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Our annual Christmas tradition includes cutting our Christmas tree. We always take some dogs with us, of course. It's just not Christmas if the dogs aren't included!
We found one of Talos' relatives when we were at the Christmas tree farm! A cow!
It was a cold and windy day, threatening rain, but we all had a fine time.
Christmases spent with dogs are my favorite memories.
'Tis the season to be thankful. Tomorrow's the last day before all the insanity begins: the shopping, the wrapping, the parties, the travel, the stress.
So in the lull of Thanksgiving eve, I wanted to pause and remember all the good stuff, the things I sometimes call simple pleasures:
* The warmth and tickles from a dog sniffing my ear
* Waking up to a dog's head on my chest
* Wagging butts that greet me every time I come home - whether I've been gone all weekend or just went to the mailbox
* Old friends (Rocky, the 1st service dog we raised is here for a visit!)
* A husband who not only tolerates, but enjoys the dogs as much as I do
* The special communication the dogs and I have developed - we grunt, we sigh, we whine. And each of us knows what the other means.
* The unbridled look of joy when they're playing
* Doggie dreams - they run, they bark, they howl!
* The teamwork and cooperation I've developed with my dogs - we have FUN together!
* Friendship - there's no better friend than a dog.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and everydog. Woofs to you all.
Have you ever tried to learn from someone who was angry?
It's not much fun. My dogs will confirm.
I was working with my dogs today, training some new behaviors, when I found myself getting frusrated, impatient, and (dare I say it...), angry.
I immediately put the clicker and the food down, released the dog, and went into a different room to take a break.
The dogs all followed me for which I was grateful. It meant they didn't take my frustration personally. I don't know why I was frustrated, perhaps it's this silly sinus infection I'm dealing with. Or the meds that I'm on to fight it. Or this dratted grey, cold, and rainy weather. Or that I have 101 things to get done.
Whatever the reason, I stopped training. It's not productive, it's not fun, it's not efficient to train when you're angry.
I wasn't mad at the dog, I was simply frustrated. But the poor dog doesn't know that my actions aren't directed toward him any more than the cashier can't know that you were short with her because you just had a run-in with a co-worker.
So make sure training is always fun. For everyone: you and the dog. If either of you is getting frustrated, it's so easy to step away. Simply put the clicker down and go do something else. It works wonders for the training, for you, for the dog, for your relationship.
There isn't any magic bullet to cure an aggressive dog. No secret elixir will transform a scaredy dog into a confident one. There isn't a pill you can give your dog to magically erase his fear.
However, recent advances in the study of canine biochemistry, medicine, and pharmacology has made it a whole lot easier for your aggressive, scared, or anxious dog to learn new habits.
Behavior modification along with medication can change a dog's life. Last weekend, I attended a fascinating lecture by Dr. Karen Overall, a veterinary behaviorist from the University of Pennsylvania.
Both veterinarians and trainers attended the lecture. It was especially gratifying to see so many veterinarians in the crowd. Many veterinarians don't know about the ways that drugs can help improve the quality of life of affected dogs because the subject of behavior is an elective at most veterinary schools.
The most effective way to modify the behavior of dogs with serious behavior problems can often be by combining drug therapy with behavior modification. An effective veterinarian-dog trainer team can make a significant difference in the prognosis of your dog.
If your dog is anxious, fearful, or aggressive, talk with your veterinarian or your trainer about teaming up to create a combined medical and training plan to help your dog live a fuller, more enjoyable life.
I'm leaving behind my dogs and my husband in a few hours to travel to Dallas, TX for the weekend. I'm part of the faculty at Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior (KPA) and I'm delivering Workshop 3 this weekend.
From the Academy's website:
We teach our students to be skilled trainers and effective teachers using force-free methods. This is not just because we're nice (though we are), but because we understand the history and use of punishment in training, and we believe that Karen Pryor Academy's approach is more powerful in every meaningful dimension.
We believe that great teachers possess both a solid knowledge of the science that governs learning, and honed practical abilities in both training animals and teaching other people to train animals. We also believe in giving our graduates the skills to succeed in their profession. Our curriculum weaves best business practices together with best training practices, and we have innovative post-graduate programs that give our alumni continuing support for financial success.
Each Dog Trainer Academy consists of on-line learning as well as in-person, weekend-long workshops. Students bring their own dogs with them to the workshop to show off what they've learned. This weekend is an especially fun workshop: the students will be working with untrained dogs and their people, teaching basic good manners. It's fun for the dogs, the owners, the students, and for me - it's a really fun weekend.
It's not enough to know about dogs, to know about behavior. To be an effective trainer, you've got to be able to teach people. Too many trainers are in this profession because they love dogs. It's not enough to just love dogs. You must enjoy the people who are at the other end of the leash as well! And effectively communicate and teach the person. Without the person, we have no chance of helping the dog.
It's a fantastic - but exhausting - experience. I can't wait to catch my flight today and arrive in Dallas this evening. But, know too, how happy I'll be to get back here early Monday morning so I can see my own dogs and my husband!
Tango and I had so much fun at the Beginner Gun Dog workshop in Virginia over the weekend. It's always fun to spend time with your dog outdoors, and this weekend was no different. The weather was spectacular! And the subject matter and the skills we learned about were so new to us.
I learned a lot at this workshop. First, even though Tango is a natural retriever and loves the water, it takes A LOT more than that to make a good gun dog! The dogs need to be focused on their handler, no matter the terrain (water, marsh, corn field, forest, etc.), or the distractions (horses, off-leash dogs, birds, wild animals, gunshots, wounded birds, etc.).
Just being outdoors was distracting for many of the dogs. Then when we moved into low cover, things got even more distracting for the dogs. So for the first hour or so, we worked with the dogs in the least distracting area - the gravel parking lot. But even that held fascinating scents. We upped the value of our reinforcers (I switched from dehydrated hot dogs to chicken), and also raised the rate of reinforcement (we clicked a lot more, often just because the dog looked in our direction instead of sniffing).
A good retriever will retrieve anything: car keys, a dead bird, your shoe, a wounded bird, the newspaper, or your slippers. He'll also wait for you to tell him when and where to retrieve the object. And he'll also go straight out, come straight back and deliver that object to your hand (not dropping it when he gets to you).
It's a lot of fine detail, believe me! There are also whistle cues instead of spoken cues when you're working with a gun dog. First of all, your dog may be far away from you so he can't see you or hear your voice. A whistle carries over a long distance. The cues we learned are: 1 whistle pip = sit; two pips = change direction; and three pips = come to me.
Tango has the 1 and 3 pips down just fine. We need to incorporate the 2 pips into his reperatoire. I also, of course, need to work on those new whistle cues in the field, in the woods, on the pavement. It's so much fun to work with your dog.
I love these new challenges, which ultimately lead to new accomplishments.
Ever wonder what a gastropexy incision looks like? Probably not, but here's a picture in case I've piqued your curiosity.
It was a much bigger incision than I expected. He had an additional surgical procedure for his neuter, but we'll spare you the picture of that incision. Besides, Talos is a modest pup, he'd probably be uncomfortable with my putting the picture of his, um, "equipment" (or lack thereof, now) on the Internet for the world to see.
