Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Crackerdog

Last night I picked up a book that I read about ten years ago. The author is one of my favorites, he's the kind of rare writer that will have you laughing your head off on one page and on the next have a tough guy like me almost in tears.

The author's name: James Herriot. His real name was James Alfred Wright, and he wrote about his experiences as a country vet in England.

It's been a while since I've read any of his stuff but I was glad I picked up his book and started reading. He writes about cases involving horses,cows, sheep,cats,and of course my favorite stories are about the dogs.

The stories he writes about a Pekingese named Tricki Woo are laugh out loud funny and the best one is when Tricki's mistress explains how Tricki goes "crackerdog."

Mr. Herriot was not only a great writer but also a great vet because his advice for Tricki's crackerdog episodes where right on the money.

You see, Tricki's owner, Mrs. Pumphrey, explained it Mr. Herriot: "Well, he was laying his game, and he does adore it so, when suddenly without warning,he went
crackerdog. He began to run around in circles, barking and yelping in such a strange way. Then he fell over and lay like a little dead thing."

Mr. Herriot explained it as Hysteria, brought on by wrong feeding. His remedy for Tricki Woo was a proper diet.

Mr. Herroit makes such a great point. I have seen a lot of dogs that suffered from behavior problems because of the food that was being fed.

My sheltie Sammi is approaching 18 years old. She is going a deaf and her eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, but she still has a beautiful coat, a great appetite and no health problems.

I started researching dog food about ten years ago and discovered that it makes a huge difference, not only in your dog's health but also in your dog's behavior.

Coming up in next month's updates in the Dog Training Inner Circle, I am going to go into this subject in great detail, explaining what I think is the best diet for your dog and why.

Dog Training Inner Circle

You don't want to miss it!

All the best,

Eric Letendre
http://www.dogtraininginnercircle.com

P.S. If you've never read any of James Herriot's books, log onto Amazon.com, go to the library, used book store, Barnes & Noble, whatever you have to do to get your hands on his books - they're that good.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

A few years ago here in the UK they had a series called All Creatures Great and Small which was based on Herriot's books. Have a look at some of the clips on YouTube.

Coyote said...

When I was little, I've read James Herriot's books many many times. I really loved them.

Anonymous said...

This is unrelated to this post, but I was wondering if you could give me some advice on correcting an amstaff puppy's biting. His teeth are so sharp! He won't let me remove things from his mouth, doesn't know his own strength in play biting, and often runs at me full speed during "play" and latches onto my arm. Definately want all this to stop before it becomes a problem.

My email is katie@lllawrence.com
Thanks!

Unknown said...

Naturally you’ll want to stay away from names that sound like obedience commands, like “sit”, “down”, “stay”, “come”, etc. Imagine giving the command, “Bit, sit.” You can see how the puppy would get confused.

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BenTheRotti said...

James Herriot is a wonderful author! I have all his books. The TV series All Creatures Great and Small (mentioned above) which aired here in the UK is all available on DVD, I know they stock it at Play.Com.

Sue.

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Anonymous said...

I have really enjoyed your videos and posts. I have had a real struggle with a little 3 month old mini schnauzer puppy I recently acquired. His owners were going to put him down because he was very aggressive with their 4 year old son (who was very aggressive with him). I had a schnauzer during my teenage years who I adored and spent hours training. She is incredibly smart and obedient and knows hundreds of commands. I figured because of my experience training her I would be able to train another schnauzer. I didn't take into account the fact that her training started at 8 weeks old and no bad habits had every been reinforced for her.

This little guy has been a completely different story though. It is my first time training a dog that already has some really bad habits. The previous owners hadn't trained him in anyway. I have had him for two weeks and thanks to your videos and help I have been able to help him to become a much better dog. It has been an uphill battle and VERY stressful at times but seeing the improvement and the bond I am building with him makes it worth the time I am spending. He even does great with small children now.

Even though about 95% of the time he has come to respect me as the alpha there are times when he flips out of control and reverts to his old out of control behaviors. During this time he will bite, have accidents and not listen to a word I say. Everyone has told me to use the alpha rollover but I think that aggressive punishment is the last thing he needs. During these spaz out sessions he won't even listen to a command I use even if his favorite toys or treats are involved. I have no idea what triggers these and I was wondering if you have any suggestions. He is very hard headed and stubborn when this happens. And won't even let me catch him to put him in his kennel for a chill out session. Any suggestions would be fantastic. Thanks again for the incredible videos!
-Ali
zerogoal@hotmail.com

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Pet Lover said...

Excellent! it is very useful post and tips for puppy training. How to train your puppies is a question asked by almost all dog owners. It seems everyone has advice and tips, and opinions on the best way to train your puppies.

Puppies learn very fast with proper training. The primary few days at home are very important for puppies and the examples you set now will last a life span. Following these basic techniques as soon as you bring your puppy home will make sure a positive housetraining experience for you and your puppy:-

* Ensure you give your dog lots of consideration and attention when he’s doing the right and good thing. Praise him plentifully when he’s been a good boy.

* There is nothing intrinsically incorrect with telling your dog “no,” it’s just that it doesn’t give him sufficient information. Instead of “no,” instruct him what you want him to do.

* Give your puppy recurrent admission to his toilet area for preventing soiling inside house. Reward the puppy for do so - give a special treat.

* Nourish your puppy with 2 – 3 meals per day. Leave food out for 15-20 minutes then take away the leftover food. Never leave food out for puppy to eat at will. This helps you find out when she’ll have to go potty.

* Let your new puppy steadily earn freedom all through your home. So, close off doors to vacant rooms and use baby gates to segment off parts of the house, if required.www.dog-buy.com

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startgm said...

wonderful author! I have all his books. The TV series All Creatures Great and Small (mentioned above) which aired here in the UK is all available on DVD, I know they stock it at Play.Com.