Here we are again, coming in late and just under the wire. And I totally had to beg the scribe.
1. What five things can't you live without? (I think asking what five things I could live without would be much more appropriate and overall easier, but I'll do my best)
1. People who appreciate gentle kisses2. The occasional kitty food snack3. Balls4. My goofy little brother Hamish5. Evening cookies (peanut butter 'n' blueberryz Zukes)
2. How do you transport your dogs? This question suggested by several peeps, including Mara. Well, the dogs in our household are transported in the Rolling Living Room. It looks like this
The RLR can house five dogs and three kitty carriers. If more of us need to go, then we use the auxiliary commuter car, a small Honda Fit that can hold up to three of us, but only one crate, so it's DANGER, DANGER, DANGER. We ride in wire crates from Kennel-Aire that our people picked because the wire is close together. It's strapped in with straps from the hardware store called ACE and also these stretchy things with hooks on the end. One of the crates also usually has our water carrier strapped to it so it doesn't tip over and spill.
3. What role does obedience play in your training or running of your dog(s)? I insist that my dogs be very obedient to me. My scribe was taught that you don't have to be in control all the time but you have to be able to get it (and give it up) and that's the principle she tries to work with. I think that's silly.
4. At what point do you start putting commands on your dogs? I put commands on my dogs immediately (and see above in terms of expectiations for compliance). Rafe received his first command to back off on the first day he arrived. Fox, the evil cat, also has a "Scram" command that he mostly obeys, but in a haughty, feline sort of way. I have several different "play" commands that I use for Hamish, Lad, Kyzer and Rafe. Tansy needs no commands from me and I none from her. I also put commands on the people like "Food", "Let me Out", "Let me In", "Throw this", "Throw this Again", "Throw this Higher", "Move over, You're Hogging the Bed" (but only Tansy's scribe listens to this one), and "Keep that Brush Away from ME." They haven't really learned that last one very well--I don't think I had them on the right reinforcement schedule, so, my bad.
5. Do you talk to strangers in elevators? Question posted by Laura #1 Talk, not so much. Kiss, definitely (but I've only been in an elevator a handful of times). Hamish and Kyzer rode in several when they took a long trip last fall. They talked loudly to everyone in the elevator, which meant the person mostly decided to take the stairs.
Oh and who knew this was up, but these appeared in our pasture last week-end.
