Weekly Training Update (Oct 24)
I’m sorry to report we had a couple of setbacks this week. Here are the challenges we faced. …
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Weekly Training Update (Oct. 17)
We continue to struggle with our work exposing Lilly to people in a controlled way. Because we live in a somewhat remote area, because it everyone is busy, it’s hard, bordering on impossible to find participants to take part in daily training sessions (even though they only last about 10 minutes). So, I’ve resorted to creating a cast of thousands at home.
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Puppy Pictures – Ginko (Summer 2000)
I keep this photo of Ginko from summer 2000 in a frame in my office. I still marvel at how this tiny boy turned into my big handsome dog-man. I guess the size of his feet should have clued us in. …
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Sidecar Girl
Since I’ve already written several thousand words today for my “real” work, please enjoy photos instead. Goodness help me, if Tom figures out how to mount this on one of his motorcycles because you KNOW Lilly would want to go for a ride. …
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Weekly Training Update (Oct 10)
Super stressful week. Not much time to work with Lilly. Still need to find people to do the 13 tasks in the training protocol, BUT, here’s some insight into her experience and reactions to a family gathering last Saturday. …
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Round Versus Pointy Head
An alert Lilly is very pointy. A sleepy Lilly is quite round. But, reading her body language — in this case, her noggin — isn’t always this simple. …
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Dog Names to Avoid
According to the American Kennel Club, here are the top 20 male and female dog names in the U.S. right now. So for most of us … it’s a list of names to AVOID. While I’m dancing in victory over choosing Ginko for my big boy, I’m consoling myself that Lilly is at least NOT in the top 10. I did not mean to be SUCH a cliche.
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Lilly vs. Rattlesnake (The Insurance Update)
It took more than a month, but indeed Lilly’s pet insurance covers and assisted in paying a piece of her sizable veterinary bill stemming from her rattlesnake bite to the face Labor Day weekend (as chronicled here, here, and here). The mathematics behind the processed claim intrigue me. …
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Weekly Training Update (Oct 3)
I tried to stick with Part 2, the advanced SIT-STAY section of our behavior modification plan, but boredom won out. So, this week, I began Part 3, which includes people doing 13 tasks. Essentially, they approach me and Lilly in a variety of ways. Three vignettes from this week’s work. Only one follows the rules. …
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Agility Tunnel Cleaning in 1,000 Steps or Less
Lilly’s competition-grade agility tunnel spent most of the summer stacked up in the shade near our chimney. But, with winter coming, I figured I’d better clean it, condition it, and get it stored inside — away from the brutal, high-altitude snow, wind, and sun. Except, it turns out that cleaning a full-sized, ribbed tunnel isn’t a simple thing. …