The Smart Dog U Blog

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

When I found out Talos would be coming to stay with us for a week or so, I was elated. 

A WHOLE week!

I was as giddy as a schoolgirl the day Talos arrived. He fell back into the normal routine here as if he'd never left. 

He slept with us, pushed Puppy out of bed every night, romped with the dogs, snored, slobbered -- all the things that make Talos who he is. 

A whole week! We had him nine days to be exact. And wow, did those nine days fly by. I swear, it feels like he just got here. 

But who am I kidding? I could have had him for nine years and still felt like it wasn't enough time to soak in all the Talos-ness. 

I skipped going to the gym while he was here -- who needs ripped abs when there's a Great Dane at the house?

We took lots of pictures, reveled in all that is Talos, and dutifully gave him back to Kathy when she was well enough to leave the hospital. 

My bed will feel awfully empty tonight. But Kathy's will be nicely occupied with her big lug, and that makes me smile. 

Talos Reunites with Dana (Video)

It's been eight months to the day since Dana came with me to turn Talos back over to Service Dogs of Virginia. I've jumped at every chance to see Talos. But Dana hadn't seen Big T in eight months. I captured their reunion on video. 

(Ignore the conversation I'm having --on the phone-- with my mother...)

 

A Familiar (and Welcome!) Visitor

Look who's back! Big Talos! He's here for about a week while his person spends a little time away. We're pleased as punch to have the big guy back and honored that his new family thinks enough of us to let us keep him for them. 

There will be lots of T updates while he's here, along with some video and pictures galore. 

We've got to make the most of the next week or so! 

When he first arrived, he gave the entire house a once-over, hopped up on the bed, and immediately ousted Puppy! Old habits die hard! This is what it looked like when he last kicked Puppy out of bed...

Away From Home

Travel is part of my job. Attending educational conferences, delivering workshops, giving talks at events...I travel a lot!

My favorite trips are the ones where the dogs can come with me. They can't all come all the time, of course, but even traveling with just one dog makes the trip more enjoyable. I don't fly my dogs - I don't think they'd enjoy any flight where they were in cargo. And I'd worry about them 'til we were reunited. Nah, that's no fun for me or the dog, thanks.

We plan a vacation every year especially so the dogs can join us. It's just not a vacation without the dogs!

When I must travel for business and can't take a dog with me, the best part of the trip is coming home. Jostling for position to see who's going to get petted first (they all get petted first), seeing those wagging tails and smiling eyes -- now that makes me happy.

And I always bring a new toy and some treats home for the expectant crew, which makes unpacking my suitcase fun, too, as they sniff through each item as I unpack it.

I'm typing this from the plane on my way from Clicker Expo in Chicago. Thank goodness it's a short flight, I can't wait to see the dogs!

Clicker Expo: What's A Dog Conference Like?

So what do 400+ dog trainers DO for three days in Chicago? Here at Clicker Expo in Chicago, those of us who didn't bring our dogs are glomming onto those 150 trainers who did bring dogs - we need our "doggie fix," after all.

We go to educational sessions on such topics as "Aggression Treatment and Context," "Microshaping," "What a Cue Can Do," and many more.

The topics are fascinating: how to prevent (imagine that!) a dog from becoming a reactive dog, how to build your dog's confidence, how to use games to teach your dog, how to improve your observation skills (so you can be a better teacher for your dog).

In addition to the education (which is tops!), we're also having fun getting reacquainted with one another, making new friends, and socializing.

As you might expect, when drifting through the crowd, the conversations revolve around dogs. And business. And occasionally some current events happening in the world - especially if dogs are involved, like the natural disasters in Japan.

It's a great escape from the real world for a few days, a chance to immerse myself into the science of dog training and behavior, and meet new friends!

Too Short A Life

Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really. ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull 

Agnes and I are on the same page. That handsome fellow left us yesterday. His name is Little Rock. Rocky for short. Roo for shorter. 

My husband and I picked up Rocky, our first service dog in-training, on our honeymoon. What a terrific way to start a marriage. 

Rocky was a wheelchair assistance dog for a man who was injured in a drunk-driving accident. Rocky helped him in so many ways, but he really shined as social coordinator and official greeter. 

As I struggled to write a fitting tribute to a fine dog, I settled on few words or phrases:

The best "first:" Rocky was the first service dog we'd raised. He was the first dog I'd raised from a pup. He was the first dog my husband ever lived with. He was the first service dog granted access to my then-workplace, National Institute of Standards and Technology. The first Labrador I'd taken a shine to. And now, sadly, also the first tribute to a service dog... Rocky didn't know it, but he carried a heavy burden. If he'd not been the perfect dog, a lot of "firsts" could have, would have, been "lasts," too. 

Mr. Sunshine:  There wasn't a happier dog. He wasn't annoying with his happiness, like some dogs can be, just happy to wake up every morning, happy for everyone who glanced his way, or gave him a pat on his gigantic head. He thumped his tail long as soon as you thought about petting him, I'm not sure how he could read minds like that. 

 

Young at heart: He was just a week shy of his tenth birthday - too young to die. He'd been getting grayer over the years. He started to slow. A little. But every time he'd come to stay with us while his family traveled, he became puppy-like again. He'd romp and run with Lily, his very best dog-friend in the world. We were afraid, actually, that he'd hurt himself while romping with our dogs, not being used to so much activity.

 

I don't posess the flair for words that Rocky deserves. It's very tough losing a dog of such high caliber, a dog who brought so much good to so many people. We feel exceptionally fortunate that Rocky's family let Rocky stay in our lives. We are grateful to have been his second family and been able to keep him while they traveled, that they let Rocky "vacation" at our house. Run free, Roo, run free. We'll meet again...