When I first started seeing clients, I felt a need to send them home with as much information as I possibly could. How could I deprive them of all the things that they could do to help their dogs? Because I knew that people only remember a relatively small percentage of what they hear in one appointment, I wrote a number of booklets over the years for them to take home and read. The Cautious Canine, Feisty Fido, and I'll Be Home Soon, for example, were all written as supplements to the information I covered in my early sessions with clients. But there was always so much more. Dogs who were reactive to other dogs on leash were confused by the owner's lack of consistent cues. Fearful dogs needed more than classical and operant conditioning when strangers arrived; they needed to live in a Read More
Archives for November 2016
Thankful (and Not Thankful), 2016
I often begin my day writing about what I am thankful for, but this time of year I like to put that gratitude out into the universe. However, this time I'm going to take a page from one of my favorite local columnists, John Roach, who writes for Madison Magazine. Recently he wrote about what he is NOT thankful for, and I laughed so hard reading it I was inspired to create a dog lover's version. WHAT I'M NOT THANKFUL FOR: I'm not thankful for the moment when I hear that distinctive gagging sound and look up to see my dog hunched up like a Halloween cat about to regurgitate last night's dinner onto the bedspread. I'm not thankful for the white hairs all over the black pants that I put on before going out to dinner which only need five seconds to gather dog hairs like a black hole Read More
Photo Shoot, Fall 2016
Best photographer ever, Nick Berard, came to the farm to take photos for the new memoir website (stay tuned, working on it) and our new, mobile-responsive website. (Yay!) Here are a few of my favorite photos, which you'll no doubt see in times to come on the website and in PR releases closer to when the memoir comes out. They are all on the farm, so, MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Thank heaven for dogs. May you and all who you love be well. Read More
Dogs, Dog Food and Dogma: A Review
Would keeping your dog thin decrease his or her chance of dying from cancer? The author of this book says yes, in a set of arguments that correlates obesity and risk of mortality in Dogs, Dog Food and Dogma. I'll summarize now by saying that the author Daniel Scholof is a good researcher and writer, and makes a compelling case for keeping our dogs thin. I'll also remind all of us not to oversimplify the connection between fat and cancer, and add some thoughtful comments from canine nutritionist, Linda Case. I should start by saying that something usually happens, and not in a good way, when I begin reading about canine nutrition. Once we start talking about kcals and the specific amount of protein/vitamins/minerals required in home diets, I want to write MEGO in the margin. (MEGO is Read More