July 11, 2016
I have a MOUNTAIN of work to do. To do, there is:
- laundry
- dish mountain
- dress-up box sorting
- kid memory box sorting
- camping list making
- grocery shopping
- dinner making
- bed making (I am washing all beds and making up spare beds)
The mountain is so big, I can hardly find the energy to get started. But if I don't start, I'll NEVER get done! So here are a few strategies I use to chip away at the work:
- start with something small and manageable (like laundry sorting)
- start a job and don't think about how big it is (this worked for the dress-up box sorting)
- once a job is done, give yourself a little reward before moving on (like sorting Lego to find missing pieces)
- lump jobs together into units (like load the laundry, bring the kids to the movie, and grocery shop)
- play a pod-cast while you do the no-fun work (like dish mountain)
- cut up a big job into smaller pieces (like kid memory box sorting)
Before you know it, you will be well on your way to getting all your work done. So far I have:
- done (most of) the laundry
- finished sorting out the dress-up box
- grocery shopping
- half of dish mountain
- started kid memory box sorting
- made 1 bed completely and washed 2 more
Now I am doing what I do best: time wasting. I will stop writing my blog and work on Dish Mountain part II. Happy working!
~mom
Monday, July 11, 2016
Thursday, July 7, 2016
I Must!
July 7, 2016
I need to run. Yes, I have been doing my Daily Mile all summer but that changes nothing. I need to run. Far.
I am trying to remember that this month, I am working on NOT running. I am working on becoming STRONG. I am doing my Daily Mile and my Daily Strength Routine. It is a pain in the butt. Seriously. My butt is hurting..
I hope that all the hard work I am doing now is going to help me like crazy this fall. Yes, I've just set a personal best in the half-marathon distance. But that doesn't mean I'll be jogging from now on. I'm still curious about how fast I can be. I just need a little bit of rest before I start working hard again. Rest. The hardest part of achieving my goals. Speaking of rest, the clock reads 11:10pm. Maybe I should go to bed??
~mom
I need to run. Yes, I have been doing my Daily Mile all summer but that changes nothing. I need to run. Far.
I am trying to remember that this month, I am working on NOT running. I am working on becoming STRONG. I am doing my Daily Mile and my Daily Strength Routine. It is a pain in the butt. Seriously. My butt is hurting..
I hope that all the hard work I am doing now is going to help me like crazy this fall. Yes, I've just set a personal best in the half-marathon distance. But that doesn't mean I'll be jogging from now on. I'm still curious about how fast I can be. I just need a little bit of rest before I start working hard again. Rest. The hardest part of achieving my goals. Speaking of rest, the clock reads 11:10pm. Maybe I should go to bed??
~mom
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Hello Summer!
Right. So it's summer again. School is out (cue the crying) and the kids are home. What will we do? How will we survive? Two months is a long, long time...
~mom
Thursday, February 4, 2016
The Inexperienced Puppy-Owner's Guide to Getting a Puppy
04 February 2016
So we decided to get a puppy. Our very first puppy. Our very first dog. Period. It'll be great, right? Puppy snuggles and super-cuteness that grows into a calm, fun-loving, delightful companion. Right?
Right?
Not exactly..
This is the story of what getting a puppy is like when you've NEVER had a dog before. EVER. Today I'll start with a few myths that have been quickly dispelled..
MYTH #1: Puppies are soft and cuddly
Yes. Yes, they are. But they come with razor-sharp teeth and claws. When you pet them, they will nip at you, bite you, and jump all over you. Remember NEVER to wear good clothes around your puppy because your puppy will bite holes in them and put mud and dirt all over them. Your puppy might not be too keen to be cuddled. My puppy gets very nippy during cuddle sessions. NOT fun! And accessories? Forget about it! Dangling necklaces and ear rings are potentials for real disaster!
MYTH #2: My friend has a puppy that never had an accident in the house
This friend is a liar. Or has selective memory. Or is just dog-gone lucky Puppies do NOT come house broken. They will PEE and POOP all over whatever space you allow them into. Think carefully - do you want that puppy on your rug? No? Make sure your puppy NEVER has access to the rug. Once your puppy PEES on your rug, he will happily PEE there again. You think you can watch them like a hawk and catch them before they have an accident. You can try, but even hawks have to blink every once in a while..
MYTH #3: Puppies sleep a lot
Okay - that's kind of true. But when they are awake, they are AWAKE. And you will get NOTHING done. That's because your puppy will suck every minute of your time. If you are not paying attention to your puppy, your puppy will start to bark/bite/jump/pee/poop to force to you pay attention to him. Sure, eventually your puppy will be tired. After you've taken him to potty, walked him, played with him, fed him, tried to teach him not to jump on you, taken him to potty again, walked him some more, cleaned him up after he got himself all muddy, rescued your shoes/books/computer cord/newspaper/jacket/leash from his mouth, played with him, fed him.. You can put him in his crate and finally have a few moments to go to the bathroom, get yourself a snack, and just like that - he'll be awake and need to be taken out for a potty break and it all starts again..
MYTH #4: Puppies love kids
How about "Puppies love TO JUMP ALL OVER kids"? That's what my puppy likes to do. And nip at them. Endlessly. My puppy completely disrespects my kids. He eats their pants/shirt/shoe laces. He listens selectively to them (he'll do a nice "sit" ONLY if the kids have a treat AND he happens to feel like it). Mostly, he just likes to jump all over them. How do you teach puppies to respect kids? If only I knew..
MYTH #5: Reward-based training is the best way to curb unwanted puppy behaviour
You want your puppy not to jump up? Ignore him when he jumps and reward the heck out of "4 paws on the ground". Soon, he won't want to jump since he is only rewarded when he *doesn't* jump. It's a great theory. We've been working hard on it. Every day. The problem is, you can reward the heck out of him for 4 paws on the ground. But the next thing you know, puppy has been rewarded with his entire breakfast and you now have nothing to reward him with. What happens? Puppy jumps up. So you turn and ignore him. What does he do? He pees on your floor..
MYTH #6: You need to teach puppies to use a "soft mouth"
Right. When my puppy has that wild, crazy look on his face and his teeth are snapping left, right, and centre, I'm keeping my hands the heck out of the way. Actually, I'm keeping my whole self away. Crazy dog! Trying to teach a "soft mouth" involves actually letting him bite you. And guess what? that HURTS! I'm trying to teach my puppy not to bite at all. When I finally figure out how to do that, I'll let you know. For now, the daily chomp-fest continues..
MYTH #7: You need patience and a sense of humour
Patience is a virtue. Your puppy will test that virtue again and again and again and again.. Just like that, you'll find your sense of humour flying out the window. Never mind patience and a sense of humour. What you need is a good support group!
MYTH #8: Enjoy the puppy phase - it passes far too quickly
Before I got my puppy, I dreamed of a companion. With whom I share a mutual love and respect. To have fun with. To relax with. To hang out with. To run with. To have fun with. Where is this animal? And does he really live somewhere inside my puppy?? One day when I'm saying this to someone else, please remind me that puppies are A LOT of work. That they destroy your stuff. They test your patience. And right now, that puppy phase can't pass quickly enough..
MYTH #9: Spray Bitter Apple on anything you don't want your puppy to chew
It's true - my puppy HATES Bitter Apple spray. It has worked great on baseboards, table legs and chairs. But you can empty an entire bottle of Bitter Apple spray but he will NOT stop eating your shoes!
MYTH #10: Having a puppy is like having a baby
I had a couple of babies. That was hard. Having a puppy is hard too. Both puppies and babies throw your life upside down. But here's the thing: you have a certain amount of natural instinct when it comes to raising your offspring. With a dog, all your instincts are WRONG. Your puppy does NOT appreciate being patted on the head (that's a sure way to get him to nip at you). When he is scared, you do NOT want to cuddle him because otherwise, he'll be EVEN MORE SCARED next time. When he jumps on you, do NOT force him forward with your knee/take a step backward/say "down"/react in any way because you are reinforcing his behaviour with your reaction. But if you do nothing, you are telling the dog that he is welcome to invade your space whenever he feels like it. Books - could you please agree on how to MAKE THIS PUPPY STOP JUMPING? I digress. Do NOT rely on your instincts.
The long and short of it is - having a puppy in your life means saying "goodbye" to the life you once knew. You are now the proud owner of a destructive creature with no impulse control. Puppies are HARD!
So we decided to get a puppy. Our very first puppy. Our very first dog. Period. It'll be great, right? Puppy snuggles and super-cuteness that grows into a calm, fun-loving, delightful companion. Right?
Right?
Not exactly..
This is the story of what getting a puppy is like when you've NEVER had a dog before. EVER. Today I'll start with a few myths that have been quickly dispelled..
MYTH #1: Puppies are soft and cuddly
Yes. Yes, they are. But they come with razor-sharp teeth and claws. When you pet them, they will nip at you, bite you, and jump all over you. Remember NEVER to wear good clothes around your puppy because your puppy will bite holes in them and put mud and dirt all over them. Your puppy might not be too keen to be cuddled. My puppy gets very nippy during cuddle sessions. NOT fun! And accessories? Forget about it! Dangling necklaces and ear rings are potentials for real disaster!
MYTH #2: My friend has a puppy that never had an accident in the house
This friend is a liar. Or has selective memory. Or is just dog-gone lucky Puppies do NOT come house broken. They will PEE and POOP all over whatever space you allow them into. Think carefully - do you want that puppy on your rug? No? Make sure your puppy NEVER has access to the rug. Once your puppy PEES on your rug, he will happily PEE there again. You think you can watch them like a hawk and catch them before they have an accident. You can try, but even hawks have to blink every once in a while..
MYTH #3: Puppies sleep a lot
Okay - that's kind of true. But when they are awake, they are AWAKE. And you will get NOTHING done. That's because your puppy will suck every minute of your time. If you are not paying attention to your puppy, your puppy will start to bark/bite/jump/pee/poop to force to you pay attention to him. Sure, eventually your puppy will be tired. After you've taken him to potty, walked him, played with him, fed him, tried to teach him not to jump on you, taken him to potty again, walked him some more, cleaned him up after he got himself all muddy, rescued your shoes/books/computer cord/newspaper/jacket/leash from his mouth, played with him, fed him.. You can put him in his crate and finally have a few moments to go to the bathroom, get yourself a snack, and just like that - he'll be awake and need to be taken out for a potty break and it all starts again..
MYTH #4: Puppies love kids
How about "Puppies love TO JUMP ALL OVER kids"? That's what my puppy likes to do. And nip at them. Endlessly. My puppy completely disrespects my kids. He eats their pants/shirt/shoe laces. He listens selectively to them (he'll do a nice "sit" ONLY if the kids have a treat AND he happens to feel like it). Mostly, he just likes to jump all over them. How do you teach puppies to respect kids? If only I knew..
MYTH #5: Reward-based training is the best way to curb unwanted puppy behaviour
You want your puppy not to jump up? Ignore him when he jumps and reward the heck out of "4 paws on the ground". Soon, he won't want to jump since he is only rewarded when he *doesn't* jump. It's a great theory. We've been working hard on it. Every day. The problem is, you can reward the heck out of him for 4 paws on the ground. But the next thing you know, puppy has been rewarded with his entire breakfast and you now have nothing to reward him with. What happens? Puppy jumps up. So you turn and ignore him. What does he do? He pees on your floor..
MYTH #6: You need to teach puppies to use a "soft mouth"
Right. When my puppy has that wild, crazy look on his face and his teeth are snapping left, right, and centre, I'm keeping my hands the heck out of the way. Actually, I'm keeping my whole self away. Crazy dog! Trying to teach a "soft mouth" involves actually letting him bite you. And guess what? that HURTS! I'm trying to teach my puppy not to bite at all. When I finally figure out how to do that, I'll let you know. For now, the daily chomp-fest continues..
MYTH #7: You need patience and a sense of humour
Patience is a virtue. Your puppy will test that virtue again and again and again and again.. Just like that, you'll find your sense of humour flying out the window. Never mind patience and a sense of humour. What you need is a good support group!
MYTH #8: Enjoy the puppy phase - it passes far too quickly
Before I got my puppy, I dreamed of a companion. With whom I share a mutual love and respect. To have fun with. To relax with. To hang out with. To run with. To have fun with. Where is this animal? And does he really live somewhere inside my puppy?? One day when I'm saying this to someone else, please remind me that puppies are A LOT of work. That they destroy your stuff. They test your patience. And right now, that puppy phase can't pass quickly enough..
MYTH #9: Spray Bitter Apple on anything you don't want your puppy to chew
It's true - my puppy HATES Bitter Apple spray. It has worked great on baseboards, table legs and chairs. But you can empty an entire bottle of Bitter Apple spray but he will NOT stop eating your shoes!
MYTH #10: Having a puppy is like having a baby
I had a couple of babies. That was hard. Having a puppy is hard too. Both puppies and babies throw your life upside down. But here's the thing: you have a certain amount of natural instinct when it comes to raising your offspring. With a dog, all your instincts are WRONG. Your puppy does NOT appreciate being patted on the head (that's a sure way to get him to nip at you). When he is scared, you do NOT want to cuddle him because otherwise, he'll be EVEN MORE SCARED next time. When he jumps on you, do NOT force him forward with your knee/take a step backward/say "down"/react in any way because you are reinforcing his behaviour with your reaction. But if you do nothing, you are telling the dog that he is welcome to invade your space whenever he feels like it. Books - could you please agree on how to MAKE THIS PUPPY STOP JUMPING? I digress. Do NOT rely on your instincts.
The long and short of it is - having a puppy in your life means saying "goodbye" to the life you once knew. You are now the proud owner of a destructive creature with no impulse control. Puppies are HARD!
Sunday, January 31, 2016
So this is puppyhood..
Jan 31, 2016
They're so CUTE - right? Little fur balls with bright eyes and wagging tails. So much FUN! And it is. Somewhat. But there is definitely another side of puppy-hood that is far more challenging..
Puppies need to pee and poop A LOT. We take our puppy outside and he happily pees. Pooping, however, is NOT his favourite. We can never reward him for pooping because:
1. He will get super anxious and aggressive before he poops. However, this behaviour looks EXACTLY THE SAME as playful puppy. The next thing you know, he is squatting and doing his thing in the house. That's NOT going to get a reward..
2. He seems to be embarrassed about pooping. When outside, he won't look at you while he does his business. He will often interrupt himself from pooping and doesn't finish the job. You can't reward him for the little bit he pooped because he is busy running away..
3. If you try to reward him in any way WHILE he is doing his business, he will STOP doing his business and run off in the opposite direction. This just means he will poop AGAIN - possibly once he gets in the house!
We've given up trying to reward "good pooping" - it's just not working!
On the other hand, puppy will pee quite happily on demand and loves getting treats for when he is done. Great - right? Mostly, it IS great. However, there are a few pee pitfalls:
1. He doesn't pee everything out. That means even if he has just peed, he might pee again once he is in the house.
2. For a while, we would take him outside as soon as he peed in the house. Suddenly, the number of pee accidents increased A LOT. I'm not sure if he has figured out that when he wants a treat, he pees on the floor, gets taken outside where he can pee again, and then get rewarded with a treat!
3. He seems to have more pee accidents in the evening. I don't know if it happens because he is tired. I'm wondering if in the evening, he needs to spend more time in his crate to break this little habit of peeing in the house multiple times every evening..
Puppy LOVES to play. Fantastic, right? WRONG! One moment, you are playing with puppy and the next moment, he BITES you. NOT FUN! We've tried lots of things to try to keep him from nipping and biting:
1. Redirecting (giving him a chew toy to bite on) - this works sometimes, but not very reliably. He might start chewing on the chew toy and suddenly lunge for your hands..
2. Rewarding for settling down - this works a little bit. He LOVES the clicker and will calm himself quite well while you still have treats. Then he curls up in your lap and you think - great, I've done it! Just then, he lunges for your shirt..
3. "NO!" - this is what I've been told not to do. How can you help yourself, though? He is nipping, biting, lunging - all with a crazy look in his eyes. He does seem to know that "NO" means "your current behaviour is unacceptable". However, a moment later, he goes right back to what he was doing and your shirt (or pants) are right back in his mouth..
4. Ignoring - this NEVER works. You just end up with holes in your shirt..
5. Time-out (i.e. jumping out of the playpen) - works GREAT! Every time! However, the moment you enter the play pen again and re-engage, he goes straight back to the nipping and biting.
AAUURRGGHH!!!
Today, he managed to put his most challenging behaviours together. He nipped and bit. I redirected him, I ignored him, I "good dog"ed him when he quit, I played with appropriate toys with him, and yet he STILL decided I (and my clothes) was a way better play-toy than anything else. Things escalated until he jumped up and bit me in the face. OUCH! I wasn't seriously hurt, but it was extremely frightening and DEFINITELY hurt my feelings. I jumped out of the play pen super-fast. As soon as my back was turned, he pooped all over the kitchen floor..
...Does anyone want a puppy??
They're so CUTE - right? Little fur balls with bright eyes and wagging tails. So much FUN! And it is. Somewhat. But there is definitely another side of puppy-hood that is far more challenging..
Puppies need to pee and poop A LOT. We take our puppy outside and he happily pees. Pooping, however, is NOT his favourite. We can never reward him for pooping because:
1. He will get super anxious and aggressive before he poops. However, this behaviour looks EXACTLY THE SAME as playful puppy. The next thing you know, he is squatting and doing his thing in the house. That's NOT going to get a reward..
2. He seems to be embarrassed about pooping. When outside, he won't look at you while he does his business. He will often interrupt himself from pooping and doesn't finish the job. You can't reward him for the little bit he pooped because he is busy running away..
3. If you try to reward him in any way WHILE he is doing his business, he will STOP doing his business and run off in the opposite direction. This just means he will poop AGAIN - possibly once he gets in the house!
We've given up trying to reward "good pooping" - it's just not working!
On the other hand, puppy will pee quite happily on demand and loves getting treats for when he is done. Great - right? Mostly, it IS great. However, there are a few pee pitfalls:
1. He doesn't pee everything out. That means even if he has just peed, he might pee again once he is in the house.
2. For a while, we would take him outside as soon as he peed in the house. Suddenly, the number of pee accidents increased A LOT. I'm not sure if he has figured out that when he wants a treat, he pees on the floor, gets taken outside where he can pee again, and then get rewarded with a treat!
3. He seems to have more pee accidents in the evening. I don't know if it happens because he is tired. I'm wondering if in the evening, he needs to spend more time in his crate to break this little habit of peeing in the house multiple times every evening..
Puppy LOVES to play. Fantastic, right? WRONG! One moment, you are playing with puppy and the next moment, he BITES you. NOT FUN! We've tried lots of things to try to keep him from nipping and biting:
1. Redirecting (giving him a chew toy to bite on) - this works sometimes, but not very reliably. He might start chewing on the chew toy and suddenly lunge for your hands..
2. Rewarding for settling down - this works a little bit. He LOVES the clicker and will calm himself quite well while you still have treats. Then he curls up in your lap and you think - great, I've done it! Just then, he lunges for your shirt..
3. "NO!" - this is what I've been told not to do. How can you help yourself, though? He is nipping, biting, lunging - all with a crazy look in his eyes. He does seem to know that "NO" means "your current behaviour is unacceptable". However, a moment later, he goes right back to what he was doing and your shirt (or pants) are right back in his mouth..
4. Ignoring - this NEVER works. You just end up with holes in your shirt..
5. Time-out (i.e. jumping out of the playpen) - works GREAT! Every time! However, the moment you enter the play pen again and re-engage, he goes straight back to the nipping and biting.
AAUURRGGHH!!!
Today, he managed to put his most challenging behaviours together. He nipped and bit. I redirected him, I ignored him, I "good dog"ed him when he quit, I played with appropriate toys with him, and yet he STILL decided I (and my clothes) was a way better play-toy than anything else. Things escalated until he jumped up and bit me in the face. OUCH! I wasn't seriously hurt, but it was extremely frightening and DEFINITELY hurt my feelings. I jumped out of the play pen super-fast. As soon as my back was turned, he pooped all over the kitchen floor..
...Does anyone want a puppy??
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)