.png)
Relative difficulty: Easy
THEME: GOOD DOG — Theme answers were compound words or two-word answers ending in a common obedience command for dogs.
Theme answers:
- MAINSTAY (16A: * Chief source of support)
- TAR HEEL (22A: * Chapel Hill athlete)
- GOOD DOG (37A: Praise after the proper response to the end of the answer to each starred clue)
- HOW COME (50A: * "Why?")
- HOUSESIT (59A: * Tend an absent individual's property)
- FAIR SHAKE (10D: * Equitable treatment)
- GOOSE DOWN (32D: * Soft bedding material)
Clovis (Latin: Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: *Hlōdowig; c. 466 – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of royal chieftains to rule by a single king and ensuring that the kingship was passed down to his heirs. He is considered to have been the founder of the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled the Frankish kingdom for the next two centuries.
• • •
Wow, it's my first post-grad Annabel Monday. The first of many, I hope, but like....weird. I'm so used to writing these frantically in between midterm papers. Graduation was great, though! Anita Hill was our guest speaker, and she did an amazing job. And then we all had to go pack up our dorm rooms so they could kick us out by noon the next day, so it kind of hasn't really hit me yet. Anyway, I'm living in Connecticut, with the same summer job as I had last summer. I'm really excited to be back, but after the summer ends, I dunno what my plans are. I guess that's how it is sometimes.Anyway the puzzle! Honestly a little easy for me, but that's how Mondays should be: they're not for me or Rex or whoever, they're for newcomers. Hard clues were made up for by kind crosses for the most part, not too many celebs, and you have to love any puzzle that uses HOOEY, and clues it with "poppycock" for good measure. Those are just some good solid words. Rex might have a gripe with NEE and IDEE missing l'accent aigu but honestly I think it's fine. A little bit of the usual Monday overused three/four letter words with ERAS and IDO but it could be (and usually is) way worse. Also, it feels like it's been too long since I've reviewed a puzzle that hasn't been dripping baseball!
The theme hit me riiiiight in my soft spot for dogs. I actually had GOOD BOY for 37A, because I feel like I've heard "who's a good boy?!?!?!" way more often than I've heard GOOD DOG. But GOOD DOG is nice too; more gender neutral. Again, this was a perfect Monday theme for me: it was simple and the puzzle could be solved without it, but it was also easy to figure out, and it helped me figure out other clues! It's the perfect way to ease new solvers into crosswords. Like steps up to a bed for old dogs that have hip problems so they can ease themselves into bed and totally take up all the space and maybe also put their heads on your pillow, and like, you could try to take your pillow back but they look at you with those big ole eyes and okay fine Juliet I'll sleep on the corner of the bed with no pillow.
 |
| Try to say no to that face, I dare you |
Bullets:
- ROGER (8D: Radio's "got it") — I was a driver for the campus escort van (mostly driving people who couldn't walk across campus for medical reasons, as well as making sure people got home safely at night) and the only bad part of the job was that we didn't say "Roger" over the radio. We said "received," which is way more boring.
- SYNC (65A: Harmonious, after "in") — More like after 'N, am I right?
- POL (56A: One running for office, informally) — This is a new one to me. Do people really use "pol" as shorthand for "politician"?
- ELLE (55D: Her: Fr.) — Speaking of postgrad plans...
Signed, Annabel Thompson, Wellesley College Alumna (!!!!!!!!) (Now accepting job offers.)
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
[Follow Annabel Thompson on Twitter]
Easy. Very cute, mostly smooth, liked it.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on graduating, Annabel Monday! As a professor (at Oberlin College) who has been experiencing some minor mobility issues, I am grateful for the equivalent of you and your team of van drivers on my campus. And I register and respect your temptation and rejection of the phrase "Amirite?" in your write-up: you're looking for adult gainful employment now!
ReplyDeleteFor me, very easy except for the NEHRU/RLS cross, neither of which I had a clue on. Was I the only one?
ReplyDeleteSolid theme. Average Monday. Decent fill. Couple baseballisms, couple names, a few commercials, a couple French words, some abbreviations or the like, and some standard crosswordese. A little bit of everything for whiners to whine about. Not too much of anything.
ReplyDeleteWhat did I learn? That Clovis NM was named for a 5th century Frankish King who was the first Catholic King of Francia.
It’s weird to measure how fast life passes by noting the expiration date on the milk jug. Grab a gallon of milk, and you’re mentally fast forwarded two or three weeks. This is especially unsettling around the holidays when you’ve been dragging your feet about shopping. Almond milk’s date’ll catapult you ahead a couple of months. By the time the quart I bought for daughter’s visit a couple of weeks ago expires, I’ll be gearing up to face another school year. Instant buzz kill.
ReplyDeleteAnnabel, I can now measure time passing by your life progression. It seems like just last week you started here, a young high school whippersnapper. I’ll wake up tomorrow and you’ll be obsessed Antiques Road Show, talking about your ailments to anyone who’ll listen, and losing your reading glasses all the time. Sheesh. Congrats on graduating and good luck on finding a job.
This is such a simple idea for a Monday. Perfect. I agree with Annabel that good boy (or good girl) sounds more natural, but GOOD DOG is firmly in the language, too. I’m reminded of this, one of my all-time favorite memes.
You know how a dog shakes all over after getting wet? Wouldn’t it be dandy to train your dog to shake like that whenever you said SHAKE? I bet someone has done this. What a hoot.
In Japan, at least in Ise-shi where I lived, they say to a dog Most honorable hand for SHAKE (おて) and Most honorable seat for SIT (おすわり). Their STAY is Wait (まて), which must feel more hopeful for the Japanese dog. Like he’s gonna be invited along in just a minute. The American dog who’s told to STAY probably feels like he’s being left behind. And anyone who knows dogs know that they’re kings of FOMO.
Anyhoo, I was messing around with my newfie Beverly Ann and realized that she would pretty much SHAKE no matter what word I said, as long as I put my hand out. Same with SIT. If I was standing and had the right tone of voice, she’d sit even if I said Spackling compound. So I used to go around saying she only understood Japanese commands and impress the hell out of people. (Another one that works almost without fail and that can impress people is this: if it’s a hot day, and your dog is panting, look pointedly at her say in your semi doggy voice Close your mouth. She’ll usually close her mouth ‘cause she realizes you’re talking to her and wants to hear and try her best and stuff. Works like a charm.)
I’m going to believe Lynn’s inclusion of SHED was deliberate. I don’t care if a dog sheds. The relationship between a dog and a person is a miracle, so I’ll take the dog hair. In fact, I once actually did take the dog hair. In a baggie to the tile store where I was picking out new tile for my kitchen. I kept putting the hair on tiles until I found a color where the hair disappeared. Bam. Sold.
@Crimson Devil – finally a TAR HEEL after the recent nods to both your teams. Ahem.
Lynn, always a pleasure.
Nice review, Annabel. I agree that GOOD DOG makes a fine Monday theme. But I'm not sure it is more gender neutral than GOOD boy to a canine purist. Strictly speaking, a DOG is "an intact male who is not currently being used for breeding", the counterpart to the word used to refer to "a female [canine] who is not currently nursing a litter, is too young to breed, or is retired from breeding." That said, I agree that GOOD DOG is very much in the vernacular.
ReplyDeleteNot much baseball, but there's still ONE: Yogi BERRA, almost in central place. My favorite BERRA quote is, "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." So, so true.
Our son learned all about CLOVIS from an early age, so that was a gimme. The place whereI got stuck was slotting in nL before AL WEST. I can't DENY it: my knowledge of AL and NL affiliations of baseball teams stops at the Mississippi.
That's my LIMIT for this morning. Have to run off to do some errands.
P.S., Here's an IDÉE for an ad for a breakfast restaurant out WEST: "I get my KIX on Route 66!"
Congratulations on your graduation, Annabel. Sounds like you will have all summer to ponder your future, take your time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet Monday puzzle, loved the theme. Puzzle partner never looks for the theme and it drives me nuts. I keep telling him “if you didn’t get the theme, you’re not finished”. He disagrees. He finished his copy first today as I was busy In the kitchen slinging hash. After I finished my copy, he asked me how I liked the puzzle and commented that he even got the theme. No surprise, dogs are his number one love, I’d bet he’d get a golf theme too.
Puppy Robbie is great with COME and SIT, still working on STAY. DOWN depends on the excitement level, sometimes good, sometimes, “sorry mom, I just can’t help myself “. SHARE is not in his game plan, he’ll walk around forever with a ball in his mouth wanting you to throw it for him, but not willing to hand it over. Strange game.
Thank you Lynn Lempel, Queen of Monday.
The online puzzle showed "try again" when I finished. I couldn't find a mistake so I clicked on "check Puzzle".
ReplyDeleteThe "O" of semi pro was crossed out. I deleted The O, put in O again and the little jingle played. Anyone else?
I liked the puzzle!
Maybe you got a zero in there by mistake?
DeleteWondering if REFER, even with missing a vowel, is an echo to yesterday's high-minded one...
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle is smooth as silk, as always with Lynn's puzzles, with a mini-theme of double E's (6) here, and an ELEGY/ESTEE/EMCEE there.
My dog Chester scores five out of six on the Lempelometer. I never got into HEEL; it would be punishment for one who on walks so relishes stopping and sniffing along the way. I also never taught him SIC; he was fully capable of doing that without the command when he was younger and there was a squirrel or bunny nearby (he was never able to catch one and now doesn't try, but he still thinks about it).
He does have a command for me -- ABS! -- which he pronounces by flopping on his back in the universal canine invitation to "rub my tummy!"
Congrats on your graduation, Annabel!
ReplyDeleteThis one played a little harder for me than for others, I think. I blame the fact that I went camping this weekend and my brain is still in R&R mode.
To Lynn Lempel I Bow. Wow, what a fun, easy puzzle!!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the summer Annabel. Congrats! Did you ever join the crowd outside your school to greet the marathoners in April? Enjoyed your write-up and that you're appreciating not writing papers. And a puzzle that features dogs on Monday is very welcome. I could use another day off but that's not in the cards; at least there's more coffee.
ReplyDeleteThis bad dog thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle. It made me sit up and notice how well-constructed it was. A very nice way to start the work week. Congrats Annabel on finishing college. I too am amazed it's been four years! Guess what? Back in my school days, I used to be the radio guy who you'd say Roger to when driving the college van. I was a Semi-Pro, receiving minimum wages. I sometimes acted like an Emcee, telling terrible jokes and singing late at night to keep the drivers awake. :) Enjoy your summer. Don't stress over finding a job. It's better to wait until you know exactly what you want to do.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can’t prove it, I have to think this was the easiest Monday ever. First pass through the acrosses and more than 80% of the grid was filled in.
ReplyDeleteSIC was a nice bonus.
@LMS – yeah, dogs are amazing at reading body language and tone of voice. Our stannie would appear to understand commands like ‘go see daddy’ or ‘bring your tennis ball’, but what she was really doing was reading our eyes and voice. If only people were so intuitive and accommodating.
@mericans – love the quote but that is not a Berra quote but a Berraism – something attributed to Yogi but never said by him.
@LMS
ReplyDeleteLove that meme! Our Basset Hound knows exactly who the Good Boy is, and of course it's him. No matter what he does. Wet on the floor? "Look! I left you a present!". Poop is a special gift reserved for when he's been left alone and he wants to tell us how much he's missed us. When he looks at you with those soulful eyes, you kinda have to agree with him... :)
50 Down reminded me of an old joke:
ReplyDeleteDoes the stork really bring babies, or is it all poppycock?
ReplyDeleteCongrats Annabel, and best of luck finding gainful employment! I'm retired. I recommend it. For one thing, no meetings (except with doctors).
@Beaglelover, something similar happens to me all the time, although not today. My theory: the "0" (number zero) key is very close to the "O" (letter O) key. Sometimes I overreach and hit the number instead of the letter. The display appears pretty much the same. You get an honorary "streak continues" from me.
No dogs at our house, but we do have a cat that will roll over on command. Treats involved. The only problem is that he will keep doing this, without the prompt, and expect more treats. He usually gets three or four and then I say no more and he walks away. Cats never look back, by the way. Maybe that's a good attitude.
ReplyDeleteHey @Hungry Mother--did a 5K this weekend at my 50th college reunion, and acquitted myself fairly well. Now I just have to do two or three road races a week to feel like we have something in common.
I thought this was a great Monday puzzle, maybe not a Mondazo, but certainly a Monday that knows how to Monday. Muchas gracias to LL.
And congratulations to Annabel. You'll be amazed at how fast your 50th reunion comes up. Yikes.
Well here we have a sweet little Monday puppy puzzle. I'm not sure you could have a kitty one, though; I've never met a trainable one. I suppose the sound of a can opener is one way to train our 4 legged children to come. Works for me.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine having grown up without a dog or some kind of pet. I know people who have and they are grumpy in their old age. I suppose if your were bitten as a child, you'd be afraid. I was bitten by a mouse once but they don't frighten me...and I don't even yell EEK when I see one.
Lynn has given us 6 nice little DOG commands. Our two doxipoos don't do any of them. I've had Boxers and a German Sheppard that did and maybe a few of the mutts we've adopted along the way, but not these two. Oh, no...it's the Dachshund in them. Stubborn as mules. I'll tell Moe to lie DOWN a million times and he just stares at me. About the only thing that gets them motivated is when I yell: "GO FIND IT."
Just what a Monday puzzle should be.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Annabel!
At our house with our pit JoJo, "SHAKE" is "paw", and the praise is "GOODgirl". And whether or not she follows instructions, I invariably REFER to her as JoJoPotamus.
NO! (Why assume?)
ReplyDeleteToday’s effort seems pretty well received, although I think it is kind of a dud. MEDINA stacked on CLOVIS crossing a foreign word. NEHRU crossing somebody’s initials. ELEGY crossing YURTS . . . Just seems way to esoteric and trivia-laden for a Monday. Too much of a burden for beginners on a Monday. Some of these clues/answers would feel right at home on a Wednesday or even a Thursday.
ReplyDeleteA sweet adorable puzzle that has led to sweet adorable blog comments. I loved the theme and the smooth way it was executed. GOOD LYNNIE!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on graduating, Annabel!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat for us -- we've been visited by compliant canines twice in four days!
ReplyDeleteA tail-wagger of a Monday puzzle. No unnecessary ruff-ruff-roughness in the cluing. No excessive cuteness in the theme. Nothing to give one paws while solving.
I always thought Clovis was a cool name. I remember him from 6th grade history, or was it 7th? He converted to Catholicism thanks to his wife Clotilde (later sainted). Did they call each other "Clo", I wonder? "Clo, honey, did you pick out a baptism outfit yet?" "Not yet, Clo, I was hoping you'd come with me to Barneys this afternoon."
A well-trained pooch deserves a classic train song. Here's Frank to take us out...
♪ Now the rain's a-fallin',
Hear the train a-callin, "hooeey!"
My mama done tol' me ♪
This was a fine Monday effort. Any beginner would do well with it, assuming said beginner had been conscious the last 20 years. I do not say that in a bad way, either.
ReplyDeleteWorkman-like clues, straightforward answers as a Monday should be. It put up no resistance for me, and probably none for any experienced solver, but hey – it’s Monday.
Any time you can work YURTS into your puzz is a good time.
Liked it.
FAIR SHAKE LATKES
Mark, in Mickey’s North 40
Shoutout to Heels and OSL (our spiritual leader LMS) certainly
ReplyDeletedue.
Just stopping by after a period of silence (no point in raging at Rex's negativism when he doesn't read the blog comments) to congratulate Annabel and wish her well in whatever work/career she pursues. I've enjoyed her write-ups. The acumen and good humor she displayed in those bode well for her success.
ReplyDeleteI fully expected someone to ask the eternal question, Who Let the Dogs Out? by now.
ReplyDeleteA fine Monday. With Zeke and Lulu in the house, I usually go with the plural “GOOD DOGgos,” but that was hardly a slow down.
@Beagle Lover and @Conrad - The 0 for O thing catches me all the time on the laptop and desktop, but my virtual keyboard on this iPad prevents such slips.
I see Country Joe’s brother AL is in the puzzle. (If you get this joke you watch too much baseball).
Anyone else note the near callback to yesterday’s theme at 8A? Madness.
And speaking of yesterday, @John X - “I am large. I contain multitudes.” How I speak on the playing field, how I spoke to a lunch room full of 7th graders, how I spoke to a conference room full of teachers (always with sufficient washroom facilities nearby), how I speak with my college buddies, and how I speak to my GOOD DOGgos are never the same. Yet I am always “being myself,” whatever the hell that means.
Hey All !
ReplyDeleteREFER to the reefers from YesterPuz? I DO, as did alot of y'all also.
Had a DNF. HOW COME? lsAT for MCAT, unsure of either MEDINA/lEDINA and CLOVIS/sLOVIS. What about a Tone Loc "Funky Cold ___" clue for MEDINA? Early 90's rap, in case no one knows. :-)
Closed off NW and SE corners. But it's OK on a MonPuz, I'll give it a FAIR SHAKE (which was FAIR SHArE first, until the theme wagged its tail at me.
YURTS are cool. I took people to a music fest way out in the desert a few years ago, there were a bunch of YURTS there that people rented. Hopefully they had some GOOSE DOWN blankets, cause it was a hard wood floor.
Got a ROO today! Boosts the ole EGOISM. And two F's.
HOOEY ELEGY
RooMonster
DarrinV
Congratulations, Annabel!
ReplyDelete(Wellesley 82 here.)
Fun puzzle, though a little wistful for me. We got our dog as a 4-year old rescue; all that is known about her previous history is that she was picked up as a stray in Georgia. She's been hard to train to respond to commands because the's too timid to take a treat from my hand; I have to put it down in front of her walk away, and pointedly look in another direction. She's eager to do what we want, though; and eventually I became aware that she has learned most of the commands already -- she just doesn't choose to be too precise about them. So HEEL means get over somewhere to my left; COME means to approach me, but not close enough for me to put her on the least; SIT she knows (and probably DOWN), but prefers not to do. She is pretty good at STAY, as long as it doesn't last very long. I've decided it's all OK, although the reluctance to have her leash put on does restrict what we can do. (I can leash her when I put her in the car, but I can only let her run off leash in places where she can jump directly into the car afterward, without any traffic danger.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, enough about me. Congratulations, Annabel!
We learned about CLOVIS and MEDINA in junior high, and NEHRU almost as long ago. Never pays to forget stuff as soon as the class is over!
I was going to complain that TAO was not Confucian, but I looked it up and I was wrong. Most Eastern philosophies and religions apparently use the concept. (Speaking of which, @Loren, is that the Ise where the main Shinto shrines are? I don't suppose you got to see them -- I don't think anyone does -- but what was the town like?)
I also learned that, contrary to what I'd thought, Licorice and ANISE, while they have a similar taste, and not the same plant. Crosswords are so educational!
I had a black cat named Jesse who would sit up like a dog and beg for the olive out of my nightly martini. He would chew it and leave a clean seed. I have never heard of a cat eating olives. I think it may have been the gin.
ReplyDeleteI loved the puzzle but couldn't get the congrats song. I couldn't find the error, had to check for errors and it was the S in MSAT. I don't know what that C stands for.
My five favorite clues from last week:
ReplyDelete1. Fine meal (5)
2. Apian way? (7)
3. 1% of the body? (7)
4. Head of lettuce (3)
5. Style to pick? (4)
FLOUR
BEELINE
SENATOR
CFO
AFRO
We just got back from a week on Block Island, the first near High Season, so lots of folks on the boat. And they all had dogs. It was Memorial Day Weekend, but still, you didn't have to wait more than 2 minutes for another furry kid dragging its human down the sidewalk. Dogs need vacations, too. And they rule.
ReplyDelete@Z - I got the joke, but I think you mean "Cowboy Joe." Country Joe's last name is McDonald, not West.
ReplyDeleteThis was right in my doghouse. I spent yesterday putting the finishing touches on my therapy dog-to-be, Ryley. We went to a local garden center to work on HEELing in crowds and practicing SIT and DOWN so folks could pet him. Then we took a walk around a local fishing lake so he could meet lots of people of all ages and hues and learn to walk by people until invited to COME and be loved on. Last stop was our downtown at brunch time, strolling past al fresco diners, working on Leave It! No SHAKE, but he's learning to put his paws up on a wheelchair to make it easy for the rider to each him. Then Rose and I took a hike in the woods. Gorgeous day here!
ReplyDeleteOh, puzzle . . . It was just perfect, not much junk and I smiled all the way through, just waiting for the next treat to fall. Thanks, Lynn!
@LMS yes, you can teach a dog SHAKE. Give the command and blow gently on her face. You'l get a head shake, but eventually, if you work at it, it'll be full body. Don't forget the cookies!
ReplyDeleteAnd I forgot Annabel! Congrats on graduation and best wishes for finding the first job of your dreams.
Not DEMI or SEMI but entirely satisfying, a good Monday for newer solvers and an endearing theme for all.
ReplyDeleteRe: EGOISM - Of interest only to me: last evening I was thinking, "We haven't had a Lynn Lempel Monday for a while."
@Southside Johnny - With novice solvers in mind, I had similar thoughts when I got to the MEDINA + CLOVIS x ELLE area. At least it wasn't in the NW "starter" corner, which might induce an immediate "phooey" and pencil-tossing.
@Annabel, congratulations!
These rex stand ins just don't cut it. No more anabellahr
ReplyDeleteDid not finish — I had FAIRSHARE. Incorrect. The theme should have helped me. Good Monday puzzle, good theme.
ReplyDeleteSuper easy, sure, but DNF nonetheless, due to the French king, sLOVIS. I watched some of 58A fill in from crosses when I didn't have a clue on the name but was speeding along too fast to go back and give it a second look. I'd like to think I might have caught the MsAT to MCAT mistake but I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a pet - my parents got cockatoos after I left home, but I've never had even a turtle. But more than one of my friends has acquired dogs with whom I am now acquainted - I enjoy being around them but I'm glad they aren't going home with me and I don't have to do doggy-doo duty or walksies or any of the other pet chores. And then there's our office dog - my boss brings his dog in every day and an odd duck Sora is - one day all affectionate and the next day won't even look at you. They're mostly all GOOD DOGs.
Lynn Lempel brings her usual smooth and entertaining puzzle skills to this Monday so thanks, Lynn!
I believe Clovis as a name was the origin of the later Louis, and Ludwig, for both sides of the Rhine. His baptism is a great subject for artistic representation. I gender specific with mine: Good Boy, or Good Girl; for a plural: Good Doggies.
ReplyDelete@Blu'Bel: Congratz and may yer wildest job dreams come true. Good to see U ain't so tired no more. Keep up the primo blogsub work -- nice bullets, darlin.
ReplyDeleteYURTS! rodeo.
staff weeject pick: SIC. Doggy command, so a no-brainer pick. Really licked [sic] the puztheme -- dogs are the best.
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Edges, as of craters} = RIMS.
Most dogs will actually issue commands. Personal M&A experiences, with dogs owned by friends:
1. RubIt. Weiner dog would waddle up to you and shamelessly roll over on her back, requestin the bellyrub.
2. NukeItNow. Lab mix dog would emit impatient guttural wooflike sounds, if owner didn't promptly microwave the scraps we had brought over for him.
3. HoldThatThought. Beagle mix dog would be torn between gettin an immediate M&A bellyrub and checkin out the doggy bag that PuzEatinSpouse had brought along. Rolled over on her back, but also looked sideways and yelped a lot. Then hesitantly snuck off, while repeatedly lookin back at M&A and yelpin some more.
4. Hey!OverHere! Every neighbor dogs' call for attention, when M&A comes out into the yard.
5. SquirrelAlert. Spaniel would stand at attention and stare out the slidin glass door. Would also ring a bell hung on the door handle, if nobody immediately acknowledged the initial command. This was a nice touch, in attemptin to train the owners.
Thanx for the doggone good MonPuz, Ms. Lempel darlin.
Masked & Anonymo3Us
**gruntz**
@Mals...and @Loren. I have a VERY good friend who is now retired but in his work life he was a dog trainer. He promised he could get a pup (old or young) to do most anything. He used the clicker method.
ReplyDeleteWhen your pup comes out of the shower and starts to shake, he uses a clicker then gives her a treat. Each time the pup shakes, he clicks then treats. After a few sessions, just using the clicker gets the dog going. For other tricks, you can use a two clicker or a three clicker. He still helps out seniors who have trouble with barking and unruly dogs but he works magic.
@Teedmn. Even though you've never owned a pet, I'm betting you're not the least bit grumpy. It's never too late, though. A pet from the shelter can bring you endless comfort and joy. It gets you out of the house to take walks. If you have trouble bending over to pick up the poop, there are contraptions you can use to make it easier AND, if you're lucky, when you take him to bed with you he won't snore or hog the pillows!
Forgot to add my congratulations to Annabel. Wow...four years have flown. It seems like only yesterday @evil Doug was giving you advice on an all women's college!
Yes, my Congrats also to you. Toe, it seems not too long ago, you were a Tired High Schooler. Does someone have a machine that can slow time down?
ReplyDeleteWhat's even more amazing, is that a moment in time seems forever, as in if you are waiting for one more minute to go by at the end of your schoolday/workday, stuck at a red light, or patiently waiting for next week's Awesome TV Show to see what happens, but yet the years fly by with nary a pause.
Slow down years!
RooMonster
Anything that has to do with dogs, I love, so I loved this puzzle! Congrats Annabel.
ReplyDeleteBecause they were first discovered near CLOVIS, NM, ancient pressure-flaked or fluted stone weapons, thought to have been knife blades or spear points, are called "CLOVIS points". They first appeared around 13,000 years ago and then vanished around 10,000 years ago. Looks like immigration has been going on for a very long time. (Thanks to Uncle Google for help with the dates.)
ReplyDelete@Gill I - Just so you know, that clicker stuff is a bunch of hooey. It's not that it doesn't work, it's that it isn't necessary. It was popularized by a trainer who worked at Sea World, where they used it in training the dolphins. She thought why not try it on dogs, horses, etc. They do what you want, you click, you give a treat. They get used to that sequence, and bam! they're trained.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, the reason they use the clicker on dolphins is that the animals in question naturally communicate in clicks. The little ones grew up listening to Mama click at them. They know not of human phonemes, so telling a dolphin GOODDOG when it slaps its tail means nothing to him, while a click would.
Your dog can process the sound GOODDOG, though it probably has lost all meaning if you're like me, who will say that to him 20 times in a row when he's just sitting there doing nothing. If we didn't abuse the phrase goodboy by over-using it, it would work just as well as the clicker, with the added benefit of your not needing a stupid clicker. Just pick a word you'll rarely use except in training your dog, say Bravissimo!, and use that to train your dog. Unless you're Italian and shout Bravissimo! all the time. Then pick a Bantu phrase.
@Pete, my friend made the mistake of naming her dog Reno - guess what word doesn't work when trying to get Reno to change her behavior!
ReplyDeleteMy other friend named her dog Frodo. She wanted to name him Bilbo but her brother pointed out what that would sound like when the neighbors heard her call for him.
Well that was a zippy puzzle, I have been contemplating how differently cats respond to human commands than dogs. Basically, the cats have trained us. If I respond appropriately to begging at the door, our big fat cat Charlie will actually make me HEEL as he leads me down the stairs to the lobby. If I don’t obey immediately to his staring at me when I don’t follow, then he comes back up and swats me down the steps. If a big dog shows up I am supposed to run back up the steps after him and open the door quickly so he can return to safety. He also trained me to respond to a head butt with a back rub. Charlie has trained my husband to stop messing around in the morning and open the cat food can before he makes my coffee by nipping at my husband’s calves. Faith, our other cat, only swats me. She likes small frequent meals and will chase me around all afternoon swatting at my ankles until I cave in and give her more dry food. Both will sit on the iPad if I’m streaming anything other than Game of Thrones dragons or the mouse game until they get their turn..
ReplyDeleteRe: Heels:
ReplyDeleteGTHCGTH !
@Pete...I think what ever system you use that works and doesn't harm the animal, is probably ok. I'm not familiar with the Seaworld method, but I've seen the clicker one and it tends to work. I'm pretty sure any animal that you've raised from birth is trainable except for @Aketi's cats. We've all seen the big cats at the circus being whipped into action. I was the evil little child that hoped one of them would take a back swat and land it on the lion tamer's derrier.
ReplyDeleteBefore we got our doxipoos, we had a Golden named Murphy. She was so trainable and loved it all. She could throw the ball at our son when in the pool, fetch my husband a beer out of the fridge and well, do just about anything on command. The GOOD DOG trick is all it took. Our doxipoos just stare at me with soulful eyes and wag their little tails and basically tell me to go f*** myself.
@FLAC - We’re both right. I don’t recall any Detroit announcer calling him “Cowboy,” but I did just hear it on ESPN today (in reference to a College World Series umpire with rabbit ears].
ReplyDeleteOK, what am I missing? How could the French for "her" ever be ELLE?
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a single use of the word ELLE where it doesn't mean "she."
@Anon 6:41. Make love to her = Fais l'amour avec elle.
ReplyDelete"Avec elle." Yes, I didn't think of that - following a preposition.
ReplyDeleteFinally got to it after a long drive from Ann Arbor to Shippensburg, PA, where I taught for 27 years. Luckily it went fast.
ReplyDeleteLuckily it went fast.
DeleteDid you mean the drive, or the 27 years at Shippensburg? ;-)
CLOVIS would be a GOOD name for a DOG, either male or female, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteThe SyndieCattery gets harder and harder to find. I think we should all email OFL.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of cats, the command to a dog in today's puz reminded me that I didn't mention recently that some cats really do respond to commands, especially "come here." Especially from the main petting and food source. And lap provider whilst sussing out crossword answers. (Ha - spellcheck would prefer "sousing" to "sussing.")
I didn't post yesterday - got finished late, and just got too busy. Ah retirement - takes yer breath away.
and of course, how about team USA?
Diana, LADY-in-waiting
Where is everyone?
ReplyDeleteA prototypical Lynn Lempel puzzle in that it was easy, smooth, and oozing competence with a neato theme, to boot.
I always say "GOOD DOG" as opposed to "good boy" or "good girl", because that's what they are. I dislike it when pet owners talk to and treat their pets as people.
Way to go Annabel.
It's leftcoast, leftcoast, leftcoast, dammit!
ReplyDelete@rainforest - It looks like the syndicated puzzle link is directing to the Sunday Puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI have shrieked long enough about the link. I give up. It's a hot mess. We don't currently have a dog, but we used to. Got him at the SPCA and he never stopped licking the whole trip home, thus the name Licks. He's in dog heaven now, licking the clouds I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteLL always pleases, and today is no different. a couple of unwieldy abbrs., but that's it. Theme density's fault. DEMI Moore is a gimme DOD. All those things my dog did well--except HEEL. He had some ongoing issues with that one. But all in all, you're a GOODDOG, Licks. Birdie.
MAINE SHED
ReplyDeleteHOWCOME we're LEERY to make ONE pillow for KIX all around?
Give ONE gander a FAIRSHAKE; not EVER a LIMIT to GOOSEDOWN.
--- AL_WEST