Ah, serendipity. Sometimes the stars align in such a way to get you thinking about something in a new light. The  aligning “stars” are my newly revised book, The Puppy Primer, and the CANIS conference coming up in just a few days. Updating the puppy training book was motivated in part because so much has…

What are we to call ourselves, those of us who love our dogs like family but respect their, well, dogness? Dog owners? Pet parents? Guardians? All of these titles have pro’s and cons. Are we dog owners? Well, yes, in that Skip and Maggie are MY dogs, and Ginger or Butch are yours. We take…

What helps an animal learn a new behavior fastest? Standard practice has assumed that learners need a large number of trials to learn a new behavior, and given the numbers of repetitions required, each reward, usually food, is small. In other words, lots of tiny treats one after the other, in order to get in…

I’m repeating a post from 2024, because I am 1) truly interested in whether things have improved, even a bit, related to the male/female ratio of dog trainers and dog training seminar in current times, and 2) I’m updating The Puppy Primer and spending pretty much all my waking hours on it. Just asked my…

Positive reinforcement seems so simple, doesn’t it? Your dog does something you want them to do, and you reinforce them. Except, it’s not so simple, and, because we are human, we fudge it up. Here’s an excerpt from The Puppy Primer, pg 25, which I will spend much of July updating. (A new updated version…

Can Dogs Have ADHD? Many years ago, when I was in my early years as an applied behaviorist, a dog came to me that I couldn’t quite figure out. It was an adolescent Old English sheepdog, let’s call him “Bear,” who was driving his humans crazy by biting on the leash and increasingly, their legs…

    I don’t know about you, but I seem to keep getting busier and busier, while time seems to be speeding up. If this also describes you, and you are feeling pressed for the time and energy to do things like read a book review, I’ll save you some trouble: Buy this book. Then…

It has been an intense and emotional week (more on the Ridglan beagles next time), and I need a breather. Here’s a break for our souls–some spring joy for us all to savor–and a reminder that we all must never lose sight of joy, even if it’s in a single flower petal. By the way,…

How does a dog heal if it was raised in an abusive situation? Can it ever become a “normal” dog? I’ve been asked this question often in the last week because of the release (sale, actually) of 1,500 beagles from Ridglan “Farms”, which has gotten national attention. Primarily a place that bred beagles for laboratory…

This is where I was last Saturday: Outside of Blue Mounds, WI, observing an attempted break-in and protest about the conditions of the beagles in a breeding and research facility, called Ridglan Farms. I choose not to break the law myself, but I am deeply disturbed about what’s going on inside the walls of place,…

It’s Women’s History Month, and I’ve been thinking about the women in science who have had a significant effect on our understanding of animal behavior, and how it might relate to canine behavior and training. Of course, my first thoughts are of the “Trimates,” referencing Jane Goodall (chimps), Dian Fossey (gorillas), and Biruté Galdikas (orangutans),…

After six years or so, it is hard to imagine that Away To Me is actually out in the world, and I’m out talking about it. The first talk was last week in Spring Green at the Gard Theater, sponsored by Arcadia Books. I was “in conversation” with Nickolas Butler, one of the country’s finest…

My copies of the novel arrived!!! Away To Me is a story of a woman who risks everything to save a dog. Really, that’s all you need to know. But I thought you might enjoy reading a few excerpts from the book, just to tickle your fancy. Here’s from Chapter One, page 3, when protagonist…

So. This is not the post I had intended. Apparently I am on the road to hell, the one “paved with good intentions.” In my body’s never-ending determination to make my life more F&^*&%^% difficult an adventure, I now have “de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.” It’s basically two pissed off tendons squeezed inside of a vice (the…

Maggie loves dog poop. Eating it, that is. She is an obsessive coprophagic, especially in winter, when any poop not found and picked up becomes a poopsickle. It’s considered a normal behavior in dogs, and a disgusting behavior to us primates, whose only use the feces of others to throw it when angry, or fertilize…

Ah, the best laid plans. I had plans for the info below AND more for today, but alas, life and limited energy levels and an important vet visit intruded on my best laid plans. By way of explanation, I spent time this morning recording a podcast for Research Bites, the too-cool for school podcast of…

Jim and I decided to spoil ourselves this winter for a number of reasons, and went to the world’s most perfect resort, Victoria House, on Ambergris Caye, Belize. And it truly is perfect, with stunning grounds and views, super comfy accommodations (we stayed in Casita #4), great food, and the kindest and friendliest staff I…

[We interrupt this program for a public service announcement: Amazing news about my forthcoming fiction novel! AWAY TO ME will be featured in a Goodreads giveaway from December 2nd thru December 16th! 75 lucky winners will receive Advanced Reader Copies. The book actually comes out Februrary 24, so you can be the first in line! (And, great Christmas present!) Here is…

Skip, Skipperdee, Skipperdeedodah, came to the farm in February of 2020. He’d never been in a house as far as I can tell, or perhaps, even a building. I had to put him in fancy pants because he saw no reason not to lift his leg in the house. He would stop instantly when I…

Some of you might have read my September 29th post about Maggie and her unfortunate adventure with a ZZ plant. To briefly recap: I brought a new plant home, called a ZZ plant, or Zamioculcas zamiifolia. While we were out, Maggie ate prodigious quantities of it, threw up mountains of vomit all over our just-professionally…

Well, yeah. The week got ahead of me, and boy is that an understatement. I’ve already done some work on a content rich topic that was going to be today’s blog. And then. Well, you know. But I do have some fantastic news: Maggie’s liver values are back to normal!! No more discussions about the…

  Do dogs “tell” jokes? I ask because a friend sent me a thought-provoking interview on Substack with NY dog trainer Jess Erace. In it, she argues that dogs can indeed tell and “get” jokes. Here’s one of her examples: “We were at her house for dinner and everybody was sitting at the table. Her…

IT’S ALL MEANWHILE, back on the farm this week. I’m working on a fun topic for next time that requires more research than I have energy for (see below). But hopefully fun at the farm (and beyond) will be enough to amuse you and distract you from, well, you know, stuff. Here are some shots…

A few years after winning the prestigious Allee Award for “Best Student Paper” at the 1988 Animal Behavior Society Annual Meeting, I was in a hallway chatting with friends at another ABS conference. The career path of past winners of the award came up, and someone, thank heavens I don’t remember who, said that winning…

≈ It’s happening. Really happening. Away to Me—my mystery novel about behaviorist Maddie McGown and the murder of one of her best friends—is launching February 24th, 2026, but is available to order now on Bookshop, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. I’ve read and loved novels all my life, and have read mysteries ever since I…