I can't wait to move. Have I said that? I think about it often. Six more months of being locked up in this lease, doomed to this apartment by a piece of paper and a John Hancock. Needless to say, signing another year-long lease was a mistake, probably the most costly one I've ever made. I only did it because I didn't want to pay the ten dollars extra per month of any lease that is less than a year. Looking back, ten dollars is nothing. This is the apartment I'm writing off as a "learning" time. Not because of the lease mistake. But this is the place where I have potty-trained three dogs and have had five cats. I always thought cats were cleaner than dogs. WRONG. Cats puke more often and get into stuff just as much as dogs. The other day I came home to a toilet paper hayday. It was like winter inside. Bits of toilet paper covered at least two three-by-three-foot areas. I could tell it was the cats and not the dogs because the parent roll of toilet paper had claw marks in it, along with a few of the larger pieces. The dogs would have just chewed the roll as a whole, making it soggy. How do you punish cats? I don't know of any way. So while dogs get punished for their sins, cats get away with murder.
I have often wondered how much dogs understand. They obviously have basic understandings of commands and thus cause and effect. I just want to explain everything to them and it frustrates me to no end that I can't. I would much rather have a conversation with them about why they should not pee in the house or terrorize the cats rather than just telling them "no." It would be so great if I could explain to my 100-pound Newfoundland mix that the reason the cats run away from him is because he is ten time their size and he has big scary teeth. Not to mention that he sounds scary too. It would also be wonderful if I could explain to the same dog that there will always be enough food for everyone and so it is pointless to guard your food and to growl at the smaller dogs in order to eat theirs too.
I made the mistake of taking the dogs to the park when they were so young. I read several things about socializing dogs at a young age, so taking them to the park seemed logical. But as they got older, I took them more often. Living in a 600-square-foot place merits the need to release energy at the park. It was fine for the first few months but then Revan (the 100-lb-Newfie mix) starting becoming aggressive. Dogs learn at the park, as my trainer told me, that the dog park is a free-for-all and it is every man for himself. So this means eat or be eaten and Revan chose eat. So now, whenever we meet a new dog, Revan immediately asserts himself as the dominant one so as not to be dominated himself. Another lesson learned. My boyfriend has had dogs growing up and seems to have an innate sense of understanding about them. He warned me about the dog park woes but I thought he was just being his paranoid self. I think taking young dogs to the park on occasion is not a bad thing but if I had it to do over I would have taken them much less often. Also, if possible, I would have tried to get them around other dogs in an environment outside of a dog park. The problem with that is I don't know anyone else with dogs. But that would be the ideal.
In any case, I've learned a lot.