Monday

Toby had his dinner in his giant Kong toy and then got a dessert treat hidden inside three cereal boxes (one inside the other and two inside the third).

Free dog toys!

He plowed through them pretty quickly.

Geckos outside our front door. When the live ones make it inside, John catches them and releases them outside. They are so fast. I can’t catch them, but he’s good at it. And he’s very careful not to hurt them.

We dropped Toby off for daycare. He was very excited, jumping on the escort. A German Shepherd was also in the lobby, waiting patiently. After we left, I pointed out the difference in that dog and Toby. John said the other dog was probably 12 years old and that’s why he was so calm.

When we picked Toby up, we asked. The other dog was about a year old! We asked why that dog was so calm and Toby was so excited. She said, “Honestly, it has to do with training.” We said, “But Toby has had three 6-week classes.” She said, “There are different kinds of training: balanced training and positive reinforcement training. Diesel, the Shepherd, had balanced training which uses positive and negative reinforcement, such as prong collars or electronic shock collars. She said that balanced training is quicker than positive reinforcement training.

I came home and researched both philosophies. My conclusion: I’m okay with the positive reinforcement even if it takes longer. I didn’t like the idea of using force and pain to train. It’s not worth having a well-trained dog if they’re afraid and dead-eyed, having a broken spirit.

Besides, our training is balanced. When Toby is being obnoxious, we turn our back to him or leave the room as punishment. That punishment gets him to settle down and he gets the reward of our company.

Instead of shocking him into complacency, he learns to control his behavior if he wants to be with us.

I couldn’t help noticing the similarities to old-fashioned parenting and more modern ways: spanking vs dialogue. Spanking might get quick results but it damages the child’s self-esteem and destroys trust. Dialogue with a child takes time and patience but builds self-respect and trust.

61 degrees is freezing when the wind is blowing!

We ordered chicken egg foo yung for the first time. It was delicious. Great meal for a cool night. The low tonight: 47 degrees.

Last year, we had 12 days when the high temperature did not reach 60 degrees. So far this year, we’ve had zero. 

The high tomorrow will be a sunny 72 degrees.

Miles walked: 6.6

Miles biked: 0