Saturday, February 28, 2015

Adventures in Winter Recall

Our -12 degree potty routine, our three feet of snow potty routine, is send Elka out back, call her back when she's done. And she gets done pretty quickly, and with good efficiency, as I've mentioned. Lately, though, some of that distractibility has crept back. God knows why, it's still -12 some mornings, and there's still three feet of snow out there.

But, I've begun to utilize the three count. I'll tell her to go potty, I'll say hurry up, and then I start to count. If I reach 3, I call her back and we go inside. Mostly, she gets busy at 2, if I even need to count.








The other night, though. She peed, and I was waiting for the second payload, when she suddenly picked her head up and was still, clearly on alert. In the sudden silence, I could hear something walking out back there, but couldn't see far enough in the dark past the fence. A deer, probably. We have a lot of deer.

Then Elka stood up on her hind legs like a meerkat, stood like that for a moment, and did her big 'protecting the perimeter bark which most often gets used on squirrels, and I thought "Oh shit, here's where Elka learns she can actually jump over our fence."

I whistled the recall and saw her ears flick, so I clapped and said "Elka! Here now!" and she wheeled on her hind legs like a rearing horse, came down on all fours, and ran right back to me without a backward glance. Thank God.

6 comments:

  1. That is so funny. Mom wants to try counting for us
    Lily & Edward

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    1. it works well with Elka because I've been clear and consistent. There is no other time I count with her, other than "I've had enough and we're going to be ending this activity now."

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  2. Yup, counting and shivering for years here. It works though. :)

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    1. counting definitely works, provided you stick with it! "3" always has to mean "we're done now" consequences, or you're just blowing hot air ;)

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  3. Oh, Ma tries that with me....she says, 'go ahead' and points to the mulch (where I likes to do my business ☺), and usually I stare at her like her hair is on fire, and check for possoms, raccoons, and kittehs, if I don't see any, then...and ONLY then do I do my business...it's our thing...then again, it's not -12!!!!! BOL
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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    1. I think you might change your tune if it dipped to -12 where you are!

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