We won an award! And ‘window film’…

January 27, 2012 at 9:37 pm 15 comments

First of all, Boogie’s blog won an Inspiration Award! Thank you so much to Pamela of Something Waggin This Way Comes. I feel humbled by this award because I don’t consider myself a “good blogger”. I post infrequently, and I don’t follow many blogs (except the training/behavior ones because I’m such a nerd) so I always feel a bit out of the doggie blogosphere loop.

Several weeks ago, I said I was going to cover my windows with ‘privacy film’ to manage Boogie’s reactivity at the window. Well, the roll of film arrived this week and this morning I started sticking the pieces to my window panels. In the photo below, the film has just been freshly applied to the glass with soapy water, hence the splotchiness and air bubbles. I still need to work that squeegy.

They say on the instruction sheet that it takes a few days for the film to dry completely, after which it should look smooth and clean like the photo on this page. I hope so!

The film lets light in, but you can’t see a thing out of it.

And here is what it looks like from the outside (with Boogie at the window).

So…Does it work? As I am typing up this blog post, I can hear the mailman outside…

Boogie barked once, and ran to the window, then stopped and let out a whimper. He is now back in his bed.

Next blog post: Notes from The Culture Clash byJean Donaldson. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to read this book!

Entry filed under: Cool Products, Reads, Training.

Doggie Language, and a very funny book Some video links

15 Comments Add your own

1. Pamela | January 27, 2012 at 10:40 pm

It’s a well-deserved award. I’ve gotten so much from your drawings.

The window film is a great idea. Our local SPCA applied it in some of their dog apartments. Apparently many dogs find it more comfortable to be able to see the other dogs around. But, obviously, other dogs don’t.

I hope it works for Boogie.
Reply
- 2. lili | January 27, 2012 at 11:04 pm
  
  Hi Pamela,
  It is still too soon to tell if the window film with make a big difference… He is mostly reactive to people outside (especially neighbors). He is still barking when he hears something but so far, it seems that he stops barking when he can’t see anything to bark at. (Hopefully, not being able to see people leaving will mean that the barking is not reinforced!) I will keep you all posted!
  Reply
  - 3. Elisabeth Weiss | January 29, 2012 at 9:40 pm
    
    For the barking at people who are talking and making noise right outside the apartment I did Dr.Karen Overall relaxation protocol with my dogs. I saw a lot of improvement after that…I also worked on “obedience” with them in the hallways.
    “This program is the foundation for all other behavior modification programs. Its purpose is to teach the dog to sit and stay while relaxing in a variety of circumstances. The circumstances change from very reassuring ones with you present to potentially more stressful ones when you are absent. The purpose of the program is not to teach the dog to sit; sitting (or lying down, if the dog is more comfortable) is only a tool. The goals of the program are to teach the dog to relax, to defer to you, to enjoy earning a salary for an appropriate, desirable behavior, and to develop, as a foundation, a pattern of behaviors that allow the dog to cooperate with future behavior modification (generally desensitization and counter conditioning). This protocol acts as a foundation for teaching the dog context-specific appropriate behavior. The focus is to teach the dog to rely on you for all the cues as to the appropriateness of its behavior so that it can then learn not to react inappropriately.”
4. allicia | January 27, 2012 at 11:14 pm

i agree with pamela. its definitely a well deserved award! i don’t want to sound like a broken record but your blog entries and drawings have helped with handling my pup 🙂

i’ve been looking into the frosted window covers for a while, so i can’t wait to see how they work for you and boogie.

xo
alicia
Reply
- 5. lili | January 28, 2012 at 2:30 am
  
  thank you, Alicia 🙂
  Reply
6. rumpydog | January 27, 2012 at 11:36 pm

Oh Dog! That’s no fun at all!
Reply
- 7. lili | January 27, 2012 at 11:44 pm
  
  Ha – yep. I suck at these home renovation type activities 🙂
  Reply
8. nathan long | January 27, 2012 at 11:57 pm

Congratulations, Lili.
Reply
- 9. lili | January 28, 2012 at 2:30 am
  
  thank you for measuring and cutting the window film 🙂
  Reply
10. Raeganw | January 27, 2012 at 11:59 pm

I’m very interested in your thoughts on Culture Clash, especially since you have read it with a familiarity with positive training.
Reply
- 11. lili | January 28, 2012 at 2:39 am
  
  Raegan – Just visited your blog and I am bookmarking it!! I was surprised how much I enjoyed the The Culture Clash. Well, maybe not ‘enjoyed’… but the book hit several nerves really hard.
  
  It put a lot of the Postitive Training info I already have within a larger philosophical perspective and made it clear to me how damaging anthropomorphism is and how it has shaped traditional dog training…
  
  My next blog post will be clippings and maybe an illustration…
  Reply
12. dogdaz | January 28, 2012 at 11:58 am

Congratulations! – DogDaz
Reply
13. Elisabeth Weiss | January 29, 2012 at 5:23 pm

Well deserved! Congratulations!!
Reply
14. Georgia Little Pea | February 3, 2012 at 12:04 am

Congrats on your award! Your blog is beaut and you SHOULD post more!

I guess by now the strips would have dried. Are they working? Poor Boogie must think his eyesight has gone 😉
Reply
15. Pattern Games DVD « Boogie’s blog | May 30, 2012 at 7:38 am

[…] a short video clip of Boogie at his favorite window. That’s one of his beds right next to it. Remember when I covered all my windows with film? I had to leave one window uncovered because I need to breathe, and this is the window that Boogie […]
Reply