tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7638303310879678681.post7147531828062177135..comments2023-11-30T00:16:16.796-08:00Comments on With My Dogs By My Side: Dogs with issues, and high aspirations.Briannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13912537536873172352noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7638303310879678681.post-21424992027951255562011-11-18T07:55:41.279-08:002011-11-18T07:55:41.279-08:00It is at times - we try to take them out individua...It is at times - we try to take them out individually, in pairs, and occasionally all together. Today Piper and Violet are going to the dog park, Dewey's still too little. We took Piper and Dewey to Eric's grandparents' to visit, and yep, Violet's sad eyes as we left made me feel terrible. Your dogs are adorable, by the way!Briannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13912537536873172352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7638303310879678681.post-59058142804951793522011-11-16T22:17:43.327-08:002011-11-16T22:17:43.327-08:00Sounds like a handful to bring all your dogs out a...Sounds like a handful to bring all your dogs out at the same time. I find it can be strangely relaxing to just do something with one dog- though I normally end up feeling guilty about leaving the other one home.K-Koirahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933780350863090595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7638303310879678681.post-85367949380229952452011-11-16T18:49:18.529-08:002011-11-16T18:49:18.529-08:00No need to feel dumb, Lorelei - I live in a very d...No need to feel dumb, Lorelei - I live in a very dog-oriented household and have become so accustomed to dog-related shorthand being thrown around the dinner table that I tend to forget to explain. GSD is German Shepherd Dog - Piper's breed. CGC is Canine Good Citizen certification - it's basically a test of a dog's manners, training, and temperament using things like accepting a friendly stranger, being handled while away from her owner, walking calmly by her owner's side, etc. The Gentle Leader is indeed the strap on her nose. It's a head halter that can be useful with dogs with reactivity issues among others, which brings us back to reactivity. I did a quick google search to give you an accurate/complete answer, and the word can have a few different meanings. In this instance it involves how quick Piper is to "react" to stimuli, for example if she were walking on a leash and another dog invaded what she considered to be her personal bubble, she might snap or even lunge. (She's improved tremendously in this but that's the sort of behavior she's inclined toward that we're working so hard to eliminate.) Someone on a dog forum put it like this:<br /><br />"I always thought it meant the dog was going into automode-- the behavior automatically gets triggered by whatever the stimulus is (a 'reaction'), without the dog's brain getting involved or the dog choosing to behave in any particular way; dog is out of his own control, he's operating at a very basic stimulus= response level."<br /><br />Thank you for asking! :)Briannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13912537536873172352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7638303310879678681.post-61889625100726589512011-11-16T16:07:40.471-08:002011-11-16T16:07:40.471-08:00I feel dumb asking, but what is GSD and what is CG...I feel dumb asking, but what is GSD and what is CGC? I assume "Gentle Leader" refers to the little strap Piper is wearing around her snout? Reactivity refers to their over-reacting to stimuli...or?Loreleihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17878142989366048792noreply@blogger.com