Home. Ummmm, feels so good. Even though the trip was wonderful in so many ways, it is SO good to be home. As I wrote earlier, I greatly enjoyed presenting a seminar in Sweden---the people were so kind and interesting, and our vacation in the fjord country of Norway was heavenly. (see the photos attached). And yet... Dorothy was right. There's no place like home.I wonder how many dog lovers are as ambivalent as I. I love to travel. I love seeing new places, eating new food, learning about new cultures, eating new food, seeing the world from new perspectives, eating new food. Did I mention eating new food? (If you go to southern Sweden, you really, really want to try Äggakaka. It's an eggy, creamy, quichey, omelettey thing, covered with Ligonberry sauce. Yummy)And yet, as much as I Read More
Sweden and Norway
I'm sitting in the lobby of the old Fredheim Hotel in Flam, Norway. It's at the base of an endless fjord on the west coast of Norway. Gorgeous. I'm here because last weekend I presented a two day seminar in Tomalilla, Sweden (toe-ma-lee-lah... it's really lovely to say!), hosted by Natasja and Daniel Atterbom. (eeeps, I may have spelled their name wrong. apologies if so.) Natasja and her friend Malvini could not have been more gracious hosts, and the people who attended were an absolute delight. It was truly a joy to speak there, and to meet so many people in Sweden who love their dogs so much. I've learned Sweden is much like the states, in that "getting dominance" over your dog is still terribly popular. But the people who attended the seminar were knowledgeable and delightful. I Read More
COMPUTERS ARE NOT DOGS
Monday, 5:16 pm. Well, I had planned to write something wise and witty about dogs, people and play. I was inspired by the closing ceremonies of the Olympics (finally I can get some sleep, but I'm going to miss them, darn!), and found myself thinking more about how important play is between people and dogs.But that was then (this morning) and this is now (this evening). I've spent most of the day on machines and technology... dealing with issues related to the new website, creating an ad for the new play booklet to send out electronically, learning new software, etc. etc. I've been riding this computer almost all day, and am ready to rip every hair out of my head. Why, oh why, can't we use operant and classical conditioning on machines? If only I could click and treat when the new Read More
Visual Signals before Acoustic?
"Puppy nerd" asked a great question in his or her comment: Given how visual dogs are, should one start an exercise with visual signals to help the dog get it right, and then switch to acoustic ones, or avoid visual signals altogether if you want your dog to pay attention to your voice? Well, this could keep us all busy for the next few months. I know this is a loaded issue, with people strongly advocating one or the other (mostly the latter in my experience.)There's no 'right' answer, at least not in my opinion. But then, I'm not a big advocate for there being one way to train. There are many roads, as they say, to the top of the mountain. I think what's most important is to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of starting with visual signals. The first obvious advantage is Read More
Us, Our Dogs and Sound Pollution
Well, no more storms, thank heavens, but I did read more of Through a Dog's Ear. In it the authors talk about the effects of sound on the health of humans, as well as that of dogs. I'm as sound sensitive as a stereotypical sheltie, so I pricked up my metaphorical ears. Here I am, some one who can't stand noisy restaurants (take me to a noisy one and watch me start to tongue flick), is exhausted at loud parties and craves a quiet country morning with nothing but bird song in the air. (Excuse the digression, but I am reminded of a dear city friend, who was visiting me and friends at our places in the country years ago. We all sat on a hill, overlooking a tangerine sky at sunset when somene commented how peaceful it was. Royce, as urban as they come, said "Peaceful? It's a racket out here. Read More