Tuesday Training: Stay

Monday and I are still working on Sit Pretty - building up those specific leg muscles to help keep her steady. I think we'll have it soon though :).

But this month our new goal will actually be revisiting something that Monday needs some help understanding. The dreaded STAY. She really doesn't like this exercise and I'm not quite sure she totally understands it either. So we are going to put in some major effort on it this month and are basically going to start at ground zero.

I really like these two instructional videos on teaching the stay:

Stay the Kikopup way

and

Do your dogs have rock-solid stay? Did you find it hard to teach?

Oh Majestic...

This weekend was Majestic's birthday - I celebrated by picking up a foster dog (more on him later). I think she would have approved :).

I love her smiley face. This is one of my favorite pictures of her :)

It's been several years since we lost her and like everything else, time dulls the pain. She also doesn't pop into my thoughts as much which makes me sad when I think about it. Her memories seem to come in waves and sometimes I even catch myself calling Monday by Majestic's name. Hey they are both M's, sometimes it can get confusing :). Monday doesn't seem to mind - after all Majestic is the reason Monday found her way into my life.

Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, Filling an emptiness we don't even know we have. ~Thom Jones

I still haven't finished (or even really started) the scrapbook I had planned for her. I should really sit down one of these days and work on that. I have at least gathered all the photos:). 

Do you do something special for beloved pets to help savor their memories?

...what we have enjoyed, we can never lose...all that we love deeply becomes a part of us. ~Helen Keller

Little Boy Blue {book review}

Little Boy Blue
by Kim Kavin

Synopsis
When journalist Kim Kavin decided that she wanted a puppy, she did what millions of people do every year: clicked on an online photo and submitted an application. She had no idea that the adorable brindle - advertised as healthy and near her home in New Jersey - was actually a last-minute rescue from a gas-chamber shelter in North Carolina.

Blue was happy and friendly, but he seemed to have endured some unusual albeit unknown ordeal. The dog's manner prompted Kavin to trace his history all the way back to a long row of cages where Blue had been tagged to be put down in just three more days. Little Boy Blue is the true story of one sweet puppy's journey of survival and an inspiring story of the grass-roots rescue network that has exploded across the nation in recent years. It's also a shocking expose that describes a brutal ongoing reality inside some of this country's taxpayer-funded shelters.


My Thoughts
Sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly while still keeping us entertained the tale of Blue's life, Kavin manages to present numerous facts and statistics that read like a mystery instead of a technical article. It was very upsetting to read about the inefficacies of the taxpayer-funded shelter systems that still utilize gas chambers as a method of euthanasia, but on the other hand it was very encouraging to read about so many people and organizations working to change this and get adoptable dogs into good homes.

The book is engrossing and inspirational - it gives us a call to take action and help out however you can (financially, fostering, adopting, etc.). If you've ever considered purchasing a dog from a backyard breeder (most breeders the public knows about) or walked into a pet store during your search - you have to read this book and understand why your decision makes a difference in the lives of thousands of dogs who need homes. And really, everyone that loves dogs should read this book.

A portion of the proceeds goes to the Petfinder Foundation :).

Parenting.com Article - Plants That Are Poisonous For Your Pets

I know I am ready for Spring and I'm sure many of you are as well (especially those living in the Midwest and dealing with all this snow and sub-arctic temperatures!). Just the thought of flowers makes me smile at this point <here I am smiling now> but come to find out - some of my favorite flowers are considered poisonous plants for pets. I had no idea those beautiful tulips that I get so ecstatic about every year are toxic to the dogs. Good thing they've never tried to eat them before! But now I will monitor them a bit more closely this Spring.

Without further ado, find out what other fun plants are actually toxic to your pet...

Pet Owners: Avoid Poisonous Plants When Preparing Your Yard For Spring

Spring is just around the corner, and we're all eager to brighten our day with colorful flowers and green grass. But the pet owners among us need to take a few precautions to make sure our spring blooms and gardening products aren't poisonous for our pets. A good time to evaluate our yards is during National Poison Prevention Week, which this year is March 16-22.
To continue reading click here

Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Wordless Wednesday: At Least Someone Is Having Fun...

Snow, Snow Go Away...

Tuesday Training: Sit Pretty Still a Work-In-Progress

Monday is still having some difficulty with Sit Pretty. I'm pretty sure it's mostly my fault because sources have confirmed my dog is smarter than me. But we are trying to persevere :).

She is a total nutball for targeting and that is playing into a little bit of over arousal when I give her my cue for sit pretty (a fist held out). She knows it means pick up her front legs but she gets excited about touching my hand and tends to stand up instead of keeping her butt planted on the floor.

This tells me that I need to be more careful about where I place my hand (closer to her head to keep her from wanting to stand up to reach my hand) and how I place it out there for her to touch.

In this first video I have the treats in my hand -

Here I don't have treats in my hand (I have them on a table next to me) and that helps with her arousal level some -


If we were able to balance some of these training sessions with outside exercise that would help more as well. Too bad this weather isn't cooperating :(. We are so ready for Spring temperatures (although we wouldn't mind missing out on the mud!!). We will definitely be working on this trick some more and I obviously need to work on my communication skills, lol.

Next week I will share our March trick, I'm going to aim for something a bit easier :).

Whoa Erin Where Have You Been? {life update}

February was full of photos but not much content (hey, I managed to post about the start of Monday's trick!!). The photo challenge actually came at the perfect time for me as there is lots going on behind the scenes and so it gave me a nice excuse to be lax on here for awhile. Although I must say, taking a picture everyday for a theme is a different kind of hard work! I only cheated twice. :)

So here's a peek behind the scenes:

First, we found an acreage we thought was mostly perfect. We put in an offer but sadly they went with someone else, who, I would assume, paid them more :(. They didn't even give us a chance to re-offer. That is a bummer as it was close to Ames and had almost everything we were looking for in a property. But things will work out and I'm sure our perfect place is coming up soon. We are ready to move and have more space!!

Second, and a major life change, I am losing my job at the end of April. I am getting laid off due to my job being outsourced to Singapore. I've been with Wiley for 9 years now so I suppose I am ready for a change ;). But I still wish it hadn't happened this way. So now I am looking for a job - a part-time job so that I have time to do number 3 below. If anybody knows of anything - please throw it my way!!

Third, and another life change, I officially started my own business! :) I've been training for a long time and helping people on the side - well it was time to do something about it. So now I've just decided to put it all together and go for it. I'm obviously still in the development stage but big things are hopefully coming! Stay tuned this month for further updates :)

My logo :).

Fourth, I have started contributing to Parenting.com. I know, I know - I am not a parent. But I am writing about pets and families and that is something that I have knowledge about. Luckily, I have experience with all kinds of pets - not just dogs - so the articles will be varied :). It's been a long time since I have written for a 'professional' medium, lol. Wish me luck!

Big changes are on the way for this year and I don't really have a plan. The journey should be interesting and I am ready to let go of some of my 'control' even though it's a lot scary :). We'll just have to see where this year takes us! And hopefully, you'll join us :).