Yesterday, we continued the story of this mysterious mass I found on Lilly’s neck while awaiting a routine veterinary exam. Today, let’s move on with the diagnosis of the sudden onset (possible) veterinary emergency. Fair warning … if you are squeamish at all.
Not the best day. Monday. About mid-morning, I locked myself in a small, dark room and fought off an anxiety attack. I had to. With a feature article deadline looming and several more in the wings, my day, my week, boasted no room for a breakdown. So, when Lilly seemed not herself Monday afternoon, I assumed she mirrored my mood. I was wrong.
Lilly guards me. She guards Tom. She even guards other people she likes, most notably Tom’s mom. It isn’t her most attractive behavior. She gives Ginko never-ending grief if he wants to come close to one of us. She will growl, snap, posture, and make mean faces to keep him away. It’s a real pain. Sometimes, Lilly even grumbles if Ginko is at the other end of the house and we speak to him.
OMD. A highlight of my NYC adventure was the chance to pop over to Staten Island and visit Sam and Marge from Marge Blog. It required a cab, a ferry, and a train, but to see magnificent Marge … I braved it. Look at me overcoming my big city fears!
While waiting to take the ferry over to Staten Island on Sunday to visit Sam and Marge, I made friends with this big, meaty-headed boy named Dash. He is one of many bomb-sniffing dogs that work every day to keep tourists and commuters safe.
One of the things I love best about Lilly, our canine heroine, is just how earnest she is about life. She takes most things in her day seriously. No matter what she does, you get the sense she truly means it. When she plays, she is all about playing. When she snuggles, she is all about snuggling. When she learns something new, she focuses like a laser on the task. A personal discipline is indeed one of my strong suits, but I could still learn a thing or two from my brilliant, genuine dog.
So, I spent a little time, just a few minutes, working on HOW I might teach Lilly to wag her tail on cue. We’ll have to keep working on it, but I plan to treat the the wag / no wag a bit like an on / off switch. Here is my 5-step plan for teaching this dog trick.
One of the ways I keep myself motivated in the face of unrelenting deadlines is to make a change — any change — in my work environment. I call this process “The Delicate Art of Self-Management.” Perhaps my strategies will help you if / when you face a similar situation.
The challenge of working 10-12 hours every day for weeks (possibly months) on end is that the pace leaves little room for much more than survival. That means, other than the usual daily dog training cues and rewards, not a lot happens. So, to keep myself on track and to renew my commitment to all of you who follow our dog training tales, here is a recap of what’s currently on our dog training dock / dog training wish list.
Despite having ZERO time to read for pleasure lately, I’m making my way through a sheepdog book that our herding trainer recommended. It’s called Talking Sheepdogs: Training Your Working Border Collie (by Derek Scrimgeour).
