I’ve written before about the two dog parks in town, but due to my self-inflicted rules for this All-Positive A to Z Challenge, I can repeat the name of only one of them: The Good Dog Park. (You can probably guess the name of the other.) Now there’s a third, henceforth to be called TheContinue reading “P is for Park”
Category Archives: doggies
O is for Old
I confess that when I first saw Mia’s gray face, I thought, “Oh, she’s too old.” (Who knows what I thought she was too old for.) I’ll also admit to asking other dog owners how old their dogs are, because I want to know how long I can expect to have these guys around. SoContinue reading “O is for Old”
N is for Normal
“I just wish I had a normal dog!” I’m told that dog trainers hear that a lot when they take on new clients. Funny thing – people’s complaints, which also wind up being the reasons they give when surrendering dogs to a shelter, are examples of dogs behaving normally: Digging Chewing Barking Marking Nipping JumpingContinue reading “N is for Normal”
M is for My Favorite Miser
Leo always wants to bury his bone in the backyard. It cracks me up every time. Such a cliché. He’s smarter than he looks, this one. Powered by Linky Tools Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
L is for Lucky
Do you hear me, I’m talking to you Across the water across the deep blue ocean Under the open sky, oh my, baby I’m trying Boy, I hear you in my dreams I feel your whisper across the sea I keep you with me in my heart You make it easier when life gets hardContinue reading “L is for Lucky”
K is for Knock! Knock!
Who’s there? (The K is silent.) One of my favorite successes in treating Isis’s reactivity was getting her to lie on a mat when someone came to the door. Before I implemented the following reward-based training technique, a knock at the door was greeted with an intimidating German shepherd bark that made me want toContinue reading “K is for Knock! Knock!”
J is for Job
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”
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. https://youtu.be/iF3A1cmcPDM I rather enjoyed Whiplash and this scene sums up its theme. Maybe that is how a great artistContinue 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!”
Kari Neumeyer 