Time can be measured in many ways. the blink of an eye, seconds, moments, minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, decades, lifetimes, centuries, millennium and yada yada yada. The benefit of such measure is often comparative –  to reflect on how things are the same, how things are different. Then getting subjective — how things are better, or how things are worse. Living and working hands on with dogs full time for over the past 12 years has engendered a greater awareness of the value of living in the moment — it is a testament to the power of the animals I share my life with how many perfect moments there are in life, even amid stress, sorrow, sadness, loss and pain.  Yet at the same time, a wise man once told me (okay, so it was my father!), if you can look back at a year ago and say that today things are better or at least no worse, then you are doing well. Forward ho. Or something like that.

So it is as an anniversary arrives I step back to become reflective.  The Story of Tommy the Wizard.

The day he arrived.

Needless to say rescue work is an ancillary part of what many pet professionals encounter — that is, helping find new homes for pets who have lost theirs, as well as helping people find new pets for their homes. Making the right match is crucial to success — after all, the goal is to make or keep a formerly homeless or unwanted animal in a committed and nurturing home. I have counseled people on re-homing a dog that isn’t’ the right match; I have steered people towards animals they might not have recognized as the right fit with great success. So the phone call I received from a vet colleague in a county an hour north of me in the dead of winter wasn’t really a surprise. Nor was it even the first time Dr. Salinger and I had partnered in finding a dog a new home.

She told me she had a 4 year old intact shi tzu male dog that had been brought into her vet clinic to be euthanized by his owner for aggression. Seems his owner, an older adult woman, had taken physical and legal custody of her 3 year old grandson. The dog had bitten the child. The dog had to go. The vet and her staff didn’t really think the dog was aggressive and made a deal. They agreed that if the owner signed over custody of the dog to the vet and paid to have him neutered and updated on immunizations, they would find him a new home. That’s where I came in.

“Hi Rachel. How would you like to foster and find a new home for an adult male shi tzu?”

“No.” I said emphatically. “Too much going on.”

In all honestly my first thought when she told me the scenario — social worker hat kicking in –  was, “wow, I wonder what happened that an older woman would suddenly have custody of a 3 year old grandson. What happened to his parents? Why was he removed from their care? What was this grandmother thinking about having to suddenly care for a needy and probably traumatized toddler? And the toddler, well, I’m sure he was pretty freaked out too. Add an under socialized and untrained  and intact 4 year old dog to this mix, trying to express his own anxiety about it all and oy, what a recipe for chaos! But again, looking out the window at mountains of snow, again I said, “No! Can’t do it.”

After all, Bubbles the service dog puppy in training had been with me less than a month; the snow and cold of winter was ridiculous and endless.  I had my own two dogs, 3 cats and oh yeah, three daughters to boot. Not to mention a thriving private and group dog training company to run and oh yeah, an invention, Har-Vest, to market!  And of course I needed time to do my endless sweeping and vacuuming!

Well, without going into the sordid details, no turned into maybe. The dear doctor wore me down.  On a frigid Saturday, February 19, 2011 she drove — over an hour — to hand deliver the dog. She then got back in her car and drove off. At the end of the nylon leash she handed me was a nearly all black, shaggy, 17 pound sturdy mass of confused dog wearing a cone of shame (he was still recovering from his neutering).

I remember looking down at his mushy face and buggy eyes partially obscured by his shaggy mane and wondering what I had agreed to. I bent down, took the cone off, and brought him into the house. I should have known from that first minute something special was up. Neither of my dogs, Bean and Trip, reacted to him.  In the least. Very unusual. Actually unprecedented.  Bubbles bounded over to him and without any sound or contact, she bounced back away again as if hit by a force field, cocked her head and looked at him. I couldn’t figure out exactly what he was doing, the blackness of his coat prevented seeing a lot of detail, but I could see he had some magical powers.

I told my girls to ignore him — he had a bite history although I had trouble imagining his smushy mouth inflicting much damage — and had him watch me throw away the dog food (Beneful, ugh) he came with. When I offered him his first meal of the food I give my own dogs , he looked at it, looked at me, and snubbed it. I shrugged, picked up the bowl and put it away. We repeated that dance for three days — twice each day I offered him food, he held out. I rationalized that he wouldn’t commit suicide by starvation but that in order for me to foster him until finding him a great home, he had to get with the program and he was the 4th dog now.

On the morning of the third full day, I once again offered him a bowl of food. He looked at me, looked at the food, looked at me again, and ate the entire meal. From then on, he and I were in love.  I knew then I would never place him. I didn’t really let on to others — even my girls, for a few months, arguing that the right match hadn’t come along. But it had. It was with me.

Some obscure thought train led me to liken him to Tom Corbett, the character Bill Bixby played on the show THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER. Don’t ask me how! But from that I started calling him Tommy. Like He Who Must Not Be Named from Harry Potter, so too did I tell my children we could not utter his former name for fear of a PTSD flashback coming into his rounded cranium.

Time, love, structure, exercise, socialization, consistency, affection and confidence all helped heal Tommy. He has in his own way turned his powerful healing ways into healing others as well — dogs and in some cases, people.  There are countless humorous anecdotes of some of his adventures. I take him with me whenever and wherever I can. He has a devoted fan club and it keeps growing. The wellspring of love I have for this animals is unlike any other. I can just touch him and I feel rejuvenated.

So as I reflect on the past year and ask myself if it’s better than the year before, I shout out a resounding yes. In great part because of Tommy. So it is with a warm spot in my heart I say, “Happy Anniversary Tommy Boy”. May we have many many more years together. The only place you’re going is on adventures with me.

I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of people and thousands of dogs over the past 13 years as a licensed independent social worker passing herself off as a professional dog trainer. Privately, in group classes or both, I work on helping teach people — of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities –  the skills and knowledge to make their human/dog relationships better. Sometimes with very difficult dogs, who become less difficult when the key to communication unfolds. Sometimes with very difficult people, who become less difficult when their defenses are lowered and they are open to taking greater responsibilities.  My focus is teaching positive  and non force based methods to help dog owners become benevolent leaders. A benevolent leader does not lead by force or threat, but by becoming someone the dogs want to follow because doing so is a good thing.  Those that follow the often difficult changes suggested — breaking patterns is hard work — find deeply satisfying improvements. Thus it feeds the passion that keeps me going.

Starting and solely operating my own company from scratch and with no support and all that that entails while also raising a gaggle of daughters has truly been a non-stop blast over the years. I end every day grateful for the freedom to follow my bliss and feeling deeply and satisfyingly exhausted. In addition, I’ve raised, trained, placed and supported numerous dogs for people with special needs, the most recent one being Bubbles who has garnered her own pages in this site and who has her own video coming soon!  I’ve also had several people over the years who have expressed a desire to learn how to become dog trainers and sought my help.  With similar bravado — I took on a series of people and spent great amounts of time trying to randomly give them opportunities to learn from me. Because I was operating without guidance in this realm, I sought a way to create a more formalized, structured and goal oriented path to teaching others who are interested.

To that end, I am now offering, along with other professionals, many whom I know and deeply respect, courses through online webinar based programming that can be as simple as learning basic theory to getting a certificate of dog training that really means something, and at affordable rates at the pace you can handle. I am now a proud teacher — my first course,  How to Teach a 6 Week Dog Group Class, is already online and available, and more of my courses are in development. Offerings will include how to do a phone intake, clicker training, teaching The Six Things All Dogs Should Know, service and therapy dog task training, How to Raise and Train Your Own Service Dog with Guidance, and much much more.

Peruse the range of content and credentials of the teaching staff, and watch this video to learn more about online education. If being a dog trainer is something you are burning to learn, this is one fantastic way to go about it. Hope to see you online. And if you’re in Cleveland, Ohio and interested in learning the craft of dog training and other ancillary skills under me directly, let me know by email.

If you want to be put on a mailing list when the preview to Bubbles: A Year in the Life of an Autism Service Dog Puppy is released, please comment on this post and let me know!

Board and Train is one of those services that deserves it’s own master card commercial. Cost of boarding/training = $X/day x # of days, benefit of an improved dog priceless. Watson the golden retriever, just over  5 months old, is a charmer. With his blond good looks and his sporty attitude about life, it’s easy to forget about his increasingly rude behavior within the normal expectations of a dog within a home. But with a 3 day board and train, that’s all about to change.

Handsome boy!

Practicing Loose Leash Walking.

Day 1 is about adjusting. A board and train dog (always a private or group dog client) gets to meet & greet the menagerie and learn the rules. There are many, but all have a purpose. If appropriate, and it usually is, the B&T dog also gets to play in the yard, go for a walk, chew on some bully sticks (for Watson this included a specially prepared-in-advance dinner kongsicle), get massaged. New to the environment, a B&T dog is not left unsupervised until they learn the lay of the land and prove there is some trust (and a reliable recall). There is not a whole lot of expectation at first, but constant supervision ensures no trouble. I call this adjustment phase, Explain, and if necessary, Redirect and Reward. Repeatedly!

Watson passed Day with with Flying Colors. At night I tethered him on a chain to the radiator next to my bed with a soft bed to lie on. He whimpered for a few minutes and then settled down and slept peacefully through the night. Phew!

As I write this now, on the morning of his first full day at Camp A Better Pet, he is howling mournfully from a crate downstairs. My dogs and I are holed up upstairs listening to the story of woe he is trying to express. My dogs are unimpressed.

Why, you might ask, is he being locked away? Because he didn’t want to listen. All I asked him to do was to lie down and stay. He wouldn’t do it. So I turned around and left him. Eventually he’ll stop the moaning, it can’t go on forever. To most owners, hearing the dirge of lament is akin to torture. To me it is fascinating to hear the layers of angst and annoyance be communicates in his howling, yipping, barking and groaning. He is safe. He has been let out and already peed and had a bowel movement. He has been fed. He is not bleeding from any body part. He is just frustrated and annoyed that he is locked up down there and no one is near him and he knows we are here.

When he stops carrying on. I will return to him and put him through some paces. Long down stays, recalls, playing and the comfort of being near me. I dare say he’ll start to get it when the consequence of defiance is some time to think on his own. Aha! He’s quieted down. Only took 45 minutes. Off to tend to him! Stay tuned!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BOARD AND TRAIN, CLICK HERE.

Kudos to my honorary 4th daughter, Chelsea Cross. Very soon to become my indentured film documentarian, I mean Independent Project Advisee from Oberlin College.  Please enjoy her audition video challenge — Meet and take footage of Bubbles and her family and friends in celebration of Bubbles 1st birthday, and in between final exams and holiday mayhem, edit into a 5 minute or less video this slice of life for a boy and his life changing dog. The slice in this case, celebrating Bubbles 1st birthday in a dog and human friendly party.

She did it in 3! Love what she’s done! It outdoes the Trailer giving a glimpse into the fruit of her future labors — a documentary on A Year In The Life Jan. 18, 2011 (the day she arrived) -Jan. 18, 2012 (one year later). Stay tuned!

It surpasses the trailer

No, I didn’t just get a new puppy for the holidays. The picture above is from the day, last January, that Bubbles arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport into my care after a long flight from sunny Southern California to begin her life in training as an autism service dog. As I write, large snow flakes are swirling down outside and mud permeates the backyard — over saturated from an annus horribulus of precipitation here.  I can’t believe I’m looking forward to the inevitable deep freeze of winter in Cleveland. No muddy prints!

Inquiries are already coming in from Christmas puppy people. These are people that bring eau de sweet puppy breath into their lives through the mist of holiday celebration.  Now that the festivities are winding down, the good dishes have been dried and put away, visitors are leaving, resolutions are being contemplated, it’s not cute anymore that Uncle Fred is calling the new pup The Little Pisher. The stinky “presents” behind the couch aren’t really the kind you wished for and the missing socks are turning up with ragged holes .

I think back to the first nearly six weeks with Bubbles when her paws didn’t even make contact with grass — her outdoor playground was one of snow and ice and slush. Why won’t I get another puppy this time of year again. At least for a really really long time!

House training. House training — the art of teaching a dog where to eliminate — is a process. That process means you have to give the pup opportunity to learn where the toileting area is — daunting when frozen tundra isn’t a year round phenomena. And you can’t just run out barefoot — you have to put on layer upon layer for quick potty breaks.

Mouthing/teething/chewing.Puppy teeth are sharp. Puppy minds are curious. Puppies have poor self control. Take those sharp minds with sharp teeth and you can have an interior decorating redo you didn’t anticipate. Over or under manage, express anger or violence — it doesn’t take much force to be scary and painful to a young pup — and you run the risk of raising a hellion. [this is where bully sticks come in mighty handy!]

mmm mmm bullies

Puppies want to please. They want to know what you want.  They want to  grow up into dogs giving unconditional love, multiple health benefits, companionship and humor. And that’s just the beginning.

So if you take on a new pup or young dog, or have even made a home for an older dog in need,  make the investment in time and education to learn proper puppy parenting. Consider a private training session or dog group class — or both — it can get you started off on the right paws.

For me, perhaps come spring I’ll contemplate a new set of puppy paws. Then again, maybe not!

Resting in between the havoc!

Eeny Meeny Miney Mo....

Always trying to find long lasting and healthy chews for my dogs and my client’s dogs. Lo and behold, the holidays came early when fresh off the busy UPS truck delivery came this container of the thickest select bullies I’ve ever seen –  and just in time for the holidays. Did you know that chewing is a great way to dissipate excess energy, anxiety as well as let your dog know how much you care. Not just for teething puppies, although really great for that, bully sticks are the #1 chew around here. And these thick ones are great all on their own or jammed into a wide variety of dog toys.

2 great sizes -- 6 and 9"

And for a limited time offer, order 50 or more and GET FREE SHIPPING. That’s right, anyone who orders 50 or more bully sticks between now and December 31 is entitled to free shipping OR 20% off any future orders. Just be sure to mention it in the comments section or shoot me an email to confirm and buy with confidence. CLICK FOR PRICE LIST and come on over to THE STORE.

Bully sticks do not expire or go bad, keep well indoors or out, and are the number one stocking stuffer or gift under the Hanukah bush for your canine companions! Buy some today!

Don’t forget BULLY BONES as well!

November has been a busy month for testing one of my favorite things — measuring change.

The other day when talking to my daughter Sophie I asked her to hand me a 1/2 full glass of water. She asked why I didn’t say half empty. I answered it was the nature/nurture effect of growing up under the relentless optimism of my father, her grandpa that must have rubbed off on me. Thus it was as November starts to fade I can look at the past month as being quite a bit more than a half full glass of replenishing water with respect to Bubbles and Sam’s growing partnership which, as has been stated many times before, is possibly only with the joint efforts of the adults in Sam’s life.

Early on this month Jessica and I took Bubbles and Bean to the woods to establish a baseline for Jessica and Bubbles’ on and off leash relationship. We saw that Bubbles’ recall response to Jessica was pretty poor. The year old blonde pup  just wasn’t taking Jessica seriously. So the challenge was to practice touch and recall ad nauseam. And get serious when necessary!

Testing limits

Last week a joint dog/boy woods adventure to establish another baseline of hiking in nature — this time with her boy. Since there were enough of us in case Sam bolted, I suggested just letting them go to see what would happen with no controls in place. And off they went! While on the one hand it was rather comical how Bubbles scattered in one direction and Sam in another, in reality such impulsivity can be scary and downright dangerous — Bubbles in sensory overload bolting after savory smells — Sam in his compulsion to just run run run (although I was heartened to see him checking in, often, at the antics of the adults chasing after him) — neither dog nor child fully grasping possible consequences of such actions.

Having established the baseline, this time out I wanted no opportunity to bolt. I wanted less opportunity to stop and dig at mud as well. While I was at it, I thought, “No tension or grabbing either.” Such antics of grabbing at both boy and dog often result in increased creativity in avoiding capture and in the case of Sam, can result in struggling which can lead to tantrums. Bubbles and Sam are wicked smart blondes with oodles of personality! So from the moment we disembarked from our cars it was Sam on tether avoiding tension and Bubbles either on tether to myself or Jessica, partnered with Bean or with Sam, or off leash with frequent recalls.

Wow!

What a difference a week can make. Not to mention some proactivity and obvious practice Jessica has done on Bubbles’ basic manners in the past week. We ran into friends shortly after arriving and we all joined forces — 5 adults, 4 kids and 4 dogs just having a blast hiking in the naked woods on a balmy-for-this-time-of-year day in Cleveland. Sam was cooperative, cheerful and happy. He played, hiked, rested and snacked on smarties stowed in the zippered pocket of Bubbles’ Har-Vest.  He even had the opportunity to walk free and happy without any effort to bolt or struggle.  He engaged with people beyond his desire to just hit away — although even his hitting has less force, it’s almost a bad habit that’s going to take a while to disappear — and his verbal skills seem to be improving each time I see him.

There were no tantrums, arguments, disappointments, tears, breakdowns or scowls. All that fresh air, sunshine, good times, social interaction in just a peaceful outdoor natural setting made for a practically perfect outing. I can’t wait to return to these woods later in some deep snow! That should make for some interesting fun!

Go Sam! Go Bubbles! What a great outing!

Incorporating a dog with a special needs child requires adults take charge. If situations are avoided because of anticipated problems — as is often the case with autistic chidlren — culminating in temper tantrums, meltdowns and misery, it’s only natural avoiding such environments when possible would be one way to go about it. But if there were a way to work through the “sticky wickets” and have successful outings that can be fun and energizing, wouldn’t you want to do them? Such a plan was in store when in our most recent public outing we went to a lovely open field at CWRU’s Squire Valley Vu Farm to work on deepening the partnership between Bubbles and Sam.

A few weeks ago, it was the challenges of a crowded indoor mall complete with hundreds of children and adults in costumes wandering about. Whether it was the confined environment or the oodles of people, Sam didn’t try to bolt even once during that outing. Sure he was drawn to the fascinating escalators, and loved riding up and then down on one, but he didn’t make a run for it.

Happy Sam.

The wide open spaces, cool and refreshing wind on Sam’s ruddy cheeks and wild scents coming into Bubbles’ twitching nose proved to be too irresistible — both Sam and Bubbles took off. Bubbles in one direction, Sam in another and along about a 10 ft. wide mown swath in the field. I wasn’t worried about losing him — I needed to see him in full blown action. I’ve seen him bolt in various places, but never in a place where he could just keep running in full view and along a path that allowed us to cut him off if needed. After all, there were 4 adults and a swift 12 year old as well as Bean, my go to dog in helping with unruly dogs.

Checking back to make sure we're watching.

It was worth noting that even as he was running off, at quite a steady clip for a 5 year old, he was looking back to check and make sure we were getting all excited about his antics (we were). He was like a puppy playing keepaway.  Sam has had a few years — since becoming more mobile and coordinated — in practicing the art of elopement. Whether there is some internal mechanism compelling him to move, or it’s a rehearsed sequence of events, the behavior itself is nonetheless very scary. It’s clear Sam has no awareness of consequences. But it’s fun. The question is: can you turn the fun of running and feeling that freedom into a controlled and safe behavior?

Once wrangled, we configured a few different ways to see how to get a handle on Sam and Bubbles walking freely. First we started by a system of tethering. See the first video for how we did it, and note there isn’t any tension on leashes for dogs or child.

Next, we managed a brief sequence — but WE MANAGED it — in which neither Sam or Bubbles were tethered. Yes, they were dragging light lines so if need be we could step on them to prevent another bolting, but in this clip you can see they did a pretty great job. Sam is holding Sophie’s hand and having a grand old time.

And lastly, in this clip, moments of complete freedom from restraint — Sam holding onto Bubbles and Bubbles staying at his side despite the lure of Bean running free near her.

The entire outing was about 90 minutes. There were a few struggles — getting Bubbles out of an area with irresistible smells and Sam from irresistible mud — but overall Sam had a great outing in fresh air with a lot of activity and stimulation without  a full blown tantrum as his parents were able to get him to move in with some struggle but no crashing. I can’t wait for him to go back and try it again. And again. And again.

If you can start out on the right paws with your young puppy developing loose leash manners in a positive and user friendly way, would you? Of course. Even if that meant having to shell out more bucks each time your pup outgrew a piece of equipment? Probably not. Having multiple kids allows for hand me downs. So why shouldn’t the same apply to dogs?

Well, now they do. Because we’re throwing out, FOR A LIMITED TIME, that offer.

Buy the Har-Vest in the size that fits your pup now at full price. It might be a gently used version, might not. Keep the vest in good condition and trade up for the next size up for only the cost of postage and a new (if needed) strap set [or returning to A Better Pet ] for the swap. Sometimes you might only need a new set of straps, other times a new Har-Vest. When your dog is full grown, you’ll be in the final Har-Vest you’ll need for years of durability and practical use.

Finn

Meet Finn. When I first met Finn, he was 8 weeks old and a scrawny little gangly fellow. Starting out with an XS Finn grew, and grew and grew, to S to M to L and now XL. Now nearly 1, he’s got some filling out to do and may need a larger strap set when fully grown. And all for the cost of one Har-Vest and a few strap sets. His gently used Har-Vest’s have already gone on to other pups and if they return in good condition, once again they’ll go out.

Confused? Have questions? Want to know how to get in on this great deal? Email and ask me how TODAY!

Take a beautiful fall day, 7 social dogs, more than twice that in people, a birthday cake for dogs (thank you Gary!), a birthday cake for their peeps, stir in the magic of the mix, and an ample supply of poop pick up bags and voila, the perfect recipe to honor the birthday girl.

Checklist

Sam and Tommy the Wizard take a spin in the cart and soak in the sights and sounds of canine celebration. Ginger the labradoodle come by for a safety check!

FOR MORE INFO ON SERVICE DOG TRAINING PROVIDED AT A BETTER PET, GO HERE