If all else fails, here’s a hillbilly technique . . . (Note: Attempt this one at your own risk, anddefinitely don’t try it with young, small, or sensitive dogs—onlylarge, thick-skinned, repeat offenders. This means you, 80-pound Labs.)There’s a branch of dog training called respondentconditioning. That’s a fancy way of saying that you’re using the dog’snatural reflexes to your advantage. Think of a dog that’s gun shy orscared replica Cartier w62018y5 watch of thunder, snakes, vacuum cleaners, or hair driers. It onlytakes one gunshot or snake bite for a dog to know he doesn’t want anypart of guns or snakes.To fix my problem, then, I taped an unbaited Victor mousetrap to thetrash can with the bar down so it would snap up under Danger’s chin,rather than down onto his nose.
The next day: Snap! Yelp! No moretrash. Now, if there’s some place I don’t want danger to be, like underthe coffee table, I just leave an unset trap there and can bereasonably sure he’ll give it a six-foot berth.More notes of warning: Definitely don’t use a rat trap. (You do knowthe difference, right?) Those could do real damage. And if you’redesperate replica Cartier w20073x8 watch enough to think this is a good idea, pad the bar of the mousetrap with something soft like a few wraps of duct tape.Disclaimer: Triggering a shock reflex in a dog is a riskyproposition. If the dog associates the pain with you, say if you’restanding right next to him when the trap goes off, he may never trustyou again. It could also lead to fight rather than flight reflex andget you seriously hurt. You’ve been warned. —Grayson
Conservation group American Riversreleased a list of the top ten endangered rivers in the country twodays ago, with with the Sacramento-San Joaquin River System topping thelist. You can visit their website tosee if rivers near your home are on the replica Cartier wj11924g watch endangered list, or use theirAct Now link to send e-mails to influential politicians in that area.Endangered rivers are determined by three criteria: the magnitude ofthe threat to the river; a major decision point in the coming yearaffecting that threat; and the regional and national significance ofthe river.