Train the Trainer

LIAM IS READY FOR TRAIN THE TRAINER MONTH

January is National Train Your Dog Month. Each month of the year has its designations for causes, activities and groups' recognition. I did not know of this one until this month, this year. Perhaps I did not have a need to know.
Here is the link for more info
http://www.trainyourdogmonth.com/
And a Facebook page as well
https://www.facebook.com/NationalTrainYourDogMonth
If I am learning from experienced dog trainers, I suppose it will be a "Train the Trainer" series of sessions. I am being trained and then in turn will train Liam.

"I WILL BARK MY COMMANDS"

The phrase "Train the Trainer" is one often used in the workplace. I have been at both ends. I find myself in it again though I anticipate only one sided activity.

I am the trainer, Liam the trainee and he will not be training anyone else.

As soon as my training resolution.is made, Liam exhibits new behavior and it is not in response to any new training on my part. Liam tries a literal twist on "training the trainer" by initiating a new communication system of barks to obtain what he wants. How does he know that the human community has designated this month for dog training? I feel sort of a role reversal as I employ hand signals and he "speaks."


Liam introduces a proactive one bark command, sometimes with a follow me look. If I do not follow quickly he waits at the bottom of the stairs.

Other "train the trainer" commands are added to Liam's repertoire.

a looka bark for latte licks and success

 two barks in quick succession for a treat 

                                                                             
Daddy is home-several barks and a pause

then wait for Mom to follow

And if I don't follow, I soon hear Paul announcing "I'm home" heavy with the message that at least Liam came down to say hi!





 
Today is the last day of National Train Your Dog Month. Liam has learned a lot. So have I.  I use sit/stay commands with my gentle bark. Liam listens and performs most times. I listen to his barks and oblige if his request is reasonable. We are talking and training. That is okay. Ours is a month of mutual training.

YOU TALKIN' TO ME?

Woof, Woof

Friday Night Fever

STAY AT HOME FRIDAY

Paul is preparing for work as usual last Friday morning but at some point he announces that he is not feeling well and will call in sick. He also adds that he feels he might have a fever. Oh no, I think Crabtree's tonight is in jeopardy. We go every Friday. See link for their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crabtrees-Restaurant/123761394359663?ref=ts&fref=ts
To Paul a fever means you are truly sick. You must stay home with a thermometer in constant use. Liam listens to Paul's calling in call. It will be 8 sick-work lingo-meaning you are requesting to be out for the 8 hour work day on your accumulated sick time. I have in my mind that this is a three day weekend and calling in sick on the Friday before a big weekend is not good in the work world. Paul does not yet have the requisite "sick"congested voice and fevers don't project through the phone. He makes the call and upon hanging up, he says "Wow, you managers know what to say "Feel better, and enjoy the weekend." I am a retired manager from the same place of work and will always be a manager in Paul's eyes. Yes, I often said the exact same reply as did his manager.

Next stage, taking the temperature and hoping it is the normal 98.6 or near normal. I decide that my plan is to put forward the hypothesis that any number under 100 is not serious and that Crabtree's must still remain on the table. We have several thermometers and Paul tries his temperature on each, hoping that one will show no fever.  I also am hoping but not with entirely pure reasons. The first reading by mouth thermometer comes in at 99.2. Then we do the next "in the ear" thermometer.  His temp is 96.9.  I am pleased but realize it is too low to be believable. I take mine- 96.... hmmm something is wrong. We have dueling thermometers.

MUST REST WITH A FEVER

Timeline

11:00 AM  I go out to CVS for supplies and buy a new thermometer. I read the labels of the various brands and all directions display the same instructions- "for mouth, underarm and rectal use."  nothing about ear. We are sticking the thermometer in our ears! I am sure that was correct placement at some time-to stick it in one's ear. Really, I am sure that was correct.

11:30-12:00 PM   new thermometer stuck under tongue shows temp of 99.2. Several readings taken.

1:00 PM- Paul makes reservations for Crabtree's.  False hope, perhaps?  Fever steady.

1:30-3:30 PM  I do my workout at the gym. There I meet the Crabtree's bartender and tell him of our possible non -attendance this evening. We part with the goodbye of "see you later" Keep hope alive.

4:00 PM.  I arrive home with latte to the report of fever still at 99.2  I offer my opinion that 100 is really the line of demarcation for serious illness. No impact. Sticking it in one's ear yields a much lower reading, too bad I discovered the correct insertion spots.

5:00 PM decision- no Crabtree's.  Paul "Will you be upset, if we do not go?"  Heck, yes, but how can I ask a sick person to go out to dinner?  I regroup silently and say "I will be fine."  I think of it as an opportunity to rack up some "good spouse" points. We call in sick to Crabtree's-3 sick (representing the 3 hours we usually spend there)  I text our friends not to expect us. We buy food. 

7:00 PM- I arrive at New Hyde Park Wine and Liquors to secure wine for the evening at home. I record my location on FB- something I do every Friday from Crabtree's.  I hope and expect my FB family to notice my location and comment. They do and I am able to share my feelings of disappointment as well as enjoy their witty postings. Paul is not on FB. My silent suffering spouse points are intact.





7:30-10:00 PM  Very busy not thinking of Crabtree's. Heat up the pre-cooked store bought meal. Turns out to be a tasteless mess making the thought of Crabtree's more poignant. Liam is thrilled to have us home and attempts to share.in the meal.

Liam snuggling in after dinner Lance Armstrong and Oprah provide a distraction. Laundry, writing out donation checks and cleaning become part of the night's activities. Wine always causes me to notice hard to see dirt and releases an urge in me to wash every item of clothing. After a glass of Cabernet I often see black mold and set about to attack it. I also love to brillo anything in sight. I am at a fever pitch. Maybe I now have a temperature.

10:00 PM.  Lance, laundry and cleaning are done. Lance might be the most "done." Crabtree's would have been done. We survive a non-Crabtree's Friday

Saturday morning light reveals no black mold, no Brillo damage- piles of laundry completed and many donations to all my causes ready to go.  And a ready to play Liam dog.

DAYLIGHT REVELATIONS and LIAM READY TO PLAY

 Paul's fever continues through the 3 day weekend.  Liam loves the company of his stay at home Dad,My performance as "the Good Wife" loses its passion by Monday thereby endangering any good spouse points I have earned thus far.

Paul returns to work fever-less on Tuesday.

Snow is predicted for this Friday, January 25. We have been in a deep freeze and Paul has teased "Wonder if this storm will affect Crabtree's?" Paul's' favorite meteorologist Janice Huff appears on the screen every day adding fuel to the question. The answer is no-Crabtree's is not affected by weather....but I stay quiet and nonchalant.  We'll see, let's play and pass the day

Woof, Woof

Who Are You?

HARNESSED NOT LEASHED, WILD OR TAME?

In October 2012, Pete Townshend of the band "The Who" wrote and released his autobiography titled "Who I Am."  Here is a review, if you like.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/books/review/who-i-am-pete-townshends-memoir.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I thought it a nice play on the band's name as well as on their hit song-not sure which or both were intended. This idea of "who are you" used to come to me occasionally when I looked across at Paul and thought "who are you?"  Why is the stranger on my couch? When growing up in our Pomonok Queens apartment I expected my parents and my sister to be on the couch or on one of the chairs. That was the family. In my adult life I had a new person, Paul. Then five years ago another "person" joined in, Liam. Paul and I sit on the couch with Liam between us. We both pet Liam and our hands meet.  Like an electric shock we both jump! We both expect a paw and get a hand.  It occurs to me that this other family member, our son, is really an animal-a potential beast.

BEAST WITH NIGHT EYES

It has been a long road, 15,000 to 31, 000 years depending on which study you believe but Liam and other dogs are probable descendants of wolves. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/dogs/index.html
Liam thinks he is a human. He has not read the article in the above link. I am sure that he sees the physical difference between us and dogs. I know this because he will always pick a human to play with over another dog. He does not like hanging with other dogs. In play group at his Best in Show Pet Hotel he always stands next to the human group leader as if he is also in charge. I think of this when I hear him snore during a TV show. He carefully places his head on a pillow in the most human like manner and curls up in my shawl to watch Revenge, Top Chef and anything on CNN.  Paul and I often ask each other "Did you set him up? Did he do that himself? Yes he did.

I look at him looking at me.  Wild dog? wolf? dingo? Who are you? Here is "The Who"

Who are you?
My mother said "He is his own person."

WHO I AM -  LIAM

Woof, Woof

Four Eyes are better than One

ARE WE SLEEPING IN TODAY?

It is the first regular January Monday of this year. I am meeting a friend at Starbucks. However, the day starts with memory remnants of a nightmare. I feel a bit off as it is an addendum nightmare to the first. I am waking later than I planned.  Liam must sense a disruption in routine and snugly wedges his head against my ankles. A comfort dog? Hmmm- for this present moment maybe. I check my cell and have a message from my sister. She reports her dog Bernie has died. I know this from my niece's text and FB post. The description is jolting. Routine veers a little more off track. While washing my hair the water turns cool then cold. I appear to have lost track of how long I have been in the shower. Ugh. I put in my contacts and I am not seeing right. Blink, blink. No change. Have I inserted them into the wrong eyes? I look at each eye and I see them there. Okay. No dropped lens issue. I bank on my condition clearing up. After this point getting ready seems to go more askew. I keep blinking to get my focus. I take along my glasses in case I need to take out my lenses at some point. Liam wraps himself in my shawl and prepares for the wait for my return. I get to the car and I have the wrong car keys. Paul's keys. Back in the house. Liam is happy- quick trip.

OH GOODIE, I THINK MOMMY IS BACK

Get my keys. My right eye is doing the watering thing and I fear bald eye-one with eye makeup and one without. I have my topics in my head, I usually write them down, in order to make sure I ask my friend about her life and that I do not repeat stories. I do not have time to do this today.

I arrive at a very crowded Starbucks. My friend is waiting. Any thought of doing a bathroom contact lens check is out as there are steady streams (sorry) of restroom users. After our meeting ends, I stop for my daily gym workout at Twin Parks health club. I head to the bathroom and try to remove my lenses-thinking switching is the answer. There is no right lens! What?! Where is it? I take out my left lens; I put on my glasses. I am four eyes. The feared taunt from childhood. The four eyes chant will never happen. Glasses are now chic and mine are fabulous- my one eye day has been corrected. I feel much better, no longer off kilter. I arrive home hoping Liam has not eaten my lens. He was lurking on the landing while I was getting ready and anything mine is his once dropped.No worries. Lens is in the sink, hardened and curled. I begin to hydrate it back to life with a few squirts of solution. My contact lenses are not the disposable type; they are $250 a lens, so this process of careful gentle restoration is necessary for financial solvency.

I don't understand

How I convinced myself I had both lenses inserted.

Why I did not check by touch, instead of just looking

How I lost a half hour in the shower

I do understand

That not writing down topics did result in my repeating of stories, talking about my stuff a lot (note to self-shut up Carol) as well as not asking enough questions.

Four eyes are better than one

That the nightmares, death, and a cold shower do throw me.

 Liam is thinking of applying to be a comfort dog. 




No, not the job for him.
He primarily is interested in his own comfort.
We'll limit it to a hobby.

JUST LICKS LEFT

Woof, Woof

Holiday Hounding

LIAM WAITS FOR HIS GUESTS

 

Liam shows no sign of what is to come. He seems sleepy, cozy, comatose, curled into a ball joining his squeaky Snowman in bed. As time for our guests' arrival nears, he knows something is up. He sits up in his greeting position. Ears perking every so often.  

We are putting away his toys, moving his bed, his blankets, pillows, doll 

 rocking his world. Since his world is every place in the house it is quite a large shake up.

The day is Friday, December 28, 2012, our regular Crabtree's night.  Our friends make a yearly Holiday visit. We will sit around, catch up, toast, nibble, gift each other with creative treasures and then take off for dinner at Crabtree's. This has been the tradition for 15 years, Liam part of it for the last 5.

Our friends arrive, Liam leaps from the couch and as the door opens he lunges. Gets everyone with a frontal body slam and a few direct hits on private parts. Ouch! Why? This is not the sweet, licking loving Liam. The half hound Liam smells a mini candy. A tiny wrapped chocolate is wolfed down, foil and all. Oh, you are thinking that you heard chocolate might be fatal?  Nope. Not for this dog, not this night. My mortification over our only child's behavior continues as Liam, walks over our guests, does his catlike above the head stalking and offers his unsolicited paw whenever the conversation turns from him.Our friend succeeds in having Liam sit by speaking to him in Spanish "sentarse" who knew? NSAL told us he is a rescue from Tennessee.

To say I am embarrassed does not describe my level of humiliation. I have a little dog who is doing whatever he wants. He only leaves when the heat blows out of the vent and he avails himself of his mini fireplace. When the hot air blowing is over he rejoins the pack.

I am a failed pack leader.

I am a bad host.

I have raised a spoiled only child.

Next day, I search for my dog training guide. Several pages of rules. Will share some.

Dogs need to be taught-"Drop it"

Dogs own no possessions, everything belongs to the humans.

Dogs should not be allowed on the furniture, as the leader of the pack you must have the most comfortable spot.  Dogs belong on the floor.

LIAM IN MY SPOT IN MY HOUNDSTOOTH SHAWL

The pack leader is the one who greets the newcomers first; the dog is the last to get attention.

I could go on but there are 19 more such commandments.

The day after, Liam changes back into Liam. 

A SLEEPING DOG LIES

 I assure our friends this scenario will not be repeated next year. It will not. He will be trained.

And BTW our friends are fine with Liam, calling him exuberant and saying they love him. 

Gracias

Woof, Woof

Tidings of Comfort Dogs and Joy

 COMFORT

Comfort dogs are visiting Newtown Ct.  They were outside when President Obama spoke on Sunday and have been located at various places around town all week. The dogs wear signs that say "Please Pet Me" and they have been obliged in that request by many in Newtown.  The following is a video-worth a look
The dogs have FB pages and business cards.  Check out the link for their page and pix from their week at Newtown.
https://www.facebook.com/k9comfort?ref=ts&fref=ts

These dogs are trained to provide comfort.  No words need be spoken. No effort to think of what to say or how to act. What a relief that must be to this town in grief.

Liam would not meet the standards of a comfort dog. I talked to him about it as we have watched the sad events of The Sandys- storm and shootings. Liam is a licker and leaper and knocks kids down with his exuberance.
He does what he does.

Liam received a toy, Snowy, from Aunt Suzy   And seems to have appropriated my gift, a doll, Charlotte
He surprised us by accepting them into the pack and protecting both. 

Comfort dogs Luther, Ruthie, Chewie, Maggie and Hannah have returned to Chicago area after making many new friends. Comfort dogs Prince, Barnabas and Chloe remain in Newtown.

Many tributes for the Newtown children have been done. From the heart, original and inspiring.  Anderson Cooper interviewed the family of Grace McDonnell early this week and mentioned to them that the song "Amazing Grace" makes him cry but that now he will always think of their Grace when he hears it. His AC360 show ended its Monday and Tuesday night broadcasts with the song while introducing each child. The pace and arrangement gives you a few seconds to meet and say goodbye to each one. Video below.

Today our yoga teacher ended our class with this wish as she always does

"May there be peace in your hearts and in the world this day. Namaste."

If you say it aloud, its rhyming is very soothing. 

Say it again, even better. 

"May there be peace in your hearts and in the world this day. Namaste."

Like a litany

 or 

mantra

or

 prayer

Woof, Woof
See you in two weeks

Holiday Stress- Parent and Pooch

HOLIDAY STRESS AFFECTS LIAM?

Stress is a word mentioned by many this fall.  We started with Sandy storm stress which carried us through November. If you did not discard it or deal with the storm stress it might have collided and  united with the holiday season stress. Advice on how to handle this year's double stress is offered by professionals, friends, family and coworkers. My niece, Liz Nikol, wrote an article about Holiday stress in her column "Tackle Your Thinking."  I like her ideas and solutions. Good validation for me of my own organized approach to the stress of the holidays. Yay for me- I should write an article too. Link follows. Easy and helpful read.
http://www.theshowcasemagazine.net/articles.php?id=tackle

LIAM READS TO RELIEVE STRESS

As I just indicated, I thought I was doing well this year. I had made adjustments in my schedule, and continue to stick to my routine-exercise, helping Liam with his blog, no slacking off here, reading required books for clubs, shopping online-no mall mauling, making and keeping doctor appointments, Yoga classes, annual car checkup and more.
I do not feel distracted and worried about upcoming social events. How then do I explain my behavior this past Monday morning?

Monday morning timeline
7:45 AM appt. with pulmonologist (for restless leg syndrome, sleep issues)
My doctor hands me this pipe thing in which you breathe- inhale, then exhale, then inhale. Supposed to show lung capacity. You want high numbers on this. Before I do this my doctor asks my age. I say 95. He laughs,"You are so funny" I try again and say "100?" Stop, he says, "You are too much."  I realize that is not the number expected and find out he wants to know my age. I tell him (is this a memory test?)  I do score a great inhaler number- 96 on the first try, then 100 for the second. Woo hoo, I am a good breather!  I leave the doctor smiling-he thinks I am such a kidder. I like being funny. But I am not trying to be funny.

LIAM'S LATTE

8:00 AM Starbucks- on the way back from doctor.
I am thrilled that today is the day that the combo gift packs of cookies/ syrup go on sale. I have seen the ad on my iPad.  However, they are not on sale. I insist (very nicely) after all, this is my everyday SB. I have built up a backlog of good will so that the very accommodating manager sits down with me and we scan our smartphones for the ad.  No, not there. The ad for the yummy combos is there but the sale is for a smaller item shown nearby. Whoops. I have sort of created a disturbance. Out with my latte and onward. I bought the item anyway the next day.

10:00 AM Podiatrist (plantar fasciitis from wearing heels for too many years)
Door locked. Standing outside the locked door, I call-hear myself inside being recorded. If they are late I will at least get credit. I arrive home. Answering machine and appointment card say 11:30.  I return at 11:30 and receptionist says they got my call. She also thinks I am funny for leaving the message. Again, I am not trying to be funny.

Stress causing these occurrences? Where is my mind?  Elsewhere. I think I better reread Liz's article. And probably should not write my own.  Or is it my hearing? Or my vision? What about Liam?  Is he experiencing holiday stress? Articles are coming through this week about pet stress.  See link for a summary.
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/knowledgebase/knowledgebasedetail.aspx?articleid=49&Keywords=&click=76134&utm_source=eps&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=epm-120312-nlt-holidaystress-p-r

If we are acting different, naturally our pets will pick up on it. The room changes. A tree is up.  The tumble down the stairs into the living room is stopped.  No easy access.  Cards are hung on the railing by the staircase.  Packages and cards arrive. New folks deliver to the door. Packages of doggie gifts arrive with yummy treats.

Liam did gain another area of the living room now owning the love seat with his pillows and blanket.

Liam's Stress Relievers

Yawning relieves stress.

Putting his head on his photo head pillow.

 

hanging head

Ignoring the parents and snoozing

For me-I could go on with my mishaps. 

I put all my gym stuff in my locker and carried the lock with me to the row machine, leaving all my valuables unlocked. 

After my Monday foray in Starbucks, when I did finally buy the item at full price, I left it on the counter

Maybe I am trying to be funny. 

I don't think it is stress. 

Woof, Woof