Rusty is almost embarrassingly disciplined. Someone watching bis
obedience must think that it was beaten into him.
Rusty never was beaten.
When I got him there were gaps in the fence for a dinosaur to walk
through. Behind is the road and danger. I took Rusty to that fence,
drew an imaginary line and said NO! That NO was a sinister rumble of
thunder. A dog-shocker. Now, when stick or a ball flies over the
fence, Rusty runs to that line, sits down and just looks at me.
The rare occasions I turn on thunder Rusty flattens himself, looks
utterly despondent and rolls over onto his back. My method is
effective.
I tested him. Left some loosely wrapped bones in the car, pointed at
them and did my voice trick. Then I went shopping. Back again, Rusty
was squatting before that package. I swear, he was cross-eyed. He
drooled. Whenever he enters higher spheres he makes piepsy, pigeon-
like noises. Now, he was practically singing. But he did not touch the
bones.
My two previous dogs acted in a similar fashion. Friends say it’s my
awful German accent. It would frighten elephants.
Vets tell me it’s consistency. They say, of all domesticated animals
dogs have remained closest to their original wolf nature. They are
pack animals who want a leader and want to obey him. Once they know
clear rules, what’s in and what’s out, they will follow those rules.
My sister’s dog doesn’t. Because in her household rules change from
one minute to the next. I feel sorry for that dog.
Klaus and Rusty
http://www.oz-greetings.com.au
Nature & Wilderness

"blacklight" wrote in message
...
Rusty is almost embarrassingly disciplined. Someone watching
bis obedience must think that it was beaten into him.
Rusty never was beaten.

When I got him there were gaps in the fence for a dinosaur to walk
through. Behind is the road and danger. I took Rusty to that fence,
drew an imaginary line and said NO! That NO was a sinister rumble of
thunder. A dog-shocker. Now, when stick or a ball flies over the
fence, Rusty runs to that line, sits down and just looks at me.
The rare occasions I turn on thunder Rusty flattens himself, looks
utterly despondent and rolls over onto his back. My method is
effective.

I tested him. Left some loosely wrapped bones in the car, pointed at
them and did my voice trick. Then I went shopping. Back again, Rusty
was squatting before that package. I swear, he was cross-eyed. He
drooled. Whenever he enters higher spheres he makes piepsy, pigeon-
like noises. Now, he was practically singing. But he did not touch the
bones.

My two previous dogs acted in a similar fashion. Friends say it’s my
awful German accent. It would frighten elephants.

Vets tell me it’s consistency. They say, of all domesticated animals
dogs have remained closest to their original wolf nature. They are
pack animals who want a leader and want to obey him. Once they know
clear rules, what’s in and what’s out, they will follow those rules.
My sister’s dog doesn’t. Because in her household rules change from
one minute to the next. I feel sorry for that dog.

Klaus and Rusty
http://www.oz-greetings.com.au
Nature & Wilderness

I think much also depends on the breed and the individual temperament of
the animal. I know that Muttley is not as well trained as Rusty, but he is
much better than many others we have encountered. He did not do well with
forceful methods, at least as I understood and tried to apply them. He
seems to be by nature low key and independent, and I do allow him to think
and act on his own, but I believe he also respects my ultimate authority
and does not challenge me when I make reasonable requests. Thus he may not
come when called, and his leash manners are lacking, but I feel I can trust
him in various situations with people and other dogs.

You are probably correct that a dog likes to have a strong and trustworthy
leader, and consistency and calm assertiveness are vital. I have watched
many episodes of Cesar Millan, Victoria Stilwell, and lately Brad Pattison
on Animal Planet's "Doghouse" show. Cesar seems to be the most reasonable
and successful with his triple play of exercise, discipline, and affection,
but all of them emphasize strong leadership, attention, respect, and
consistency. Even William Koehler said that the cruelest thing in dog
training is inconsistency and expecting a dog to do something it does not
really understand.

Do you actually use German dog commands? I like the way they sound.
Sometimes I address Muttley by his German name, Muettlich. But I wonder,
should a dog be addressed in the familiar or formal manner? When wondering
"Was ist los?", should I use "Du bist los" oder "Sie sind los"?

Paul and the Muttmeister
www.MuttleyDog.com

"Paul E. Schoen" wrote in message
...

"blacklight" wrote in message
...
Rusty is almost embarrassingly disciplined. Someone watching
bis obedience must think that it was beaten into him.
Rusty never was beaten.

When I got him there were gaps in the fence for a dinosaur to walk
through. Behind is the road and danger. I took Rusty to that fence,
drew an imaginary line and said NO! That NO was a sinister rumble of
thunder. A dog-shocker. Now, when stick or a ball flies over the
fence, Rusty runs to that line, sits down and just looks at me.
The rare occasions I turn on thunder Rusty flattens himself, looks
utterly despondent and rolls over onto his back. My method is
effective.

I tested him. Left some loosely wrapped bones in the car, pointed at
them and did my voice trick. Then I went shopping. Back again, Rusty
was squatting before that package. I swear, he was cross-eyed. He
drooled. Whenever he enters higher spheres he makes piepsy, pigeon-
like noises. Now, he was practically singing. But he did not touch the
bones.

My two previous dogs acted in a similar fashion. Friends say it's my
awful German accent. It would frighten elephants.

Vets tell me it's consistency. They say, of all domesticated animals
dogs have remained closest to their original wolf nature. They are
pack animals who want a leader and want to obey him. Once they know
clear rules, what's in and what's out, they will follow those rules.
My sister's dog doesn't. Because in her household rules change from
one minute to the next. I feel sorry for that dog.

Klaus and Rusty
http://www.oz-greetings.com.au
Nature & Wilderness

I think much also depends on the breed and the individual temperament of
the animal. I know that Muttley is not as well trained as Rusty, but he is
much better than many others we have encountered. He did not do well with
forceful methods, at least as I understood and tried to apply them. He
seems to be by nature low key and independent, and I do allow him to think
and act on his own, but I believe he also respects my ultimate authority
and does not challenge me when I make reasonable requests. Thus he may not
come when called, and his leash manners are lacking, but I feel I can
trust him in various situations with people and other dogs.

You are probably correct that a dog likes to have a strong and trustworthy
leader, and consistency and calm assertiveness are vital. I have watched
many episodes of Cesar Millan, Victoria Stilwell, and lately Brad Pattison
on Animal Planet's "Doghouse" show. Cesar seems to be the most reasonable
and successful with his triple play of exercise, discipline, and
affection, but all of them emphasize strong leadership, attention,
respect, and consistency. Even William Koehler said that the cruelest
thing in dog training is inconsistency and expecting a dog to do something
it does not really understand.

Do you actually use German dog commands? I like the way they sound.
Sometimes I address Muttley by his German name, Muettlich. But I wonder,
should a dog be addressed in the familiar or formal manner? When wondering
"Was ist los?", should I use "Du bist los" oder "Sie sind los"?

Paul and the Muttmeister
www.MuttleyDog.com

It is essential to use correct grammar, tense, person, and pronoun.
E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L. All the regular loonies here will tell you. It's basic.
Whether you have a German shepherd, French Poodle, or Welsh Corgi. I think
it is one of the most overlooked items in dog training, discipline, and
behavior that there is. Just like when the cashier at Home Depot starts
prattling on in Spanish, the dog has that, "Damn, speak insert appropriate
language" look.

HTH

Steve

..

Do you actually use German dog commands? I like the way they sound.
Sometimes I address Muttley by his German name, Muettlich. But I wonder,
should a dog be addressed in the familiar or formal manner? When wondering
"Was ist los?", should I use "Du bist los" oder "Sie sind los"?

Paul and the Muttmeisterwww.MuttleyDog.com
++++++++++++
Hi Paul, 'Was ist los?' is grammatically correct, but it addresses a
general situation like " What's the matter?' or 'What's going on?" To
direct it specifically to a person/dog you would say "Was ist los mit
Dir?"
Cheers - Klaus and Rusty
http://www.oz-greetings.com.au
Nature and Wilderness

"blacklight" wrote in message
...
.

Do you actually use German dog commands? I like the way they sound.
Sometimes I address Muttley by his German name, Muettlich. But I wonder,
should a dog be addressed in the familiar or formal manner? When
wondering
"Was ist los?", should I use "Du bist los" oder "Sie sind los"?

Paul and the Muttmeisterwww.MuttleyDog.com
++++++++++++
Hi Paul, 'Was ist los?' is grammatically correct, but it addresses a
general situation like " What's the matter?' or 'What's going on?" To
direct it specifically to a person/dog you would say "Was ist los mit
Dir?"
Cheers - Klaus and Rusty
http://www.oz-greetings.com.au
Nature and Wilderness

I was playing on the German word joke: "Was ist los? Der Hund ist los!" As
in "Who let the dogs out?"

Here is a link about German humor:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...of-humour.html

But also I just wondered if the formal "Sie" or familiar "Du" is used for
animals, or if it depends on how well you know the animal.

Speaking of tone of voice, here is a web page that lists various dog
commands in English, German, French, Czech, and Dutch, along with sound
"bites". Some of the German commands could have been delivered with more
authority, while those in Czech were often harsh.
http://www.vonfalconer.com/commands.html

Manchmal sage Ich zu Muettlich:
"Kommen Sie hier", oder "Kommst du hier" oder nur "Komm".
"Willst du aus gehen?" oder "Moechten sie Spazieren gehen?"
"Hast du Hunger?" (My grandmother's dog would actually say "Hunger"!)
"Schmecht das gut?"
"Fressen deine Hundspeise!" (might not be a real word)
"Sollen wir in Auto gehen?" (oder fahren)
"Mein Hund ist schmutzig!"

Paul and Muttley

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:00:07 GMT, "Paul E. Schoen"
wrote:

Speaking of tone of voice, here is a web page that lists various dog
commands in English, German, French, Czech, and Dutch, along with sound

Just to add some additional input, I use a mixture of English and
Turkish when giving commands to our dogs. Generally speaking I use
Turkish for commands that I want others around me to understand. (We
live in Turkey.) And I reserve English for rewarding/praising and for
the occasional command that I'd rather others didn't use.

--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com