A Quiet Walk in the Park

by lennearbNo Comments
When I left the house Saturday morning and spotted the sun, I admit I did a bit of a doubletake. What was that? After so many straight days of rain, it was easy to forget that the sun would be coming back again eventually. Since we did get lucky with some beautiful weather this past weekend, we decided to take advantage of it by going to the National Arboretum on Sunday for a walk. If you live in the DC area and haven't been to the Arboretum, it's well worth the trip. It's very family- and dog-friendly, but still has plenty of wide open places if you want to avoid getting too close to other people. Usually. That was less true than normal on Sunday, as the combination of sunny weather and Mother's Day had the Arboretum more full than I think I have ever seen it. If you are working on the basics of training your dog to be comfortable around...
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Preparing for a Post-Surgery Routine

by lennearbNo Comments
Note: I wish this were going to be a post full of answers, but it is mostly full of questions. The answers are something I am still looking for. There are three things you should know about me to understand this post: I have lived almost my whole life with either cats or dogs or (most frequently) both. I travel fairly frequently, and have practiced routines in place to care for my animals when I travel (if they don't come with me). I had the first surgery of my life that required anesthesia and a significant recovery on March 17, 2016. I knew that I this surgery was coming for several months before it actually happened. I thought I had had time to prepare. My husband and I tried to be prepared and ask my doctors every question we thought would be relevant to my recovery. We missed a few, of course, but overall, I thought we did a pretty good job. I thought I did...
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Ignoring the Outside World

by lennearbNo Comments
I always try to emphasize the importance of finding times to practice in your daily life. It's important for so many reasons, especially because if you save practicing for "when you have time," you probably won't practice (maybe at all, certainly as much as you want to). In addition, everyday life is when you want your dog to be able to perform whatever behaviors you are practicing, isn't it? That being said, there are always moments when we are not as on top of what is going on as we want to be. In those moments, we are left reacting to what happens, and figuring out what happens next. We had such an incident when a delivery person came to our door and I was unable to respond either to the door or to redirect the dog. (I was home on sick leave with limited mobility.) For once in my life, I was even without a cheesestick! A few minutes after that issue...
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Where I Came From

by lennearbNo Comments
People often ask me how I came to be interested in animal welfare. The answer is simple, even if I think of it more as s state of being than a process. When I was born, my parents had three dogs and a cat*. All were rescues or otherwise unwanted animals that they had taken in from various places: the runty kitten, the dog found in the supermarket parking lot. So, you see, I was born to a legacy of animal rescue. This trend continued throughout my childhood, as we adopted various animals from hard-luck backgrounds. I think, however, that the background of the animals mattered less to me than their presence in my life. We almost always had at least one dog and one cat in the family, sometimes more, and their presence has always been warm and comforting to me: the presence of animals makes the house feel like home. At the same time, rescuing animals from different backgrounds convinced me early...
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When We Change the Rules

by lennearbNo Comments
Like any good trainer, I am always looking for professional development opportunities. Sometimes what I learn gives me more immediate insight into my own relationship with my animals then my clients' relationship with theirs. Currently, I am enrolled in a class to become a Family Paws Parent Educator. (More about that at a future date.) The point today is that a recent class discussion brought to mind the rules and expectations we create for our dogs--and what it does to them when we change those expectations. I always tell my clients and class students to set expectations for their dogs, and stick to them. Within certain boundaries, I am not usually concerned about what those rules are. Is the dog allowed on the couch? On the bed? Who goes out the door first? I don't really care what the answers to those questions are in most cases, as long as the answer is consistent within the family. However, the flip side of creating...
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When Change Isn’t Progress

by lennearbNo Comments
We often think of dog training as a progression: first teach sit, then down, then stay. Many classes and manners of instruction are set up this way, my own included. Class names also tend to reinforce this progression mentality: Basic Manners, Intermediate Manners, Advanced Manners. There is some truth to this perception, of course. By starting training with simple behaviors that make use of dogs’ natural behavior patterns, and therefore are easy for our dogs to learn, we help them learn how to learn and plant the seeds for success in more advanced training down the road. However, having once learned a behavior is not a guarantee that your dog will continue to know and perform the behavior forever. Dogs, like people, respond to incentives, and they also form habits. If the incentive to perform a certain behavior is removed, the behavior is likely to fade. We use this to our advantage when we work to discourage undesirable behaviors like jumping up...
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Resolved for 2016

by lennearbNo Comments
What will you train your pets to do (or not to do!) in 2016? A new year is right around the corner, and, like many people, my mind is turning to the things I want to do next year. Although I adopted Nefertiti in 2007 and Sirius Black in 2009, there are always more things I want to do with them. Some of these come from friends, training colleagues, and clients. Many others come from the part of the training process that i sometimes describe as whackamole (an inelegant turn of phrase that I promise does not involve any actual whacking). Inevitably, any training or behavior modification regimen will bring to light new things you want to work on with your pet. Some of this is because successfully addressing one issue makes one that seemed minor in comparison more pressing. Other times, some part of the solution or management routine can actually contribute to a new problem or solving one problem may allow...
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Something a Little Different

by lennearbNo Comments
And now for something a little different… Isn't that what the holidays are all about? Whether you celebrate a religious holiday, or just appreciate a respite from your daily routine, the holidays provide an opportunity to do something just a little different. Many of us have days off, we may travel, or dust off those old family recipes for a once a year treat. What could be better? In my opinion, nothing. However, changes in our own routines often mean changes in our pets’ routines as well. Sometimes planning for these changes can fall by the wayside in our intense holiday planning. So here are three new things that your dog might experience during the holidays and what you can do to be prepared: New places. Whether you are traveling with your dog, as I am, or boarding your dog in a kennel or private home, new places can be difficult. Are there new rules in the new place? Make sure you know what they...
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On Being a Dog

On Being a Dog

by lennearbNo Comments
Fall is one of my favorite times of year, and one of Sirius Black’s as well. This is not a coincidence. The weather at this time of year is perfect for us, not too hot and not to cold, like Baby Bear’s porridge, and, like Goldilocks, we like to take advantage of it, usually by hiking. We try to go hiking year round, but our best hikes are usually in the spring and fall. This fall has been perfect. A few weeks ago, we spent a day on a glorious 8-mile hike with beautiful views and great leaves. I know long hikes are not for every person, or every dog, but this is there is something Sirius and I get out of these hikes that everyone should be looking to find a way to get with their dog: a chance for Sirius to be a dog and to be completely comfortable in the world he’s living in. Sirius is a rescue dog who...
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Good-bye, Old Friend

Good-bye, Old Friend

by lennearbNo Comments
This post is almost two weeks late for one simple reason: I didn't want to write it. By writing this post, I am acknowledging that I have lost a friend. A young dog who only a short time ago seemed so healthy, is gone. I don't want to dwell on the negatives, instead, I am trying to remember the good times we had walking, visiting, and watching her play with Sirius Black. And I think that is the right approach. Loss is something we live with in life, especially when we share our lives with pets, who are typically shorter-lived than we are. Of course, the sense of tragedy is increased when one dies so young. But there is nothing to regret in a well-lived life. And there is nothing to be sorry for when we know we have done everything we can for the animals in our lives. So, I propose a toast for my late friend, "It was a privilege to know you....
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