Summer 2008 is full of home projects aimed at bolstering the energy efficiency of our house, which was built in 1978. I mostly fill the role of snack provider, beverage purveyor, and clean-up crew. Lilly? Well, she has decided dropping sticks at Tom’s feet (no matter how high off the ground they are) is a HUGE help. …
Sometimes I sit outside to work when the weather allows. The dogs move from shade to sun, from grass to sidewalk, from under my feet to out in the pasture. It’s a good way to spend a long workday. I could not resist this photo of Ginko sacked out in the sun. He gets very brown from all the UV here at 8,000 feet. Can you find Lilly? …
Happy Independence Day! It’s a big holiday at our house since Tom loves fireworks so much. So, rather than proffer our usual Friday Training Update, we’re taking a holiday to celebrate freedom. In Lilly’s case, it’s sometimes the freedom to NOT do what I ask. Still, nobody looks cuter with a flag! …
In the grand history of the Relaxation Protocol,there are tales of dogs melting into the ground. Heads down, faces relaxed, they settle in no matter what. Well, with Lilly, that never happened. I had to reward the tip of the hip and ask for it. I had to specifically shape putting her head down. We call this training tool slash trick CHIN! Here’s a video of the finished product. …
Last Friday, I worked outside on the front patio while Tom began installing new windows in my office. I don’t typically work on Fridays during the summer (a tiny bonus of being self-employed), but since he was busy, and I was in NO mood to clean house, I worked. After spending hours and hours and hours transcribing interviews, I got camera happy. Here are some tricks I thought you might enjoy seeing.
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It’s been a week since the blood tests with no news, so I called the veterinary hospital to check on results. I left a message and got a call back from one of the technicians. I don’t have details like the actual values to share, but I’m told everything is “perfect.” Lilly is a healthy, healthy, healthy girl with “excellent” thyroid levels, no signs of any adrenal problems, solid kidney, liver, pancreas, etc. numbers. That’s not what’s causing the set-back. …
The following alert came via the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association late last week. It seems a dog brought to the U.S. from Iraq had rabies. Authorities are concerned about the people who handled the dog and the other dogs potentially exposed during transport. It’s a good reminder that pet care and health are not the same in every country. …
There’s a new handler in our Sunday classes who has a somewhat shy/fearful standard poodle. We’ve already bonded a bit over our shared challenges, so she felt comfortable suggesting
that I have Lilly tested for Addison’s Disease while I’m at the veterinarian today. Great … one more thing to worry about. …
Seriously. I’m putting my foot down. Lilly and I have a
veterinary appointment this morning, and I’m asking for them to draw
blood according to exacting standards, and I’m shipping the blood to
Dr. Jean Dodds at Hemopet in California for detailed thyroid testing. She’s considered by many to be the ONE WHO KNOWS when it comes to
canine hypothyroidism. …
I’ve met many really neat people through Lilly. There are several with whom I’d love to enjoy a more social relationship. But, here the catch. Most are too busy training and trialing to
ever accept an invite. And it’s hard to be buddies with people who can’t seem to squeeze you in … ever. Or, who almost never answer their phones. So, while all this training builds canine
relationships (or at least strives to), I’m beginning to think it just might hamper human relationships, except in situations where everyone is at a dog event anyway. …
