[pyrnet] Newman and commands

[Rhonda Collins <rhonda@castlepublishing.com>]

> Rhonda, most dogs like having their chest and front ends brushed
> out, so start with the back end. Use a conditioning spray before
> you brush. You can make your own, with an empty spray bottle, and
> a little bit of human conditioner and a LOT of water. Spritz the
> area to be brushed with the conditioner, then brush while the
> hair is damp. Using the conditioning spray keeps the hair from
> breaking which helps keep it from matting. While you're brushing,
> tell him what a goooood boy he is, and how beautiful he is, etc.
> Doesn't much matter what you say, as long as you are
> talking.

All he does is "grab" my hand every time I try to take a swipe
at him. The only way I can brush him is if I tie him or muzzle him. It's
a real pain. I thought he'd get better as he got older, but that doesn't
seem to be the case. And yeah, I keep up the patter, telling him what a
butthead he is, and how I'm going to grind him into sausage...and all
with a smile on my face and a nice, crooning voice. LOL.


> These two statements speak volumes,
> and it is a common mistake
> many people make. One thing we must remember, is that 'Down' is
> 'Down' (lay down), 'Sit' is 'Sit' (sit down), so what is 'Get
> Down'? Very confusing for the dog, as you are using the same
> command for 2 different behaviors. So, instead of 'Get Down', we
> use 'Off!', which means off whatever it is you are on at the
> moment. In our house it means off the person, off the sofa, off
> the fence, etc. Completely different command for a completely
> different expected behavior.


<rhonda thunking her head with the heel of her hand> Duh!  Of
course. We went over that in class. Thanks for the reminder!