challenging" dogs, I implemented some rules and things are already improving *for me*. Also, I'm reading Jan Fennell's book "The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with your Dog for Willing Cooperation". I should not forget that as Guinness settles in, things will only get "worse" as his personality unfolds. Jan Fennell's book is excellent. I think everyone who is planning on adopting a dog should read this book BEFOREHAND. She has a comprehensive 30 day guide regarding what you should do when a new dog joins your family.

Fennell says that when a new dog joins the pack (family), they automatically assume that a new leadership election will be made. So in other words, Basil and Guinness are vying for top dog and even competing with me and my husband for the spot.

So far this is what I have been doing with the boys:

• No Go Zone - The second floor of our house. There is no need for them to up there. (Fennell)
• No Privledges - They are no longer allowed on the bed or sofa. If they jump on it, tell them firmly "OFF".
• No laying on you or on your feet. The Alpha (you) should have your perimeter of personal space. Them laying on you can be interpreted as they are superior to you. (Fennell)
• No eye contact unless you plan on interacting with them. Basically, ignore them most of time unless you are training or playing with them. (Fennell)
• No crowding at your feet. This is one way they are controlling you. When you move, they should move out of the way and not vice versa. If they crowd your legs and feet, kick back. Not hard. Just a "watch out" sorta kick back so they learn not to crowd you.
• Put up baby gates and section off part of the house like the hallway or kitchens. They do not need to follow you everywhere. These gates by Summer Infant are recommended because they are very high, decorative and wide. They also have a gate that opens and closes on it's own, so you don't have to lift it like the plastic baby gates. I'm trying to figure out how to strategically divide up our first floor space.
• Humans first (Cesar Millan) - You should always enter or exit the door first. This has been challenging with Guinness but easy with Basil. Basil always waited for me. Guinness however is pushing both Basil and me out of the way and it hurts! I've got some collateral scratches.
• Ignore when you first come home (Millan & Fennell) - Fennell puts it far more eloquently but basically take your time, check the mail, set your purse down, etc. before acknoledging the dogs. Especially if they are hyper. Basil hasn't been a problem but Guinness jumps onto my thighs when he's excited. I have regular bruises from this even though I block and tell him "Off". Once they are relaxed and you've done your business, you can acknowledge them. I knew this before we got Basil, but I wanted so badly to play with him and I felt so guilty that I worked out of the home that I would rush to him. Now I take 15 mins to get changed and start dinner and it's made my daily routine a lot easier. I'm not frazzled anymore.
• "QUIET" - Guinness whines if we don't hurry to let him out of his crate. Basil barks at the neighbor next door. Just a firm, sharp "Quiet!" does the trick. I was amazed how well this worked. I didn't hear a peep out of them after that. The neighbor was the true test and as always Basil began barking at him when he took out the trash and made banging noises. I commanded a sharp "Quiet" and if he kept on barking, I went over to him, took him by the leash and brought him back inside.
• Leashed at all times - Oh yeah, they have to leashed from now on. It's just for control and for a physical touch. If there is a squabble, we can step on the leash quickly and stop a pursuit. When Basil was barking, I was able to just pick up the leash instead of a series of unsuccessful "stop it! come! Stop that Basil!" This is all done without tugging or yanking. It's literally just a lead to get them to do what you need them to do. They are also more aware of the leash and aren't flying off the handle.
• No Licking - Basil compulsively licks us at night. Guinness began doing it too. It's just annoying! When they attempt to lick us, just a firm "Quit it!" should do the trick. It's worked and I have a dry snort free arm now!
• No playing Tug of War or Fake Biting ( Fennell) - Can be interpretted as they are superior to you when they win.

Fennell also talks about how you know when you're dog knows YOU ARE leader and how dogs will still test and manipulate you. It's all very insightful.

In addition, Basil needs more work with "Sit" and "Come". Guinness was trained by a professional trainer in his former home so his basic obedience is excellent. Basil's is very wishy washy and although he can "Sit" and "Come", he doesn't do it when we really need him to do it. He doesn't like sitting on any cold surface (he's such a priss). I realize now that it's really important because it can save him from a sticky situation. As for Guinness, I would like to work with him more on heel and leashing walking. He seems to know it but still tries to drag me like a kid pulling a balloon.

Results - The results are very rewarding. They are smart and they know what they are doing. Doing these few things, I am less frazzled and I'm in a better state of mind (Millan kekeke) to work with them.

General feelings - Frustration. Sadness. Guinn and Basil jumped onto the couch and when I told them "Off" they rolled over and wanted me to play "pin me" with them and rub their bellies. I wanted so badly to but had to tell them "Off". When they got off, I played with them as their reward. Ignoring them is sad. I know this is what we're supposed to do to establish leadership but it's no fun. We can't do the fun stuff unless we've done the work to go with it. We bought some high value treats to use to work with them. In general, we've stopped giving them a treat for every little thing (ie. going potty). Instead we give them a pet and some affection.

Taking a Break

Hi all! Basil and Guinness' mom here. I wanted to thank you all for reading and following along Basil and now Guinness' adventures. I'll be taking a break from posting for a while. Having two dogs has been quadruple the work and I need to hunker down and get a handle on our situation. Guinn had an ugly and unpleasant run in with another friend's dog this weekend and I have come to realize that it's beyond the "normal" behavior of two dogs learning to live together. I need to fully concentrate on working with Guinness (and Basil) on their behavior and establishing my leadership. Over these last 7 weeks, things have escalated from Basil and Guinn's mere spats and establishing who's top dog and if we're going to be a harmonious family of four, we need to take this time to work things out. You will still hear from us ocassionally and I have a few blog posts already scheduled to go up for this week. In the mean time, let's hope the next time you see us, we'll be in better shape.


Basil & Guinness send their snorts and licks!