Please pardon the lengthy silence between entries. Life in the LaRose household has been busy as Kathie continues to adjust to her new environment and little Kira grows like a weed. I have not had a kitten in the house in ten years, and I have forgotten much of what it is like to raise one!
First, an update on Kathie. She is an extremely intelligent dog; and this means she is able to work in complicated situations with great gusto. It also means she is able to devise sneaky ways to get what she wants. In other words, she is very strong-willed. We are learning how to manage this aspect of life together so that we both have more pleasant times. I have learned that she becomes most inclined to test me when I am tired or not feelign well–and why not? I might slip up and let her do something because I am too tired to do the work of making her mind the rules. So I have to put in extra effort at those times–and while doing that, I have to make a point not to be angry with her.
I tried using the clicker and treats to reinforce good house behavior with her as I did with one of my previous dogs; but I didn’t feel that it worked well with her. She was more focused on getting food out of me than on doing well with the behavior that merited the reward. So I put the clicker away and started doing obedience and related exercises before breakfast. It is a part of our normal routine, and I have not had a chance to get annoyed about anything she has done. She is alert and motivated, and at the end she gets a great reward: her breakfast.
We have played a lot of games using the retractable leash in order to build her skill and willingness at off-leash recall. I make her sit, tell her to rest, and then I walk away while holding the other end of the leash. When I reach the length of it, I wait a few seconds and then call her. She is expected to come and sit without playing, jumping, etc.
I have a lot of open space in my house and several rooms with things in them that distract her (cat food, cat litter box in an adjacent bathroom, her own toys in the middle of the floor, etc.) We have done this in different rooms so that she has to pass by all these distractions on the way to me. It has been hard for her. Sometimes she wants to turn and snitch the cat food. Sometimes she wants to overshoot me and go play with the bone. Sometimes she really wants to push that bathroom door open… Sometimes she just doesn’t want to sit but she wants to engage me in play because, after all, it’s a beautiful morning! But if she does these things, she gets corrected and has to repeat the exercise–over and over until she gets it right. Of course, when she gets it right, it makes me happy, which makes her happy. You should see that pretty tail wag when she figures out what makes me happy!
Each time we have played the game, she has gotten a little bit better. After she became able to do it without distraction, I changed the game. I removed the retractable leash for the last round and called her to me before I put her normal leash back on her. She has done this well for the last couple of days.
She is now able to heel on the retractable leash without pulling ahead. This has great implications for her ability to heel in general. My hand will be feeling much better from now on. This morning, I tested her heeling ability off leash, and she did it successfully.
This morning Kathie had breakfast off leash. She conducted herself calmly in the kitchen but had a burst of exuberence after finishing her breakfast. To her credit, she came when called. Apparently, our obsessive games of sit/rest/come on the retractable leash are having positive effect. It will still be a while before Kathie has complete freedom in the house; but we are making great strides.
After a good romp on the retractable leash in the back room, she tired herself out and plopped down in her habitual position next to my chair. She tried seeking out my attention a few times by putting her head on my knee. I would like to just give it to her; but one of the habits I am attempting to break in her is her constant attention-seeking. Since I work at home, she must be able to be near me without seeking attention all day long when she is not in harness. She is making great progress–she is laying her head on me instead of jumping into my lap. This is an important lesson that we have been working on, and her learning is evident. When I brought her home, she could not accept praise without becoming exuberant and jumping, wagging her head and bumping my chin, etc. She is now able to hold still and accept strokes and pats, etc. But there is definitely a long learning curve that she and I must traverse together.
Kira is recovering nicely from her kitten surgery. This is yet another reason for Kathie to tone down her play for a little while. Kira is supposed to “be quiet.” Ever tried to keep a kitten quiet? Yeah, right! Kathie will do her part–with our help. The rest is all up to Kira. She is now over four pounds and very much looking like a small cat. She is chatty and snuggly and very much a joy in our lives–well, not so much in Sierra’s life. But this, too, is a learning curve–mostly for me. I have been given a lesson regarding cat boundaries, and I must learn to respect those. That is a matter for another post.
For now, I must respect my need for lunch.
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