This past weekend I was hosting our Paws & People events at the WildWestWinterFest in Bozeman. I think this was our 8th year, and gratefully it was not -20.

One of the aspects of this event that I really enjoy is touching base with folks that are not in our current training program. People, for all different reasons, come to check out our events. Some stay to ask questions, some question why I do what I do, and some are simply curious about dogs and training in general and want to check things out from a distance.

This year there was one question that kept coming up during each of our mini sessions, "why are we using treats"? After I was asked that for the tenth time I went to check the outside of the barn to make sure someone hadn't put up a sign. I have to keep in mind that clients coming into our classes have either seen our videos, had recommendations from friends, or have looked through our website. There really are no secrets or surprises.

So, for our clients, friends and curious George's here is my answer. It's rather simple, but I think it should be.


Toys, food, access to outside, access to a place, access to a person, access to a play friend, and more.

If your dog is super food driven, hello labrador owners, any type of food reward is going to work as a reward.

If your dog has more discriminating taste buds, high value rewards that are soft, stinky and out of the ordinary are going to be more rewarding. Want to know what is high value? Hold a meatball in one hand a milk bone in the other, high value is the one that your dog cannot say no too.

Object driven dogs tend to work great for an object, as long as the object is treated as a reward and not used permissively or left out for free play without you. That's the equivalent of leaving a t-bone in the yard.

In our household we use a variety of rewards depending on the day, the skills we are working on, the play involved, the environment and so on. I always reward, I always let me team mate know that I appreciate everything we do together, and there is always variety ...

If you have had an encounter with your dog and a coyote and would like to share, please leave a comment. This one was too long for the comment section... I think we can all learn from each others experiences.

Cheers and be safe!
Nancy

There is still a lot of wild life around here. I know not because of sitings as much as kitties missing, kitties gutted on my lawn or driveway, fur here and there on a trail, fresh scat or scat with fur in it.  I also see deer and bunny droppings a lot.  Our property was, aghast!, put right over a possum trail - they never forget a route I guess.  And if you put CA + Lagoon = rats.  So we have those too.  There are tons of birds to watch, also because of the protected lagoon.

We like to go to a place just on the other side of the lagoon from our house which is an easy fix / leash free zone, a 1 mile loop but takes about 25 minutes.  Everyone parks their cars at one place on the road. You can usually tell if it will be a 'hey, it's you and me kid' or 'gonna have to watch the dog closely' kind of walk by the number of cars.

This late afternoon hike was going to be a 'hey, it's you and me kid'.  In fact, we watched the only other walker take off as we were driving up - 3 dogs!  Doby, Golden and Boxer and none on leash.  I asked Grey if we could go the opposite direction for two reasons; to give him a little start time to wear out his dogs as well as get through the forested area first since the sun would be going down within the hour.  So we unleash Durango and he is having a ball as usual.  We arrive at the first peak and fork and Grey says to go left (we had a 50/50 chance of running right into the other walkers) which has a little down hill before you approach the final up - all of which is 1/3 of the walk, so we are exactly at the back half of the circle.  I see about 7 bunnies cross the trail quickly and squeal with delight at how cute they are.  Grey thinks I am nuts and calls his dad.  (yes, while we are walking) There is a meadow of wind grass off to the left of this trail and Durango always prounces through there with speed and with unbridled joy.  Well, as he is doing his best deer imitation, I look a little further and see something else doing deer jumps and I look at Grey and say oh my!  Those are real deer!  but the last word comes out limp as I realize there are two, the two are large coyotes and Durango is running right towards them like they were old friends!  The rest turns into one of my more feared nightmares - I cannot whistle, yell or scream.  I have gone completely speechless.  The best I could do was yank on Grey's arm and say call him!  The coyotes start to circle him about 30 yards from us - he hears us and gives a look like 'I AM being nice so what is the problem'.  My problem was when he looked at us, the coyotes ventured closer to him.  With that I told Grey #1 call him one more time and say HERE! (his word) and lets start running back the way we came and #2 if it is between the coyotes getting us or the dog, it's gonna be the dog and it's my bad.  As we ran so did Durango ....and the coyotes after him!  I told Grey to run faster and then Durango kicked it in.  When I chanced to look back, that damn coyote looked at me right in the eyes, looked to his right, back at me and trotted off in the direction the loop would eventually take us!!!  I told Grey to hold on to the leash with a heavy buckle and find any rocks, not to hit the coyotes as much as to hit the ground if we ran into them.  I secured Durango with his harness on his collar - so kind of short leashing him*.  We continued to run since we were back in the heavily wooded area which was now far darker.  A boxer comes charging at us and Durango shoots out of my hand and wants to play with yet another new friend.  The woman is encouraging them while Grey and I attempt to secure Durango. Grey tells her about these 2 coyotes - which are just a little smaller in stature than Durango (who is 85 pounds!), so we thought they were big healthy coyotes.  She laughs it off and I say, you can walk that way if you want but I would leash your dog if you like him; I think the coyotes will be in front of us anyhow because I saw them run this way - we were kind of trapped.  She finally leashed her dog and as we got closer to the parked cars, hers and ours only by this time, I said I was going to talk louder to see if they would move without us throwing any rocks.......She couldn't believe the shadows were the coyotes and perched right in front of us about 15 yards on the trail!  My deep throat noises and yelling made them slink off but I didn't trust it so we ran to the car.

Durango was none the wiser - in his mind, he was being fun and hospitable and in the end, listened to my teachings.  I needed 3 shots of good whiskey.  

Yes, this grasshopper gets it - I was in their territory and of all things DINNER TIME!  I am happy to say that I have little interest in doing that again.  Although, it nearly happened last Saturday when I went on a hike, different location, with a girlfriend, her Aussie and Durango.  There were no cars parked yet and it was early. This is a DH mtn biking hot spot.  I told her to keep her eyes open for movement and sounds, and watch the dogs to stay on trail as much as possible (no leash area again).  Didn't have an incident but did see some fairly wet but not steaming coyote scat (fur in it....again).  That was a great 2 hour hike and much needed.

This was really long winded now that I reread it but it's what happened.  I have only been turned around on two hikes and the other was because of moose.  This one really shook me up.  

Like a man believes that lit candles in the bedroom only means good things, Durango loves his leash, collar and harness.

With peace and gratitude,

Lisa Marie

Over the years I have read and heard stories of dogs being drawn out by coyotes. I have never personally seen it, but I have heard people tell their stories of a young playful coyote that was simply to tempting of a playmate for their young dog. The clever coyote slowly and playfully lures the dog out and over the hill the rest are laying in wait, and then attack.

Last week while out hiking with the dogs, $eeker had his first experience with a coyote. It was his first hello from the wild side. 

I'll back up a bit, then it'll make more sense.

All of my past and present older dogs have had some sort of exposure to wildlife, predator and opportunistic scavenger type of wildlife, while out hiking with me over the years. From coyotes to bears, and even a mountain lion. I don't go looking for wildlife, but I do take note of the tracks, scat, fur, and feathers that we find. I want to know who is in the area with me. If something we find or cross looks fresh, I have no problem taking a detour or turning around completely and calling it a day.

My dog Chach was all of 25 pounds. We found her on a beach in Mexico, fell in love and brought her home. She would best be described as a village dog. Extremely street smart, lived amongst people, but answered to no one. Bringing her home to Wyoming must have been like landing on Mars for her, nothing made sense. She was sweet, opinionated, patient, and keen beyond words. She didn't go looking for dog friends, and she wasn't interested in play. However, during one season she did have a buddy, a young very playful coyote.

I didn't go looking for a play date friend that walked on the wild side, it just happened on one hike and caught me completely off guard. We would get high up in the Wind Rivers, and almost in the same spot, near the same meadow this coyote would be sitting and waiting. They had the most beautiful greeting each time, the way long lost friends meet, their love precedes them. Running, diving, spinning, and running some more. It was so mutual. It was only a season, and in her whole life, her only friend.

Franny, another one of my dogs that started her life in a feral way, is also very street smart, very wildlife savvy, and also had a couple of coyote friends. She got them, they got her, and to watch their play was jaw dropping. This is when playing the part of voyeur rocks! She would take off into the mountains, and eventually come back with a new play friend. Never to close to us, but within sight.

During these encounters I never once had the feeling that something was going to go south. It all seemed to be playing out as it should. No red flag feeling ever went up, in fact I am sure I was right where I wanted to be, watching something so special. When Franny matured she never went looking for another coyote friend. Now well into her golden years, if she see's one in the distance she just keeps her swagger moving right along. Every once in awhile she'll do her playful head bopping shake, but that's as grand as it gets these days.

If anything, my two dogs, Chach and Franny were drawing coyotes out to play. Oh dear ...

My two city slickers, Ocean and Story have no interest in making contact, are appropriately cautious, and will growl if they feel pressured in anyway. Both stay pretty close to me if a coyote is near by.

$eeker, my dog-dog socially awkward fellow, doesn't really like meeting strange dogs when out and about. He for sure doesn't want them in his face, and for really sure doesn't want them starring at him. I didn't have a good feeling about this coyote popping up on the ridge across from us, $eeker saw him first and made a small puff growl. Story laid down, Ocean sat next to me, and Franny rolled her eyes as if to say amateurs and just kept sauntering down the trail... as if!

But then this crazy thing happened. $eeker laid down and watched. The coyote stopped looking in our direction, was air scenting a bit, and then laid down. Everything he did seemed to be OK with $eeker, which is generally so not the case. $eek would tilt his head, air scent a bit and then put his chin down on his paws and watch.

This coyote was not playful, and I did have red flag feelings. This coyote was specific in his behaviors to placate my young innocent. So, knowing my dogs, knowing what causes them to ratchet up in behavior, what calms them, I had to run through my options before I acted. I was dealing with a formidable opponent.

My first thought was, is this coyote suicidal or do we simply look like too much fun to pass up?!

If I broke the silence and called $eeker to me, put pressure on him with my voice, or walked towards him, it could possibly put fuel on the fire and push $eeker right towards the coyote. I didn't want to tip the scale, I wanted to keep it in balance and get out of there. Should I simply keep walking down the trail with my other dogs and hope $eeker comes? Do I just say down stay while he is in a down, so he has a formal position, and then go put his leash on? Do I make a small noise to get his attention so he looks at me and then call him to me?

And then it just came out, collar! A behavior I work with on my dogs to come to me and push their heads through the loop on the leash. And $eeker did just that. Woop! in the biggest loudest kind of way!

I kept him on his leash for the duration of the hike, he looked a bit spooked, seeing ghosts of sorts, and would turn and growl every now and again. I'm not sure if he was growling at the thought of his encounter, the coyote possibly still close, or Franny's continued eye rolling at his amateur behavior?

Here is to continued safe hikes in the great outdoors, and to my dogs whom I love beyond words.


Nancy

This video I am going to ask you to watch is disturbing, no question about it. It has already been viewed by thousands of people, critiqued, criticized, and demonized. My desire for you to watch this clip is purely educational. What you are going to see is a two year old dog named 'D', with his owner, a four year old girl, and a predatory attack that catches almost everyone off guard. Watch it a few times, watch for the early signs, the predation starting when the owner stands up (it most likely was happening during the whole lunch time, but the camera only captured the dog once out from under the table), and the lock and load the dog has as the little girl is apparently moving outside of the camera view. Then watch as the girl is not only grabbed and bitten, but drug and shook under the table in less than a blink of the eye.

For four years I have been giving free lectures and community talks at our local library, on all things dog. They are short, informative, and fun. I for sure have my regulars that come once a month, bright smiles, fun stories of what they have been doing, and a certain eagerness to want to hear more. I appreciate this group more than they will ever know, they inspire me with their desire and kind heart, their sense of humor and their on going support.

But there is one topic that has yet to bring in the regulars, or for that matter new faces,  Children & Dogs: Balance, Love & Safety. It is singly the least attended lecture I give. I may have five people show up, in comparison my other talks can have as many as sixty in attendance (that gets a bit intimate and squishy to be honest).

My one client joked that I should give the lecture a title like, Dog Bites Child: full video and interview! Or even better, Killer Chihuahua takes out Toddler: see what went wrong! Sadly I have no doubt, funny as it would be, that attendance would be super high.

To me, learning to live in harmony with children and dogs in a household is a priority. I have both so I feel comfortable talking about this, from a personal and professional stand point. I'm not blowing smoke, I'm living it.

My house can be a virtual nesting napping house, or manic with activity. It's life. But I have worked hard, to the point of pissing off my husband, to make sure safety is number one, above all else. It's way easier to manage and have structure, than to pick up the awful pieces once something has gone terribly wrong. And who wants to live with that memory.

That my children are safe, polite and caring to our dogs, and respectful above all else is a priority in my home. No shortage of management when they were wee little toddlers and stumbling and grabbing onto everything. I also work hard with our puppies and dogs that they too are safe, polite and caring to our children, and respectful. Believe it or not, it's much easier to work on with canines than with human children, it has to be that primate thing of grabbing!

Any teenage friends coming into our home for sleep overs, studying or rehearsals are greeted upstairs by all of us. If someone is uncomfortable or inappropriate in regards to social skills with canines, my children are awesome at helping them with better skills. Just the other day my son Renn, who really isn't a dog person at heart, he just happens to growing up in a dog household, told his friend, "Dude just hold out you hand and let him sniff it, it's how they say hi".

My dogs don't pester my children, my children don't pester my dogs. While $eeker loves to be the shuttlecock retriever in the summer for the boys when they have their badminton tournaments, and he loves to hang in the sandbox if they are burying treasure, it is mutually enjoyed, no pressure.

While there are horrific attacks that make headlines, it's the attacks in family homes that disturb me most. They generally go unreported, and I am going to venture a guess that they most likely could have been avoided.

Balance ... even if it temporarily pisses someone off in your household, it's worth it. It takes time, effort and a good safe plan ...

Nancy

It's funny, not the hahaha belly jiggle funny, but the curiously funny. No matter what stage of life, my current interests, work, or hobby, there always seems to be camps. And they always seem to be opposing, not just a bit, but a lot.

It isn't that anyone is trying to reinvent the wheel, at least I don't think so, but the basic philosophies of say living, teaching and doing, always seem to have a nice dose of religious, philosophical, ethical and moral backing, or at least a sprinkling, on some level.

If your talking about dog training for example, which is my main business, the training communities are so split, split and divided, split and divided and take no prisoners.

In one corner you have the Positive Reinforcement Trainers, who as a general whole, follow science wrapped in ethics. No harm, good science backed information, relationship at the center. In the opposite corner you have the Pack/Dominance Trainers who have taken information based on wolf studies that would have you believe that all dogs are out to get us so we need to be assertive and assume leadership first and foremost. And lurking and creeping around the peripheries are new types of Trainers, yet to be named, that combine a bit of each, say the Positive Trainer that would lead you to believe shock collars are benevolent, or the Pack Leader trainer that uses hot dogs for the fearful dog. I'm just going to refer to them as the Blenders for now. All over simplifications, but at the core pretty accurate.

If your talking about Parenting, you have the Ferber Method, for babies with sleep problems, let them cry it out, don't sooth, teach a baby to self sooth. And then there is the Dr. Spock method, who truly believed that mothers new much more than they gave them self credit for. He was an advocate for attachment parenting, if your baby cry's they need you, believe them.

Breast feeding, you have the human breast loaded with milk group, La Leche, that falls over in horror at anyone using a pacifier or bottle. And then the Nestle driven formula group that have published study after study on how bad an contaminated human breast milk is and how far superior their formula is, even to the point of hiring mega Super Stars as spokes persons.

And the list with camps could continue, most likely forever, but I'll stop it here. Hopefully you get the drift.

I am pretty sure others have noticed and or felt this, and for sure one group kind of had a good time with it. The Green Coalition of Gay Loggers for Jesus, they even have their own FaceBook page! I love this group, they just crack me up. I think they had something in there about pie too?

If you know me, you know what my choices were and are, there is no secret, no agenda, it's simply life. I don't believe in causing harm or spreading hate. I like love, actually I love LOVE. And love for me doesn't have anything to do with harm or discipline, it has everything to do with the life experience. Sometimes making difficult choices suck, I get that. When I am eighty and the grass tall, I want memories that make me smile, even if they aren't my own and I'm just making them up in my daffy brain.

 I think common sense, a good heart, and a desire to share in life's experiences, trump everything else.

Nancy
... who is currently taking a break from people who mastered speech and debate in high school and want to press their point of view down your throat, because they can...

Grateful to be out hiking this week. They haven't been fast, or far, or extreme, or filled with great adventure. But they have been hikes, and for me and my dogs that's as cool as anything. I love being out with them, hearing their foot falls on the earth, swimming, finding new swag in and amongst the rocks. Should be snow right now, but I'll take what we have because it's still snake free! 

I love my schedule right now, it was actually designed by my staff, in particular, my CFO. If you missed the introduction, well then Here They Are. Five hours of work in the early morning, a two to three hour hike, after school fun stuff, and then five more hours of work in the evening... sometimes a bit more. If a bit more is the case, then believe you me, I have Amos, Billie, Sam, Janis, Van, and a few others to keep me good company. It gets a bit crowded in the office during late nights!

It's funny, my friend Susan once told me, "you'll love working for yourself, it's only half time... either the first sixteen hours of the day or the second sixteen hours of the day". I laughed and cringed at the same time when I heard that over ten years ago, maybe even shed a tear out of fear, but you know what, it totally suites me.

This week we were hiking flat.. My lungs currently have the elasticity and weight of a cinder block. Through no fault of their own they continued to veto even the gentlest of hills.This head cold is courtesy of the SMS Middle Schoolers, thank you very much.


Luckily, because it isn't snake season, yet, we still had lots to choose from! Funny, my sister e-mailed this week to ask me a snake related hiking question, and I almost couldn't read it... too early in the season, let me enjoy snake free for a bit longer.

I love cruising old mining and lumber roads, and always a favorite, railroad tracks. Surely I'm not the only one of my friends that has entertained the thought of hopping onto a train and taking it where ever it goes? Wander Lust, I have it in spades. Just walking on the tracks makes me feel like I'm really going some place, a travel adventure of sorts. Now I'm not quite like Sheldon, I don't hunt down hot dog stands in old renovated train cars, not even a train junky. I simply like the tracks.

Here's to deeper breathing, longer hikes, and hills to climb in the coming weeks!

To Ocean, Happy Retirement ... my agility partner for eight fast and furious years!

It was simply improbable all the way around.

She came from a backyard breeder where the puppies were living in trash, nine energetic puppies scampering around in piles and piles of trash. Ocean had a diaper on her head, surely she had a sense of humor? She was cautious, shy, and under weight. And she cost me a whopping $45.

But I had dreamed of her, and I knew it was Ocean when I picked her up. The deal was sealed in my heart in that very moment.

She excelled at everything we tried, but fell in love with agility.

We tried group classes for awhile. They were a good start in some ways but more along the lines of the School of Hard Knocks for Agility. So at six months we decided to branch out and train on our own. My husband built equipment, I watched other handlers like a hawk, and then we went into my laboratory, better known as my yard, and we learned together. I tried things I had seen, I tried things I thought might be kind of cool, but I also listened to Ocean. We worked it out together.

When she was old enough to compete we entered our first trial. She rocked in every way, in fact I saw her for the first time as not only my partner but as a fierce competitor. I was humbled by her desire, for what I'm still not sure. Motion. Speed. Mental challenge. Work. Team. Me. Us.

I wasn't quite so sold, in fact I remember specifically telling someone that I thought agility trials sucked the big one. The energy at a trail, especially your first one, can be overwhelming. But she convinced me to try it again, and we did, a lot of agains as a matter of fact.

She wasn't an easy dog to handle in a big environment when she was young. She could be reactive, she could get barky, and sometimes even so terrified of some noise outside that she wouldn't come out of her crate. We worked through it all. Team and Trust.

She has had many successes in agility. While she wasn't what you would call, a versatility competitor, she excelled beyond words in specific areas, mainly weaving. And weave she did! Every time we stepped up to the start line, she was prepared to give it 100%, never less. She ran and competed with her heart, because I know that sometimes she was tired, or a bit sore, or afraid of the fireworks going off outside of the barn. But that start line meant business for her, and she was all about it! Impressing me at every trial was not hard.

Over the last six months I have really been thinking about retiring her from agility. Yes one day, hell no the next. It's a decision that I always thought would be super obvious when the time was right, but it wasn't. It really came down to age, and me wanting her to be able to walk squarely on all four paws for another eight years. We are by no means retiring from life. We hike, play games, have fun with treibball, and freestyle our days away, our second passion together.

I sat in my chair today reflecting on what I was most proud of, as in Ocean and her agility career, and what we have done together. All of it really. The top ten lists, the Championships, the fast runs, the titles.

But there is one thing actually. We wrote our own path together. We stepped away from what others were telling us about who we were as a team, what our relationship should look like, and what our goals should be. She trusted me enough to go along with trying new things. I trusted her as my partner, 100%. And we grew together.We took risks, we had fun, we laughed, we traveled, and we went super duper fast every time!

Cheers and here's to you Ocean! You have been an amazing partner and it's felt like flying most of the time... We have mountain ranges to explore, beaches to visit, and lots of lakes to swim in... A margarita for me and a raw yummy bone for you! We did it Sister!!!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

Before I had my own children I was an 'arm chair Mama'. You know the type, they know better than an actual Mom in the field doing her thing. They can sit there and call the plays, but they really aren't getting their hands all that dirty? And at the end of the day they pretty much can walk away to their own life, no maternal commitment, no diapers in the purse, no breast milk stains on the blouse, no dark circles under the eyes from the sleepless days, weeks, and sometimes months. And I rocked it, I was so good at virtually Momming, and I'm sure I drove my friends nuts!

Even during my first pregnancy, I apparently had some level of denial going on, or else completely naive as to pending Mama-hood.  After the first 16 weeks of blecht I felt so vibrant and so amazing in every way, so we kept going and doing our thing. I just couldn't imagine a baby changing my life that much, a little sure?

Piper was born, and in the very moment she entered the world, my life changed forever as I knew it, and I knew it in that moment. The way I felt, saw things, acted, and most importantly, the way I loved. I had never felt anything so deeply in my life.


In her first year she flew across the country seven times with me, spent her first winter in Maine, dug in the sand on the beaches of California, nursed in my lap on a gorgeous patio in Mexico, and learned to walk in the first garden we planted together in Wyoming. She was amazing!

In her first year I was so utterly exhausted, Mama-hood was crushing me day by day. I was trying to keep the life we had before she came into the world, without skipping a beat, all while being a Mama.

My friend at the time, very kindly and gently sat me down.  As he gazed into what I can only imagine, very blood shot swollen eyes, rimmed in dark circles, he said something so simple, "our children are a tender trap, it's time to slow down and be in it for now". My only response "does this really mean I have to watch Barney?" .... no it did not ...

Renn came into the world not too long after. My house became a nest of sorts, a comfy cozy delicious place to be. And I loved being in their tender trap ... and still do.

My children are growing, and even though I have more freedoms now, I have found that this life suites me. It grounds me and I feel clear.


Here's to comfy cozy thoughts,
Nancy

Sometimes things are not always as they appear. This morning was a great reminder, and sometimes I need these types of reminders.It keeps me very honest in my training, and most importantly in my relationships with my dogs.


Treibballs came out, my dogs can happily push away, we can work on directionals, lots of great mental and physical exercise without it being pounding or too concussive.

I sent Story out, he went half way, lay down and looked at me, I asked him to go all the way, he turned went two more feet and lay down. He rarely has refusals, and if so I have learned to trust something is not right.

I couldn't immediately find our regular mat, so I grabbed a dog pillow off the deck, put it in the very same place where the mat has been for 3 months.Refusals with all three dogs. So I stopped, checked my dogs paws, their legs, no apparent injuries. Then I looked to the environment. What is it?

Now I truly believe this would be the point of big frustration for some dog owners, even some trainers. DO IT! D.O. I.T.! Some people even start to talk LOUDER BECAUSE APPARENTLY WE HUMANS THINK THAT IF OUR DOG DIDN'T DO IT THE FIRST TIME PERHAPS THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEIR HEARING. I tend to error on the side of fair, mainly because I am a big question asker and I want to know why, and bottom line I trust my dogs. I have no desire to make any living being do anything if they are trying to tell me something is not right. Let's figure this out. And truly, since I speak human and they speak dog, we kind of have a bit of a language barrier, so I rely heavily on my experience with them, their personalities, body language, and certain ways they look at me.Still, I am not a native speaker in the dog world, at best a visitor.

We walked around the yard, I waited for indications of something amiss, nothing really. Then it struck me, CLUE! Franny, on the Deck, with the Pillow. If it truly were a game, and I had guessed, I would have won big! So all of the pillows are free pillows, not one more favored than the others, all equally shared. Franny does tend to hold the deck pillows down more than the others to be sure. But it turned out to be the combination. While Franny sat on the edge of the deck, half way between the dogs and the pillow we used as a mat, none of the dogs would pass her. We had the Bermuda Triangle going on in our very own back yard this morning!

Franny has never once made a malice gesture towards our other dogs, in fact she was quite maternal with all of them when they were puppies. They use her for a hurdle when playing in the yard, run around her when she is sleeping, bump into her on occasion. She even held the title of Story's Muse for a few years when he just couldn't seem to get enough of her. She has not an ounce of resource guarding, and loves when the border collies come home after a weekend away. They all share the couch on cold nights, and snuggle with me in the morning.

But now I will say the however part. While she has never showed any overt signs of malice or pushiness with our dogs, she has a certain type of mojo that all dogs pick up on, not just mine. If Franny saunters towards a toy, the other dogs will leave it, if she comes to me for a pet, they will move away, if their toy falls next to where she is laying, they won't go and get it. Not a growl, not a moan, no storm moving across her face, no freezing or stiffening. It's her.

Do my dogs view her as Franny or the Black Angel of Death? I will never know. Do they fear her or respect her? I'll never know. Has she given them the death stare just once to prove her point? If so I haven't seen it.

But the combination of her on the deck, the pillow in the mat spot, and my dogs having to cross this imaginary line was just to much. So, to see if what I was seeing was correct, I changed things around

put the pillow back on the deck
the mat in the mat spot
Franny sauntered off the deck
the dogs started to run the distance with no refusals
Franny got back on the deck on her pillow
dogs continued to run the distance with no refusals
put the pillow in the mat spot, Franny sitting on edge of deck watching
refusals

I learned something this morning, that sometimes what I am observing is not what I am observing at all. Sometimes when we are focused on the static behavior we loose sight of the real picture around us, what's driving it... These little reminders keep things very real for me, for better or worse.

Hoping that we are all living with honesty and eyes wide open!
Nancy

Well my workshop season is now in full swing for 2012, woop! It couldn't have been a more auspicious opening either. A beautiful weekend in Red Lodge Montana at the new premier training center Yellowstone Dog Sports, my son with me, awesome teams, and just all around great energy.

2011 was my first full year giving workshops outside of the Bozeman area. Now you may be saying big deal, but it actually was. You see, in Bozeman most people who call, e-mail or stop me in the market have a pretty good sense of who I am as a trainer, my style and what I can possibly offer. The energy in your own home town creates flow, cultural patterns of behavior, and a knowingness that creates comfort, for me anyway. Your essentially working with your own, and I have had the pleasure to do this for over eight years.

Stepping outside of this familiar and comfortable boundary, I opened myself up to new teams, new styles, and new dialects of English (yes we have them, there are simply some areas in the US with accents that have to be a dialects!). Most teams didn't know who I was, what my style was, or frankly what to expect. But they came anyway with the best of intentions and I think on some level deep curiosity. Who is this chick from Montana anyway?

My suitcase was coming and going all last year, never fully unpacked. Notes from Maryland, California, Idaho and beyond, all in a binder with receipts for gas, airlines, and tacos. Seriously, if I'm going to travel I have to make time for my comfort food, that's that.

What I found, or rather what found me, was that each workshop was truly a workshop. We were building teams, building and working on relationships, building vocabulary, working towards better and more achievable goals. Always an incredible exchange of information, energy and ideas.

What I learned about myself when teaching outside of my hood, is that I don't want to be the voice. I don't want to ever encourage people to drink that proverbial Kool-Aid from my teaching. I am simply a voice in the conversation, sometimes louder than others to be sure. But part of what I believe and learned in the past year, is that once you have a good understanding of what I teach, you at some point, need to make it your own.

I want to build an environment that is safe for working, trying, and sharing information during my workshops. An environment that is fun and non judgmental. Impart some of my knowledge on building better relationships, building more focus in a team, training for competition level behaviors, and watching teams go through the discovery period while having the knowledge that I am there to support them. At some point though every team needs to be accountable, and not say the well rehearsed, well he said she said thing.

So to celebrate the beginning of the 2012 workshop season - and it's almost a full schedule already (thank you!) - Enjoy this Magic Carpet Ride!

Holl-a! That's right, raise your hands and celebrate! Four years ago today, me and my two assistants met up at Stone Creek/Bangtail Divide trail head. If I remember correctly it was in the early morning, gray skies, snowing lightly, deep snow on the ground, a little bit of wind, and around -5 to -10. And you couldn't wipe the smiles off of our faces! I arrived with the customary big box of donuts while we discussed our plans. That hike was just our dogs I believe, so we could get a feel for what we wanted to achieve in our hiking class. We all loved the back country, we all loved training, and we all felt a need for more trail education. It was almost electric just thinking about this new adventure within my business. We were out for hours, and again if I remember correctly we had to help push one of the cars out because the snow had come down a bit more than we had planned.

Over the years, pushing cars and un-ditching cars were not uncommon. It's part of getting into the back country sometimes, and we never had a complaint. What we loved so much about the clients who took these classes is that they had, for the most part, hiking and mountain experience, they understood mud, rain, wind and cold better than most, and considered the class an adventure. And most importantly it was something they really wanted to do with their dog, and learn more about the canine end of trail etiquette, again holl-a! Cool people by any measure.

How did this come to be?

I've been passionate about hiking since I was about 17 years old, maybe a bit younger. The air, the freedom, your body working, and the sounds that you only hear when you're in the back country. I've hiked in many places both here in the States and beyond, in all of the seasons and all weather conditions. I've climbed and hiked the east face of Mt. Whitney, across the Baja peninsula, slept in rock caves in New Zealand, and to the top of several volcanoes in Indonesia. In all of this time, my best memories are those I shared hiking with my dogs, period. I've never quite found the words that explain the feeling when it's just you and your dog, and 1000's of miles of open space around you. It goes beyond grounding, beyond relationship.

One of the first things I did when I moved to Bozeman was hike. I came home crying and frustrated. I brushed it off as being new to the area, a new Mom, and moving stress. The feelings of frustration when hiking out of Bozeman never left. Coming from Wyoming where you basically have the entire Wind River mountain range to yourself, and if you did see another trail user it was respectful and without conflict, it was culture shock all the way around. It felt like everyone on the trails here did whatever they wanted, and hikers with dogs were treating trails like dog parks. So I learned about local trail choice rather quickly, where my dogs and I could be successful and not feel stressed or on guard with other hikers that didn't' care enough.

As my training business grew I started to notice many of our clients, that had spent a great deal of time training with their dogs, and also enjoyed the back country, were having similar conflicts with other trail users. So the seed was planted.

READY, SET, HIKE! came first, then Back Country Hiking with You & Your Dog, then Back Country Hiking & Wilderness First Aid for You & Your Dog. I was fortunate to have been asked to give a class at the Museum of the Rockies, and interviewed for several local magazines. This ARTICLE appeared in Livingston I believe. My Assistant at the time, Prairie, excelled with this class. I would have to say her comfort and genius was teaching in the back country.

Because of insurance reasons and the need for a Guide/Outfitters license to hike with clients, we had to discontinue group hikes for now. We will be offering more classes in the future to prepare teams for the back country and to build better trail skills for owners and dogs. Montana is easily one of the most spectacular places on Earth that I have hiked, and I have only explored a mere corner of the whole state. Here is to many more years, many more miles ...

Happy Anniversary to READY, SET, HIKE! It is happening because of great people, great dogs, and awesome mountain ranges ...
Nancy

In researching and studying  advertising and marketing strategies lately, I have found that there is a fine line, sometimes even an enormous gap between creative and totally misleading.

When I go into stores these days, I go about my business and do my shopping, but I now look at labels with different eyes, eyes that actually need glasses but that's a different story for a later time. I look at the label lay out, what catches my eye first, colors, and what the label is trying to sell me, verses what the product actually is.

Let's take a pet store aisle, just for giggles, and look at the sign that says Training Collars. I've never really understood this strategy to be honest with you, but let's just go with it. Every time I see that sign and look at the collars I secretly wonder if they are sprinkled with pixie dust, or have a bit of magic behind them. A collar that can train your dog? All by itself? It's better than a crystal ball for gods sake!

The next time you go into a pet store with your dog, walk over to the sign that says Training Collars, take off your dogs gear and put on one of the Training Collars; pinch, choke, webbing, shock, they're all lumped together so apparently they're all capable of Training. Now, put your hands in your pockets, stand back and watch the magic unfold before your eyes! Ta Da...

No pixie dust magic I am going to guess, but I don't want to spoil your fun, just go and try it anyway.

That's because a collar does not train your dog, you train your dog, and you choose the gear you want to do it with. You are in control of what you put around your dogs muzzle, neck and/or chest. You are in control of it, it does not work without you on the other end of the leash or control box. This sign would allow you to believe that the collar is in control of your dog, which takes all responsibility and accountability away from the handler. This is where we humans get into a bit of trouble.

Most of the collars, not all, in this aisle are not designed to spray rainbows by any measure, and they are not designed to actually train anything, or even assist with training. They are designed to cause pain, fear and/or discomfort so you can teach your dog avoidance. That goes against building life skills and a relationship.

Guess what happens when the Training Collar comes off? Generally you have a dog that has learned nothing other than what to avoid. Many times these dogs have no reliable behaviors when all of the gear comes off. When gear is the focus, relationship gets lost, and without a strong relationship there can be no good teaching.

The problem I have with this type of marketing is that it takes responsibility away from the handler, it is misleading by a long shot and it desensitizes consumers as to what they are actually purchasing, and for what reasons.

If a sign were to say Pain, Fear and Discomfort Collars, would you buy one? Would you feel that you were doing something that would be beneficial for your relationship with your dog. Would you put in your next Christmas letter that baby Fido got his first Pain, Fear and Discomfort Collar and we are so excited about it? Why not, there are boat loads of people who say they just bought a new Training Collar for their dog. The terminology and marketing have desensitized and allowed us to feel good about using them.

What about a sign that says Training Takes a Life Time Collars, would you feel discouraged and overwhelmed? Collars and harnesses that are made for comfort and to assist with training goals are also made for handlers that understand training doesn't happen over night, in a weekend, a year or even five years. It is a life time commitment. This can seem overwhelming and daunting to some.

When you buy something for yourself based on advertising that is appealing to you, you are making a choice that will effect only you. You can live with those choices, good , bad or indifferent. When you buy something for your dog, you need to choose wisely and look past advertising and marketing. Really look at the product and do research. After you have done that, you need to have personal accountability for how you use it, and know why. You are doing the training with your dog, not the gear.

If someone ever comes out with a Pixie Dust Collar ... let me know!

Nancy
...who has the best of intentions for all living beings...

In the last decade, there has been a movement in the animal world that is not only responsible and caring,  but also rather hip. Adopting a second hand dog. Along with this trend is the new phrase, "this is Fido, he's a rescue". Rescue has become the new breed, and I think it's a disservice to our animals, and keeps owners from moving forward with the relationship and becoming 100% accountable in their ownership/guardianship. Hang in there, don't start grinding your teeth just yet!

Read the next two sentences and then close your eyes and say them back to yourself, one at a time. What is the mental picture that appears, and be honest.

This is Fido, he's a rescue
This is Fido, he's a golden retriever cross

We all have emotional responses to words, and they can influence the way we behave, feel, or act. When the word Rescue is used to describe a dog it tells me nothing about the dogs breed, characteristics, possible instinctual behaviors, or size. The word Rescue conveys feelings and word pictures for me that parallel the words definition; save, free, liberate, release, etc.

Just like most trends, once Hollywood and/or Rock Stars OK something and get behind the effort, it's more widely accepted.

But here is my question and also my concern. To say you have a Rescue does have a certain social status in today's world, in our country. But really, how many times can you rescue your Rescue? Isn't once enough? Shouldn't your Rescue be elevated to Your Dog at some point? Doesn't clarifying that your dog is a Rescue every time you introduce them change the way you act and/or feel? Doesn't it influence others opinion of your dog? Do you find it easier to dismiss and/or blame certain behaviors on your dog because you think of them as your Rescue?

Stray and/or abandon dogs are not an anomaly, they've been around since written history began, and probably long before. Growing up in the 60's all of our dogs and cats were stray's, given to us, or from the pound. One of our dogs, Tiger II, came to us via my sisters gym clothes bag from school. I don't remember that we ever paid for a dog or cat, most were second hand in some way, but I can't recall a time that we ever used the terminology rescue, adopted or stray. All of our animals were ours the moment they came into the house. As children we were thrilled about calling a new pet ours, part of our family. There was defined ownership in that, security, accountability on my parents part, maybe even a bit of resource guarding on my part.

I raise my hand and admit to riding my bike around the harbor, casually looking for an animal that needed to be part of our family. I will even admit to leaving bait in the bait tank to attract feral cats. If a cat was nice I would bring her home, if she was pregnant it was even better! More to call ours, mine... ours! See there's the resource guarding side again

And it didn't stop with childhood. When my husband and I went camping in Mexico, we came home tan, fit and new dog owners. She found us on a beach, camped out with us for almost two weeks, never left our sides for even a minute. We took her into a near by town for a rabies shot and papers, and brought her home. To this day, the complete love of my life, and I never once called her anything besides mine. And I never dismissed any of her behaviors on the fact that she was a stray or feral dog. Her behaviors were hers, our relationship together was ours. We came at it together. I never required for her to be her past forever!


We have since adopted, found and paid for numerous animals, all are mine. I own them, I am their guardian, they are part of my family, I am accountable for their actions, their health and well being. It is a responsibility I willingly signed up for and wanted. They become members of our family the day they arrive, a new personality a new relationship. We take the good and the bad and work on things together.

I think we can all do our part and open our homes and hearts to those animals that need it most. But I think once we do open our hearts and homes we need to move on together with a more honest relationship.

Here's to honest love ...
Nancy

It isn't often that Spore is home, AND if he is home it's highly unlikely his time is his own. Besides my one mile long punch list of projects around the house, he's generally helping out at Renn's school, doing errands, and/or prepping for the next week of work.

But alas, today we went hiking, together. It's rare, and what I mean by rare is, it's taken 13 years for our schedules to mesh, the planets align, and the weather cooperate...

What's so weird about me even writing this is that our relationship, almost 17.5  years ago, was founded on hiking, traveling and adventure. We've hiked all over the south island of New Zealand, Bali and Java, Wyoming, Utah and parts of Baja. Not a little, but a lot.  Wait, I forgot to mention that Spore was even a NOLS instructor way back when. So it seems a bit ridiculous really.

I hike with the kids. Spore trail runs with the dogs. I hike with the dogs. Spore takes the kids. We've been so used to flip flopping the crew, and it really feels pretty right to be honest, that we seemed to have missed the part of taking a hike together.

Today was awesome. Four hours hiking with Spore and the dogs, along the Jefferson and then up into the hills ... I will let you enjoy the photos, it was gorgeous out this morning. And yes, still snake free... woop!

Fresh Air and Good Thoughts,
Nancy

It isn't like I flew to Paris, or went helicopter skiing in Banff. I didn't have any spa days, not even long shower days for that matter. I still worked close to 40 hours each week, and still had to clean my house and deal with a mud pit of a back yard (thank you Old Man Winter, you must be the one who received the free tickets to Tahiti, cause you sure ain't here!)

BUT, I would have to say this has been one of my most favorite holiday vacations in a super duper very long time.


For the most part, we stocked up on our favorite foods and drinks and locked our doors. My children, dogs, soul food, books and movies were right here! We had so much fun, so much laughter, and just love time! Much needed with our busy schedules, coming and going, and things that take us in various directions. We only left for a few hikes, work obligations, and to re-stock! Our family room turned into a nest of sorts, drums were out and used daily, movies until wee hours of the morning, and yummy food going in the kitchen dawn til' dusk.


We watched a heap of movies, Renn even had a Star Wars Marathon with his friend Sean for two days,  but we all agree A Life Less Ordinary was one of our favorites. To be honest I think it has been Spore's favorite since the late 90's.

I read four books that I had been saving for this holiday vacation, all good, and all worth the read, HOWEVER I just started my last Christmas present book Blood, Bones & Butter, and only half way into it I can tell you it is hands down my favorite! Awesome, delicious, inspiring. I want to go and eat at Prune! Maybe even work there!

We have many traditions in our family, some traditional, and some not so traditional. One is reading The Boat of Dreams , hysterical, gritty and teardrop inducing. Why the story was written and the authors wish is as important as the story itself. We too have a stuffed animal named Chicken bones-don't-ask-me-why?

To everything I hold near and dear to my heart, you keep me firmly grounded on this planet and make everything feel seamless ...


May I continue to see the the year's  through the brightness of my children and dogs! Our door unlocks in the AM ... begrudgingly ...

Here is wishing you all a bright New Year, with adventure, possibilities, and happiness!

Nancy

Now I know it's fashionable to say, "... me? no, no, no... I don't watch TV, it's junk, a mind numbing waste of time. I'd rather scrub the dead skin off of the soles of my feet with a pumice stone..."

Well not me, I'll leave my soles just the way they are, cause there is some great stuff on TV right now, most notably, The Big Bang Theory.

Our whole household loves it. Smart, funny, quirky, unapologetic, and enough politically incorrect humor to give it a gritty edge. The Writers for this show are brilliant, and have pretty much nailed the uber smart nerd, Lego loving, video game aficionado, comic book historian, compulsive type personality... in a great way...

What makes it even more hilarious in our household, $eeker is our Sheldon! Sheldon is played by Jim Parsons, dazzling talent. Now if you watch the show, hopefully you're on the ground rolling with laughter right now and will have a bit more sympathy for me. If you don't watch the show, let me explain ...

$eeker - pattern, pattern, pattern. Uber smart, and is driven by his compulsive patterns. He relies on them everyday, one step leads to the other. While he can be a bit flexible with change, he is far more comfortable in his patterns. Patterns for him are not random, they are specific to the time of day, people involved, and the activity. Certain number of times, no more no less for each activity. Specific people are greeted at specific times of day, if you pop in and it's not part of his predetermined schedule for you, he truly does not see you, you are out of his daily order. He eats in a specific space at a specific time. Certain nights of the week are specific outings or activities and he counts on them. He has a specific social circle and doesn't feel the need to expand it. He is unapologetic of his actions, good or bad, and has contempt for anything less intelligent than himself. He has his spot, in certain chairs at specific times of day. For example, if you happen to be sitting in the green chair at 10am, your good as gold to enjoy that chair, if however you are in the green chair at 6:05pm he will crawl up on you and sit on top of you, again he truly does not acknowledge what is not on his schedule, and it is his spot at that specific time. He enjoys mental games and mental tasking far more than physical, although he is physically gifted. He is socially awkward at best with his own species, and his own species agrees that he is awkward at best. He finds great comfort in hanging out with us alien like humans, and again, is unapologetic about his social choices.


I believe the writers for Dr. Sheldon Cooper had to have been Star Wars loving, semi compulsive children, because Sheldon reminds me an awful lot of C-3PO. They are kind of one in the same, just from a different generation, but in all honesty, even though C-3PO was a droid, he was a bit more flexible and empathetic in his nature than Sheldon Cooper.

None of our other dogs fit the other characters on The Big Bang, but it would be so fun if $eeker had friends with personalities that matched, Leonard, Howard, Penny and Raj. It would be the coolest social circle in canine history!

Happy New Year!
May you have laughter, good fortune, and health in the coming year
Nancy

In all of my years working with animals and now mothering my own children, I have not once used the words obey, obedient or obedience. And it's intentional. I believe the art of teaching is a combination of many factors, none of them alluding to obedience. All living beings come to the planet with something to share and/or offer. It is the artful teacher that enhances that life experience, whether it is a moment in time or a life time.

I suppose I should state that I believe good teaching and/or training is a combination of skills; observation, patience, practice, timing, benevolent boundaries, and positive feedback. I was fortunate to have some rock star teachers when I was young, actually they were hippies in the sixties, nonetheless, they allowed for exploration in both academics and life skills, within safe benevolent boundaries. My respect for them has never diminished.

What does obey even mean? Well the online dictionary says: to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions... without question or reservation (ouch). It wouldn't be stretching things to assume that the military and church had something to do with this philosophy going mainstream, reaching family rooms and dog houses alike. But I also think the whole British Nanny and Governess movement didn't help things either. Order and obedience.

So as always, my curiosity got the best of me and I have been on a journey of sorts.

Starting with the beloved Mary Poppins, nanny to Jane and Michael Banks! She is, to say the least, the most famous British nanny in history. She has inspired and delighted over the years. But I don't think she was a typical nanny. I have watched that movie no less than 200 times, not an expert, but I know it pretty darn well. I have had the feeling that she was more like a prostitute in the witness protection program than an actual nanny. Why? Well just put in your DVD copy and watch it, again, and again, and again. Dancing on roof tops at night, and being appropriately scampy. She had an air about her that was both magical and indifferent to the attention being thrown her way. While she cared about the kids being polite and respectful, she also opened their minds to a bigger more delicious life. It wasn't just about being dutiful or obedient, so you could infer that she was not a typical nanny! Thinking I might be a bit off, I googled was Mary Poppins a prostitute? Apparently it was a larger conversation than I had ever imagined, over three million web pages on why or why not. So I deferred to a Mary Poppins Scholar, my daughter. "do you think Mary Poppins was simply magical or a prostitute?"  "OMG, MOM! where did that even come from, that is the weirdest question ever. Are you talking about her being with men all the time and dancing on roof tops at night?" Bingo, not saying any more, decide for yourself. I will say that the character of Mary Poppins was written by someone who understood the art of teaching.


There are so many parenting and training books on the shelves these days it's hard to know which one is based on good common sense, accurate observation with science based evidence, and which one is someones idea of how a living being should be treated! Big huge crocodile filled mote difference!

So I then went to Amazon and looked for a book that had both raising and training in the search. I thought for sure Mary Poppins would come up. What I found was one of the scariest books I have ever come across. It's laced in Christanese so you think it might be gentle and about guidance. Nope, not an ounce of it. I really don't feel you need to buy the book unless you want to learn more about wolf in sheep's clothing type of humans, just read the reviews, all 1,826! To Train Up a Child by Debi and Michael Pearl (yup, a husband and wife wrote this together, even scarier...)

After taking a Brillo pad to scrub the memories of this book from my brain, I  looked over the books that line my shelves, fill bins in the garage, and are stashed in various nooks around my house. All of them that pertain to teaching, training and parenting have a solid foundation in love and respect for living beings. My favorites are written by Ethologists, the study of animal behavior in a natural environment. Parenting and teaching are almost always one in the same. From the lioness, to the field mouse, to the dog, etc. The similar thread always seems to be; I will protect you, feed and nurture you, teach you important skills, allow you freedom to explore within certain boundaries, and be there when you need me. This to me is the fundamental art of teaching as nature intended.

Cheers and good thoughts,
Nancy

Dear Santa,
I'm at an age where I no longer write to you literally, but rather figuratively. Either way, this time of year it just feels right and it's a bit cathartic for me. I am pretty sure I believed in you way past a healthy or reasonable age, in fact I remember punching my sister in the face when she told me who really brought the presents. I think I still hold her responsible in some way for my holiday loss of innocence.

To be honest though, I'm not sure I really bought into a real jolly fat man flying around in the sky with reindeer, and a sleigh that held presents for all of the children in the world. Even at a young age I was clever enough to realize that someone's LSD trip had gone main stream some how. As for the whole naughty and nice thing, I never really bought into that much either, I think that was some over zealous Catholic guilt thrown in for good measure. Even after the face punch I still had presents waiting for me. After all, your suppose to be a jolly fat man, why waist the energy to deliver coal into someones stocking? And the whole red velvet suite, crawling down chimneys and kissing Mommies? I always found that to be a bit pimpish and I never really bought that either. I did have a clear idea of who you were through your acts of kindness though. At least I never confused you for Jesus like Augesten Burroughs!

What I loved and looked forward to every year was the feeling of a pending festival. Gathering a tree and ornaments, and making a big deal out of it. Baking, cooking, sewing new clothes just for this special occasion. Tinsel everywhere, so sparkly and fun. And being able to tell a nonjudgmental, fat and jolly adult, my secrets, my true wishes, and what I REALLY wanted, not what my parents were trying to tell me I wanted. And you listened, you told me how special I was, how good I was, and you believed in me. How cool is that for a child? For anyone?

Now that I am older, I am a parent myself. I have watched my daughter sit on the lap of a drunk lobster fisherman who was paid to do a Santa gig. Maine is a funny funny place! But just the same, he listened, he told her how sweet she was and that she needed to keep believing in her dreams. And this is what I love about you in the figurative sense. The spirit of gifting, giving, and believing in something slightly magical, all for good, all for joy, and something that even a drunk old man can  pass along. My son loves the idea of you, but he's not so thrilled with the the guys doing the Santa gigs around town, he thinks their pretty creepy. Perhaps he heard the drunk Santa story to often when he was young?

So, as always, here is my wish list. As every living being has many layers, so do I. This particular wish is not to wish for a hut in Tahiti with a surfboard and yummy tropical fruit...again... But rather for the dogs that haven't learned how to write to you yet...

1. For all puppies, that they can keep their tails and ears just the way nature intended, no more cropping and docking. Unless someone is willing to crop their child's ears to look like Spock? Interesting thought...
2. That all puppies stay with their Mom's for the first 2 1/2 months they are on this planet. It is such a short time, but a time well had. After all, Mom can do far better work in those 2 1/2 months than we can, let her do the work while we pick out the name and fun gear!
3. That all superstitious mumbo gumbo about taking puppies at 49 days, spitting in a puppies mouth to bond, never letting a puppy watch you pee, etc... get wiped from peoples memories. But leave the walking under a ladder, avoiding cracks and black cats crossing your path, because those are for sure TRUE!
4. That all books that teach people how to harm, correct, or be a bully towards their puppies burst into spontaneous flames on Christmas Eve, that would be so cool! Poof! And that stockings be filled with information on kind and considerate handling for all living beings.
5. That puppies teach their owners how to spend more time with them doing interesting and adventurous things. Not through chewing down the door or shredding the pillows, but rather getting out and becoming a team. Please give puppies this voice!
6. I wish for all dogs that have crossed the rainbow bridge, as is the saying in the dog world, that they don't wait for their owners. They spent their life time doing that, now they have the opportunity to live it up like Rock Stars! Glue furniture to the ceiling canine style, use that rainbow for a slide, run, bark if they want, lift their leg on what makes them feel good, lay in the morning sun all day long, find new friends... But don't wait. For my dogs that have passed I am sure we will meet again, but please don't wait ... you know I love, so my wish is for you to fly!
   

 

I have many more wishes, but this will do for this year. My dreams and hopes for this season are as grand as they were when I was a child. Thank you for keeping that spirit alive ...

Cheers & Ho Ho Ho!

Nancy

I was just cleaning out the dusty trunk section on my computer and found this piece that I wrote about 3-4 years ago for a local animal shelter. I received more e-mails on this little piece than anything I had written previously. The e-mails were mostly from other professionals, veterinarians, groomers, trainers, etc. I am posting again and hope I am not totally preaching to the choir, if so, please pass it along... If my business slows down a bit in January because everyone took care of their dogs needs this holiday season, that would be OK, I wouldn't mind a short road trip to the coast to dip my toes in some salty sand...

Busy, Busy, Busy…

There is no doubt, this time of year is one of the busiest; school is back in session, home repairs need to be finished before winter is fully upon us, and the various holidays start to pile up in 3 short months! With holiday functions, shopping, school plays, more shopping, seasonal errands, holiday baking…and the list goes on… its usually pure luck if we get some free time for a walk or simply enough time to just sit and relax at all! But we should, and this is why…the well being of our four legged furry companions, our dogs! As our schedules expand, the quality time we set aside for our dogs usually begins to dwindle, and when this combination occurs, we see problems.

Come January, trainers and behaviorists across the country see an increase in ‘clients that have dogs with issues’, and while the business is greatly appreciated, many of the problems could have been avoided during the proceeding months. In order to have a well balanced good dog there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration on a daily basis; social, emotional, physical and nutritional well being. It really is that simple. While it might seem like a daunting daily task, it is easier to accomplish than you might think, and actually quite enjoyable.

Social, physical and emotional needs can be met while out on walks in town, visiting dog friendly stores, or by inviting friends over to your house that like spending time with you and your dog. If your dog enjoys a good romp with dog buddies, visit your local well managed dog park, or go for a walk with a friend and their dog. Emotional well being starts with a household that has consistency and benevolent boundaries. Spend time teaching your dog something new, minutes, that’s all it takes if you do it everyday. Physical well being is really a ‘two-fer’, if you get out and exercise your dog, you are getting exercise too, and what a great stress reliever, especially during the holiday crunch time! And who can forget about food during the holidays? Filling your dog up with left overs from the very rich holiday menu isn’t always the best. While there are a plethora of options on the market; premium quality kibbles, raw, and home cooked, you want to make sure you are feeding your dog the best quality that you can afford. The basic rule of thumb; avoid dog food with wheat, corn or soy and look for meat source proteins. You want your dog to feel just as good on the inside as they feel on the outside.

This is the moment to get out your Blackberry, your day planner or your calendar and start marking off a special hour or two everyday just for you and your best friend. If the space is reserved right now, then you can easily schedule your holiday events around it.

Nancy Tanner
Paws & People
Bozeman, Montana

First off, a special shout out to all the folks that sent me e-mails in regards to your urine observations. I totally get why you didn't respond on the blog with a public post, just know that your serious, fun, cheeky and joking comments all made me smile, and made my bladder tingle just a bit ... Here is to more yellow snow! You have to wonder though, now that I have asked you to watch your dogs a bit more closely, inspect what they have done with their own urine as well as others... Are they starting to look at you a bit funny?

Turkey Day was awesome as usual. Poor Renn, his favorite Holiday of the whole year and he was sick in bed all day. He has called it Food Day for as long as I can remember. He hovers around the kitchen all day, helping, smelling, getting that silly smile on his face when the pies come out. He is truly a boy who will grow into a man that will fall in love with a great cook. He loves food. He loves cooking. He loves eating. His Holiday for sure! None of my dogs would disagree with Renn on this one, they too hold court in the kitchen on Thanksgiving day, slow roast turkey signals greatness will abound sooner or later... Franny, my wee bit daffy girl, won't leave the kitchen until she gets her pumpkin pie, her and Renn share a similar spirit!

Thanksgiving is my time to revisit some of my favorite cook books and recipes. We do many of the traditional dishes, but we always try new too. My favorite cookbooks are those that have life lessons, stories, photos... Edward Espe Brown of Tassajara is hands down one of my favorites. My one copy went all the way to Antarctica with me. His bread recipes and techniques are great, but it's his philosophy and words that are even better, whether your cooking or not. And to be quite honest, his words pretty much hold true for teaching dogs, children, yourself ... it's kindness and living. For example..

Recipes do not belong to anyone - given to me, I give them to you. Recipes are only a guide, a skeletal framework, to be fleshed out according to your nature and desire. Your life, your love, will bring these recipes into full creation. This cannot be taught. You already know. So plunge in: cook, love, feel, create. Edward Espe Brown 1986

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!
May you have laughter, cheer, great food, happy drinks and the best company ever, furry and non-furry alike!

Just in case you experience any stress while getting ready for the big event ... $eeker and I would like to lighten the mood!

With Gratitude,
Nancy & the Soul Dogs ...

I needed to hold out for some snow. You see urine doesn't mean much to some, in regards to our dogs, unless we can see it! Say good bye to that old saying don't eat the yellow snow! It turns out yellow snow isn't so bad, may not taste all that good, but there are some cool things that deserve more attention in regards to that sunburst colored patch in your yard.

Now if you have young babies, have had young babies, have puppies or have gone through the puppy stages in your life time, you'll know that talking about bodily functions, specifically fluids, is totally normal and acceptable. How does it look, what color, what it smells like, how often, where, and when. This topic is alive an well at most cocktail and dinner parties, for sure the ones I go to...

For humans, urine is that substance that just needs to come out, sometimes when we are prepared and sometimes when we're not. But it's a bodily function we all share, and in fact share with all mammals, and the overall chemical composition of urine is remarkably similar between us all (human, dog, elephant, bat...). We can't make a New Years Resolution like, No Peeing in 2012, it isn't possible. It would make a cool t-shirt though.

What is urine, why should we give it more attention, and why is it so important to our dogs, both socially and emotionally?

Urea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO(NH2)2. The molecule has two amide (—NH2) groups joined by a carbonyl (C=O) functional group. Again, a way cool t-shirt possibility!

Urea serves an important role in the metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds by animals and is the main nitrogen-containing substance in the urine of mammals. It is solid, colorless, and odorless. For you asparagus eaters, I can hear your snickers of hah, not mine!, right about now. It is the ammonia in urea that when it collides with water vapor creates an odor. Surprisingly enough, not every person can detect asparagus urine, it turns out only some people carry the special olfactory genes that can detect it. This has been in conversation since around 1702, apparently a lot of people think it's cool. Urine is highly soluble in water and non-toxic. Dissolved in water it is neither acidic nor alkaline. The body uses it in many processes, most notably nitrogen excretion. Isn't this awesome in itself? We are creating this substance all by ourselves, without even thinking about it. But wait, it gets better...

So if urine is almost 95% water what is it that makes this liquid so important? Well the amounts of substances present in urine vary with time of day, health of animal, sex of animal, diet and nutrition. The chemical structure of urea is fairly constant, but there are variables, and dogs rely on those variables for information, so do we if we are attentive to a more holistic approach to health.

Through urine, dogs can detect their own health problems, that of others, indicate territory, know if a friend or foe as been by to say hi, what another dog has eaten or not, is someone in the neighborhood in season, is it even a dogs urine?  

My four dogs have made me vary curious about urine and the information it gives them, good, bad and indifferent.

$eeker, since puppy hood, would turn his head and smell himself while in the act of urinating. We use to call him the urine connoisseur. And it turns out it isn't far from the truth. Dogs can detect their hormone/health balance through their urine, which can give them an indication on their overall health. Is everything as it should be? 

Story our intact male loves female urine, most intact males do.Urine is canine foreplay, plain and simple. It's the hormone gift left by a female dog that can arouse any intact male, it leaves a scent trail right to a possible mate, and it indicates if she is ready or not, no words necessary! You'll hear owners yelling at their male dogs for licking urine, or getting grossed out by it, but in reality it is nature as it's intended to be. For instance, what I have observed in Story is that he will catch the scent of urine, smell intently, then start to lick. When he begins to lick the base of his tail will rise, which shows arousal, and then he will look up, tongue slightly curled and chatter. His eyes cold not show more enthusiasm. If it is urine from a female in season, then whining and prancing follow, and I know that we will be playing fetch for a long time at home to bring him back to earth. He will smell urine from other species when out hiking, but has never offered or showed interest in licking. Through his love of urine he has also indicated minor health glitches in our females. If he becomes too interested in one of our females, and is constantly licking their genitals,  I know that there is an imbalance or the onset of a uti. We can tend to it in the early stages, and I know if we are on the right tract when his interest wains.

Franny, well she isn't one to mess around with basic canine urine, sissy stuff. She has no interest in it at all unless it's hers. But urine from bears, fox, coyote or other predators holds a great interest to her. She will intently smell, roll, and lick when we are out hiking. Her interest is in stronger smelling, other species urine, and she is the only one that knows why. But through her interest in this I have come to learn more about other species habitat and who is hiking with us.We have come across urine marks while out hiking that Franny will not cross and our hike has to take a detour, I've never pressed them to go forward if everything they are telling me is to turn around. And it's all from urine! It was through snow and Franny's urine that we found some serious health concerns years ago. The amount and color of her urine was more apparent in the snow, and through that combo we were able to catch a major health issue early on and work towards better over all health.

Ocean, she isn't interested in anyone's urine, she could careless. She doesn't like to be sniffed or licked, and will only tolerate Story doing it if he is indicating an imbalance. She does love her own urine though, and loves to mark. She is the most markiest dog I have ever owned, and specifically to carrion when we are out and about. Body parts of others, her personal pirate booty, and she wants everyone to know it. The problem with this is she has a scent/substances in her urine that other dogs, and animals in general, are really attracted too. Apparently her urine is intoxicating. It was through urine analysis two years ago that we found some health concerns, all is good now.


Now that we have snow, check out the urine from your dog, look at the color, smell it. Where are they urinating, what are they urinating on? Now I'm not saying that you need to become a urine junky, or buy an I (heart) urine t-shirt, would be funny though. But I am saying that urine deserves more of our attention, and not in the 'dang it my puppy peed in the house' kind of attention, but in the information giving kind of attention. Asparagus, beats, coffee, vitamins ... anyone?

Would love to hear what you have all observed from your animals.

Happy Sunday,
Nancy

I think I might be part of the naturally hydrating movement. I love coconut water. I love it even more when I'm down in Mexico, with sand on my feet and sun on my face, a taco in one hand a coconut in the other, music... But alas, when living in Montana you simply have to get it where you can, in a long-life juice box or can. Maybe I'll just play some south of the border music while drinking my coconut water, it may add a bit more panache while hydrating.

Why am I hydrating? Well, it's been one kind of a week, let me tell you! I think this is the first day where I have taken a long and deep restorative breath, and it made me realize how thirsty I was. Today I took the time to lay on the floor and massage my dogs, look into their soulful eyes, and just share a moment together. I tried looking into the eyes of my goldfish, she will be having none of that!

Let's just say, I had it coming from all sides, and if Calgon could have taken me away, I would have let it!

What hit the hardest was the news of my Dad going into the hospital. Now for 81 he is uber healthy, walks more than most of my friends, eats well, gets good rest and daily recreation. Always up for a glass of wine, a good joke, or a story. His heart isn't unhealthy, or so they say, it's just slowing down.Good lord, at 81 I think it's entitled to slow a bit, think how many beats it's made in 81 years? Actually you don't have to, I have a calculator, it's beat roughly 31,536,000. So what else have you done in your life that many times? Hearts are amazing...


It's made me think about a lot of things this week. Mostly though, taking the time, and the importance of daily hydration. There is that saying if you don't have time to do it right the first time, then when will you have the time? I think it speaks volumes for families and pets. Now is the time. I know as I age so does everything around me. We may not do it right all of time, but making the effort and being present counts... for a lot. My children are growing up before my eyes, and I am at an age where, lets just say I have lots of happy lines. My dogs, well they simply aren't here long enough. One of the cruelties to the heart. Just when I really get to know them and we hit our stride in life together, they are gone.

So, to take my favorite quote of all times from Dinotopia - Breath Deep and Seek Peace. I think if you are doing both, you are most definitely making the effort, being present and not waiting for the second time around.

Here is to good health, good thoughts, lots of love, and being there ...

Nancy

 

 

My friend Mary reminded me the other day that I use to foster dogs and puppies. I don't consider myself a foster home these days, so I totally pushed it to the back of my thoughts.After a nice coffee date, and being a bit lost in my thoughts, I came home and dug through some old video tapes. Did I really use to do that, foster and re-home dogs? Yup... apparently the video's don't lie.

The summer of 2006 was particularly busy with dogs that needed a soft place to land. They were either neglected to the point of shutting down, or had met evil at the hands of their so called owners. They were all long term stays, three to nine months. Taking a deep breath, learning to trust again, learning life did have something good to offer, good people can be trusted, and introducing them to love. Our only condition for them was, don't burn the house down. Thankfully none of them learned how to use matches! They opened up, relaxed, learned to trust, some more than others, and we waited for just the right forever homes to come along. 

The pups in this clip were being neglected on all levels, and were about to be culled (with a gun) by their owner. He chose the one he wanted, the other five weren't necessary to keep around. We picked them up, fostered them and then had them adopted out through the Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston. They filled our hearts with so much love. Watching this clip still puts us all into tears ...

Oh, I have missed sitting down to write. But fear not my friends, I am not going to drag you through the past two weeks travels and adventures, day by day, blow by blow. Listen, over the years I have sat through many a friends vacation slide shows, I know what it's like. The only reason I keep going to see them is for the cocktails and nice comfy couches. Just being honest. You can keep inviting me, but now you'll know why I keep coming! Let me summarize so we can move on to today's adventures!

Tropical breezes, super yummy soul filling Mexican food, friends new and old, sun, sand and salt, lots of driving, best business trip ever... OK moving on. If no person felt the need to get up and get a cocktail then I have done my job well!

I was a block from the barn this morning on my way to work, and just like that, two dogs launched into the street right in front of my car, like inches in front, and they were playing and running at full speed! I was in a neighborhood so not going fast at all, but slammed on the brakes, laid on the horn and tried to push my eyeballs back into my head. I looked at the woman on the corner in total disbelief as she grabbed the older dog and then very abruptly pushed the younger dog away, apparently it wasn't hers. The younger dog went ripping across the park on the other side of the street, no owner in sight, so I followed. Her owner was over a block away at a play ground with three young children, she didn't even know her dog wasn't with her, or did she? I pulled over, got out, asked if the dogs was hers, she nodded, and I very honestly said "YOU almost caused a huge accident and YOU almost got your dog seriously injured". Her response was ... wait for it ... "sorry". She held onto her dogs collar, as I got back into my car I looked back just as she let her dog go, and her dog started running all over again. Seriously, was she sorry or simply morally flexible?

It took me nearly 10 minutes to catch my breath from that experience. And then it opened the Pandora's box that contains all of my thoughts regarding dog parks and off leash areas. I don't take near misses or accidents lightly, especially because someone else didn't care enough.

I love knowing that there are open space areas for dogs to have more freedom than a backyard. However free space or off leash does not belong in the same sentence with out of control or untrained or checked out owner. If you use the synonyms button on your spell check guess what comes up for untrained - untaught, unqualified, inexperienced, amateur. Now, am I talking about the dog or the person? I think a bit of both. When a dogs leash comes off in public, there is a huge implied statement being made,which is, that dog is under voice control and has a responsible owner who has spent time working with his dog. If you are thinking, oh not so not so, well then if someone walked into a park and publicly announced, "my dog is untrained, no manners, and is a bit destructive but I'm taking him off leash all the same" how would you feel about that? Would you even stay? There is something in our brains that allows us to believe if someone is brave enough to take the leash off surely their dog is trained?

If you have a dog, any animal for that matter, you should learn as much as possible, have fun and do more. They aren't toys, they don't come fully trained to your every need and wish, and they are a separate species that perhaps see's life a bit differently than we do. Commitment. Responsibility. Knowledge.

Do people make mistakes? For sure, I'm speaking for myself of course, perhaps some of you don't?. I'm not perfect, in fact I have no desire to be perfect, I would rather be passionate about what I do than perfect.And I do make mistakes, but I learn from them rather quickly and move on and try to do better. Mistakes are great learning tools, but the key is to learn from them, not repeat them.

In dog parks and off leash areas you can watch day after day the same people making the same mistakes over and over and there is no learning going on. Are they told about their mistakes, yes I think so, I see verbal bantering all the time in regards to your dog, his dog, get a leash ,etc. But there seems to be a certain deafness or defensivness when someone is told to be more responsible with their dog. People blame the person, the person blames the dog. And then it happens again tomorrow.

Having any animal in your care is a great responsibility, it is another living being that deserves respect, from a goldfish, to a llama, to a dog and everything in between. Learning more about your animal, more about good care, and even getting into super specifics over time shows responsible ownership.

Having an animal just to say you have one isn't a good enough reason. Rescuing an animal because shelters are too crowded, even though you don't have time isn't a good enough reason. Having the desire, the time, the means and a plan is however a good enough reason. This shouldn't sound harsh but more along the lines of a get real message. I tend to be a get real person, on all levels, just ask my children and friends. In this country alone we euthanize, on average, 10's of millions of dogs every year, and we jam pack every available shelter and rescue. Mostly because people weren't truly ready for the responsibility and because of that it cost another living being it's home, it's safety, and/or it's life.

Some of the most common reasons -

my dog chases cars - really? how does your dog get the opportunity to chase cars if you are being responsible? Just asking...

my dog has too much energy - really? and did you not read what your breed of dog was built for before you bought one?

my dog chews on everything - really? your dog is 9 months old and is still in the teething and setting teeth developmental phase. Did you read about that? Did you read about managing your dogs enviromnet and providing appropriate chew toys and bones? Appropriate exercise?

we are having a baby in a week - seriously! not even going there. Please question me on this if you want too. If you had a dog, went through nine months of pregnancy and waited until one week before the baby was due to decide... ???

we don't have the time after all - hmmm, really?

my dogs too old - really? age happens, to all living things, I haven't seen it as something that we can choose to avoid.

my dogs too young - really? and you didn't notice that before?

my dog is too opinionated - really? and opinions are bad? have you sought out a qualified trainer, have you provided a socially, emotionally, nutritionally, and physically enriched environment?

I got a job overseas - hmmm

my parents are going into assisted living and we don't want their dog - hmmm

my dog barks too much - really? they tend to do that, you should have considered a cat. If there is too much barking did you consult with a trainer first, work on a more manged environment, better exercise, better social interactions, more relationship time?

etc...

When I am old, a bit daffy in my thoughts, and the grass tall,  I would still like to know that I cared enough. That every living being that came to me received all of me without harm, without reservation, and with the best of intentions.

Learn as much as possible about your dog, have fun, and do more! Your dog deserves your efforts.

Nancy
who is grateful that she didn't hit a dog this morning ...

Coffee in hand, or rather on the desk or else I wouldn't be able to type right now. But good, hot, strong coffee, well needed, on all levels, and it's currently making all of my senses happy. Most of the time it's the act of making the coffee and carrying it around that makes me happy in the morning, happy cuppa joe. The majority of my mornings are full on the moment my eyes open, there is simply no easing into the day. I boil the water, grind the coffee, set my mug out, most of the time I actually make the press pot of coffee, and only sometimes do I ever get back to that same spot to drink it. On the wonderful occasions I actually pour the coffee, I most likely will set it down some place in the house while I am getting the dogs ready, the kids ready, food ready, answering e-mails, going through the days agenda, and completely forget where it is.It's literally sips that I get, not a whole cup. But fear not, this morning it is inches from me, smells most delicious, and is truly helping to clear the morning fog, not outside, the inside kind!

What does this have to do with advice you get at the dag park for free, nothing really, unless someone is thinking of putting up a coffee kiosk at a dog park which in my opinion would be a seriously bad idea. I'm just so thrilled with the potential to consume an entire cup!

OK, so here is my advice on the advice you receive, generally unsolicited, at dog parks.Advice you get in the dog park regarding your dog, you and your dog, how to train your dog, what your dog should eat, how to correct your dog and so on, should be left in the wind. And just keep in mind what your Grandma told you a long time ago, free isn't always free, you end up paying one way or another.The problem with this park bench advice is that our dogs are the ones that usually pay the price.

Let me just give you some examples that I hear when I go and sit in a dog park to film and/or observe. Please know the following comments are from people I don't know, I have just listened too, and I don't know their names, but I am sure I could tell you their dogs names. They are not trainers, they don't work in the pet industry as far as I know, and it isn't one person it is many people in the dog park environment who are willing to tell someone something if anyone is willing to listen.

" just put a shock collar on your dog and give them one good zap, so it lifts them off the ground, then he'll listen to you" Really seriously bad advice!

" oh my dog is just saying hello, he loves to roll dogs over and stand over them and growl, but it's all in fun, the other dogs know it" This is called being in denial of your dog being inappropriate with greetings.

" see how my dog is mounting yours? He's showing dominance" Last time I checked mounting was for sexual access, some dogs are more about it than others. Pretty sure mounting is why we have a serious dog over population. If mounting was to show dominance than dogs would almost be extinct!

"don't feed your dog for 3 days, make them hungry so they will pay attention to you" Don't ever starve your dog like this, it's called abuse/neglect.

"my dog stays right next to me no matter where we go or walk because I never used a leash, you shouldn't use a leash it'll just hold you back" glad this person has had a great experience with their dog that stays right next to them, but the remote control in their hand and the electric shock box around their dogs neck IS A LEASH.

"If they get into a fight like that again, just roll them over and growl in the face" seriously bad advice, and a nice way to get a good bite from a dog that is jacked up after a high arousal interaction. If your dog is a fighter or getting into fights at the park, it probably isn't the best environment for your dog. If you see stiffening, tension, or hard eye contact, move on with your dog, don't wait for contact.

"You need to be the alpha of your dog, your dog doesn't respect you" This statement is SO common to hear in the dog park it makes my brain hurt. Alpha is terminolgy from wolf studies a very long time ago. David Mech regrets ever using it. Just watch this video clip. While it originally identified the 'leader of a pack', what researchers have found is that packs are familial units, breeding pairs, the mother and father , off spring and extended family. As far as your dog not respecting you? Well that's a two way street, it needs to be earned.

"you need to be the leader of your pack!" urgh, again another assault on my brain. Seriously? You are human your dog canine, hardly a pack. And besides domestic dogs are not pack animals, highly social yes, not pack. I guess if you walk around calling your family a troupe, well then ...

"I don't use poop bags, it's like taking something organic and putting into something that is not. Poop is natural, nature will take care of it" OK, so when you have a high concentration of urine and feces in one area, like a dog park or an off leash area fo dogs, this advice is why they become health hazards during the spring run off. If your in the middle of the mountains, yes totally get it. When your in a high volume dog area, pick it up. Having 100 dogs a day in a 2 acre space is not natural by Mother Natures standards.

"if your dog won't come back to you, when you finally get him, grab his mouth and hold it tight and stare into his eyes, show him!" OK creepy human being, sounds like someone has been reading about the Stockholm Syndrome.This is why dogs run away from people. Staring is confrontational in any species. If you want your dog to come to you it's called training and building a mutually trusting relationship.And most importantly, taking the time to do it.

"if your dog is shy, don't let him stand behind you like that. Make him go and meet other dogs, hold him while other dogs smell him" In the human world we would call that advice molestation. Can't even picture a human mother holding her child down and letting other humans touch and sniff their child like that. If your dog is trying to get away from other dogs and hide from them, the dog park is simply not the right environment. Finding a dog your dogs likes to start with and having play dates would be more beneficial then putting him in over skill level.

And the list goes on... but you get the picture right? Unless your going to write a funny book on absurd advice that you get at dog parks, then don't listen, just let it go ...

Here's to fun moments we have with our dogs, good information... and yay! I still have coffee!

Nancy
Paws & People
the Scent Project

OK, so to say my week has been busy would be like Santa Claus saying, excuse me, I just need to take a little trip to drop something off. Get the idea?

I had a massive change in my schedule. I am not one to plan ridiculously far in advance, I get change, I get going with the flow, and I totally get spontaneous things that come up and must be taken advantage of. However, now that I am traveling for work part of the year, I have four peoples schedules, and four dogs schedules to take into consideration. I had October planned out over a year ago with work, travel, family schedule and beyond. It all flipped over on it's head just last week. Yay, yippe, woohoo, omg... Not one thing, everything.

So I went out for a business lunch.

My Dad is a business man since forever. I went with him on some of his business luncheons when I started to get a bit involved with his company. I get the chatting, the exchange of ideas, getting to know one another, good food, good drinks, and great atmosphere. All good! But when he retired, his business lunches took on a new meaning. And a great one. And one that I honor to this day.

Close to 14 years ago my parents agreed to have our dog while my husband and I worked out of the state/country. They loved her, she loved them, it was all good. I called one day to see how things were going, and in frustration my Mom mentioned, he's at a damn business lunch...again. What?

My Dad and our dog could be found at In n' Out every Friday afternoon. She sat in the passenger seat while my Dad ordered two burgers plain, fries no salt, two waters no ice. They would pull into a parking space like a little old couple and he would break up the burger into small pieces on the wrapping paper, and they would sit there and eat together, bite for bite, sip for sip, and my Dad would tell her about his week. It was the sweetest damn thing you've ever seen, so special, a man and his dog, and they both looked forward to it, they were inseparable.

And I would venture to say, they had one of the closest relationships I have ever seen between two species. For my Dad and my dog, I kept up the weekly business lunches, and guess what, over time I found that is was not only fun to have lunch with my dogs while out and about, but I truly felt calm, comfortable, at ease and focused after a long business week. There is a bit of magic to this madness!

To this day, 14 years later, I still do weekly business lunches... with my dogs, and they rock!  After this past week, it was the moment  I looked forward to most. It's special and intimate and after all,  they're my team that propels me forward, they are my inspirations in so many ways. I always feel fresh when I come home, they appear content, and we are all ready to take on another week.

No matter what life throws and/or catapults at me, my business lunches help me to work through it... good, bad, indifferent.

October has now redeemed itself to me. Instead of the original plans, I am now an Exhibitor at the APDT Conference in San Diego with our new products... WOOP! It all worked out, and maybe even better ...

Wish me luck, I would appreciate it on the grandest levels!

Have a business lunch of your own with a furry friend ...

Life, it changes everything everyday, including us. May it always be for the better ...

Cheers and good thoughts,
Nancy

the SCENT PROJECT

Paws & People Training

Google the word anticipation and Carly Simon comes up just as often as the Websters Dictionary and Wikipedia definitions! There's even a yacht charter company with that name, that site deserves more of my attention, later today!

My Ocean is only 9 years old. Aging for sure in the dog world, but not ancient. She has lived fast and hard, and to say she has run many miles would be a major understatement. Her body is this fine piece of equipment, and she's learned how to operate it with accuracy in multiple dog sports, and in her life in general. Amazing athlete, amazing partner.

But with her age, and all that she has done she's getting a bit gimpy in her hind end, and becoming incontinent. This isn't uncommon at all, but surprisingly, it can knock some dog owners to their knees. Not the gimpy part, the incontinent part. For some reason, a dog that may leak urine in the house can be too much to handle for some owners, not all, some. And my response is generally, really?

Take a look at any Health and Beauty section in any major store and the Depends, Pads, and Adult absorbent undergarments take up one whole aisle. It happens to us too. Things just wear out sometimes.

When Ocean sleeps now, she sleeps hard, you can almost see her melt into the pillow, her face gets that squished look, body totally relaxed, and that is when she is most incontinent. She doesn't even wake up.

So what exactly is urinary incontinence in regards to aging? (there are some pretty severe neurological and physical diseases that can cause this too, I'm sticking with aging, as it's most common)

...More than 20% of spayed females are affected with urinary incontinence. Both male and female dogs can be affected, with medium to large breeds being more prone for the problem.  The number of cases is likely to increase with the growing number of older dogs, advances in geriatric veterinary care and significant amount of time pets spend indoors.  Urethral Sphincter Mechanism Incompetence is the most commonly diagnosed cause of urinary incontinence: 81% of incontinent adult females and 57% of all dogs with involuntary urine loss... Aging is a factor.

There are medications that can be helpful, that is a discussion to have with your veterinary. Herbal, Chinese in particular, has proven to be a nice assist with urinary incontinence, especially with dogs who are sensitive to drugs. Acupuncture and chiropractic work can also add some assist, and again a great conversation to have with your veterinary.

For us, we have chosen to use Piddle Pads and Assurance Underpads. When she goes to sleep at night we gently put one under her. The beauty of pads are that they wick the moisture away so she isn't wet when she wakes up, and her pillow stays dry as well. I do believe most dogs can feel shame or at least be uncomfortable when they are wet with their own urine, just like people. We keep every day moving along, just like anyday, it's no big deal to change the pads, no big deal to wash her hind end off if it is a bit damp.

The last thing I want to do is cause an aging dog stress. It's no big deal really, it's all part of aging. And for all she's done with me, this is the least I can do for her.

Here's to many more with My Ocean!
Nancy

... So this little kindergarten boy was playing during recess at school yesterday. He was holding onto the tether ball that was already a bit to high for him, and running in circles around the pole. If you know tether ball, than you know what's coming. As he ran around and around holding onto the ball, the tether rope wound itself, which decreased the length of the rope, making this little guys arms stretch higher and higher, and then on tippy toes, and WOOP! air born, flying, circus trapeze child! Now when a little person is holding onto a ball on a rope that is attached to a pole, the ball isn't going to stay in flight for long, it's eventually going to find it's center, and it did. Nose and face made the first contact with the pole, ka-thunk, and to my amazement, he never let go of the ball. Slowly unwinding, toes again touching terra firma, arms coming down, he finally let go of the ball for a moment to wipe the blood from his nose and then started his little crazy ball game again.

Is this an age thing, lack of maturity?

Is this a boy thing? Let's be honest, I think we could all replace the word kindergarten with college and it would still be totally believable.

Is it a desire to fly?

Does he know something we don't?

Was he unable to make a good decisions for himself, more specifically, his face?

Were his definitions of good choices and bad choices a bit confused?

Does it simply feel good to be air born, if only for a split second?

Jonah Lehrer has written a marvelous book, How We Decide. Now this topic, for me anyway, had the potential to be as interesting as soap, not a light hearted topic on any level. Lehrer not only made it interesting, he made it fun, that's a gift and much appreciated. One thing that caught my attention early on was his insights into the rational verses emotional states. For so long, you were either one or the other, rational being the ideal. He points out that in the NFL, recruiters have relied pretty heavily on the Wonderlic test for their potential Quarterbacks. An indication of mathematical and rational thought. Scoring higher would mean, in their thought, that a Quarterback would make good rational decisions under pressure. Not so. Some of the NFL's most celebrated Quarterbacks scored far below average. The average for a Quarterback is 25, Terry Bradshaw for example scored 15.

 " ... the crucial importance of our emotions-the fact that we can't make decisions without them-contradicts the conventional view of human nature, with its ancient philosophical roots..."

And then I started thinking about our dogs. In the training/behavior world, the word instinct was replaced by fixed action pattern, which was recently replaced by modal action pattern, which means-

'a sequence of behavioral events that is common to all members of a species to the extent to which different members of a species tend to perform the behavior in a recognizably similar fashion'.

I wait for the day where this morphs once again into conscious decision making. While each species has certain characteristics that present, specific, like birds building nests, fish swimming in schools, dogs burying bones, humans playing tether ball (no just kidding...), there has to be a decision involved, not just specific species action patterns. Just my thought ...

For centuries scientists have made claim to animals not having consciousness, or internal mental lives. That they simply respond to stimulus and act accordingly to changes in the environment, similar to a programmed robot. Now if you live or work with animals you know, some where on some level of your being, this is a bunch of hooey! I watch puppies, adolescent, and adult dogs make choices, decisions all of the time. The adolescents are actually the best examples, a bit more independent than the puppies, and checking out the world on their own four paws.

With my own personal dogs, we train with choices in mind. They always have a say, always have a choice, and I love to watch them make a decision.

The most obvious is deciding which toy they want for the day. I will put out 8-10 toys and ask my dogs to choose. Ocean goes for a different toy each day, she likes variety. $eeker will take his Bumi over any other toy if it is one of the choices.Story waits for everyone to be done choosing, he will survey what's left and make a very specific decision, one of the remaining or go into the house and choose another. There is nothing robotic about their decisions, they are all present and conscious.

The next time you are faced with a decision, and it happens every second of everyday, feel what it feels like to make those choices. Learn how to feel free to question the decision of those with more authority. Be willing to shoulder a decision you've made. Just make one. The little kindergarten boy was apparently thrilled with his decision to play a game, even at the cost of a bloody banged up nose, I would imagine his Mother sat him down last night to talk about his choices.

When you see your dog making a decision, observe and learn from the choices they make. I think it would be wrong on so many levels to treat our dogs as nothing more than obedient, mindless, unconscious minions. They have more to offer, we just need to decide to be open to it...

Have a day with lots of choices...
Nancy

Ah, the newspaper. Why oh why do I even read the classifieds? I'll admit there are some cool things to be had, some tucked away little private message, free manure ( that gets my gold star rating!), but then there are the posts that make me crazy -

Border Collie Pups
Exceptional Family Dogs
Great 4-H projects
406 - *** - ****

I'm not against advertising puppies for sale in the newspaper, but I am totally against blatantly lying about what your selling. Now I have friends who are puritans, purists... whatever, that are totally appalled by breeders that advertise in the paper, truthful or dishonest. They say, if their lines were really good, they would have people calling them and a running wait list for pups. Hmmmm. I've owned pure breeds and mix breeds, strays, feral dogs, and dogs that didn't even come up as a dog on their DNA test (we knew Franny was a cat!). I've found the newspaper really helpful over the years.

Ten years ago when we moved to Montana, I knew I wanted a border collie, I dreamed of one for years, and was at a place in my life where I thought I was ready, yes just giggle to yourselves. I saw an ad in the classifieds -

Border Collies
To working homes only
Vaughn Johnson, Pinto Ranch
406-***-****

I was certainly considered a working home right? I planned to hike daily like I had with all of my dogs, 20-30 miles a week, I wanted to learn agility, get involved in herding, keep teaching tricks, etc. Surely this was a working home? When Vaughn picked up the phone, his voice sounded older, wise, and a bit cautious... a sage of sorts. I mentioned I saw his ad, who I was, what I was looking for, could I please come see the pups? No, I don't think so, but I appreciate the call. That was his response, seriously, that was it. I took a deep breath, gathered an ounce of courage and asked why, he was very clear and simple in his response. My dogs are working lines, from Scotland, the Ross line. They deserve to work they've been bred for it for 100's of years, they aren't pets. And there you have it. I was crushed for a second, but realized that he knew way more about his dogs than I did, and cared enough about them to find the rightful home, not just any home.

I liked this guy and immediately put his number down on a piece of paper, tacked it to my kitchen wall, and then forgot about him for almost a year. During that time I brought Franny, Chaser and Ocean into my home.

Every choice we make in life that opens us up to a new experience with people, animals, places, things and events,  becomes part of our personal biography. Good, bad or indifferent, it's ours. So it would make sense to try and make better choices along the way.

Working at the South Pole, Antarctica taught me a lot, more than I was able to digest at the time, but the lessons keep presenting themselves. I find them totally applicable to training and in particular when I teach people how to train.

1. Putting in foundation work is vital. Sometimes it's as interesting as stirring oatmeal, sometimes it's physically or mentally taxing, but it's the footing , the base, and the substance for everything to move and grow in the right direction. You have to put that time in, learn and enjoy, and strengthen your skills...before you move forward.

I am loving the new division of my business, Balance Aromatherapy, revitalized is the best way to describe it.

For 10 years I have been focusing on training and behavior, working hand in hand, or hand in paw really, with my clients during all four seasons. I set up shop with training in mind, I was good at it, I loved it and found it inspiring, both the people and dog end. I honestly never thought about the business aspects, and as it turned out, training took up 25% of my time, the business end 75%, yikes!

Nearly seven years ago Prospera Business Network was introduced to me through two clients that had good foresight  and really wanted to steer me in the right direction. While I was good at training and working with people, my business needed  guidance in regards to marketing, advertising, structure and a clear mission statement. It was the single best meeting of the minds I have had to date. I am grateful beyond words, and to this day use much of the advise I received during that afternoon meeting.

Then along came Denise Palmquist from Ripple Marketing.Lovely dog handler, friendly, funny, and just enjoyable all the way around. She mentioned one day that she found out about me through a car magnet I had on the side of my car. It wasn't anything fancy, just my website. She mentioned that her and her husband Kurt would like to design a logo for me, would I be interested. WOW, a logo? Hadn't even occurred to me. We went over my business information, mission statement, and goals for the future. They came up with pages of designs, and the Paws & People logo was born! I love it to this day. L.O.V.E. - It came from the best of intentions with the coolest people involved. Simple with good vibes.

With all of these great business people supporting me, my training business grew from two classes a week to twelve classes plus private training.  I added new programs, wrote articles, was interviewed, and became professionally certified. Over the years I have built a clientele, in reality they have built me, made life long friends and training partners. I am now traveling for speaking and workshop engagements and my first international job will be this October in Australia. Grateful, humbled and grounded. This is how I feel today.

Now enter my new project, Balance Aromatherapy. How, why, when ... are you kidding?  It started almost three years ago in my Relaxing you Reactive Rover class. This class was designed for dogs that where either too joyful or too cranky and where causing their owners stress, or harm to self, others or property. The class dynamics were awesome. People become supportive of one another, respectful of space, better observers, curious to learn more, and advocates for their dogs. Good work happens when all of this is in combination!

During one of our classes, we had a particularly reactive group, almost all of the dogs had had a traumatic experience with either a person or another dog/s, seriously traumatic not just a little bit. So I came home and thought about layering in the class environment. Besides desensitization, owner focus, and changing the CER, what about adding a calming scent, a calming sound, calm lighting? Why not? Guess what, it was the combination and layering that helped dogs and owners move forward. I tried varying strengths in my mists, different combinations of 100% plant based essential oils, and found two that really had a noticeable effect. These mists and essential oil blends were sold and available to people in our classes and privates over the past three years.

In February 2011, Carolyn Murray started to work with me to bring this class item to the general public. Bottles, labels, design, packaging, etc. Neither of us knew anything about light manufacturing, shipping and handling, wholesale or on-line retail. Woop, learning curve like a roller coaster! May 21st, 2011 Paws & People Aromatherapy went on sale to the public, on-line, farmers market, agility trials, and then wholesale to stores. The initial reception to our products was more than expected. While I'll get a twisted look every now and again at the farmers market, I would have to say that 90% of people know and understand the benefits of aromatherapy, they just never thought about using it with their dog. How cool to learn something new! Trade Shows are in the near future, and participating with Gary Bishop and his Senior Business students over the winter to figure out an efficient light manufacturing system, and move into the wholesale markets full time.

Entrepreneur was never in my vocabulary for myself ... I am growing into the role, loving it, and enjoying the ride. I feel it has all been possible because of the dogs that lead me to their amazing people here in Bozeman... You all deserve a raw meaty bone today!

With Gratitude,
Nancy
Paws & People

Holiday weekend, gorgeous Montana weather, BBQ is cleaned and ready to go, my garden is calling, kids are outside being kids, dogs are happily playing away with Spore, and I find myself inside doing office work. All.Day.Long. It was like my computer, printer, camera, and piles of paper work were screaming at me, and maybe even walking towards me a bit!

I just bought two new programs for my computer, if you know me well, you'll know whenever I go and do something this techy, things start to fly, around the room, desperate phone calls are made at all hours, and my friends and family have learned to leave me alone... for a long time.

But amazingly enough, one maybe three phone calls to my friend Jason, (I am not even going to put a title to his name because he is beyond that when it comes to computers and anything I don't understand in the tech world), and the installations went fairly smoothly. AND then it happened, the new programs were so cool, with all the bells and whistles, that I found my self exploring all of the new options, playing with new widgets, stripping my website, building new pages, embedding new things, changing values and tones on photos, learning how to bleed color, upgrade documents, change promotional material, etc. So fun that I became lost in it, kind of.

S.E.V.E.N. hours later, when my eyes no longer worked, my back was sore, and the office work complete (woop!), I had to walk away from it. If you read the comic strip Pearls Before Swine you'll understand when I say that my office is like Zebra and my dogs The Crocs, they are always looking for a way to consume, kill, destroy this space. After yesterday I can totally understand.

Upping the game on the business end of my business has been a great ride really. I am finding the new challenges inspiring and it keeps me moving forward.

I have used my allotted 5 minutes on the computer today... we both need a day of rest, a breather of sorts...

Off to put my hands in some dirt, and enjoy Montana air...

Nancy
Paws & People

This past month I have immersed myself in books related to Scotland, Sheep herding, Border Collies, The Highlands Culture, Scottish History, Whiskey, and all variations of the above mentioned. Not sure if it's the change in weather, end of summer, or simply put, because it's about time Tanner!

A theme started to present itself in regards to Scot's and their animals, it's all in context. I'll admit that when I started to see this phrasing peppered throughout the various books, I had to sit back and pause for a bit, chew on it if you will. Border Collies in pastoral societies are never asked to do a behavior outside of context. They aren't taught to lay down for lay down's sake, it would be part of the repertoire out on the hill with the sheep, to hold if need be.

How often do we as American dog trainers and pet owners think about training a behavior with context in mind? That means taking the situation, or the environment your working in, into consideration before asking for a behavior. Is the behavior with in context of the situation, the environment, and overall perspective for you and your dog? Does the behavior fit the framework?

Think about it for a moment. When we Montanan's go to a barn on the weekend to compete with our dog in agility, the behaviors we ask for fit the environment, it's in context. Equipment, crating, special rewards, lots of Aunties around for some extra loving, all indicate what the environment is geared for, so running equipment and doing agility in a barn on the weekend is all in context, it fits. That's an overt example really. What about something more subtle, like say, walking down a busy city street in summer and asking your dog to sit before crossing the street. Fairly straight forward right? But what if it's hot, lots of people coming at you, and behind you as well. Your dog knows sit, but is sit within this framework fair? Is the sidewalk too hot, too crowded, to ask for a sit on this particular day with this specific environment? Are we training and asking for behavior outside of context? What about front door greetings with Funny Uncle Bob? Your dog knows polite four on the floor greetings with visitors, but it never seems to work with Uncle Bob. He has a booming HELLO, large rough hands that need to scratch that pooch all over because all dogs LOVE Funny Uncle Bob, and while the greeting escalates into jumping and barking and a big party at the door, you are asking for a get off Uncle Bob, down, sit ... etc... Is it all in context? No way, the environment at the door is not appropriate for a dog to maintain balance and the behaviors do not fit the framework of what's going on.

I for one have been deep in thought this past month, examining my relationship with my dogs. I think I am for the most part fair, my dogs are competition partners and we work as a team, so within context is part of our training.Have I ever asked for a behavior outside of context, for sure, who hasn't. I know in my group classes it's not uncommon for me to say, " if your dog is not doing what you have been working on, look around your environment, is it fair right now? And I will be adding,  in this context.

I love words, or rather my relationship with them. The way they look, the way they sound, how people use them, the impact they can have in a moment in time, the thoughts they can provoke.

I can't remember a day that I didn't look forward to turning a page in a book, having a meaty discussion with friends, trying out new words, rephrasing old ones. Sometimes words are so powerful for me that I have a mental pictorial of the conversation, colors and scenes for certain words. It's not terribly uncommon really, it's called Synesthesia, my son and I both see and hear this way. When my son was learning to read he use to say that books were like reading a rainbow, I can't think of a better way to describe it. Now that he's older and a hand drummer, he'll mention that some of the rhythms look like motorcycles to him when he's playing. Well...I just don't know what to say about that.

I'm no word smith (all of my teacher friends can attest to that!), I'll leave that to Chrysti , she's amazing. If you love words like I do, check her out... awesome.

I recently read Eminent Dogs Dangerous Men by Donald McCaig. It isn't a ripping through the pages thriller, it's more of a gentle walk through the country side with an older man. What caught my attention was how the Scottish describe their dogs, really no different than describing a fine wine. Keen observation by the handler when out working the sheep or at trials is how they start to build these beautiful descriptions, and they tend to hold with accuracy. Mind you, this book is about working dogs,  which means these handlers are with their dogs all of the time. Their knowledge, observation and insight is part of their intimate working relationship, it's not like visiting a dog after you've come home from work. These stockmen don't miss a beat, and never label a dog unfairly, in fact these dogs are highly respected.

Sleek, Smooth, Keeker, Sticky, Clever, Dead on, Light, Soft, Strong, Heavy on stock, Quick, Sensible, Stroppy, Surly, Eager, Loose, Easy, Elegant, Sound, Balanced, Surly, Persistent, etc ...

Half way through the book I found myself reflecting on the negative effects pop culture TV has had on American dog culture in general, a dumbing down in regards to word choice when describing our dogs. Some dog owners have fallen into a time where labeling a dog unfairly is the norm, with no more information than what is presented on TV.

For those that know me well, you know that you'll most likely never hear the words dominant or submissive come out of my mouth when talking about a dog. While these words have played a significant role in Ethology, and can be useful when describing an action or a behavior that happens in a specific moment, they have been so misrepresented to the general public, that the visual picture of them makes my brain hurt.

If someone tells me their dog is dominant, it means nothing to me, there is no information other than they have been watching way too much TV. However if someone were to say, my dog lacks some self control and upsets dogs in play, is intense when playing fetch and tug and doesn't want to stop, eats with enthusiasm and tends to guard his bowl if you come close, that is GREAT information, GREAT observations, GREAT description. The information is there, the visual picture, a place to start working. It's all in the words.

In my workshops we do an exercise where we look at our dogs on paper, who is your partner? It's interesting when we get to the adjectives and then combine them into a cluster of three or more. There is a better understanding.  I speak of my dogs often, one because I love them to the moon and back, but also they are my working partners. I know them intimately as they do me. I don't always need to be touching or petting them, they know how I feel about them. Following along with better word choices, I hope this gives you a visual that suites for my four dogs and who they are when they're working.

Story - heavy, powerful, elegant, honest, reliable, balanced
Franny - quiet, powerful, serious,
Ocean - soft, uncertain, eager, light
$eeker - sleek, eager, persistent and surly

Just for fun, read the label on your next bottle of wine, the beautiful choice of words, then think of your dog and do the same. Note, not what you want them to be, but rather who they are when you observe them. Have fun, would love to hear some!

Nancy & the Soul Dogs ...

Everything that has been living in my suite case for the past 5 weeks is now officially unpacked and put away. WOOP! And I found my favorite pair of socks! Traveling for workshops, both driving and flying has been amazing and wonderful, the adventure getting there, being there and coming home. Besides cramming it way too full on each trip and testing the zipper strength, my suite case was my constant companion on all of the adventures.

But now it's happily tucked away in the closet and resting until mid October when travel starts up once again. I hope it gathers a bit of dust ...

The old saying, "home is where the heart is ..." is a bunch of crap. It's right up there with the Love Story line, "...love means never having to say your sorry..." really? On what planet... anyhoo I digress.

This weekend was a FULL ON home weekend. I needed it, my kids needed it, my dogs were craving it.

Big family dinner on Friday, nothing fancy, just lots of great conversation... oh wait, it was tacos... better than fancy!

Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings has become a family affair. Pip & Renn have a new business, Meuwissen & Co. selling gift cards, and are doing quite well. Pip is saving up for Australia, and Renn is saving for a Lego set (shocker!). I have developed a great clientele at the Farmer's Market with my aromatherapy line. I love the chatting, smelling, misting, smiles ... all of it. Some of the other vendor's have become friends and it's lovely to see their faces every weekend.

My dogs and I have been working on Treibball, a new sport that originated out of Germany a few years ago. They are all at different levels, and all enjoying where they are in the process. $eeker my compulsive dog, bless his crazy little heart and many voices, gets this sport, loves it and has really taken off with it. We had a great session on Saturday ... check out some of the videos!

Sunday was a big hiking day. The kids have been wanting to do a longer hike all summer so we decided on Mount Blackmore, 11.2 miles round trip. They are great hikers and adventurers, and some of the coolest people to spend an entire day with... We made it about 3.5 miles up the trail when a huge storm came in, thunder which was great, big rain even better, and lots of cracking bright lightening, not so good. We waited it out for about 20 minutes, the rest of the trail is really exposed on a ridge line, so we wanted to make sure it was going to pass. Renn is a good person to know on a trail, he packs a small pantry into every pocket of his pack and clothing, and will happily entertain you with his knowledge of the Darwin Award nominees and winners! It turned out to not be a passing storm, but rather socked in pretty good, so we headed down. 7 miles round trip, not too bad, and a great adventure nonetheless. Another big one is planned for the coming weekend.

Random thoughts, they're all good ... this is my son's favorite topic. And he especially likes to chat about it when we're driving around town, nothing in particular but just constantly touching on new topics. It fry's my brain, and I often find my self pulled over to the curb asking my kids, "where were we going again?" Flipping from what is the coolest Star Wars war ship (Tantive IV if you didn't already know!)  to tacos to who actually lives in Brazil is tough on my brain.

But today, I join my son in random thoughts, I'm reveling in it actually. It's been one heck of a week so far...

Thank you to Dogs A Flying for inviting me, hosting me and putting together such an organized workshop. Yummy food, a great place to stay, and a yard I can dream about for a long time... I thoroughly enjoyed the Idaho workshop, collectively an incredibly skilled group, asked great questions, had great observations, and so much fun to work with. Everyone made me feel at ease with their kindness and the mutual love we all share for our dogs. All of the dogs I worked with over the weekend were fabulous in their own right, and as usual inspired me to do more! From our seniors like Sue to our young whipper snappers, Audrey, Jester and Harley... and all of the dancers in between ... all fabulous...  Ellie, thank you for the lovely write up in Cedes of Change

This morning was Mother Nature's way of throwing me the proverbial bone.

7am, blue sky's, big sun, 65 or so degrees, no wind. I went over to our training field with my dogs, my press pot of coffee, my Kathy O. mug. (still my favorite, Thank You!), and hold on ... SHORTS, FLIP FLOPS, and a TANK TOP... sun and air on my skin. Everything about this morning was so delicious, so perfect and so soul warming. There aren't many mornings here in Montana that feel this way, so when it happens I absolutely let it saturate all of my senses.

We had an awesome practice, even Franny ran a small sequence and worked for a bit, happy dogs, happy trainer. As I was filling the pool for the dogs and washing things out, cleaning up around the grass areas and just general maintenance I started to reflect on how things have turned out the way they have.

The other night at agility practice someone mentioned that I was asking a lot of them as beginners, I quickly responded, almost too quickly really, that they are getting a quality agility education with a trainer that really cares about the team and relationship, as opposed to the School of Hard Knocks Agility that I went too. They all laughed ( it's a great group with a wicked sense of humor!), I laughed, but the reality is, it's true.

When we moved to Bozeman 10 years ago from Wyoming, we had dreams of raising our children in a bigger town with more opportunities without leaving the inter mountain area. Bozeman fit the ticket. And it was a far more gentle town, although bigger, than where we came from. So it was at first, a soft landing. Two babies, the love of my life dog, my husband, our new home, and a festival of possibilities.

Then we experienced great personal loss that dropped me to my knees for months on end. The comfort/healing I thought I needed at the time was to be around animal people. I grew up with them, around them, and worked for them. My Peep's as Renn would say. People that know animals and connect with them are some of the most spiritually giving people I know, and they create that virtual blanket of comfort.

So with healing my soul in mind, my new dog Franny and I joined the local agility group! Yes I can hear the snickers and giggling and gasping for air right through your computer screens. You are all much wiser than I was at the time, and in looking back it was such a seriously bad move on my part.

Nurturing and healing were not in the vocabulary of this group. The politics and big ego's were abundant, more than I had ever experienced. Not everyone, but most of the key players. I'll be honest, some of my good friends and people I respect in the dog world today are handlers I met during my first year with this group, others not so much. I was not new to dog training, or working with people that were trainers, I had worked on the Park City Ski Patrol - K9 Avalanche Team in the late 80's. I was simply new to agility.

I was looking for that place to take a deep breath, a friend or two (furry or otherwise) and a direction in the dog world again. Some of these handlers acted like piranha's in more ways than one, and this is being polite. I would come home from practice or a meeting feeling ripped and torn, my belief in my abilities wavering on a razor's edge, and my self esteem getting repeatedly crushed week after week. It wasn't comforting, it was a battle. And at the time it began to shape the way I behaved in the dog training world. This was my new normal. And for all you children reading this, this is not a good normal to be!

I finally had too, wanted too, needed too step away from it all, and reevaluate what was important, what were my beliefs, and was this in fact a good place to heal? I knew better, and could do better.

I knew I was a good trainer, but I wanted more from myself, and I wanted to feel compassionate and creative with my training again, and to work only with people who shared that vision.This boundary was the first one I set, and it has held through the years. I was determined to create a new normal, the one that allowed me to feel like me again. I decided to get a formal education in ethology, animal husbandry, learning theory, behavioral sciences, etc. This was the advise I received from Dr. Patricia McConnell, who I consider to be a friend and a mentor of sorts. She pops into my life when I need that extra push (Thank You!). I attended as many conferences on training and behavior that I could afford, from dogs & chimpanzee's, to elephants. And you know what? I started to take a deep breath, a very long slow deep saturated breath that has carried me to the present.

I love my work as a trainer and a business person. I appreciate my clients and the new people I meet along the way. I feel grateful up one side and down the other for the puppies and dogs that pass through my hands and give me that extra serving of love, just for being on the planet with them.

On mornings like today it all just seems to come together, like pieces of a puzzle. I love the choices I have made for myself, my family and my business. It all feels right, feels kind, and keeps me moving forward ...

Well, it's a first. I have been around gardens since forever and I just saw something I have never seen before, a new type of weed control so to speak. Our neighbor hired someone to come over and burn the grass and weeds around her pea gravel bed and then 'seal' the edges with an adhesive caulk.

Really?

It all kind of went down like this. I was happily watering my garden this morning and smelled something burning, Renn came into the yard with the most ecstatic look on his face and asked if I had seen the guy with the flame thrower across the street. When I looked up here was this young man with a propane tank, and a 'flame thrower' to burn the remnants of the grass and weeds around a pea gravel bed. And the flames were big and impressive. So I put down the hose and we watched. Anything living was torched. But the weirdness really set in when he pulled out a caulking gun and sealed the edges of the bed with an adhesive caulk. I don't think it will be effective in the long run, but I'm still a bit struck by this and here's why.

Working in my garden is like working with my dogs. I'm not going to say I love weeds or grass growing in my flower beds, but in a way it's good. It gets me into my garden beds, hands and knees, and I see things I may not have noticed otherwise. The weeds, while I am there to take them out, are part of my relationship with my garden. They open my eyes to the garden goodies that I would have looked past, I get to feel my soil and know if its time to water, or maybe add more compost, what little visitors are living in which beds, are the lady bugs still hanging around, why didn't my blackberry lily come back this year, did the bunnies eat down the carrots again, oh a butterfly (nope a cabbage moth), better check the kale and see...yikes...

It's all connected, we're all connected this way.

With my dogs their behaviors outside of neutral are like their weeds. Behaviors that if not attended to regularly, can be quite invasive to the whole garden. Working on these behaviors allows me to see the little goodies that I may have over looked otherwise. I do get on my hands and knees, I do work in rain, mud, sleet and snow. I am not looking to torch any behaviors they have, but rather work with them throughout their lives on balance, a bit of good with the not so neutral, and always looking forward.

Torching and caulking a garden to create a sense of changeless, effortless, zero upkeep landscape,  is stagnant to me.

I like my dogs a bit weedy, I've never looked for perfect. I look forward to change, I look forward to working with them, I look forward to learning from them...

May all gardens be flame thrower free, although impressive, it's a bit over kill. May all dogs live outside of the caulking lines and be just a wee bit weedy... it keeps all of us more honest that way...

Thank you to everyone that has read my post but to also take the time to respond. Such amazing responses, thoughtful ... This post was a 'reply' sent to me by Pat Farmer, he exceeded the word count, so I am going to make it a post. Again, more good information and food for thought.

First, thanks for writing a well informed, well reasoned post.  You obviously put a great deal of research and thought into the subject, which I really appreciate.  However, I have a different perspective on a few things in your post.  

Like you, I don’t have a dog in this hunt.  I neither love nor hate wolves.  I don’t work for FWP or any pro- or anti- wolf group.  I don’t work for any federal or state land or wildlife management agency, although in the interest of full disclosure I will admit that I worked for the USFWS as a seasonal employee in the late 1960’s, long enough ago so that it shouldn’t count in this discussion.  However, I have earned my living as a wildlife biologist in the private sector for over 35 years, including projects where wolves were a potential concern.  Like you, I don’t claim to be a wolf expert (I don’t claim to be an expert on anything) but I have read a lot in both the scientific and popular literature about wolves, lived in wolf country (northern Minnesota) for a brief time in my childhood, and have had the opportunity to spend a bit of time watching wolves in the wild (and I admit to having howled at wolves in the middle of the night.  Unfortunately my howl sounds more like a toad’s croak, so I’ve never received a reply).

So here are my observations, for what they’re worth:

1.        When I was an undergraduate fish and wildlife management student, I was both fortunate and unfortunate to have a major advisor who was equal parts idealist and cynic (most fish and wildlife biologists are, by nature of the profession, idealists).  One of his favorite topics was people’s intolerance of wildlife, and what we students, as future wildlife managers, were going to face when and if we ever actually got jobs.  I hate to admit it, but he was right.  Depending on the location and time frame where I have lived or worked, I have met people that are intolerant of geese and ducks (grain farmers in North Dakota), black-billed magpies (livestock raisers in several states), blackbirds (rice, corn and grain growers in the South), ravens and crows (several states), pronghorn (farmers in northern Montana), elk and deer (ranchers and farmers in many states; people in towns like Helena and Banf), gophers and prairie dogs (farmers and ranchers in several states), skunks and coyotes (people everywhere hate skunks and coyotes), bears/bats/mice/toads/snakes (sometimes this intolerance is based on experience, like your experience with rattlesnakes, and sometimes it’s phobia), ad nauseum.   It seems to be part of the human condition that, as groups or societies (not necessarily as individuals) we have to be intolerant of something, and wildlife is often handy target.  Right now, here in Montana and other states, some people tolerate (or even love) or are intolerant of (or even hate) wolves.  Twenty-five years ago, the target was grizzly bears…remember the contentious debate about whether the grizzly should  be Montana’s state animal?  Now people are more concerned about wolves than grizzlies, and almost no one is concerned about cougars which, as you pointed out, are statistically more dangerous to people.  Human nature; go figure.

2.       As Kim stated, there are only a couple records of wolves attacking people in North America, both in the last 10 years.  There has been a big disagreement in the wildlife profession why there are so few records of wolf attacks in North America vs. so many records of wolves attacking people in Europe and Asia.  Many of the Old World records are undoubtedly folklore and legend, but some are verified and wolf attacks still occur, particularly in Siberia.  One argument often advanced here in North America is that wolves never attacked people because historically, all wolves were shot on sight.  This bucket doesn’t hold water for several reasons; in particular, it is interesting to note that it has long been legal to kill wolves in both locations where wolf attacks have occurred in North America in the last 10 years (Alaska and Canada).  However, these attacks (which as Kim pointed out, were both predatory rather than by sick or injured wolves) do prove that wolves are potentially a threat.  There’s a big difference between potential and real, but unfortunately most people will never know (or care enough to learn) to recognize the difference when they are actually confronted by wolves in the field.

On a similar vein, it is interesting to note that there are very few records of European brown bears (which are the same species as our grizzly bears) killing people, either historically or at the present.  The bears that peddle bicycles around the center ring under the circus big top are grizzly bears but we never hear stories about them killing their handlers.  There is all sorts of speculation among wildlife biologists about this contrast, too, but no agreement; as my major advisor used to say, put five wildlife biologists in a room for one hour to discuss one topic and you’ll end up with seven opinions, none of which agree.

3.       Livestock growers in the Great Lakes area spend more time with their cattle and sheep than ranchers in the West not because of wolves, but because of their husbandry practices.  When I was a boy in northern Minnesota (which I admit was a long time ago; however, in the last 20 years I’ve returned several times to northern Minnesota to hunt and/or visit relatives, and things don’t seem to have changed much) the cattle owners in the area were either dairy farmers (which obviously meant they collected their cattle twice each day) or owned a comparatively small number of cattle, often no more than 10-20 head.  Pastures were small compared to those in the West, and cattle and sheep were usually no more than a ¼-mile from the farmhouse.  “Range” cattle and sheep, as we think of them here in the West, simply didn’t exist.  And farmers were most definitely not tolerant of wolves, which were shot on sight (this was long before the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973) both because of fear and loathing, and because prime wolf hides were worth a lot of money.  Black bears were (and are) a bigger threat to livestock than wolves; seeing wolf tracks was common, seeing wolves was not.

4.       The argument "...before wolves we used to check on our cattle every two weeks or so, now we have to do it every two days or so, it's more work..."  is partly valid.  To paraphrase a Paradise Valley rancher I talked with in about 1989 (shortly before wolves were translocated to YNP): “My father and grandfather worked hard to get rid of wolves and grizzly bears so they didn’t have to check their cattle every two days, or hire cowboys to do it.  Why in hell would I ever want to go back to those days, and who gave the government the right to force me to do it?”  I didn’t agree with his viewpoint, but it was honest and valid.  In my experience, very few people approve of the government (federal, state or local) making our lives more difficult.  Indeed, many of us want the government to make our lives easier.  Some ranchers have employed measures to protect their livestock, but others honestly wonder why they should have to.  

5.       Kim wrote:   “…depredations by wolves have never impacted the actual livestock industry...not in Montana, or anywhere else in the west.”  Well, it depends on who gets to define “impact.”

6.       Hank Fischer’s group, Defenders of Wildlife, established a fund to compensate landowners for livestock losses, which it promised to keep in perpetuity.  Then Defenders rejected most compensation claims, delayed paying approved claims for months (sometimes years), and finally dissolved the “perpetual” fund.   This resulted in lots of frustration and resentment from ranchers who were otherwise willing to give wolves a chance, and they have taken their frustration out on wolves.

7.       Kim is correct; wolf range expansion into Washington, Oregon, northwest Montana and much of Idaho occurred “naturally.”  Wolves were “reintroduced” (wildlife biologists prefer “translocate” to “reintroduce,” since “reintroduce” implies that animals were “introduced” originally rather than occurring naturally) only into the Yellowstone ecosystem in MT and Bitterroots in ID.  There is a public misconception that the USFWS was running around the country, indiscriminately releasing wolves.  I was in Libby in early June and talked with a guy in the local sporting goods store who is absolutely sure the USFWS did that very thing…sort of a “black helicopters” approach to wolf recovery.  A few years ago a couple agency biologists were caught trespassing on private land (they said they thought they were on public land) in Wyoming, where they released a radio-collared wolf that they had captured elsewhere.  The son-in-law of the ranch owners worked for a pipeline company that my company was working for, and I talked to him shortly thereafter; after listening to him, I doubt that the wolf management agencies will ever convince the skeptics that subterfuge wasn’t part of wolf recovery.  That distrust of government is taken out on wolves.

8.       Before wolves were translocated into YNP there were several analyses that speculated about what would happen after wolves were released.  If you look back through all those ponderously thick documents, there were five predictions: Nothing would happen, i.e., wolves would not re-establish and would die out.  Given the actual course of events, that seems like a silly statement but it is not implausible.  Efforts to translocate species such as the whooping crane and black-footed ferret have met with very limited success and many failures.  If you look at translocations of all species (including animals that are not endangered such as the bighorn sheep and ring-necked pheasant), translocations fail more often than they succeed;

·  Wolves would successfully re-establish and elk (the principal prey species in YNP) would respond by changing their behavior, range and habitat use, but would not be otherwise severely affected.  This prediction has come true in some places.  For example, the number of elk wintering on lower elevation, privately owned ranches in the upper Gallatin River drainage, where they are inaccessible to human hunters and where wolf predation is inhibited, has increased dramatically;

·   Wolves would successfully re-establish, prey populations would be reduced to a “more-balanced” level (no living things in Nature are ever truly in balance), and everyone would live happily ever after.  The first two parts of the equation have occurred in some places, but human hunters who have grown accustomed to seeing lots of deer and elk aren’t happy.   It should be noted that elk populations in MT have increased substantially since the 1970s.  Many hunters don’t remember, or are too young to remember, what it was like to hunt back then.  This has turned into a major problem for FWP’s wildlife managers; and

·  Wolves would successfully re-establish, prey populations would be decimated and wolves would eventually die out.  It appears that prey populations, particularly elk, have been or are being decimated by wolves in some places.  This may be the case with the Northern Yellowstone elk herd, which has declined (apparently due to wolf predation and its side effects) from about 12,000 to about 3,200 animals.  As you wrote, at least one of the wolf packs that was released within the range of the Northern herd, the Druid Pack, has disappeared; or

·  Combinations of the above.

So  if you look at wolf recovery over the combined ID-MT-WY area, wolves and their prey are responding just as predicted.  One unpredicted result, as Kim mentioned, was that it all happened a lot faster than expected.  Unfortunately, in my opinion the agencies (and news media) did not do a good job of disseminating these predictions to the public.  Instead, pro-wolf groups did a very good job of misdirecting the discussion (e.g., “wolves only kill the young, old and sick,”  “wolves probably won’t leave Yellowstone Park because they’ll be surrounded by all that food,” “wolves don’t like people and will avoid places where people are at”) and anti-wolf groups kept preaching the same old, unsubstantiated gloom-and-doom story.  I keep talking with people who are surprised at what has happened, when in reality there is nothing to be surprised about.  However, I think this “surprise” is the root of a lot of the hatred you refer to in your post…people just weren’t expecting what happened.

9.       You mentioned “…ranchers chatting about the killing for fun.”  This really seems to be a hot issue, one that I have difficulty understanding.  After all, killing is what wolves do for a living.  Is it so hard to imagine that they would kill for fun?  Many dogs (and as you know, all dogs are genetically wolves) may not need to kill prey to survive but won’t pass up the chance to chase a squirrel or rabbit, and it appears to me that they enjoy the chase, i.e., it’s fun.  Why wouldn’t wolves do the same?  Further, it appears that most multiple livestock kills/maiming are done by one or two wolves, not entire packs.  Who knows?  Maybe a wolf runs across a bunch of sheep, kills/maims one, and thinks to itself “Isn’t this fun?  I’m gonna do it again!”  Regardless, the fact that wolves do sometimes kill indiscriminately adds to their bad image.

10.   As Carlene pointed out, hunting (except for “management removals,” which is a wildlife biologist’s politically correct way to say “killing wolves that are creating problems”) is the only means that wildlife managers have to control the number of wolves.  All other methods (killing by other wolves, cougars or bears (incidentally, most wolf mortality is by other wolves); disease; prey base collapse; etc.) are out of a manager’s control.  Wolves, like grizzly bears and cougars, are apex predators capable of killing people, livestock and pets, and generally making people uncomfortable.  Human tolerance of wildlife is one of the wildlife manager’s biggest obstacles (remember my “80 percent people management” line?).  The truth is that, in today’s Montana, wolf toleration will generally stop at the fenceline that separates public from private land.  Wolves that go places where there are more livestock than wild prey, i.e., most of Montana, are going to eventually kill livestock and will have to be killed themselves.  We could continue down the path of “management removals” but that trail only leads to more resentment of wolves by landowners (remember Andie McDowell and the Ninemile wolf pack?) and isolation of the rest of us (out of sight, out of mind).  Not killing wolves is simply not going to be an option.  Not killing wolves is simply not going to be an option.  Consequently, I believe that hunting is a much more practical and, in my opinion, ethical means to address the wolf population.  Yes, bio-politics (and money) are involved…none of our hats are completely white.  But hunting, because of the attention and money it brought to the subject, was responsible for the recovery of game populations in Montana, and I have no reason to believe that it will be ultimately detrimental to wolves.  Neither public opinion nor the legislature sets hunting seasons and quotas in Montana (up to now, anyway; who knows about the future?); wildlife managers  do (through the Commission), and wildlife managers have no interest, vested or otherwise, in the extirpation of the wolf.  Yes, FWP was opposed to the translocation of wolves, for both political (after all, they are the government) and practical (everyone knew that if wolf translocation was successful, this nightmare was coming) reasons, but if you could talk to individual wildlife biologists in the Department (which I got to do), most were in favor of translocation because they (and I) believe that the wolf has a place in Montana.

11.     You stated in your blog: “Should there be an open wolf hunt to people who are filled with such deep seeded hatred that they are tunnel visioned, no! An open wolf hunt is repeating history and predator extermination, it will not solve anything, but rather divide.“  I disagree.  First, I don’t think most people who will purchase a wolf tag have a deep seated hatred of wolves.  The last time Montana had a wolf hunting season, many people who purchased tags reported to FWP that it would be an opportunistic hunt, i.e., if they were hunting deer or elk and saw a wolf, they’d try to shoot it.  But not many were going to deliberately hunt wolves…doesn’t sound like deep seated hatred to me.  Second, the hunt will not be “open” but will be restricted by a permit system.  Yes, there will probably be some instances of “shoot, shovel and shut up” but that would occur whether there is a legitimate hunting season or not, because poachers don’t play be the rules.  Third, regulated hunting will not result in the extermination of wolves (see below).  And finally, I think the wolf issue could not be much more polarized than it is now.  Legitimate hunting will never satisfy the extremists on either end of the issue, but in my opinion hunting can serve to bring together (rather than divide) the people in the middle who are trying to see both sides of the argument, and want to see some sort of wolf control but don’t want to see the wolf eradicated.

So is a quota of 220 wolves too high?  Maybe; we’ll find out.  If it is, FWP will drop the quota.  But killing 220 wolves (as one commenter pointed out, roughly one quarter of the state’s current wolf population) will not eradicate the wolf;  I can’t think of a single large-bodied wildlife species in North America where loss of 25 percent of its population in one year led to its demise. For example, look at pronghorn in eastern Montana.  Last year (2010) it was estimated that numbers were down 30 percent compared to 2009, due to the severe winter.  This year, estimates are that numbers declined another 60 percent due to the even more severe winter.  In other words, pronghorn numbers this year are less than one-third of their level in 2009 but no one in the wildlife profession is arguing that pronghorn will be eradicated, even though the biotic potential of pronghorn is lower than that of wolves.  Instead, as Carlene noted, wildlife managers have severely curtailed the hunting opportunity, and I would expect them to do the same with wolves.

It should be noted that it could be argued that unrestricted hunting (which is essentially the wolf management approach that Wyoming has proposed) will not eradicate the wolf, since historically it was not possible to eradicate wolves in the West by shooting them.  Wolves weren’t eradicated in the West until they were poisoned and trapped.  In recent years, Alaska increased wolf hunting opportunities in some portions of the state in an effort to restore declining moose and caribou numbers, but found that these efforts were not really successful until the regulatory agencies implemented aerial gunning (which is not hunting).  

Is it possible to kill 220 wolves in one season?  I doubt it, for a couple reasons:  a) the last time around FWP set a quota of 75 wolves with the intention that most would be killed on private land.  At the time I bet that no more than 60 would be killed, because I didn’t think wolves would be that accessible.  In the end, 72 kills were reported.  I was surprised but (as one of the commenters noted) many of them were “wilderness” wolves, i.e., wolves on public land that were accessible to hunters were killed, while wolves that were inaccessible (including wolves that ranged partly or wholly on private land) survived.  This time around, FWP has redrawn its wolf hunting district boundaries and quotas to limit the number of “wilderness” wolves that will be killed; and 2) in order to kill 220 wolves, hunters are going to need access to private lands late in the hunting season when wolves are forced to follow their prey to lower elevations.  If ranchers don’t open their lands to wolf hunters, I don’t believe there is any way 220 wolves will be killed.  I’m not sure it will be possible to kill 220 wolves even if access to private land is available.  As you know, wolves are smart.  It won’t take them long to learn to avoid hunters.    

12.   Finally (at long last), a few ramblings about the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  You said in your blog “…The Endangered Species Act had a special provision for wolves that were transplanted into the park would be designated as 'experimental population'. The system was not perfect, but it did get things going and truly was set up to try and be fair to everyone involved. The only glitch that I have read is that with this special designation, ranchers hands were tied, even if they saw a wolf in the act of killing, they were protected and could not be touched.”  Not entirely true.  Under the ESA, the translocated wolves were considered an “experimental, non-essential” population.  “Experimental, non-essential” means that the translocation:  a) was not considered “essential” to the continued survival of the wolf across its range, i.e., it was recognized that wolves were not going to go extinct in Alaska, Canada or even northern Montana if the translocation into YNP failed.  The translocation was considered an “experiment” to determine if it was possible to re-establish a population of wolves into YNP (after all, no one had ever translocated wolves before); and 2) “Experimental, non-essential” means that on private land the ESA provides the same status as if a species is “proposed” for listing under the Act.  “Proposed” species are given many of the same protections as “listed” species; the USFWS determines what the protections will be, tailored to the individual species.  For wolves in the Yellowstone ecosystem, that meant that a person could kill a wolf if it posed an imminent threat to human safety (the USFWS recognized the potential for wolf attacks), but not to protect livestock and pets.  The USFWS assumed, at the assurance of pro-wolf advocates, that livestock losses to wolf predation would be compensated from the private sector, an assumption that turned out to be, more often than not, false.

I am a strong advocate and staunch defender of the ESA.  But as you said, it is not a perfect law.  It has weaknesses, and some environmental groups have learned to exploit these weaknesses to further their political agendas as well as pad their coffers.  For example, you might remember the news story where a representative of an environmental group (the Sierra Club?  I don’t remember) crowed that because of the listing of the polar bear under the ESA, there would never be another coal-fired power plant built in the U.S. because the project proponents would never be able to prove that carbon emissions from the power plant weren’t contributing to global warming.  Talk about furthering a political agenda!

Under the ESA (and a lot of other environmental statutes), the federal government has to compensate appellants for their legal-and-related expenses.  This proviso was added for a very noble reason, to proved the “little guy” with resources to fight the big, bad government if it tried to steam roll over him.  In my opinion, this is a very worthwhile and commendable position.  Unfortunately some environmental groups have learned that, in order to keep their cash registers ca-chinking, all they have to do is appeal every ESA ruling and the USFWS has to compensate them for their efforts.  In other words, some environmental groups have a vested reason for seeing that the wolf is never delisted (the same is true for other species such as the grizzly bear).  It’s a necessary evil that unfortunately adds to the polarization in the argument over the wolf.

So, all the above blarney really does is emphasize the obvious, that the discussion in our society about the wolf is complex, polarized by extremists on either side of the argument, and poorly understood and communicated by our media (hmmm, sounds kind of like American politics).  Clear as the proverbial mud, eh?

Pat

I am not uniquely qualified to give an expert opinion on the North American Wolf. I am not a wild life biologist, I don't work for FWP, I am not a rancher, I don't work for the park services or a conservation group. I am not a wolf groupy, I don't howl in the middle of the night, and I don't have shirts that say 'Save the Wolf'.

That being said, I am a citizen of the Earth and I take that seriously. I am uniquely qualified to stand up and voice my opinion when I feel that bio-politics is over riding what nature has intended. I like to know that everyone cares enough to protect what has been on this planet long before we ever arrived, including and not limited too; earth, air, water, animals, insects, oceans and even the rattle snake (that one is so hard for me to even write...). Mother Nature has done an exceptional job with balance, or what we all call the circle of life. Humans have done an over whleming job at reaking havoc on this balance, and it has played out historically on pretty much ever continent.

I would have to agree with Dr. Roger Fouts that Plato and Socrates had it all wrong. They believed and espoused to the world that 'man was the center of the universe'. They created a mind set that, we as humans were above and superior to all other living animals on the planet. And for many moons, even women suffered under this mind set, still do in many parts of the world. Dr. Fouts wants to see this mind set up dated to include what we now know about other living beings on this planet, through scientific study and observation.

I believe we are not 'the' animal on the planet, we are one of many, and all intangibly linked in one way or another. And if we continue to mess with balance and nature as it was intended, we will eventually screw ourselves. The Earth is not our play ground, it is our gift and we need to take care of it.

OK - this brings me to the Wolf. To reintroduce them, to leave it up to nature, to hunt them, to protect them. Why and how did this all come about? The single best source on the actual details, dates, people, and politics involved can be found in the book Wolf Wars by Hank Fischer. I have read pretty much everything by Renee Askins, David Mech & Luigi Boitoni to gain a better understanding on wolves and why things have played out the way that they have. Fischer's book binds this all together through behind the scene accounts with government agencies, conservation groups and ranchers. You won't find his information in any news paper article.

The abounding hatred towards wolves is palpable. From fairy tales, to ranchers chatting about the killing for fun. It wasn't so long ago that the Park Services, Yellowstone in particular, support predator extermination. Poisoning, trapping, burning, shooting, take them down anyway possible, get rid of them. It is believed that mange was introduced into Montana by act of the Montana legislature in about 1910 as a crude form of bio warfare to kill coyotes and wolves. Ethologists and biologists in the 1930's had documented the need for both prey and predator on the planet, and the balance was essential to the circle of life, one cannot sustain without the other. They warned against predator extermination. Apparently their warning went unheeded until the 1970's or so.

The movement was slow, politics posed a problem, and public sentiment was wishy washy at best. Without going into every detail, by the time that Montana/Idaho/Wyoming politicians realized that the wolf was either going to come on their own and migrate from Canada or be introduced, public opinion was heavily in favor of the wolf. There were original arrangements made to compensate ranchers for lost stock, pay ranchers up to $5,000 if they let wolves breed on their property, etc. The Endangered Species Act had a special provision for wolves that were transplanted into the park would be designated as 'experimental population'. The system was not perfect, but it did get things going and truly was set up to try and be fair to everyone involved. The only glitch that I have read is that with this special designation, ranchers hands were tied, even if they saw a wolf in teh act of killing, they were protected and could not be touched. I believe Hank Fischer worked hard to have this changed but the conservation group he worked for would not support killing of a wolf, even one in the act of killing stock.

So it brings us to today. The wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area have been thriving, a whole generation has grown up watching the beginning, growth and the end of the Druid Pack in the Lamar Valley, the packs wondering and thriving outside of the park, and the wolves that have caused ranchers grief. There have been winters were mange and distemper have killed every wolf pup and greatly reduced the numbers, and other years where the pups have thrived. Documentaries in the 100's, the wolves have become the sexy animal of Yellowstone Park. Wolf Tours are sold out, workshops with wolf biologists are full the day they open, and wolf trinkets fly off the shelves at all of the concessions. You'll never see this for the raven or the weasel, sorry guys.

So why the hatred, why the blood thirsty desire to kill the wolf, lower their numbers so drastically? Wolves are familial units, they live and learn from each other, Mother, father, aunts, uncles and siblings. If familial units are severed from the large hunts that are proposed, how will this affect their well being, their ability to be emotional and socially healthy in their environment and survive?

I think a rancher should have the right to shoot a wolf if they are killing stock, I do not believe they should be shot just because they are a wolf and here is why.

Wolves have never posed a threat to humans, they leave them alone. This seems to be a stock issue. Ranchers in the Great Lakes area visit and spend more time with their stock than ranchers here in the West, this is documented and there was a great documentary on PBS highlighting ranches in the Paradise and Madison Valleys, the Sun Ranch being one of them. They came right out and said, "...before wolves we use check on our cattle every two weeks or so, now we have to do it every two days or so, it's more work..." Seriously, that's your answer? Ranchers should be able to kill a problem animal, be it wolf, dog or coyote. Those provisions have been made in the Great Lakes area and there doesn't seem to be this large controversy. The livestock and hunting organizations have a great deal of political pull in Montana, and they are mono focused, not looking at the long term scheme of things. Hunting groups want more Elk, Montana's Sweet Heart, even though we now know that they are the culprits behind spreading brucellosis, not  the bison. I haven't seen the Elk on anyone's shit list lately? The livestock industry wants utopia for their  cattle and sheep, no predators, good food, good water and cheap public land. Oh wait, did I say public land? Ranchers that use public land for literally pennies on the head have the right to say who should live and die on it so their stock stays safe and happy... um, there is the huge issue for me. It is public land, not owned by the rancher but rather leased.

Here are some statistics to put things into perspective, and how vilified the wolf has become.

23 million dog bites to humans in 2009 - and yet we still continue to let them live in our homes, and spend BILLIONS on fun things for them every year.

32-35 human deaths from domestic dog attacks in 2009

16-25 human deaths from Mountain Lions in the US between 1995-2001

0 human deaths from Wolves in the US in recent history. I did find records indicating that between 1580-1830 in Central Europe they have record of 3,000 wolf attacks. I couldn't check the accuracy on this.

Could ranchers spend more time with their stock, have true stock guardian animals full time, and be more diligent about grazing areas? I think so. Should they be able to protect their stock, absolutely.

Should there be an open wolf hunt to people who are filled with such deep seeded hatred that they are tunnel visioned, no! An open wolf hunt is repeating history and predator extermination, it will nto solve anything, but rather divide.

We need to learn to live with nature, not against it, and most certainly not to control it.

Many on my list work in this industry, it would be great to hear your view points. As you know, I am not easily offended, I learn from pretty much everything...

My daughter has been around dogs since forever, I'm not going to say she is a 'dog aficionado', she just has no idea what life would be like without them, it's truly part of her fiber.

She likes to play with tricks, freestyle and agility, however she wasn't interested in the competition end of things until she was 8-9 years old. She tried it a few times, lots of lovely clapping from other competitors and good cheer all the way around, but she still wasn't really hooked. This past year she spent more than 5 weekends trialing with her dog $eeker to see if she wanted to put more time into the sport and competition training. He is not an easy dog on any level to compete with, and can test the patience of the steadiest handler. She never gave up, even when she would get NQ after NQ. She saw the good in each run and learned from it. She is one of the most solid person's I know.

It's hard for Piper sometimes that I am her mother, her trainer, and the owner of her dogs, things get a bit mushed up along the way sometimes. But I have been careful to give her good guidance and a great deal of freedom to figure somethings out on her own. She is what I call a natural handler - she 'gets' timing and is crazy spot on, she can 'see' the course during her walk throughs, she follows sequences, and she understands space both giving and taking, and she is steady steady steady. And the best thing of all, all of our dogs love running with her ...

I'm not going to say every run ends with a smile, we have definitely had tears leaving a course and mild heart ache, but she gets back out there and try's again. I am pretty sure that Story is going to be her dog from here on out, and $eeker and I are going to have to figure out our trialing together. I'll be quiet now and let you see for yourself ...

I live in a world that is very sensory loaded, I'm sensitive to it and like it that way. I'm aware and appreciate touching, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting my world. It creates a richness in my environment and gives me a sense of being, a way to keep me grounded. My life is life like,  beyond 3D which just creates the illusion of life like or depth. Perhaps thats why cooking, gardening, hiking, and working with animals are part of my life's journey, it's all about using the senses and becoming intimate with them. Being.

Dogs, in my opinion, are the essence of everything sensory. They live through the information they get and are sensitive to smell, touch, taste (well Labradors not so much... sorry guys), sight and sound. Their world is processed in what I believe to be on such a deep level that they have a better mental picture of how it all works. Much more than humans to be sure.

Ever watched animals before a storm cycle? Surely everyone's heard how birds, dogs, horses, etc become quiet and still or even run away from an incoming storm, long before humans even know it's coming. They are so connected to the world, where as humans seem to be less so, and even more less so over time. As Paul Chance says, 'change does not mean progress'. Perhaps humans need to pause, observe their world a bit more closely, and start learning from other species around them.

If any of the current Canine Cognition studies were to create a study that was based on humans ability to sense what dogs sense, we would be weighed, measured and come up lacking (by a long long shot). Maybe humans don't really want to know how far advanced dogs really are? Just a thought. As of right now, dogs are being tested in comparison to human skills. As Dr. Brian Hare has pointed out, most current studies will prove nothing to dog owners, they just need to document it statistically. At least he's honest about it.

The old sentiments of, 'if they can't do it like a human then they are surely inferior' is hopefully going by the wayside. We already know that the great apes don't have the same vocal cord structure we do so can't articulate words like we can, but when observed and given the skills to use ASL, they converse quite well, and will form their own language skill sets over time. Ha, they've been conversing the whole time, we humans just didn't know how to listen. Dolphins, well most studies on communication end with scientists readily admitting that they are so far advanced, beyond human skill sets, that they aren't sure where to go next. Dolphins have to be laughing at us on some level, poor humans. Anyone that works with horses for a good length of time will tell you how spiritual they are and their ability to sense the same in the people that are around them.

There are a few people that have touched and shaped my life. The common thread is animals, their respect for all living beings, and their desire to not change them or compare them to humans. Being.


My Dad came from a long line of dog people, sounds like a tribe of sorts, but they weren't. They were people that had a great deal of compassion and understanding for their dogs, and I think slightly pathological about dogs if we're being honest (pathological in a happy way). I don't remember many stories from my Dad's youth that didn't also include a tail of one of their dogs. He taught me my first lesson at a young age, and that was, "all living creatures need to be respected, not just people". I never saw him raise his voice or his hand to any of our dogs, and there were many. A Conversation with my Dad



George Adamson  The Father of Lions. To the younger generations you might recognize him in the videos on Christian the Lion - Full Story he is the 'old man' with out a shirt walking with the lions. To those who are my age or older you would know him and his wife Joy as the couple that raised Elsa the lioness in Africa. I saw the movie BORN FREE when I was five years old and it had a huge impact and influence on my life. Joy and George Adamson were my heroes for as long as I can remember, but it was the continuing work with lions and his message of trust, friendship and affection that had the biggest influence on my work. He lived his life with compassion and kindness  ..."I have not taken a morning paper for over 40 years, everything I need to know is written on the earth".  He was a gentleman to the end. I have deep respect for his work, the life that he lived, and his unending love for all animals around him, but mostly the lions.


Dr. Roger Fouts - In 2007 at a training conference I sat down to listen to a Key Note Speaker, Dr. Fouts. I hadn't heard of him or read his book, but his life's work revolved around chimpanzees so I thought it would be  interesting. It was an hour or more long, and I wish it could have been longer, in fact the entire week. His knowledge, experiences, insights, and life's work were all put together in a very compassionate package. I am pretty sure there was not a single dry eye at the end of his lecture. Some of you may know him by his work with Washoe , the chimpanzee that would change the way we think about other species and communication, and some of you may have read his book Next of Kin , if you haven't I highly recommend it.

 So many dog owners want to know, what is best when it comes to getting shots for their puppy/dog? It's a super common conversation at dog parks, training classes, in veterinary offices and beyond. There is literally mounds of information regarding vaccinations and our pets, both pro and con, but immunization is something altogether different.

If you own a puppy or dog you need to read up on what is appropriate and safe, what is 'core', what is safe and work hand in hand with your veterinarian.

This interview with Dr. Becker and Dr. Schultz is illuminating to say the least. It's long so make your self a cup of tea. This conversation should be watched and passed on to every pet owner and/or veterinary professional. This is information, that for me as a dog owner, trainer and competitor, I find invaluable.

The more we learn the better we can do ... our dogs deserve our efforts...

A while back I was waiting in a long weekend check out line at Costco and got into a conversation with a young man who had what appeared to be a pretty good bite on his face, around his eye to be specific (I have seen that exact bite three times in my career). I remember casually asking him if he owned a dog and he enthusiastically replied that yes in fact he did and that they were working out who was going to be in charge in the household. Uh, so I continued to chat a bit longer, he seemed nice enough, and was eager to talk about his 'plan' for total domination in his home.

He told me that he needed to act more like a mother dog in correcting and putting his pushy dog in place, so he bites his dogs ears and neck and thrusts his stiff fingers into her neck, and then growls in her face. This is of course what mother dogs do to their pups, right? Pretending to be a severe authoritarian mother was apparently something that he felt was necessary in his relationship with his dog.

Again I looked at the bite that circled his eye, with good punctures, and asked, "so hows that working for you"? And he shockingly replied, "great, I think we're making progress. She's only bit my face twice in the last month".

The sound of my jaw hitting the floor could be heard throughout the store. His definition of 'great' was most certainly not mine, and the reality he lived in wasn't looking promising for a peaceful outcome.

I have heard of people trying to 'simulate' what a mother dog would do to her young to correct them,  people biting ears, punching the sides of necks and growling in their dogs face. I have seen it in action a hand full of times, but not on an excessive level. And I know it is common to watch on pop culture TV, it's sensational and good for ratings. To be honest there are some top herding clinicians in the state of Montana that are teaching people that growling at your dog is the only way for them to understand your displeasure in what they just did.

So far I have had the honor and pleasure to work with 15  litters in my career, from the day they were welcomed onto planet earth until they went to their new forever homes. Seven to nine weeks of observation, one day a week, and then listening to the breeders observations during the times I was not there.

• Thirteen of the females (varying breeds) were benevolent appropriate mothers, caring, calm and attentive to their pups. Those pups were balanced, confident, outgoing and curious when they went to their new homes.The human households mirrored these characteristics.
• Two litters had very inappropriate mothers.
  
• A female Aussie was bred at eight months of age, had a litter of nine, she was socially and emotionally immature and overwhelmed and never received support from the humans in the environment. She would bite, correct, growl and bat her pups around. She had to be separated from them for their safety. The pups went to their new homes with varying levels of cautiousness, fear, and uncertainty. Two of the pups were diagnosed by a veterinarian as failure to thrive because new sounds and environments were so overwhelming.
  
• A female Labrador that didn't  have a stable or balanced temperament, refused previous males, not socially tolerant but had owners that really wanted her pups was finally A.I.'d (artificially inseminated). She became stressed during pregnancy, and then stressed during whelping and had to have veterinary assist. She refused to nurse her six pups, so she was muzzled when around them as she would bite, growl and bat them around. These pups at eight weeks old presented all levels of cautiousness and fear and lacked curiosity. 

In my observations I will be so bold as to say that it is the calm, attentive and caring mothers that we should observe and learn from, not the immature and inappropriate ones. If we want loving, caring and balanced dogs, then we need to mirror that.

To those that feel pretending to be a severe mother dog is working for them, then I would challenge you to pretend to be the whole dog, don't just pick and choose. Smell urine, roll in grass, eat off the floor, sleep on a mat, smell others genitals, bask in the sun on a sunny day, let someone scratch you behind the ear, chase a ball ...

I would like to think that my dogs appreciate my humanness as much as I appreciate their dogness! It's the perfect kind of love...

I am a moderate in so many ways, but sometimes moderation needs to be practiced in moderation (thank you Julia Childs). On the topic of BSL I do have a very clear opinion.

Every once in awhile BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) rears it's ugly head here in Montana. Lawmakers try to enforce BSL after attacks have occurred by a particular breed in a community. Most of the time it is a knee jerk reaction that enables lawmakers to create an illusion that they are addressing the problem. However, BSL is far from effective and it creates fear and bias towards certain dog breeds based on, well fill in the blank, because I am not sure anyone knows, but the majority of the time it is simply based on appearance. It has nothing to do with temperament or the quality of ownership. Hmmmmm does this sound familiar? just sayin'...

I was chatting with a client the other day about his neighbors dog, a Golden Retriever mix, that is turned loose in the neighborhood quite often, and oh by the way killed 47 chickens during a morning outing. How many of you read about this in the paper? Zero would be my guess. Golden Retrievers killing anything rarely make head lines.

Ever read about the Australian Shepherds (plural) that chase bikers and bite their calves? Hmmm curious isn't it. I can name about 15 personally that have police records for doing this, but I haven't seen it make the head lines. Or the border collie herding children into the corner of the yard and not letting them move? The cute Cocker who repeatedly bites children in the face, ever seen those headlines? Or the sight hounds that have eradicated all of the cats from the neighborhood? Why aren't these making head lines? Pretty big acts in my opinion.

Now in Anaconda, a stellar dog owner let his two Pit Bulls out to roam the neighborhood, they killed 7 chickens. The dogs were euthanized. Another grand dog owner in Butte let his Pit out for the day, this dog bit a child, and the dog was euthanized.

Seriously, please hold up your hand if you see a problem with this bias. As I sit here and write this I hope you are all seeing that it truly isn't the dog, it is the owner and personal responsibility and accountability, or the lack there of.

So this is the absolutely insane proposed ordinance that popped up in the Butte Silver Bow County -

Among other provisions, the requested ordinance would require “pit bulls” over the age of six months to be muzzled in public and would require owners to provide proof of public liability insurance of not less than $100,000.

“Pit bull” would be defined as “any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentina, Presa Canario, Cane Corso, American Bulldog or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more the above breeds (more so than any other breed), or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds.”

Dogs that look a particular way would need to be muzzled. This is not based on temperament, not based on owners level of management or structure, but simply by the way a dog looks. It has been proven time and time again that BSL is not effective, because it does nothing to educate breeders, educate owners, step up enforcement with existing ordinances, it simply creates fear and bias. And the bottom line, it is irresponsible dog owners that are causing this problem, not the dogs.

There are a wide variety of statistics that you can find on line, these are from 2009, just to give you an idea of why fear based hysteria and bias towards a breed does not hold water, in any conversation.

• 23 million dog bites in the US and Canada
• 71% were children
• more than half of the bites were in the facial area (giving hugs, crawling up to a sleeping dog)
• more than 85% were family owned dogs or known dogs to the family
• Management could have made most of these bite cases avoidable
• 32 deaths by dogs (extremely rare if you consider the amount of biting going on) 30 of these in the SE US in impoverished communities with high rates of illiteracy. Most of the dogs were 'resident dogs' (tied in yard and not pets), children left unattended, parents sleeping ... Breeds involved were varied: pit bulls, huskies, GSD, mixes, groups of feral mixes, hound crosses

Management by owners, knowledge of the breed, and accountability for actions are so important I cannot mention it enough. Regardless of the breed of the dog, it is known that the risk of dangerous dog attacks is increased by human actions and/or inaction's.

Are all breeds for every dog owner? I don't think so. Are all dogs nice? No way, I have met a few in my professional career that were just stinkers, it's rare, but I have crossed that path. Not all dogs come with a stable temperament, not all dogs can handle all situations. It's up to the owner to learn this through building a relationship and knowing where a dog can be successful, and where they are not and to have good management skills.

Some disagree - " I agree with the proposed legislation.  There are many places that prohibit Pit Bulls from rental units and even towns, and it's for a good reason.  They are bred to fight, and fight to the death.  Even though they may be wonderful pets for their owners, they can't be trusted with other people, other dogs, and children.  I think it's dangerous to think they can - too many injuries and deaths from them. Sorry, I'm a dog lover, but I've read and heard too much to trust Pit Bulls." 

I don't feel BSL is effective on an even deeper level. The responsibility of enforcing BSL falls to animal control and shelters, systems that are already understaffed, under-funded and overwhelmed. In Bozeman we have two Animal Control Officers. Stereotypes are enforced and legislatively encouraged (so wrong).  Fear and lack of awareness/education is promoted as breeds are blamed for actions that result from human decisions.

There are several measures that can be carried out to prevent BSL, but again it all stems from the human end, not the dog end.

1. Leash laws - I know Bozeman seems like off leash anarchy, but the more that everyone uses their leashes in town, the more others will feel obligated to do so. And besides being a safety issue, it shows you are respectful of others space
   
2. Have non-breed specific dangerous owner/dog ordinances (and enforce them) – All dog owners must be held accountable for their dogs’ actions, regardless of breed, including Cockers, Goldens, Border Collies, Labradors
3. We need better laws that are enforceable for breeders - registering breeders, temperament testing breeding stock, registering litters. Many countries in Europe have this system, and the fines are huge to those that feel they do not need to comply. Dangerous dogs can then be traced back to the breeding facility, and unstable lines are taken out of the breeding pool.
   
4. Animal education through community talks/lectures. The more you know the better you can do
5. Stop dog fighting - this is a tough one. Again it's the people involved in creating, nurturing, and continuing this culture. Fines and jail time should be so great as to deter people from participating
   

Education...

Just returned from a great three day agility trial in Stevensville, RAD (Riverbend Agility Dogs, inc.). One of our favorite places to trial in the spring and summer.

I needed this weekend as much as my dogs did. We've been all work and very little play for the last couple of months. Pip, the dogs and I loaded up, had great music blasting and drove through what I think is one of the prettiest places on earth. I love Montana. I was also craving time with my agility friends. We're all gypsies really. We come in from all parts of the NW and Canada, descend on a town, in dusty barn, run our dogs, eat, drink, talk and share stories. We all know bits and pieces of each others lives, but generally don't see each other until the next trail. We all share a common thread of sorts, and I've been missing that.

Story and Ocean are so solid and fun to run, that rush never goes away. Story my steam train took a day to settle back in and when he did the runs were fast, powerful and just a total blast. Ocean, well I can officially call her 'Granny' now, never ceases to amaze me, ever. She has given me 100% of her on everything we have ever done together. She runs with her heart and soul, and loves this sport, I can feel it every time I step into the ring with her. Just when I think I might retire Ocean, she runs a 7+ yps (yards per second) on a course and reminds me that she's not even close to being done.

$eeker taught me a great deal this weekend, again. All of my dogs are teachers, and I really believe that's the way it should be. I leave myself open to observe and learn, and hopefully improve as time goes on. I've never taken the position of 'perfect' or anything 'needing to be perfect', in fact just when I think I am learning a great deal, something will humble me, remind me there is so much more, and I go back to the drawing board.

$eeker would be my one dog that has humbled me the most and sent me back to the drawing board more times than I can count. He is my 'fine line',  that razors edge when it comes to balance. So amazing and talented when everything is in place, and a total train wreck when even one small thing is out of place. And there is no middle ground. For sure I know that I have goofed up some of our agility runs, let me stop typing and raise my hand on that one, but this weekend was a reminder that sometimes it's simply something out of balance. $eeker is intense, everything he does in life is with great intensity, from eating to sleeping and everything in between. But to have the combination that creates the feeling of 'team' it takes planning and preparation and a sacrifice to the god's... not one, ALL OF THEM!

I am learning that it's a bit like Goldilocks, not too much, not too little, but just right. And sometimes when faced with something new, I am uncertain what just right is...

Something happened on Sunday, not sure if it was the weather, a noise, a smell, something he saw, a feeling, the planets not aligned quite right... But I was running with a totally different dog, he had moved off of his fine line for balance and had tipped to one side. Just that easily. With $eeker there is no wiggle room with balance, it's either there or it's not. Train wrecks, one right after the other and then he pulled off an awesome smoking Q on his final tunnelers, with a 7.49 yps. It is the moments like that one that keep me moving forward with him. I know it's all there, it's just keeping it there ...

Driving home is always part of the adventure, especially when you have a car loaded with tired happy border collies, thoughts from some of the runs, weekend conversations going through your mind, and a planning for the next trial. We had huge dark storm clouds, heavy rain, bits and pieces of blue sky, and rainbows all the way home. All good signs!

Here's to more great weekends this summer, with my dogs, my children and my agility gypsy friends!

life has been moving right along, some days fast, and some days super natural fast. My children, my dogs and my wrinkles are all great indicators that it's going to happen whether I am ready or not.

Everyone told me time goes by way to quickly with children. When Piper was born she pretty much kept me awake for the first 5 months, I thought everyone who had ever uttered those words were big fat liar's . Now that she has her braces off, and is thinking about bigger and greater things, I think 'where did the time go'? Matters of the heart.

My dogs, well there is no simple way to put it, there is never enough time. Ocean is 9 years old this year. Just typing those words crushes me. Dogs don't live long enough, and I am never prepared for how short it is. Perhaps that is why I do so much with them, every moment is precious.

My wrinkles, well I have earned all of them and they are living history... I love my life a bit more with every year, and appreciate everything that I learn and comes my way. I truly believe that women become greater with age, I know for sure I am feeling that... When I'm 80 and the grass is tall, watch out!

And when I came home today, my front porch was the perfect reflection of everything I love... coming home, I love my front porch cluttered with everything that makes me feel like me ...