When we want to change a behavior, it can be helpful to think of an integrated layer approach. Layer 1: Management & Environmental Modification Changing the environment (and often our human behavior) to limit the times the dog does the…
Observation
Our dogs are observing us (and the world around them) all of the time. Sometimes their ability to put those observations to good use astounds me (and makes me laugh, very hard). I’m the morning person in our family. I…
Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast
I came across this Peter Drucker quote for the first time the other day. While Drucker was speaking in reference to organizational culture, management and economics, the day I read the quote I’d been mulling over for probably the million…
Moving with 3 Dogs
Last month we moved. After over a decade in our previous home, it was time for a change. For us, it wasn’t just a move but also a renovation (the home we purchased is nearly 100 years old and much…
Getting to Know You
Breezie has been a part of our family now for close to 3 months! Whether we’ve added a new puppy or an older dog, there is always a period of transition. With Breezie, in many ways, it feels like she’s…
Welcome Breezie! – Guide Dog Home Training
In January this year, I began my application with the Guide Dog Foundation for my next guide dog. While Tom was still doing just fine, I noticed he wasn’t as keen as he’d usually been about winter. So I decided…
11 years young
I’m kind of in awe. He’s 11. In all the years I’ve lived with dogs, I’ve never had an “old” dog. So today, Tom is 11 years young! He’s getting to spend the weekend doing his favorite things. Going for…
6 Already
This year it feels sometimes as if time is just slipping by. At other times, as if I can feel every second as it slowly ticks past. Realizing today Zora is 6 years old has come as a bit of…
Walk the Plank
As Tom is getting up there in years, I’ve been considering a ramp of some sorts for our car. He’s still well able to jump in and out of the backseat where he usually rides, but seeing as he’ll be…
40 minute meals
Keeping Tom and Zora entertained is taking a bit of creativity. We walk, we train, and then they dejectedly lie around the office while the humans work. As a consolation for their humans being on the computer for so long,…