…but she says that we’re going to do a couple of “fun, light posts” first because otherwise my blog will just get bogged down with all this political dog training stuff and she doesn’t like that – and a lot of our readers who are not so interested in training will be bored out of their brains!!

But first Hsin-Yi wants to say a few words:

Comments, Spam & Censorship

I’m sorry if any of you have had your comments ‘disappear’ after you submit it – don’t worry, it isn’t lost – it’s simply gone into the Spam folder. I check that every day and will fish out any genuine comments as soon as I see them. So if your comment disappears in future, don’t worry about it – it’ll be restored when I do my daily Spam folder check (there might be a delay ‘coz we’re on the other side of the world to most of you – so we’re usually sleeping when most of you are awake! ).

Unfortunately, WordPress can get a bit “over-enthusiastic” at times and think certain genuine comments are spam (especially if they’re long comments with many words – or have several links, this seems to trigger the spam filter). It’s very frustrating as certain of our friends seem to always be targetted (eg. poor Angi & Princeton!), no matter how many times I approve them – argh, the spam filter never seems to learn!!

I also want to say that I never have ‘Comment Moderation‘ turned on because I believe very strongly in “free speech” and people being allowed to express their opinions/thoughts – regardless of whether it coincides with mine. (One of my strongest memories of arriving in London as a 6yr old was going to “Speakers Corner” in Hyde Park where anyone can stand on a box and say whatever they like – shout, swear, criticise – the government, royal family, police force, businesses, whatever – without persecution. I think that is a wonderful right to have. I also grew up in a Muslim country which employed censorship liberally – so I am very sensitive to it and strongly opposed to it.)

So if your comment “disappears”, it is because it has gone into the Spam folder (or a rare computer glitch) – not because of censorship. I will never delete any comments based on their content (well, unless they’re full of yucky words about “big honeys”! …Ahem…when I chose the name “bighoneydog”, I never realised how ambiguous those words might be! The number of spam comments we get per day and people coming to this site searching for another type of “big honey”…well, I draw the line at allowing porn “free speech”! ) – so yeah, I won’t delete (non-porn) comments unless they are offensive/abusive in nature to us or other readers. There is always a polite way to express your opinion.

~ Hsin-Yi

******

OK! So back to the REALLY important stuff: the adventures of Honey & Muesli!!

Well, first we want to tell you: we’re back to Square One with Muesli the Bed-Thief. Yup. Hsin-Yi’s idea didn’t work.

Why can't we just do THIS all the time??

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So you see – in case you people always think that Hsin-Yi is some kind of training guru or something – she doesn’t always have the answer and her ideas don’t always magically work; she fails & gets it wrong too. Yeah, Muesli’s been taking my bed in the middle of the night again and I just can’t get her off – so I have been getting stressy and pacing the house and Hsin-Yi has had to get up to “help” me and stop Muesli bullying me. The only good thing is that it doesn’t happen every night so we don’t know if that’s an improvement, because of Hsin-Yi’s training? So we’re still working on it. (Hsin-Yi says she doesn’t mind getting up once a week or something to help me – just once in a while – but just not every night!! )

Don't be taken in by those big eyes & innocent little face!

My humans say that if it keeps up, they will try your suggestions of shutting Muesli in another room. The only room they can do that is the study – but the door of that is broken and doesn’t shut properly so they”ll have to find some way of wedging it – and Muesli can be REALLY determined when she wants to open a door!

When she was just a tiny baby kitty when she first came from the RSPCA rescue shelter, my humans tried to shut her in 1 room at night, the first couple of weeks and my God, no matter how they wedged the door, they could hear her banging and jumping and scratching and pushing and she would always eventually squeeze her way out -

(Note from Hsin-Yi: I can’t believe it but Muesli actually learnt – by herself – how to turn a doorknob!! Cats are unbelievable. Honey would never figure that out in a million years – whereas Muesli learnt that just from watching us!! ) -

- plus Muesli is awfully NOISY when she wants something. She WAILS and SCREECHES and HOWLS and SCREAMS. Hsin-Yi had to go apologise to the neighbours in those early days. So my humans really don’t want to have to try shutting her in a room, unless there is no other option…coz they’d probably not get much sleep that way either!

But you know what? I’ve figured out a brilliant way to get Muesli off my bed, all by myself! I even demonstrated it for Hsin-Yi today: I just stand over Muesli and let a lot of slobber dribble down my jowls and fall onto her head. Hee! Hee! She scoots out of the way and off the bed very quickly!

Winter is finally here and the weather has been really lovely in the last couple of weeks – my favourite kind of weather! – with crisp, cold but sunny days, perfect for walks…

…and chilly nights, perfect for snuggling in my bed!

And a couple of weekends ago, I had a lovely surprise! Remember my friend, Phatso the Bull Arab back in Brisbane? He was in my RSPCA Demo Team and we used to have great playdates together on the beach…

…well, his human came to visit Sydney! And she sent Hsin-Yi a message asking if we’d like to catch-up (well, of course we would!) – and so we took her on our favourite walk around Pyrmont, our favourite part of Sydney…

For those of you who remember Phatso’s human, you might have noticed something different about her: she’s cut her hair! Yup, she used to have these amazing, long blond dreadlocks which she had been growing for 11 years(!!!) but she cut them off in a fundraiser for the Brisbane RSPCA, to help raise money paper for the homeless doggies & kitties. We think she looks cool with her new hair!

And finally, Hsin-Yi is very busy this week because on top of everything else on her plate (she’s very stressy at the moment ‘coz she has too many things to do and and our Rental Agent Human is being very nasty and making trouble and we’re so behind on my blog adventures and there are so many messages & comments to respond to and we haven’t visited ANY of our blog friends for ages (nor been on Facebook for DAYS) and feel bad about it…and so Hsin-Yi is just feeling very “overwhelmed” trying to keep on top of everything… )

…well, on top of all that, it’s the Sydney Writers’ Festival at the moment! Hsin-Yi has been looking forward to this a long time, although she’s not enjoying it as much as she could ‘coz she is so stressy & busy with other things. But she has been busy  trying to go the festival as much as she can – and one of the events she went to was an “Author Talk” by Jeff Kinney, who wrote Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He was talking at the Sydney Opera House – so it was a great chance for Hsin-Yi to go visit (my humans haven’t had much time/chance to go into downtown Sydney much: when you’re not visiting as Tourist Humans, life sort of gets in the way! )

And guess who she met there? My friend, Carmel, who is also a Bookworm Human and loves going to stuff about books & authors!

Jeff Kinney had got on a Big Flying Machine and come all the way from a faraway place called Plainville, Massachusettes to come and speak at the Sydney Opera House, for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. He was very funny and gave a lovely talk – and was so nice and didn’t have a Big Head about being a World-Famous, Best-Selling Author Human. Hsin-Yi says it was so amazing to see the whole Concert Hall full of human pups, all clutching his books, their eyes bright with excitement – and that would be her dream: to one day be an Author Human too whose books can make children look like that and inspire them to want to read.

And I’ll leave you with some of the beautiful pictures that Hsin-Yi got of the waterfront, around the Sydney Opera House… (she specially took her big, fancy, SLR camera machine coz she hardly ever goes downtown so this was a great opportunity!)

view of Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay...

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What a lovely place to have dinner! (if you like oysters! This is the Sydney Cove Oyster Bar...

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the "Opera Bar" (waterfront eatery) - with view of Harbour Bridge & Sydney Opera House in the background

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view of Sydney skyline & Circular Quay, looking back from the Opera House...

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ps. And just to show you how ‘frazzled’ Hsin-Yi is at the moment – she posted that Wordless Wednesday picture of me yesterday – and only realised this morning that yesterday wasn’t “Wednesday”!!!

pps. Oh! Also, forgot to tell you – unfortunately, I didn’t win the Best Australian Blogs 2012 Contest – some stupid HUMAN won it with their stupid human blog! But thank you all so much for voting for me and supporting me so much – you’re the best friends & fans!!

Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane

******

(from Hsin-Yi)

A couple of posts ago, one of our readers called “Sarah” asked “Great to see you still doing training. I was just wondered why you felt the need to put a choke chain on Honey?”

- Well, the short answer to that is: I don’t need to – I just prefer the way a chain looks, loose at the base of the neck, as opposed to a flat collar snug around the neck. It’s an aesthetic thing – and I don’t have the blind, knee-jerk, negative reaction to a CHECK chain that many people have, because I UNDERSTAND it as a training tool – therefore I don’t have a problem with my dog wearing it.

In any case, in the pictures she was referring to – Honey is actually wearing her new chain collar, which is a martingale collar, with the main part of the collar made of interlinking, flat chain links. It was originally a present from our Italian Dane friend, Lucille, and we think it’s very pretty – shiny & chic, at the base of the neck, like a necklace. I don’t like collars that are tight higher up on the neck, breaking the line of the neck – no matter how pretty the pattern. It’s just a personal preference. Even when Honey wears her nylon buckle collar (she has one in baby blue, with daisies), I adjust it so that it is very loose, at the base of her neck and could easily slip over her ears.

Because I am not relying on the collar to restrain & control Honey and our rule is that the leash is never tight, it is actually irrelevant which kind of collar she is wearing – or none at all.

- The long answer is: I don’t have a problem or make judgements about any training tool. I think that all training tools can be effective if they are used correctly, with the right technique and with the right type of dogs & owners. I am a “combination” trainer (or what is probably referred to as a “crossover” trainer) in that I believe in using a combination of different training techniques and in using reward & correction together in training. Primarily reward – but occasionally correction, if the situation warrants it. I believe that dogs can understand “consequences” for their actions and I don’t feel that I am “damaging” my relationship with my dog simply because I use corrections occasionally (and I think my bond with Honey is proof of that, which can be seen in our videos – Honey is not a cowering, broken dog – she is confident, happy & eager to work with me – despite me occasionally correcting her for inappropriate behaviour).

I don’t like the way dog training has divided into camps, with members of each demanding blind loyalty like fundamentalist religions – and jumping down your throat if you don’t completely support one camp, to the exclusion of all else. It is sad & wrong that so many desperate owners out there are really struggling and yet are scared & ashamed to consider other methods (and ultimately end up giving up their dogs), simply because they’re beaten down with guilt by the “purely-positive” trainers for daring to try anything different. For a group of people who talk constantly against using intimidation, they sure don’t seem to have a problem with using it themselves on dog owners! (We were one of those desperate owners once who tried to do everything only positively out of a sense of guilt and ended up nearly rehoming Honey as a result – whereas the application of a combination of training methods has produced the wonderful dog she is today). In my opinion, any trainer who says “it’s my way or the high way” is a ‘bad’ trainer – and any trainer who isn’t willing to concede that different methods may suit different dogs and is open-minded enough to consider alternatives is an “uneducated” trainer, regardless of how many letters they may have after their name.

I know it’s not PC so say this but I am not a “purely positive” trainer who thinks you mustn’t ever say “NO” or raise your voice to your dog, otherwise you’ll damage your relationship. If your relationship with your dog is that fragile, then you don’t have much of a bond in the first place. I am tough but fair and consistent. And I spend a LOT of time building a strong bond with my dog outside of training, through interactive play and other activities.

I also make distinctions between the types of training I do: for example, all tricks, dancing, Rally-O, agility, etc are taught using only positive reinforcement (eg. clicker training) because I believe those are not ‘essential’ things – they’re done mainly for human entertainment/ego and so I don’t feel it is right to correct a dog for not performing them. But for “everyday training” which affects both the dog’s safety & others around him (eg. lunging), I am not afraid to use correction as well as rewards, if needed, because these are the things that are “non-negotiable” for me and need to be sorted quickly & effectively if the dog is to be a safe member of society and enjoy a full life. And also to protect the dog – because an out-of-control dog (especially a big one) in today’s society is constantly at risk of being labelled a “dangerous dog”, seized and put down.

Yes, you can still train problem behaviours using only positive-only methods but they often take a LOT longer – sometimes years – to see improvements, with the dog having a very restricted lifestyle/poor quality of life in the meantime. And many people simply give up because they haven’t got the patience or stamina to see out the training. To me, especially with a breed that has such a short lifespan, I am not willing to sacrifice years of my dog’s life working inefficiently at something, simply for the sake of a “principle”, when another method will work more quickly & effectively and – in my opinion – without hurting my dog. (Yes, there ARE risks with using correction and I have done a post in the past about them – you can read it here – which is why it’s important to have the guidance of an experienced trainer if you’re going to use it).

I don’t agree with using only punishment to train – or even using correction first – I always use positive-reinforcement first and many everyday problem behaviours CAN be fixed just with that method – but sometimes, with certain self-reinforcing, dangerous behaviours (and with very large, powerful dogs), reward on its own is just not as effective as combining it with well-timed & appropriate correction. So in those cases, I have no problems with using the combination – if it means that the dog can be helped faster and go on to enjoy better quality of life, with less stress & more freedom.

As for the original question about Honey’s collar – the way Sarah was referring to it as a “choke chain” shows just how little she understands this training tool. The correct name is a “CHECK chain” – because if used with the correct technique, it “checks” the dog in the middle of an unwanted behaviour, so that you can interrrupt him and re-direct him onto a more appropriate behaviour and reward him for that. It should NEVER be tight on the dog’s neck, ever. A tight check chain is completely useless and worthless (and potentially harmful). If used in the right way (and with the right handlers & dogs), it is a very effective training tool.

HOWEVER, it’s true – most people use it completely WRONG and do “choke” their dogs. Therefore, I do agree that it is a training tool that is very easily abused and therefore not a good choice for most people. This is why – while I personally don’t have a problem with it – I don’t promote it on the blog or encourage using it, because it requires a very special technique which is a practical skill and can only be taught by an experienced trainer watching & guiding you in ‘real life’.

Basically, it’s very easy to “screw it up” – (the very sharp, quick “snap” or “pop” action – which “checks” the dog and instantly releases the chain – people think they can just look & copy but they are usually just jerking the chain around) and impossible to learn just from reading instructions from a book or online – or even watching a video. It requires perfect timing & coordination which takes a LOT of practice to achieve (and which most people don’t have the time or patience to do) – and the absolute key is to keep NO tension on the leash at all times (which goes against most people’s instincts; they tend to tighten up the leash when worried the dog will misbehave).

Almost all pet owners I see using it, use it wrong. They are either yanking the dog on it or the chain is just constantly tight (with the dog choking & gasping at the end of it) while the dog pulls – thus possibly damaging their throat/spine or simply developing very strong neck muscles and learning to ignore the pressure of the chain. You should not be using the physical unpleasantness of “choking” to stop a dog from doing something -

(You can basically choke a dog on any collar. It is not the fault of the type of collar being used but the fault of the skill (or lack of skill) of the handler. I have seen many dogs “choking” – gasping & pulling – on flat buckle collars, as they drag their owners everywhere. Similarly, I have seen many dogs on head halters – which, yes, don’t “choke” – but the really determined dogs still pull & lunge with their heads yanked unnaturally sideways, which can’t be good for the neck & spine either. It just depends on the dog. A really good trainer knows that there is no “one-size fits all” and no one tool which works for every dog, every owner & every situation.)

- with the correct technique, you should simply be using the chain to “startle” a dog in the middle of his inappropriate behaviour – which gives you a chance to redirect him and praise him for doing the right behaviour. And physical strength should have nothing to do with it. Honey weighs about 20kg (44lbs) more than me – but with the right technique, I can still “check” her very effectively because it is not dependent on my yanking her hard enough to stop her. You can have a tiny dog and still not be able to control them with a check chain, if you’re not using the correct technique.

But as I said, the problem with the check chain is not in the tool itself but in that it’s really easy to “screw it up” – and that is why I agree that the check chain is a poor choice of training tool for most people: it is just too hard to learn how to use properly, compared to something like the head halter or harness which requires very little skill to get right – and it is what I usually recommend to most average pet owners who tell me that their dog is pulling uncontrollably – BUT only as a temporary “band-aid” to help them control their dogs and keep everybody safe, until they can get help from a professional trainer.

The problem is – people don’t treat them as a temporary “band-aid” but as a substitute for real training. One reason I don’t like head halters & those “No-Pull harnesses”, etc is because people come to depend on them to “restrain” the dog and physically prevent them from pulling – rather than teaching their dogs not to pull. They basically use it as a “quick fix” instead of tackling the root of the problem. I meet many people using the head harness – for years – and without it, the dog will still pull. With it on, the dog doesn’t pull but only coz he’s uncomfortable…to me, any type of collar should only be a TEMPORARY training tool.

Ultimately, you should be working with a trainer to teach your dog to CHOOSE to walk on loose-leash, nicely, without pulling – regardless of what he’s wearing. In fact, you should be working to control your dog without any collar or leash at all.

Which goes back to what I said in the beginning – the type of collar Honey is wearing is actually irrelevant because I have as much control over her “naked”. I am not relying on the collar & leash to control her. I actually feel more confident & in-control when she is off-leash, because I am simply using my voice to control her. But I keep a leash & collar on her because it is the law and I feel very strongly about obeying dog-laws.

* I HATE those people who waltz around our local neighbourhood with their dogs off-leash, crossing busy roads and down crowded pavements…all to prove that they have such “wonderful control”over their dogs, they don’t need a leash. It is arrogant and ultimately gives dog owners a bad name (especially as usually, they DON’T have as much control over their dogs as they think. A dog caused a pile-up in our local village the other day because it suddenly ran across the road and cars had to screech to a halt to avoid hitting it. It was running across to another dog – and the owner was chasing it yelling. Why didn’t he have it on leash?? IT’S THE LAW.) I can walk my dog without any collar or leash too – but I don’t. Why should I? I’ve got nothing to prove and I don’t think I am above the law.  There is nothing wrong with having your dog on leash – he can enjoy the walk just as much – and if your dog really IS that well-trained, then it shouldn’t matter if he’s on leash since he shouldn’t pull anyway, right? OK, rant over!

I have worked very long & hard so that I can get my dog to Heel past distractions, obey commands, leave temptations, recall & stay, etc – all without direction or pressure from a collar & leash. And that is what I think training should really be about – not relying on any particular training tool – no matter how good – as a “crutch”.

“The strongest leash of all is that invisible leash that connects one heart to another, and it’s built of love & trust.  The sad reality is that the heart’s invisible leash is often broken or has never been built. Dogs who wear collars do not have to wear them forever. The need for leads and collars begins to disappear as training progresses.  If the training is thorough and followed through to off leash control, the collar becomes just another intermediate step in the training process. It is up to the handler to continue training to the point where equipment is necessary only to obey leash laws and protect the dog.”

Suzanne Clothier, world renown dog trainer/behaviouralist

Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane

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(from Hsin-Yi)

A lot of people have asked – over the years on the blog – how to pronounce my name, Hsin-Yi. Since we had some friends wondering again recently, I thought I’d explain a bit!

First, the “H” is silent – the reason it is written “Hs” is because it’s a particular type of “S” sound that is in the Chinese language – which is not in English. In fact, the modern way of writing it is with “X” – so my name would be written as “Xin-Yi” – but I have stuck to the old Romanisation, which is “Hs”.

It shouldn’t sound like “Sh” (as in “ship”, with your lips pursed) but more like when you’re making the “s” sound with your mouth pulled back into a smiling position, tongue touching the roof of your mouth and pushing the air out between your teeth. It’s hard to explain! Sort of like the “s” sound in “waxing” – well, that’s not exactly right either but it’s the closest sound in English!

There are 37 sounds in the Chinese phonetic alphabet, as opposed to 26 in English – and the “consonants” aren’t like the English versions – they sort of carry a sound with them – but they are always used to start a word. Here are some of them:

The 7 sounds in the bottom two rows are often the hardest for Westerners to pronounce. They are very similar but the middle row carries a rolled “rrr” at the end of each sound. To distinguish between them is very important – because although they sound very similar, they can be 2 words with very different meanings!

I found a website which plays a little audio of how each sound should be said (isn’t it amazing what can be found on the internet? ) – so to show you what I mean: the difference between the 2 sounds “zhi” (with the rolled rrrr) and “zi” is like this:

• Zhi     http://www.liwin.com/zhuyin/zhi.html (click to hear what it sounds like)
• Zi      http://www.liwin.com/zhuyin/zi.html

And therefore, in the Chinese language, there are 3 types of “s” sounds:

• Xi     http://www.liwin.com/zhuyin/xi.html (click to hear what it sounds like)
• Shi     http://www.liwin.com/zhuyin/shi.html
• Si     http://www.liwin.com/zhuyin/si.html

My name uses the first type “Xi”. If you’re interested in seeing & hearing the rest of the Chinese phonetic alphabet, here’s the website: http://www.liwin.com/zhuyin/ – it’s great as if you click on each of the sounds, it will pop up another window playing an audo of what it sounds like.

But before you all start panicking! – it’s fine to just to say my name with an “English s” – so my name is basically pronounced “Sin-Yee“, as 2 distinct sounds.

Angi was asking about which part to stress – well, actually, if you’re saying it the Chinese way, you would stress both parts but stress them differently, using different tones. This is because Chinese is a tonal language – with 4 tones – as opposed to English, which is monotonic. Tones are really hard for Westerners to both hear & pronounce if they haven’t grown up with them (Paul really struggles! ) – I always say it’s more like you’re “singing” the language. So my name would be pronounced with “Sin” (1st tone – high, sing-song tone) – “Yee” (2nd tone – upward inflection).

BUT – I find that – even without all the tones – a lot of people still struggle even with the “Sin-Yee” pronunciation – and so they find it much easier just to stick the 2 parts together and say it quickly, like “Sinny” (sort of like “Sindy” without the “d”). To be honest, if you say “Sin-Yee” very fast, it comes out sounding like “Sinny” anyway! Many of my closest (Western) friends call me “Sinny” and I don’t mind – I quite like it! I even introduce myself with that pronunciation sometimes if I’m in a hurry, so as not to confuse people – like if I’m on the phone and they ask my name to leave a message, I just say “My name’s Sinny” – because if I try to say it the “correct” way, it invariably ends with people saying “Sorry? What? How do you spell that?” – oh my God, and then if I have to spell it, they just get even more confused!! Sometimes I tell people it’s like “cine” – as in “cine-camera” – and for a lot of people, that helps them make sense of it.

I don’t really mind how people pronounce my name, as long as they’re comfortable – I had a P.E. teacher at school who really struggled with my name and in the end, she settled on “Shin-Knee” – because it was the only way she could remember it! The only thing I really dislike is when people only call me “Hsin”! I know it’s logical ‘coz you often shorten English names (eg. Edward = Ed) but I feel that the ‘hyphen’ is there between the 2 parts to show that they are part of a whole and should be said together (eg. the word “X-ray” is a complete word – if you just say the first part “X” – it has no meaning). Therefore, I rather people stick the 2 parts together (as in “Sinny”) rather than split it up (as in “Hsin”).

Lastly, I’ve had a lot of people ask me why I don’t have a Western name – as many Asian people who grew up/live in the West do, to make it easier for their Western friends to call them. Well, actually, I’ve refused to take one – I feel that “Hsin-Yi” is my name and why should I have to take another one? Yes, I know it’s harder for people to remember & pronounce – but it is my name and if they care enough, they’ll make the effort. Many Chinese people struggle to pronounce ‘R’ – but Western people called “Robert” and “Rachel” don’t take Chinese names just to make it easier for Chinese people to call them…everyone has to learn their names and accept it. So I feel the same about mine. Yes, it has made it harder at times – I could have made life a lot easier for myself if I’d just taken an English name – but all the people who have really mattered have made an effort to remember & pronounce my name.

Besides, what on earth would I call myself?   My parents went through a stage in my early teens when they were considering giving me an English name – they even came up with a shortlist, which included names like “Celine” and “Doris”…!!! I hated all of them. None of them felt like me. I like my name and I don’t see why I should have to take on a completely strange name just to make other people comfortable!

ps. Oh – and if anyone is curious about what my name actually means, you can check out the ‘About Me‘ section on my own blog!