There is another office habit that Morey has picked up that has me puzzled. I currently have no working hypothesis and am still in the information gathering phase. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Observed behavior: Whenever a co-worker comes into my office, Morey goes and gets a drink before going to greet them. A long drink, not just a few laps. After he has completed this behavior, which is now almost a ritual, he will go and eagerly say hello (usually timing his after- drink drool flinging until he gets close enough to "share" it with them). Lovely.
Facts:
Only does it with co-workers, people he is familiar with and likes, not with any other people who come in my office
Has access to water at all times of day
Possible motivation: ?
The people he does it with are my co-workers who love him and give him lots of attention. Possibly he feels overwhelmed when they say "hi" and goes to get a drink as a way to calm himself before greeting them?
-Seems unlikely, as my co-workers always interact with him very appropriately, not in a way that seems overwhelming (at least from my perspective)
He sleeps under my desk most of the day. Maybe when he gets up to say hello to them he remembers that he is thirsty and goes to meet that need before getting petted.
-I might be exaggerating Morey's laziness and his lack of motivation to meet his physical needs
Any other opinions/theories would be welcome. I'll post updates on this mystery once I have done more research and have more information to report!
Morey
Morey, My 2nd Service Dog
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Joining the Conversation
Morey has picked up a few office habits that took me a while to realize. One of them is bone chewing. For the most part, he ignores the bones that I have in my office for him to chew on. However, when someone comes into my office to talk with me, Morey will get up and bring his bone over to where we are sitting and settle down for a nice long chew...as long as our conversation continues. Once the person leaves, Morey gets up and shows no more interest in the bone until the next time someone comes in.
After several times of this I realized this was not a random event. It's so predictable that my co-workers have commented on it. While I was analyzing possible motivations for this behavior, I have come up with the hypothesis (research has not been done to date : ) that it's Morey's way of "joining in the conversation". As a kind of calming behavior, he likes to bring his bone between me and the person I am talking to and chew away. Although the sound of bone chewing can get somewhat distracting, it also does have somewhat of a calming effect for the humans.
If any one else has a theory about Morey's bone chewing habit, I would be happy to hear it!
After several times of this I realized this was not a random event. It's so predictable that my co-workers have commented on it. While I was analyzing possible motivations for this behavior, I have come up with the hypothesis (research has not been done to date : ) that it's Morey's way of "joining in the conversation". As a kind of calming behavior, he likes to bring his bone between me and the person I am talking to and chew away. Although the sound of bone chewing can get somewhat distracting, it also does have somewhat of a calming effect for the humans.
If any one else has a theory about Morey's bone chewing habit, I would be happy to hear it!
Confessions of a Service Dog Partner
As with any relationship with a living creature, a service dog partnership is always changing, developing, and adapting-on both ends of the leash. That's why I like having a breathing, thinking, reacting dog to help me rather than a robot. My partnership with Morey is continually growing and changing, which keeps me from becoming too stuck in my way.
As a service dog partner, the rules I apply to my dog have sort of a pendulum swing to them. I tend to start out very strict- enforcing sitting while being petted, perfectly straight positional commands (heel, front, etc.), and requiring a down to be in a close, curled up position. Then, over time I tend to relax more and lower my standards. And accordingly, Morey lives down to those lower standards and starts seeking out attention, doing sloppy commands, and sprawling out all over the place when asked to do a down. When I finally come to realize how far we've slid, I have only myself to blame. My dog has done what has worked for him and received no instruction to do something different. Then, it's time for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction for a while to tighten up some of the slack that I have allowed.
Thankfully, I'm a dog trainer and so I know how to fix my own mistakes in this area. Morey will be finding that it's time for a mini-boot camp to get back into working condition and he enjoys training so this won't be too much of a challenge. Consistency is important with dogs and I need to be better about finding a midway point between my extremes. But until then, we'll just keep ticking away, back and forth, back and forth.
As a service dog partner, the rules I apply to my dog have sort of a pendulum swing to them. I tend to start out very strict- enforcing sitting while being petted, perfectly straight positional commands (heel, front, etc.), and requiring a down to be in a close, curled up position. Then, over time I tend to relax more and lower my standards. And accordingly, Morey lives down to those lower standards and starts seeking out attention, doing sloppy commands, and sprawling out all over the place when asked to do a down. When I finally come to realize how far we've slid, I have only myself to blame. My dog has done what has worked for him and received no instruction to do something different. Then, it's time for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction for a while to tighten up some of the slack that I have allowed.
Thankfully, I'm a dog trainer and so I know how to fix my own mistakes in this area. Morey will be finding that it's time for a mini-boot camp to get back into working condition and he enjoys training so this won't be too much of a challenge. Consistency is important with dogs and I need to be better about finding a midway point between my extremes. But until then, we'll just keep ticking away, back and forth, back and forth.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Back to School
It's hard to believe it's been one year since I moved to Texas! It's certainly been an exciting one!
Morey and I attended the Gone to Texas event welcoming new students to UT. Yes, that's right, I am heading back to school and will be working toward my MSSW from the School of Social Work at UT. So, in addition to being a staff member at UT, I will also be a student.
UT is big on tradition and school spirit, so a lot of the event focused on the history behind school traditions. The tower was orange in honor of the event and a huge Texas flag was displayed on the front of the main building.
It was 100 degrees at 8pm when the event started. They were providing ice water to everyone and I shared mine with Morey: I drank the water and he got the ice. Once that was gone we both got even more hot and miserable so I went back for some more. One of the girls working there asked if I wanted a cup of ice for Morey and I eagerly accepted. He enjoyed crunching on ice cubes the rest of the evening, which helped him stay somewhat cool.
Tons of students were taking pictures afterward and I decided to take some of my own. Several girls asked if they could have their pictures taken with Morey-he's such a celebrity!
Morey and I attended the Gone to Texas event welcoming new students to UT. Yes, that's right, I am heading back to school and will be working toward my MSSW from the School of Social Work at UT. So, in addition to being a staff member at UT, I will also be a student.
UT is big on tradition and school spirit, so a lot of the event focused on the history behind school traditions. The tower was orange in honor of the event and a huge Texas flag was displayed on the front of the main building.
It was 100 degrees at 8pm when the event started. They were providing ice water to everyone and I shared mine with Morey: I drank the water and he got the ice. Once that was gone we both got even more hot and miserable so I went back for some more. One of the girls working there asked if I wanted a cup of ice for Morey and I eagerly accepted. He enjoyed crunching on ice cubes the rest of the evening, which helped him stay somewhat cool.
Tons of students were taking pictures afterward and I decided to take some of my own. Several girls asked if they could have their pictures taken with Morey-he's such a celebrity!
Gone to Texas!
Pictures from Gone to Texas event. Notice the tower in the background is lit with orange lights and the lights are lit with the number 15 to represent the Class of 2015
Morey's Trance
This is a picture of Morey getting put into a "trance" by Sabaa. He looks forward to this every day!
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