It's been awhile since I've posted on my blog due to my new furry friend, Ringo and a lousy cold which many people seem to have. Ringo has been an awesome addition to our home and my studio, but he's definitely making me adjust my schedule.
He's got a great disposition, can be pretty independent, loves to run with me, and many times will happily sleep during my lessons. The problem enters when he has not exercised enough and I'm trying to get some painting in.
I'm reading Cesar's Way right now and starting Ringo in obedience classes tonight. What caught my attention was an excerpt about a photographer who brought his dog into his studio every day. While on the walk to the studio, the dog was well-behaved, once at the studio, he became unruly. Now, Ringo is not unruly in my studio, but he has begun to test limits, eating a part of my student's watercolor painting, eating paper towels out of the garbage and getting his nose covered in red paint while sniffing a wet painting. I can definitely empathize with the owner that once in "work" mode, it's difficult to properly handle the dog.
I agree with some of Cesar's points, but much of his books leaves me wondering, how? He doesn't give me the toolbox to actually correct the dog and he talks constantly of 4 hour exercise sessions which is just unrealistic with most dogs. This was the same opinion evoked by writer, Pat Miller for Bark magazine. I will continue to read Cesar's Way taking his ideas with a grain of salt, take my dog to obedience school, work on developing my role as alpha and continue to paint. Ringo will help this emerging artist, not hinder her. Look out for some artwork of Ringo in the future!
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