Whether it’s crates, seat harnesses or car seats, the most important aspect of safety is control. Even if the car is not moving, being able to contain your dogs inside the car is an important piece of the pie. This is true whether you are going three blocks or three thousand miles.

For over 20 years my canine family has been traveling. Most of my dogs have peed in two oceans. I have driven with one dog, two dogs and three dogs, small dogs, big dogs, and medium size dogs. We’ve had cars, vans and SUVs. We’ve had dogs loose in the back, in crates, harnesses, seats, no seats, and a lot of training techniques trying to make them all work.

One statement on safety. A dog in a car unrestrained is a moving projectile of enormous force if your car is hit by another vehicle or you are forced to slam on your brakes. From an article in the AAA Newsroom: “An unrestrained 10-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert roughly 300 pounds of pressure, while an unrestrained 80-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert approximately 2,400 pounds of pressure. Imagine the devastation that can cause to your pet and anyone in its path,” said Huebner-Davidson. See article…http://newsroom.aaa.com/2011/07/2011-kurgo-pet-surve/.

It looks great when I see a dog riding free with his head out of the window. It’s  great for a moment, but besides the health risk to eyes and ears, the chances of that situation ending badly are scary. Even if the dog survives an accident, he’s now loose on the highway and there are cars and trucks and………..a whole other set of statistics begin.

Okay, enough of the scary stuff. Here are your options.

For about 15 years I used crates in my vehicles. The dogs loved their crates and knew that most likely they would go somewhere more fun than the vet. That’s because they did.

Crates are great if you have a van or SUV, and they are attached (or tightly bungee corded) to the car. The advantage to crates (on long trips) is you can use them for activities other than safety. You can use them for dispensing high value treats and for meals. You can have them rest in their crates while the car doors are open as you prepare lunch. A crate allows your dog some nice exercise with a pizzle stick, bully stick or frozen food dispensing toy. The crates keep the toys from falling, so your dog won’t break his neck trying to get it out from between the door and the seat. I prefer soft crates or plastic crates in the car. Metal crates can be an added danger in an accident.

Another safety option for cars, and now my choice in my SUV, is harnesses. There are many different brands of seat belt harnesses for dogs. Once you find the good quality reputable companies, it becomes a matter of comfort and budget. Using harnesses takes up less room than a crate. You can buckle up your pooch in the same space it takes for one human passenger, unless, of course, you have a 100 lb dog and then all bets are off.  Never ever attach a seat belt to your dog’s collar, always use a harness.

For good quality harnesses:

http://www.ruffrider.com/

http://www.petautosafety.com/

http://www.coastalpet.com/

The car seat on the right is the latest addition to our travels. Our Beagle was having some car issues so we tried different options for her. This car seat did the trick. She is able to see out the window, which she enjoys and most importantly, I think the bed type cushion makes her feel a little safer or a little more secure and she is not nearly as upset in the car. Her sister sits harnessed on the seat next to her.

No matter how safe your dogs are in their seat-belts or crates, it’s always good to teach them to “Wait” for permission to leave the car. My dogs know “Wait” and have a release word so I can leash them up without a struggle.

There are many safe options for your dog in the car and it’s important to find the right solution for your dog and also for the rest of the family, be they canine or human.

It’s a great day for the first snow of the year. It would have been Little Star’s eleventh anniversary of her first day here. It was a cold snowy Friday and it was one of the happiest days of my life. I would soon learn it was one of Star’s happiest days also. It included mounds of snow and cold, her two favorite things. Oh yes, and she was home.

As a dog trainer writing a blog about dog training, it has been a hard couple of months. As I learned about blogging, I realized that this blog would include much more about dogs than just training. Last January, during APDT’s Train Your Dog Month Social Media Contest, I entered with a series of blogposts called “At Home With The Dogs Of kona’s touch”. I have always included my personal dogs in my writings, but never to this extent and they have been warmly received. I even won the contest. As many of you know, shortly after that series we found out we would lose our Little Star White Dog to terminal cancer. A sudden diagnosis with a devastating ending.

It’s been hard for me to write these days. There has been a lot of sadness for us in the last few years culminating with a double whammy at the end of 2011. What is difficult  is that many people don’t want to hear about the sadness after awhile. But what I’ve come to find is, some people do. We learn many lessons from a broken heart. It’s the time we’re most open. I have experienced the sheer joy of loving dogs and the pure sadness of losing them. Five months later it is still with me, perhaps even more raw than the first 3 months. My fear in writing about it is that you’re all going to think I’m “Debbie Downer”. The goodness of writing about it is that it feeds my soul. Some people can use the information and some people can use the company.

I’m not afraid to talk about death, but right now I’m going to talk about life. Our life here in this house since Little Star left this earth just short of five months ago..

Christmas was awful, New Years was a little better, terrible. I spent December wishing for warm weather and it worked. You see, Little Star loved the snow and I couldn’t bear to think about it snowing without her.

I’ve been dreading this day all winter and even though I have always loved the snow as much as Star did, I didn’t want it. I didn’t dread Christmas and it was awful, I didn’t dread New Years, awful again. Today I have dreaded for the last two months and it’s not so bad. I feel a lightness I haven’t felt in a long time. I feel with this anniversary and the first snow a choice to be with Star again. When she first died I was content. I felt a little bad that I didn’t feel bad. Un-loyal perhaps, unfeeling. Then the bottom fell out and the pain in my heart was killing me. I lost her then for a few months which is why I was so sad. Now I am light again, contentment is returning and I’m feeling her with me again. Joy is returning in the form she would have insisted on.

Expectations and predictions can really weigh us down. They can change energy and send us into spins and twirls that cause our centers to uncenter. Our balance to unbalance. I have learned a lot about living in the present these last few months. When I do it I can still be with Star, and when I don’t, I can’t.

Every year on the “first snow” we would wake up early and rush to get downstairs and into the yard. She would barrel out the door and run as fast as she could diving head first for a roll worth waiting for all summer. She then ran around the yard making trails and then running back making new ones next to the first ones. Then she would find her jolly ball and pick it up high so the snow wouldn’t trip it. She’d drop it at my feet and back up and bark. I would throw it as far as I could and she would bound through the snow dipping her head in just for the fun of it while she retrieved her ball. We would play until I was cold, she would never get cold, and then we would go in for a good hearty breakfast before she went for her “first snow day walk”

Today is that day. I thank Star for holding back the snow this long and letting us all adjust to getting the holiday behind us. I think most of the mid west thanks her for that.

This evening on Star’s 11th Anniversary, when the snow has accumulated, I will run with my dogs in the yard and I will feel the joy of Little Star and all she has taught me about love and laughter and the first day of snow.

I had a call from a new client the Monday after another Thanksgiving. Her 9 month old adolescent lab had made the holiday a major catastrophe, jumping on everyone and knocking down a few of the more fragile guests. He was being obnoxious during the meal, jumping, barking and stealing food. The owners were no longer going to have people over until the dog was trained.

Let’s face it. Holidays can be stressful for even the most relaxed, secure households. There is tons of food, the family is arriving from all over. There is excitement, yelling, anxiety and stress going around and it’s all free. And then there’s your canine best friend, and on this day, Fido’s rules (if he has any to begin with), are going to be broken. He has been waiting days for the schedule to return to normal so he can get some exercise.

If you can make a little plan for your pooch on Thanksgiving Day, it will definitely make his day better and may very well make your day better also.

First thing in the morning, walk the dog on a special Thanksgiving walk, go to the woods or the beach. This is your special walk, on this special day, with your canine best friend. The year I had 22 people and 4 dogs over Thanksgiving Day, we started the day with an hour long special walk. It was great. It can be done.

Frozen KONGS filled with turkey can be an awesome way to include your fur kids into the day. KONGS in the crate can be used for the part of the day that is most stressful for your hound or family. If he begs at the table and Aunt Rose feeds him, break up that relationship with a dinner time treat. As you get ready for dinner, take out his dinner and put it in his special place. Make his place, if it’s not a crate, completely unvisitable by any humans or other animals, especially kids and/or toddlers.

Try to have some really fun alternative for Fido while the guests are arriving. Perhaps every time the door bell rings he gets a KONG Wobbler, or interactive game in his crate. It gives you just enough time to get your guests in, their coats hung up and the dessert they brought safely in the refrigerator before he comes to greet them.

Spending some time with your dog will greatly reduce the stress of your holiday. Whether you’re cooking or going to Auntie Maude’s, after the turkey goes in or before your shower, play with your dog. Play some fetch, tug or otherwise happy games with your pooch. Send him off through the empty house for a treasure hunt of treats and favorite toys. Do mini training sessions during the commercials of the Parade and the football games. The choices are endless and will help to make your and your dog’s day so much brighter. Can’t you just imagine, your honour student pooch, lying on his bed, happily sound asleep, while the family eats that last bite of holiday pie without being abused, assaulted or generally chewed upon by a bored, pent-up, adolescent canine house member. This scenario brought to you by a well thought out pre-arranged plan for your pooch.

When the turkey or Tofurkey is in the oven, and another adult is in the house, you and your canine can go for another walk. If need be, just 15-20 minutes.

This is the one for breathing. You’ve been out a lot lately, shopping, preparing, talking on the phone and deciding plans. It’s time to let go of all the pre-stress and breathe. Breathe in fresh air, breathe out stress and tension and definitely the thought of the turkey being too dry. Let those stressful thoughts just blow away with the breeze. Most likely your dog is doing the same thing.

However you and Fido get your exercise and keep the tension to a minimum, don’t forget to continue during the holidays. It is possible to enjoy, relax and be with family. Just remember to include you WHOLE family and “Plan for the dog”. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Holidays from kona’s touch, inc

Dogs can be just as bored sitting around the yard doing nothing as they can sitting around the house doing nothing. The truth is they can get in much more trouble outside doing nothing than inside. If they are unsupervised outside, a whole new set of issues can occur at alarming speeds. But this isn’t the blog about all the trouble your dog and even worse your puppy, can get into in an unsupervised yard.  Those are the things we recommend NOT to do. So as long as you’re out there with them, let’s have some fun.

Let’s talk about what you can do:

Playing

1. This one is kind of a no brainer. If you have a dog that has a love for the round throwable item, by all means please throw. Even if your dog has a career fetch every morning at the park, you can have some short sessions anytime you bring the dogs out for bathroom breaks, (if that’s where they do that kind of thing). Grab a ball, frisbee, KONG on a rope or any object your dog loves to fetch. BTW, if you can’t throw there are many options out there to help the object go further than ever.

2. Many dogs like to play a soccer type game and the two of you can have a blast running throughout the yard playing kicking games with a soft soccer type ball or Jolly ball or any thing that rolls and your dog likes. You can play so your dog is the goalie, you can play kicking keep away, (make sure Fido gets it often enough to keep him interested), or you can make up your own game depending on what kind of play your dog likes. Just take a soccer ball outside and start kicking, see what your dog does and punt, so to speak.

3. You can buy or make agility equipment for your dog just to play on. Whether your Fido is a champion agility dog or never jumped through a hoop in his life, with a few buckets, some PVC piping, a few orange cones, a hula hoop and a little imagination your empty yard can be an agility course.

Training

Use your yard space and time for training sessions galore. it’s a perfect space to practice your intermediate training before you go out into the real world for distraction work. You have an enclosed area where you can control the distractions most of the time by being aware of some basics. Depending on your fence, you can get very creative with your distraction training.

1. If your yard is in a high traffic area with cars and humans passing by your fence, spend time out there early in the morning or keep an eye out to determine your low traffic times of the day.

2. If you practice in the cold,there are less neighbors. As your dog gets better at his/her training you can spend more time outside training in higher human traffic times.

3. Bicycles, skateboards, scooters, wagons, just to mention a few, will be passing by some backyards and you can take your more advanced puppy out at those times for some advanced distraction work

Remember, if you don’t have a fence you can work with your dog on a long line, as long as you have a safe area on your property to play. Be careful of the faster games and full out running with the long line. Sometimes it’s safer to play slower games to be able to control the leash.

Whether you have 20 acres or a 20 foot square of space, if you’re not actively engaging your dog, you can have a sedate, bored dog in no time. Get outside and Play With Your Pooch.

When I say to people I’m a dog trainer, they start to ask questions. They almost always talk about what upsets them or what upsets their dog. Sometimes they say things that they have never said out loud before. They ask me what they can do for their dog to stop ___________ (fill in the blank). It could be separation issues, thunderstorms, being afraid of the car, or of their Uncle Herman. Most of the time these issues can be dealt with a teaspoon of positive, peaceful training, a dash of behavior mod, and a pinch of some outside calming effects to help make the scary house a quiet, peaceful home. OK, well not quiet ALL the time. There are many ways to set up calm in your house. I like to let people know their options. They then can pick whatever makes them comfortable. There are many ways to help make your house sound safer, smell safer, and feel safer to your dog. People are always shocked that there are so many different ways to help their dog’s “issues”.

First a loud disclaimer: I’m not a vet nor do I play one on TV. It is imperative to understand that there exists a wide spectrum of anxiety issues. As a dog trainer and a dog owner, I have been working for more than twenty years with vets trained in both Eastern and Western medicine. Working together with the owners and their vets we try to form the most cohesive, safest, life plan for their canine best friend. All medical diagnoses, prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine are prescribed by the dog’s vet. All homeopathic and flower essences are supported and supervised by vets and the specialists that prepare the oils.

As with humans, a dog’s fear or anxiety can vary from severe to moderate to mild. For severe cases, and possibly moderate cases they may also need prescription meds similar to those taken by humans. The drugs work the same, and it’s important to use that “window of opportunity” that the drug offers. This is the time to train and use CC and D to help the dog so he may not need these drugs for his whole life. I think of it this way, in layman’s terms: when you can get a clear pathway to the brain, the knowledge and skills that the dog acquires can help replace some of the anxiety or stress. That’s the time to teach alternative behaviors and reactions so the dog can have some skills to cope better. Sometimes we need the meds to clear the path to the brain. When it is determined by your “team of experts” that prescription medication is not necessary, you can proceed with some alternative choices. That said, we can now talk about alternative healing modalities to put in your Canine Holistic Kit for Home and Car.

A few things about healing. This is true for both our dogs and ourselves. The beauty of working with animals is they come with no preconceived notions about alternative medicine.  Their minds and bodies are completely open and accepting. When they have joint pain and I give them homeopathic remedies, they walk easier. That’s all I know. When I take it, I walk easier, too. An open mind with some healing intention can go a long way to complete your dog’s health care program. There are exceptions to all rules and with holistic healing it is no different. Remedies need to be tried with each individual animal or person to find their individual response. I learned a long time ago that my partner responded to pharmaceuticals in an opposite way than “most” people; sleeping pills made her hyper and hyper pills made her sleepy. It was a large lesson and one that I think of every time I start a new regimen of healing with any pooch. When people ask about certain issues, I always say, “Well, this works with most dogs, but always watch closely when starting a new plan. Then, if your dog is the one in a million, you won’t be adversely treating him while you try to make him feel better.”

Many of today’s peaceful, positive dog trainers see the dog and family as an integrative system. We not only teach the required “sit”, “down” and “stay”, but we look at all aspects of the dog’s life. I will never try to replace or substitute a vet. When physical and cognitive ailments have been ruled out by the dog’s vet, that’s when a trainer with a big tool box full of many different options can be helpful. Many modern peaceful, force-free trainers have vast information about new and helpful ways besides training that may keep your dog’s stressors below threshold. All of these different modalities can form a cohesive program to keep your dog safe and calm and therefore, most likely, happy and content. Many behavioral issues that occur due to stress can be successfully helped with behavior modification and alternative healing modalities.

Many vets these days are opening up to alternative healing, walking side-by-side with traditional Western medicine. There is a vast world out there for many opinions and many different modalities. As long as your vet, vet behaviorist, trainer and any other healers are all working together –  with open communication — for the benefit of the dog, there should be no problems. There are still some vets that think alternative medicine is “a waste of time and money”. I’ve always been very quiet about the vets with “old fashioned” beliefs, but it’s time for me to stop being quiet. If you are working with a vet that ABSOLUTELY refuses to work with all options available (including nutrition, titering and responsible vaccination protocols) or makes you feel bad or wasteful for trying, perhaps you need to look for another vet who may better suit your needs. It’s 2011 and when I started 20 years ago this was a very controversial issue. It’s not controversial anymore. It is so important to include all healing modalities that are appropriate when trying to help your best friend. There seems to be many more opened minded vets than not. Try to find one. There, I’ve said it. Bring on the discussion, no yelling please.

The Canine Holistic Kit for Home and Car
for your holistic family

Home and Car

• One to three CD’s “Through a Dog’s Ears” Home version      www.throughadogsear.com
• Lavender Essential oil,   Any health food or aromatherapy store
• 5 Flower Essence    A Bach Flower remedy      www.bachflower.com
• Rescue Remedy, a homeopathic stress remedy,    www.bachflower.com
• Arnica, for muscle and joint ailments. Or, for just a long day in the field,      www.boironusa.com
• DAP Comfort Zone,  wwwpetcomfortzone.com
• Calling All Angels, for space issues and thunderstorms    Alaskan Essence
• Thundershirt, Ttouch or anxiety wrap.       Thundershirt TTouch
• Canine Massage Book

Car: If you dog is anxious, uncomfortable, or car sick.

• One CD “Through a Dog’s Ears”  Car version, don’t drive with the home version.
• Nux Vomica, for nausea.      www.boironusa.com
• Walnut, for travel and transitions      www.bachflower.com
• Except for the  DAP and the Thundershirt, all these remedies and essences can be shared by human and canine alike.

Flower essences and holistic remedies come in different brands and flower essences have many different remedies. The essences listed are just a sample of what is available.  Talk to your vet, your behaviorist, your trainer and any other trusted healer.

Lhotse’ came to us when she was at least a year old, maybe two. She had a rough start. She was wild. She had no impulse control and no training. We found out quickly that she also had cognitive difficulties, most likely from a previous head injury. We’re not sure if she was ever outside. We are sure she was never on a leash.

I hadn’t worked with Lhotse’ formally with “Heels” or even “Let’s Walk”, (a less formal “Heel”). She had (we thought) some cognitive issues from a former head injury and she doesn’t have the best concentration outside. She loves to go for walks, most of the time.

So with some creative planning and taking into consideration her cognitive issues, we were only able to tinker with training. Last winter with all the snow, I walked the dogs with a longer leash. There were snow mounds everywhere and little to no traffic. The longer leash made it easier to maneuver in the snow and get some extra mileage as they went back and forth. They explore the world at 15′ away and check back with the leash holder at 3′. We also used the longer lead for walks in the woods so they can get in and under all the fun stuff and not drag me into the greatest pile of poop on earth.

I just started shaping with her on a very casual level. It was very simple. When she checked in with me, I clicked and treated. Look at Mom, click-treat. Slow down enough to be at Mom’s side, left or right side, either was OK, click-treat. I never said a word. I did say some sweet things when she was extra cute, smart or just sweet. It was great to see her finally getting the idea.

When she was pulling ahead, I would stop. When she would give some slack on the leash, I would move forward. I did a casual simulated version of “Be a Tree”, a training technique to help stop pulling on leash. I have used this method very successfully for years on client’s dogs and my own dogs. See “Good Dog Walking” by Pat Miller

Positive family dog training works best when we determine what your particular dog’s personality is, and what your needs are. This way you can both work together to accomplish the goals of training which lead to a calm, quiet walk. We worked with her the best we could and above all, we were consistent with management. While we didn’t work with specific difficult walking behaviors, we also didn’t allow her to pull and walk all over the place and get worse. Then when we found a different way to treat her physical issues, she had a remarkable change in cognitive ability. Once she started to feel better, we started training. She picked up the theory in no time and now we have about 10 feet of leash dragging behind. She pays attention and if she goes ahead, she doesn’t pull and she checks in with us often.

It’s so important to be flexible. Dogs are the same species, similar in many ways, BUT each individual dog is the same as each individual human. We all have our little nuances that make us who we are. It’s important to find out what makes your dog tick and work the best possible protocols for your individual dog.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the extra ten feet of leash.

Enjoy your walk!

In January 2000, I was at a week-long seminar on the West coast.  Off topic — well , on topic for me – I participated in a “Find Your Spirit Animal” class. There, I was guided through a scene where I supplied my favorite beach. I was introduced to a white dog, my spirit guide. It was a wonderful experience and I left secure knowing I would be guided in life by a strong, beautiful gentle white dog.

Two days later a psychic told me that a very furry dog would be entering my life and she would make a huge impact. I told her about my spirit animal journey and that must be the dog she is seeing. She smiled, “No, this is a dog that will come into your physical life, a real dog, and there will be a lot of fur.” I told her that wasn’t going to happen. I was fine with my pack of two at home and in fact, on the beach a few months before, had just declared my life was perfect. I was the happiest I had ever been.

We agreed to disagree, although that funny look in her eye made me nervous. I went home from the conference feeling exhilarated, and educated with all my new information. I didn’t think of the psychic again for six years.

Within a few months, my perfect life started to unravel. One of my real dogs became ill and she was gone before I knew it. She was my soul mate, and I was devastated. I had learned about traditional “old fashioned” dog training at her expense, and I had spent the last ten years undoing the wrong that I had caused her. It was only a few months of her early life that I had used punishment-based training, but I had a lot to make up for.

I still didn’t have a replacement for that “awful” training. What I had already learned in life was going to be the way: be respectful to all sentient beings, don’t cause harm and be a faithful, loyal friend. That was easy. I could treat her well, not hurt her and keep her safe, after all, she was my best friend. I had walked the uncomfortable path of avoiding dog training for ten years. I had two dogs who were a huge part of my life and I took excellent care of them, but I was not going to train them the way I had learned.

The two dogs I had, raised me from the time they were six weeks old. They were well socialized and sturdy. When they were very young they learned some good and safe manners. They were expert at waiting for permission to leave the car. They had no issues, fears or phobias. They watched me be a loud, bouncy sports fanatic without a care.  They slept through storms. They slept through everything.

The new dog came on a Friday, just under a year after the conference. She was exactly what I saw in that guided journey on the beach. I was not looking to get another dog, but when I first laid eyes on her, I was in love. Within forty-eight hours she was in the back of my SUV toward her forever home. She taught me my first lesson the second we arrived.

She was my first lesson in sensitive dogs. It literally came the second I opened the back of the car to leash her up and take her to the park to introduce her to her new brother. I opened the door assuming that she would sit there and wait for permission to get out, after all that’s what dogs did. She then, bolted out of the SUV over my shoulder and landed in a snow bank on the curb. I did what came naturally, I yelled, “Hey”. That was all it took, and the dog hit the ground on her back in a heartbeat. I took advantage of the situation and clipped on the leash. Then I made my first mental note, “DO NOT YELL AT THIS DOG”. My first lesson in positive dog training. Don’t yell at the dog. OK, I think I can do that, after all she is my new best friend. No more yelling.

I said gently, “it’s okay girl, you’re okay” and she started to wag her snow-covered tail. She got up and shook herself off. It was then I noticed she started to prance. She looked good. The greeting went well and the two dogs walked home together. The new dog pranced.

The energy between us was awesome and it was no surprise to me that she fell sound asleep on my leg right after the park and walk home with her new family. This “wild and frenetic” dog just needed to get out of the small cage at the shelter and find somebody to love. At the end of her nap, she sealed the deal by peeing on me while she was sound asleep. I knew at that moment that she was mine and apparently, I was hers! I then understood more about her past and why she may have ended up in the yard full time.

She woke up soaking wet and bolted off the couch and ran outside. The back door to our protected yard was open and she leaned against the outside of the house and tried to become invisible. She closed her eyes and shook. I followed her and stopped three feet away from her and told her it was “okay girl, don’t worry girl, it’s okay, you’re safe now.” She peaked up, looked me in the eye and crawled over to me and started a tail wagging routine that has perfected itself day after day for ten years now.

Her tail wagging should be entered in contests. Her testament of happiness is apparent in every wave. Later that afternoon the new dog got her name. While standing under a snowy bush across the yard, the sun glistened through the bushes onto her like a star, and at that moment she became Little Star White Dog. She taught me more about my self that afternoon then I’d ever known.

A few months after meeting Star, I found my first positive training book — Pat Miller’s The Power of Positive Dog Training — and it changed my life.  It allowed me to pursue training again from a completely compassionate viewpoint. I was thrilled to know there was an official way to train a dog with gentle methods and respect. After that, it was no surprise to me now that Little Star led me into a pet store one day. It was there we first saw clicker training, well before it was established in the dog training world. I was on my way.

With Little Star as my training partner, we traveled to a very highly respected dog training academy a short time later. As I worked with Little Star for the first time in front of my teacher, she watched silently. I had my clicker, I was so careful of my timing and body language and cues. When our repertoire was over, I stood there uncomfortable for a moment and then she leaned toward us and said, “I love the relationship you and Little Star have”. It was the best news I could have heard from her, and Little Star and I went on to have a wonderful week at training school.

I wanted to make sure I had the science of training down and then I wanted to take it further. I wanted to work with dogs and most importantly, I wanted to make sure I could be the kind of trainer that I would want Little Star to have. I wanted to always look at dogs I train as an individual, each with their own personality and issues. I wanted to help them find the way to keep them on their best path for their happiness and their family’s happiness. Now with positive training, I had the resources to do that.

I learned to advocate for dogs because of Little Star. When a local trainer I was working with performed a leash correction on Little Star, I told them both that will never happen again. I took the leash and then that trainer was gone. In return, Star learned to trust our relationship. At an agility class graduation, the instructor asked for a stair climb that Star had never seen. I knew she would be safe with me and apparently she knew it also. Even though it was clear she was scared she went right up those stairs with me, her eyes only leaving me to get her footing. We graduated and I was so proud of her. She trusted me. After that the sky was the limit.

Little Star excelled in all the training that we did together. As I continued my education in peaceful, positive dog training I practiced everything I learned with her. She loves to train and has always had a fun, rewarding time. I did keep my promise to her and she has never received another leash correction. It’s not so funny that I have rewarded her thousands of times for behavior, and yet I still remember that one hurtful event.

She told me things with her eyes and I listened. She told me with her body, and I watched. I put a harness on her and she slunk down. I took it off and she pranced. Together we found a better solution. That was all. It’s so important to not just train, but to really watch our dogs and find what makes them happy.

Little Star White Dog changed my life. They can do that, they can change our lives and they don’t even have to try. Little Star helped me laugh again after thinking I never would. Some dogs come into our lives for very important reasons. Some dogs come to take care of us and it’s up to us to make sure that we treat their journey with respect and love. We as humans can learn so much from them if we let them teach us. If we close ourselves off after our hearts are broken, we will lose the chances that are there for us.

With the loss of my soul mate, I was able to meet my heart dog. I am so grateful to have them enter our world and heal the parts in us that have been broken by living. And because of their gift to us, we in turn can heal them, peacefully, gently, and with compassion.

One day walking with Star the wind blew some of her fur around, I remembered the psychic for the first time in six years. It dawned on me that that week in January when she was telling me about my furry dog, Little Star was being conceived.  Then I pranced.

With them we are ten again, alive, free, and bounding with energy to keep up with their enthusiasm for the day. One minute at a time, living in the present.

We got there and started to perform all that was asked of us, all of the things we had rehearsed. Then the teacher threw something at us we had never tried. It was a walk up the moveable stairs that they use for getting inventory off the top shelves of the warehouse. That was the final for the graduation and the teacher wanted Star to go up the stairs with me. They were open like fire escape stairs and Star was scared,  but she wasn’t too scared with her partner. I knew she would trust me and go up the stairs and I knew I could keep her safe. I used the words she was familiar with from some of the other agility obstacles and she cautiously followed me up the stairs. We stopped for a picture on the top and we went down with no problem and received our diploma.

What we learned that summer in Agility 1 and 2 helped form our foundation of trust and respect that would carry us through many years. I didn’t know then, but building that foundation would be so helpful when she was facing illness and a sudden onset of older age behaviors because of the illness

Star and I are training partners. We are also agility partners.

While I am not enjoying the subject of why we are talking about this, it is in fact a learning lesson that I can’t not talk about.

Little Star and I started a beautiful relationship in training and agility when she was 10 months old, a few months after she moved in. She was fast and agile and the smartest dog I had ever known. She’s still the smartest dog I’ve ever known, she’s just not the fastest anymore.

I remembered when my 70 pound lab Bo got older and started to slow down, we attempted to help make walking up stairs or getting in car easier. He didn’t want help and the ramps and steps were foreign to him. He was scared of them.  He was an athlete, an awesome athlete, smart as a whip. We were close and he was trained, but he competed alone once I provided the stimuli, (any round object would do), so when he needed help he wasn’t conditioned that way and it was difficult.

When Star got sick, I thought, well at least she’ll use a ramp. That was just the beginning. As Star wanders sometimes confused due to her illness she can be brought back into this world with words she knows and has heard her whole life. Sometimes I think her body is reacting with instinct instead of her brain processing it to help her movement. When she’s confused, one quick, “On my right” or “Back-up” is all she needs to get her on the right track again. When she’s tired and I tell her “I got you”, she knows we can continue and I’ve got her back. I don’t know what it says inside her canine mind, but her body reacts with precision and accuracy. When I needed to get her into the car and I put the ramp that she has never seen by the car, one reminder of “Walk It’ and she was in her seat ready to roll. I could never get my lab to walk on a ramp. He saw his first ramp at age 13, and wanted no part of it. Star was up that ramp and sitting pretty in her seat with no hesitation.

On her last day we were going outside and she was confused about where she was going. She started to veer off towards the street and one reminder of “left” and her entire body just turned left and she was on the right path again.

I am reminded of something I heard at Clicker Expo one year, the gist of it was that “not only is the clicker more consistant and accurate as a marker, but it somehow gets into the central nervous system and really causes an imprint to help the behavior stick”. This left turn seems like it came from somewhere deep inside her, not her brain.

Star and I did not continue our professional agility career. We competed for three minutes one 8 hour day during an outside trial in 90 degree weather. We decided it wasn’t for us. We continued to do agility in the backyard, at the local park in the winter and just about everywhere else we could imagine running a course. We continued to do agility in the last six months of her life every day. It turned out to be essential for her comfort and safety as she grew weaker.

It doesn’t have to be agility that you do with your dog, but work on some special behaviors before you need them. Teach your adult dog to walk up ramps and maybe some directional cues. Show them the “new ramp” to get up on the bed before they need it. Work on the behavior before they get sick. Train and condition that words and touch can be reassuring. Even though we train with hands off methods, this is an important exception. Show them you can assist them with some gentle hands on conditioning while they’re healthy and younger. It’s never too late before your dog gets sick or old. When you’ve conditioned them to know you “have their back”, they are grateful. When they need you, they know you are there.

When Star needed us she knew we were there. It was our finest moment.

Even in death we won’t part.

“NO”, if you think about it, doesn’t really tell the dog anything except that you are unhappy in the situation.

Oh, to the contrary, let me tell you what my dogs do know instead.

If I want them to remove themselves from an object (for instance a bed, or couch or rug), I just ask them. Yes, you guessed it, this is wonderful for cleaning the house when your dog is following you around “helping”.  We say “Off,”  we don’t yell it, scream it or use any emotional tone in our voice. We just say “Off” and the dog removes him or herself off of the item he/she is occupying. Then, if he’s worth his weight in “cleaning”, he will plop himself on the next thing you want to get at, just so he can keep you the best company he knows how.

“Leave it” is another cue we use instead of NO.  “Leave It”  means just that. If Fido comes across some savory food on the street, or another species’ treasured poop-type item, or your three year old neighbor’s favorite dolly, I say “Leave it” and my dog looks up at me for further instructions. The key is that he looks up at me WITHOUT the precious item in his mouth. He almost always get some other equally (or as close as we can come to equally) delicious item in return for the wonderful listening and the wonderful behavior exhibited by my dog.

Another great cue to learn instead of the useless NO is “Wait”. I would much rather teach my dog to “Wait” at an entrance, crosswalk, gate, or in the open car, than yell NO and hope he guesses the right answer. If my dog is heading for trouble, I would rather say “Wait” and have him stop, instead of running into traffic or running after something fun and exciting. “Wait” teaches self control, safety. It also gives you a chance to catch your breath on a breathless walk when you just can’t keep up with Fido.

“No” is scary. Often loud.

“No” doesn’t tell the dog anything but disapproval.

“No” doesn’t teach he dog anything but to be afraid of a word due to the tone of your voice.

Positive training is in no way a license to allow humans to spoil dogs and give them a right of way to chaos in the human world. It is a license to allow us to understand the human animal relationship and allow us to be gentle and respectful with them.

We have a communication that lets us treat our dogs with the dignity and respect that they deserve. After all, they are our best friends.

There is no doubt that there is a great  amount of stress in this house and I have been watching closely for signs that my two younger dogs may be heading for the dark place in their minds. When clients say to me,”it came out of nowhere, there were no signs, they just started fighting”, it often turns out that there were many signs. Once we start asking the right questions, there can can be a myriad of missed signs. After we learn to look and observe carefully, we can see the tell tale signs of mounting stress.

There are no absolutes, but there are definitely some skills you can learn. Important places to watch for trouble are doorways. Dogs can get very touchy about who goes first, and when there is stress in the house, who goes first can become more important than normal. This is also true for under tables and in other cornered or confined areas. Even if your two dogs love each other and share everything, if they are “snarky” at each other, don’t encourage sharing of small areas. High value food items or humans can also become worth fighting over. Give them space, take one or all of them for special outings doing something they love. If some minor discontent should occur, redirect the energy into something fun or open any doors to allow them more space (into a fenced yard of course). Separate them to give them some time to cool off.  Try not to yell or scold a dog who is offering his opinion to his canine friend. We do not want Fido to associate harsh talk with his furry roommate.

We are able to understand canine body language including subtle tiny movements and reactions. It’s all very exciting. The body language of dogs is a very popular subject in the positive, peaceful, dog training world. We are studying hard to learn all that we can about how they communicate with their same species and ultimately, with our human world. An excellent DVD series by  Sarah Kalnajs, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant & Certified Pet Dog Trainer called  The Language of Dogs is a great start to learning about dogs and how they communicate. The more we learn about what they are trying to tell us, the safer we can keep them and ourselves. If (and that’s ALWAYS a big “if”) we are going to intervene in a dog fight we need to know if it’s just a screaming match between siblings or a death to the loser battle, in which you could be seriously injured.

The best thing to do in keeping multiple dog households safe and calm during stressful times is to anticipate, watch, and to definitely listen and plan.

Even if you don’t live in a multiple dog household, it could be even more important in some ways to understand canine body language. It’s good to know if that loose dog has play or lunch on his mind when he darts across the street to meet you. It’s great to know if your dog is scared or thrilled to see his new friend. As with “all things dog”, it all depends on the situation and on the dogs in question, but just like with humans there are signs that are universally understood and if we can learn them, we are on our way to being fluent in our best friend’s language. Here is a great blog by behavior consultant, Casey Lomonaco with a list of some signs that may look familiar to you. Understanding Dog Body Language and Verbal Clues

Remember a wagging tail isn’t always happy one.

Woof woof and barkity bark bark to all my human and canine readers.