Dogs are my Zen The other day I filled out some paperwork for massage therapy. It asked me what I do to relax, and I should have written Walk my dogs. Walking shelter dogs has the same effect (although I’d prefer that Mia and Leo believe they’re the only dogs with this effect on me).Continue reading “Z is for Zen”
Category Archives: doggies
Y is for Yes!
Pictures of Isis that make me want to shout, “Yes!” Isis did all these tricks because she wanted to, though I’m sure our affirmations reinforced her habits. “Yes!” is a marker word of choice that can be used in place of a clicker. At first, I was skeptical about clicker training. Who wants to hold somethingContinue reading “Y is for Yes!”
X is for Xerxes
Since my Isis post has me on one kind of watchlist, an alternate X is Xenu, to get me on another. Both make great dog names, right? While I had Isis’s name in mind before we met her, Rob and I spent more than a week deliberating on what to call Leo. Since Isis is an EgyptianContinue reading “X is for Xerxes”
W is for Window Film
This one’s for the mailman. While we appreciate Leo’s gifts as a guard dog, sometimes the view outside the front windows is overstimulating. I considered his window reactivity a minor concern, but delivery men might tell you a different story. Blinds obscure the view from the outside, but clever dogs are able to peek between,Continue reading “W is for Window Film”
V is for Victory
I have proof that counter-conditioning reactive dogs to scary things works. On a recent walk around Rob’s parents’ neighborhood after dark, we saw some kids run out of a house. I thought they were going to get in a car, but they just stood there in the street. I worried they might hop on skateboardsContinue reading “V is for Victory”
U is for Understood
The best part of publishing Isis’s story, Bark and Lunge, has been getting feedback from other dog owners who relate to our experience. Some fellow dog-bloggers have been very kind to review the book on their sites, and I’ve excerpted their reviews on my Media page. Last week, I commented on this great post byContinue reading “U is for Understood”
T is for Treats
As you’ve read, string cheese is the high-value training treat of choice around here, used to help Leo overcome his fear of bicycles and other fast-moving objects. With a reward-based counter-conditioning program, you’re supposed to use a treat that is special to that training, and it’s supposed to be extremely high value. At first, IContinue reading “T is for Treats”
S is for Selfies with my Sidekicks
Sometimes I look at these guys and wonder, How did I wind up with two huge dogs?? Powered by Linky Tools Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
R is for Reward-Based
My relationship with my dogs is based on what’s often called “positive reinforcement.” This is a form of operant conditioning with the goal of increasing the likelihood a behavior will be repeated by reinforcing it with a positive stimulus. Dog gets cookie when he sits on cue –> Dog likely to sit again when heContinue reading “R is for Reward-Based”
Q is for Quagmire
While many associate “quagmire” with Vietnam, I write of a literal quagmire: an area of soft, wet ground; soft miry land that yields under the foot. Continuing Saturday’s discussion of the Good, the Best, and the Other dog parks in our town… One of the features Leo enjoys most at the Other Dog Park isContinue reading “Q is for Quagmire”
Kari Neumeyer 