Wow Was I Confused ???

 

I was confused yesterday when I said I did not have any new photos because I found some this morning on my iPhone. Then I am still confused today because when I uploaded the photos I took this morning (shown here) plus the "missing" photos, I saw I had used the "missing" photos here on my January 9th post. I had used my iPhone, Nikon, and Cannon in the past 8 days. Luckily when I load them into my "Import" file here on my iMac they are sorted date taken.

Blogger is also confused today. I have uploaded the photos in this post 4 different times and Blogger still puts them in reverse order than the way I loaded them. I even shut down my browser on the last two attempts but it did not work. So all these photos except the last two, were taken this morning.

The reason you see Watson's tongue hanging out longer than usual, I took him on a walk after I cleaned the yard. I couldn't believe toward the end of the walk he acted tired. Henry also went on his walk right before Watson, because he was the first one in the garage before I could shut the door on the other two. It's the only way I can get the leash on him or Watson, one dog at a time in the garage. Watson responded to some new lessons I am trying to teach him, lessons that I saw on Ceasar Millan's tv show last week and again last night.

Henry and Watson have figured out after just a few walks, that after I finish cleaning the yard and we go back inside, they KNOW they are going for a walk. Only rain or snow melted streets will cancel the walk. So they get pretty excited. I found from Cesar's training I was doing the opposite than what I needed to do.

You have to understand that for the first time in 36 years of having hounds and the dog since 2020, I have had to teach those two something new besides just house training a puppy. ALL my other hounds before Henry and Watson never had to be trained on how to act before going on a walk.

His theory of "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" are all opposite of what I have been doing the past 18 months with Watson, trying to keep him from jumping on people. Totally opposite. Those three things did not apply this morning in getting both hounds calmed down from their excitement to go for a walk. I used other technics I saw on his show last week and those worked this morning.

If you remember I can only walk one hound at a time right now. I can only get the leash on one of them alone with me in the garage. I use the garage because I did not want to get in the habit of going out the front door or the fence gate. That would only teach them they were going for a walk when the front door was open, when I leave the house. Same applies with the fence gate that I use to move the lawn mower outside the fence to mow and re-enter that same way. So the side door in the garage is perfect.

Henry sprints straight from the mudroom door to the side door in the garage, but today I stood in the middle of the garage with the leash in hand, calling him over to me. Then instead of saying sit, which never does, I put my thumb and fingers on each side of his spine back by his tail. (Saw Cesar and his trainers do this) He sat immediately so I said "good boy" and put the leash on his collar. Instead of sprinting out the door he walked normal speed out the door for his walk.

I get back with Henry, open the mudroom door and Watson sprints out into the garage like I wanted. I could close the door before Henry turned around. Walter is not even interested in anything like that when he sees the leash in my hand ..... except trying to pull it out of my hand while growling (playful growl) at me. At least I think it is playful but if you heard him you would think he is attacking that leash. Strange stuff there.

Watson sprints to the side door and jumps up, standing vertical against the side door. I guess he had figured out this walking outside the fence is something he likes. There are a million scents for him to track on each side of the street. Once again I stand in the middle of the garage with leash in hand.

I could not believe he came over to me when I called for him. He has always sat next to me or leaned into me while standing if I am talking to him. Once he sat down I said "good boy" and put the leash on his collar, which has been a normal collar for the past 16 days. He does not pull on the leash, learned as a puppy in the yard leash training in July 2021.

It is much different than the "old days" where I had two bloodhounds off leash and a basset hound or two off leash walking through the field behind the house up north. There is very little traffic on my street this time of day or really all day. Each car has always slowed down and the driver/passengers waving. I was told once "that's just the way people are in Evansville". 

Most dog walkers, and there are a few, pick up after their dogs. I can see if they do when I am looking out the computer room window while at my desk. I also see they do on my walks because there is no dog poop in anyone's yard.

With a thermal shirt under a sweatshirt under a Carhartt jacket, I found out after Henry's walk I was over dressed and sweating. I did not change for Watson's walk but I did take off some layers of clothing when I got back from his walk.

Walter get's his aerobic exercise from being either excited or nervous, panting profusely, when I and the hounds get ready to leave. He does the same thing when I leave the house for any reason. Cesar Millan had an 8 year old English bulldog on the last two shows, as part of a three dog fight. He trained all three separately and solved their issues. The other two dogs were pitbull mixes.

He doesn't know it yet. but looking at the leash that Cesar used on that bulldog on the show, I can buy one at the pet store. No harness or collar involved. Who knows maybe I will be taking a third walk in the future and Walter will get a little more exercise than he had planned on.

In 2021 when I tried to walk him out in AZ, I was on the sidewalk with the 25' retractable leash fully extended and he would not budge from the front porch. Walking was never tried after that.

The hounds had so much exercise from their walks, they were not doing their normal running in the yard, sprinting from side to the other chasing the other. They came inside, Watson drank some water and they all headed for the sunshine in the computer room for a nap.

As I write this Watson has moved out to the cooler hallway floor and is stretched out sleeping.

Remember the photos from this point to the start of the blog are in reverse order. Anyone know what Blogger is doing when this happens? For those that blog on Blogger, does it ever happen to you?

The hounds and dog were not interested in any way about the NFL playoffs. They agree with me, never mix sports and politics ... ever.

With it sunny and 55° this morning, the heater turned off, and a high of 58° expected today, I was feeling pretty good about how nice today is and what I might do today. Will exploring be in the plan? Some new areas to blog about?

I had been texting my cousin in Florida before I went for a dog walk. I did not tell him I had left the texting. When I got back I told him I had just returned from walking two dogs on two walks. As I was typing how nice it was here today "it's 55° and sunny" ... before I could hit the sent button ... he sent me photos from where he was in Indialantic, FL.

THAT might beat my 55° and sunny, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, it's still a beautiful morning at 55° here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.

Almost forgot ... some additions to the blog sidebar. I added photos of the current hounds and the dog, like I did years ago. For some reason I decided to change my profile photo for the first time since starting this blog in October 2011. I took down Berth'a (bloodhound) sleeping photo to one of me. What made me do that?