The little dickens

Hi honey.

Hi Mom.

Is this a good time?

Perfect. I wanted to hear how things are going but knew you were busy.

I am sorry I haven’t you called earlier. I’ve been crazy busy with the new pup. He is really clever. He knows how to train me. We are learning to talk to each other. It’s a lot of work but he is getting house trained quickly and learning to come, sit, go to bed, and he even has started to fetch. It will need months of repetition, but in spite of a few accidents, things are going well.

Hey mom, turn on the video and let me see him.

God, I love how easy it is to talk to you. Technology has some perks. Let me show you, he's been sleeping on my lap.

Oh, he’s so cute. He looks like a teddy bear

I think he looks like an Ewok . He has already shown the can learn complex language and social structures. I am starting to understand his squeaks and peeps. Operant conditioning really is powerful. Positive conditioning is a great teacher, so is negative punishment, taking away the positive treat. I forget how easily it is for humans to be conditioned. Just give a valued treat and we become obedient. I just don’t want to treat him like Lucy did Charlie Brown with the football.

I don’t know what you are talking about mom.

It must be a generation thing. Charlie Brown always respects his friend Lucy who is his psychiatrist. When they play football, Lucy repeatedly says she will hold the football, and each time, Charlie Brown thinks the best of her and gives her the benefit of the doubt. She inevitably pulls the ball away just as he is about to kick it and he falls flat on his back. We really want to believe in the best in others, even though they repeatedly torment us. I think this is happening in the world right now. Promises are made, broken and forgotten.

The dog trainer's approach is to distract, divert and deflect from bad behaviours and recognize preferred behaviours with jackpot rewards. Such conditioning drives the gambling spirit of humans.

Sheesh mom. Must you always see mankind as animals?

A great conditioning technique depends on a consistent response that can become a not too rare possibility.

Mom, the world seems to be run by illogical actions with brute force these days.

True enough. Chaos is increasing and everything is becoming a massive possibility of uncertainty. When the bipartisan chief administrator of the Federal Reserve, who has worked for both parties to set interest rates and a currency standard for the world, is being put in doubt and called a knucklehead and worse by the current leader in chief, it creates a global awareness that something is not right with democracy. To have the audacity to base charges on a renovation project that was approved is ludicrous, especially given other current renovations that were never approved. I've never followed politics or the news, but there is no escaping it.

I am wondering about the checks and balances of democracy when the leader believes that his "own morality" is the only restraint on his global powers.

I know politicians can buy votes, but accepting a plane as a gift seems like a bribe to me.

And what about the expense of checking it for malware, given that even a simple pager can cause an explosion.

Oh oh. He just got up off my knee. Twister come. Sit. Yes. Can you see him?

Oh Mom, I love the way he tilts his head when you talk. So, you’re the Twister, that blew in. It’s amazing how a name can reflect an identity and shape a personality. He seems to be clearing his path.

I have to take him out. Come with me. I have to carry him down the stairs. He learned to climb up them yesterday. Twister time to do your duty.

He seems to be figuring out what duty means.

Well, he’s messed his bed twice. I’ve asked myself how many times will a dog mess up their own bed. Dogs that have anxiety or boredom, or are feeling stressed, anxious, fearful or panicked, chew and wet their bed. There seems to be a lot of this same problem to our south, and the comfortable world that we have nurturing for the last 80 years is being torn to shreds.

The deflect and distract strategy is being used a lot to divert attention from those involved in immoral acts recorded in the Epstein files to war.

I can't help but think of the John McCrae poem ‘Lest we forget’. It is impossible for a young pup to understand the world tensions from another era. I have learned to fear the consequences of some of the recent changes.

Mom, I know. The world has changed. Threats and new problems are causing a lot of instability. Financial, political, and interpersonal tensions are shaping the outlook of young people. AI is amplifying uncertainty, with young adults expecting fewer opportunities, greater threats to job security, and diminished meaning in their careers. They are going to have to learn to amuse themself and survive without trusting mainstream media and political parties. In cyberspace, algorithms reward falsehoods, fuel hatred, and provide authoritarians with powerful tools of control. The environment is fragilized and as it becomes more unstable, the very essence of democracy, regardless of political preferences, does too.

It is hard to see how polarization and intolerance have increased, but as the Arctic and Antarctic poles continue to melt and climate changes and limited freshwater is increasing, I wonder about if global disaster will rally mankind together, or destroy the world.

Oh, talking about disaster, he's not doing anything. Patience. Hey, I was thinking of getting a landline given how internet providers can be cut off when there are geopolitical instabilities.

Don’t be dramatic mom.

Sorry about that. It's my cautious generational hangup. In my youth parents used to talk about walking uphill to and from school through 10-foot snowbanks. It wasn’t a story. It took awhile to figure out how to deal with snow removal. As a kid, I didn't know what poor was. I was happy having three outfits to wear to school and getting a new dress and shoes for Easter. Times are different, but I'd hate to lose communication and it does happen.

Well, times have changed Mom. I don't even know if phone companies put in landlines anymore with the copper shortage. We'll have to get ham radios.

ha. Well, I'd appreciate that. I've seen a lot of improvements over my life as population has grown exponentially. I taught myself about dog training. about 40 years ago using the only book I could find. It was based on treats and mild negative reinforcement. You know, roll a newspaper in your hand and swat it making a loud noise. The recommended means to stop a dog from digging was to fill the hole with water and stick their head in it. I did it once and Wibble did stop digging but I hated it.

Mom- that’s gross. Did you not know better? That is just plain mean and stupid.

Hey, I was young. I believed what I read in the trainer manual. There was not a lot to go on. I listened to the experts, who do the best they can with what is known. At least they had a program and we can recognize mistakes that become apparent in hindsight. Helps me understand how German soldiers followed orders during WW2 and transported prisoners and operated the concentration camps. They were tried for war crimes, yet if they refused the command, they would have been charged with insubordination. Tough choice. Success! Come Twister. Yes. Good boy. Twister come. Sit. Touch. Yes. Good boy. Break.

It is marvellous how he responds.

He loves the food reward that follows.

Yeo yew yip yip.

Oh my. There have been atmospheric rivers and there is a lot of mud. He sits on my feet after he is done his business. This means I’m cold and wet. I am learning to understand him. Okay little one. Up you come. I see you looking at me. Yes. Here’s a treat.

Oh Mom, he just gave you a 'dog has to do what a dog has to do to get a handout', look.

Twister.You are a smart puppy. I told you he was training me. You know honey, it is tricky to figure out what Twister needs. The first night I had him in his crate beside me he was shivering. I realized the little one was cold. A hot bag did the trick. I put one in his crate each night and he sleeps through. He showed me where he wanted his bed in the kitchen. He needs to be near the action. The most important thing is that he knows I can listen to him.

He is adorable Mom. You little dickens… Oliver the Twister. You are a little love.

Give me a minute, just have to dry his paws and tummy. Here’s some fresh water. Those are my toes. Here’s the rope. Let’s play. Those shark teeth hurt. I just have to sit down. All this bending over makes me get dizzy! Thank heavens I have got a puppy now. This is my last window for training.

Mom. Really. Do you always have to talk like that?

Hey, look at him play. It’s like he’s saying "Oh my days. Life is good. I’m free. I’m free." Watch what happens when I go into the other room. Don’t worry Twister. I’m here. He usually follows me but is getting better at playing on his own if I am talking.

Woof ee ee eee.

Oh my. Now he's saying "Where have you gone? Has she left me. What will I do. I can’t bear it. Where is mamma. I can’t deal with this. He's stopped crying. Now I can go beside him. Twister come. Yes. What. I just heard yes!!! I got a treat. I love yes. Yes, is just marvelous. I love a yes treat. I am very sleepy. I’ll just have a little snooze on your lap.

Oh, that was funny Mom. I am so glad we could video call and I could watch his training and play.

Yeah, me too.

Mom, I think you were a bit crazy to get a pup, but the kids will love him.

I think so. He's not a herd dog, a service dog or a lurcher who can steal things, but the kids will learn about positive reinforcement.

I was thinking about how hard it was to deal with Wibble when she got old. Her arthritis was bad. Thankfully she never went senile or acted outrageously with erratic, repetitive, or behaviours indicative of cognitive decline. . It leads to anxiety and confusion and strange behaviours like pacing, resource guarding, and leaning on door frames staring into space, then yapping for no good reason. There is only so much that can be done for irrational behavior, with disinhibition or forgetfulness.

After 18 years of having Wibble, I knew it was time to let her go when she lost self-control.

Mom, I’ve gotta go, but will see you on Saturday. Is lunch time good for you?

Perfect. I will say goodbye for now. Thanks for calling. So glad we got to chat. l really am looking forward to having the kids help train the little dickens. Till then, bye bye love and thanks for calling.

Keep up the great work mom. Bye. Love you.