I begin most days with a workout, which this time of year means I’m riding my bike on the trainer in the basement. Even as a pup Ginko thought it was funny to come play while I ride. Now, Lilly often joins him, so I get a front-row seat to a doggie version of professional wrestling. …
Someday, I may try some freestyle classes because I do love the videos of dogs dancing. It looks so complicated, though, that I wonder if Lilly and I have what it takes. Still, I can’t
help wondering how cute she would look. In the car the other day, I got to thinking about what songs Lilly might dance to. One song in particular seems appropriate. …
I’m feeling fairly overwhelmed by all the things I should be training Lilly to do as part of our new behavior modification plan. Each little shaping event only takes a few minutes, but
it feels like a lot some days. This week, I tried a new coping strategy, where I only try to do 1-2 things other than the Relaxation Protocol. Here’s how things went. …
You found the right place to learn more about the Relaxation Protocol for Dogs! When I first read about Dr. Karen Overall’s Protocol for Relaxation in Leslie McDevitt’s book “Control Unleashed,” I had NO idea what it was about. None. Never heard of it. It’s considered baseline work for serious behavior modification training, like what I’m doing with Lilly. That much I got from the book, but it wasn’t until I saw the whole thing in print that a sinking feeling sunk me. I’m feeling better about it now, but here’s a bit about my journey so far …
There is something about the angle of the sun when Lilly and I walk in the morning that casts a funny shadow. You know those cartoon wolves or coyotes that are always sneaking up so
that all you see is their shadow approaching? Well, that’s what Lilly’s shadow looks like to me, at times. I like to pretend that it’s a reflection of her true, more confident self. I may have
written about this before, but this time I have photos. See what you think. …
Lilly is learning to be sweet to the mules next door. We’ve been training looking at them without barking or trying to get a rise out of them. If she looks or stays calms, then she gets
treats. I even let her race them along the fence line, as long as she’s quiet. They seem to seek her out, sometimes standing at the fence looking for her. Yesterday, I called for her outside and
found the cutest thing. I think she’s adopted them as her sheep. …
I’m pleased to announce the arrival of a new pup in our neighborhood. His name is Bjornkarl (which means bear hunter). And, he joins Baldur and Bryna (aka Brynnie) at the home of our friends Bobbye and Joe. I have high hopes that Lilly will make a good playmate for him as he grows. She tends to do well with tiny pups, so we’ll see. It’s cold and rainy/snowy here today, so we have
not seen him in person, but look at these photos. …
Lilly went to our Sunday drop-in class for the first time in a few weeks. It was the first time we tried some of the strategies from the book “Control Unleashed” in a class setting.
There were a few challenges since there were many new dogs in the class, so it was a big group. Here’s a rundown of our efforts. …
I have a million and one things on my mind today, so rather than write something new about Lilly, I’m going to share a few magazine articles I’ve written that you might find interesting. One is a profile I did for HealthyPet magazine about Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, of Animal Planet’s “Emergency Vets.” The second is a piece I wrote for The Bark about a novelist here in Colorado whose first book features a dog as one of the main characters. The third is another piece I did for The Bark about canine knee injuries and surgical options. And, the last …
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