I often get asked if it is “okay” to sleep with a dog in bed. This is one of the issues that is actually quite personal. Some people – I would say most people, love sleeping with their dogs but other folks would rather not. And sometimes the “rather nots” do not know how to…
This post is the second installment on the work I have been doing with Katie. Katie is an under-socialized and very fearful Chihuahua. She especially fears meeting people at her home. As I mentioned on the previous post, the ultimate goal is for Katie to be so comfortable with my presence first, followed by being…
Katie was adopted as a puppy by one of my clients. When I met her, she was already a fearful dog. She did not like to be held by anyone other than her “mom” and struggled to be in attendance in one of my small classes. Fast forward to today, even though she has accepted…
It is the rainy season here in New Mexico (yes, we do get rain in the high desert) and with rain often comes thunder. Deuce has always been afraid of noises such as thunder, gun shots, fireworks and the like. This is actually very typical especially for working breeds. The reason is frankly not really…
It is very wind outside, and there is dust everywhere. I decide to pass on kicking the ball for the dogs outside and instead we play one of our favorite indoor games come dinnertime. The dogs and I love this game. It is fun, quick and it sure beats eating out of a food bowl…
As I am writing this I am sitting next to my two dogs. They are both lying down, but Rio unfortunately is wearing one of those very cumbersome Elizabethan collars. She just underwent surgery a week ago and we are looking at to 8 -10 weeks of lying low with little in the form of…
We are taking a nice and leisurely hike. Deuce and Rio had made a new friend. Suddenly I see both my dogs clearly taking a scent and off goes Deuce. Poof! Gone. Out of sight. I have boasted confidently in getting Deuce back from pretty much any distraction and this – whatever they scented was…
Living with a Border collie is frankly a lot of fun! There is so much about the breed that I enjoy. I personally love dogs that are intense in focus and great team players. Of course, like any breed, they also come with their challenges such as their possibly obsessive disposition for toys & balls…
People choose to put their dogs in crates for a myriad of reasons. First there is the thinking that dogs “like dens” and as such they must like crates. Second, people crate their dogs as a lifestyle instead of managing their dog and teaching the dog how to “behave” in their home. Others have chosen…
We are on our regular walk with the dogs. One of the things that we do while hiking with them is practicing coming when called. If we want reliability, we must practice. If we want reliability, we must also pay the dog. Deuce is really, really reliable at recall, and that makes me smile with…