Here in blogville, we can get a bit obsessive about our pups. What makes them happy? Are they frightened? How can we give them the best lives? Are they healthy? What if Dogs Talked About Us? I can hear snippets of conversation at the park now: “Y’know, she might make a good therapy person. I …
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If Jackie Chan Was a Pit Bull…
he’d be this dog: By the way. Does anyone know anything about this dog? I know his name is Tret and that he lives in the Ukraine. If anyone has a link to his back story, I’d love to read it. Now excuse me. But I have to go scale a building. What’s the …
Looking Back: 5 Reasons to Chart Your Dog Training Progress
I didn’t think I’d survive Honey’s puppyhood. It was like living with a fuzzy little land shark. Honey was sooooooo mouthy. She had to put those sharp little razor teeth on everything–my hair, my ears, my hands, my sweater, my bodacious tatas. I swear I spent the first two months of Honey’s life with us …
The Puppiness Project – Never Give Up
Gretchen Rubin wrote in The Happiness Project about the year she spent “test-driving the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific studies, and the lessons from popular culture about how to be happy.” The Puppiness Project is my attempt to learn the same from Honey, my Golden Retriever, and Chérie, our visiting Foster Pup. Clicker Training is Fun Honey …
On a Roller Coaster With the Dog: The Ups and Downs of Every Day Life
I have nothing witty or insightful to write. I’m just tired. Good Days and Bad Days Everyone who has ever worked with dogs will tell you progress isn’t linear. You have growth. You have setbacks. And yet every setback is a surprise. After several days of being less fearful on her walk, Chérie, our foster …
Shark Week The Way I’d Like To See It
Animal Planet is a big, fat tease. Whenever I go somewhere that has television, I look forward to catching It’s Me Or The Dog or Dogs 101. But do I ever see them? No! Because it’s always Shark Week. Or else they’re airing 20 Creepy Crawlies You Wouldn’t Invite To Dinner, over and over again. …
7 Books I Wish Dog Trainers Would Write
My bookshelves are filled with books by dog experts. I rely on them often. But here are the books I really wish they would write: •Drool School: Five Days To Getting More Water In The Dog And Less Water On The Floor •How Not To Interrupt Outdoor Training Sessions – A Manual For …
3 Ways I’d Really Change Dog Adoptions
After recovering from being burned in effigy by readers offended by my Modest Puposal (BTW, if you found my post offensive, don’t read the Jonathan Swift piece that inspired it), I’d like to respond to the passionate comments. First off, every comment was made by a fabulous person who really cares about dogs and wants their …
The Puppiness Project – It Doesn’t Matter How You Learn; Just Learn
Gretchen Rubin wrote in The Happiness Project about the year she spent “test-driving the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific studies, and the lessons from popular culture about how to be happy.” The Puppiness Project is my attempt to learn the same from Honey, my Golden Retriever, and Chérie, our visiting Foster Pup. A Tale of Two Doggies …
A Modest Puposal
A Modest Puposal for Preventing Ignorant Dog Owners From Being a Burden on Animal Shelters, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick (with apologies to Jonathan Swift) The Problem: Obnoxious Little Dogs You’ve seen them. The little dogs on long leashes who garotte your ankles. The fashion accessories who take a nip when you reach …