Dogs, Training & Facebook

As a reminder for those that read my introduction or info for those that did not, before I start my post. I have 2 Shih Tzu boys anda Chow Chow girl. The boys are almost 6 years and Mika is almost a year.  

Houdini

Mika Moo

EJ (Ewolk Jr.)

So I have seen many many times on Facebook people asking for help regarding training, food “aggression”, rough play and things of that nature. I will sometime comment and sometimes simply pass over the post. Recently I chose to comment on a post about rough play, it was then also mentioned in the post that her chow chewed on her beagle’s head a bit over a bone. I saw several comments saying oh that is just how chows are and NEVER give a chow a bone around other dogs or try to take a bone. When I replied to these comments one person in particular insisted on a few things- 1) that I have too much time on my hands, 2) that I sound retarded- yes quite rude but whatever & 3) that he was positive if I tried to take a T-bone from my Chow I would get bit by her.

So here’s my opinion/rant on the subject of training: Of course it is much easier to train a dog if you get them as a puppy versus adopting an adult. I view training a dog much like raising a child. For those who say it is just a dog, ok fine your dog isn’t going to get a job or write a novel but as a result of you bringing the dog into your home and community you have made him a member of that community. A living being that others also must see and be around. So if your child were to growl at you or argue when you ask them to give you something would your response be “oh ok then you can keep it” or “excuse you! I am the parent and you will listen to me”. Great parents will choose the later, same with pet parents. When you adopt that animal you are agreeing to care for, feed, nurture and love that pet but you are also agreeing to be responsible for the pet’s behavior and actions in life.

To me this means you train your pet to listen to YOU and to be a respectful member of the community you live in. So allow me to define what proper training is to me (I respect the fact that others have their own definitions and opinions on this). Here is my definition/opinions on training:

• ·        As pet parent your job is to ensure your dog is well behaved at ALL times.
• ·        Training is constant and truly never ending
• ·        YOU should be the boss- this can include other humans in the household.
• ·        There is absolutely no instance in which you should fear getting bit or attacked by your pet.
• ·        You pet should get along with other pets, people and children
• ·        Your pet should have manners, especially when outside of the home- this means not jumping on people, sitting when told, not growling/barking at people simply passing by.

There may be more that I will update with later but that’s what I have off hand. I have created an abbreviated version of this for Facebook as well. Please keep in mind that when you adopt a dog you are making a lifetime commitment, you are responsible for what that dog does and unlike children that will never change. If your dog were to bite someone, you could have to pay a fine, for medical bills or even in some states serve jail time. It is not something to be done on a whim.

This weekend I will post a follow-up video/post addressing the “challenge” proposed by an individual on Facebook that: A) my chow will bite me if I try to take a t-bone steak from her- I will be using a raw meaty bone instead of a t-bone & B) that a chow will always attack another dog if a bone is involved. 

WW Wednesday

Down 2.4 this week, total of 9.6 so far! So the meeting was about goals, tips for making goals that you can follow through with in the short term. Basically I am already failing at that this week. Last night I ate an entire medium pizza and then today a giant sandwich from Snarfs. Not a great way to achieve weight loss. I honestly think that a huge part of the problem is that I am stressed lately. 

The whole idea behind WW new plan is that it focuses on doing the things that make you happy and when you are happy it is easier to make healthy choices. Lately though I am having a rough time with things going on. Money is always an issue but I think it is more the changes and living situation I am in.

See a year ago I was living in Georgia, renting a huge 4 bedroom house for 850$ a month. I had a great nanny job taking care of 4 of the best kiddos I have ever known. I also worked part-time at McDonald’s. I was fostering Chow Chows for a rescue and was just all around pretty happy. Then I found out the house I was renting was being foreclosed and I had to move. Well I could not find another house anywhere near that price range so I made the decision to move back to Colorado. Back in with my dad which in itself is a huge stress. He is not very clean, keeps almost everything (not like trash or dirty dishes but other things) and his house is quite small. The biggest problem is that even though I pay him rent he basically makes it clear that I am not really welcome and that I have no say in the common areas of the house. Unfortunately for me there is NO WAY I can currently afford rent out here either. 

Ok, sorry, back to the whole goals thing. Most of us joined weight watchers to lose weight so that would be the BIG goal, to achieve this we need to focus on much smaller goals along the way. Example this week my goal was to make healthy food choices (hence the failure since a medium pizza is not healthy). They had some great tips to use when setting a goal:

1.     Define success on your terms

2.     Think small

3.     Nail down the how

4.     Keep it real

5.     Be flexible

6.     Don’t compare yourself

7.     Use my success story

Well I define that I failed at my goal this week. A whole pizza is far off from the flexibility area of my goal. It is ok I am simply going to reinforce why I am doing this and try again. Failures will happen and some weeks I will gain instead of losing, the key is to keep at it anyway. Until next week remember You can do this!

Nanny Diaries- The Short Version

So lately I have been really missing my kiddos. I used to be a nanny in Georgia, I actually I was a nanny for around 15 years with many different families( in CO & GA). I have to say though that I think the last two families I nannied for were by far my absolute favorites! I began with the first family (They will be known as the A’s from here on out) in September of 2011. They had just had their first baby, a beautiful and sweet girl named Blakely. She was two months old when I began caring for her. As with all babies she had moments of fussiness, but most of the time was a smiley happy girl. Her parents were wonderful too. They always made me feel more like I was a friend or aunt to Blakely and not just an employee of theirs.  

A year later a friend of the A’s (the B’s) down the block decided that daycare was not the best place for their son, Matty. He was getting sick often and didn’t seem to be adjusting to it very well. They asked if I would be interested in watching both kids and I accepted. At first Matty wasn’t sure what to think of things and he would throw a fit when his mom would leave for work. His parents also made me feel so welcome and appreciated for all that I did.

I loved both my kiddos but because I had been with Blakely much longer she knew the rules and the routines. I prefer to have the kids I care for on a pretty well maintained schedule. Sometimes we would do thigs that would mess that up a little and I always wanted the kids to have fun and learn above all else. However I have found over the years that when kids have a regular nap and meal times they are happier. Well poor Matty was not quite used that and he was a very picky eater! The first few weeks were challenging but in no time everyone was doing great.

In my time with these two great families there were many changes but no matter what happen I always knew that I was cared for. When Mrs. A and B both became pregnant The A’s also had tragedy occur. Mr. A lost his job and since he was home and having a hard time finding work they did not need me as much. It was hard on all of us. I missed my little Beetle bug and Mr. A, though always very involved in the parenting process saw just how much work my weeks were. I still had Matty man and we had playdates at the park often with Blakely. As time went on Mr. A found a job and the kiddos were back together fulltime. They were the best of friends and loved playing together!

Before the birth of Kate (to the B’s) and Jax (to the A’s) it was decided that two newborns and two almost 2 year olds would be difficult for me to manage. The result was that I would continue to nanny for the A’s and the B’s would hire a new nanny. In the end they hired a friend of a friend and it was not good. Best they can tell she had Matty watching TV all day, something I would rarely have on at all and they did not do any activities. The new nanny decided after around 6 months to give two weeks’ notice and return to her old job.

It should be noted here that in reality I do not fault her. She had never been a nanny before and thought as many do that it was simply full time babysitting. WRONG! Being a nanny means you have to teach the child too. When you babysit it is two or three hours of fun and play, then you leave. When you nanny it is a full day, there are naps needed for babies and toddlers, babies need time on their tummy and encouragement to do things like crawl or roll and eventually walk. Toddlers need to be taught manners, colors, shapes, letters and to clean up after themselves. There is potty training, eating with silverware, tying shoes, talking and so so much more.

In the end I found myself watching 4 of the best kids ever! Since the babies were older and less demanding on time we decided to try out joining forces again, it went great. Blakely and Matty were thrilled to have each other to play with.  Kate and Jax really pushed each other to learn things a little faster. We couldn’t go out to the big park anymore but the kids were happy to walk up to the park in their Subdivision. I loved it to because they kept me moving all the time. Nap time was my one resting time and I enjoyed so much more after a busy morning of play and lessons.

After almost 4 years with Family A, I had a huge problem. The house I rented was being foreclosed and unfortunately I was unable to find a place in the same area for the same money. After a few weeks of stress and panic, it was clear that my only option was to move back home to Colorado. Not the worst thing but probably the hardest for me yet. I was in tears for weeks at the thought of leaving my babies and losing touch. I could never have asked for a better group of people in my life! I still miss them and keep in touch as often as I can. Blakely, Jax and Mrs. A even facetime with me from time to time.