Playing fetch with your dog is a good idea for a bunch of reasons. It burns off lots of monkey energy. It lets dogs exercise the chase part of prey drive. In Lilly’s case, it also lets her exercise the gathering instinct since border collies are a herd fetching breed more than they are a driving breed, like our Australian shepherd pal Pitsch. But, maybe the best part of playing fetch is that you can practice three training cues in the process. …
On Friday, Mary over at Cowgirl by Proxy wondered about the dog training classes we take. I wrote a long, detailed response in the comments, which promptly got eaten by my blog software. I’ll do my best to recreate those thoughts here. For several years now, we have trained exclusively with Gigi Moss in Boulder, CO, who is the ONLY dog trainer who did not give up on us because of Lilly’s fears. We are very loyal clients and would be completely lost without her support, wisdom, and patience. …
The relentless pace continues, so I have not a single shred of training news to share. All we did this week was kiss and cuddle because a writer *this* stressed out just needs her puppy-girl. But, I wanted to share a couple things that made me laugh. Considering I spent all of last weekend at the hospital (again) with my mom, getting even a giggle from me is a pretty big deal. …
When I reported the results from Lilly’s wellness exam, our training and blogging friend KB over at Romping and Rolling in the Rockies posted a comment that she knows someone involved with the rattlesnake vaccine. She offered to ask him some questions on our behalf. Here’s what we have to report from his answers. …
I want to tell you about a horrible, horrible pet essay that is causing a flood of complaints. The essay,
…
I was away at college when my
family euthanized my childhood dog (Brandy, a cocker). They drew straws over
the holidays freshman year to decide who would tell me. I spent the following three years
sans canine companionship, but I swore someone – by golly – was getting me a dog
for graduation. My then-boyfriend, now-husband, obliged and in the spring of
1990, I adopted my first dog as an adult at the age of 22. She was a young
Dalmatian I named Penelope
Grace, and she provided lifelong adventures of both the veterinary and
behavioral variety.
…
Last week, veterinary blogger Dolittler posted a piece entitled “Top 10 Pet Owner Excuses for Aggression in Dogs.” And,
while I understand the tone and intent, it made me feel really sad
because so many aggressive dogs are actually fearful dogs, who need help. I also noted
in my comment to her post that I felt terribly unwanted as a
veterinary client. It wasn’t so much what Dr. Patty Khuly wrote, but
some of the comments took blame and derision to a level I did not expect. For
example: …
I wrote a piece last week for Healthypet magazine. Set for publication in fall 2009, I can’t tell you what it’s really about, but I can say that I learned a couple interesting things about teaching dogs about scents. If you want to start doing scent work with your dog, BEER is the best place…
We first began using the Relaxation Protocol in fall of 2007. Back when I first posted these audio files, I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of this detailed, tedious form of behavior modification. Today, some 18 months later, let me be clear. A Relaxation Protocol provides critical baseline training for fearful (or reactive or aggressive) dogs. I honestly think it sets such an important foundation that I will likely use it with all dogs in my future — whether they are fearful or not. …
Below is a link to another really neat piece I wrote for the American Kennel Club on the history of dog toys. In addition to interviewing toy designers, I talked at length with professors of American material culture, who study the everyday things we own as a way of understanding our lives and beliefs. It includes a timeline of when various dog toys were introduced. I was shocked, for example, that Nylabone launched in 1955 and Kong in 1976. …
