A New Pathway Ahead
The last difficult moment with your dog doesnât have to keep repeating. Maya had already lived in three homes. Each family had sought professional help, but her relentless chasing of anything that moved continued. By the time she came to me as a last resort, she had been labeled an âuntrainable menace.â I did not […]
Together Is Better!
A more joyful, cooperative way through the things that need to get done with your dog. When my Border Collie Raven became suddenly and seriously ill, we ended up in the emergency room. She was in ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication of diabetes that had developed suddenly and without warning. Raven spent a week in intensive […]
Joy First. Cooperation Grows.
My Sheltie, Haley, was not at all amused by the controlling nature of my Border Collie, Reenie. Reenie had definite ideas about where everyone should be and what they should be doing. Haley had equally definite ideas about not being told where to be or what to do by Reenie. Most of the time, they […]
What Happened to My Dog?
When Phoenix came into my life so many years ago, I began in much the same way that most loving dog women do. I wanted to give her a strong foundation for a long and good life together, so we worked on basic life skills and cues while we built our bond, had fun, and […]
When Listening Changes the Plan
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the difference between watching our dogs and truly listening to them. Watching can tell us what our dog did. Listening asks us to become curious about what their response might be communicating. But there is another step after listeningâone that may be the most important of all. […]
How to Move Past Mistakes
Part of living in a true partnership is to work towards some kind of common purpose. Yet, itâs something that a lot of us donât think about when it comes to our dogs. Welcome back to part four of my five-part series, âThe Summer Series on The Power of Partnership.â Over the course of this […]
How to Find a Common Purpose with Your Dog
Transitioning into a new way of being with your dog isnât always like going from A to B. Sometimes there are a few bumps in the road along the way. But what do you do when you make a mistake? Itâs normal to get knocked off-course when youâre moving towards something new. However, how you […]
How to Communicate as a Real Partner with Your Dog
Whatâs the key to any successful partnership or relationship? Thatâs right. Itâs all about communication! Communication is what ties your partnership with your dog together, so youâre both happy and healthy. This is part two of my ongoing blog and podcast series, âThe Summer Series on The Power of Partnership.â In this series, Iâm sharing […]
How to Build a Dogâs Trust in You to Keep Them Safe
If your dog has experienced a traumatic event or has PTSD from such an event, supporting and making your dog feel safe is so important. As dog moms (and human beings), we hate to see a dog in any pain or emotional distress. If we could protect all of the dogs in the world […]
What Does it Mean to be an Advocate for Your Puppy or Young Dog?
What does it mean to be an advocate for your puppy or young dog? Dogs donât have a voice to speak up when something is wrong. They may try to alert you by barking, howling, or whining, but they canât say actual words. Dogs use behavior to communicate. When dogs are young, they are very […]
How 3 Reactive Dogs Learned to Live in Harmony
Bettina’s life was turned upside down when they decided to adopt Murphy, a deaf dog with OCD, after seeing his handsome face on a rescue website. It quickly became apparent that Murphy had a LOT more going on than a hearing impairment… Bettina says… “We adopted Murphy knowing his deafness meant special needs, but quickly […]
Fun Exercises to Improve Your Partnership with Your Dog
Do you want to leverage your best self and become the person you always wanted to be? Not only that, but become the person that your dog needs you to be? I want that for you too! I believe that by working on yourself, you can simultaneously build your partnership with your dog. To help […]
