Champion of My HeartA real-time memoir about life with a fearful border collie, by Roxanne Hawn

Over the Independence Day Weekend, Lilly and I squeezed in some girl time for a hike. No trouble with mountain bikes on the hike-only day, but we did come face-to-face with two off-leash dogs. Not great, but it could have been worse.

Read the rest of this entry »

As I mentioned in Tuesday’s report about our recent hike with the girls from Cowgirl by Proxy, Lilly suffered a major fearful dog freakout on our short hike. I have several theories on why she melted down in the most unlikely place.

Fearful Dog Freakout Background

Lilly is somewhat famous for throwing herself to the ground in dramatic fashion (as if gravity suddenly got stronger right there). She curls one arm under, drops her head, tucks her tail, and flat out refuses to move.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lilly and I enjoyed hiking with more summertime guests last week. Can you deduce from the post title who that might be? Or, are you wondering, “What on earth is a Brew Babe”?

Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday, Lilly and I hosted a special guest for a dog-friendly restaurant patio lunch and hike. This gave Lilly the chance to practice her many social graces. She did terrific in many “scary” situations, but Lilly did lollygag like you would not believe. It kind of freaked me out.

But here is the thing … we had a veterinarian along with us, so I figured we were safe even though Lilly hiked as if made from molasses.

Read the rest of this entry »

Since we have no herding news of our own, after a long lapse in lessons due to non-stop work and family demands, today Champion of of My Heart looks at how someone else uses some clicker training in a herding context.

Herding is often taught using mostly pressure and “corrections.” And, when you ask about how clicker training might fit into the process, you’ll hear some grumbling about things like:

• The livestock are their own “reward.”
• Clickers make dogs focus too much on you and not on the task at hand.
• It’s a natural, much more dynamic process than teaching another kind of trick or easily segmented task.

So, when our pal Anna from Happy Healthy Pup, who recently relocated from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Atlanta, Georgia, suggested I talk to Astrid Smith from A Dog’s Journey … well, I sent and email and got on the phone.

Read the rest of this entry »

Our crazy-cold spring means finding our pond somewhat frozen many mornings. That’s a real risk.

One of our neighbors lost a new Lab puppy, after he fell through ice on their pond.

So, I’m super careful to supervise Lilly and Ginko.But, a few weeks ago, Lilly flung her ball at me, and it skidded onto the ice. She went after it.

Thankfully, Lilly has a pretty solid LEAVE IT and a decent WAIT under her dog-training belt.

I’m sure the urgent tone of my voice helped convey how serious I was in this instance.

Read the rest of this entry »

Even though I’m not a traditional mother with human kids, I like to think I deserve to get at least some of what I want on Mother’s Day. So, I brought Lilly along with us on our various visits. This meant strapping her into her seatbelt in Tom’s truck.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday morning we awoke to a debate between me and Tom over the size of Lilly’s spider bite lump. I said it was bigger, maybe 10%. Tom said it was the same as the night before. Possible surgery hung in the balance. Terrified to make the wrong decision, I waited and waited.

I groped her neck. I took pictures and flipped between the images for nearly an hour, trying to decide what to do.

Read the rest of this entry »

So, we now knew that Lilly suffered a spider bite and ensuing infection. But, we’ll never know what kind of spider or where or how it happened, but she needed treatment and fast.

Again, if you are sensitive at all, fair warning … what unfolds next isn’t particularly gross, but it is upsetting if you understand the potential outcomes of a fearful dog going through something both painful and scary.

You can catch up via Dog Spider Bite Part 1, Dog Spider Bite Part 2, and Dog Spider Bite Part 3 of our latest veterinary emergency saga.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, we continued the story of this mysterious mass I found on Lilly’s neck while awaiting a routine veterinary exam. Today, let’s move on with the diagnosis of the sudden onset (possible) veterinary emergency.

Fair warning … if you are squeamish at all.

Read the rest of this entry »

We began our latest tale of veterinary drama Friday, with Lilly calmly at my feet in the exam room. I asked her to join me on the bench because I wanted to be sure I could find a pea-sized lump in her neck / shoulder when our veterinarian joined us. What I found instead was much scarier.

Lilly hopped up onto the bench without hesitation. She sat there smiling, like the heavily medicated, silly girl she was. So, I began groping around her left side for the lump I wanted to point out. And, instead of the tiny hard bump I’ve been tracking for a month or two, I found a huge, squishy, swollen mass that took up the better part of Lilly’s neck and lower cheek.

Serious wave of fear pounded my already-battered emotional strength.

Read the rest of this entry »

Not the best day. Monday. About mid-morning, I locked myself in a small, dark room and fought off an anxiety attack. I had to. With a feature article deadline looming and several more in the wings, my day, my week, boasted no room for a breakdown. So, when Lilly seemed not herself Monday afternoon, I assumed she mirrored my mood.

I was wrong.

But, I didn’t know I was wrong for several more hours. Instead, I gave Lilly an as-needed xanax. Remember, she no longer gets it in addition to antidepressants twice a day every day for her fears / anxiety.

I figured with her annual wellness exam later that day … better safe than sorry.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lilly guards me. She guards Tom. She even guards other people she likes, most notably Tom’s mom. It isn’t her most attractive behavior. She gives Ginko never-ending grief if he wants to come close to one of us. She will growl, snap, posture, and make mean faces to keep him away. It’s a real pain. Sometimes, Lilly even grumbles if Ginko is at the other end of the house and we speak to him.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks for putting up with my NYC report. As a girl who often only sees other people or leaves the mountain once a week, the trip was a big deal to me. And, to our canine heroine too. Here is how Lilly coped.

In the last year or so, I’ve taken five work-related trips. None were as long as this one. Three nights, four days … and Lilly, our sensitive girl, noticed.

Read the rest of this entry »

So, I spent a little time, just a few minutes, working on HOW I might teach Lilly to wag her tail on cue. We’ll have to keep working on it, but I plan to treat the the wag / no wag a bit like an on / off switch. Here is my 5-step plan for teaching this dog trick.

Read the rest of this entry »