I spent last week on vacation, and so am reprinting an article I posted in April 13, 2012. It's as relevant now as it was then, and I hope you enjoy it if you haven't seen it. Here it is:Last  Saturday my teenage ewe, Butterfinger, had her first lamb. I found her in the barn pen, licking off a slippery package of skin-covered bones covered with tiny whorls of wool and placental slime. Even though she was a first-time mom, she was a good one. She attended to her lamb just as she should, licking off the sack and clearing her head and nose first, nickering to her repeatedly, and standing patiently during the lamb’s first wobbly attempts to find the faucet. After I had seen that things were going well and the lamb looked hardy and healthy, I dipped the umbilical cord in iodine, and Read More

I'm officially on vacation as of today, Monday August 5th.In lieu of a real post, I'm sending flowers. I am lost in the lilies.Not to mention this ridiculously as-big-as-your-head hibiscus.Maggie and I are working hard getting ready for the Midwest Championship Sheepdog Competition. Here's a lovely view I enjoy while driving back from practicing on a friend's huge field. (Thank you JH!)Maggie needs to be comfortable running out over 350-400 yards to find the sheep (and I need to be comfortable sending her that far). I don't have a field even close to that big, so we work on other things at home. Here we are coming back from a session on the farm on a hot day. I'm on "George," our ATV that has saved me trudging up the long, steep hill several times a day. Read More

I miss Willie. Last week I sat by his grave and cried so hard I couldn't breathe. There are a lot of reasons that I miss him, but the biggest one is that he was one of the happiest dogs I've ever known. Here's what I wrote about dogs and happiness in For the Love of a Dog, Chapter 7, page 217:It’d been a hard day. Too many difficult cases with heart-broken owners and dangerous dogs. Too many computer glitches and pens that ran out of ink. We all have our own versions of it, but everyone knows what it feels like to have a tough day. I remember walking into the farmhouse exhausted and depressed, burdened by the day behind me, tired from thinking about the chores that lay ahead. There were dogs to feed and walk, sheep to grain and water, baby lambs who needed bottle feeding and a fence Read More

Remember the song Chain of Fools? If you're too young, here's a link to Aretha Franklin singing it. (Spoiler Alert #1: Best song ever. Spoiler Alert #2: Ear worm danger.)The word "chain" and "fool" can be linked in another way, in this case, when you're training your dog. I'm of course, talking about "behavior chains" in which your dog learns pretty much the opposite of what you wanted. The examples are endless; here's one: Your dog begins barking at something out the window, you call him to come to you, and reinforce him for coming (and thus not barking). He goes back to the window and continues barking, so you call him back to you, and reinforce him stopping barking and coming to you. All good right? You stopped your dog from barking, and reinforced the behavior. Except pretty soon Read More

Get out your calendars! There are three special dates I want to highlight today, including one coming right up that is free, fun and educational. The Modern Dog: In & Out of the Shelter will be presented on Saturday, July 27th, at the University of Illinois Chicago. It's the very special "Public Day" of the Animal Behavior Society's 2019 conference, which is free and open to everyone. No onerous conference fees. No registration necessary. It is from 9 to 1, and offers CEUs for CPDT, IAABC & KPA.The program looks chock full of talks that would interest any dog lover. I can't be there, but I was there last year and it was awesome. It's only 9 to 1, it's free and it'll be amazing. No need to register either, just show up and soak up some knowledge and inspiration. (Apologies Read More