Does your dog have a favorite outdoor toy? Zora’s favorite is well, me first and foremost. She finds me a very fun interactive toy. But her Jolly Balls take a close second. She loves them so much she knows each…
Teaching an Automatic Leave it Behavior: Training Games
Alight, so now we get to play some games! Yay! Fun times! These games are all about helping your dog embrace leave it as a way of life. And without further ado, here we go. Game 1: Classic Leave It…
Teaching an Automatic Leave It Behavior: Management
I’ll let you in on a little secret, I don’t care about obedience. I don’t care if your dog can sit, or lie down or stay or come when called. Actually if you come see me for a behavior concern…
Defining Automatic Leave It Behavior
In every group class series I taught, we worked on some form of a leave it behavior. From puppy class to advanced, I tried to instill in clients the value of teaching a solid automatic leave it behavior. Which in…
Lap Dogs & The Eternal Optimist
Like many dogs, my dogs are not big fans of being picked up or being hugged, but they both do enjoy being lap dogs. And getting the associated massage and petting. Zora and my husband have a nightly ritual when…
Novice Versatility
This past weekend we went to the Addicted to Agility’s NADAC trial and we completed our Novice Versatility title with our Novice Tunnelers run! I’m so proud of my little Zora baby dog. We had some really nice parts of…
Mostly Wordless Wednesday
A Spaniel-y Kind of Day
I love spaniels. Most spaniels. I have to admit, not a big fan of American Cocker Spaniels overall, but I generally like most English Cockers. And English Springers. And Welsh. And of course the Fields.(1) They are just so soft. …
But it's Thursday.
It’s Thursday. We go for a walk on Thursdays. Sorry guys. Not today. But it’s Thursday. We go for a walk on Thursdays. Not today guys. We have a herding lesson instead. But Thursday. It’s Thursday. Do you not understand…
Startle Response
I have a really low startle threshold. Just ask my husband. He thinks it is mind boggling ridiculous how I scream when the dreaded, anticipated thing finally occurs in a movie or TV program. He says, “How did you not…