The Dino-Aspie Cafe (for Those 40+... or feeling creaky)

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You have a border collie?! cool

I have a pair of dogs that are border collie "mix", but I swear the personality and intellegence is pure border collie. They do need a lot of consistant reinforcement. I read somewhere that they are the Mensa version of the dog world and if you give the same command with two different inflections they try to figure out what you meant by the second inflection.

They are both very intellegent. The younger one, Rascal, can open doors by himself... now if only I could teach him to close them behind him....

I have a friend who thinks I'm hard on my dogs but is amazed when they come when called and why they don't jump on me but will jump on him (still working on getting them to accept the dominance of someone who doesn't want to be dominant...)

Which training philosophy do you feel is more effective?

Mary

Hi, roaringmouse! It is very nice to meet another person who knows the mind of the border collie. I have to use a method that is not normal for most border collies. We tried using treat oriented training, and using the dogs natural desire to please but neither of these methods work for him. He is smart and learns commands after about the third time he is told. He has mastered all basic training and is now learning commands such as crawl, head down (he learned that one after showing him once). He knows the names of his toys and fetches them on command and he knows family members by name and fetches us. He is also learning to get laundry from the kids rooms and drag it to the top of the stairs for me. He is amazing. He is learning how to be an emotional support dog for my 13 year old son with AS so he has had to learn the commands to perfection. He knows that work comes before play.
The problem we have is that he was abused by the family on the farm where I got him when he was 10 weeks old. I found out he had had a broken leg before we got him and he was afraid of everything. That developed a very stubborn streak in him and he also learned how to be submissive-aggressive. He learned that if he didn't want to do what the other dogs wanted him to do ( there were many, many dogs there) that he could roll on his back with one leg in the air and pee on himself and the others would leave him alone. Unfortunately, he translated this into, " If I act submissive and pee on myself, they will leave me alone and I won't have to do what I am told. It makes for some interesting grooming sessions.
When he is around other dogs or people he doesn't want to listen to, they have to be downright nasty to get him to listen to them. He pulls the aggressive dog act and will not listen. He does it with me every now and then and I actually have to be physically aggressive. The behaviourist at the vets office taught me how to treat him like other dogs would. I am not good at that and I don't like to do it but I know if I let him get away with his behaviour, he will be a dog that nobody will be able to handle. He is a challenge, but we love him. And he is only 1 year old after all.

I wish I could train my kids to close doors. I'd be willing to bet that Rascal will learn that before them.


We are also bringing home a little 8 week old puppy for my little girl on Tuesday. That should prove really interesting! Four kids and 2 dogs! And an AS husband who likes to hide!! I see visions of straight jackets in my future.

Is he a fear biter? I was in with a pro group of trainers for a while. Did the basic AKC training but took it further with a german method called Schutzhund. It was hard to find a judge and funny how traditions held over, they were piad in local cheese and wine. It is just really a custom hold over, he was really paid to come down from Canada. Back then we had 2 dogs in training Giant Schnauzer, herd and cart dog (Elsa), her lineage was pretty much all German, she wasn't an inbreed American worthless piece of pretty. Red Dobie, (Greta), again not the snakey headed inbreed American version. Mostly haven't had much of a problem with Ike, English Mastiff, but god help me if I need to put him in an Alpha role, he'd hurt me trying it, just because he's so damn big, lol. The 2 Dachshunds, (Lucy and Henry) I won't even go there, those are the wifes and lord help me if I step in between them and her.

No, he is not a biter. He has snapped at a few bigger dogs but didn't bite them. He seems to lose brains cells as soon as a larger dog comes around. One day he is going to get his arse kicked.

My mom has a little shetland sheepdog named Peaches. She is a little 12 year old arthritic lady. Shelties have a LOT of dignity. She came here two weekends ago to be dog-sat. Pongo decided that he would jump all over her (he is neutered) and wouldn't leave her alone. I heard a loud pain -filled yelp from the back yard and 60 lb. Pongo was hiding by the back door while 17 lb. Peaches went for a sniff around the yard. She had shown him who the boss is and he followed a foot behind her for the rest of the weekend.
Pongo is an interesting mix alternating between aggressiveness and submission. He reminds me of the little jerk you see on movies that goes around acting like a jack ass until eventually some bigger guy gets mad and wants to kick the crap out of him. The little guy gets all whiny and submissive to try to save his arse. It is truly annoying. But I guess that is what happens when a dog is beaten and he is doing very well considering.

I saw your dog on the picture thread. He looks as laid back as his owner. You make a good pair. Have your wife's dogs ever tried to prevent you from being in the same area as her? I always think that is funny! The little West Highland Terrier I had when I was married to my first husband wouldn't let him come in the house unless I told him it was okay. I should have listened to the dog.
The little stinker was also an excellent mouser and loved to bring his catches in to give to me. I miss the little monster!

Ike still has a lot of pup in him and has yet to fill out *sigh* The wifes dogs, well the 2 now will except me with no touble, very fond of me. However, lol, we had a male wire hair Dachshund, Louie, that sob bit me every night I would go to get in the same bed with her. He didn't bite hard, but it was him telling me to stay away from his woman. I actually thought it was kind of funny, but I'm wierd like that. If The Wife and I are fooling around with touchy stuff, it makes all the dogs very nervous, Ike will try and get between us. Raising our voices at each other does it too. That one isn't good for any of us. I'm somewhere below her kids (grown) and the dogs here, on the pecking order, I suspect I may be below the cats by now. Yeah there is order around here amd I know where my spot is.

well, I couldn't admit this to anyone else
but after miles of pacing the neighborhood meowing like a fool, riding my car up and down the other streets before work. . I came home ready to face the music. . and my hopes were dashed when I saw the food hadn't been touched. I meowed in anguish


and got a meow back

the little igit had been snoozing in the closet. . way back in the back, I guess the thunder and lightening and torrential downpour we had yesterday when I was at work was enough to push him way way back, ( I still don't know why I didn't see him last night) but anyway when I came home tonight and meowed he was RIP ROARING to get out of the closet, let me tell you!
He had brought down a LOT of clothing with all of that but the little fellow didn't poop or pee, and once I gave him a good hug and laugh, he scrambled for the kitty litter!

Bless him and bless you too Lauri. . thank you Alan,
I love you all. . .

Merle

Yay! I'll bet you spent the whole day worried sick. But he was home and is safe!

This happened with my daughter. I told her I would pick her up from school at 12:10 when her friends went in for lunch at school. She was coming home and they get out at 11:30 but I figured she would like to play before I picked her up. I got to the school and there was no sign of her. We all looked for her. I ran the block and a half home pushing a double stroller with two 2 year olds. I was yelling her name, the little girls were yelling something like her name. It was a sight. I got home and the front door was open and there was my little girl. I gave her a hug and told her I was scared that she was lost. With her most impatient voice she said, " You were the one that was lost. I knew you would be home eventuawwy." She even made herself a frozen toaster pancake in case I didn't come home in time for lunch.
She had come home at the bell and gone in the backyard to visit Pongo (dog). They were playing on the swing. The yard is huge and she didn't tell me she was here. I left and she was at home in the yard.
I didn't know whether to hug her or yell at her. So I hugged her and yelled quietly.

Merle,phew!Glad he's safe and sound.I panic when I can't find the cats,here.They are exclusively indoor,and I still do head-counts when I leave and return.

Glad your kitty is okay, Merle. My cat panicked me like that, shortly after I had moved into a new place. Somehow, she sneaked past me when I opened the back door, and when I couldn't find her, I really freaked! I went calling her name all over, outside, around the block, etc. Some workmen asked me what I was doing, and I said looking for my lost cat. One of them pointed at the strays that hang around, and said, "there's one." What an idiot! As if I should just take any cat in, and forget about mine. Finally, she came bursting from underneath the house, filthy and groggy. Apparently, the feral cats had run her under there, and she'd taken a nap.

I just brushed my kitty and gave him his vitamin Bs and a little catnip. I also took the push pins I bought to put up the LOST flyer's I made at work and just picked a folder from my magic filing cabinet and started to pin up a picture here, a document from school there, and have connected from college graduation in Oregon to living in New York and then living in Sioux City. I am pinning them up in Freytag's Triangle looking to concentrate on the effects and downplay the causes in the beginning. . .building steadily to the climax and then a rapid denouement.

Just writing that makes me see that is just how a man makes love. well, anyway. . I have made love to men that did it just that way, too. I wonder if Freytag makes ( or made) love that way, it's a cinch that Aristotle did! he he they must have, because I like a story to start easily, and even playfully then build to several variable peaks with a crescendoing into a rhapsody \then maybe a mutual shower and hot chocolate with 'nilla wafers in thick terrycloth robes with a bit of cuddling .

well, this is interesting, this writing stuff!
I had no idea!

Merle

Geeeze, I dunno about Freytag. You think this guy figured out how to reproduce? With a last name like that, he already had one strike agin em.
Aristotle, he kind of looks clueless too.

Well I suppose reproduction is a two way street, the act itself can or can't be. I just find it interesting the word act can be used very well when talking about love making. If I'm thinking about the word act when doing this act, nothing would get done to complete the act. Now that was a confusing ramble. I don't multitask in other words.

What's with triangles all of a sudden? Get out of my brain woman. I thought I told you it's scary and scarred in here. Put one up last night. I had noticed a triangle obsession else where and decided to strike back. But they won't get it, mostly because they're afraid of my site to begin with. Bahahaha!!

Thank Alan? Assuming I am this spoken of person, I will anyway. Hell I put him in the closet to begin with. It was long time past, he should come out of the closet. You've just been too busy pimping him up to notice the difference yet.

Seriously glad he's "back". The Wife and I were discussing tactics on how to find him. The Wife had one that tracked back to her old home. Personaly I was glad she had moved, dispite the cats obvious malfunction with said move. I did miss the ride back into the house, it was over an old tractor road through the fields. I suspect it had been a horse trail before then. The thoughts of snakes (rattle type) in the walls sort of kept me awake at night, well sometimes. We were younger and the freshness of love lust, well, don't need to go any further with that, unless egged on and that would take less then a dozen.

yep! both of them look like the 'wham bam, thank you, ma'am' sorta guys!

gonna write me an Asperger's book. . to be read by Aspies for their pleasure. Maybe start with a collection of memoirs like "Leatherstocking Tales" or "All Creatures Great and Small"

Merle

If the Dino-Aspie Cafe had a real life counterpart, what would it be?
I'm thinking of Geezers at the Grey Beards Antique emporium in Jacobus,
Pennsylvania a few miles south of where I live.

Yes, of course I do. Didn't like the song at first but got into it after about 3 or 4 listens. Do you remember "Nice Legs Shame About The Face" by Dave & The Derros? That song was a real scream.

... and "Death to Disco" - lol

Can't find Dave and the Derros, but here is a pommy cover
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPF5EuqEcyw[/youtube]

Kevin Trudeau (several books, website naturalcures.com) addresses this and other issues, like what's wrong with American health care... I have his book "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About" and he explains how Big Food, Health and Pharma exploit us (with government complicity) because It's All About The Money. This may seem like lurid conspiracy theory stuff until you look into it.