Various family demands mean more time off the mountain than usual, of late. That, along with the fact that I’m STILL coughing a full three weeks after getting sick, have resulted in a very boring time for Lilly. She adjusts to fetch-only or cuddle-only days, but clearly Lilly needs more.
Despite the germs (which linger, I’m sorry to say), I took Lilly on a little outing down into town last weekend.We went for a short walk. Lilly scaled rocks and walls. She even practiced a little shopping etiquette. Here is how it went.
Years after we tackled the Relaxation Protocol ourselves (both the one by Dr. Karen Overall and the one our own behaviorist prescribed), it remains one of the top reasons people come to Champion of My Heart. Pretty neat, huh? So, I decided to revisit a couple of the common questions I get about our Relaxation…
Dear Sam (and others who are longing for dog training news), I wish, wish, wish I had the time/energy to work on new things with Lilly, but I just don’t with all the family medical dramas that have been brewing non-stop since summer 2009. We have high hopes for spring 2011, though. So, don’t give up on us yet. While I called it an update, it’s more like a wish list.
I know! Do not fall out of your chair. We actually have some dog-training updates to share. I cannot even begin to describe what’s what behind the scenes that continues to keep us from our regular progress. BUT, I have two out-in-the-world updates this week.
Imagine my excitement to learn that someone is offering Treibball classes at the county fairgrounds, not hideously far from us. We mentioned this new ball herding sport briefly a while back. Goodness knows we have zero time for something new, but I had hopes.
Remember, my quest to get written prescriptions with plenty of refills so that getting Lilly her medications wasn’t such a hassle? Remember how it took two visits to get the prescriptions because of another emergency at the hospital? Well, imagine my frustration to find that the prescription was wrong — all wrong — when we…
Last week, during one of our regular walks, Lilly and I got chased down by a couple of spaniels with whom we’ve had trouble (off and on) for years. Considering that Lilly is suddenly hiding again inside the house (behind the toilet, in the basement, etc.), I suspect the scare is having lasting effects.
I know. I know. The headline ONLY works if I’m actually updating you every week on our dog training progress. But, I’ve already reported this week on a couple breakthroughs with the scary kitchen window and the thing about NOT coming inside only in the summer, only at night. So, today … just a quick note about Lilly’s first trip to the Farmer’s Market this summer.
We like to use all kinds of euphemisms to describe our fearful dogs. Shy, reactive, aggressive are common words we use, but what exactly does fear look like when it isn’t necessarily obvious that it’s fear?
