This Won’t Be A Post About Clicker Training. It Will be a Post About Sunbathing. And Dogs.

May 17, 2013 By 7 Comments
"white female whippet laying in grassy back yard in the sun"

This won't be a post about clicker training with my three dogs: the one out of the three that doesn't need it because she's 14 years old with a grade 3 heart murmur which means that she gets a treat for watching the antics of the other two, the one that kinda, sorta, does need it but because she's been with us for four years, she's already grasped the benefits of reward-based training behavior and the one that is enrolled in a "manners" class out at Lollypop Farm for the next six weeks, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adoption And Rescue, Tessa The Wonder Dog, Women And Dogs Tagged With: , , ,

When is a Pit Bull Terrier Or an Amstaff Just a Dog?

April 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
"books about bully breeds"

It never fails: each time we add a new dog, I rethink what I've learned over the years. I thought that all we'd have to do this time, when we added Gracie, a young Pit Bull Terrier, into the mix,  was to help her get used to living in a  home after almost four months of shelter life.  She's slowly coming along. Each day, we add something new to the things that she knows for sure. What she knows for sure: 1.  There's a consistent routine to follow. Early mornings have an order to them … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adoption And Rescue, Life Lessons, Women And Dogs Tagged With: , , ,

Does Your Dog Have It’s Canine Good Citizen Certification?

April 17, 2013 By 4 Comments
female pit bull terrier

  He said,  "Mom, people are afraid of her because of her ears.  It's not fair. She's a cool dog." She said:  "There's no way I'd ever have one of those dogs. You're going to keep her in your backyard, right?" I said:       "Actually, we're going to put a CGC on her." She said:   "What's that?" Canine Good Citizen Certification: established in 1989 by the American Kennel Club to promote responsible dog ownership and to encourage the training of well-mannered dogs. … [Read more...]

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Why We Believe in Crate Training Our Dogs

April 13, 2013 By 2 Comments
"female put bull terrier in wire crate"

"Do you crate your dogs?"  The emotional content behind the question traveled through the phone lines. The woman who asked waited for my answer. I thought to myself: if that's what I need to do to adopt one of these dogs, of course I'll use a crate.   That conversation happened 16 years ago and with variations in how we crate, we have been crate training dogs ever since. Occasionally,  I write articles about it. Like this one. Each time we add a new dog to our "pack" I know that our … [Read more...]

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A Lollypop Farm Story Ends As a Shelter Dog Starts Her New Life

April 7, 2013 By 3 Comments
Lollypop Farm adoption banner

The past two days have been a series of "firsts" for Gracie, starting with that moment when we walked her out the front entrance of Lollypop Farm into her next life. A  lot of thought went into making sure that she would go to a home that would be perfect for her: could she have her own pack that included at least one dog playmate? And, in the best of all worlds? Could she keep one of her special humans as part of her forever home? Sometimes you get a part of that perfection and sometimes, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adoption And Rescue, Life Lessons, Men And Dogs Tagged With: , , , ,