4 pm: Well, the plan was to do some research on muzzle punches (and pokes, and jabs), tooth clacking and air snaps, and then write another post about them . . . but then, the sun came out after days and days of cold, windy rain. Right now it's gorgeous and breezy and 4 o'clock and if I don't go out now and work sheep and walk the dogs it'll be dark before I know it. I just can't stop myself, it'll be cold and dark most of the day soon enough. 4:50 pm: I just got back from outside, Will and I had a ball. My ewe flock was a riot to work; one of them was on a tear (Truffles). For reasons unknown to me, she ran around bashing into other ewes as if out of a National Geographic Special on fighting mountain goats in rutting season. That sent the entire flock tearing around the pasture like deer, Read More
Love, Guilt & Putting Dogs Down
With apologies for the change in topics, I just have to respond to a comment on my last post, and to the hundreds of comments I've heard over the last 20 + years, about the guilt associated with putting a dog down. It is always wrenching, heart-breaking to euthanize a beloved dog, but taking a dog's life away for a behavioral problem can be especially hard. I can't take away the pain, no matter what the reason for the death, but here are a few things that I have found that have helped me and some of my clients. First, for anyone who has had to euthanize a dog, I hope it helps to know that devoted owners are often wracked with guilt, no matter why the dog died. For example, I euthanized Cool Hand Luke after a long battle with kidney failure. By the time he died (he was close to death Read More
Willie Searches For and Rescues His Toy!
As many of you know, Will has a bad shoulder and he can't play fetch or flying disc without problems. If I just work him on sheep and take him on long walks we can keep it under control, but the "short stopping" associated with fetching aggravates whatever is wrong with his shoulder. (I haven't discounted surgery completely, but we are still in the 'gather information' mode.) That means that most of his exercise is working sheep, which works great when I'm home and feel like scrambling up the hill. But when I'm gone? You can't just have anyone go work your dog on sheep, that would be a disaster, so it is important to find ways to keep Willie exercised when I travel. Here are 2 videos of the game I've talked about in earlier posts. It's really not that new, just another version of the Read More
The Wolf in the Parlor
True confession: I haven't finished the book The Wolf in the Parlor. I might not, at least not in the near future. Here's why: As I said in my last post, the author's thesis is that "people and dogs, around 12,000 years ago, linked their evolutionary paths together and evolved socially and physically to take on supportive roles. He argues, according to the reviews, that humans lost some of our brain power because dogs took over those functions, and dogs lost some of theirs because we became their protectors and nurturers." It seems downright churlish of me to stop reading before I read for myself the full extent of his argument, but what I've read in the first 60 pages has put me off a bit. I mentioned earlier that the thesis itself sounded a bit simplistic, but I love speculation and Read More
Toy Story II
I've loved reading your comments about favorite dog toys. You all inspired me to take a photo of Willie and his current favorites. . . From Left to Right, back row, the toys are: Brain Twister (long, green thing, Canine Genius), Chewber (red disc), Invincible Rings (blue & black rings, JW Pet), Skinneez Stuffingless Dog Toy (long, grey thing draped onto orange) and Plush Leo with Stuffies (big, round, orange hollow globe, by Canine Genius. The three toys in the front are Planet Dog's Orbee Ball, Planet Dog's Strawberry and the eternally essential Large size Kong. Please keep telling us about your favorite toys and we'll try to get them on the website. (And our dogs will be so grateful!) Here's what happened when I said "Take it!" to Willie: Right now there is no question that Read More
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