A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG

A friend once told me that a dog that has plenty of  training activity and exercise is more likely to be a good (well-behaved) dog.  Lately, I take the thought a bit further:  A tired dog is a good dog.

A while ago, K-Lee developed the habit of "counter-surfing".  Falling victim to her antics were loaves of bread, hamburger packages, and her "piece de resistance", a freshly roasted turkey breast.  (That's when I heard by beloved shriek something very un-lady-like. 

I think it was something like, "KILL THE ( expletive) DOG!!!".

While rants concerning dog etiquette echoed through our humble abode, we cleaned up grease on the floor,  and salvaged most of the meat. Sans a pound of flesh... shades of "The Merchant of Venice."
 

Breast missing nearly "a pound of flesh"

I've noticed that when K-Lee is well-behaved, she's my wife's darling dog.  When K-Lee acts up, she's my dog. 

To be fair, each of the times that K-Lee acted out, she was bored and anxious to do something.  Now I'm not making excuses for her, but she is almost nose-height to those delectable treats that someone-who-I-know leaves lying on the counter-top.  (My wife's dog was a Yorkie.)


Not to be outdone, I pulled the same idiocy yesterday by leaving muffins close to the edge of the kitchen counter and forgetting to put them back near the wall.  It was my fault, but it turned into a teaching moment.  In each of the previous misdeeds, K-Lee waited until we were out of the kitchen and distracted.  Any correction needed to be at the "time of the crime."

Fresh blueberry muffins -- now with 50% fewer calories!

I waited and finally caught her in the midst of her "dastardly deeds".  I proceeded to "get onto" her like a mother dog.  (No, I didn't use my teeth, but she knew I was upset and that stuff on the counter was mine!)  After breaking nearly all the rules of dog handling--without hurting her-- I threatened her life, handled her aggressively, profaned her ancestry, and put her in her cage with no supper. I "let the matter go" and pretended to forget.  ...So far, so good.

K-Lee in "Jail"

This morning, we went for a 3-1/2 mile walk along the river.  All the bad things were forgotten.  She "searched" back and forth to my left and my right (front).  I'm guessing that she probably put on between 7 and 9 miles.  We found woodcock and seven Canada geese.  (Birds aren't moving through yet.)


Later at home, once we "tailgated" and I picked burrs and seeds from her coat, we went inside where she readily accepted a bath.

A tired dog is a good dog

Her manners have been a lot better this afternoon.  The TV's weather girl says that it looks like tomorrow morning will be good for another long walk.  ,,,,Good thing! 

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

Summertime "dogging activities" are often "up early" and "out late"in order to get the cool of the day.  When I occasionally start out before dawn or return to the truck in the dark of evening, there exists a certain amount of frustration with checking the dog, and putting stuff away because (in my opinion) even a headlamp--though good for trail walking--lacks when working at the tailgate.

Initially, I thought LED lights would to be the ticket, but I wasn't able to adequately secure them onto the interior of the truck cap.  (They weren't that bright either.)  Recently, two things "converged" to solve my problem:   lighted, wireless light switches and INDUSTRIAL strength Velcro.  What a find!

Double light "switches" came out first, but then someone must have had the wonderful idea that if two were "pretty good", four ought to be "great".  They are!

As an experiment, I used industrial-strength Velcro to install a four-light switch on one side of the cap, and on the other side I installed the older-version two-light switch.  So far, so good. The lights have stayed where I put them on the inside of the fiberglass cap.  They haven't moved even with intense summer heat or vibration from traveling over dirt roads. 



I like this idea.  It is "up there" with the remote outside thermometer ($9.95) mounted on the cage in the back so --from the cab--I can tell the temperature
where K-Lee is riding.  (Believe me, after a day of moose muck and swamp grime, no one wants her "up front" in the cab!)


The only thing I'm going to do with my little experiment is to replace the two-light with another "four" and place another four-light directly overhead.  

If you want me, just look for the glow.