The war of the bottle

Yesterday, I stripped the label off a plastic bottle and rolled it on the floor. Tess & Hardy chased it here, there and everywhere -- crying slightly if it became stuck. First Hardy carried it into their sleeping area with Tess following and then Tess emerged with Hardy in hot pursuit. Tess has the hang of fetch far more than Hardy. I did try two bottles but they both wanted the same bottle -- whichever that bottle was.

They were not fond of air being blown over the top of the bottle. But as demonstrated later that night, fireworks are ho hum. It was not the Castle letting off the fireworks, but someone else and my goodnessthey were loud. Luckily, a plastic bottle held more appeal.

In an effort to better train and understand my puppies, I have been reading more books. There is no right way to train a dog, simply ways that jive better with your personal philosophy. Personally, I have no time for choke chains. I like to think of puppies as individuals and perfer a positive approach. So getting a bit bored with the four simple rules of Jan Fanell (is gesture eating really necessary? Every single time? And ignoring the puppies when someone comes home is not an option, sorry), and finding some of Cesar Milan odd, plus wanting more from Barbara Sykes (and not wanting to crate), I took a look at Gwen Bailey and The Perfect Puppy. I have been surprised to discover that there are huge arguements in the dog training world about the methods to use.

The thing I like about Bailey is her philosophy that dogs are different than wolves. They are not feral and have evolved. Dogs are dogs. And a well trained puppy will become a well adjusted adult. She also has an emphasis on training and socialisation. So she gives ideas and games that you can play with your puppy. You do not have to ignore your puppy when you come home. Like everyone else except may Jan Fannell, she counsels against getting two puppies as they are hard work. She also does not feel that everything is lost if a puppy is not trained by a certain time (Ian Dunbar is very rigid on this). It can just take longer after 14 weeks. And she is all about postive reinforcement rather than punishment.

Ultimately I think people use the method that suits them best. Littles bits from each.
Tess & Hardy are basically housebroken now. There may be a few accidents, but they both know enough to break off from games and go to the back door to be let out. There have been no puddles at night for awhile either. It really is all about getting the owners trained.

With my work in progress, I really think that doing the longer synopsis has helped and I have figured out some of the holes and where I want to go with it.

Oh and Julie Cohen's latest The Girl from Mars arrived yesterday. My daughter inhaled it and adored it. She is now threatening to go around the shops chanting Braiins. So if you want a feel good read, and an antidote to post exam stress, The Girl From Mars is a good place to start.