Blog Posts

Every Day with Cancer

5/16/2016

May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month.

It’s almost a year since I heard those dreaded words. It’s cancer. And you know what? Maverick is doing great! Back then I didn’t know that you could live with cancer and still thrive. Yes, he is slowing down but that has more to do with his age than with the cancer. If you didn’t know he had cancer you wouldn’t be able to tell.

So, how is life with cancer different?

Every day I make sure he eats. He can eat pretty much anything he wants now. My agreement with him is that he can have whatever he wants but he MUST eat every day. Some mornings he wants a peanut butter cliff bar. Some days he wants kibble. Some days it’s red meat and some days it’s chicken. He has really taken a liking to Evanger’s Hi-Bio semi moist dog food and Primal’s freeze dried dinner patties. I have had to try lots of new variety to encourage him to eat. Sometimes I hand feed him to make it fun and that can sometimes get him to eat more. What does he love the most? Bison. When I am lucky and find it in the markdown section at the store I buy all of it. I don’t worry about quantity anymore just that he puts SOMETHING into his body everyday to fuel it.

Every day he gets his medicine. He has four herbal teas that I brew for him every two weeks and he gets a tsp or two of each every day. In addition he gets a thyroid support tincture and a THC tincture. It takes about 5 minutes a day to administer them all but it’s a tiny price to pay. I also give him coconut oil when he wants it.

Every day I celebrate small things. Like the vet being unable to feel any growths during his rectal exam at his last check up. Like him feeling peppy and wanting to play longer than usually.

Every day I play with him. I make time for him regardless of how busy I am.

Every day I say this prayer. (I have actually done this for each of my dogs every day for years. It’s my morning ritual. I put my hands on them, I touch my head to theirs and I pray.)

“Thank you Lord for bringing Maverick into my life, to be a teacher, a guide, a companion and friend. I ask that you bless him with an extra long life on this physical plane so that I may learn all that I can from him. During that time I ask you to grant him more good days than bad, more health than sickness, more happiness than sadness and may he always know how much he is loved.”

May you never hear the words, “Your beloved pet has cancer” but if you do, know that you still have time to make Every Day great.

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Christmas with cancer

12/19/2015

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Christmas with cancer sucks. There. I said it. While Maverick looks and feels great (which I am so grateful for) I hear that little voice whispering “Is this his LAST Christmas?” I know he doesn’t really care about Christmas but everywhere I look I see “love, family, happy” etc and it’s a painful reminder that his time is ticking away. He IS my happy, my love, my family. And if you tell me he’s “just a dog” I will kindly tell you to go f*** yourself. Ok, so that isn’t really kind but I would say it with a smile.

I feel a little foolish and naive. I am sure there are many people who have experienced a difficult holiday season. I know I have had hard holidays-for entirely different reasons. Usually it’s family drama that puts a damper on my holiday spirit. But, this is entirely different. I really have NO holiday spirit. I decorated the house in hopes that the saying “fake it until you make it” would work and it isn’t. I’m still just sad. I don’t want to shop. I don’t want to send cards. I don’t want to bake. I don’t want to do anything. I have been using my work as a distraction but I know that isn’t healthy. I also don’t want to look back and think, “Shit, I spent his last Christmas working too much.” So, I’m in this really crappy place. If I’m not working I’m sad and weepy. If I am working I’m not spending time with him and feel guilty.

“You don’t know it’s his last Christmas”. You’re right. I don’t know. But, again, I don’t want to assume I have more time only to find out that he didn’t and I missed special moments.

In addition, my parent’s health is declining and I think “Will they be with us next year?” If you know me well, you know I am not a pessimistic person. I am realistic though and the truth of the matter is that we all die. I realize this time with Maverick is a gift. A painful journey of love and loss and that this is part of the process of preparing myself to let him go. My heart hopes and weeps at the same time. I hope I get another holiday season but I am weeping just in case I don’t.

For those who are experiencing a hard holiday I hope you know that you are not alone. Not everyone is having a “Merry” Christmas. For those of you who are having a great holiday I hope you are grateful for your happiness.

Maverick-Christmas 2013

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Pet Peeves from my walk in the park

11/2/2015

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Be forewarned. This blog may be a bit of a rant. I try to be patient with people. Really I do. But there are just some days that I am human and people annoy me.

The other day I decided to walk all my dogs at once. This is a rare occurance at my house. Why? Well, for one thing it’s not as easy as you think it is. And for my students with only one dog-you have NO IDEA how easy you have it. Even the most reactive single dog is easier to handle than multiple dogs. With each dog you add you exponentially make it more difficult. Our biggest challenge right now is that Maverick has really slowed down. He likes to smell everything and when we walk alone it is a slow pleasant walk. But, when he is with either of the other dogs there is a huge difference in pace. When you have all three it’s even worse. Yes, I can slow the other two down and I can speed Maverick up but I don’t like to micro manage them that way. Plus, the other day I saw Maverick stumble trying to keep up and that just broke my heart.

But, the reason for this post isn’t about Maverick it’s a rant about what happened on our walk. I came home super frustrated. Not because of my dogs-I get it. They live in the moment and they just want to go our normal pace and Maverick was slowing us down. No, I was frustrated with the most of the other people I encountered and one person in particular.

I propose that there should be rules of the road when you are walking your dog. Etiquete that everyone knows and follows. What I see day after day varies greatly. Some days people and dogs are very polite and sometimes they are clueless and sometimes they are just rude.

Here is what I propose:

Pulling off: When another dog(s) is approaching from the opposite direction the human with the smallest NUMBER of dogs should pull off or concede space. When you are driving and arrive at a four way stop if you are the first car to approach the intersection you go first. If two cars get there at the same time, then the car who is in the right is the one that goes first. A similar rule could apply to dog walking. If you are walking one dog and someone has two dogs you pull off to the side. This gives the person with two dogs more room to pass. If you have three dogs and someone has two dogs the person with two dogs should pull off to the side etc. It is far easier to get a single dog to sit politely and wait than it is to get three dogs to do the same. I can hear you now, “But, Jennifer, if your dogs are so well behaved isn’t it easier for you to pull off?” Yes, MY dogs can do this but many can’t plus it is frustrating to always be the one to concede space. Sometimes I just want to walk past a dog and because they can’t control their single dog I have move? Seriously? I have to move my three dogs off the path so you and your ONE dog can walk by? Even though you could have taken the other path and avoided us altogether?

Indicate clearly: Once you have decided to pull off indicate that clearly to the other person. No, you don’t have to stop right then but start to angle your body away. This lets them know where you are going so they can adjust as necessary.

Don’t judge: I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten the “look” from other people when I am out walking Jasper. It was a long hard road to transform him from the barking, lunging, drag me down at the sight of other dogs dog to the dog he is now. Now, he might bark once or twice and sometimes whines. The look you give me when he barks? Yeah, you can keep that to yourself. You have NO idea what we have been through. And that holier than thou attitude you have when you walk by because your dog isn’t barking? Let’s just say that karma is a bitch. He has taught me so much about being stressed out and over threshold on a walk. I don’t expect him to be perfect. I’m not. I love him and I understand him and I know that when he is barking it’s usually because your dog is throwing the equivalent of doggie gang signs his way.

DO NOT LET YOUR DOG GREET WITHOUT PERMISSION: “He’s just friendly!” That may be true. But, maybe my dog won’t appreciate your dog running up to him with the equivalent of a slap on the butt and a “hey, what’s your sign” type of greeting. This could be a whole blog by itself-and probably will be someday.

Poop: Besides just picking up your own I propose that you pay it forward and pick up a poo left by someone else. I will admit that once in my life the dogs surprised me and pooped more than I had bags and I left a poo. I felt terribly guilty and was far from home and had absolutely NOTHING to use. So, I now have poo bags in my purse, in my car console, in my treat pouch and now on my dog’s harness. I found a FABULOUS new poo bag holder. It’s from Molly Mutt and it is a soft bag. It is large enough to hold a driver’s license, a chap stick AND a roll of bags. Because it is soft fabric I don’t mind hooking it to my dogs harness. You could even stuff a few grocery bags in there if you don’t use the rolled poo bags. This is such a great find I will be bringing them in for the holiday show. I know that some people are just rude and never pick up their poo but I like to tell myself that I am helping someone who got caught without a bag.

Ok. I’m done. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Your polite dog trainer is back. Now, get out there and walk your dog but remember to be courteous to your fellow walkers.

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The autumn of Maverick's life

10/6/2015

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We can no longer deny that we are in autumn. It is certainly crisp outside! When I was a kid this was my favorite time of year. And don’t get me wrong, I still like it but this year it doesn’t hold the same appeal. Yes, it’s cooler for walking my dogs. Yes, the changing leaves are pretty. Yes, it’s time for harvest and soon the holidays. Yes, warm comfort food in the crock pot is great. But, and maybe it’s just circumstances in my life, this year it just doesn’t feel so comforting. I know that Maverick is certainly in the autumn of his life. I can see it in subtle ways. He has FINALLY healed from his last surgery and is feeling good again. I know that this time is a gift, really I do. However, I often feel like I am in the eye of a storm. His diagnosis and first round of treatment was like going through a really terrible storm. We were thrown around and it was rough. Now, we are in the calm in the middle. He looks and feels good and I am so grateful. But, I know that we have yet to go through the storm again on the other side. The difference is there is no calm on the other side of the impending storm. Just loss and pain. I have no idea when this storm will hit, just that it will. Probably when I least expect it. I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Some days it’s just so overwhelming. But, for now, we are trying to live one day at a time. I am making sure to slow down and enjoy my guys. I am making sure he eats every day. That is sometimes a challenge and so many nights I am hand feeding him. I am doing everything holistically that I can for him. He is on essiac tea, some other herbs, and a THC tincture. We are doing regular sessions of acupuncture, chiropractic and TTouch. I can’t stop the storm from coming but I can try to delay it as long as possible!

So, as the days gets shorter and cooler please cherish your dogs. Walk a little longer. Throw the ball a little longer. Teach them a trick. Spend some extra time with them doing fun things. The time will go by much too fast and soon you too will be in the autumn of your dog’s life.

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Lake Powell 2015

8/28/2015

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I have been going to Lake Powell since 1979 when my dad first took us all. After that first trip he was hooked! It wasn’t long and we were going every year. Once I got married my annual trips stopped and we didn’t go for a long time. When Maverick was a puppy my mother excitedly asked us if we wanted to go again. I think she felt like it was taking grandkids or something. Lord knows my dogs are the closest thing to grandkids she’ll ever get out of me! I digress. So, when Mav was just under a year we went to the “lake” as we call it. The next year we went with Jasper. We went every year for a few years again and then another long break. Funny how life gets away from you and years pass. Four years ago my sister moved back to Colorado and bought onto the houseboat, my Dad has shares in a boat-like a timeshare but the weeks change every year. You need to have people who know how to drive and anchor a 65 foot houseboat and after her husband died she needed help to go to the lake. So, once again we started to go again every year. All my dogs have gone to the lake before their first birthday!

I tell you all this so that you will understand what the lake means to me. Yes, it’s a lake. But, it’s so much more than that to me. There are so many memories and emotions connected to that lake. Fun family memories when I was a kid. Tragic memories when I was in high school. (that’s a story for a different day). Memories of my sister’s kids coming to the lake as small babies. Then kids and teenagers and now adults. Memories of my boyfriend who is now my husband coming on vacation with my family. And now, lots of fun memories with my dogs. Maverick’s first trip his hair was too long and he was so hot we had to keep a wet towel on him all the time. Teaching Jasper how to swim, not just run on the shore and steal the toy from Mav. Maverick falling into the water when he was barking at ducks. Stanley being too scared to jump onto the boat from the dock. Yelling at Jasper to “stay” on the beach so we can set anchors without him “helping” us. Stanley and his friend Eve playing chase and tag on the beach. Hiking and exploring with them. So many memories packed into one place.

The other wonderful thing about the lake is that we have zero cell phone coverage once you leave the marina. That means I have to totally 100% unplug from work and get to reconnect with my boys and that includes my husband. We play, we hike, we sleep, we swim. We spend an entire week together and there are no distractions from the world. No social media, no email, no phone. For me, it is a slice of heaven and it rejuvenates my soul.

Maverick’s surgery was scheduled in June so that he would have plenty of time to heal so that we could go to the lake this year. Unfortunately, he developed a stitch abscess and we weren’t sure we were going to make it. The vet gave us the “ok” to go on Tuesday and we left on Friday. Thankfully we have gone so many times packing is fairly easy, we know exactly what to bring. While we got the “go ahead” we had conditions. We had to keep his bum clean and dry him after swimming. Apply Neosporin, let him rest, make sure he eats etc. I wanted him to have fun but I didn’t want it to be at the expense of his health. Needless to say I was kind of a nervous Nelly for the first few days. We were VERY fortunate to find the best campsite we have ever had. And that is saying a lot when you have been going for over 35 years. (Oh my Lord! I suddenly feel really OLD! 35 years?) This campsite had shade for most of the day. That meant it wasn’t hot sun beating on us all day. When it’s 100° and you’re in the hot sun it just sucks the life right out of you and you spend most of the day in the water to stay cool. This shade was a gift from God. It allowed us to keep the dogs cool without being wet all day which helped Maverick’s bum. It also helped him maintain somewhat of an appetite. He only lost 4 pounds instead of his usual 7 pounds. It’s so hard to get them to eat when it’s that hot. Because it was cool in the morning we all got to sleep in. Basically our mornings were really relaxed, I read four books, and in the afternoon we would play in the water when the sun was out and then eat dinner and the dogs would head to bed. Jasper normally sleeps with us and this year Maverick was the king of the bed. He had no qualms about stretching out diagonally across the bed and was sound asleep when we came to bed. Did he get up? Nope! Did we ask him to? Nope. We just crawled in under him.

I caught myself thinking “this is the last time he will be here” on a few occasions and I would quickly shove that thought away. But, it was always there, a tiny little whisper. On our last day on the beach I was playing with him at the water’s edge and the sun was moving behind the canyon wall. All I kept thinking was “No! Not yet! We leave tomorrow and I’m not ready.” I wanted to stop time. To freeze this moment. I studied everything. The way the water felt, the sand beneath my legs, Maverick's wet hair, Michael sitting next to me. I wanted to have a crystal clear picture that I could add to my memory bank. I wish someone would have taken a picture but we were all together and I wasn’t going to get up and ruin the moment. Both Michael and I knew that these precious minutes might be his last at the lake. And then the sun was gone. The moment gone. We had to get out of the water so he didn’t get cold. Get him cleaned up and have our last night on the beach. We had a huge celebration bonfire while he was crashed out on our bed. Happy and content. I was with him and watched the fire from the boat. I couldn’t tear myself away from him. And now, those are in my memory bank.

The next day we headed back to the marina and home the day after. Our last morning there, before we got into the car I decided to let them play in the water one more time. There were two young girls who came over to see the dogs and play with them. They thought it was great fun to throw the wubba and watch them retrieve it. When my niece came to get us one of the girls took Maverick’s toy and handed it to me. She told him, “time for you to go home now”. She was an angel from God. I don’t think I could have done it. I would have sat there all morning letting him play. And I don’t think Michael or Monica would have had the heart to tear me away. And then that was it. Our trip was done. His trip was done. Do I think he will be back? I really don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds. I hope he might have another trip but to be honest I am not sure if I could do it. This trip I was able to hold on to the hope that he could go again but the next time I will know for sure that it will be his last trip. I am not sure if I have the fortitude to do that.

It was a bittersweet trip. This is the first time I haven’t been eager to get back to work. I think it’s because I just want to go back to that last afternoon with the sun setting and my boy in the water. I want to live there for a little longer.

When I returned and was telling a friend about my trip this is what she said.

"I'm learning that every special occasion needs to be kept as a separate memory. You never know when circumstances may change, so the really nice times get preserved, each in their places. I drag them out from time to time with a smile. Sounds like this trip may hold a number of those special memories, that are forever linked to other ones in the past. But be confident that you will continue to have great ones that will keep you going!"

My friend nailed it on the head. The lake continues to make memories that are linked to other ones in the past and as each trip happens the links grow and grow. But, she is also right that we will continue to make great ones that will keep us going. Keep me going.

When you feel that whisper, that breeze on your cheek that says, “Remember this moment. It’s important.” stop and look around. Notice ALL the details. It is one of your special moments that you will want to bring out from time to time. I am hoping that our trip to California will be over flowing in special memories. Soon, that will be all I have left of them. Special memories and holes in my heart.

Time to go now, I am an emotional wreck putting all this on paper. So much easier to just say, “vacation was fine” but so many of you want to know how he is doing and how we are doing. I wanted to be honest about our trip.

So, now you know. It was wonderful and sad in equal parts.

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Learning to balance

7/26/2015

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My dog has cancer. What does that mean? It means I now have a new “normal”. We all go through situations in our lives that change us. This is one of those for me. I know that this process will teach me many things. Maverick has always been a teacher to me. So, why should this be any different? What is the first lesson he is teaching me? How to balance. To balance tomorrow with today, looking forward while not missing the present. So often we hear people say “dog’s live in the moment” or “you should live in the moment”. What does that mean? It means that when Maverick is feisty and playful to savor it and not think that it won’t happen again or that he will be tired later. It means to let the dirty dishes sit awhile when my dogs say “let’s play!” and enjoy the moment with them. This is not easy for me. I am a planner. I am always looking forward. And to some degree I have to be this way. I own my own business. If I don’t plan for tomorrow I may not have a roof over my head!

That is where the balance part comes in. I have to balance tomorrow-work, treatment plan, my grief with today-spending time with Mav, making sure he is eating, taking his herbs, getting rest etc. I have to balance Mav’s needs with the needs of my other dogs. I have to balance Michael’s needs with those of the dogs. I have to balance my needs with those of the family and of work. To be honest I feel like I have been practicing a careful balancing act for a long time. Only now, if I slack off in the area of my family I feel guilty.

Emotions are a funny fickle thing. It’s almost like they are an alien in my body. My logic tells me one thing and then my emotions tell me something else. I know I should not feel guilty for working-I do need money to pay the mortgage and feed my dogs etc. But, I do feel guilty when I work 12 hours in the summer heat and have nothing left to give to my family when I get home. I feel a little guilty right now. I could be outside with my boys playing and I am inside writing this blog so that it can go in the newsletter that needs to be done by the end of the week.

So, how do I balance today with tomorrow and control my guilt in the area of work? I plan for the future but instead of planning a year out I might plan for a few months. When I am at work I focus on that but when I am not working I focus on my family. This also means evaluating how effective I am at work. If I am going to take time away from my family it will not be wasted on small classes or students who aren’t committed to working with their dogs. It means I will set better boundaries of “work” time and “life” time. This will be the hardest for me. Because I work from home it is easy to do just a little work and then 3 hours are gone and I have not honored my time off. It means trusting that working only 40-50 hours a week is enough. That I can work smarter and not harder.

I so often find myself saying “yes” to students and “no” to myself and my family. That is about to change. I will honor my time off and my family. I will give 100% of myself to my students when I am working and 100% of myself to my family when I am off.

I am trusting that my students will understand when I don’t respond right away to calls or emails. I hope they understand when I am booked and can’t see them right away. I trust that they will ask “how are you doing?” at a time that is appropriate so that I can maintain my focus on work. I am trusting Sharon to handle more so that I may focus elsewhere.

I wish I was independently wealthy and could just stop working and live every moment with my husband and dogs but I am not. So, I will have to balance it all.

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them --work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls -- family, health friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."
~Brian Dyson, former vice chairman and COO of Coca-Cola.”

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Test Results are in...

7/4/2015

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Sadly, the large tumor was malignant.

What does that mean? That means that it will come back. That means that it may have already spread. That means that I know what my beautiful black beauty will die from, I just don't know how much time I will get. We all know that we will die. That everyone we love will die. But, we shove that thought to the back recesses of our mind and it's only when we are confronted by it that we are forced to look at it. That is where I am right now. Looking at death and loss in a new very personal way. And I am struggling. I have never lost anyone close to me. Right now I keep shoving the emotions down into a black hole so that I can function. I know I need to feel them, to allow them to come but I am terrified they will consume me. So, when you see me and ask me how he is doing please know that I touched but I can't talk about it. If I talk about it I will not be able to be a good teacher for you.

Right now, we are focusing on healing from the surgery so that we can still go on our family vacation. This very well could be his last trip to Lake Powell. He is doing well and each day he is getting stronger.

The next step in his health plan is "staging" where we find out if it has spread. Once we have that we can determine a plan of action. Going forward will be determined by quality of life vs side effects vs longevity vs cost.

I pray every day that I get as much time as he can give me and that I will do what is best for him and not for me.

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Maverick's Tumor

7/1/2015

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Tuesday morning we headed to the vet for a fairly routine mass removal surgery. Because the nose and butt are so sensitive he had to have general anesthesia. We also decided to remove a few other suspicious masses as well. So, 5 masses in total. One on his nose, one on his back, two on a leg and the one of his butt.

A few hours later the vet called me. Maverick was doing "fine" but they had found a GOLF BALL sized tumor. After doing 4 of the masses they headed to the one on the butt and before starting had decided to express his anal glands. That is when they found it.

My heart started racing. A tumor? A large tumor? What does this mean? I told the Doctor to remove it and that I trusted him to take care of my boy. And then waiting…

A little over an hour later he called me to tell me that Maverick was out of surgery and that he was able to remove ALL of the tumor. Whew! Ok, that’s good. Now I could ask some questions.

How did this happen? Do poodles have a higher incidence of this? Should I have been expressing his anal glands? I didn’t think you do that unless there is a problem. Did I fail my dog? Did I miss some signs? How do you diagnosis this?

It is what they call an anal sac tumor. Some dogs show signs of it but many do not. The only way to diagnose this is with a rectal exam. He told me that EVERY dog over the age of 8 years old should have a rectal exam yearly with their check up. He told me that he doesn’t like to do them because most dogs hate it and if the dog looks healthy it’s easier to skip it. He told me to demand it.

I hope you NEVER hear the words “we found a tumor”. This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. We will get the biopsy results in about a week and I am PRAYING with every cell in my body that the results come back as a granuloma or benign tumor. I know Maverick can’t live forever but I am NOT ready for him to go yet. Maverick is home recovering now. What was supposed to be a fairly easy surgery ended up being a major surgery and he came home with stitches from head to butt!

So, while we wait for results I want to share some suggestions with you.

·         If your dog is over 8 years old demand a rectal exam. Male and female dogs have the same incidence rates.

·         GET YOUR HANDS ON YOUR DOG!!!! You need to know every inch of their body and do so on a regular basis. This is more than just grooming. FEEL them with your hands. Know what is normal for your dog so you know what isn’t normal.

·         Teach your dog to LIKE touch so that you both enjoy it when you are doing a body check. I really like TTouch for this reason. Not only am I doing a body check but I am enhancing my bond with my dog at the same time.

·         Teach your dog to TOLERATE procedures. This goes beyond nail clipping and grooming. This includes gentle restraint, ear care, eye care, nose care, mouth care (are you brushing teeth?) and yes, even butt care! While you aren’t going to give your dog a rectal exam yourself you should make sure that they tolerate someone handling their butt! Use a q-tip to circle the anus (don’t stick it IN) just circle it to get them used to touching in that sensitive area. Maverick didn’t blink an eye when I found the lump by his rectum. If I hadn’t found that we wouldn’t have found the other tumor.

·         Be proactive about your dog’s care. Be educated about the diseases your breed of dog may be prone to getting so you can notice them at the early stages. Maverick bloated when he was 2 yrs old and I knew immediately what the problem was and when the vet (who I no longer see) told me he was “fine” I told her “NO” he isn’t.

·         Make sure your dog gets ANNUAL checkups and if you spot something out of the ordinary take them in to see the vet. Don’t wait until their next visit, get it checked out while it’s small. And don’t complain about the cost. Your dog will NEVER go to college, NEVER play team sports or go to dance class, and NEVER drive a car. Even if you feed a really expensive food and great treats the annual cost of caring for your dog is cheap in comparison and there is more to owning a dog than just feeding it!

I don’t know what the future holds and waiting is hard. But, right now I am holding an image of my beautiful boy surrounded by healing white light, a clean slate with all abnormal cells gone from his body. I am picturing him in perfect health surrounded by those of us who love him.

Now, go kiss your dog and tell them how much they mean to you.

~Jennifer

“The wish for healing has always been half of health.”
                                                                                                ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Rockin' Recalls and Solid Stays

5/4/2015

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Last week I was at Sloan's Lake park with a group of students that are in my Walking Club. At the end of the class I returned to my car with Jasper. It was a fairly warm day and Jasper needed a drink of water. There was no shade by the car and I wanted him to cool off. So, I dropped his leash and told him to 'stay'. I left him on the cool grass in the shade of large tree while I went to the hot car to get his water. As I was walking away I passed two men sitting at a bench and one man called out to me, "Will your dog really stay there?" My response was a dumbfounded "Yes". The man looked at me like I was crazy. Now, to be totally honest, I did leave one of my students with her dog nearby. But, if you know Jasper you know he is very bonded to me so to him he was alone. I left the student there only to support him if he needed it. Which he did. The man was so intrigued he walked over to him and wanted to pet him. My student politely told him that Jasper was working and that if he wanted to pet a dog he could pet hers. In the meantime three other people stopped to talk to my student and comment on Jasper's self control. So, in the span of 4 minutes four people approached the vicinity of my dog and he stayed where I left him. I did also have to re-cue him to stay when I got about 20 feet from him and the group of three people approached him-he was a little nervous about them. But, I didn't have to go all the way back. I only had to turn around and give a hand signal from about 15 feet away. All four of those people were blown away by his skills. I returned with his water, gave him his drink and then as we were leaving the man from the bench called out, "That is a good dog you have! Very disciplined." I won't lie I was proud. But, also a little sad that the idea of a dog with self discipline is so rare that it is note worthy.

Now, the funny thing about this whole situation is that I never once doubted Jasper's ability to stay there. I didn't back away slowly hoping he would stay repeating "stay....stay...stay" the whole time. I turned my back and walked away. My "stay" wasn't a hope. It wasn't a request. It was a command that was not open to negotiation. If you know me well you know that I don't often issue commands, that often my dogs and I have a conversation about what we each desire in a given situation. But, when I do give a command, I fully expect them to comply. I make sure that I do my job of clearly showing them what it means and I slowly build up their skill. But, when the time is right I fully expect them to do their job of listening to me and complying. I don't spend my life issuing commands and thinking for my dogs. I encourage them to think for themselves. But, I also take my job as guardian seriously and feel it's of utmost importance that they can listen to me in a highly distracting environment because you never know when you might need it.

"Punishment may make us obey the orders we are given,
but at best it will only teach an obedience to authority,
not a self-control which enhances our self-respect."
~Bruno Bettelheim

Jasper didn't stay there because he feared me or because he has "an obedience to authority" but rather because he has self-control. And I know that he was just as proud of himself as I was of him. This whole experience has shown me that I really need to help more of my students teach this skill to their dogs. Their dogs should have self control and self respect too.

So, I will be teaching a class with three weeks dedicated to stay and three weeks dedicated to recall. It's called my Rockin' Recall and Solid Stay class. This class is coming soon so keep an eye out for it on my class schedule.

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Is the walk enjoyable? On both ends of the leash?

3/30/2015

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The number of dogs I see outside walking is starting to increase day by day. The warm weather is bringing all of us out of our homes. Teaching a dog to walk politely on leash is on the top 5 list of things clients want me to teach them. It seems like everyone struggles with this. Why of why does it have to be so hard? I think walking is so frustrating because we have different goals than our dogs do.  And I have different goals than most of my students. I'll never forget a few years back I was out walking my dogs and I encountered a woman who rudely asked, “Who’s walking who?” She didn’t stop to hear my answer, she just kept walking in the opposite direction. I must admit, it caught me off guard and kind of irritated me. What made her say that? My dogs were both politely walking with me. It took me a minute to figure out why she commented. Maverick was on my left side and Jasper had gone in front of me and over to the right to smell the grass. Neither of them were pulling on the leash but they also were not in perfect “heel” position.

Why do you walk your dog? I walk my dog because I know that it is up to me to give them mentally enriching activities. They don’t have opposable thumbs, they can’t pick up the car keys and drive themselves to a movie when they are bored of being in the house.   I walk my dogs because I enjoy getting outside, seeing the world and hanging out with them. It is an opportunity for me to really focus on my dog and enhance our relationship by spending time with them. My walks are enjoyable because I am not fighting with my dogs to behave politely. They don’t pull me down the path, they walk WITH me, not AGAINST me. This also means that I walk with them and not against them. We are walking TOGETHER. I am not walking them and they are not walking me. WE ARE A TEAM. We are cooperating. To many people that seems like a foreign concept.  That is why the lady commented to me, she thinks that I must be walking them. Does that means they are walking in a perfect heel position or slightly behind me “respecting my leadership” as some people advise? I can’t tell you how many dogs I see being walked with a gentle leader or choke chain, heads down, tails down, just trudging along with their owners. Any interest in anything is corrected and the dogs are so clearly unhappy. I also see many dogs who are pulling their owners down the path, the owners have no control and the owners are clearly unhappy. Surely there must be a happy medium, a way for both owners and dogs to be happy on a walk. A way to walk your dog without hurting them or being a battle of wills. Yes, there is a happy medium, but it takes some work on your part to effectively communicate to your dogs what you would like from them. And, that doesn’t happen overnight. But, when you make an effort to really spend some quality time connected with your dog your life will change.

We want a dog that walks politely and doesn’t pull us. Have you ever stopped to think about what your dog wants? I think that dogs want a few things. They want to get out of the house. They want to hang out with us. And they want to smell, smell, smell the world around them. While we view and asses the world based on what we see, they base it on what they smell. We have approximately 20 million scent receptors in our nose, depending on the breed they can have up to 200 million scent receptors. Yes, 200 million to our measly 20 million. That is why the telephone pole is so interesting. We can’t smell anything but they can, and do. We see spring flowers popping up and they smell dirt disturbed. So, yes, they do want to stop and smell every pillar and post and bush and rock and….EVERYTHING!

So, we want to keep moving, and they want to stop and smell. In this Go, GO, GO world of ours I often wonder if our dogs aren’t trying to tell us to slow down and smell the roses. What’s the hurry? Can’t we just see (or smell) what’s out here? We think that we must walk at a quick pace so we both get exercise. I have news for you. Walking with us is not a physical exercise. No matter how quickly you walk it’s still a stroll for them. Studies show that they average 3 miles to our 1 mile when we are walking off leash. Their normal pace is so much faster than ours there is no way we can make a leash walk aerobic exercise for them. However, it is a MENTAL activity for them. We all know that having a hard day at the office thinking can wear us out faster than a day of physical yard work. And so it is with our dogs. I tell my clients all the time that you can physically exercise your dog for 30 minutes or mentally challenge them for 10 minutes. The results are the same, a tired dog. So, yes, leash walking is a valuable activity for our dogs, and us.

If walking your dog isn’t an enjoyable get some help. Life is about learning new things and once you learn how to walk your dog you can change it from a battle of wills to a cooperative experience.

“A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk.”
                                                                        -O.A. Battista

For now, I leave you with this. If your thought is, “Ugh, I have to walk the dog. Man, it’s a pain and I don’t really want to.” Then don’t. They feel your emotion regardless of the words you say. So don’t walk them. Take them out back and throw a ball. Do something you find enjoyable with your dog. And if you can’t think of anything enjoyable that you like to do with your dog then perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your relationship with your dog?

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Every Day with Cancer

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Pet Peeves from my walk in the park

The autumn of Maverick's life

Lake Powell 2015

Learning to balance

Test Results are in...

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Rockin' Recalls and Solid Stays

Is the walk enjoyable? On both ends of the leash?

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