Brother of the Wolf Welcomes You
The following articles were taken from Cleary's Notebook, Gloucester City News, or both.
Pet Tip of the Week
Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks
Okay so you just rescued Spot from the local animal shelter. They say he’s about a year old but when you get him to your veterinarian he tells you, Noooooo, he’s about six years old! You can do one of the following things when you’re offered this news:
- Get him a cushion and retire him to the corner of the living room and give up on teaching him anything OR
- Get him a trainer who is willing to work with an older dog and make him the best dog he can be!
Many times an older dog is capable of an unlimited amount of new behaviors, from sitting up, to polite, on-leash walking, to opening the refrigerator to fetch you a cold one after a hard day’s work! All it takes is a little patience and lots of praise.
Any dog that is “new” to your family can be considered a puppy! Start from the very beginning: have the dog sit for everything: Sit at the door, sit before being handed a yummy snack, sit before being petted. No free lunches for our Fido; he must earn your praise, trust, and treats. In that way you are establishing the hierarchy of the home. After all, you pay the bills, the rent, or the mortgage. Fido has to earn a living, too! He does so by respecting you enough to sit for attention.
Dogs respond very well to respectful and kind treatment. If your “new” dog is cowering in a corner it’s likely he was abused in a former home. Dogs go through a honeymoon period in a new situation and will not push limits right away. Look for a ‘blossoming’, after about a week to ten days, and you will see your dog’s true personality unfold. Hopefully, it will be a personality you can deal with.
The proper training by a professional is always recommended. You are ‘in love’ with your dog and therefore, can’t view the situation objectively. A professional trainer can save you weeks of frustration by honing in on unwelcome behaviors for little more than the cost of a good leash.
An older dog can be a great companion. Generally, a rescued, non-puppy will be calmer, more likely to be housebroken, and grateful to have a place to call his own. He will not be chewing on furniture or howling all night long. Nor will he require that first set of puppy shots that can cause you to seek dual employment. In fact, an older dog can learn just as much a puppy—it may just take a bit longer to teach him!
If you need advice or a consultation you can always call Brother of the Wolf at 856-349-2508 or drop me an email at Brotherofthewolf@comcast.net. There is never a fee for a phone or email consult!
Next week’s topic will be exercise: the way to make a doggie docile!
Wado udohiyu—thank you very much (in the Cherokee language)
Dawn Watson
Owner & Lead Trainer
Brother of the Wolf, LLC
Here in the beautiful City of
Just Sayin’ is a parody of current social trends.
I don’t understand parades.
You stand outside and try to get in a position to stare at the street. People push you and kids drip their ice cream on you. The guy next to you ate raw garlic and on the other side, he had beans. Just when you think you’re going to pass out from the cross-current you hear music and, lo and behold, people are marching down the street! Here comes your dry cleaner, the postman, the lady that works at the liquor store, that guy that walks funny, and your local bench-sitter and they are all dressed up in glittery clothes! Some are wearing hats! And then, they are gone!
You wait a bit and here comes another set of folks. This time it’s the VFW versus the American Legion. They all have musical instruments and are blowing, beating, and strumming their hearts out, sometimes staring at the other group with a trace of hostility as they up the decibel level from “Ouch, my ears” to “Geez, I’m deaf now”. But it’s all in the name of patriotism so you are glad.
Oh, the children! Here they come! They are all dressed up, holding their mothers’ hands as they plod down the street. Some are crying. “Why are they marching?” you ask Bean Man. He shrugs. “What do they represent?” you ask
And then there are horses, lots of fancy horses that don’t look happy and constantly prove that to us by leaving big flops all down the street. The riders are oblivious and they are waving. You don’t know who they are but you wave back at them out of politeness and worry about the next group because of the flops.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I love holidays and understand the meaning of most of them. Memorial Day is to honor our veterans and our men and women that are currently serving our country. The Fourth of July showcases our fight for freedom in the
Just sayin’.
Dawn Watson
Just Sayin’ is a parody of current social trends.
I’ve decided to stop dieting. I’ve been at it for about 45 years and, with the exception of the years 1967—1989, the years in which I was searching for Mr. Right, it hasn’t worked.
I’ve tried a bunch of different diets. In 1967 I was on the Bully Diet, named after the mean girls that put me through the wringer in high school. I should mention that today’s Zero Tolerance regarding bullying was unheard of at that time. Also, my hair fell out from stress.
In 1971 I got married, got fat, got thin, got divorced. I’m not sure what you’d call this pattern other than saying I was on the Ping-Pong Diet: my weight went back and forth depending on the mood of the marriage.
I met the man of my dreams in 1989 and stayed thin for about ten years. Then, I turned 50, started running a quart low on estrogen, and my body began to resemble a snowman. After that I tried being a vegetarian. You’d think only eating veggies would have made me thin, right? Wrong! My thighs began to resemble potatoes while my arms became distinctly linguini-like. My belly was suddenly the consistency of more-than-a-dollop of sour cream and let’s just say if I backed up to a mirror I’d notice where several dozen donuts were stored.
That metamorphosis occurred nine years ago. Now, I try to eat everything including meat, (Sorry, PETA), in moderation. Sometimes, I’m successful. Mostly, I am content with eating the wonderful food my husband and I cook, or whatever we order from Troxie’s. I encourage Maria from the King Street Espresso Bar to lay on the whipped cream, and I’ve been known to order the 2-footer at Hoagie Heaven. (I walk there and back, reasoning that it will burn off about an eighth of the half-pound of salami hiding in the crispy roll, the provolone, the ripe tomatoes…you get the picture).
I carry more body fat than I should. However, I’m reasonably sure that if I become ill I can live off my thermal lining for a couple of weeks without completely fading away. To assuage my guilt I support several organizations that feed the hungry and I hope that if there are hungry folks in my area they will let me know how I can help.
The bottom line is that I’m comfortable. I’ve learned not to judge anyone by her weight or shape. I exercise moderately and walk at least a half mile a day except when the temperature hits 85 or above. (Heat is not kind to the overweight). And, if a genie granted me one wish it would have nothing to do with me because I’m completely happy.
Just sayin’.
Dawn Watson
And Baby Makes Three: Preparing Fido for the New Baby
Fido is the apple of your eye, the king of the hill, the center of the universe in your home.
Until your family of three discovers it’s soon to be a family of four. You want Fido and Junior to become BFF’s before Junior arrives, right? Here are a few tricks I’ve learned along the way to help ease the transition to second fiddle:
· Buy a tape or CD of a baby crying and play it while offering the dog a treat.
· Buy an inexpensive baby doll and treat it like a real baby for 15 minutes a day. Gradually increase the time you spend with the ‘baby’ until Fido becomes accustomed to your change in priorities.
· Make sure Fido has lots of new toys and treats when the big day arrives. Try not to board him; the transition will be easier if he can stay at home with visits from a pet sitter or friend.
· Take a blanket the baby has used and bring it home for Fido to smell. That way he will be accustomed to the new smells and they won’t seem foreign to him.
· When you bring the baby home allow Fido to sniff her thoroughly. When the baby goes to bed make a fuss over Fido to let him know he’s still an important part of your life! Put extra time aside just to play with him. These first few days will make a big difference in the way your dog feels about the baby.
If you have any questions please contact me privately at 856-349-2508 or simply reply to this post. There is never a fee for phone or email consultations. You can also email me at Brotherofthewolf@comcast.net. I will be happy to help you.
Next week’s topic will be entitled: Training Your Dog Using Positive Reinforcement. As always, Cleary’s notebook encourages dialogue so your comments are welcome!
Wado, udohiyu, (thank you very much, in the Cherokee language)
Dawn Watson
Brother of the Wolf, LLC
Just Sayin’ is a parody of current social trends.
I have found a way to eliminate war.
With my method, crime and general civil unrest will vanish. It’s so easy even a first-grader can do it. It doesn’t cost money, either so those of you that immediately thought you couldn’t afford it, there’s hope for you. The answer to the world’s misfortunes?
Smile and say, “Hello. How are you?”
Now I’ll admit that folks were shocked when I first instituted this weapon. They would stop, looking all confused, while the question registered. Some dropped packages. Others asked me to repeat the greeting and the question that followed it.
Fast forward seven months, the length of time I’ve lived in
Think of the ramifications of this new policy. A police officer chases a thug down the street, tackles him, and says, “Hello. How are you?” The thug responds with, “Oh, hi! Gee, I’m swell but maybe I’d be more comfortable if you’d move your knee a little bit. You see, it’s on my neck…”
On a larger scale it could really change the world. Let’s take the leaders of two warring nations, for example. President Corona and Prime Minister Heineken meet.
Wasn’t that easy?
Okay, so maybe it won’t solve all the problems in the world but it sure makes it nice when you’re walking down the street. And that’s the first step in the solution, isn’t it?
Just sayin’.
Dawn Watson
www.OurHome-DogBoarding.com