I’ve often heard that dogs need jobs. A bored dog is a destructive dog. A tired dog is a well-behaved dog. Full disclosure: Leo and Mia live lives of leisure. I’ve tried finding a career path for Leo. We’ve done Rally-O, nose work, jogging. We have agility equipment in the backyard. Leo will do theContinue reading “J is for Job”
Author Archives: Kari Neumeyer
I is for Isis, the most beautiful name
Every year that I do the A to Z Challenge, I will be for Isis. My beautiful doggie, Isis, was named for the Egyptian goddess and protector of health, marriage, and wisdom. Whenever you hear about the other ISIS, think about how many women and girls (and dogs and cats and ferrets) are named Isis in theContinue reading “I is for Isis, the most beautiful name”
H is for Harness
Harness your dog’s energy and she’ll walk nicely beside you. Leo wears a green front-clasp harness designed to improve the walking skills of pullers, even though he’s always walked pretty well on leash. I’ve read that these harnesses are tools to be used until the dog learns how to walk properly, and then you’re supposed toContinue reading “H is for Harness”
G is for Good Job
Have you seen Whiplash? Remember what J.K. Simmons’ character says about the phrase “Good Job”? I’ll let J.K. tell you, using some colorful adult language, so I can stick with my goal of using all positive language. I rather enjoyed Whiplash and this scene sums up its theme. Maybe that is how a great artist becomesContinue reading “G is for Good Job”
F is for Found!
Last weekend we took the dogs to Rob’s parents’ for a hot tub. (We were going to hot tub; the dogs were going to hang out on the deck.) After parking the car, I opened the back door and unhooked Mia from her tether, letting her hop out of the car off-leash. I actually said,Continue reading “F is for Found!”
E is for Every Day
Today’s post is doing double duty as part of the A to Z Challenge and the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop. E is for Every Day, which is how often we work with Leo on his leash reactivity. It’s quite easy, actually. We just take him for a walk. Even with the best of intentions,Continue reading “E is for Every Day”
D is for Dedication
Dedication is putting your camera on a tripod in front of fields of tulips, setting the timer to take 10 photos after 10 seconds, then running through the mud with two large dogs to pose. Do this 10 times or so, and you might end up with one photo where both dogs are looking atContinue reading “D is for Dedication”
C is for Cheesy!
As regular readers know, my leash-reactive German shepherd Leo has made great progress lately as a result of what I call the Cheesy Technique. Based on the CARE for Reactive Dogs program, I’m creating a positive association with the things he enjoys barking at. When he sees those things, I give him a special treat heContinue reading “C is for Cheesy!”
B is for Baseball Caps
Baseball caps? What does that have to do with positive training — or dogs, for that matter? Baseball caps are great accessories between hair washes. They also keep the sun out of my eyes and add an extra layer of SPF protection. Even more useful in the Pacific Northwest, they keep the rain out ofContinue reading “B is for Baseball Caps”
A is for Accentuate the Positive
Welcome to the 2015 Blogging A to Z Challenge. My theme this year is All-Positive, which means I will be discussing only positive methods of working with my dogs. I believe very strongly that rewarding dogs (or anyone) for the things they do right leads to a reciprocally respectful relationship. As an added linguistic challenge,Continue reading “A is for Accentuate the Positive”
Kari Neumeyer 