One of the best ways to get readers’ (and, therefore, editors’) attention is to use superlatives. If something you write about is the biggest or smallest, best or worst, or better yet ONLY or FIRST, then chances are you’ve got a winner of an idea. However, the problem with such thinking is that it can warp you.
Well, kids. Today is my birthday, so rather than reinvent the wheel. Allow me, please, to merely point to my latest post over the Dog Food Dish (my new paid blogging gig), where I talk about the role of fat in dog food.
Some days, my brain buzzes with larger, more philosophical sides to dog training. In part, this happens because of items I see in dog world news such as this dog training summit. At some point soon, I may rant a bit on that very topic since I’m not shy about the fact that I’m no fan of “He Who Shall Not Be Named.” But, today, I wanted to share a distinction I think will help.
Answer me this: When your dog responds to cues or offers default behaviors or just generally behaves like a civilized canine citizen, do you feel a sense of power or pride?
Nadi, a golden retriever in our neighborhood, had her puppies about two weeks ago. As you may recall, she went missing during her pregnancy, so the fact that she and the pups are OK is darn near a miracle. She delivered nine. Eight survived. They are darling. I got my first chance to visit them over the weekend. Here is a quick video slide show of some photos.
No training update this week. Instead, just a quick note to say that I’m plugging away at the many glitches from our recent redesign and blog platform shift. My main goal, for now, is to find and fix all the broken links in the site.
Based on discussions with my dog writer & dog blogger friends, I’ve began to wonder … just how many dogs does it take before you (or anyone) truly knows anything about anything when it comes to dogs.
A lack of attention and concentration resulted in a comedy of errors, involving laundry, a game of fetch, and a somewhat famous border collie girl who spins when she gets excited.
Ginko and Lilly express their expectations differently. The more I ponder yesterday’s Signs Point to Yes, the more I realize that the disparity in their responses to disappointment or anticipation reflect their formal (and not so formal) dog training.
Last Friday, I accidentally pulled a terrible trick on my sweet Lilly. I rushed around in the morning before an entire day of eldercare efforts, and I didn’t realize what Lilly assumed based on various visual clues until I stepped toward the front door to leave.
I have no Katie news to share because our little social event got postponed last Sunday due to weather. It snowed. Not snowpocalypse or snowmaggedon kind of snow, but enough snow to keep Katie’s new family from coming up the canyon. BUT, I did manage to take Lilly to class last week. It wasn’t ideal, but here is our report.