|
|
Read the heart warming story of Lucy as she changed forever the lives of all of the Keesling family. The story is a feature column written by Hoofprints owner, Gina Keesling, as she recognizes animals that we've known and loved. You can find Jack Russell artprints and other dog related items at www.hoofprints.com.
|
"Doggy Time-Out"
|
Lucy - Jack Russell Terrier
Joined the Keesling Family, May 2003
We had never had a small dog before. Rob's allergies did not permit us to have even outside cats - and we were overrun with mice in the barns and moles in the yard. It seemed like a brilliant idea - get a dog the size of a cat - to take care of the rodent problem. We already had multiple dogs - but how much trouble could one more (a small one) be??? (ha ha)
Obviously we had never owned a terrier before. Lucy proved to be about the meanest puppy I had ever encountered. She immediately earned the nickname "Lucy-fer", and "Jack Russell Terror". She didn't care who it was, or how big it was, if something annoyed her - she proceeded to kick it's butt. We, as her alleged "masters" were not even exempt from this policy. Since it didn't seem right to spank a puppy who was so excruciatingly cute, and no bigger than your hand anyway, Rob devised a system of just holding this snarling little dervish aloft - where she could reach nothing to bite - until she settled down. Sort of a doggy time-out.
Eventually, she did concede that we were somewhat in charge, especially since we were the ones who provided the food. We never could do much to defend the other dogs - who to this day treat her with utmost respect and give her a wide berth if she does so much as cast them a scornful look.
|
"Lucy establishes her place as canine ruler of the house"
Lucy is the ONLY dog we've ever had who we've allowed to consider obedience "optional". I guess it may have been our way of reconciling with ourselves the fact that this little dog would NOT be dominated, and the fact that she usually listens to our requests is an act out of the goodness of her own heart. She is, truly, her own dog. She's smart as a whip, and it's no secret which tricks she thinks are dumb. She's a sucker for a potato chip, however, and sometimes it feels a little cheap to use one to bribe her to do a roll-over - when we know she's a bit above parlor tricks.
|
"So sorry... he didn't make it."
Like all of our other animals - Lucy is has her own talents. As any good dirt dog does - she's got a nose for a rodent. She's NEVER wrong; if she starts digging in a tuft of weeds, even though it looks like nothing has EVER been there - if allowed to persist she will eventually pluck from the ground some hapless mouse. And disgustingly, snarf it down in a couple good chomps. (bleck)
|
"Jordan and Lucy"
"Can we have frozen fish for supper? I brought the meat!"
|
Her other talent is her "tractor beam stare" - a term coined by author Laura Hinson of The Dog Dialogues.
Lucy can move objects with her eyes. Potato chips leap out of your fingers - right into her waiting mouth. At the dinner table, food rolls right off your fork - before you can get it into your mouth - onto the floor at her feet. Her specialty is ice cream - she can oust an entire scoop from the dipper - between the carton and your bowl. We NEVER dropped this much food before she came along. Two adults and a teenager seem to drop more food than a room full of toddlers when Lucy unleashes the "tractor beam". She also uses it to repel - sending our 100 lb German Shepherd Zack skulking behind the couch should he dare consider that one of these dropped morsels might be for him...
Lucy also has caused me to reconsider all I ever thought I knew about the validity of punishment as a training tool. Like many dogs, she is fiercely protective of anything that is hers. Bones and rawhide chips are highly coveted. I grew up in a household that raised large dogs. From the time they were puppies, we worked with them - and taught them that being snappy or growling at a human family member over food was absolutely not tolerated. It took forever for Lucy to adjust to this way of thinking. My usual way of dealing with this - which worked my whole life - on dozens of dogs - was to deal swiftly and severely with the crime of guarding food from human authority. And then benevolently return the object of controversy. Usually one session that included a swift swat and/or a loud scolding was enough to do the trick. Lucy growled every time. I'd careful extricate the object of desire - scold her for growling, and graciously return it. Everyone in the family knows the drill - and she was treated with consistency each time - with no real progress.
Then, during one of these attempted "training sessions" she bit my son Jordan and drew blood. I was right there monitoring the interaction - he'd done nothing inappropriate - so I did what I saw fit - I immediately snatched her up by the scruff of her neck and paddled her surly little butt. Fairly severe punishment - but biting is totally NOT allowed in our house. Thinking that surely must have solved the problem once and for all - I had Jordan offer her coveted rawhide chip back to her. She looked at it, trembling in fear. So, not only did I NOT solve the guarding problem - I succeeded in making her afraid of something she dearly loved. I cannot think of many times I have felt more badly about an interaction with an animal. This was a textbook punishment - swift - immediate - almost as the "crime" was happening. And it's effect went terribly wrong.
It was nearly a year before Lucy could have a rawhide chip without the anxiety showing on her face. Had I not seen this with my own eyes, I would have NEVER considered that one swift correction could have such far-reaching negative ramifications. This event further eroded the base of training knowledge that I had accumulated throughout my life with animals, knowledge that I had smugly regarded as more than adequate to manage our myriad of creatures. Thanks to Lucy, Allie (my arabian mare), Zack (our german shepherd) and all our other non-conformist gang - a whole new world of ideas for relating to our fellow creatures has opened up to me. What a wonderful journey!
Go to www.hoofprints.com to see more Jack Russell artprints and dog related items.
|
|
Newsflash: Ten Year Old Jack Russell Terrier Lucy Chosen as Daisy1010's Small Dog Collar Model!
Daisy1010's collars are made by hand in Kentucky, USA. Lucy is shown here wearing Brown Leather with Bring-it Orange trim. More about the collars here.
|
|
