KANBAN Implementation update and other matters

Tick-tock:  I'm 18 days into my KANBANFLOW implementation, and I cannot imagine life without it. It has been one of the most intuitive, fund, easy to use, powerful applications that I have ever used.  It has been nothing short of transformational.

There are few software applications that you can get started with in 2 minutes or less.  This application is one of them.  It is so thoughtfully designed, and the interface is so easy, that surveying the terrain and making impactful (I know that this is not a word, but it should be) decisions about what to do now is not a drudgery.  Rather it is fun.  I remain true to the Pomodoro technique, and that combined with KANBAN flow has made me a veritable bulldozer.

I was once described as bulldozer by a partner at the accounting firm that I was working at.  No matter what was given to me, I plowed through it.  My tenacity has been one of my best qualities, and I genuinely like bringing order to chaos v. making the orderly more orderly.

DCS (a/k/a Dexter containment system).  Mark completed fencing about 1.5 acres to ensure that we keep Dexter contained. My husband accomplishes much--and he feels a duty to Dexter having brought him into our home.  It allows us to open the door to let him out for bathroom without having to be out there with him.  As it turns out, he is so used to our being out there with him, he's not so eager to be outside by himself. We do not plan to have him outside unsupervised.  I don't want him patrolling the fence guarding against would-be interlopers.

Coffee Pot Cleaning: I looked inside my stainless steel coffee carafe to my coffee maker.  The opening is too narrow to allow for proper cleaning either by hand or dishwasher.  My Krups ss carafe had a wider opening, and I could easily clean it (or put it in the dishwasher and know that it would get adequate coverage from the spray arms).  It was not a pretty sight.  I found the most effective way to clean such a thing courtesy of Kevin at Garden Web:
  • take a dishwasher tablet [or 1/2 cup of powder/liquid (not what you wash with but what your dishwasher uses) and place in coffee maker (or thermos)
  • pour boiling water in
  • Wait at least an hour.  Mine was not completely clean in 15 minutes, and I had to redo it, which is why I say an hour which was originally recommended. My eagerness to view the results sooner cost me an additional tab.
The results were spectacular.

Karma-Yoga:  I picked up my small tome of Karma-Yoga and Bhakti-Yoga that I picked up in a thrift store.  Sometimes I see a melange of books undoubtedly deposited there by relatives of one who has passed.  I see so many gems, this being one of them, that I wonder if family members ever pay attention to what their loved ones read. Swami Vivekananda is a favorite of mine.  If you have an interest in his insights, you can find a pdf of his Karma-Yoga here.  I will leave my post with this passage:

The cause of all the miseries we have in the world is that men foolishly think pleasure to be the ideal to strive for. After a time man finds that it is not happiness, but knowledge, towards which he is going, and that both pleasure and pain are great teachers, and that he learns as much from evil as from good.

Swami Vivekananda, Karma Yoga

    Angel Marie: Canine Instigator

    Yes, my elbows turn out, but I can still strike like a rattlesnake
    Here is Angel Marie. (I still marvel how her previous owners could name this dog Angel Marie).  Our sleepy dog  suddenly woke up--and did so  with impunity.  All I need is a sheriff's star, as she seems to think that she is the new sheriff in town.  Her chest is wide enough for 100 sheriffs' stars.

    My subliminal mind has been working hard on finding a reason for the front door aggression that we have been experiencing.  I have an alternative theory to my originally posed one.  (That benign body language given by Angel to Daisey regarding front door rights, and ignored by Daisey, was escalated to prove a point.)

    My alternative theory is that Angel felt ambushed when my daughter brought her bouncy dog, Blaze,
    Angel light and dark....
    in without so much as a knock on the door.  She sprang up from a dead sleep to quickly pounce on this interloper.  I've never seen her do it--but we've never had a strange dog come into our home except for Dexter.  The alacrity and swiftness of her pounce was beyond anything that I could have imagined much less forecast.  I awoke with the memory of that day when Angel sprang into action and accosted the brazen boy who had barged in the door and the feeling that this was the seminal moment of this new behavior.

    This protectiveness is new. Frankly, she used to just simply lay on her bed and not be bothered by any of the openings and closings of the front door and the parties engaged in such behavior.  Not that I don't appreciate that she is enlivened, but it was darn easy to manage 4 dogs when three of them were benign (Angel, Ella, Angel) and one of them (Dexter!) off the charts.  Now, I have a clutch of canines energized.  Yes, I do long for quieter days.

    Truthfully, I realize that 'theories be damned' is an appropriate judgment.  Regardless of the validity of any of my theories, or if there is another righteous one that fits,  Angel is determined that Daisey is a dog that needs some 'special handling', and she is quite intent in providing this service. Last evening Daisey barked at the cat.  Angel went over at a clipped pace to intercede.  She was trailing a lead so I interceded calmly.  My goal is to keep energies calm.....no escalation, because deescalation comes at a dear price.  (Last week, Daisey's nose).  I'm instructing my other household members to squelch our reflexive heightened voices when responding to these things.

    My Matthew Duffy books have been priceless to me.  The mantra that I'm holding to is the following:

    For dog training purposes, hostile canine behavior
    is best viewed as an emotional fire. Viscerally reacting
    to a dog’s aggressive conduct with an equally
    emotional response, whether fearful or angry, is only
    going to fuel a fire that is already burning out of
    control. The most productive way for a handler to
    respond to his dog’s inappropriate assertive behavior
    is with calm and decisive action. Effectively
    controlling the explosive situation without getting
    caught up in the emotion is a tall order for new
    handlers but that is what this book will help you
    achieve. Keep in mind that calm and firm are not
    mutually exclusive.

    The Eight Faces of Dog Aggression    , Matthew Duffy

    I have managed to intercede in these situations calmly as opposed to our reflexive bad habits of yelling.  It has made a huge difference in both my confidence, and in eliciting the response that I'm looking for:  Angel to defer to me.  Daisey to defer to me.  Daisey as much as Angel needs to learn to listen, as she has contributed to these circumstances--both in the initial provocation and in the heat of the moment where she refuses to pay attention and stand down.

    I --Duffy's 'team captain' analogy.  We are certainly a team here, and our harmony has been sorely disrupted.  It doesn't matter what the reasons are--I could rationalize any of them.  Nevertheless,   I am determined to be the captain, and I believe that they see me as the captain--mostly.  Over the past 3 days, I have been consistent in my guidance about proper behavior from all team members. I haven't yelled.  I've been calm in the center of any canine storms and squalls, and each of them have responded BETTER to that. Nevertheless, we have a long way to go, and I'm not fooling myself into believing that the problem is solved.  There's too much intention in Angel's actions, as she is 'locking on' Daisey as a target. And I believe that there is a very real possibility of harm being inflicted if the situation is not controlled.  So, I'm not leaving anything to chance, and I'm ensuring that I'm controlling the situation--particularly if I cannot be at home.
    Mia in 2008

    The only other time I have observed this "locking on" phenomena in canines was during a dog transport run.  My charge was Mia and a host of other dogs.  All of the other dogs were in crates except for Twilla.  She was a sweet, intuitive and smart girl.  You can read about my terrifying transport with Mia here--it was 7 years ago, and I will remember it to my grave. (Mia had scars on her face and front legs that led me to believe that she had been fought). She was going to a family of 5, and I surely hope that they were able to handle her and her dog aggression. 

    I highly recommend Duffy's books for any dealing with troubling canines--and who need to reflect on his/her handler reactions. I have both needs....I need as much training as my dogs--and I'm confident that I can out-resolve them.


    Breathing

    Breathing.  For most healthy adults, breathing is a natural thing.  So easy, so effortless it escapes our attention.

    I was recently visiting my MIL in a convalescent care facility.  She has severely compromised lung function.  Rather than see a doctor, she prayed.  Her recurring pneumonia and bronchitis, left untreated for decades (and it is truly a wonder that she did not die), damaged her lungs permanently. Breathing for her is an effort.

    My daughter was with me.  She is a special ed teacher.  I was programming a phone.  She was insistent that I give it to her because "I'm more technologically savvy than you are."  I gave her a withering look and asked her, "Who had to hook up your printer?  Can you take a computer apart and put it back together?"     She retorted, I need to give you a breathing app to remind you to take a breath.  Point well taken.  

    As it turns out, perhaps she is more tech savvy than I am, because there is a breathing app to remind you to breathe.  And another to remind you to be mindful, and.....the list is endless.  But for a special ed teacher who has out of control children at times, reminding them to focus on their breath and calm down their energy is a useful aid for them (teacher and student).

    There are no end to the phone apps that will help us presumably be happier, healthier and smarter.  But if we have to depend on an app to remind us to be mindful or to breathe or to breathe, we may just be missing the point. To the extent that the apps aid in the development of a habit, then that is worth much.

    If you don't think about your breath much, I invite you to focus on this extraordinary process that gives live to every cell in your body.  And by focusing on breath, you immediately become mindful.  Kills two birds with one stone.

    Want some breathing exercises?  Here is a link to 6 Breathing Exercises to Relax in 10 Minutes or Less . Also, for some video instruction, you can go here to doyogawithme.com

    And...you can get an app to remind you to breathe during the day!  For me, I have been using my Pomodoro breaks to do breathing exercises and to hydrate.  It has made such a huge difference in my energy, creativity and productivity during the day.

    Tick Tock: 132 Days of Homemade Dog Food

    My countup timer provides a nice reminder of important events.  None has been more important than my switch to homemade dog food-now at 4.5 months.  I am really seeing the difference in each of my dogs.  Angel Marie has shown the most important difference in her allergy management (no more bloody, swollen front paws), coat condition and energy level. 

    Learnings have been important:
    1. Finding trusted information sources.  (Drs. Pitcairn and Strombeck are my two most trusted sources), with Steve Brown, Monica Segal and Mary Strauss as valued resources.
    2. Separating fact from myth/opinion with respect to 
      1. raw v cooked
      2. carbs/starches v none
      3. variability in protein sources
      4. carnivore v. omnivore (no vegetables v. vegetables)
    3. Steering clear of zealots with strong opinions and specious facts.
    While I read widely, I quickly realized that I was ill equipped to separate fact from myth/opinion.  Once I discovered Dr. Strombeck and Pitcairn, I felt that I had a trusted source for understanding dog nutritional needs.  Only until I immersed myself and came up for air, did I feel more confident in my choices.

    I'm squarely in my groove, and my dogs moved to a level of what I all optimal health.  My mantra in starting out was to do no harm, and I did not.   I wished I had found Strombeck/Pitcairn earlier.  I didn't find Strombeck until the end.  His website continues to be what I consider the most authoritative source on dog/cat nutrition available to lay people.

    For our household, and my current understanding and willingness to adjust if my dogs' health was compromised, I settled on the following:
    • Raw v. cooked:  I feed raw meat; and I have a grinder for poultry bones.  I adjust bone meal in my recipes for whether or not my meat is bone in.  I do not feed my dogs who parts of chicken, except I will cut up a chicken back or feed them the neck whole. I understand the benefits of chewing, but I'd rather depend on my grinder to get the bones in manageable pieces. Beware of zealots.
    • Carbs:  My dogs do well on starches.  I did not add them until recently as I had a 'grain-free' dog, Angel the Am Bulldog. Introducing carbs was probably one of the BEST things that I did.  Not only did it help with the food bill, my dogs genuinely enjoy their food more.  No problems with digestibility. Even Angel, who was 'grain free' has had no problems. Beware of zealots.
    • Variability of proteins:  I vary among turkey, chicken and beef.  I'm not going to source and feed designer proteins.  I would add pork to the mix in the future.  I truly believe the admonishments to feed your dog so many different protein sources is bunk and it disabuses many of the notion that they would be able to feed their dogs easily. Further, why go through more trouble and expense to feed your dog than you would to feed your family?  Beware of zealots.
    • Carnivore v. omnivore:  Why this is so hotly debated by any is a mystery to me.  I believe it is a city-folk diatribe.  Country folk who have a garden will tell you that dogs are omnivores.  I provide, and my dogs enjoy vegetables (ground up or steamed for digestion and absorption, or whole for chewing fun)  in their food.  Beware if zealots.
    The theme of beware of zealots is an important one.  Also steer clear of 'cooks' who want to offer dog food recipes (Gourmet Sleuth and Allrecipes.com are two such places) that are not based on the science of feeding dogs.  Gourmet Sleuth had a recipe which included scallions, a no-no in the dog's diet, and Allrecipes had a contribution that had NO calcium. 

    For those wanting to start, I would recommend this as a starter recipe from Dr. Strombeck. It is a mainstay at my house. To get started, get some potassium chloride and KAL Bone Meal and use the grocery store to source the rest.  Based on your dog's and your preferences, you can leave the meat raw or cook it.  Strombeck cooks it.  You can omit the sardines if using the recipe for periodic feeding.

     Poultry Meat and Boiled Rice Diet
    1/3 pound (weight before cooking) poultry meat (152 grams)
    2 cups rice, long-grain, cooked (320 grams)
    2 tablespoon sardines, canned, tomato sauce (38 grams)
    1 tablespoons vegetable (canola) oil (14 grams)
    1/4 teaspoon salt substitute-potassium chloride
    1/10 teaspoon table salt
    1/2 teaspoon bone meal powder (3 grams)
    1 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

    provides 879 kcalories, 43.1 g protein, 37.3 g fat
    supports caloric needs of 29 to 30 pound dog
    Omission of sardines reduces caloric content by 68 kcalories, protein by 6.2 g and fat by 4.6 g.

    Dog Aggression

    I picked up Matthew Duffy's, Dog Training and the Eight Faces of Dog Aggression (Kindle Edition) as we were experiencing mild skirmishes at the front door, which suddenly escalated to violent.  I've been reflecting upon the escalation of these unwelcomed energies between Angel and Daisey.  The notion that I've settled on is similar to what one finds in dog training....the same behavior exhibited by Daisey and benignly checked by Angel has not curbed.  Rather than deferring to Angel, Daisey continues to rush the door.  Given that Angels' previously benign admonitions to not charge the door went unheeded by Daisey, Angel amped up the consequence.

    It is the only scenario that makes sense.  But truthfully, I should have stepped in consistently when it was benign, but I didn't pay it any mind.  I'm reaping the consequence of my apathy.  Duffy states, and I do believe it,
    Enforcing parameters with a new canine student requires energy, concentration, consistency, and commitment. Deficiency in any of these areas will surely lead to deterioration of a handler’s control. Supervision of behavior, supplying timely genuine
    praise, and administering meaningful deterrents can be a substantial drain on a person.

    He goes on to say that if you cannot do the above, to put the dog away so that the behavior cannot manifest and go uncorrected.

    It is important counsel.  My daughter is a special education teacher.  She has to be consistent and clear with her charges every moment. She would probably make a great dog trainer, too.  When I think of that analogy....of the type of structure that we have to provide our children to ensure that they are safe and grow up with a clear understanding of proper manners/actions, then it is easy to understand that a dog, like a child, will take every inch given to them.  There really is no such thing as a successful casual parent, any more than it is for a successful casual handler (dog owner).

    I admit, that I've been casual, and that lax has shown its fruit.  Never too late.  My goal is to practice mindfulness in setting up my interactions with my dogs, curb negative emotions--remind others in my household to do same, and eliminate ambiguity.  I wished I had this training earlier in my adult life.

    If you are wrangling with dog aggression issues, Duffy's book is a great resource.  This is not clicker training nor 100% positive training  (indeed who raises a child in an environment where there is only 100% positive training?)  Rather it is explicit, actions have consequences training.  Good actions have good consequences.  Bad actions have bad consequences.  (And no, I'm not talking about whipping either child nor dog).

    I think that his book does a marvelous job in reminding us to keep negative emotions out of it.  And to keep the overall relationship positive.  Daisey is a product of bad training (not at my hand).  But I have not really given her any training.  Angel has been sleeping most of the time, but now that she has woken up after 8 months and is in the thick of things....she'll get some training.

    I'll post on my progress.

    06.25.2015 Update:  I have been managing the dog's spaces.  Angel is always tethered in the house.  She is outside independent of Daisey.  In taking Angel to the vet, I note that she displays what I call 'attentiveness aggression' toward other female dogs, not male dogs.  Daisey is doing marvelously heeding my commands for her to come inside or 'stay' (stay where she is and not charge the door to get through it).  It works for us.  Re-homing Angel and pushing the problem down the road was not an option. 


    Enemy at the Gates

    All is NOT well in Leisa-land.  I must take responsibility for it.  Within the last week, Angel, the American Bulldog, has become hostile at the front door.  We've had three, what I would describe as "bedlam" moments when each of the dogs get touseled up in a snarling mess free for all at the front door.  Daisey and Today was the most unnerving as Daisey ended up with Angle firmly clamped down on her nose.  She sustained some injury.  I cleaned her wound and will monitor it for infection.

    That this bedlam is escalating is cause for concern. Before, it was just benign, but exuberant, snarling and posturing.  Today it was Angel clamped on Daisey's nose despite my giving Daisey amply safety by pulling Angel back out of the way by her tail.  Even Dexter and Ella got in the tangle....and it was most unusual to see Ella in the fray.  It became a Hop on Pop moment, and Pop happened to be Daisey.

    Daisey contributes mightily to this mess, in that even when I had Angel by her tail and dragging her away, Daisey, rather than standing down, kept coming in.  I had Dexter's lead in my left hand, Angel's tail in my right hand (not a good thing to pull on, but I was doing the best I could, and it was dragging her backward), and Daisey continually stepping into the safety distance that I was creating. 

    There is a reason why dogs end up outside of the home that they were brought into and dumped on a backroad or taken to the pound. It is mostly likely the failure on the handler's part to establish order and create canine understanding of that order.  So I understand my own unwitting contribution to this behavior....however, it is new,surprising behavior, and I'm unsure of the genesis of it. However, I also know that there are some incorrigible canine souls out there that cannot be helped without being a danger to another person or another animal.  I don't think that I have that situation, so the onus is on me. 

    Daisey is a stubborn, willful, non-listening English Setter.  She was roughly handled by someone, likely due to these 'qualities'. However rough treatment of an English Setter does not yield good results.  Alternatively, rough treatment of a Pitbull or an American Bulldog when dealing with inappropriate, explosive behavior is sometimes needed.  When I say rough, I mean forceful.  Nothing inhumane. I learned this after timid attempts to corral inappropriate behavior on Macy's part, my first Am. Bulldog. Once I got her attention, lesson learned.

    Willful behavior is not a problem until it is.  And it is.  Angel's family had a divorce, and no one could take her.  I'm wondering if no one could, or no one would.  She is displaying aggressive and dominant behavior only within the last week. Perhaps her health was so bad before that she could not physically fulfill this 'bent'.  Maybe what we are seeing is how this dog really is after 8 months of owning her.

    Angel has transformed herself from a waddling, slow dog, to rattlesnake-quick-through-the-door aggressor.  And all of her aggression is aimed at Daisey. If Daisey goes out before her she tries to chase Daisey.  Daisey cannot be caught.  If Daisey comes in prior to her, she comes charging in the door and looks for Daisey--in a terrifying 'alert' and 'challenging' demeanor.  This quickness to the door has been a surprise, and has caught us off guard and unprepared.  This behavior cannot stand.  Oddly enough, there is no aggression in the kitchen at food time, and everyone tolerates everyone else.  (Dexter is in his secure place).  And there is not gobbling down food to rough up another for their food.  It's 'just' the frickin' door; and Angel is the door troll.

    Dexter has a secure place in my office.  Now Angel has a secure place in the elephant room. Her vinyl wrapped steel cable is on a heavy metal/glass 4x4 foot coffee table.  She has a comfortable bed, water, and a lovely view outside the back yard.  She does not have freedom anymore as she has abused it.

    Daisey's sin is charging the door and not listening to entreaties to stand down. That is my fault.  I had her long before 'training' was in my peripheral vision.  Now it is my focus since getting Dexter.  But the focus on him and his previously unmanageable behavior, and blurred the focus of Angel and Daisey's behavior.

    This 'hop on pop' phenomena is similar to another instance in the past.  When I used to walk Macy, Daisey and Ella, there used to be a couple of aggressive males that would come up to us.  I was not afraid of these dogs, and our course of action was to move past calmly as if they were not there.  All the males were interested in doing was sniffing pootang, and we kept moving to prevent that.  However, both Daisey and Macy would get agitated, and would take it out on each other. (They too had their front door moments).

    This same internally directed aggression among all of the dogs in the face of two squaring off is happening again.  And to see Ella in the fray was not good at all.  But she listens to me, and quickly backed off.  All of the others were deaf and blinded by the heat of the moment.  While the other skirmishes have been benign, this one was not.  We may yet see the vet.

    Oddly enough, we have reached the point with Dexter where he is a joy to be around, and we are able to control his behavior.  That this 'breakout' of other personalities is happening is a bit of a surprise.  Perhaps our focus on Dexter is creating jealousy and those two are taking it out on each other.  Who is to know the mind of the canine?  Whatever the reason, we need to get a structure that works and ensures that each dog is safe both mentally and physically, and that they understand that they need to defer to Mark or I and not their tendencies.

    I have recently finished reading Mark Duffy's two excellent books:  The Eight Faces of Dog Aggression and The Ten Natural Steps to Training the Family Dog.  His methods are similar to Koehler's methods, and Dexter is a testament that these methods work.  I believe that Duffy provides better guidelines to keep the relationship objective for corrections to prevent negativity from undermining the relationship.  It's not clicker training or 100% positive reinforcement.   And I'm very okay with that. 

    We didn't get Dexter in a context where clicker training was going to help define boundaries.  I used Koehler's extended correction on Dexter twice.  I'm glad that I had studied it (as I got the book when we got Dexter and had a tasmanian devil on our hands).  Because I used it with impunity two times, and that was all that was needed.  I will repeat it without hesitation if required.  Duffy notes that if he is working with an aggressive dog and the owner is not willing to employ an extended correction (holding a dog's front feet off the floor by lifting the lead and the dog's head), he will not work with the owner.  The simple reason:  he does not want a bad outcome on his watch.

    I don't either. 



    Days With Dexter = 176

    I'm glad I found the JAVA script to do the countdowns.  I refer to the 'Days With Dexter' and shout to Mark in the other room, "Can you believe that we have had Dexter x days?"  Truthfully, the proclamation is generally made from a place of surprise that we have made it so long and so far.  The last month, though, has been pivotal. So the acknowledgement of his time with us is said joyfully, and from a place of true excitement v. exasperation.

    To be sure, it has been a long road from his crocodile snapping, kangaroo jumping days to now, where he can sit quietly and contentedly without biting us.  He does have a surge in this unwanted behavior just before the conks out--much like a child who throws a tantrum before going to bed.  The youngster (pup or human) perceives the tiredness as an urging toward action, when in fact mental and physical reserves are low, and the mind and body just need a rest.  (Same for the parents!)

    The passage of time and our patient (and at times frustrated) guidance of proper manners have contributed to this delightful transformation.  We still have much to do. Putting Dexter's formal training on the KANBAN board is my new project for the New Moon.  That he has always had a lead on him, and no freedom, we have been continuously shaping his behavior inside:  no table/counter surfing, no attacking his sissies for unwanted play, no chewing of any of our things, no chasing the cats....and the balance of the list that you do not wish your pup to do. 

    Potty training was a non event.  We didn't really have to train him.  This guy instinctively knew not to potty inside, though we guessed that he was not an inside dog. He has only pooped once inside (while I was away), and peed maybe 3 times. The most recent yesterday when he elected not to go outside in the pouring rain.  However, to his credit, he came to me, and peed on the floor and was most apologetic about it.  I didn't make a big deal of it, simply because, I should have gone outside with him; and he was contrite. 

    He has a real aversion for the cold and the rain. We guess about alot of things for this fella.  That he is a loving, sweet boy with unbounded exuberance, high intelligence and a high drive to please meant that we had plentiful raw material to work with.  Had we been missing any of those positives, then this would be a tougher row to hoe.  It has been plenty tough.  But we are now reaping the benefits of having a mostly well-behaved dog that values and respects his family, and seeks to engage in behaviors that allow him freedom.

    The savior in all of this has been his puppy lair which is in my office.  A vinyl wrapped steel cable secured to a sturdy piece of furniture has been a place where we could simply clip him off and enjoy non-Dexter time.  He has a dog bed, water and a window.  It is pleasant space, and it is secure.

    His sissies can come visit him if they wish.  I find Angel sleeping in his bed with him from time to time.  Ella, too, will go and visit with him.  When we are home, we take him off the cable, but he always has a trailing lead.  This trailing lead has been indispensable for being able to instantly guide inappropriate behavior to more appropriate behavior.  He is also very responsive when walking, but I use a long lead to give him exercise. I need to renew my instruction on short lead walking and other more refined training. 

    Though puppy lair is not punishment, it is a place where he goes to (in full view of his family) when he cannot manage his behavior, to sleep, or when he cannot be supervised. I also clip him in and feed him there. Our goal is to have him there only when he cannot be supervised.  It is only unpleasant because he is removed (though only through a few feet) from his human friends.  What we have found that when he realizes that his behavior will yield a removal, he self-corrects as if to say, "I understand!  I'll sit nicely here with you."

    And Dexter sitting nicely here with us is very enjoyable for all of us.