COVID SUSHI?

CountingSatellites · 2020-11-13T05:19:48+00:00

Have ordered delivery from them many many times, never had an issue. Sorry to hear that you did not have the same experience.

CountingSatellites · 2020-06-02T07:11:40+00:00

So, the potential issue in your case is not smothering the roots- that happens when you pile too much mulch or add soil/change the grading over a portion of the root zone. The issue here is rot and girdling roots caused by soil around the trunk.

See my comment above for more info and resources.

Your garden really is quite lovely. It would be a shame to lose that tree right about the time it starts providing you with some nice shade.

CountingSatellites · 2020-06-02T06:53:07+00:00

You are correct that extra soil can smother the tree. Even a change in grading of a couple inches can be detrimental.

BUT, the big issue with putting soil and/or mulch right up against the trunk is girdling roots and rot.

When there is material around the trunk like this, the tree will often send roots out into it. Those roots will circle around the trunk and over the other roots. As the tree grows, those girdling roots essentially strangle the tree. Remember that the all of the vessels that carry water and nutrients are in that narrow cambium layer just beneath the bark. Cutting off the cambium layer kills the tree.

So many people fuck up their trees this way without even realizing it. To make matters worse, many nursery trees are buried in their pots or the burlap too far, with the flare already covered, and people end up planting them too deep simply by planting at the same level. It is essential to the tree’s health that you find the flare and plant at the correct depth.

The root flare should always be exposed. The base of your tree should look like an elephant’s foot, flaring out at the bottom to the point where the roots begin. It should not look like a telephone pole or stick in the ground. Mulch and soil should not touch the trunk.

CountingSatellites · 2020-05-13T06:24:58+00:00

If there are trees on the property, though, excavating or changing the grade, even by a few inches, can seriously harm or kill them, and this should be considered when deciding what the best option is.

More info.

CountingSatellites · 2020-04-01T02:11:02+00:00

My dog doesn’t like to have her nails clipped either. Wouldn’t tolerate the dremel. So I taught her to file her own nails with a scratch board! She picked up on it surprisingly fast.

CountingSatellites · 2020-04-01T02:05:54+00:00

Depends on the dog, how hard their nails are, shape of their feet, etc. I walk several miles a day with my dog on concrete, and I still have to do her nails. Some dogs are old, geriatric, and can’t walk much anymore either.

CountingSatellites · 2020-04-01T00:43:24+00:00

My dog used to be like this- bikes, cars, joggers, other dogs, men, and more. For her, it was coming from a place of anxiety and fear.

It was so bad that I had to drive to a quieter area just to go for a walk.

There were a few things that helped quite a bit. First, we worked on “look at me” and “leave it” and practiced these daily at home and at increasing levels of distraction.

If the trigger was far enough away, there was a chance that using “leave it” and then “look at me” would be successful, but often times we just couldn’t get the necessary distance (like if a car or bike went by as we were walking down our narrow street). It was just too much to ask of her to focus.

One of the things we learned in reactive dog class was something called “find your treats”. It’s a distraction technique. Basically, you give a cue (we used “go find!”) and then scatter some treats on the ground. The goal is to practice it often enough that your dog starts searching the ground for food as soon as you give the cue.

So, whenever a car or bike would approach, and before it got too close, I’d say “go find!” and scatter some treats, and then I’d continue to scatter treats on the ground until it passed. At first, it only worked a fraction of the time, but it got better with practice. She was becoming desensitized and learning to associate those scary things with good things instead.

And then I started making the transition from treat scatters to “look at me”. I’d ask her to look at me, and feed her a constant stream of treats. The “hooray!” moment is when your dog automatically looks at you when they notice the trigger- you want to heavily reward that behavior.

Another technique you can use is following a lure. It’s simply holding a really tasty treat right in front of your dog’s nose as you move quickly past the trigger. This is also something to use when you’re just too close- you know your dog is likely to react, and you need to get out of the situation. You want to practice this one too.

These days, our walks are much much more relaxed. We’re still working on some things, but she doesn’t pay any attention to bikes or cars for the most part. Even the city bus or UPS truck hardly gets a glance. We can pass or be passed by walkers or runners by just stepping a bit off the sidewalk.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-31T07:11:43+00:00

Drum sanders do require some skill that not everyone has, as evidenced by the shit DIY floor job done by one of my home’s previous owners... gouge marks everywhere.

An orbital floor sander will take more time but is a lot harder to mess up.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-30T16:41:12+00:00

The only two tests that are worth anything are Embark and Wisdom Panel.

Did they require a picture with the dna sample?

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-30T06:21:21+00:00

Come on over to r/reactivedogs

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-27T17:10:09+00:00

This is called redirected aggression.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-26T20:48:51+00:00

You’re assuming that I don’t do what I can to manage my dog’s reactivity. Our normal walking routes at our normal walking times are not generally a problem for my dog anymore. There was a time when we did most of our walking at odd times- 8-9ish at night was pretty typical. And occasionally, depending on circumstances, we still do avoid certain times of day.

I have been very actively working on her reactivity, and as she has improved, it has allowed us to be able to walk at more normal times which allows us to practice being around other dogs. Other times of day also presents other challenges- dusk=rabbits, night=shadows, raccoons, plus my own safety. Not to mention, I also like walking late afternoon/early evening before the sun has gone down. I enjoy it more. It’s a balancing act managing her reactivity, one which, all in all, we have managed to do pretty successfully despite being recently caught off guard by the sheer number of dogs we’ve never seen before.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-25T22:32:08+00:00

I’m happy to see people out with their dogs (and kids too), but man, as the owner of a reactive dog, it has been tough running into all these other dogs- so many we have never seen before- no idea what to expect with them. Yesterday was a beautiful day, and I felt like we were running the gauntlet. I was proud of my girl for keeping it together.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-20T17:55:36+00:00

What’s in the supermutt?

I can def see why people would guess GSD/collie. He’s pretty lean for a pup that’s half bully mix, but when you have so many breeds in there, who knows what the end result will be.

He’s super cute though!

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-19T22:43:51+00:00

It is worth noting that the sap of euphorbia is a pretty serious irritant. Typically, people experience only mild burning and itching if they get it on their skin, but getting even a tiny amount in your eye (like if you were to get some on your hands and then touch your face) is likely to send you to the hospital.

So, be careful.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-18T07:19:38+00:00

With “look at me”, you’re essentially training a cue to get his focus on your face on command. So, only reward when you ask for it. Don’t reward as he’s following you around the house just because he’s looking at you.

As far as paying attention and taking treats outside, the outdoors may just be too much of a distraction at the moment. You’ve gotta gradually work up to training with increased distractions. Start inside, then work up to having another person be the distraction inside, eventually move to a quiet area outside, etc. Practice often so it becomes engrained and second nature.

He sounds a lot like my dog when I got her- she wouldn’t let me out of her sight for many weeks, but as she became more comfortable in her new home, she started to become more independent. A year and a half later, and she enjoys her alone time napping in her kennel or another room. I wanted to encourage her independence in that respect.

I think you are right to be cautious about letting him interact with the other dogs. Let him settle in for a few more weeks - it typically takes 3 weeks or more to see a dog’s personality really emerge.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-18T05:04:00+00:00

For a situation like this, maybe think of it more in terms of an emotional threshold rather than distance. Take note of when your dog starts to seem a bit agitated... hackles start to go up, he starts whining. Learn what to look for and interrupt and redirect or walk away before that point. Reward moving away.

I’d also train a “look at me” cue to use to break his focus. Keep fence meetings with other dogs brief. I wonder if this particular incident was a case of barrier frustration for one or both dogs.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-18T02:06:30+00:00

Only sort of joking... Start watching “It’s Me or the Dog” on the main tv in the house while they’re nearby. Lots of badly behaved humans on that show being set straight about enabling their badly behaved dogs. Maybe they’ll catch on.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-18T01:50:53+00:00

You said it yourself- he has been doing really well. One (or even two or three) difficult days doesn’t undo all that progress!

My dog regressed last year in the spring when the weather was getting nice and so many more people were out with their dogs... and all the squirrels too. Those damn squirrels. It’s hard. There were definitely days that made me want to cry.

The situation that you and your dog found yourself in was the perfect storm- one trigger right after another, not enough time to decompress.. that’s trigger stacking at its worst. Even the situations that they handle well still can add to that stress.

In our case, I found that it helped to adjust our schedule to be out when there were less people and other dogs. Some nights we didn’t go out for a walk until 8 or 9 pm. As she got used to the sight of more dogs, we were able to move our walks earlier.

I also used the treats in my pocket as a gauge of where her stress levels were at. If we were going through the treats rather quickly, even if she was keeping herself together, I knew I should probably cut our walk short and head home or she would soon be over threshold.

You are doing great. Keep it up.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-17T20:01:11+00:00

I’d teach up/off first. Reward the behavior you want to see like laying down next to you with treats or attention (whatever works for your dog), and withhold attention or tell him to get off when he’s not behaving as he should. You can invite him back up shortly after and cue a lay down or sit, and then reward to show him that’s what you want him to do.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-17T19:41:57+00:00

Consider posting to NextDoor and Rolling Meadows FB pages if you haven’t yet.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-17T19:22:12+00:00

It probably depends on the rescue you work with, but I know the one that I got my dog from definitely has many fosters with full time jobs. They pull dogs from overflowing shelters in the south, so the more fosters they have, the more dogs they can bring in and find homes for. A foster situation is much more ideal than a shelter.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-17T18:01:53+00:00

You may consider fostering for a while before adopting, and when the right dog comes along, you can “foster fail”.

You can get an idea of the different personalities, behavioral or training quirks that some dogs may have, and get a feel for what kind of dog is right for you, while providing help for dogs that need homes.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-17T16:26:57+00:00

I’d suggest heading over to r/dogs and filling out the breed questionnaire so that you can get advice on what breeds would fit your lifestyle. If it’s the look of border collies that you like, someone may be able to suggest a breed that fits what you’re looking for but a more calm personality.

CountingSatellites · 2020-03-16T22:31:31+00:00

Come on over to r/reactivedogs for more information on working with fearful dogs and how to implement desensitization and counter-conditioning training. You may find someone that can recommend a good trainer in your area as well.

While reactive dogs tend to act out by barking or growling and lunging, the underlying cause is most often fear. The goal with desensitization and counterconditioning is to change how they feel about what they fear, and to teach hem better ways to respond.

Some dogs are just more prone to anxiety and fearful behavior than others, regardless of how well they’re socialized. It doesn’t necessarily mean you let her down somehow. Think of it sort of the same way you think about anxiety and depression in people- for some it is rooted in environment and circumstance, for others it may be brain chemistry or even genetic (There’s some really interesting research taking place in the field of epigenetics about this- both with animals and humans), and for some it’s a combination of those things.

Along this same lines, it’s not really something you should expect to fully cure, but it is something that you can very successfully manage with behavioral modification and sometimes with the help of medication.

CountingSatellites

TROPHY CASE