human obedience class [a shared post]

"Welcome to human obedience class,the class will meet every Tuesday night for four weeks,
do not bring humans who do not like other humans,
or cannot communicate in a civil way, this means
no Congressmen, people of the left or right, bankers,
tech support or customer service reps or
radio or TV talk show hosts.
We will teach basic obedience:
come when called, stay when told, feed when commanded.
The class will instruct you on  basic obedience:
how to get humans to stop
when you want to sniff something, pee on a bush, growl at a squirrel
or a cat, walk in a crooked line, throw a ball when looked in the eye
and given the command of three barks. How to make a  human take you into
bed, let you on a sofa, buy those gourmet bones.
In class two, we will learn how to maintain eye contact with humans,
triggering the "guilt response," where humans say "awww, puppy"
and offer a treat, a hug, walk or a meal.
In the third class, we shall learn to move pull humans along a path while
they curse and shout and make curious noises. We will
teach them to wait patiently while we sniff for food and sniff other dogs.
Class four is about learning to not emotionalize humans.
They are not like dogs,
they have poor instincts, are easily confused,
possess few natural hunting or survival skills,
and generally impaired senses of smell. It is impossible to train them
well if they are emotionalized, they are simple, elemental creatures,
very needy, with very short attention spans. They are not only
willing to be manipulated by dogs, they seem to love and need it.
Classes are important if you wish to live with humans.
Training is not about obedience, but communication.
We need to show them how to be safe in our world.
First, we will learn to read human body language,
how to read their posture, facial expressions, rear ends
when they move.
Humans make a wide variety of sounds, they are given to shouting,
waving their arms, making loud gutteral and whining noises,
especially when they are running after dogs, shouting commands.
They are nearly helpless when left alone, especially outside,
they have no instincts to speak of, speak too much and
need exercise several times a day.
Among the lesson topics: how to communicate with rescue humans
who have been abused – most humans seem to be – how to choose a human.
We all love humans here, and want to help them.
We believe the only way to choose a human is, in fact, to rescue one,
there are so many of them in desperate
need of a dog, it is almost immoral to choose a happy and healthy one.
Be prompt, bring leashes and some treats for training – humans call them donuts."

For more incredible writing, visit Jon Katz at Bedlam Farm. His books are wonderful, as well!

a little of this and a little of that.

First off, I apologize that I don't have any pictures to share with you all from the past week. As you may have read/seen on the Facebook page, Claire injured her paw and therefore spent a few days gazing longingly outside and sighing with complete boredom. Just as I was about to take her to the vet, though, she bounced back and now it's like that paw is as good as new!

We've continued working on training and Claire is making excellent progress on the reactivity front. I know that it will take a lot of time, consistency, and positive reinforcement, but I'm really happy with how she's been doing since our session with Debbie. We BOTH learned a lot and are working very hard each day (I'll post more about our training session a little later for those who are interested). We're also working on come when called, which somewhere along the way became come when you're done exploring. This is a tough command for Claire, who is a hunter by nature and thus easily distracted by anything that moves. And when her options are (1) listen to me, obey, and get a liver treat, or (2) chase the rabbit and either outrun it and catch it or give it a heart attack and catch it, I usually come in second place. But hey, I'm used to taking on challenges, so we'll keep working at it!

An interesting shift in the dynamics around here is that my mom has been referring to Claire as her dog. She's cute, isn't she?! She even came home this afternoon with some raw beef marrow bones that she picked up while running errands. Claire's love languages are words of affirmation and receiving gifts of bones, so she was ecstatic and sat by the freezer door sniffing around for awhile. Mom also keeps telling me that it's going to be a long drive back to Nashville alone, since Claire will be staying up here on the Cape with her. Ha! I can counter that with, "So you're going to be redecorating by keeping the sheets on the furniture?" Aaaaand... checkmate!

My relatives are visiting the Cape this week and the place they rent is right down the street from our house. I took Claire for our usual early-morning walk/swim on the beach and then we swung by afterwards so she could say hi to everyone. We snuck her in, since dogs aren't even allowed on the premises, but of course the first thing she did was go up to the bay window, put her paws on the window sill, and look out over the pool area. Way to be inconspicuous, Claire! On another note, can I just mention how soft Claire's fur has been because of the salt water? She might smell like seaweed, but her coat looks beautiful and feels like down feathers!

I'll try to be better about taking pictures this week, and in the meantime, I hope you all are enjoying the last few weeks of summer!

cape life.

Here we are, a full month after our last post. Where does the time go?! Claire and I took a little road trip from Nashville to Cape Cod last weekend and we'll be here for the next month. Whenever I'm here, I feel like I can just exhale. I can't think of any other way to put it, so... that's that.

Can I just say that it is a VERY long drive from Tennessee to Massachusetts? It was quite eventful, too, as the air conditioner in my car broke halfway through the extremely large state of Virginia. If it hadn't been a sunny 90*F day, I would have tried to ride it out until we got here, but because it was just so hot, I had to stop and get it repaired. Thankfully it was an easy fix and we were able to get back on the road after three hours or so -- and I have to give Firestone a huge shout-out (the one in Nowheresville, VA) for being so awesome and letting Claire hang out in the lobby. They even gave her treats and water while we waited. Talk about service!

We finally made it to Harrisburg PA where we stayed in a hotel for the night. Claire got her own queen-sized bed, which she was quite excited about, as you can see by the blur of her wagging tail in this picture:

 

We made it to the Cape the next day without any hiccups, and I cannot emphasize enough how glad we both were to get out of the car. I actually have no recollection of what we did that night because my mind was blank from driving for so long. The one thing that I did not anticipate was how rough the drive would be on my body. My fibromyalgia flared up like mad and after a full week, I'm finally feeling better. Note to self for the next time: break up the drive into three days, not two.

 

The next morning, Claire and I woke up early and took a long walk on the beach. It was her first time there, and y'all, I can't wait to post the video of her reaction. But that will have to wait until I get back to Nashville, so hang tight in the meantime. At first she was afraid of the waves, but by the end of our walk, she was running straight into them. She tried to drink the water like she does when I take her to the river in Nashville, but the salt from the ocean made her sneeze. Puppy sneezes are the cutest! But she didn't try to drink it again, which was a safe bet. And hey, this is a picture that I took of the sunrise that morning. Can you tell that it was the perfect day?

 

 

 

 

Later that day, one of my besties came to visit and it was AMAZING to see her. It had been a year since we'd seen each other, and I fully intend for us to visit a lot over the next month!! We went out to lunch to catch up and then spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach. Claire was so tired after her morning romp in the waves, so I didn't feel bad leaving her for a few hours. She needed the rest!

 

 

I know some of y'all are connected with us on our Facebook page, but for those of you who aren't, you need to know that part of my mother's preparation for our arrival included putting sheets all over the furniture to "protect" them from Claire's fur. Clearly, we never had dogs growing up. Anyway, Claire's new favorite lookout is the window behind the sheeted couch, which gives her a good view of one side of our neighborhood (and, more importantly, of the squirrels and rabbits), so she's been spending a lot of time here. Again, please note the happy tail.

 

 

Interestingly enough, my mom forgot to cover one chair in the house, which has become a great place for naps. Claire is smart enough to curl up here when my mom isn't home. I don't have the heart to tell her to get off, especially when she's as cute as she is. Who wants to disturb a comfortable dog, anyway? Not me. That's just mean!

 

 

 

Of course, I still have to work during the week (though I'm so thankful that I can work remotely!), but Claire and I have settled into a routine that seems to be working well. My "office" is in a room that I only go into while I'm working - I thought that would help Claire understand that I can't play when we're there. We get up in the morning and go for a long walk, eat breakfast, and do a little training, and then I get the work day started. Claire hangs out with me and naps until lunch, alternating between the floor, the couch, and this cozy little pallet that I've set up for her next to my desk.

 

 

 

I've got an hour break for lunch, so after grabbing some food, Claire and I spend some time playing frisbee, going running, and doing more training. After she's gotten out some energy, she's ready to lounge around while I finish up the second half of the work day. At night, we've been heading to the beach after most of the tourists have left, and we'll go for another long walk/run so I can unwind and Claire can get back outside for a bit. Then it's time for dinner and playtime (she likes to play tug with her stuffed animals, and four of them have already succombed to her destruction), and then we hang out with my mom and her boyfriend before calling it a night.

 

 

The other night we went for a walk at the Harbor instead of at the beach - mainly because I was feeling nostalgic for a place where my friends and I hung out a lot when we were in high school. There were a couple other dogs around and Claire did really well by not reacting to them. I was so proud of her! Anyway, while we were walking on the docks, Claire saw ducks for the first time EVER and was absolutely fascinated by them. She didn't cry or whine or bark, she just sat there transfixed. Birds in the water? Who would've thought!

 

So, now you know what we've been up to and where we've been lately! I'll be posting again next weekend, for sure. And of course I'll share more pictures too. Hope you all are well and have been enjoying your summer!

 

what we're looking forward to.

So. After doing a lot of thinking and planning and talking things through, I have decided that Claire and I are going to go home to Cape Cod for a few weeks this summer. Like... for a whole five of them. It'll take two days to drive there and two days to drive back, but Claire did great on the trip home in 2011, so I think she'll be great this time too. I'll be working remotely, so I won't have to use any vacation days or anything. And when I'm not working, I plan on taking Claire for lots of early morning and twilight runs at the beach, lunch time swimming breaks down at the pond by my house, weekend walks on the bike path in Woods Hole, and play dates for Claire with my brother's dog Lexie (and maybe Brianna and Asya if she's lucky!). And a whole lot of quality time with family. I think it's going to be really good rest for my soul, and it'll all just be so exciting for Claire. I'm really really looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I've been creating a wish list of things to buy before we head up north. I'm sure that there's a whole bunch of things that I haven't even thought of, so share your suggestions in the comments section if I need to add things! As for what I have so far...

This dog bed and bed cover by Boots&Barkley

which is perfect for lounging while I'm busy working.

This life jacket from Ruffwear

to keep Claire safe while treading salt water.

This 30-foot leash so Claire can roam in the yard
while I enjoy some quiet time in the mornings on the porch.

An extra set of elevated dog bowls by Popware;
they're so great that I think I need to keep a set back home too for future visits.

Any other ideas of things to buy for our trip home?

an update about our downtime.

Claire has been so happy lately with our new routine! Maybe it's a coincidence, but I think not. I mean, more one-on-one time means more belly rubs, and who wouldn't want that?! We continue to go down to the field every few days and I've been bringing special treats so that, while we're there we can work on coming when called - a big confidence-builder. Her tail-wagging has increased the more her down-time has increased. It's like she has completely decompressed! Not only that, but she now bounds out of bed in the morning when I mention that it's time for school at Bark-O-Lounge! There are better boundaries with playtime verse rest time, and it's been really good for her. I am incredibly happy because she is too!

It has been much easier for her to relax over the past two weeks, also. She hasn't been pacing restlessly at night, and she's been even more of a lovey little girl. I mean, we spent our Valentine's Day evening cuddled up together while watching a movie - her head was on my shoulder and she just curled herself up next to me and fell fast asleep. I couldn't possibly think of any better way to spend the evening. Flowers and chocolates? Who needs 'em when you've got a sweet cuddly dog by your side?!

times, they are a-changing.

There was quite a scary incident that occurred at the park last weekend, and it left everyone a little shaken up. I've been thinking about it all week long, and my conclusion is that it's time to make some changes around here. The bottom line is this: somewhere within the past 1.5 years, the dog park has become less enjoyable for Claire. Whereas she used to love going all the time, it's now a 50-50 toss up. Her needs have changed. She tried to tell me, she really did. I'm just a little slow sometimes. But after The Incident, it clicked, and I finally get it!!

So here's what I have decided to do. She still adores her time with her friends at Bark-O-Lounge (as in: she waits patiently by the door while I'm getting ready in the morning), so this is going to become a Monday-Wednesday-Friday deal. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will continue our long walks in the morning and at night. And on the weekends, like this one, we will run errands together, hang out, go walk down to the field by my house and play fetch, do some training here and there, and go for a hike or two. Stress free and fun quality time for both of us!

This weekend was our trial weekend without time at the park. Yesterday morning, poor Claire was visibly stressed out and seemed a bit depressed. But as the weekend carried on, she became happier and more relaxed and decompressed than I've seen in a really long time. It may be too soon to tell, but so far, it seems like a change is what Claire needed. And seeing her happily wagging that tail is exactly what I needed.

you can't always get what you want.

It's a tough lesson to be learned: you can't always get what you want. You know that, I know that, and hopefully Claire knows that now, as well.

I haven't been feeling well over the past few days, so it's taken me a little longer to get moving in the mornings. I was doing some things in the kitchen this morning before leaving to take Claire to daycare, and she was perched at the kitchen window checking out the scene in the backyard.

What started as a whimper turned into a full blown temper tantrum. Why? A squirrel. It's always the squirrels' fault. At least in our house anyway... If I hadn't been preparing to leave the house 10 minutes later, I would have let Claire go into the backyard to go chase it. But to be honest I was feeling sick, needed to get to work, and didn't have the head or the time for it today.

Claire's reaction was like that of a 2-year-old child's when they are told that they can't have cookies for dinner. She had an absolute meltdown. I tried to lure her away from the window with a venison treat, but that didn't work. Then I tried soothing her. That didn't work either. Then I tried scolding her. Nope. To make matters worse, her response to my many attempts was to get so frustrated that she started barking. AT ME.

I did what any mother would do when their child is throwing a massive and prolonged temper tantrum: I shut myself in the bathroom. Sure enough, after a few seconds, the barking and screeching stopped. I heard her come over to the bathroom door. She stood there for a second, then slid to the floor and sighed. Isn't it amazing to see what happens when the audience is taken away from such a performance?

I opened the door and when I asked if she was done with her meltdown, I was greeted with kisses and a wagging tail. It was like it never happened. I grabbed our things, leashed her up, and off we went.

Claire learned a hard lesson today. We came out a little frazzled, but were otherwise okay. Though now we BOTH have a vendetta against those squirrels...

claire vs cat.

In case you don't remember, I drove home for Christmas last year (TN to MA) solely so Claire and I could spend the holidays together. I stopped at my cousins' house in VA to join them for the last leg of the long drive, since they were heading there too.

Unfortunately, their cat Victor wasn't such a fan of Claire. He was relatively indifferent to me (as most cats are), but he made it very clear that it was HIS house and Claire didn't belong. One quick swat to her face with his paw, and she avoided him like the plague for the rest of our time at their house. She wouldn't even enter the room if he was in it; she would peek in and then sit at the door, keeping one eye on him the whole time.

Fast forward to last week. Claire and I went to hang out with Carrie and Tucker who share their house with their beloved Alli Gator - who is, of course, a cat. We are determined to get them to be able to tolerate each other, though we are very obviously still at the beginning stages. Claire saw Alli instantly and was intrigued and on alert. Alli, on the other hand, was very wise and hid under the couch. We got to the point where Carrie could hold Alli so that Claire could sniff her, but Claire alternated between shaking from pure adrenaline, barking, and doing play-bows. We still aren't quite sure (and I don't think Claire is sure either) if her instinct is to eat Alli or play with Alli, but I'm hopeful that we can teach her that cats are friends and not food. Lots of positive reinforcement training and lots of baby steps!

I love this picture, by the way! But poor Alli looks like she is absolutely miserable...

coping with DST.

Daylight Savings Time: the bane of my existence. I like getting up when it's light outside, but to get out of work at 5pm when it's already dark really puts a damper on things. Like my outside playtime with Claire. And my social life, for that matter, which largely revolves around the dog park. What can I say? Most of my friends are dog people!

If your dog is a couch potato and is happy to sleep 23 out of 24 hours of the day, then you don't hate DST as much as I do. But for those of you who have active dogs, chances are that you are anxiously awaiting April - when DST ends.

I have to get creative this time of year. First off, we increase the number of days that Claire goes to daycare. Two times a week will suffice in the summer because we spend the off days at the park when I get out of work... but we bump it up to three times a week in the winter. My girl's gotta get some time in the sunshine, you know? For the two other work days, she chills at home and guards the house and catches up on sleep. But when I get home, energy abounds!!!!

Here's what's worked for us so far. On the days she doesn't go to daycare, we start the morning with a half mile walk. It's short and sweet because it is freezing outside - and we both hate ice cold weather - but it's just enough to wake me up and to give Claire time to do her business (she is easily distracted).

When I come home, we go for a mile walk and then hurry back inside to defrost ourselves. Then it's dinner time for both of us. After dinner, we either do 15 minutes of training (gotta keep our manners polished) or we play a rousing game of hide and seek. The only problem with this is that my house is tiny and Claire is rapidly figuring out that I can only hide in five places during the game. But hey, we make it work. After that, Claire gets a raw marrow bone which keeps her happy and busy for an hour or so. Then it's quiet time for both of us - reading or journaling for me, and tearing apart toys for her. Actually, it's just one toy, and I re-stuff it when she isn't looking. Don't tell.

Weekends, of course, are very different for us. I try to spend the majority of the weekends with Claire, whether we are by ourselves or hanging out with friends. I'm excited for this weekend, in particular, because it is the First Annual Friendsgiving in Nashville! We will be spending all of Sunday with our pals to celebrate the holiday early, since most of us will be with our families on the actual day of Thanksgiving. Stay tuned, y'all - pictures will be sure to come soon!

weekend recap (and a celebrity sighting!)

Guess who was hanging out in Nashville this past weekend. A celebrity, y'all: Lauren from Life with Desmond. And friends, let me tell you that she's as awesome in real life as she is in the blogosphere. Her husband is equally as awesome, and I really think he needs to guest post over at LwD, too. [And please feel free to get comment-happy on her blog to try and get him to agree to this idea]. Of course, I didn't think to get an autograph a picture with them, so there's no real proof that I actually met them, but I can promise that we all had a great time chatting for hours at dinner. I'm really hoping they come back to visit - and I'm still hoping that maybe Desmond will be able to come along too so that he can hang out with Claire.

What else, what else... My goal this past weekend was to spend as much time outside as possible. Claire was more than happy to come along. We hung out with friends at the park, went swimming in the river [attached to a leash, which wasn't ideal, but hey, I learned from last time], and took a walk through the woods - we even had a close encounter with a bold little fawn before he pranced off through the fields [perhaps he would've stuck around longer if Claire hadn't been jumping around and screeching with frustration that she couldn't go chase him]. All in all, I'd say it was an excellent weekend for both of us!

A big thanks to those who emailed, FB'd, and commented on this blog post from last week. I feel much better knowing that Claire's response is a normal one, but I've also decided that I need to engage with her more while we're together at the park. Over the last couple days, instead of sitting on a bench chatting with friends, I've been making a point to keep moving -- we walk around the park, run, play fetch, etc. I've noticed a big difference in Claire in that she not only plays with me, but she also has been spending more time actually playing with other dogs. I'd say that these trips have been much more fulfilling for her, so we'll just keep on doing our thing!

Hope you all had a great weekend too. Don't they just go by way too fast?

    

positive-reinforcement training.

I think we need to step up the training. Or I do, rather. Little One's anxiety has been gradually kicking in again. I think it's happened so gradually that I didn't even realize it until a friend commented about it the other day while we were at the park. My friend commented (with part humor and part seriousness) that Claire doesn't like many dogs. Maybe I'm biased, but I just don't think that's it. I mean, she's around dogs all the time at daycare and she is just fine. And again, she's great with the dogs that she knows. I guess I've always thought that it was normal for some dogs to need a little space when meeting new dogs. But maybe that's just "normal" for Claire...?

I've always been aware that Claire's anxiety mainly manifests itself in that she is leash-reactive, and we have continued to work on that; I'm seeing improvement there, mainly because we work on it every time we go for walks. But as I look back on the past few months, I find that, when we're at the park, she is only 100% comfortable around the dogs she knows. She hates when puppies jump all over her, and she gets nervous when dogs get in her face - even if they're just coming up to say hello. Her reaction is to give them one quick bark, and then she removes herself from the situation. I'm proud of her for doing this, but ideally, she wouldn't react at all and would just walk away. What are your thoughts? Am I overreacting and making this a bigger deal than it needs to be?

I'm big on positive-reinforcement training. It promotes trust and confidence. That's why, if you're around me and Claire, you'll notice that I praise her a lot with either treats or "life rewards" such as positive touch and verbal praise. I don't yell at her for doing something wrong, and I would never ever cause discomfort or pain. On the rare occasions that she needs a scolding, she gets a stern voice and a time-out immediately after whatever incident occurred. Instead of saying "no" all the time, I redirect her to do the correct thing and then I praise her for it. I'm a firm believer that positive-reinforcement training is the best training method for all dogs, but especially for dogs who deal with anxiety. This is why it's the best fit for Claire. So now it's time to kick it up a notch to get her over this hurdle.

TGIF.

It has been a busy few weeks around here. I'm sure that most 27-year-olds are out on this Friday night having a grand old time with their pals and staying out until the wee hours of the morning, but not this girl. Nope. I can honestly say that there is nowhere else I'd rather be than in this bed, snuggled up with Claire. Let's give a quick recap of recent happenings, yes?

• Work. Work is always crazy busy, but especially when you're covering for a coworker. [Elizabeth, next time you go to Switzerland, don't forget to pack me in your suitcase. Just kidding... or am I?]
• Preparing for a conference. I have a little over a month to do some research, make a powerpoint presentation, and come up with an hour's worth of pediatric social work goodness to present at a national conference. [I'm really excited about this opportunity, and I've got some great material. The only hitch is that I have a slight phobia of public speaking...]
• Uganda. The missions trip with Visiting Orphans is three months away, and it's coming up quick! We've been doing a lot to prepare, both individually and collectively. A lot of the planning has been for our fundraising event that is tomorrow night [if you're in Nashville, you should come!]
• Dog-sitting. I love my friends. I love dogs. So, it just makes sense that I help 'em out by doing this, you know? Also, Claire loves it! She gets to hang out (a) with me, (b) explore new places, and (c) hang out with her puppy friends. What more could she possibly want? [Answer: an endless supply of Nylabones].
• Photography. My other job. You know, aside from being a social worker and blogger. I absolutely adore photography, and I cherish the times that I get to use this creative outlet - especially when getting to take pictures of people's beloved pets! [That being said, I'm booking shoots into the fall, so let me know if you're interested!]
• Working out isn't my favorite way to spend my time, but it's important. You know, for my health and all that. I try to go 2-3 times a week, which gets a little tricky now and then, but I try to make it happen. [Unfortunately, in this case, it's not the thought that counts].

Even with all of this great stuff going on, the most important thing is that I get to spend some solid time with Claire each day. She goes to school with her friends on my busiest days, so when we get home, we usually just get into bed and cuddle [and there's no complaining from me about this!] while I blog or read or watch a movie. During the other days of the week - the less busy ones - I rush home, pick her up, and we go for walks and hang out at the park for a couple hours. Lately, I've been trying to squeeze in some time to teach her some new tricks, too - she loves to learn, that's for sure!

Claire is one of my main priorities, and because of that, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I'm always up for a quiet night at home with my best friend - especially with the busyness that has been going on throughout the past few weeks. It's no sacrifice at all. :)

    

too harsh of a consequence?

Friends! Hello! I was going to write a blog post yesterday, but I was horribly bitchy grumpy and whiny all the live long day because of the poison ivy that has now spread all over my body. My accessories these days consist of band-aids and calamine lotion, and it's quite attractive. But I'm in a much better mood today because I persuaded one of my pals to prescribe some topical steroids, and with only two applications, the poison ivy looks 10x better. My skin is also splotchy because it's such a strong steroid, but apparently once I stop using it, the splotchiness will go away.

I do have to tell you that I'm a teensy bit mad at Claire for getting me into this itchy mess to begin with, and I am considering taking away her off-leash privileges for the remainder of the summer so that we can work on recall without giving her opportunities to push her limits too much. Am I being too harsh? Tell me the truth... The upside to this arrangement for Claire - who is extremely food-motivated - is that doing recall work is fun work her. She gets rewarded with cheese. And for Claire, there is no better reward than that!
 

because sometimes people need to be trained, too.

It's National Dog Bite Prevention Week. How do I know this? Because every pet blogger is posting about it. Ah, the joys of social media! Over here at Life With Claire, we of course want to do our part to inform you of ways in which you can prevent dog bites. Your "training" will begin... now:

So there you have it. Just some helpful little tips in the form of infographics. Spread the word, y'all. The more education we can get out there about how to be smart with dogs, the better!
 
 

i love a rainy night.

Remember my awesome friend Lauren who I met at the BarkWorld conference along with her dog Paige? You know, they are the talent behind the 1-800-Pet-Meds and Nylabone commercials! Wellllllll, Claire and I went to visit them (and Paige's brother Dexter) in DC over Christmas on our way back to Nashville from Cape Cod.

Claire, Paige, and Dexter hanging out together in DC!

At the time, Lauren said that she and Paige were getting ready to start canine freestyle [I totally wish we had classes like this in Nashville because I would love to try it!]. And hey, they just won first place in their first competition! Available for your viewing pleasure, here's their winning routine, performed to "I Love a Rainy Night!" Choreography by none other than Miss Lauren herself!

Want more Lauren&Paige? Check out more amazing videos from our pals here!

inspired resolutions.

Okay, so, as I typed in the title for this post, I remembered that my friend Lauree encouraged me to call resolutions PLANS instead - you're working toward these things, so it only makes sense. But you know what? I'm going to keep the title, simply because it sounds better! [Forgive me, Lauree?!] I have been thinking about this post for the past week, during which I sadly said goodbye to my family and drove 20+ hours back to Nashville with Claire. Now that it's New Year's Day, I'm ready to share this post with you all!

I have a number of plans for 2012, and I am convinced that it is going to be a year of growth and blessings, both of which I am excited for. I'm not going to share all of these plans with you because, let's be honest, some just aren't relevant to this blog. I am going to share a few that are inspired by Claire, though:

1. Work out every day. Even if it's a 2-mile walk with Claire, I need to get out there and get in shape. Everyone is always commenting on how lean Claire is, and that's because I make time for her to get out there and run - it's important for her health, and she loves to do it! I may not love to exercise (give me a comfy couch, a blanket, and a book any day), but it's important for my health, so I'm going to grin and bear it!
2. Spend 15-20 minutes training Claire each day. Not only will this be fun for the both of us, but it will help build Claire's confidence. My poor girl is a bit anxious, so I need to do my part to help her overcome that.
3. Be more positive. I was telling someone the other day that I wish I could be as happy as Claire is. Dogs are happy 99% of the time. I'm going to really work on reframing negative thoughts so that I can be happier overall.
4. Continue blogging at least twice a week, but work up to three posts per week on a consistent basis by the end of 2012. I started this blog to keep a journal of sorts about Claire's awesomeness, but it's morphed into something bigger - any blogger knows that a huge part of it is building relationships and sharing stories/ideas with others who have similar interests. I want to do my part to keep the conversation going with you all!
5. Work up to two photo shoots per month, consistently. I want to get my pet photography business going, but realistically, with my job, I can only do this on the weekends right now. I've been picking up extra weekend shifts lately, so I can only feasibly do two shoots a month at this time. But hey, everyone's got to start somewhere, right?

So, faithful readers, I'm going to need you to hold me accountable to working on these things hroughout the year - and I want to do the same for you. Leave a comment to share your goals/plans for 2012 below!

  

being an advocate: an update.

Last night, I went to a DogSpeak seminar with Nashville dog trainer Nikki Ivey. I joined my friends Jake&Erin since they have been raving about Nikki since they hired her to help them work with their pups, Ollie and Darby.

Guys. Let me tell you. Nikki is awesome! I learned so much about how dogs interact with each other, as well as how they interact with humans. Most importantly, she was able to tell me how to I can help Claire with her fear when she is approached by another dog while on a leash. And to all those who commented/emailed/tweeted in response to that post, I thank you immensely! Nikki said that Claire is having trouble with this due to a lack of confidence. She agreed with those of you who said that I need to work with Claire to help her become more confident so that she can respond appropriately in this situation. But she also said that I need to be ready to protect her by avoiding and blocking if we're in an uncontrolled situation, especially because Claire is so fearful about this.

Jake&Erin and I took the dogs on a long hike this morning, so I had the opportunity to begin working with Claire. Whenever I saw another dog approaching with their owner, I watched Claire to make sure that I started praising her from the second she saw them. I continued to do this as they came closer. This communication let Claire know that everything was alright and that she was responding to them appropriately. We had six opportunities to work on this during our hike, and she did wonderfully five out of six times. The only time she got jumpy and growled was when we were passing some people with their dog while hiking up a steep hill on a narrow path; space got a little tight and it made Claire get a bit scared. I do have to say that I, too, was a little scared which probably contributed - I didn't have secure footing so I was a bit tense. All in all, though, the hike was an excellent start!

I'll let you all know how it goes as I keep working with Claire on this, as we still have a long way to go! In the meantime, go check out Nikki Ivey - call/email her, go to a seminar, sign up for a webinar, or have her come out to your house for a private training session. You will be astounded at all that you'll learn!

being an advocate.

Over the past few months, I've noticed that Claire has become more protective of her personal space. Not when it comes to people (she wants to be in your lap all. the. time.) but when it comes to other dogs. She does just fine at daycare and at the dog park when she is off-leash, but she gets very afraid when dogs approach her while she is on-leash. She starts barking frantically and raises her hackles, and the owner of the other dog typically reacts as though she is a bad dog when she is really just scared. Not all people who have dogs are educated about dog behavior and calming signals. Not all people care as much as I do about both of those things, either.

That being said, I realized that I need to be a better advocate for Claire in these situations, so I have been working hard to do all that I can to protect her from these instances. That means that I either...

1. Speak up; I tell other owners who quickly approach and say, "Oh, my dog just wants to say hi to your dog!" (while their dog is sticking their nose right in Claire's face - where are their manners?!) that she does not deal well when getting approached while on a leash.
2. Make a wide circle around the approaching owner and dog or change direction so that Claire does not get close enough to them to feel threatened.
3. Position myself so that I am blocking Claire from making eye contact with the other dog, which is a nonverbal calming signal that tells both dogs that everything is okay and that there isn't a threat.

Sometimes people don't listen to me when I ask them to help their dog maintain a respectful distance - and this gets extremely frustrating. I tend to lean more towards avoiding/blocking just because it's guaranteed that Claire will stay calm and safe. I have spoken to a few trainers about this to make sure that I've been handling it correctly, and some have said that I am, while others have said that I need to train her to respond differently.

What are your thoughts?

   

   

raising dogs vs raising children.

Lord help the squirrels when Claire is around. She saw one on the front porch when we got home today and, as you can see, was so excited about it that she stood on the end table and pawed at the window while whining like crazy. For a half an hour. Even after the squirrel was gone. Basically, Claire threw a temper tantrum. [Side note: I wonder what a squirrel smells like to a dog. It triggers the same kind of reaction that I have when I smell a cheeseburger. So, yes, what I'm saying is that if you see me hitting the window of a restaurant and whining, you'll know what I'm asking for.] The only thing that could get Claire to stop whining about the squirrel was something equally delicious: a marrow bone. When I'm craving chocolate and don't have any, my friends typically "distract" me by giving me something else that's yummy instead. There is much to be said about the power of distraction - I'm just saying!


I am guessing that a lot of the same techniques that people use to train dogs can translate to teaching children good behavior. I don't have any children, which may be painstakingly obvious by my previous statement. But let me give some examples in addition to the one above, and perhaps you'll find similarities too:


Potty training
Parents typically give some kind of reward to their toddler when they are learning that they can't spend the rest of their life in a diaper. Families that I have nannied for have used candy, stickers, and positive reinforcement charts. When I was potty training Claire, I used treats.


Good manners
Parents teach their children to say "please" when they want something. Once they use The Magic Word, they get what they have asked for. Claire gets what she wants once she sits or lays down.


Naps and bedtime routine
Young children behave better when they are well rested, so many parents implement a schedule of naps to help ensure that they have a pleasant child. (I behave better when I'm well rested, too). I have had to do this with Claire, as well. Nap time is in the middle of the day, bedtime is at 9pm. And when she misses a nap or stays up too late, she gets grumpy, has less patience, and forgets how to share her toys.

Security blanket
My grandmother made a blanket for me when I was born and I slept with it all through childhood - it made me feel safe, and I couldn't sleep without it. Most kids have a special toy or blanket that they snuggle up with and carry with them when they're growing up. As most of you know, Claire has her Blue Elephant. If it's not sitting on my bed when 9pm rolls around, she will search the house for it until she finds it. [I hope I can find another one, because this one is well loved and might need a replacement soon].


Sharing
Playing nice is pretty important - for both children and dogs. Teaching methods may be different among parents, but the end result is hopefully the same: children/dogs cannot be aggressive when a friend takes their toy from them. Using their voice by talking/barking to indicate that they would like it back or that their friend may not take it because they were using it is fine - they are learning to be assertive. But no hitting (for kids), and no biting (for dogs).


Alright, so there are some examples for you. Let me hear your thoughts - do you see where I'm coming from? Yes? No? Maybe? For those of my followers who have children and dogs, what other similarities have you found while raising them?
  
  

when the weather outside is frightful.

Claire is clearly a very active girl, which is great because she keeps me active too. We're often found going for long walks, hanging out with friends at the dog park, and swimming down at the river - just to name a few. But every so often we get stuck inside; it can't be sunny and warm all the time, unfortunately. Though I would be very content to curl up with a book and take naps, Claire isn't always on the same page. And if she isn't ready to rest, then I don't get much rest. That being said, we do have quite a few games (some of which are the disguise for training) that we play inside to keep her mind working. You know, other than Indoor Fetch, which gets boring pretty fast.

Guessing Game

I can't take credit for teaching Claire this one, because this is one that she actually taught me. Claire and I sit facing each other and I put my hands behind my back. When I hold them in front a me, a treat is hidden in one of my hands. When I tell her to "guess", she taps on one of my hands with her paw. If she guesses the hand with the treat on the first try, she wins the treat. If she guesses the wrong hand, then she has to tap the other hand with her paw to get it. She is not allowed to sniff my hands before guessing which one the treat is in - that defeats the purpose! She's surprisingly good at this game and usually guesses correctly on the first try.

Hide and Seek

Pretty self-explanatory. I hide. She seeks. But first I put her in a sit-stay or down-stay. When I tell her to "release" from her stay, she has to come and find me. There aren't too many places to hide in The Dollhouse, but I manage to trick her once in awhile!

Find It

While Claire is in a down-stay, I hide treats all over the house. When I tell Claire to "find it" she runs around searching under pillows, on tables, and in corners for her treats. Charlee Bear Treats (Claire likes the turkey liver and cranberry ones the best) are perfect for this game because they are low in calories, so I can hide a lot of them in different places. Claire has to use her nose for this one in order to figure out where they are - it's an amateur version of scent work!

Now if a good hour of those games don't get out some energy on a rainy day, I don't know what will! But I do always keep a smoked bone around. You know... just in case!