I had a hard time finishing this post about getting dogs to relax, because Mia kept whining and trying to climb onto my lap. Think she’s trying to tell me something? The idea of relaxing harder used to be kind of a theme in my life. I suffered from TMJ and headaches, and the medicalContinue reading “R is for Relax Harder”
Category Archives: doggies
Q is for Quitter
The day we brought Leo home, and his introduction to Isis went very, very badly, my first instinct was to take Leo back. Rob talked me out of it. In my memoir, I wrote: Here’s where Rob and I showed our true characters. I am a quitter at heart. Rob is not. The moment comes afterContinue reading “Q is for Quitter”
P is for Progress?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether you’re making progress or not. As I’ve explained in previous posts, I’ve been taking Leo to a parking lot to work on desensitizing him to bicycles. During the cold, dark months, I discovered that the adjacent residential neighborhood has many fewer bicycles and joggers than our own neighborhood, so that’sContinue reading “P is for Progress?”
Oh, my Outdoor Dog
The other day, I told you about Mysterious Mia, who likes to eat doors. Maybe the beeping of the security cameras makes her anxious. Maybe she has separation anxiety. Maybe she’s bored. Or … maybe she’s telling us she wants to be an outdoor dog. She likely spent most of her daytime hours outside atContinue reading “Oh, my Outdoor Dog”
To Neuter or Not to Neuter
When we first got Isis, I didn’t know there was anything controversial about spaying and neutering dogs. I thought the only reason not to do it was if you planned to breed them. Preventing pet overpopulation is, of course, the obvious reason to spay and neuter, but that’s not why we did it. We were aContinue reading “To Neuter or Not to Neuter”
M is for Mystery
When you “rescue” a dog, unless it is an owner surrender with a uniquely upfront surrenderer, the dog’s previous life is a complete mystery. We look at Mia all the time and ask her, “What were your families like before us?” Mia came to live with us when she was about 7. The only thingsContinue reading “M is for Mystery”
K is for Kisses
Kissing Dogs! Lucy, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I love kissing dogs. On their heads, on their beaks… on the lips! I don’t care who knows it. Isis smothered us with kisses; Leo and Mia, not so much. Leo is so sparing with his kisses, he’llContinue reading “K is for Kisses”
J is for the Joy of Jolly Balls
File under things I wish someone had told me about sooner. The Joy of Jolly Balls Isis went through a lot of soccer balls. She’d have one favorite at time and fixate on it. You could throw any other ball and she’d ignore it, because she wanted that one ball, flattened and muddy, peeling, andContinue reading “J is for the Joy of Jolly Balls”
WOOF! I is for Isis
Brought to you by the letter I and the WOOF Support Blog Hop. I is for Isis, the most beautiful name of the most beautiful dog in the world. What Do I Love About My Reactive Dog? Funny you should ask. After Isis bit someone, her victim referred me to a positive reinforcement trainer. Before weContinue reading “WOOF! I is for Isis”
H is for Hit By a Flying Wolf
Here’s a book recommendation brought to you by the letter H. Hit by a Flying Wolf by Nicole Wilde Yesterday, I quoted from Nicole Wilde’s blog post about growling. As a follow-up to that and my post on the Evolution of Dogs and Wolves, I decided H-day was a good opportunity to tell you about her latest book.Continue reading “H is for Hit By a Flying Wolf”
Kari Neumeyer 