We've been told time and again that dogs can't generalize. Don't just take Daisy to one parking lot to practice obedience and get dog exposure training, but take her to many. Don't just go to one shopping mall to get human contact and lots of pets, go to many. Don't "watch me" or "sit" in just one room, but try it inside and outside, in the kitchen and in the hall.
All this makes sense, and we do vary the venue. But I'm not so sure I believe this blanket claim about dogs' incapacity to generalize. Take Daisy's reaction to anything attached to a leash-like line: Must be a dog! This morning she was quite struck by a surfer carrying his surfboard with leg rope and cuff dragging behind. Must be a tiny black dog! One time a Chihuahua (one of those again) stood on the lap of a trucker and barked at us for 15 minutes while we waited in traffic to get on the Bay Bridge. Now, every time she peers into the cab of a truck, there must be a dog! If there's something with lots of hair moving around in the back of a car, it must be a dog!
Surfer leg cuffs: A pack of dogs?
Usually we try to convince Daisy otherwise. Everything at the end of a leash or that is small, fluffy and moving is not a dog. We point out the differences between dogs and humans, dogs and strollers, even dogs and kites, if need be. But this time we went with it. What an obedient little dog following right behind his surfer. What a calm, non-threatening dog. Daisy couldn't help getting a little upset but let us stand close in front to protect her. She watched the surfer, then we began to head another direction. She turned back for a look a couple of times, but was satisfied that the threat has passed.
A success story? Who knows?
8 comments:
I wonder how she'd react to someone walking down the street with one of those gag leashes that has only an empty collar at the end.
I wonder if putting a stuffed dog at the end of leash may help get her used to other dogs.
And of course they generalize. They just don't generalize things like sit, down, stay because they don't like doing it, and they don't understand why we're making them do it. A big problem in obedience competition is something called "ring disobedience," in which the dog, knowing that the rules specify that you can only give a command once, will ignore you and then taunt you because he knows you can't yell at him while you're in the ring. Makes for very amusing anecdotes.
Daisy is in a league of her own. What an unusual set of worries and quirks. She's adorable!
I think Daisy would be scared to pieces by an empty leash. She is quite concerned about invisible dogs anyway. At least with the visible ones, you can keep an eye on them.
Now as for a stuffed dog, I don't know. Might work. One time she went up to a wooden goat (about the size of a big dog) and sniffed its rear. But she wasn't interested after she learned it didn't have a scent.
There were two enormous cement temple dogs (about 4 feet high) in front of a Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood. The first time Megan (the yellow Lab before Maggie) saw them, she froze, put up her ears, and growled—low and threatening in the throat.
Then, with a roar, she ran towards the closest one, smacked it on with her paw, and stalked off.
A lady cop walking by broke out in laughter. "I know, baby, I think they're ugly, too," she said.
I love dogs....
That is the best story ever! Megan certainly expressed her mind.
Sorry for my bad english. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment, If you can provide me more details please email me.
[url=http://hairtyson.com]buy Phen375[/url] are tablets that forbear trim fuselage weight. Everybody of these tabs has to be taken with water, round 20 minutes already a repast, twice a day.
[url=http://garciniacambogiaselectz.weebly.com]
benefits of garcinia cambogia[/url] is the superior obese blazing wring present in market now a days. Lose upto 10 kg in 1 month. garcinia cambogia select
Post a Comment