Thursday, June 12, 2008
If Prince can be a symbol I guess Luna can be a tone
Thursday, June 12, 2008
If Prince can be a symbol I guess Luna can be a tone
A few weeks ago I realized that Luna doesn’t really know her name. Her real name that is.
When we adopted her we could have easily renamed her because she had no clue that her name was Luna. Sure, she would wag her tail when you said Luna, but at that point she wagged her tail at everything. Her name seemed to fit her so we opted not to change it and figured she would learn her name along the way.
I am ashamed to admit that Luna has not had any real training. We haven’t taken much time to teach her the basics of obedience nor have we taken her to any training classes. I feel a bit bad because we have invested a lot of time in the boys’ education. When they were about 11 weeks old we took them to puppy class and after they graduated from puppy class they took a general obedience class. When they were young we worked tirelessly to get them to obey basic commands. But our training efforts weren’t because we wanted to have the most obedient pugs in the neighborhood, it was just to keep them from bouncing off the walls. We had to teach Benjamin to sit before we would feed him because otherwise he would just jump straight up and down and try to get the food bowl out of our hands. It really doesn’t matter to me if he is sitting or standing when I feed him, just as long as he isn’t scratching my legs and making me spill his food. We had to train the boys because they needed the rules to act right. Luna, on the other hand, was calm and didn’t act like a wild woman so we never felt the same urgency to train her. Luna didn’t need training, she needed love and proper care. Our main focus with Luna was taking care of her eyes and skin and making her feel secure in her new home. When we first adopted her she literally would fall asleep standing up. It took awhile before she would be comfortable enough to sprawl out and really snooze.
With our emphasis on TLC, we never really took time to teach Luna her name. Sure we called her Luna all the time, but being the nickname type people we are we soon started to call her Looney. And since she is such a precious girl we couldn’t resist saying it in a nice high pitch squeak each time we called her. Say, “Luna”, or even “Looney” for that matter, and you won’t get much of a response from the little girl, but say “Looney” in the special high pitch voice and you will have her attention immediately. It isn’t what you say, its how you say it.
Even more embarrassing is that Luna responds very well to “Girl”. Before we adopted her we frequently referred to Benjamin and Henry as “boys”. If you wanted them to come all you needed was a simple “here boys” and you had two pugs sitting at your feet. It was a simple way to address both of them. Somehow that conveyed into calling Luna “girl”. If she walked over to me I would always say, “hey girl!” And if I wanted her to come I would say, “Come, girl.” It stuck with her.
The funny thing is that the only pug that really knows Luna by her real name is Henry. Henry is very smart and knows everyone’s name. When you say Luna he knows exactly who you are referring to.
17 Comments
I am certain Luna is very happy to be Looney Girl and really doesn’t understand the issue. I agree with you that Luna does fit her. I too believe TLC is soooo important and obviously, she has an abundance of that. I realize your concern. However, it seems Luna is well mannered. She has learned to be calm in many storms and has taught herself discipline in ways we all could learn from. “The Moon Goddess” or Luna as my dictionary describes it, gives me the thought of a calm clear night with the moonlight shining brightly over the Earth, how cool is that!
I worry sometimes too about the nicknames. As I’m sure we all have, Sleighbelle and Birdy have several nicknames each. I try to use their names with the nicknames, but not always. Luckily they seem to be content with answering me regardless of what I call them!
Don’t feel bad. Our cat doesn’t know his name either (Brice). Instead, he responds to a series of clicks. It reminds of that alien language from the move “Signs”, LOL! Luna is a happy girl, and that’s what matters. Besides, I’m sure she’d pick it up quickly if you paired it with some treats
Pugs seem to bring out the silliness in all of us by calling them a variety of names, other than their given name, but what really matters is that they do respond to us regardless of what we call them. I wouldn’t worry about “Looney” or “Girl” so much. Who knows, she may know her name, but responds more to the others.
Sometimes I wonder if Brutus knows his name. Sometimes he responds and other times he stares. I think you did the right thing by focusing more on the attention and TLC than the obedience. I’m sure she’s taken many of her queues from the boys.
When we adopted Petunia the rescue had given her that name (She was just left in a outside kennel at night no information on her). I liked it since my other was named Sequoia, it meshed well! But once she started growing on us I called her Tuni and then my husband started to call her Tuni Woons or Tunsters and since then she only comes when you say Tuni. Petunia is still her name but she doesn’t answer to it. Also we refer to the pugs as “the girls”!
As are Benny and Henry, Luna, tone or otherwise, is an incredible blessing; an angel.
It is all in the tone. My little male pug, adopted from pug rescue a few months ago, came with the name Yoda. He didn’t seem to know his name was Yoda, and I didn’t think it was very nice that someone had named him that in the first place, so I changed it to Robbie. Because my voice rises when I get to the “ie” part, it caught his attention (much adorable head cocking involved), and now he knows his name. My other pug is named Sandy and she has always responded for the same reason (of course, that doesn’t mean she has obeyed every time I’ve spoken to her. I think I need to end them both to Florida to be trained by the “OBP” family so they could be as well behaved as Benny, Henry and Luna!)
It’s very hard not to nickname your pugs, isn’t it? Let’s see….Adrian = Adie, Adie-poo, Adie-do, Missy, Missy Miss Miss, Adelweiss, and so on, and so on, and so on! Now Rocky is way too much fun = Rockster, Rocky-Boy, Rock-a-doodle-doo, Rocket Man, Rock My Soul, Rock Star, Rockmeister, and on, and on, and on. I don’t think they really care what we call them as long as we call them for suppertime exactly at 5:15! Now that they answer to every time!
Don’t worry, for Luna love is/was more important then training, whereas with the boys they already had the love and needed the training.
Indy responds better to ‘poopers’ then to her name, I try use her name more often but I catch myself calling her poopers. We never did proper school with her since she reacted really well to verbal commmands and just talking to her.
Gus.. well Gus is another story. For the first 2 or 3 weeks, I thought he was deaf. Didn’t respond to his name or any words what so ever. I spent a good hour making various noises to see if he even noticed.
He knows his name now, but still follows hand signals better then spoken command (fist for sit, flat hand for lay down.. one finger pointed at him for stay) of course I say the words too and he is slowly learning them.
It is hard because you know they need so much love and attention so they feel comfortable but at the same time they need discipline (well it sounds like gus more then luna!)
It is funny because every person I ever spoke to told me that females are so much more hyper, crazy and demanding then male pugs, I am not sure if it is because of Gus’s first home, but I am finding it to be the opposite!
Sometimes Ruby acts so intelligent like she understands every word. And other times I wonder if she even knows who we are LOL. She looks at me like “I love you…..have we met?” tee hee!
Once in a while I will say something to her and she looks around like she isn’t sure where that voice came from. I say “No, it is not GOD speaking to you, it’s ME!”.
However we do know that she knows her name. She can even seem to be sleeping and if I say “ruby” her tail will curl
Yeah! We are back home in NYC now and the guys are as happy to be home as we are, I think. First, I have to tell you that yesterday morning, while having my complimentary breakfast at the motel, Al Roker was doing his Smuckers birthdays and there was a guy named Sam that lives in PORT ORANGE! He turned 100. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if you knew him. Small chance, I know, but still would be cool and Fla. needs all the cool they can get these days. lol
We call Biscuit and Rascal “the guys”, or “the poochies”. Rascal doesn’t really have a nickname that I can think of, but Biscuit is sometime Biscay. They both get the words Baby or Mr. added to the front even though they are over a year old now, but it seems they will always be our babies.
They haven’t been formally trained either. I managed to get “sit” established, but not so much so that they can be easily controlled by the sound of it. It mostly works when they see a treat is involved. lol They were well behaved during our days of riding in the van, and this morning I was so proud that they didn’t bark like crazy at the policeman that came to the door. Biscut barked when he knocked, but while I was standing there talking to him, they were quiet. A major milestone!
Now, if I could get them to unpack their own suitcase. lol
I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself for not training Luna….I think obedience for a pug is selective (like their hearing)haha!
I was trained by my pugs that they will do something if I offer a small smidgen of a treat - Benee was sitting and give paw in a 1/2 hour with a piece of cheese - I swear! LOL!
I understand giving them boundaries but my guys push those all the time and I fall for it cause they are so damn cute, smart and cunning!
Frankie my rescue knows his name (I kept the name he came with) but he won’t always come when I call him. I have to really convince him or feign that I have food - works every time! LOL! I call them boys too and monkeys and snuggle pugs or mookie or whatever pet name that pops out at the time..
Your pugs are great and Luna - Looney - girl- girly is very lucky to have found a home with so much love, care, trust and compassion!
I feel I am part of the syndrome “Parent Deaf” when I call Mr. Skittles and he does not repsond. Sometimes he acknowledges you, sometimes he doesn’t… just like most children!! lol
and yes, we have given him a few nicknames!
C.J. is lucky to ever hear his true name. More often than not, he is called “Pooh”. So the list begins: C.J. Pooh, Poohmeister, Pooh-dogger, Pooper-dooper, Big Pooh, Poopie, Poopie-dog, Poop, Big Poop, Pooberry beast, and the list goes on. Lately though, his name has been something along the line of gimpy because of his bad leg.
Toeby also has an impressive list: Toe-biter, Toebaby, Toeby-wan-kinobi or just Toeby wan, Toe biscuit, Biscuit, Bisky boy, Toeby mon Frobie, Tuby, Tuby or not Tuby, you get the idea…
My dogs also respond to the words cookie, popcorn-pronounced or spelled out, outside, toast, cheese, medicine and ears (for C.J.‘s ear infections)!
And training pugs aside from sit when a treat is involved? Surely you jest!!! LOL!
Hey, OBP. I now have been indoctrinated into the “order of the door-openers”. It’s never been a problem before, but today, as I sit here at the PC, in the only room with the AC running. The guys can’t decide if they’d rather be cool or downstairs watching out the front window. lol
I know exactly waht you mean. From needing to train the pugs not because you want them to be show dogs, but so that they will STOP acting crazy when you pug food out. Or so they will come when called should there be danger.
Also, while I believe Napoleon knows his name…I am not 100% sure Rukia knows her name. Which is probally our fault because we frequently call her Ruki, Pookie, Baby girl, baby, etc. Very rarely is she “Rukia”. You know?