i'd just like to thank...

You know what? I'm just going to admit it: I like blog awards. But I would, because I'm all about encouragement and praise [giving it and receiving it], and a blog award falls right into that category! So thank you, Lauren and Desmond for thinking of us and passing it on! I'm excited to extend the compliment to six of my favorite blogs, too! But before I do the honors, I'm supposed to list some fun facts. These fun facts are going to be related to today and this weekend in particular, along with some other random things that are on my mind!

1. I'm spending this weekend puppysitting for Claire's friends Ollie and Darby while Erin&Jake go on a cruise. Claire hasn't seen them in awhile, so they're having a ton of fun catching up and playing hard. Rambunctious is a good word to describe the three of them right now, as I'm watching them take turns tackling each other.
2. Claire usually smells like maple syrup - hence the "last name" of Butterworth - but when we're at La Casa de Ollie&Darby, I find that she tends to smell like molasses. No complaints here! Either way, she's sweet as sugar... [I had to say it].
3. Claire's favorite treats are frozen 2" raw marrow bones. They're excellent for her teeth/breath, but I believe the cause of her pancreatitis was from giving her 4" ones. They were a little too rich for her. Note to self: 2"=good, 4"=pancreatitis. We're taking a hiatus from them altogether for just a little while. Solely because I'm nervous that the pancreatitis will flair up again without Claire taking a substantial break from all things rich and delicious.
4. I find it amazing how people learn to communicate with their dogs. I swear, sometimes Claire just looks at me, and I know what she is thinking and/or asking. I don't think one can understand this unless they've experienced it, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably think I'm crazy. Go adopt a dog and then you'll see what I mean.
5. I took today off from work so that I could do some life-giving activities (including taking a long nap with Claire, which was very much needed). It made me realize that people need to live a little more of a dog's life; dogs spend the majority of their time sleeping, eating, playing. Sometimes they do work (agility, pet-therapy, rally, tracking), but they keep a good balance. Minimal stress. They've got it right. So do Europeans. [Just saying].
6. I'm considering making some homemade dog treats this weekend. You know, if I am feeling ambitious. Got any suggestions?

Okay, time to pass on the award! Make sure you check out these amazing blogs - they keep me laughing!

1. Barley&Ali - Ali left a comment on our last post, and I've been obsessed with her blog ever since! While you're visiting her blog, leave a comment for her and let her know that you're thinking of Barley as he recovers from surgery.
2. Magnolia the Therapy Dog - This was the first pet blog I ever read, and it's been so cool to follow along with Maggie's adventures. I love the way Jay writes, and his posts are peppered with adorable pictures of Maggie! He also inspired me to work with Claire as a therapy dog, and I can't possibly thank him enough for that!
3. Sage&Erin - Erin posts about once a month, but even knowing that, I find myself checking her blog every week to see if there's an update! I feel like Erin and I could be friends if we lived near each other because she's just that awesome! She started this blog to chronicle her memories with Sage, which is why I originally started my blog as well. Start reading at the beginning - you'll laugh, you'll cry, and everything in between!
4. Life with Arie - I met Katie in October at the BarkWorld conference, and I loooove her! We became fast friends. And how could we not, when we're both "Life With" girls? Her blog is a great mix of fun and helpful information. And she does product reviews, which has saved me both time and money when looking for things to buy Claire!
5. Dog Milk - This website is chock full of products (for dogs and dog lovers alike) that you can't find at chain pet stores. Each item that is featured links up to the designer's website so that you can find it easily. If I had hours of free time, I'd gladly spend it browsing this site!
6. Fido and Wino - Shauna's blog began when she was single and continued on through dating, marriage, adopting two dogs, and now... she's having a baby, y'all! This blog chronicles ALL of that. But now that a baby is on the way, she talks more about Fido and less about Wino. She's responsible like that.

Now I'm ready for some chill time with three sleepy dogs. So I'm going to go do that while you check out those blogs!

  

delta test - the results are in...

Today was the big day: our test with the Delta Society. I was extremely nervous about it, but tried very hard to calm myself down because I knew that Claire would react to my mood. We got there on time and then found out that the evaluators were running 30 minutes behind. I was frustrated because I just wanted to get the test over with! I decided to take Claire for a walk outside to calm myself down and to get her focused. By the time we came back, everyone was ready to go.


There are two parts to the test: (1) Skills, and (2) Aptitude. You and your dog have to be able to complete all of the exercises to pass. In the Skills part of the test, you have to show that your dog can: accept a friendly stranger, accept petting, walk on a loose-leash without pulling, walk through a crowd, have a calm reaction to visual and auditory distractions, sit on command, lie down on command, stay in place while you walk away and come back, come when called, and not react or cross over your midline when approached by another team (dog and handler). In the Aptitude part of the test, you have to show that your dog can: accept a hands-on check of appearance and grooming, accept clumsy petting, accept a restraining hug, not react to people staggering/gesturing and then allow them to pet her, not react to people yelling and then allow them to pet her, not react to being bumped from behind, stay calm when being crowded and petted by multiple people, walk past a toy that someone has thrown on the ground, and take a treat from a person's hand gently.

When you are tested on come-when-called, the evaluator pets your dog while you walk to the other end of the room. They just want to see if your dog will go straight to you when you call her rather than wander all over the place and ignore you. Claire, however, was loving the rubdown that she was getting from the evaluator, so she just sat there next to him and stared at me for awhile, as if to say, "This nice man is loving on me, why do you want me to come to you right now?! Are you crazy?!" She did end up coming to me after a few seconds, but she had the evaluator laughing - he said he'd never seen a dog do that before!


It was pretty overwhelming to look at the checklist before getting evaluated. But we had practiced for weeks and knew our stuff! Claire can be a bit stubborn during training sometimes, so I wasn't sure if it was going to be a show-off day or not! However... WE PASSED!!!! It was a lot of hard work, and there are things that we can continue to perfect, but Claire did so great! We're Delta girls now!

delta training, session #3

I have found that it is very difficult to write a blog post when you don’t have a computer. My friend let me borrow hers today so that I could say hello to you all real quick (thank you Sarah!) My homeowners insurance says that I can expect to have a new laptop by next week, however, so the posts will pick up again soon! That being said, tomorrow is our last training session with the Delta Society, and as I realized that, I remembered that I still have to update you on session #3 – with everything that happened last week, I completely forgot! So sorry!

The main thing that we focused on last week was what the trainers like to call "Leadership 101" - or, how to train and talk to your dog so that she listens and obeys. The trainer reminded us that there is a difference between cues and commands - at this point, we are giving our dogs cues. Karen Pryor describes this best:

It is important to understand the difference between a cue and a command. A command implies a threat: "Do it or I will make you." A command is given before the behavior is learned, and it can be enforced if the dog does not comply. A cue is completely different from a command because there is no threat implied with a cue. A cue is like a green light that tells the dog that now is the time to execute a behavior for the chance of reinforcement – the trainer does not assume that the dog is intentionally misbehaving. The clearer the association is between the cue and the action, the better the dog will learn the cue. Training cues rather than commands produces a dog that can be counted on even in very difficult situations.

We were also reminded to watch for signs of stress in our dogs while working in a therapeutic setting (or really just any ol’ time). Common signs of stress include: panting and salivating, pacing, licking the lips, dilated pupils, trembling, shaking, yawning, whining, growling when approached to be handled, sweaty paw pads, turning away or avoiding eye contact, loss of appetite, hiding behind the handler, etc. Though these are common signs of stress, different dogs may exhibit different behaviors. For instance, I’ve found that Claire avoids eye contact, turns away, and pants when she is stressed. If I give her a cue and she does not respond, but I notice that she is showing me those signs/symptoms, I need to stop what we’re doing and give her a break. It isn’t that she is disobeying me; she is just communicating her needs.

Training with the Delta Society has less of a focus on behavior modification and more of a focus on promoting good communication between the dog and the handler. When you can communicate effectively with your dog, your dog will begin to change her behavior because she understands what you are asking and what you want her to do. Not only is the cue important –your tone of voice you and body language is also important. Over the last few weeks of training with the Delta Society, I have seen a big change in Claire, in me, and in the way we communicate. We understand each other better. So, if May 22^nd comes and Claire and I don’t pass the test, it will be alright. We have gotten so much more out of this training.

delta training, session #2.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter - I know I did! I didn't get to go home to spend this holiday with my family, but I was so blessed by getting to spend it with Josh and his family (and it's very important that I pause now and say hello to Josh's wonderful Uncle Caleb who was kind enough to open his home to me yesterday! Hi Uncle Caleb!) Hopefully there will come a time when our families can meet, because it would be so much fun to have so many amazing people come together!


Well, now that the weekend is over, it's back to the grind for me and Claire! We've been working on a lot of things that we learned during session #2 of Delta training - staying focused while walking through a crowd, and more neutral dog. I have to be honest, last week's training was tough for me, and subsequently, it was a little challenging for Claire. I had a lot on my mind last week from a very emotionally trying day at work, and I knew as I rushed to training that I wasn't fully focused. Because of that, Claire was feeling anxious and having trouble reading my cues. She did a good job, but we just weren't as in sync as we both would have liked. At the end of the session, one of the instructors pulled me aside and reminded me that, though I can put on a happy face for the people around me, I can't fool Claire. We had a good discussion about the importance of good self-care (which my boss would have fully agreed with), and she reminded me that the best and most effective way to alleviate Claire's stress is to take care of myself and decrease my own stress. That way, I can communicate more effectively with Claire, which will help to reassure her that I'm okay and she is okay.


I have also realized that Claire and I may have to start volunteering somewhere outside of a hospital. Or outside of any medical facility, for that matter. Eventually, I would like Claire to be able to come to work with me and help me in counseling sessions with my patients, but not while I'm in the setting that I'm currently in. Working with a therapy dog in any setting requires mindfulness, calmness, and good verbal and non-verbal communication with your dog at all times. My current work environment is a stressful place for me, and when I am there, I am focusing solely on my patients in a very fast-paced and complex setting. Because of this, I have decided to seek another volunteer placement for me and Claire. I'll let you know what it is when I've found the best possible match!


Session #2 was more about self-awareness and realization than technique, but I think this was a very important step in our training. Since then, I have really been focusing on how my emotions impact Claire so that I can be in tune to her as she tunes in to me! This will actually help me explore and work through the things that are causing both of us unnecessary stress and anxiety. You know, Claire is already a therapy dog in her own way - she continues to help me grow in ways that I couldn't have even imagined before she came into my life!

delta training, session #1.

Since this post I haven’t really even mentioned anything about starting training with the Delta Society, so I think it’s time that I give you all a little update!

The first part of training focuses on the owners, as there are two 8-hour-long seminars that have to be completed before your dog even steps foot - or paw, actually - into the door. I was a little wary at the thought of having to sit still for two full days (sometimes I think I have selective narcolepsy because I can fall asleep anywhere if I’m tired enough and am sitting still). The seminars ended up being really informative, and it gave us all a chance to meet each other. The part that had me absolutely fascinated was when we learned about calming signals, which I’ll go into more in a later post. I met two amazing girls, Jen and Abby, and it turns out that we all work for the same organization! There will definitely be future lunch dates for us, I think!

Last Wednesday was the first part of training that required both me and Claire. We had all been warned ahead of time that the dogs are not allowed to interact before/during/after training because they need to get used to being around other and staying neutral. Abby and Jen and I all arrived at the same time on Wednesday night, and we couldn’t even greet each other beforehand! We were standing on different sides of the quad yelling to each other so that we could talk without the dogs getting near each other. Training is held in the basement of a high school, so there were about 15-20 dogs and the owners in one room – very close quarters to expect your dog not to be able to even greet another dog! I wasn’t sure how Claire would do with this; she is SO friendly and always wants to say hi to people, animals, insects, flowers, etc etc etc. But the trainers certainly know what they’re talking about – I didn’t react to the people or the dogs, nor did I give Claire the okay to greet the other people or the dogs, so she responded to my cues and stayed right by my side.

The trainers had us do a few exercises just so give us a picture of what the upcoming weeks of training are going to be like. We worked on loose-leash walking and neutral dog (our favorites…). Neutral dog involves standing across the room from another person with their dog. You have to meet each other in the middle of the room, shake hands, and then keep walking – the tricky part is that the two dogs have to stay neutral and can’t lean over the midline of your body to sniff the other dog or greet the person. Claire did a great job and kept her eyes on me, though! I was really proud of her.

Another exercise tested our response as a team to loud noises – metal chairs falling over, people yelling, and things being dropped on the floor. It’s really important that you can keep your dog calm and focused on you so that they don’t get overstimulated or frightened, despite what is happening around you. Your dog needs to trust that you will take care of them and keep them safe. The trainers simulated situations that could happen when you’re out in the field, whether it be a hospital, mental health facility, school, or community program. The trainers do these exercises randomly throughout the session so that you can’t prepare beforehand. I have a strong startle reflex, so I was more jumpy than Claire! She would jump and look toward the noise with her ears perked up on alert, but she didn’t bark or cower or try to run away. Her curiosity comes in handy sometimes! As do beef treats to keep her focused on me ;)

The first session was just an hour long, but with all of the stimulation combined with all of the hard work that Claire had to do, she fell asleep sitting up in the car on the ride home! I’m really proud of her. We’ve been consistently practicing things that we learned in the first training session, and I can already see such an improvement in both of us! I hope that all of our hard work pays off! I am feeling positive about it :)

ellie's run for africa.

Claire's latest job has been to help me step up the exercising. My stress level lately has me stepping up the consumption of all the cookies/brownies/cupcakes/scones in sight, so to combat the excess calories, she has been taking me on extra walks. When the alarm goes off at 5am and I'd rather turn over and sleep for another hour, I just think: Claire needs to work on loose-leash walking. And somehow, that gives me the strength to haul myself out of bed, put on her Easy Walk (thanks to our new friends Abby and Tonks, who introduced us to this wonderful harness just in time to start training with the Delta Society), and stumble 1-2 miles down the street before getting ready for work. See? She's helping me. I'm getting fit. I'm de-stressing. There are so many perks to having a dog, I can't even begin to count them all!


An even bigger benefit to all of this walking is that it's helping us get ready for Ellie's Run for Africa (ERFA). I have a huge passion to help those living in impoverished areas of Africa, and one way that I can do that locally is by participating in this annual event. ERFA is a 5K that raises funds to send kids in the slums of Kibera, Kenya to school. Claire and I will be doing some brisk walking during the 5K, so you could call it Ellie's Walk for Africa (and some people choose to do Ellie's Crawl for Africa), but one way or another, kids will be getting an education that they would not have had if it wasn't for Ellie and her mission. If you want more information about it, click on the above link!


Pray for me and Claire as she helps me get in shape for the 5K - I know it's not a great distance for most people, but for someone who doesn't usually do much in terms of exercising (ie: me), combined with the heat and humidity of a Nashville spring, it can be tough!

therapy dog in training!

I am extremely proud of Claire. Words cannot even express how proud I am of her. Let me explain...


We had a very very busy Saturday because I made too many commitments for one day. The great thing about it was that Claire got to come along for most of it. We woke up early to take our friend Amy to the airport. After dropping her off, we went home to pack, as we were spending the weekend at Amy's to watch Kingsley. Then we headed to the park to meet up with friends so that Claire could get in her daily dose of off-leash time.


After she ran a marathon, we drove down to Franklin for an informal evaluation with The Delta Society to see if we could pass a series of challenges which would allow me to begin training Claire as a therapy dog. There are about 10 things that a dog needs to be able to do, and many of them are also required for the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Certificate - which we did not pass a year ago. The two things that kept us from passing the CGC were Accepting a Friendly Stranger (because Claire wanted to jump up and kiss them all over), and Walking on a Loose Leash (because Claire wanted to walk me instead). Knowing that we would be evaluated for these things on Saturday made me very nervous because Claire still struggles with both. We've been working very hard, however, so I hoped we could pull it together for the evaluation.


I had no need to worry, however - Claire passed the evaluation with flying colors!!!! She stayed focused, responded appropriately, and completed everything perfectly! And, to get some extra brownie points, she even cuddled up to the evaluator at the end :) That's my girl!


So, I am proud to introduce you to Claire Baby Butterworth, therapy dog in training! A huge thank you to Jay and Maggie for inspiring us, giving us helpful tips and other advice, and for constant encouragement through Maggie's blog (which you all need to read because it is wonderful!)

good advice and our first feature!

I really think Claire would be a phenomenal therapy dog. She is wonderful with people, great with other dogs, loves to be active, and has the sweetest demeanor. The first part of therapy dog training is passing the Canine Good Citizen test, which shows that your dog can do basic commands. You can't move on to training with The Delta Society until you pass the CGC. During the CGC test, if you and your dog demonstrate that you can do everything without getting a single thing wrong, you pass. Otherwise... you fail. When Claire finished all of her training classes, she had the opportunity to take this test. She was able to do everything except walk on a leash without dragging me behind her. We have continued to work on this before we attempt to take the CGC test again, but to this day, she still struggles. Every time I think we are making progress, she'll suddenly see a squirrel and make a beeline for it. Or she'll see a nice patch of grass and feel the need to go sample some of it. Or the wind will blow the wrong way. Or... well, you name it. It is so frustrating, because I know that she can do this!

I follow a number of dog blogs, but my absolute favorite is is about Maggie who has just become a registered therapy dog through The Delta Society. I asked Maggie's owner Jason for some advice on how to work on loose-leash walking with Claire. Not only did he give fantastic advice (which is already proving to be successful), but he featured Claire in his blog! How exciting! I need to say a HUGE thank you to Jason and Maggie for their help! And I'll be sure to let you all know how the continued training goes!