"It's not the destination...it's the Journey!"

What a nice week!  I just finished up a very successful Canine Good Citizen's Class and am starting two new classes; AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy class and a basic education class in Columbus Ohio.  Happy comments from my students and friends inspire me to continue to do what I love!

I was speaking to my new class today and what a great group!  So enthusiastic and knowledgeable.  I am really looking forward to our class!  As I was sharing with them something struck me and very strongly.  I can not guarantee they will have the perfect dog after our 6 weeks together but I can hope that they will have a better understanding of how to communicate and build a strong relationship through mutual respect with their canine.  

I was speaking with one of my best childhood friends the other day by phone.  She had just purchased a dachshund puppy and was telling me all about him.  So cute!  I then asked her how her older lab mix dog was doing and she said, "oh, well Boo is perfect!"  Boo is 11 or 12 years old now.  I laughed and a shed a tear all at once, as I remembered the phone conversation about Boo when she was a very young dog.  She jumped on people, she barked and she would get out of any fence they constructed and run the neighborhood.  The neighbors knew Boo quite well.  And now..."Boo is the perfect dog!"  And I would agree.  But the point here is that Boo was allowed to develop and grow into the perfect dog.  I commend my friend for sticking through the rough periods and building relationship, allowing for Boo to "grow into the perfect dog"!  We are such a throw away society and we want things right now.  We want the perfect life, house, job and kids.  But, life isn't always just how we planned. Life is a journey and we all grow and change and mature...or at least, we hope we do.  Right?  Isn't it wonderful that our parents allowed for our growth and change and helped us along the way to become the person we are today.  I am so glad I am not the person I use to be.  It is the very same concept with our dogs.  It is a journey and a joy to watch the transformation of puppy energy to a mature and just about "perfect" dog.  So many dogs in our society never get the opportunity to become that well loved, "perfect" member of the family.

Dogs learn when they learn...at their own pace.  They are as individual as you and I.  I have found training both dogs, horses and ponies to be a wonderful journey.  I have enjoyed each and every furry family member and am thankful for the wonderful life's concepts I have learned from each one of them.  I was reminded again, why I named my business what I did... Pawsitive Journey.  I hope my students laugh along the way and can view any training issue for what it is...a solvable problem that will go away as the dog, horse or pony matures, learns and grows.  And the journey...life is a wonderful journey...full and promising!

Ezra says, "Just do it!"

"The real point of being alive is to evolve into the whole person you were intended to be."

Oprah Winfrey

Ezra and I hope you have a great day...that you will be all you were meant to be...and that you will take wing and fly!

You oughta be in pictures...wa wa wa...

Alli pictured with cast members of the Legends of Sleepy Hollow playing in Mount Vernon Ohio at the Memorial Theater October 26 and 27, 2012.

Alli and I are having a great time with all the wonderfully talented cast members of the Legends of Sleepy Hollow!  Michele Bayko, of Orange Barrel Production Company (www.ohiodrama.com) is directing this great group of people.  So much fun to watch Michele as she brings the words on paper to life through the cast and characters now on stage.  She is the perfect example of someone who is doing that which she loves and it shows in everything from the writing, scripting, choreography to the cast members all the way down to the costumes.  Alli and I feel blessed that Michele has chosen Alli for the part of Wolfe the dog and we too want to bring our very best.

Alli has a whole new group of admirers...especially the young members of the cast...as you can see pictured above.  Tonight went really well.  I think it was only our fourth time to actually practice on set with the cast.  The first practice Alli was just thoroughly enjoying this new place to visit. She goes with me to visit many different venues so I think she thought it was just a place where people wanted to meet her and pet her.  No problem...I got this Mom.  Then I started to ask her to wait, stay and come and treating her for a job well done.  She thought...this is cool. I don't treat or bring treats when we are doing our therapy dog visits.  That was a new twist...you could see the wheels in motion as she figured out what I wanted.  During the week at home, I started marking her "barking" and naming it.  Next practice, I asked her to "bark" and indoors no less.  Can you imagine?  This isn't done...but she was a good sport and did what I asked which brought lots of praise and more cookies.  Well...okay...I can do this.  By the 3rd practice we had more time working on the behaviors at home and by the time she arrived on set, Alli was completely "over acting".  She gave me every behavior we had been practicing and all at once.  She was loving her job and so enthusiastic I couldn't help but smile at her.  I can work with enthusiasm!  And tonight our 4th time on set, was great.  She was thoughtful...thinking everything through...no willy nilly barking here and there...she was trying to do it all just right.  Well done Alli!  I couldn't be more pleased with the small amount of time and practice time on set that we have had.  We have another month to hone our skills...and...by George...I think we'll get it!!

Break a leg!

A Dog's life...

Libby and Ezra

Libby and Ezra enjoying an evening at the beach with Matt and I.  It's been a wonderful vacation...full of happy times with family, sun, surf and sand. We are having such a nice time! Ezra and Libby have thoroughly enjoyed their two walks a day.  Our beach house is just far enough away from the beach entrance that it makes for the perfect walk.  Morning jaunts to the beach are as eagerly anticipated by the humans as they are the dogs!  Libby is much more at ease than she was her first time at the beach 8 years ago when she was barely a year old.  Ezra is really enjoying the sights and especially the smells on this his first beach experience. Neither dog has fully committed to dipping their toes in the surf at all whatsoever. They observe us carefully when we venture too close to the ocean water and are content to sit up on the sand and watch as we dip our toes in the surf.

We have met so many friendly dogs on our beach walks; a papillon/schipperke mix, lab, goldens galore, newfie, chihuahua and an akita mix who was the only one that didn't want to say a nice hello.  I was pleased with how many friendly and well socialized dogs are sharing their lives here with the people in our little beach  house community.  It does my heart good.  Dogs truly do love sharing our lives and if given half a chance can learn to be good travelers, friendly greeters to human and dog and just all around great companions to share our lives.  But, you have to give them a chance to learn and grow...it doesn't happen overnight.  I am especially pleased at how dog savvy my 9 month old granddaughter is becoming.  She is learning how to play nice with her doggy friends. We have to keep in mind that her body language is still very erratic and can be easily misunderstood by the dogs.  She is learning how to approach the dogs and where she should pet the dogs.  It's going really well...but again, it takes practice, time and lots of supervision...teaching moments!

Kitty Hawk Air field where Orville and Wilbur flew their plane, starting at the big monument in the forefront the plane started from this point and flew to the small monuments in the distance

We visited Kitty Hawk where Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first plane for 58 seconds, they made history here.  I love history and love standing on the very spot where it all took place.  What a privilege to see it all first hand. I am always amazed and inspired by the passion and perseverance of those who make history.  Imagine the odds against them, the naysayers who are always so willing to share their thoughts and ideas on how it can't be done.  To be a trailblazer...to do that which has never been done before...  One brother had not completed high school yet they not only built but flew the very first plane!  I was especially interested that during the short film shared about what took place here in 1903 they made mention that in attendance on that very historical day where a young boy and a dog. They even had a picture as Wilbur Wright enjoyed the budding art of photography and took a picture of those attending that day.  The young man had a hat on and the dog looked to me like an airedale terrier black lab mix - he had a white patch of hair on the front of his chest and he was quite tall. They didn't mention a name...but I was happy that they made mention that the dog was there on that day watching history take place.

It reminds me of all the many dogs who have had a front row seat to history in the making.  I think of Seaman the dog who traveled with Lewis and Clark, of Sallie the mascot of the 11th Pennsylvanian Infantry.  I think of the story I read in a diary of a Civil War officer who took note of a lovely "specimen" of a dog who had wondered onto enemy territory during a heavy days battle.  He recognized the dog to have been the breeding of a Northern officer he had known in "more happier times".  He made sure to return the dog with a note to his old friend with his "kind regards and appreciation" of the beautiful dog that wondered into his camp.  I think of President Roosevelt's dog Fala, who is described at the time as "the most famous dog in the world" and a "beloved witness to history."  Dogs have shared our lives for centuries and they seem to be the very best part of them. Dogs and their people have been written about, featured in paintings and movies.

Alli baby and I, Ezra, Libby and Matthew

 Ezra and Libby will probably never be famous...but I am writing about them and taking note of their presence in our family's life and history.  I am inspired again to continue to think of new and innovative ways to bring humans and dogs together...to teach new ways to expand our dogs "vocabulary" so that they can be a very meaningful part of family (as opposed to being tied in the back yard or stuck in a kennel hours on end).  I am thankful to be a student of dogs, to observe them and work with them daily AND to teach my students how to invite their dogs into their everyday lives in a happy and meaningful way! It really isn't about the destination...it's all about the journey!  And what a happy journey we are on this week...one for our family's history books that will be fondly remembered for years to come...

I am a dog trainer

I bought a book a while ago at a used book sale in my hometown of Gettysburg, Adams County Pennsylvania (this is what is stamped on the top of the book).  As I read the forward and flipped through it that summer day standing in the cafeteria of my old Junior High School, I knew this was a book I would really enjoy.  It's called, "Adam's Task - calling animals by name" by Vicki Hearne.  This book has sat on my "to read" book pile by my bed for a couple years. I have to note and give this book credit as it was worthy enough not to be set on the bookshelf of  "I will eventually get to these" books. It was afterall special enough to be placed by my bed.  This book has dutifully kept it's vigil, waiting for me.  I went through that pile just this week looking for something really "good" to read during vacation and after reading the forward again, I picked it out of the pile, placed it on top and will be packing it along with me as I go and have some fun in the sun with my family - grand baby and dogs included!

Here is a quote from the forward by Donald McCaig (a favorite writer of mine and dog trainer in his own right).  "I believe that training any dog to anything like his full capacity is an intricate, heartfelt, deeply intellectual undertaking which deepens the trainer's soul as surely as it satisfies the dog's.  The conversation between trainer and dog is so subtle and satisfying that I have known great trainers whose ordinary human speech has atrophied." Yes, yes and Amen!  What I wouldn't do to sit down and have a conversation with this man.

I've ventured into the first chapter of the writing of Vicki Hearn, who is also a fellow trainer of both dogs and horses, and I am excited (fairly shaking with anticipation like my sweet Ezra tends to do just before enjoying an agility course) to explore the thoughts she has written down on page. I am fairly giddy at the prospect of sitting with her on the beach next week allowing her to continue to speak to me through her writing.  I found myself stopping to think of the deep meaning of what she is conveying through her writing.  I find myself having so many questions flip through my mind as quickly as I flipped through the pages and finding myself asking these questions out loud.  I am hoping as I read further she will, in fact, answer my questions.

I have come to the realization that my entire life has been a study in training dogs...it started when I was very young (I can't remember a time I didn't know dogs in my life) and had the happy privilege to be surrounded by dogs of many different sizes, mixes and breeds.  And thankfully I observed working dogs first hand, truly intelligent dogs who made the life of my family easier by the work they did for and with them. It was natural for me to see dogs as working dogs, dogs sharing our lives, having purpose far greater than being tied to a tree out in the backyard.

When reading the works of people like Donald McCaig and Vicki Hearn, I am proud to say that I am a dog trainer.  Training dogs isn't just something to do, it is a part of me...who I am. It isn't making or pushing the dog to do what I want, the snatch and jerk method...it's a thoughtful conversation, it's intricate, working with individuals who deserve my care and respect to reach them where they will learn best, it's building understanding for both dog and human...it's spiritual, intellectual and oh, so satisfying.

I am a dog trainer...I am part of a pretty amazing community of thoughtful, intelligent people.  I am so pleased to continue in my journey to bring the best training principles and practices and to articulate them in a way it will make a difference to both human and canine.

And another thing...

...I love about dogs is the pure simplicity of the friendship we share!  Pictured is my most tenacious terrier, Libby.  She allows me to share her life and I could be nothing more than pleased.  She is so honest too and it is the thing I most admire about her.  She lets you know how she feels and is the leader of our small pack as well.  Such a big personality all wrapped up in a small package.

I set my agility equipment up again in our front training area.  The dogs watched as I worked to put everything in place.  They were chomping at the bit to get back to something they love.  I kind of felt a twinge of guilt for keeping them away from this happy activity for so long.  I worked Ezra first as his excitement could barely be contained.  Next was Alli and it was nice to see her so forward and excited to be back to this fun. Both dogs just picked up from where we left off last year.

By the time I got to Libby Matthew was home and came out to join us.  It was one of the evenings last week that Fall came for a visit and the cool temperatures flirted with us and added to the joy of the moment.  Finally, Libby's turn.  She was so good...I asked her to take up her starting position and she went to her spot and sat trembling waiting for me to say "Libby come jump".  The moment arrived and she sailed over each obstacle with the greatest of ease.  As I ran with her I felt the worries of the day just fall from me and I truly was wrapped up in the joy of the moment.  As Libby flew over the last jump and I stopped to praise her she ran by me and took not one, but two victory laps around the entire field.  I stopped and the joy I felt could not be contained as I clapped and laughed.   As she got the true "zoomies" running with that joi de vie, with every ounce of her being...my laughter turned into such a deep belly laugh I nearly fell to the grass in a spasm of laughter!!

My favorite book says that laughter is good like a medicine and I can attest it surely is!  Libby then came over to me and jumped in my arms.  As I sat down by Matthew we took in the magic of the moment...of the joy, the place and the possibilities of what we could envision.  Matthew said this is a good place, something to be shared...I agreed.

I am thankful for my friends...they love me...purely and simply...when I am happy, blue, silly or serious when I am...just me.

Sweet Moose aka Alli

So the other morning I see out of the corner of my eye Alli standing at the door way, patiently waiting on me.  Why?  Apparently on her way out that particular morning she snagged a panel of our fancy smancy magnetic screen door. You know the ones as seen on TV where the dogs can let themselves in and or out, depending on their mood.  The magnets that open and then close.  Well, I am sad to say that this is the 3rd magnetic screen door and the last.  All have failed our tenacious terriers and large collie, who is nicknamed Moose for good reason.

Alli cracks me up...look at that expression.  Sometimes the looks she gives me...I could write a book on the conversation I hear from her sweet expressions.  So patient is she that she waited until I could untangle her from the screen panel.  I wondered if she had taken the screen with her as she went to relieve herself?  Funny girl!

I feel compelled to make this a public service announcement...the tenacious terriers, the collie nicknamed Moose and I want to let you know that when you see the fancy smancy magnetic screen doors...smile, think of Moose tangled in the panel and pass them by...