This blog is a tribute to Belle, and all the dogs who have come before and after. They are my friends, my companions, my teachers and my students. They bring me both joy and heartache, laughter and tears. There is nothing as sweet as the smell of puppy breathe, and nothing as sad as the final goodbye.


Thursday, June 20, 2019

What Happened to Holly? | Reacting To Cesar's Worst Bite




Sorry haters but you don't get this kind of relationship with a dog by being abusive. Cesar provides an interesting interpretation of what transpired during that infamous bite episode with Holly, the food aggressive yellow lab.


Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Leo




This sweet boy spent most of his young life in a crate because his elderly owners could not deal with his normal, puppy energy. Fortunately for him, his owners realized he was too much dog for them and turned him over to Long Island Golden Retriever Rescue. After a thorough evaluation Leo was adopted to a family who had recently lost their Golden and were looking for a new dog to fill the void. A little overwhelmed with his new found freedom, Leo was making poor choices and getting plenty of attention for doing so, which of course reinforced the very behaviors his owners were trying to stop.  Like many dog owners who have recently lost a dog, they had forgotten just how rowdy a young, energetic dog can be, only remembering the calmer adult years they shared together.  Leo's behavior was beginning to cause havoc to his new family and there was talk of returning him to the Rescue. LIGRR stepped in and asked me to help. Leo is very smart and quickly learned new calming exercises which provided the attention he craved, but in a calm, structured manner along with some basic obedience. His owners were taught new ways of dealing with his poor choices and soon, since they were no longer being unintentionally reinforced, began to decrease in frequency. The family began to see the smart, sweet, affectionate dog that Leo is and hopefully will continue with his training, building on the foundation skills they learned.

Monday, June 17, 2019

Ponderings



I have nothing against rescue dogs, in fact I own a few, and probably always will. But I also love a well bred dog with sound temperament and form. I respect specific breeds for the jobs they are bred to do. Let's stop demonizing breeders and consider what the future would hold for domestic dogs if we continue on this slippery slope of villifying responsible breeders and their many contributions. 
I'm sharing this post I saw on FaceBook. If nothing else, I hope it makes you think.



Saturday, June 15, 2019

Adie


I fall in love with all the dogs I work with, but some, like Adie, simply steal a piece of my heart. She's one of the sweetest dogs I've had the pleasure to work with. I'm going to miss you sweetheart. I wish you a wonderful life full of love and adventure!!