What a difference a week makes in Wink’s remedial training. Not even Finn can deter him. See for yourself.
Wink is at the farthest end of the outside field. Keep your eye on the top middle of the video to find him.
In the Northeast, we use Mother’s Day as the official opening for our gardening season. For those of us who want to get a jump on growing, starting seedlings a month or two in advance is a way of life.
Before I can plant these outdoors, I’ll start hardening them off by putting them outside in a sheltered sunny spot for a few hours a day. That will help lessen the transplant shock.
Then I’ll direct seed the rest of my garden, so that I’ll have a good rotation of vegetables in varying stages of production throughout the growing season.
Only another gardener would understand how exciting it is to see how beautiful and healthy my seedlings are. And only another gardener would understand how it’s taking every ounce of self-restraint I have not to plant these right now! : )
Have you ever seen such a forlorn face? Wink wants to go run in the fenced field but he has lost privileges.
You see, he’s recently gone deaf. No, not completely. Only upon hearing the word “Come.” Then he’s stone deaf!
That’s because he’s found something he considers way more interesting than me. Namely, a place where the wild ducks are able to squeeze under the fence.
As soon as that gate is opened, he flies to that spot and furiously digs, trying to get to them. Thankfully, he doesn’t have the ability to compress himself to fit under such a small opening and I’ve place a stone there so he can’t dig out. But when it’s time for him to come inside, he completely doesn’t hear me. Truly. That’s because when a dog is so intensely focused on a high adrenaline activity (in this case, hunting ducks — spaniels are bird dogs don’t forget) he literally stops hearing.
So I realize it’s fruitless to try to call him under these circumstances. In the off chance one or two of my calls do reach his ears, he’d still ignore them. And I sure don’t want to teach him that the word “Come” means “Fuggedaboutit!” Hence, the leash I now keep on the fence post for easy access.
Now when I want him to come, I go to him, put the leash on, wait a few moments to allow him to go back to digging. And then I call him while gently pulling on the leash so that he HAS NO CHOICE but to come to me.Then he gets a big reward of Finn’s smelly (but high quality) cat kibble. I swear he’d leap tall buildings for Finn’s kibble, that’s how much he loves it.
Then we rinse and repeat several times, ending on a happy kibble party all the way back to the house.
It’ll be another week or so before I have him completely back on track, but eventually he’ll remember that I’m way more cool than any silly ducks, and he’ll resume breaking the land speed record to get back to me.
The key to keeping your dog well-trained is to stay on of top of any digressions and deal with them immediately, before they have a chance to set it. And when you do, it’s as easy as pie to keep that positive relationship with your dog. All it takes is a few simple tweaks every now and again.
I have to say, I’m not fond of election years. There’s enough political mud-slinging, lies, and outright disinformation to fill the Grand Canyon, with enough left over to fill the Mariana Trench. (I wish I could say I meant that as hyperbole…)
I’m especially not fond of the onslaught of forwarded blast emails by concerned citizens (usually originating from political shills) sharing “vital” information that those of us with lesser brains need to be made aware.
To help you sift and sort through the miasma, here is a listing of some of my favorite legitimate fact-checking sites. I’ve excerpted descriptions of each site from the article, Internet research for the careful citizen by Kathleen Atkins. This way, when you are the recipient of well-meaning friends forwarding those lovely blast emails without first checking the veracity of the content, now you can get to the bottom of it for yourself! Happy Truth Hunting! And don’t forget to vote at every opportunity– read Seth Godin’s interesting take on why it matters now more than ever.
Respected fact-checking Sites and sources:
If the topic giving you a headache or heartburn is a public-affairs controversy, three of the most respected fact-checking resources are FactCheck.org, The Fact Checker (Washington Post), and PolitiFact.com. All three use a similar format: they present the original text and then compare what was said to the known facts.
FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. It’s billed as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that verifies or debunks statements by and about politicians in speeches, ads, press releases, debates, interviews, and mass e-mailings. The organization publishes its findings on its website and also distributes material via podcast. FactCheck.org discloses its own funding sources on its site. Its archives go back to 2003.
The Fact Checker is a widely read column and blog by respected Washington Post reporter Glenn Kessler. He rates the veracity of political statements in a five-level range. (Kessler assigns four Pinocchios for whoppers and a Gepetto to those rare statements that are completely true.) Although his assessments have been criticized by partisans from both left and right, he’s generally considered an evenhanded evaluator. The Fact Checker website archives go back to September 2007.
The PolitiFact website is owned and operated by the Tampa Bay Times. It publishes the Truth-O-Meter rating system, in which a true statement is identified as True and a bold, complete lie is rated Pants on Fire (from the taunt “Liar, liar, pants on fire”). The system allows for degrees of truth in between. Political commentators across the entire ideological spectrum have disputed PolitiFact’s evaluations, but the website’s judgments are widely quoted.
Snopes: Against the whole wide world of untruths
Snopes, with its official title, “Urban Legends Reference Pages,” speaks to the range of its interest. The Snopes researchers don’t hesitate to take on politics, but they also identify urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, frauds, and scams in subject categories ranging from autos to weddings. The site gets about 300,000 daily visits, and evidence compiled by Snopes researchers is widely cited in broadcast and print news.
The site evaluates videos, photographs, and other artifacts in addition to stories of questionable veracity; it invites posts to its message board and rumor submissions to its comments section. Snopes is such a widely respected debunker of falsehood that some scam artists attempt to deflect investigation by falsely asserting their claims have passed a Snopes truth test.
Encyclopedic knowledge: Free on the Web
For more home-grown research, a good starting point is Wikipedia, which is subject to constant scrutiny by other organizations across the enormous breadth of its subject areas. These days, the consensus is that Wikipedia is a generally reliable first stop when you’re beginning research on a new topic.
Graidy is my Border Collie mix. I brought him home from Rescue going on 9 years ago. If you were to watch him run and play, you’d swear he was still a puppy–he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Yep, we’re talking high energy, perpetual motion machine!
On Duty
Given his breed and his native sensitivity–he’s more highly tuned than the most finely calibrated motion detector–he’s constantly on Red Alert! Nothing escapes his vigilant gaze. And I do mean NOTHING.
Whether it’s a vole half an acre away or a bird flying half a mile up in the sky or a person walking half a mile down the road, this dog feels compelled to announce his findings. Persistently. Until someone notices. Preferably Kiera. And then he’ll bark in her face until he forces her to join in. (Actually, she barks at him to tell him he can stand down, she’s got it covered. As the Alpha dog, she’s the commander-in-chief.)
Wha.. What was that?! Did you hear that?! I heard that. Over there!
And that makes for a very barky dog. At all hours of the day and night. God bless my neighbors–they don’t complain. So when I’m home, I spend a lot of my time redirecting his alerting behavior and giving him better options. It’s a full time job, often including through the wee hours of the morning–he’s a very light sleeper. Good thing I love him. : )
But when he started rolling back his waking time from 5:30 am to 5:00 am to 4:30 am to… It was time to take stronger measures.
You see, Graidy is a Sentry dog. And if you’re familiar with pack behavior, you know that this is a very important role in the pack. The Sentry dog’s job is to sound the alarm. To alert the pack to any changes in the surrounding environment. And he takes his job very seriously, performing it with slavish dedication.
One of the interesting physiological characteristics of Sentry dogs is that they do actually spend less time in the deeper phases of sleep. And when they are in that deeper sleep, they go through that cycle hard and fast.
Knowing that part of Graidy’s problem with night-time waking is that he’s hard-wired to be super-easily aroused, I decided to try giving him a 25 mg Benedryl (which acts as a mild sedative) at bedtime in the hope that would help him sleep more soundly.
And, Hallelujah! He’s sleeping through until 6:30 am!
As for the barking? That’ll be a life-long project. :)
As the saying goes, A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way. I figure, in these crazy times, we could all use a little perspective. Here’s a fresh perspective for you all the way out t0 1027 power. Click on the image, then click on the Start button, and then move the slider if you want to be amazed! Yeah, I know–you know I’m a sucker for these things! : )
Compost pet waste? I know, gross. Not to mention potentially dangerous! But hang in there with me for a moment…
I have three dogs and one cat. Luckily, for their health, they all poop at least once a day. That’s a LOT of poop over the course of a year. Multiply that times all the other pets in the country and that’s REALLY A LOT of pet poop (typically tied in non-biodegradable bags) going into landfills!
In my ongoing efforts to work the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), I’ve been looking for a way to safely recycle my pets’ waste. No, neither dog nor cat waste is suitable for garden compost (and you need to be careful where and how you compost it), but that doesn’t mean it can’t be turned into general compost.
It just takes a little elbow grease, a couple of tools, a garbage can, some rocks–and about an hour of your time.
In short order, you’ll have rich soil to spread on anything non-edible. And if you don’t want to make use of the soil, just lift out the garbage can, dig another hole and rinse and repeat.
If you don’t have a place to safely compost, or you’d just rather not, then check out these 100 percent biodegradable BioBags for picking up your pet poo. At least these will break down in landfills and that’s a really good start!
* Thanks to Marion Owen for the idea!
Spring is springing around here—worrisomely, a bit too early… If you know of anyone who doesn’t believe in global warming, just send them along to my place. With temps in the 70′s and 80′s for the past two weeks in the middle of March, Mother Nature is clearly a little confused. None of this should be happening for at least another month!
Peonies breaking dormancy Crabapple tree budding
All my trees are starting to bud too early Grass greening up and growing
But we northern gardeners have to learn early on to accept the vagaries of unpredictable weather. So I’ve been taking full advantage of the unseasonable warmth and have gotten started laying down a new garden bed.
Roto-tilling and working in compost happens later today. Then by the time my seedlings are ready to plant, the soil will have had a chance to settle back down and worms will have replenished. Then I’ll leave the soil alone and manage weed control with mulching.
As always happens when I think about growing food, I also think about cooking food. If you’re anything like me, by this time of year, you’re running out of steam for tried and true recipes and are looking for something to shake up the dinner rotation. Here’s my new favorite cookbook: Essential Pepin: More Than 700 All-Time Favorites.
Every recipe I’ve tested has been fantastically delicious and surprisingly simple to prepare. Pepin offers a variety of innovative ways to prepare seasonally fresh ingredients–perfect for a gardener’s bounty. He’s inspired me to actually enjoy cooking again! And that’s saying something!
The Executive Board of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently released their new pet ownership guidelines.
Guidelines for Responsible Pet Ownership
- Owning a pet is a privilege and should result in a mutually beneficial relationship. However, the benefits of pet ownership come with obligations.
- Responsible pet ownership includes:
- Committing to the relationship for the life of the pet(s).
- Avoiding impulsive decisions about obtaining pet(s), and carefully selecting pet(s) suited to your home and lifestyle.
- Recognizing that ownership of pet(s) requires an investment of time and money.
- Keeping only the type and number of pets for which an appropriate and safe environment can be provided, including adequate and appropriate food, water, shelter, health care and companionship.
- Ensuring pets are properly identified (i.e., tags, microchips, or tattoos) and that registration information in associated databases is kept up-to-date.
- Adherence to local ordinances, including licensing and leash requirements.
- Controlling pet(s) reproduction through managed breeding, containment, or spay/neuter, thereby helping to address animal control and overpopulation problems.
- Establishing and maintaining a veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
- Providing preventive (e.g., vaccinations, parasite control) and therapeutic health care for the life of the pet(s) in consultation with, and as recommended by, its veterinarian.
- Socialization and appropriate training for pet(s), which facilitates their well-being and the well-being of other animals and people.
- Preventing pet(s) from negatively impacting other people, animals and the environment, including proper waste disposal, noise control, and not allowing pet(s) to stray or become feral.
- Providing exercise and mental stimulation appropriate to the pet(s)’ age, breed, and health status.
- Advance preparation to ensure the pet(s)’ well-being in the case of an emergency or disaster, including assembling an evacuation kit.
- Making alternative arrangements if caring for the pet is no longer possible.
- Recognizing declines in the pet(s) quality of life and making decisions in consultation with a veterinarian regarding appropriate end-of-life care (e.g., palliative care, hospice, euthanasia).
YES! is all I have to say. Please consider doing your part to spread these guidelines. Educated dog owners make for happy dog owners and happy, healthy dogs!
Those of us who work in Rescue would like to add one more item to their guidelines in the ongoing effort to eradicate puppy mills: Never purchase a puppy from a pet store or online site.
What would you add to this list?
Cait, having two parents who make their living from writing, has been doomed from birth. She sticks out like a sore thumb in any conversation with her peers. That is, she has an impressive vocabulary and she’s not afraid to use it. Her speech is also remarkably free of teenage idiomatic stutters such as “like,” “ya know,” and “I mean.”
So I was not surprised when she told me that she wanted to share her new favorite poem (as she is also an avid reader). But that she wanted to read “this great poem my teacher read in class” out loud so that I would hear it with the proper inflection peaked my curiosity. After she finished, I understood why. I wouldn’t have known to read each line as a question, with the voice going up. We had a good laugh because we both couldn’t agree more.
Taylor Mali, the poet, makes for quite an unusual teacher. Wish he taught at Cait’s school. He has a great website; take a look.
Totally like whatever, you know?
by Taylor Mali
In case you hadn’t noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you’re talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you’re saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)’s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren’t, like, questions? You know?
Declarative sentences—so-‐called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true, okay,
as opposed to other things are, like, totally, you know, not—
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don’t think I’m uncool just because I’ve noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It’s like what I’ve heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I’m just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?
What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we’ve just gotten to the point where it’s just, like . . .
whatever!
And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we’ve become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!
I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.
Mali. Taylor. “Totally like whatever, you know?.” What Learning Leaves. Newtown, CT: Hanover Press, 2002. Print. (ISBN: 1-‐887012-‐17-‐6)
From the Mailbag: Hi, I’m Jared. I just visited your site,and I want to know more about the basic things I have to get them and stuff to look out for. I’m getting a Red Tri Aussie next week and I want to be a good owner.
Jared, you don’t mention whether your new Red Tri Australian Shepherd is a puppy or an adult, so I’ll assume you’re getting a puppy.
Let me say that, in general, Australian Shepherds are not for everyone; they are herding dogs with high intelligence, agility, a strong prey drive and deep loyalty to their owner. You have to learn how to demonstrate good leadership ability in order to build a relationship both you and your dog will be happy with. Plan on spending 1 to 3 years of committed training and socialization, and you will end up with a great dog. There are no short-cuts.
So Jared, first, Congratulations on your new dog AND on your desire to want to be a good dog person! You’ve asked a big question, but let me see if I can help break it down into some bite-size pieces.
1. Getting Yourself Ready: Be Willing to Make the Time Commitment. Have the Right Tools.
Jared's new Red Tri Australian Shepherd Pup
Your new puppy is used to having its siblings for chew toys, jungle gyms, playmates, and sleeping buddies. Being removed from all it knows and being brought to someplace unfamiliar is going to be a big adjustment. To help your new friend feel safe and to help him begin bonding with you, you need to spend as much time with your puppy as you can. So make sure you plan on bringing your puppy home when you have a good chunk of time to help him acclimate. Also try to make sure that there aren’t a lot of distractions or too many people coming and going for the first few days. A steady, calm environment with your puppy by your side throughout the day is the best way to start.
Make sure you have food, bowls, leashes, crates, baby gates, kongs, and fencing in place before you bring your puppy home.
2. Getting Your House Ready: Puppy Proofing and Teething Toys.
Australian Shepherds are known for their inquisitiveness, s0 your new Aussie puppy will be ready and eager to learn about his new world. That means you’re going to have to make your home safe to explore. Just as with the need to baby proof a home for crawling babies, you need to puppy proof your home in much the same way. One of a puppy’s greatest needs is to chew, so make sure that electrical wires are not loose and dangling, make sure that all shoes and valuables are put away or placed up high, and so on. Have a means of sectioning off areas of the house to limit puppy access through baby gates.
If you make sure your puppy has enough exercise, that will help reduce most of his chewing behavior. Remember, your puppy’s need to chew isn’t to be destructive (dogs don’t have emotions like revenge or spite) but because he’s teething. And teething hurts, so have appropriate articles and toys for him to chew on.
A product I like is PupTeeth to naturally relieve pain in teething puppies. It helps soothe your puppy during the teething process. Stuffed kongs are also terrific. You can keep them frozen until you need them. The cold also helps sore gums. You can find lots of good things for your puppy to chew on at the Only Natural Pet Store (just search for the word “CHEW”). Stay away from chewing products like Greenies.
As with small children, it’s up to you to put the puppy in an environment that’s safe for them, and won’t ruin something expensive for you. Puppies explore with their mouths; one of the ways they learn about the world is by gnawing. Chewing also makes their razor sharp teeth feel better by rubbing the edges down just a bit.
The key to new puppy care is to understand how your puppy sees the world and what his motivations are. So get a good book on Australian Shepherds and read up!
3. As Soon as you Get Your Puppy Home: Begin Establishing Yourself as the Leader.
As soon as you get home, let the puppy “go potty” in the yard, using a leash. Allow him plenty of time to sniff, and explore his new world. He’ll probably mark several spots. This will let him feel like the area is his and will seem more familiar to him the next time you take him out.
I recommend that you use a leash for the first few weeks, even in a fenced area. This helps your puppy know that you are the leader, and he needs to look to you for direction. If his mind wanders and his attention is temporarily lost, the leash will help you to quickly re-establish your connection with him. He’ll learn to think of you as the leader. This is very important for your long term relationship with your dog.
Please understand that being the leader doesn’t mean using physical punishment, hitting, being harsh, jerking him on the leash, or yelling. It means giving him clear and information in a way that he can understand, and then praising him. This helps to reinforce that you approve of that behavior. Puppies need lots of feedback so they can quickly learn what’s expected of them. An important part of your new puppy care is establishing this positive relationship.
4. Begin Training Immediately. And Keep Training Throughout Your Australian Shepherd’s Lifetime.
Remember, your new puppy has no understanding of the world you live in your family, your customs or language. Imagine if you had to go and fit into a new family with the above obstacles. The good news is that Australian Shepherds live to please. You just need to let your puppy know what “pleases” you. That means you need to start training from the first day you bring your puppy home. I highly recommend the The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Positive Dog Training, 3rd Edition.
Remember to always praise your companion when he does what you’re trying to show him. Praising him with your tone of voice, a vigorous petting or small treat, helps let your new Aussie puppy know what is expected of him. Once he understands, he’ll learn quickly, which will help him integrate well into your family’s life.
Basic Obedience Training: At about 4 months old, and after your puppy has had his first rabies shot, you need to enroll yourself and your puppy into a basic beginners obedience class.
Obedience classes usually last about 8 weeks, and are lots of fun. Some clubs or individuals even offer a “puppy class”. This is a great way to teach your dog manners and to bond with the new friends of the canine family.
Ongoing training helps to establish your role as leader, and helps ensure that you and your Aussie puppy will have a long happy and safe life together.
4. Getting Started With House Training.
The first rule of thumb with puppies is to realize that they can only hold their bladder for as many hours as months old they are. That means that a three month old puppy will need to be allowed to relieve herself a minimum of every three hours (including throughout the night). Your puppy will also need to go out after waking from every nap, 20 minutes after every meal, and anytime after playing. By allowing your puppy the ability to relieve herself with as few accidents in the house as possible, she’ll quickly learn that outside is where she’s supposed to go.Remember to praise her every time she goes outside. Is there is an accident in the house, just say “oops” and take her outside immediately. Do Not rub her nose in the accident or hit her–all that does is teach her to be afraid of you and to hide where she goes potty in the house.
Also consider keeping her on a leash with you in the house for the first few days. You’ll learn to pay attention to her cues when she needs to go, and you’ll be able to get her out immediately. Aussies are incredibly smart. If you are willing to put the time in the first week to minimize house accidents and praise successes outside, you’ll have a house trained Aussie in no time.
5. Sleeping: Start With a Crate.
Until your puppy is house trained, I recommend having him sleep in his crate at night. Put the crate right next to your bed so you can easily reach a hand in to pet him if he feels anxious or scared by his new surroundings. (Remember, you’ve just taken him away from the only life he’s known.) Place some kind of comfortable bedding and a kong to chew on in the crate. As well, anytime during the day that you can’t watch your puppy, put him in her crate to prevent him from getting into trouble. Just don’t over-use the crate. You don’t want him to feel that it’s a prison but rather his safe haven.
The crate can also be a helpful housebreaking tool. Dogs usually won’t potty where they sleep. Having your puppy in his crate at night also protects him from damaging your house (furniture/shoes/legs of chairs/counters) and protects the new puppy from chewing or eating something that might make him sick. Just as you wouldn’t let a toddler run loose at night unrestrained, the same is true for your puppy.
6. Exercise: Your Australian Shepherd Puppy Needs LOTS!
Australian Shepherds have an inbred herding instinct, which makes them athletic dogs able to keep going for many hours at a time! Your puppy is not going to be happy being a couch potato; he’s going to want to lots of exercise every day. Find ways to play with your puppy that will help him burn off excess energy, so that when he’s in the house he can be calm and well-mannered. Take him for long walks, throw a frisbee for him, and when he gets older, if you run, take him for runs with you.
7. Socialization: Get Your Puppy Used to Lots of Different People.
Because you’ve got a herding breed, which also means a dog with protective instincts, in order for him not to become overly protective or a nipper, you need to socialize him. If you don’t, your Aussie will among other things, attempt to herd infants, cats, concrete ducks, the vacuum, lawn mower, and anything else that moves. Understand that herding behavior may be anything from nuzzling you continually, to barking incessantly at the cat in the corner, to outright nipping at your legs or bottom as you walk.
So make so to gently introduce people calmly to your puppy. No loud yelling, or running and jumping to start. Just simply introduce the new person and you all hang out calmly together and then build up to moving slowly, and then more quickly.
If you’re not sure how to do this, invite a trainer to come and help you. This is the single most important thing you can do for your puppy to prevent her from becoming aggressive and nipping.
Be aware that a nip is considered a bite by law!
8. Your Australian Shepherd Puppy is Very Sensitive.
Care must be taken to not overstimulate your puppy — so no rough housing starting out. In fact, if I had to describe the breed in one word it would be “sensitive”. Their very fine calibration to light, sound, your facial expressions, and many other things, makes your Aussie what they are. It is why they integrate well. They pay very close attention, and have sensitive emotions as well. New puppy care includes protecting him from what is beyond his capability. It will take him time to learn how to behave around children, strangers, and other animals. Giving him the time to learn and integrate will pay big dividends.
9. A few final suggestions to help with new puppy care and the first few months of your new friendship:
10. Read more articles here under “Dog Training” and “Dogs in General.”
You’ll find a wealth of information on training, great books to read, and lots of useful information to help you understand your Australian Shepherd.
Well bred Aussies are a joy to own and love. And, following the above new puppy care guidelines should help your new Aussie family member blend seamlessly into your family’s life. Getting off on the right foot will go a long way toward helping your puppy learn to become everything you hope for, setting up a wonderful relationship to help you enjoy each other for what will hopefully be a long and happy lifetime.
Kiera is too old now and the chronic lyme has taken its toll, but boy did we used to have fun “definitely working together…” ! If you’d like to see what’s possible, here’s some unbelievable sheep herding in action.
Kiera is 100% Australian Shepherd. She’s a herding dog through and through. All of her instincts are to stay close to her flock and protect, while looking for guidance and direction from her team-mate (me). I got Graidy from a Border Collie Rescue group. They thought he was a BC mix. He sure has the breed’s extremely high energy. But the only thing he herds are birds. Oh, and planes. And helicopters. In other words, anything moving up in the sky. So I’m thinking he’s got some kind of field dog/spaniel in him. And Wink, our Cavalier Spaniel’s instincts are also to run off through the fields.
You can see that Kiera starts to run off with Graidy and Wink (both of whom never look back), but then her instincts kick in and she wants to check in with me to see where I am. If the outside gate was open, I wouldn’t see Wink or Graidy until the cows came home. Or until Kiera caught up to them and got them herded back home.
Another big difference between herding dogs and field dogs is that herding dogs are a snap to train. Field dogs take a bit more work. Where as it only took me a couple of days to teach Kiera a rock-solid “Come,” it took me a month to teach Graidy. Wink…? He’s still learning. : )
I use this little example to illustrate the value in really understanding what each dog is bred to do. Because there are very distinct differences. So please don’t just get caught up with how a dog looks. Please do your research to make sure the breed of dog you get is something that fits your lifestyle. Both your happiness and your dog’s happiness depend on it!
If you’re in the market for a dog, there are a couple of great books to help you decide on the perfect breed. Just click on any cover to go to Amazon.
My brother, Eric, and I have had something of an invention contest since we were kids. We’re always thinking and scheming, and we’ve even patented a few. This was my latest, of which my very funny brother was not initially grasping. (Apologies in advance for the slightly graphic nature of our exchange. : )
Karen: That invention in my dream. I remember what it was now — a toilet that uses compressed air instead of water…
Eric: That’s hilarious , compressed air up your hole will kill you! There won’t be anyone around to clean up the mess :)
Karen: No no no!!! Not up your hole! Compressed air to blow everything DOWN the hole. lol. You’re making fun of my multi-billion dollar idea?!
Have you ever invented anything?
I know, I know, a job posting on my blog?! I’m just casting my net as wide as I can. Read on and see if you’re the one or you know someone who is. Thanks in advance.
Looking for someone expert in algorithms to help me program a version of Google (only half kidding… : ) for job hunters and kids just starting out trying to figure out career directions. I’m looking into creating a career aptitude and job matching site that would be able to filter personality test results through career requirements in a new and progressive way. Yes, I know there are a ton of these kinds of sites already, but not in the way I want to do it. I’d be happy to explain further by email to see if it would be worth your time to meet.
In my mentoring work, a perennial problem not only for teens and twenties, but for all ages now, is “What/who do I want to do/be when I grow up?” With the “new world economy,” this is only going to intensify as more industries continue to be outsourced and jobs in this country continue to disappear. So, while there are many sites geared to helping one answer these kinds of questions, I haven’t found one that would work as extensively and “intuitively” as the site I’d like to create.
A very simple example: starting at age 14, every time there has been a “career day” at school, my daughter comes home in tears because she feels the school is pressuring her to know what college AND career she would be selecting! Aside from the insanity of that, what confounds my daughter is that she has seemingly opposite strengths and interests. She can’t imagine how she can find a career that would speak to both her need to use her interest in science and her love of acting. As is common for most people of most ages, she feels she has to choose one direction or the other. When I suggested that she could easily combine those interests and more into one career, she couldn’t imagine how until I suggested becoming a meteorologist, or working for National Geographic, or filming her own scientific documentaries, or… Anyway, you see where I’m going.
What current psychological testing and existing web sites don’t do well enough in my opinion is to ask enough of the right kinds of questions to be able to collect and then synthesize important information, including information that may be contradictory. And they don’t have an extensive enough data base of possible career/job suggestions to offer the kinds of mixing/matching that people need today.
So even though sites like careerplanner.com are impressive as far as they go, I believe if this whole concept were somehow able to be taken to the next level, then instead of just suggesting several rather generic careers based on standard psychological and aptitude tests, a site could be created where, yes, based on some standard testing, but more based on a new way of asking questions, you could be matched with a rich selection of truly tailored options.
What I’m thinking I want to do is to start with a list of extensive, straight-forward “modern day” questions that would decipher needs, interests, likes and dislikes, contradictions, etc. — unlike tests like Meyers-Briggs which speak primarily to conditioned patterns of behavior, and therefore make them only partially useful for this type of application. (Actually the whole testing field needs to be seriously overhauled and updated, but that’s another matter.) The answers to these questions would essentially become one set of keywords. Another database would have information on what I would like to be the largest list of current “new world” career/job descriptions in existence. These job descriptions would be coded with another set of keywords. Then I’d like to gather data on what traits people have who are successful and happy in these jobs, and, conversely, people who are miserable in these jobs. These would be additional sets of keywords. Then, like Google, based on percentage of specific keywords, a list of best-fitting careers with description and analysis would be generated.
I’d write the questions that would speak to today’s kids in particular. Keywords from the answers would be pulled based on my “rules” for pattern matching.
If you are a whiz at algorithms or you now someone who is, please contact me.
For my regular readers, next week we’ll be returning to our regularly scheduled programming. : )
