Am just starting to do some training practice with Honey for life in Taipei so last weekend, I took her into downtown Auckland to walk through the crowds (especially near the Asian people, who squeal and flinch away when they see her! ), past skate-boarders and loud traffic, etc. We had done a lot of this kind of socialisation when she was a puppy so she is very good and generally totally unfazed by noises and strange people.
We also did some âcafe practiceâ, 'coz thatâs something we donât normally do - she coped pretty well with that. In fact, she now thinks cafes are wonderful places where she gets to eat yummy human food! (I got her a cupcake each time as a treat) . All those months of training Out-Of-Sight Sit Stays and Down Stays really paid off when I had to leave her by the tables and go into the cafe to order!! I also practised leaving her in a Sit Stay outside a shop while I went inside to buy something - and she was very good, although she caused a bloody commotion with everyone walking past and pointing!
Just wondered if you had any other ideas for things I can socialise/expose her to, to help her adapt to life in Taipei? Keeping in mind that weâll be living bang in the middle of the cityâŚ
At this stage, the hardest thing I think is getting her used to Chinese peopleâs reactions 'coz they behave in EXACTLY the way youâre NOT supposed to behave with dogs,. ie staring at them, twitching and flinching, emitting strange, high pitched noises, moving oddlyâŚguaranteed to make dogs even more interested in you and in some cases, feel threatened by you!
Oh My~ thatâs a giant dog you got there!!! I love dogs~ I had a rottie mix for 16 years when I was back in the states. <âThatâs my Rottie mix Lucky.
Youâll prolly need to get ur Honey ready for motor noises on the street and strays running around (depending on where u live). And you should definitely take Honey out to the riverside park in taipei city. Good Luck!
I would say you are right regarding the extreme reactions Honey will encounter. Why, I have people scream, cross the street, recoiling in fear at the sight of my 3kg mini-mutt. I told you that you know from afar when the guy with the three Danes comes down the road: itâs like the parting of the Red Sea.
Iâve had trouble with a couple of kids who are afraid of dogs and hence kick the doggie in âself-defenseâ. My doggie was very friendly, but even heâs got a limit for people poking him with umbrellas.
Hence, I would say you have to be ready for anything, such as old people swinging their canes menacingly at the dog and other awful things. Staring? Try screaming and running.
Iâve had trouble with a couple of kids who are afraid of dogs and hence kick the doggie in âself-defenseâ. My doggie was very friendly, but even heâs got a limit for people poking him with umbrellas.
Hence, I would say you have to be ready for anything, such as old people swinging their canes menacingly at the dog and other awful things. Staring? Try screaming and running.[/quote]
OK - maybe Iâd better get some friends to swing things at Honeyâs face and poke her with sticks, in practice!!
So, youâve walked about Auckland and had coffee at a well-lit cafe or two, in the nice sprng sunshine. thatâs step ONE.
Now, take the dog down to the fishmarkets, and walk around the carpark and by the loading dock at peak selling time. take the dog for a stroll through the worst of the Christmas shopping rush, in pursuit of the heaviest crowds you can find. sit on the edge of the road, next to the most interesting smelly garbage truck, if possible right next to a bonfire while people light fireworks and throw them on the ground without warning. thatâs a good step TWO.
Then do all this while confonted by people driving scooters and bicycles on the pavement,in the broiling sun, or in the pouring rain, surrounded by corwds of stray dogs, and youâll come closer to the realityâŚ
[quote=âurodacusâ]So, youâve walked about Auckland and had coffee at a well-lit cafe or two, in the nice sprng sunshine. thatâs step ONE.
Now, take the dog down to the fishmarkets, and walk around the carpark and by the loading dock at peak selling time. take the dog for a stroll through the worst of the Christmas shopping rush, in pursuit of the heaviest crowds you can find. sit on the edge of the road, next to the most interesting smelly garbage truck, if possible right next to a bonfire while people light fireworks and throw them on the ground without warning. thatâs a good step TWO.
Then do all this while confonted by people driving scooters and bicycles on the pavement,in the broiling sun, or in the pouring rain, surrounded by corwds of stray dogs, and youâll come closer to the realityâŚ[/quote]
Iâll do my best!!
Well, youâve got to start somewhereâŚ
Actually, as I said, we did do a lot of socialisation when Honey was a puppy so I did manage to put her through a few more âchallengingâ things, such as standing next to a brass band playing at full blast, taking part in a Xmas parade and also walking her through an anti-fur demonstration where people were screaming through megaphones and waving placards. And some of this was done in the middle of the summer, which can get pretty hot. And she has been assessed as a Therapy Dog, part of which was dropping things like metal bedpans suddenly on the floor next to her or wacking her suddenly with your handâŚBut I concede it will be nothing like Taipei!
Oh well, at least Iâm making an attempt to do some extra socialisation from now, rather than just dropping her in it when she arrives!
(the fish market is a good ideaâŚIâll look into that, although Iâm not sure the council laws will allow dogs near all the food, etc or if the market people will get annoyed if I take such a big dog thereâŚ)
[quote=âurodacusâ]So, youâve walked about Auckland and had coffee at a well-lit cafe or two, in the nice sprng sunshine. thatâs step ONE.
Now, take the dog down to the fishmarkets, and walk around the carpark and by the loading dock at peak selling time. take the dog for a stroll through the worst of the Christmas shopping rush, in pursuit of the heaviest crowds you can find. sit on the edge of the road, next to the most interesting smelly garbage truck, if possible right next to a bonfire while people light fireworks and throw them on the ground without warning. thatâs a good step TWO.
Then do all this while confonted by people driving scooters and bicycles on the pavement,in the broiling sun, or in the pouring rain, surrounded by corwds of stray dogs, and youâll come closer to the realityâŚ[/quote]
OK, urodacus, we made it!!
Unfortunately, it was too late in the day so there wasnât much activity going onâŚbut I donât think I can be bothered to go back at 5am in the morning! Still, there were enough fishy, stinky smellsâŚ
Actually, I donât think dogs mind stinky bad smells as much as we do - I think thatâs another case of trying to force human emotions & perspectives on animals - what we think as stinky and unbearable, dogs probably find really interesting and fragrant! Otherwise why would they roll in rotting fish and stuff? I know for a fact that Honey is always rolling in dead birds and rabbit poo and all sorts of other disgusting stuff in our local reserve - she once rolled in some fresh sheep poo and my God, did she stink to high heaven!! I was gagging in the car all the way home but she was sitting there, smiling to herself, looking really happy with this gooey green stuff smeared all over her headâŚ
They say a lot of dogs will go straight out after a bath and roll in stuff because what we humans think as wonderful - lavendar, rose, perfumes, etc - just absolutely stink to dogs!
So I donât think the smells and stuff in Taipei will bother Honey as much as theyâll bother me!
Wow⌠it looks so clean compared to the markets here. I wanna move to Auckland!
[quote=âbighoneydogâ] I donât think the smells and stuff in Taipei will bother Honey as much as theyâll bother me! [/quote] I donât think it smells so bad here. Everyone goes on about cho dofu and such . It really isnât that bad. (And it tastes yummy.)
You are going to have a great adventure during your stay here.
), past skate-boarders and loud traffic, etc. We had done a lot of this kind of socialisation when she was a puppy so she is very good and generally totally unfazed by noises and strange people.
. All those months of training Out-Of-Sight Sit Stays and Down Stays really paid off when I had to leave her by the tables and go into the cafe to order!! 
I also practised leaving her in a Sit Stay outside a shop while I went inside to buy something - and she was very good, although she caused a bloody commotion with everyone walking past and pointing! 
