Blog
(Mostly Archived)
A place to unwind while waiting for a furever home…
Today is Blog the Change for Animals, it is a virtual event that happens four times each year. It aims to bring together a passionate community of animal bloggers in support of a wide variety of animal causes. This month I'm going to highlight one of my favorite...
No drooling at the dinner table
When I was living alone in my studio apartment, I admit it, I let both dogs beg at my feet or on the couch next to me as I ate (I didn't have a table or desk where I could eat). For me, this was not a big deal. They had excellent leave-it cues and would never take...
Most of the time I'm a PEOPLE trainer…
Why "dog trainer" is not the most accurate term for what I do most of the time--a tail of semantics. One of the things that can frustrate some people that take training classes with their dogs is that the "dog trainers" don't spend enough time training their dogs. ...
Ms. Serious makes me smile when she lets loose
This is Shayne. She is Ms. Serious. Everything about her is no-nonsense. She likes to play, but even her play is work. She is generally quite stoic and observant. She does not let herself loose to be silly and crazy (unlike Rio who embodies "silly"). This...
People near food bowls ROCK!
Last week I wrote about how common it is for people to actually create food aggressive dogs by trying to get the dog used to people taking the food bowl away. What people thought was proper socialization, was actually causing their dog's aggressive behavior. That...
Happy Gotcha Day Rio!!
One year ago, I was living in a studio apartment in Westchester County, NY, I had a really good full-time job as a community educator, and Shayne was my only companion (and other than work, she was pretty much with me all the time). For over a year and a half, I...
Happy (almost) Gotcha Day Rio!!!
Rio's Gotcha Day is on Sunday and I will be posting a special post for him. I wanted to post a photo tribute to my little man a day in advance but since I will be competing at a winter frisbee competition, Arctic Air Games, on Saturday, I'm pushing the photos a day...
Focus, it doesn't just happen…
Focus, it doesn't just happen... "Wow, she must really love you!" "She never takes her eyes off you." "It's like nothing else exists but you." "He is just so focused on your every move." I get comments like these all the time from people. I also hear: "My dog is so...
It's Not Bribery!
“You know those cookie or clicker trainers, they are just bribing their dogs to obey the commands. Once the dogs leave the house or there is no food, they are out of control. My dog knows he has to comply or he gets a swat at a distance (she then brandishes...
No dog-park, no problem!
Like alluded to previously, I don't tend to frequent dog parks. They can be incredibly unpredictable and somewhat risky; since neither of my dogs are particularly great dog-park dogs I largely avoid them. It really isn't the end of the world not frequenting dog...