The day after Thanksgiving, when many still have pots and pans soaking, is a good time to share this video of Lilly putting away her dog toys. You’ll notice that she holds them down with her foot. That’s because she often puts her toys away with such enthusiasm that they fly out of the basket. No reward for that, so Lilly learned to make sure they stay put. Therefore, the foot bonus action became part of the dog trick.
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Happy Thanksgiving. To celebrate this festive occasion, we have two videos to share. The first shows Lilly howling on cue. The second shows Lilly “laughing.” This noise has been isolated by researchers and deemed dog laughter.
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In today’s backstory video, Lilly — our intrepid dog — learns to SIT-STAY atop a small sled while being pulled along in the snow of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Clearly, she finds it very, very funny. Read the rest of this entry »
As a special Thanksgiving week event, we’ll be posting a few of our favorite videos of Lilly, our canine heroine, each day. Whether you’re seeing them for the first time (welcome, new readers) or get the chance to enjoy these reruns, we send our best holiday wishes. Today, Lilly on her home agility course.
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It started out as a necessity. Swamped with deadlines and a work trip on the docket, I didn’t realize Lilly was getting low on her medicine. To stretch it a bit longer, I skipped her evening dose of clomipramine (antidepressant that targets her generalized fears) for a few days. I kept it up, however, even after her prescription refill arrived.
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Lilly and I made a little video blog entry for your Friday. It made us laugh, and we hope it brightens your day too. Have a great weekend. P.S. You can see this year’s crop circles in the background.
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The fact that Lilly lets me trim all of her toenails in a single sitting each week remains one of my greatest dog training victories. We call it Turkey for Toenails, but these days we typically use cheese. Alas, once in a while, I botch things and cause Lilly to bleed. It turns out dewclaws really gush.
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A couple Sundays ago, I took Lilly with me to visit my mom, who remains in the rehabilitation section, after the heart scare in August. Lilly did struggle with a few things, but one nice comment from my mom’s roommate made it all worthwhile. (Sorry, I forgot my camera, so no pictures.)
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Lilly got her staples out a week ago Wednesday. That part went fine, but Lilly had a little trouble in the parking lot and in the reception area before taking refuge in our own exam room. Every day is different when you live with a fearful dog … even when she has xanax in her system.
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Maybe letting Lilly sleep in “the big bed” with us Tuesday night telegraphed that something was up. Maybe my ability to keep my worries to myself failed … because Lilly shook so hard with fear that the dog scale at the veterinary hospital sounded like an 18-wheeler going over a cattle grate.
It broke my heart, causing big, rolling tears to pour off my face and into Lilly’s fur as I tried to tell her that everything was going to be OK.
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My absence and recent spike in stress wreaks havoc on Lilly. It’s a terrible feeling to know my actions and emotions impact her well-being. Lilly is hiding … a lot. Read the rest of this entry »
Remember my rant about the viral “guilty dog” video? Well, I promised then to try and teach Lilly to look “guilty” without feeling bad about it, including a wiggly-wag, dropping her ears, squinting, and curling her lips.
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After nearly 7 years, it still makes me sad to see Lilly slink off to “hide” when she is upset or afraid or nervous. The other day, I found her wedged behind the toilet in the master bathroom. I joined her, and this is what I found.
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It has been a weird summer here in Colorado. We had snow through Memorial Day. June broke cool and raining, like London — foggy and dark. And, July? Well, we had incredible rain, hail, wind, and thunder / lightning nearly every day. That’s rough going for a fearful dog like Lilly.
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Any time an otherwise “normal” dog shows a sudden increase in fear, everyone recommends a thorough physical exam to rule out medical causes for the change in behavior. BUT, when you have a dog already diagnosed with a real case of clinical fear, it’s easy to overlook possible bodily causes for any spikes in fear behaviors.
Especially in Lilly’s case where a summertime increase in fears is “normal” for her.
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