Dec 28, 2011 Issue #30 Published by Sue SkiffIN THIS ISSUE
A NOTE FROM SUE A NOTE FROM SUE
So, now it really is the end of the year. Next week, I will have to remember to change the year on the issue description. I did not end up volunteering on Christmas. I was sick all weekend. I pretty much spent Saturday in bed, and Sunday I took it pretty easy, because I still felt awful for most of the day. However, my housemate cooked a nice turkey, and he my landlady, and I had a little feast in the evening. Emma did get the turkey neck (raw), but there were no giblets in that turkey (sniff!) Last week's camp went well. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow I am teaching "Edible Science" at Lindsay Wildlife Museum. We mad ice cream and jello yesterday, and today we made pancakes and syrup. I am having a blast with this group of kids, and I have three awesome teenage helpers. Emma and I have been doing a lot of hiking, lately. It has been really enjoyable. However, it is looking too dry out there. We need some rain! My brothers were supposed to return home, yesterday. I e-mailed both of them, this morning, and did not receive an answer from either. They are probably too tired. Someone did send me a link to a picture, containing both of them, taken on Saturday, though, and they both looked good. Today, you will find an article on the "leave it" command, and some anecdotes about tight spaces where I have found cats. ENJOY!!
THE EVER USEFUL “LEAVE IT” COMMANDIt is important to teach your dog a command that lets it know that you want it to ignore something that it is interested in. This command not only makes your life easier, it could also save your dog’s life. Believe it or not, “leave it” is fairly easy to teach, provided you have already established a working rapport with your dog. I have taught dogs the “leave it” command, and had them totally leave a variety of things alone to prove to me that they knew what I was talking about, in less than ½ an hour. Here are some tips for teaching this all-important command.TIP 1: LET YOUR DO KNOW THAT “LEAVE IT” IS A PERMANENT COMMAND For me, “leave it” is a command that tells your dog to leave something alone period. It is not temporary. Your dog is not waiting for you to release it to have whatever you told it to leave alone (which is something that people often teach their dogs when teaching this command). It has been told to leave something alone, and it does. That’s it. TIP 2: USE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF TREAT TO TEACH “LEAVE IT” When you are teaching “leave it,” use two different kinds of treats, or other reinforcers. One should be higher value to your dog than the other. Keep the higher value treats in your pocket or treat bag, and use them to reinforce your dog for following the command. Use the lower value treats as the objects that you will have your dog leave alone during training. And remember as per tip 1, your dog will not ever get access to these treats. Click here for the rest of the article WHAT DOES YOUR CAT LIKE TO SQUEEZE INTO?This morning, I opened the cupboard in the hall, where I keep my towels and sheets, to get some clean towels out. Ahwahnee was following me around, and immediately jumped in to the cupboard. This got me thinking about cats, and how they like to get into small spaces. Over the years, I have found cats, particularly my own, jammed into many tight spaces. Here are some examples:I have a long-time pet sitting client whose cat always hides when the house cleaners come. Usually, she just hides in my client’s closet, where she hangs out much of the time, anyway. However, there have been times when I have looked there, after being absent during a house cleaning session, and not found her. I then have to go on a search for her. I have found her in a wide variety of cupboards; always with the door closed. How dos she do that? Once, I spent a couple of weeks caring for two cats who didn’t really appreciate my presence. Each time that I would visit them, I would look for them, so that I could determine if they were okay. Generally, I would find them under a bed; eyes wide. One time, I had a particularly hard time finding them, and finally gave up. The next time that I was there, I briefly saw one of them running into the living room. I searched everywhere, finally locating them jammed between the back of the couch and the wall. I could not begin to imagine how they had gotten in there, and felt the need to move the couch some, so that they could get out. Click here to see more anecdotes ABOUT SILVER LINING PET SERVICESSilver Lining Pet Services is the business owned by Sue Skiff. It provides both dog training and pet sitting services.If you own a dog, then look to Sue to alleviate any fears and frustrations that you have over your dog's behavior. Sue will come to your home, and set up a training program that is customized to your, and your dog's, needs. You can even have Sue do the training for you, in your home, while you go about your business. If you don't live within Sue's service area, you can contact Sue about setting up a Skype appointment. As for pet sitting services, Silver Lining Pet Services endeavors to give traveling pet owners peace of mind that their pets will be well cared for while they are away. For further information on the services provided by Silver Lining Pet Services, please
visit our website. Silver Linings is a publication of Silver Linings Pet Services, and is published for the purpose of marketing services. The current address of Silver Linings Pet Services is: 5555 Merritt Drive Concord, Ca 94521 |
