I wonder what the animals hear with my endless chatter. Do you remember the ‘Charlie Brown’ cartoons when the adults were speaking and all the kids would hear is “blah, blah, blah…?” That is probably me and my animals.
There are many trainers that say you should only talk to your animals to give them a direct command; ‘Come,’ ‘Sit,’ ‘Break.’ Not me. I go on and on, about the weather, how beautiful the leaves look, whatever comes to mind (I just realized however, I never talk to them about work or the blog). I ask them questions, I sing them songs, and when needed, I actually give them a command to do something. I think they are able to discern the commands from all the other words that I use, but maybe it is my change of tone that makes them pay attention. I enjoy talking to my animals, and truthfully, I think they enjoy it too. No one around the zoo likes it when Mommy is quiet for to long. They tell me it is just unnatural, and they get unnerved.
Do you talk to your animals? Do you think it confuses them? Do you think they like it?
Its very rare that we have windows open these days because the temperature has dropped, so it is a real treat when the day is warm enough and the kitties get to feel the breeze and lie in the sunshine. This was such a day and Nine and Stella were taking full advantage of the moment. This fall has actually been pretty cold (V says I say that every year). We like to have fresh air in the house as long as possible, especially with all the animals indoors, so we open windows whenever we can. There is nothing as nice as an open window, if you are a house cat. >^..^<
My Guinea Pig friends at Hutch A Good Life are so adorable and that got me thinking about our past piggies. We miss them very much. We have been pigless for a few years now.
Mr. Moto (mostly white) and Georgia (brown) had a wonderful life together at the zoo. They had 3 kids, 2 boys (Bubba (aka Mo Jr) and Panda) and their daughter, Checkers. Mo and Georgia started their family very early in life. You see, the pet store where they came from, though Moto was a girl (whom we named Martha) and it was not until Georgia was with child that we learned the differences in the appearance of boy and girl guinea pigs (just think ‘Y’ or ‘i’) and how young they can conceive (3 weeks). Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! (I learned a lot about birthing piggies that year.)
That being said, we had a happy hutch of 5 pigs, with the girls in one cage, the young boys in another, and Mr. Moto by himself (because he just did not like living with the family).
For years, multiple cages took over my kitchen and then the dining room. But it was worth it. They were the sweetest (and funniest) pigs in the universe. The boys were adopted out after about a year, but Checkers stayed with her Mother all her life. Sadly Checkers was the first in this family to pass over at about 4 years; Moto passed in 2009 at about 7 years of age, and Georgia lasted until she was 8. Before that family we had ‘Sam,’ who was a great pig and really started the whole thing, and then during the ‘pig time,’ we took in a rescue named S’more, but he died very shortly after coming to us. We had such fun with them and miss them all. Maybe someday we will have Guinea Pigs again, but right now, the zoo is full (and I am afraid the dogs would eat them). But if you don’t mind, I think a will tell some pig stories over the next few months because they are just so cute.
Making the bed, especially after you have just taken blankets our of the dryer, is just a losing battle at the zoo. You see, there is always one cat, if not 4 or 5, that find a nice pile of clean and warm laundry something irresistible. And a sheet, being tossed across a long expanse of mattress, is just an invitation to jump under it. I guess I should have never dumped the pile of blankets onto the bed to fold. What was I thinking? Maybe if I dropped the pile in some other spot, they would have gone to wherever the pile was, and I could have made the bed. But who really needs a bed with nice clean sheets and blankets anyway, when you can provide hours of happiness to your pets? I guess I will make the bed later, Noel. Enjoy your warm fort.
So the girls and I were out at the school yard running around. I wanted you could see the joy that Louise has when in an open field with no scary other humans or animals to distract her. I tried to capture a moment on video. Then as I was looking at the video, I realized the probably everything I did was reinforcing the wrong things. For example. I call the dogs to me. They start to come but they don’t get all the way there. So I call them again, repeatedly. This is wrong, right? I should be able to call them once, and if they loved me listened to me, they would be right in front of me in a good sit position until I released them. But NOOOOO!, I gave them treats anyway and reinforced the, wishy washy behavior. Then, when I released them, I kept talking.
(Note to Mommy trainer: Stop talking so much because you confuse them. Only treat when they really do what you asked.)
We were having the best run when a boy on an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) came loudly and speedily into the school yard and scared us. Thereby stopping our freedom and also causing Louise to go back into the fearful place. What is an ATV doing in the neighborhood anyway? Are they even allowed in such a populated area? After we regained our composure (Louise on leash), the noisy monster left, we walked home happy and tired. I do hope you like the little Non-Training Video, especially listen to the smacking sound when Sofie takes the cookie.
(Another Note to Mommy trainer: Tired dogs are happy dogs (or something like that). They had fun and that is important.)
The dogs have discovered something interesting under the leaves but I just don’t see it or smell it. They, however, are absolutely, positively, sure that it is the most interesting thing in the yard today and they are just not coming in the house until they have sniffed it, dug it, fought over it (and possibly relieved themselves on it). Maybe it is an invisible stick that only they can see that fell during the Super Storm? Or maybe a fox or other critter made it’s way into the yard and left them a secret scent? Whatever it is, it has them riveted to that spot. “Mine!,” Sofie says, as she tries to position herself so that Louise can’t get to it. “Oh, no you don’t!,” states Louise, by proceeding to grab Sofie by the collar and pull her across the yard (sorry I am not that fast on the camera). I never did find out what was so interesting in that spot to cause such a commotion, but oh well…. they are off hunting other treasure now under the pine trees.
SuperCat, Nine here. I can leap from tall cabinets in a single bound. I can jump higher than any cat ever did before. I like to tight-robe-walk along the shower curtain rod and then fly through the air to land on the sink. I am amazing. I do not understand why the humans and all the other animals in the zoo are always yelling at me. Someone even scratched me on the nose while I wasn’t looking. I will show them. I will be king of this house even if they keep spraying me with that water thing and throwing shoes at me. Mommy keeps telling me to stop beating up on poor old Muffin and anxious Miss Kitty, but I won’t. I will back them into every corner I can to show them who is boss. But I don’t understand why Sofie Bear has to come and nip at me to try and protect them, she isn’t even a cat. I thought she would be on my side. Yesterday even the big black non-cat, Louise, took a nip at me after a big fight in the living room, she usually never gets involved. I have noticed that the boss cat, Noel, now stays real close to Muffin so that I can not get to him. I will find a way. I will use my magic powers of cuteness and make them all understand that I can not help being an adolescent boy cat with a lot to prove in a zoo of animals. The humans put this silly smelly purple color on me that is suppose to calm me down, but I’ll show them. Nothing is going to slow me down from my march to be SuperCat of the zoo. Mommy said something about sending me to a ‘farm’ soon if I don’t clean up my act. What does that mean?
DogDaz Zoo 