lizblackdog (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lizblackdog) wrote2006-11-03 09:47 pm
lizblackdog) wrote2006-11-03 09:47 pm
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A bit of a mind flip
So I'm chopping vegetables in the kitchen, surrounded by a ring of hopeful cats, and the Time Warp comes up on the playlist shuffle.
So then I'm singing along and dancing with the cats, as you do, and Naamah and I were just doing the pelvic thrust bit, and I glance up. And I see Squish staring at me, head cocked to one side, with the biggest WTF??? you ever saw in a thought bubble over him. It's a good thing he hasn't got opposable thumbs or he'd probably be ringing for the men in white coats as we speak.
Fireworks are moderately bad tonight, but Spike is doing a lot better than last year. I've dosed him with Rescue Remedy, and every time I go to the bathroom he pops in to be massaged and stroked, and he's had a really good brushing which soothed him a lot. In previous years I've spent a lot more time holding and stroking him, and I think it may have been counterproductive. The cats make a huge difference, too, especially since the worst of the banging happens at prime cat zoomie time. I may rethink my plan of taking them to Mum's tomorrow. There's less noise and better soundproofing there, and he does find his Granny very soothing, but I'm thinking the cat distraction factor may just outweigh that.
Note to self: find them something new, cool and zoomie-inducing to play with tomorrow.
So then I'm singing along and dancing with the cats, as you do, and Naamah and I were just doing the pelvic thrust bit, and I glance up. And I see Squish staring at me, head cocked to one side, with the biggest WTF??? you ever saw in a thought bubble over him. It's a good thing he hasn't got opposable thumbs or he'd probably be ringing for the men in white coats as we speak.
Fireworks are moderately bad tonight, but Spike is doing a lot better than last year. I've dosed him with Rescue Remedy, and every time I go to the bathroom he pops in to be massaged and stroked, and he's had a really good brushing which soothed him a lot. In previous years I've spent a lot more time holding and stroking him, and I think it may have been counterproductive. The cats make a huge difference, too, especially since the worst of the banging happens at prime cat zoomie time. I may rethink my plan of taking them to Mum's tomorrow. There's less noise and better soundproofing there, and he does find his Granny very soothing, but I'm thinking the cat distraction factor may just outweigh that.
Note to self: find them something new, cool and zoomie-inducing to play with tomorrow.
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yes, petting and stroking a freaking dog is counter productive. It tells the dog "Good dog, this is excactly what I want you to do, very good!" Hence the reason so many dogs flip out at the vet.
Best deal is to stuff him with lemonpoppyseed muffins and be cool about it. When he freaks, just go "Dude, chill" and go back to whatever you were doing. When he's calm, tell him what a good boy he is.
.........'freak' and 'calm' being totally relative terms, btw.
Also, be happy to hear the fireworks and get all happy-excited and give cookies when things go pop -- then he'll be WANTING more pops, cause they mean more COOKIES.
etc, etc, etc.........
..........sorry if advice is just a little disjointed. Cold meds make my head go sideways.
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lemonpoppyseed muffins? that's a new one on me!
i know about the reinforcing thing - I tried to avoid that, I'd just hold him and be very matter of fact about it, and tell him NO when he burst out barking. But it's hard not to hug a scared dog that climbs in your lap and wedges his head in your armpit, you know?
the cats have been SUCH a help. I'm so glad I have them! And I'm glad I remembered to brush him. That's a relaxy soothey thing to do and I think that helped.
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I admit most cats probably wouldn't. But Naamah is very people-oriented, still a playful kitten and batshit insane by nature, so she did.
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*giggles* Good description. Tetrapod's been in bat-out-of-hell mode all weekend.
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*thinks*
Guy Fawkes?
*is distracted for a minute over that's probably whom Fawkes the phoenix from Harry Potter was named after* *which is vaguely amusing*
The uphill neighbors set a firework off. I opened my window to watch it when I heard the first concussion. Mom called me downstairs in a panic because she thought someone was shooting a shotgun.
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Good thing people mostly don't have guns here.
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