Neighborhood Coyote
One day last week, a lone coyote hung out behind our house all day long. It poked around. It hunted. It slept. I began to worry something had happened to its pack, based on the way it
kept looking around. …
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Calming Music for Dogs
Noise of the modern world is akin to second-hand cigarette smoke. It poses a danger to us and our dogs, according to
the authors of “Through a Dog’s Ear: How to Use Sound to Improve the Health and Behavior of Your Canine Companion.” Just released March 1, the book makes the argument that many of the behavior
problems we now see in dogs (and possibly some health ones too) come from the stress of noise in their world. The collaboration between a psychoacoustics experts (Joshua Leeds), a veterinary
neurologist (Susan Wagner, DVM, MS, DACVIM), and a concert pianist (Lisa Spector, … -
Weekly Training Update (Feb 29)
Lilly had another training date with Pitsch last Saturday. She did well playing and doing flatwork with him nearby. She might have even been a tad less bossy than last time. Maybe it
helped that they were playing with his frisbee and not her ball. Things were going so well, in fact, we decided to try a little agility on our home course. Bad idea. … -
Speaking of age-related things
I originally pitched and sold this magazine article about 18 months ago. The idea sold right away. I researched and wrote it. I even got paid (quite well, actually), but it never ever
got published by the big-name magazine that bought it. So, I recently asked for and got my copyright back. Now, I could try to sell it somewhere else and maybe I will, but for now, all of you will
have to be my audience for a piece on the growth of new agility handlers 40 and 50+. I even wrote different versions of the story, using quotes … -
More funny leashes
Stemming from my mini-rant last week, I went looking online for that funny leash about
being a B****. Apparently there are many more in that product line. Some are suggestive, so browse at your own risk. … -
More things I’m loving
I get a bunch of dog stuff catalogs. Here are some new t-shirts in the latest In The Company of Dogs catalog that really cracked me up. The links below take you to the ordering page, if
you want to check it out. … -
Weekly Training Update (Feb 22)
It snowed a LOT on Sunday, so we did not go to class. Maybe it’s the long winter. Maybe it’s because Tom was traveling last week, so I had a whole week of single puppy-mom-hood. But,
truth be told, I’m a bit stuck. … -
One of us is a B—-
Last week, while walking Lilly in town, a poodle crossed our path in a bad way. We came through the encounter just fine, but it made me worry about how many people truly have no clue
what’s at the end of their leash. … -
Gambling mood
Sometimes I still pretend like Lilly and I will compete someday. I know it’s rather unlikely, but I have a good imagination. Heck sometimes I play whole scenarios in my head, where
Lilly earns some huge title. My friends are there. Everyone is cheering. Lilly gets a big ribbon. And, I get to say, “See, I knew she could do it.” I’m like the Walter Mitty of handling. I admit it.
But, the make-believe keeps me going. So, here’s my latest idea …
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Weekly Training Update (Feb 15)
Lilly and I had our first training date this weekend with another team using Leslie McDevitt’s “Control Unleashed” book as a training strategy. Here’s how it went. …