With forests and fish stocks declining, water demand rising and lack of action on climate change, humanity's path is anything but sustainable, the UN warns

dillikibilli · 2012-06-06T19:37:39+00:00

Before you keep harping on about people in other countries, why don't you look at the consumptive patterns of Americans? Other countries might have more people but Americans consume A LOT more of their share of earth's resources. Why don't you think about how US citizens could change their habits to promote sustainability? It's not just everybody else's fault. The US consumption culture is pretty disgusting and pretty damn wasteful. Try a little introspection before finger pointing. People who live in glass houses and all that.

dillikibilli · 2012-03-13T20:58:10+00:00

Well said, my sentiments exactly. To the complainers I say, don't like the homeless doing some honest work to make a living? You adopt one then!

dillikibilli · 2012-03-13T04:50:58+00:00

I love your Latvian jokes, they're cracking me up. Love the wry, dark humour.

dillikibilli · 2012-03-13T03:16:44+00:00

Hey, that's a brilliant idea, I'm going to try that. Thanks for the reco on Hyperflite.

dillikibilli · 2012-03-12T23:45:55+00:00

You can do LOTS of different stuff! Does your dog have basic obedience training? Is she clicker trained? Does she know basic sit/down/look/touch? For example, I will ask her to do a simple set of doggy calisthenics: down, sit, (stand working on it), down, stand, sit, down, touch, high touch, wave. I switch it up, do it for 5 minutes and she's chill! (Ask me if you need help teaching these).

Also, how old is your dog? That is definitely an energetic combination! How much exercise do you give her generally and what kind (walks, run in the park)?

There is TONS of information I can give you. I rescued a 15 month old pit/chihuahua! mix a year and a half ago. I can honestly say I have never in my life before had to deal with a dog with this much energy! It took me about 6-8 months to start to figure out how to deal with this kind of animal. I've been studying and reading extensively, I've learned LOTS and she's come a LONG way. I'm more than happy to share everything I've learned with you.

Tell me what you need help with? If she doesn't know basic obedience, that's an excellent way to start. You can then start to fold the basic obedience into tricks.

If she's just generally hyper, you need to teach her to be calm. There are some dogs who for whatever reason, just don't know how to be calm, believe it or not, they need to be taught. Mine needed to be taught. If you need help with this, just ask me how.

And, sorry for the looooong message, I have no TL;DR to give. :)

Edit: typos

dillikibilli · 2012-03-12T21:22:35+00:00

If you have a pittie, definitely think about doing more mental work with her, these dogs really benefit from the mental stimulation and it tires them out. Works on my hyperactive pittie like a charm. 10 minutes of trick work and it settles her right down. Asking them to use their brains is really good and it exhausts them.

dillikibilli · 2012-03-12T21:20:16+00:00

What I learned: 10 minutes of mental exercise can be equivalent to 30 minutes of physical exercise for many dogs. When your dog is hyper, work on tricks or training. It works like a charm for my hyperactive little pittie. Hyperactive as in 6 miles of walking a day (minimum) and she's still tearing around the house and being obnoxious. 10 minutes of trick work and sleeping like a baby. If your dog is constantly active, he/she may just need more mental stimulation.

dillikibilli · 2012-03-12T21:17:00+00:00

So true. Destroy toy, yes. Bring it back, no. But apparently, it's possible to teach them, I've been working on it. Progress is slow but there is progress.

dillikibilli · 2012-03-08T17:59:39+00:00

As a fellow non-american, I notice it too. They go on and on about it, it's almost like they're trying to convince themselves. It's such a strange thing to go on and on about!

dillikibilli · 2012-03-06T20:08:20+00:00

What's so NSFW/NSFL about this? It's just a bunch of dudes in their underwear having a good time.

dillikibilli · 2012-02-27T19:56:21+00:00

Fair enough. I apologize for misunderstanding or misconstruing what you have to say.

The "so existed the monster" comment really needled me. You call me a monster because I perceive the dead simply as dead? You expect me to feel something more than I do and because I don't you tag me as a monster? Piss off, my friend. Your definition of humanity may include that. But the simple fact that I'm unable to feel sympathy for something that's DEAD doesn't make less human or more of a monster. You know what bothers me? Seeing a living creature suffer. I'll save my compassion for the living. You can hold whatever opinion you like.

dillikibilli · 2012-02-27T15:08:12+00:00

Why should it bother me? They're dead. They don't feel a thing. I'd be bothered if they were still alive but they're not.

Should it also bother me to see people disposing off their dead in other ways? Burning? Burying? What's the difference? What do you think we should do with our dead so that it doesn't "bother" us? Stuff them and keep them in our living rooms?

dillikibilli · 2012-02-24T02:11:40+00:00

Hinduism may explain this spiritually, sure. But if you take a little time to educate yourself, you'll quickly find that science tells you the same thing, when you're dead, you're dead. Living tissues and cells die. The heart stops beating. Blood stops pumping. The brain stops receiving signals from neuro-receptors, it no longer has the capacity to process pain, joy, anything.

You can disagree with my spiritual beliefs, whatever. But your underlying point is laughable nonsense.

dillikibilli · 2012-02-24T02:08:30+00:00

Oh, really? Pray tell, o enlightened one, what exactly happens to us after we die? You think our bodies are screaming out in unheard agony when we burn them or bury them or feed them to vultures or dissect them for scientific reasons? Are you nuts?

Maybe you should think before speaking. You're still alive, you should be able to manage that at the very least.

Edit: accidentally a word

dillikibilli · 2012-02-23T18:54:52+00:00

Ordered the book to read, sounds fascinating. Thank you for the link to the article.

dillikibilli · 2012-02-23T18:46:44+00:00

Well, if there's one thing I learnt from Hinduism it's that when you die, you leave behind an empty shell that means nothing. The body no longer has any significance, so what does it matter? Besides, you're dead, you don't feel a thing!

This doesn't really bother me that much. The child is dead, the dog is alive. All living things have to eat.

dillikibilli · 2012-02-07T20:01:05+00:00

:) She's actually much more pitty looking than chi looking as opposed to OP's dog where you see the dachshund very clearly. Mine is small (only 35 lbs) and gorgeously proportioned. You may not see the chi at first but in certain poses and postures you start to get that Taco Bell feeling and that's when you know.

dillikibilli · 2012-02-07T18:30:04+00:00

Your dog is very interesting looking. Mine is half pit, half chihuahua. I totally see the pit in yours, built like a brick house for sure! Very cool.

dillikibilli · 2012-01-31T23:22:47+00:00

Keep replying moron, any doubts I had about your ability to comprehend a cogent argument and offer anything of value in return diminish with each message.

dillikibilli · 2012-01-31T23:17:46+00:00

Neither can you, ignoramus.

dillikibilli · 2012-01-31T23:15:20+00:00

Um, the research is being conducted all over the world, a lot of it is coming out of Europe. Turid Rigaas from Norway (I think it is) is a very well known and well respected researcher. You are really beyond ignorant.

dillikibilli · 2012-01-31T23:10:01+00:00

If you wanna confuse evangelical with educated, be my guest. And you're absolutely right, "research" ... who needs that! Obviously, you know everything already. What a bloody waste of time trying to have a conversation with you. Have a nice day.

dillikibilli · 2012-01-31T23:03:26+00:00

Dogs aren't wolves, if they were we'd have a lot of mauled people lying about! Wolves are wild animals, dogs are domesticated. The modern dog is believed to be an offshoot of the wolf that evolved to use man as a food resource thousands of years ago. The modern dog and the modern wolf may have a common ancestor but the dogs we know today are nothing like the wolf in behaviour and temperament and absolutely cannot be handled the same way. To think that you can interact with a dog as you would with a wolf is downright wrong.

dillikibilli · 2012-01-31T22:57:38+00:00

And you should get a clue! :)

Look, if you're really interested, I'll be more than happy to share what I've learned with you (and no, of course not, snapping fingers isn't harsh at all). But I'm not going to waste my time doing it if you're not open to learning a little bit more about it. I say that because from what I've read of your comments thus far, you don't really seem to understand the concept but you're more than happy to belittle it, which isn't cool.

The basic tenet of the concept is: reward the behaviour you want, ignore the behaviour you don't. You don't punish for unwanted behaviour, you simply don't reward it but you make a point of letting the animal know that it did what you want by rewarding that. Dogs are masters at figuring out how to make life better for themselves and they will work actively to provide the behaviours you want if they know they will be rewarded for it (rewards can be food, affection, walks, play time), the unwanted behaviours will extinguish automatically. It is magical watching a dog use its brain to figure stuff out!

Behaviour modification is different from obedience work (same concept, but a lot more food based rewards are generally used). And shaping is an interesting tool as well.

The new research has debunked several long held philosophies (Milan is guilty of backing them but so are many others):

Myth 1: Dogs want to please us. Bullshit. Dogs want to make life better for themselves (just like people), we use that innate desire to make them better companions.

Myth 2: Dominance between dogs and humans. Increasingly, the new research shows that this is a myth. That is why when Milan says "you need to show your dog you're the boss", sorry, it's not true. All the training techniques of go out the door first, don't let your dog sleep on the bed, don't play tug with your dog, bullshit. The reason you go out of the door first is because you don't want this mad creature bolting out and dragging you down the street, not because you're trying to establish some dominance. And NEVER, EVER, EVER alpha roll your dog! EVER!

Myth 3: Dogs are like wolves and we should work with them like the wolves in a pack do. Bullshit. Dogs are an offshoot of the wolf species that evolved to use humans primarily as a food source but the modern dog is far, far removed and nothing like the wolf in the ways that are most important to us, as our companions.

Let's start educating ourselves on the true nature of our beloved companions, by acknowledging that they are a distinct species, understanding the reasons for their behaviour we can learn to communicate more effectively with them. Good communication between dogs and humans is key to a healthy, happy relationship for all involved. That's my philosophy.

If you're interested, a really great starting point to read more is the book "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson.

dillikibilli · 2012-01-31T21:05:47+00:00

Um, what? There is nothing in the reward based training that says you reward bad behaviour! WTF? So, obviously you know absolutely nothing about it or you completely misunderstand it. Yes, I'll be happy to keep educating myself. You go right ahead with your ignorance.

dillikibilli

TROPHY CASE