EXCERPTS FROM McCONNERY'S DISCUSSION PAGE








Below are some excerpts for the discussion page.

My Dogs Thoughts
Mike McConnery|mike.mcconnery@sympatico.ca|06/13/02 at 00:03:46
I happened to watch a program on Airedale Terriers today. It showed one Airedale that was used for avalanche recovery. His handler told how he started the dog at 7 weeks of age carrying him in his coat whereever he went. It then showed clicker training...sorry but as they were telling me how good it was they showed many out of control dogs and handlers clued to clickers. During a commercial they previewed an animal fortuneteller of sorts. She spoke to your pet and then told you why it bit you or ate your budgie or many other things. I must admit I was both surprised and annoyed, the program continued to show an Airedale being given ultra-sound during her pregnancy and wearing a fatal monitor as well. She was a poor mother so each time she pupped these people took over. Nature would have done it differently. The weakness these people are putting into our dogs in the name of loving care is going to destroy our breeds. The reason many Airedale Terriers are poor mothers is because many pups that should have died were saved to go on and produce weaker pups. The Airedale Terrier is a tough dog capable of surviving if left to survive. Other wise it will disappear and those who are responsible will adopt a new breed to destroy. I wanted to put down some of my dogs thoughts.... but she just quit thinking about this stuff, smart dog.

A Story
Mike McConnery|mike.mcconnery@sympatico.ca|06/13/02 at 23:40:37
Stories were once used to pass down information to family and community. There were stories for the young and stories for adults. They encased legends and customs and rituals. They also assured the preservation of language. It was the killing or banning of stories and culture that destroyed many native peoples in North America. The so-called Christian church brought on this destruction. They replaced ancient stories with their own stories and rituals in their own tongue. The power within a story is limited only in it's telling. We who search for the truth of the dogs we love often search in the wrong places. Very much information and actual sketches are preserved in old children's books or diary accounts from the past. One Man and His Dog although a true story of a man and his dog during World War Two is actually a valuable training manual on human K-9 communication. We must learn also how to read or listen to a story. There is much we can miss if we are not fully awake. We live in an age of nonsense if it was to be recorded in writing it could very well be called the DARK AGES of the 22nd CENTURY. Stories written for children explain the attitude of the people of the time. Their dress, their food and most importantly their desires and beliefs. I have a collection of stories from Guenther that I will over time write here. Some will seem very short and simplistic yet they will have profound meaning in the work. I will not keep you as I know you will all want to get on EBAY and search for old children's books.

Re: nipping...
Mike McConnery|mike.mcconnery@sympatico.ca|07/08/02 at 00:34:23|
I believe you are signalling this on the lead. This is another place to use the prong. When you tell her to sit she gets popped and she sits. The lead should be loose. If you tighten it you are cocking the dog. By pulling back you are sending her forward. If you tense the lead at the door you are prompting her. The prong has two rings on it. These rings are for reasons long ago before swivels were readily available, and at a time when this equipment was used only by a few. Those few were well schooled in their equipment uses. Years have past you can buy prongs anywhere the animal rightists are not camped out. They believe these collars are cruel. Why? Simply because they do not understand them or their use. It is the same reason many who have them do not use them correctly. They should be hooked to the lead through both rings. This enables the collar a direct reaction to the lead command. If I think my dog is up to something I tell him to knock it off. If his focus does not change I pop him. I do not tighten up the lead. We all try to pull the dog back to avoid a problem. We are actually pushing him deeper into it. When I say plutz or sit or wait in my daily life with my dogs I mean it. Not in an angry or domineering manner but because they must obey. This carries over to times of stress. I will not fight with them. They must obey. I have several very hard biting dogs around me all the time. They are not all only mine. People I train with have some very capable dogs. I do not fear a misbite, because they are in control. Not only here but home and everywhere. Leave it means to leave it. All commands are reinforced with a pop if they are ignored. Not a pull, not sometimes, ALWAYS. Your problem will disappear.

 

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