The owner and the dog on the leash will thank you.

In the movie "How to Train Your Dragon", Hiccup, the main viking character, used positive reinforcement training to train Toothless, and other dragons he was supposed to be killing.  He came off as a hero as he flew on them,  got them back to their cages, and made them less scary . Dragons were meant to be killed, they were bad in the movie.  When Hiccup has a chance to get to know Toothless (the most dangerous dragon), he finds out they are not so bad.  They liked to be pet, they like fish, they like to share their fish too.  He find that by trying out different things and building trust, he and the Toothless become a team.

I watched this and thought about how we train dogs and other animals.  We build trust (a huge component) and then we find out what they like so they are reinforced when they do what we ask.  When something good happens the behavior will likely be repeated.  Therefore finding out what motivates your dog is important

Check out the movie and see the parallels between dragon training and dogs training. Have fun finding those motivators.  It is a fun movie too.

In the last two months I have been doing some continuing education seminars. I spent an enlightening weekend with Sue Sternberg and another with John Rogerson. Both of these people have been in the business many years.

I came away with a renewed vigor for training positively, but with consequences. I also came away with a renewed sense that I am supposed to be more important to my dog than other dogs. Our relationship is to be grown and cherished. That our dogs can have a few friends, but hanging at the dog park wasn’t as important as hanging out with us. Me, walking my dog, is a more important exercise than just letting them run and mix it up at a dog park.

I know that this might not be a totally welcome opinion, but I am okay with my dogs not needing anyone but me and my other dogs. They can be around them, but I am who they like to spend time with. Think about it….it makes sense.

Sasha, a five year old, full of energy standard poodle runs into the house. On the way in, and in her rush, she bumps her chin pretty hard on the steps. About a half hour later, she could not put any weight on her left side.

Sasha has great owners who rushed her to the vet, then to the emergency vet. It was decided that she had had a stroke like event on her spinal cord.

I was asked to come in and help get Sasha out to potty a couple times a day. At first we were mostly carrying her back end. Then as Sasha got stronger, we started to do the exercises the Rehabilitation Specialist gave us. We were told that the quicker we went to work the better her reaction would be. Most of her recovery would happen at the beginning. At first we were doing massage on her left side and helping her learn to support herself on the left side. Sasha was definitely determined to get better. Her incredible drive and love made it so much more important to us to get her back to her independent self.

Tune in soon to find out how she is doing.

As we crossed the street, and tried to decide what to do, this sweet crazy little boxer went into a true puppy rush.  I had no way to keep her near me.  I was worried she would head to a busy street.  I called the animal services number and settled into wait with the puppy.  I held Tucker and worked on training the boxer so she would stay with me.  We waited about 25 minutes and then the Animal Services officer arrived.  She successfully crated the puppy and away they went.  Tucker got put back down and we went on our walk.

A day or so later I ran into the Animal Services officer and I asked about the puppy.  She wasn’t chipped and was still at the shelter.  This sweet little puppy still had not found its home.  The next day I was walking with another client and there was another Animal Services officer with a friend of mine who had a dog on a leash.  As I passed my friend called out and was amazed that the Animal Services officer had already scanned the dog and was calling the owners.  That little dog never had to experience the shelter and was returned home quickly.

It brought it home that by  micro-chipping out animals we are making life easier for them in case they get away from home.  It gives us a fighting chance to find our lost animals and bring them home.

So please microchip your pets.

This summer, my oldest son came in a bit winded and proclaimed that he’s gotten out of a ticket.  I, of course, put on my tough mom face and said for what?  It was for entering an intersection when someone was in the crosswalk. (a $400 ticket)  Where was that cop each time I had almost been hit in a crosswalk?

this sent me to the California Vehicle Code.  The closest I got to a rule directly telling that a vehicle must stop for the pedestrian is Code 21951.  “That whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk,at any unmarked crosswalk, at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle.”  That helps a bit.  So stay tuned, as I refine the search for the right rule.  If any of you know, please let me know.