There's a new book out for children that is designed to help them cope with the death of their dog. It's titled "Give a Dog your Heart" and is written by Aubrey Fine, Ed.D., a child psychologist who has been using dogs in AAT as long as anyone. I'm not completely objective, Aubrey and I co-authored a chapter in his new Handbook of Animal Assisted Therapy, and I found him to be kind, compassionate and a joy to work with. Still, if I didn't like the book I wouldn't post a note about it. The book is beautifully written and designed, has break your heart photos of a black lab, and a wonderful section at the back for children to use as an album and a journal. Hard as it is, pets are such a good opportunity to help children learn about how to wend your way through the woods when you are Read More
A Gift of a Book
Gail Caldwell's new book, Let's Take the Long Way Home, is nothing short of exquisite. It is a book for anyone who has had and lost a soul mate best friend, for anyone bonded to another by their love of dogs, or their need for another who understands them without explanation. It is a love story in a way, a memorial to Gail's friendship with a brilliant writer named Caroline Knapp, who most of the world knows through her book Drinking: A Love Story, and dog lovers like us know from her last book, Pack of Two. Gail's writing is so spare and honest and pure that I read the book non-stop, bleary-eyed at 3 in the morning, tears streaming because after Gail and Caroline find each other -- two single women writers who shared living alone, having similar boyfriends (the same one sequentially at Read More
Final Exams — Puppy Style
My UW students just took their last exam, and along with grading all 150 of them, I'm off with Jim to pick up the pup tomorrow. He'll be nine weeks, a male Border collie of excellent herding lines who are also carefully bred for health and temperament. I've known his dad for years, always considered him a "bomb proof" dog--so much so that he was the first dog that Will was allowed to be in physical contact with after a year of classical and operant conditioning to turn his dog-dog aggression around.) Some background: Two days after Lassie died I was online looking at rescue sites and shelters. I've never done that before, always needing a long time to let the other dog go. I'm not sure why I did it after Lassie died. Her death was profoundly difficult for me; the loss of her was hard Read More
“Ready?” Using meta-communication to help your dog
A short post today, but I hope a helpful one. It's inspired by the "mud luscious and puddle wonderful" nature of spring, and the need to wipe off Will's paws as we enter the house when it's wet outside. As I was drying Willie's paws a few days ago, I thought about how much easier it is now that I say "Ready?" right before I pick up each leg. Since I started communicating my intention ("now I am going to pick up this paw"), he is beginning, on occasion, to pick up a paw himself, but more often he will shift his weight so that it is less awkward for him. (Yep, I could train him to pick up each paw on cue... also a potential solution, but keep reading for some potential benefits of a more generalized cue.) Keep in mind that this is the dog who, as an adolescent, growled at me when I picked Read More
Hugging
There's been a lot of hugging lately, from dear friends expressing love and sympathy after Lassie's death. And oh, a good hug feels so good, doesn't it? Thinking of it reminds me of how very differently dogs and people express affection and care, and how hugging is so hard-wired in humans, but not natural to dogs. This photo, that I can't attribute to any source but has been all over the internet, is a perfect example of the primate propensity to hug (and a dog's typical reaction). I must have 50 images of people hugging dogs in which the person is beaming with happiness and the dog is looking uncomfortable. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions, but they are more rare than I suspect most people realize. (After all, we can't see a dog's face when we hug him, now can we?) I Read More