Tag Archives: Puppy

when is a rescue no longer a rescue?

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Marketing is a powerful tool.

A good marketing plan can shape how we feel, how we act, how we move, how we eat, what we eat, where we live, what we think, and so on. Sit back and think for a moment, what are you currently doing in your life that has not been shaped by marketing on some level? hmmm

During the past decade, one of the most powerful marketing trends in the United States has been focused on adopting pets from Rescues and Shelters. Ethically, morally, socially, and neighborly, it has been marketed as not only the cool thing to do, but the responsible thing to do. This in and of itself is great, animals in need of forever homes garnering attention in every corner of America. A spot light on those animals that for whatever reason need a better, and more suitable home than the one they started with. And because this marketing trend surpasses the animal world, is backed by movie stars, politicians, and the uber wealthy, it is very successful! Yay for the animals!

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Some dogs that have come from shelters and rescues have made the headlines over the years; Agility Champions, Therapy Dogs, Service Dogs, Canines for Conservation, and cherished family pets that turn out to have a lot of talent. These stories bring another layer to this marketing trend. Sometimes you can find that diamond in the rough, and how cool is that.

But not all are remarkable, or pretty, or talented. Some are simple, some with lack luster looks, some have seen evil, some have experienced dangerous situations, many have lived in dysfunction, some are timid, some are just simply not the right fit for the humans that chose them. And there are plenty more reasons why these dogs end up in transition with rescues and shelters. And believe it or not, this is great for marketing too. There are a plethora of people with very deep and kind hearts who are looking for a dog to cherish. They want to help the under dog. Provide a safe place, give them hope, experience happiness, and let them fly.

Just as every dog in transition has their own story, every person that wants a dog has their own reasons.

But here is my question, or statement, or opinion, or observation. I’m not sure what it is because depending on the day it seems to take on a new life form.

This powerful marketing trend to adopt is good and right on all levels, I support that. But this same marketing trend has kept these dogs carrying around their baggage from their past life for way too long. Marketing has shaped us to continue to use the terms ‘my rescue’, ‘he/she’s a rescue’, ‘it’s a rescue’, ‘pound puppy’, or ‘second hand mutt’. But why? Once you adopt your dog aren’t they now yours? Shouldn’t we be using the term ‘MY DOG’. Let them leave their past life behind and move on, a fresh start, re framing how the world works in a better way, hopefully.

There seems to be some moral or ethical Brownie Badge when you refer to your dog as ‘my rescue’. In that one word phrase you have let, whoever you are talking too, know that you have done a good thing out of the kindness of your heart. I have never seen the same emotional response in a conversation by just saying ‘this is my dog’. Ta Da, MY DOG!

Sometimes marketing plans that work so well on us humans, and shape our behavior, can back fire on our dogs. Many times, dogs that are adopted and called ‘a rescue’ are thought to be less intelligent by some, less trainable, less social, less of everything. ‘Rescue’ can be a powerful word picture for some people. Odd, anti social, over the top behaviors are sometimes tolerated, because, well you know, it’s a ‘Rescue’. What?

When a person commits to the words, ‘my dog’, they cannot blame or excuse their human behavior or their dogs behavior on the past. It is pretty defining, and requires accountability in my opinion, or rather my world. My dog, my responsibility, my companion, my joy, my life, my world. It is full commitment, committing to another living being, fully and totally without any verbal barrier or excuses, or dismissals because of their previous experiences.

Whether you refer to yourself as a guardian or an owner, do it fully, not half way. Rescue a dog, adopt a dog, but then call them yours. My Dog.

After all, I don’t believe they can be re rescued every single day for the rest of their lives in the same home with the same person. How freaking exhausting would that be!

Nancy, who is currently surrounded by four sleeping dogs, who are all My Dogs.

can’t trick a trickster!

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Being open, observant, and creative when training is so important. So important. But even so, every once in a while, a puppy will come along and teach me a new way of looking at something, and I get to see life through new eyes. I don’t think there is anything more refreshing than being ‘schooled’ by a puppy! It keeps me very honest.

So, we were teaching ‘touch’ in my tricks workshop. Blue ‘X’ on hand, ball, wall, door, floor, etc. Generalizing touch, and using it for various applications. All of the dogs were having fun finding the blue X’s, touch + YES = reward… Woop! fun, fun, fun.

Little Riffle, a six month old Portuguese Water Dog, who has been through a variety of our classes and is really fun to work, touched a few times, and then lay down to watch the other dogs. If I could have set a bucket of popcorn and soda next to her, it would have truly been like she was at the movies, 3D glasses would have made it complete! She enjoyed watching the other dogs more than working, or perhaps that was her work?! She wasn’t casually glancing, she was taking note, and watching carefully.

When we were ready to take a break, she went around and started ripping/peeling everyone’s X’s off the wall, off the ball, and off the doors. Systematically. Peel it off, drop it, move on to the next. She had taken note of where each one was. I watched.

This little trickster had seen something totally different in this ‘trick’ than what we were seeing and practicing. My definition/criteria for this trick was, nose on X with a bit of pressure. That was not hers. I still wonder if she didn’t just take pity on the other dogs for getting this ‘touch trick’ wrong, and went around to show then the ‘right way’, duh?!

We saw this, an X on a door with blue painters tape -

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Little Riffle saw this -

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I was inspired to see where we could take this trick, morph it, and put it on cue. Her owner was at first a bit frustrated that she wasn’t ‘touching’, but quickly said, “yes, let’s try something new with this tape trick”.

So we went into my office and lined the wall with strips of painters tape, and tipped or rather peeled back a bit of the edge -

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This is her first go with this new trick, PEEL. Keep in mind, her first go at it! She ended up doing five full rows in about a 10 minute period. And each repetition became more and more accurate.

This young puppy had such amazing persistence and perseverance for this game, or rather, new trick.

But I think what we all learned was, sometimes what we see and ask, is not what the puppy see’s and hears, at all. If there is no openness to change things up on the teaching end, then conflict and frustration can set in. There needs to be a mutual starting point. Sometimes we have to come at it together, start from a new angle, morph things a bit so learning can happen. And in turn, the relationship grows, because it’s being done together!

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Will this trick ever be applicable? Who knows, maybe opening presents and Christmas boxes for a commercial or movie, it would make a great trick. But maybe it is a trick for tricks sake. Building vocabulary, building a behavior, becoming a better teacher, creating a learner.

So here is to creative thinking, always learning, and trickster puppies!

Nancy

 

10 year anniversary for Paws & People!

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As I get older there is something special about waking up and having a fresh start, but a fresh start that the whole world shares. Happy New Year to everyone!

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2013 marks Paws & People, LLC ten year anniversary! Lots of special activities happening this year, and a new focus for our future. I want to share some things I have learned over the years, I think it’s the best way to talk about this occasion …

I have learned that training is not business and business is not training. Each one needs to be nurtured in their own way in order to have success.

Believe in what you do, but be able to back it up with knowledge, passion, and experience. The more you learn, the more you do, the more you enjoy it, the more you can offer.

I have learned that when you work with people and dogs you need to remain open and honest with your mind, body, and words. You need to be the least confusing part of the puzzle.

Listen with open ears to what is being said, watch with willingness to what is going on, but believe and act on your educated instincts. Never negate those feelings, they are almost always correct.

If a person or dogs body language is closed and is telling you to stop, even though you may see half a smile or a little tail wag, stop, that is all the information you need.

I have learned that too much of a good thing is not always good. Always strive for balance in business, relationships, and training.

Always be curious. Always. It is a good way to keep passion in your business and training.

I have learned when another similar business opens in your area, and uses your business as their model, don’t be offended, but don’t take it as a compliment either, they are trying to use your success for their own gain. Imitators can imitate all they want, but it’s your passion for what you do that is the real success, and that can never be imitated.

Listen to music, good and varied music. It keeps the heart open, the body loose, and the environment fresh.

Learn to focus with distractions, it’s simply a reality.

I have learned that every business has a slow season. Allow this season with grace. Use it to renew, to relax, and to rejuvenate.

Allow people to thank you, and allow yourself to feel this honest gratitude.

I have learned that word of mouth is the best advertising for a business. You will continually attract people that you will enjoy working with. Always thank those with a ‘big mouth’!

It isn’t about the numbers game. Strive for quality of clientele, not quantity of clientele.

Guarantee nothing, to others, to animals, or to yourself. But rather support and coach with knowledge, skills, and creativity. This is important in business and training.

And sometimes, just like in daily life, in business you get knocked down, but you have to get up quickly. Take a deep breath and spring board forward. Don’t hang on to the dirt from falling, let it go.

Focus on the prize. Always. Put your blinders on to the fuzzy, distracting, often times negative stuff, and focus on what you want for your business. Let the other stuff go.

Being open with others does not mean that you lack boundaries. Allow everyone in your business and training programs to know your rules, protocols, and procedures. It keeps everyone honest, and know one has to guess.

I have learned if I am taking a deep breath, life is good and it is happening. Always breathe.

Drink tea.

If you need help with your business or training program, seek out a mentor or professional you respect. It will catapult you to the next level.

And after a while you hit your stride. It feels good, and smooth, and effortless. But I have learned that this is not the place to be complacent. This is the place to reevaluate your business, move forward, maybe choose a new focus, or add new programs. Shake things up for yourself, and your business. Hitting your stride is a platform in which to grow again.

I have learned that what started out as my business has grown into a family business. A dream.

I hope you can all be part of our anniversary year. With love and gratitude – Nancy

why I love to hike …

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“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean”. John Muir

Hiking is walking, but with way more dirt, and I like both.

Me & Tyler 2

Sometimes I like to hike and explore the fauna, scat and tracks. Other times I like to challenge myself and go for a long, steep and difficult hike, my knees pay the next day to be sure, but everything else in my body feels great, sated. Sometimes its a cultural exploration, other times I just need a deep breath. Hiking to a remote bakery in France and hiking to the rim of a volcano in Indonesia are the same thing for me. In my book they both hold great promise and adventure!

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I was hiking when I was much younger, but I was unaware it was called hiking. My friend Carla and I would pack our little bags, and high tail it into the hills around our house. Let me premise this by the fact that I was raised semi-feral, most of my generation was. Mom would make us breakfast and then say, “outside, be home by dinner”. We were never asked what happened during the day, it was ours to do with what we wanted. But god forbid if I was ever a minute late for dinner!

My friend and I would spend hours upon hours looking for coyote dens, not a smart idea I know, but at the time it was a great adventure! We would find puddles, and streams, and visit our water friends, and at that time frogs and tadpoles were plentiful. And yes there were also the ticks, snakes, and ground cactus. I never intentionally went looking for those!

My favorite memory from those early hikes though were the rainy day hikes. It would start to rain lightly and I would jump up and call Carla, “wanna go?” YES was always the answer. Up and up we went into the hills around our neighborhood, looking for anything that was interesting. We would climb trees and pretend we were Robinson Crusoe, build mud forts, and have great kid adventures all day in the rain.

But what still brings a smile to my face is the memory and feeling at the end of our rainy day hikes. We would run down through thigh high mustard weed, run and run for at least a half a mile, sometimes stumbling and rolling, but running in the rain, and tall yellow flowers, and that feeling of total freedom and for some reason, safety.

The worst thing that ever happened to us was having to pick ticks off of each other. My Mom would make us strip our clothes off on the front porch, she apparently didn’t want the ticks inside the house. By the way, thanks for that Mom!

Through the years I have had the fortune and/or opportunity to hike on various continents and islands.

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From the dry valley’s to the polar plateau of Antarctica, some amazing hiking, frozen but amazing. New Zealand has no lack of knee deep mud, black fly’s or eel’s. Indonesian guides are more than accommodating if you want to hike to the rim of a volcano, flowing lava be damned! Hiking above the tree line can be a bit thin on air. Forests tend to home some of the fiercest apex predators on earth. The French are great at giving you wrong directions on a trail unless you say Bonjour when you’re coming and going. Hiking in the hills around San Cristobal, Mexico, better not show your knees, just sayin! It’s all different all unique all wonderful.

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It clears my mind, body, and soul of everything that is not important. I feel free, happy and most importantly, me. The past thirty years I have shared trails with my dogs and children. They are the living beings I care to spend my free time with, so it is all good!

Nancy, happy walking!

walking the Grande Dames

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How do you know when your teaching, training, and/or work has paid off with your dogs? How do you know when there is an understanding of a concept, or a behavior, important to the success of your team? How do you know when you and your dog have a mutual understanding, a relationship, a healthy functioning relationship?

This afternoon, when all seemed fairly quiet in the neighborhood, I decided to take the two Grande Dames for a walk. All three of us needed some fresh air, our legs stretched, and a bit of time together. Harnesses on, leashes clipped, poop bags in pocket, little baggy of left over turkey, coat, glasses, gloves, and ready to go!

I use to walk them together when they were much younger, but in recent years, I usually take one at a time, or one out with one of our male dogs. You see Franny and Ocean aren’t a good combination anymore, not in the past eight years anyway. They have had enough bad experiences while out on walks to last a life time. So they formed an alliance in a way, an alliance in the sense of, ‘take no crap!’ It’s like walking Dyna & Mite. Individually great, but together they can be fairly explosive, especially in an unstable environment, like in a neighborhood with off leash dogs. They really don’t want to engage with other dogs when out on a walk with me, and truly they just want to enjoy their time.

So off we went, it’s so special to walk with my girls, and I feel that every time I leave the house with them now. Franny has slowed way down, Ocean still has a great deal of pep in her walk. But they both enjoy sniffing and marking, and that we did!

Our walk was uneventful and relaxing the mile out from our house. Cool air, a bit of snow and ice on the ground, lots to smell. However, on the mile back things were a bit dodgy. I try to always take the path of least resistance. The girls, especially at their ages, don’t need any explosions, or the stress that comes with them. So we try to avoid conflicts. I will detour, wait, and sometimes even throw food at an on coming dog to keep them away from my girls.

So my original questions about “how do you know…?” Well, on our way home, the girls and I spotted two dogs behind a wood slat fence starting to fence run on our approach, and set up on us. Both girls stopped and looked right up at me! You could not wipe the smile off of my face. “Thank you” was the first thing that came out of my mouth, and then a piece of turkey for both girls. We crossed the street and kept walking, without conflict. When we crossed the street, a young black lab came roaring down it’s back deck stairs, into a yard, and right up to the fence we were just passing, and started to off load verbally on us. It caught us all off guard. Franny jumped sideways and went piloerect (and that was it which shocked me), Ocean gave that young dog a hard stare and low growl (and that was it which surprised me), then they both looked at me, “You two are freaking awesome today, thank you!”, a small piece of turkey and off we went, crossed back to the other side of the street once more.

I was so proud of my girls, and grateful for an almost conflict free walk. They had a lot of choices with the situations they were put in today. And it could have gone a totally different way. They have, enough times, made other dogs regret their choices for surprising them, again, when they are together it can be explosive.

We came home relaxed, happy, and filled with fresh air. These Grande Dames mean the world to me! May our walks continue …

Nancy

the Male Dog

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note – this was one of the most viewed/re blogged posts on my blog, but I pulled it a few months ago because of creepy and inappropriate searches. This is for education, not a how too …  Another related article I have written since then is desexing the answer. or the questions? Enjoy!

Do you all remember that very uncomfortable sex talk with your parents, or sitting through sex education with boys and girls in middle school? The horror! Perhaps it was just my generation, but I doubt it.

Humans talking about their own sexuality isn’t easy, speaking in general of course. Maybe because it goes beyond the act of sex and crosses the line of relationship and connection?  In any case we will leave that up to the sex experts the like of Alfred Charles Kinsey to Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Humans talking about canine sex? That is way more fun. From my observations over the years in our puppy and adolescent classes, dogs have zero hang ups when it comes to their own sexuality. In fact they revel in it, celebrate it, and put it out there for everyone. Some more than others to be sure. I’ve never seen a dog try to apologize for enjoying their own sexuality, ever. If talking about sex, the act of sexual intercourse, sexual organs, orgies, or maleness make you uncomfortable, please hang in there. This is all part of dog ownership, and I feel really important.

If you’ve ever attended one of our 10-16 week old puppy classes you know that some nights can be like virtual orgies. It’s too tender of an age to have sexual maturity, but puppies operate on play and skill building. They try things out, they watch and observe, try it again, and if it works and they like it and it’s mutual, they will repeat it. It’s singly the one behavior in play that unravels most of our puppy owners, some can’t handle it. Some think it’s early signs of dominance, others are uncomfortable with sex in generally, the horror at seeing their little fluffy puppy enjoying sex play, dear god what do I have living in my house!

Bottom line, the puppy’s are fine with their sex play, the majority of the time it’s mutual, and it goes from running, chasing, rolling around, mounting, running, rolling, mounting, to chilling out together. Socially and emotionally, with their own species during early development, I believe it’s important. It’s fluid, it’s without conflict, and it’s skill building in play. I will note that we have had a few puppies over the years that went through early maturation and their only form of play was mounting. It was obsessive, and it wasn’t just with their puppy friends. They were equal opportunists with puppy’s, people, objects, and air. I’m not sure any of those owners went to their veterinary and asked for a hormone level blood draw. I’m pretty sure they simply said, neuter him today.

The male canine is referred to as a dog, if left unaltered they are referred to as a dog or an intact male. They reach sexual maturity between 6-12 months of age, right in the heart of adolescence. This means, that while they are still socially and emotionally immature, and in one of the flakiest developmental phases, they are now able to reproduce. Truly Rock Stars!

At roughly 10-12 months of age they are referred to as an ultra male if left unaltered. They have 5-7 times more testosterone than an adult male, and it does not level off until 18-24 months of age. The adult canine world will no longer tolerate puppy antics from an ultra male, their testosterone smell, and testosterone levels in their urine tell an adult story. This can cause conflicts at the dog park, in multiple dog households, and while out and about hiking. And most of the time their play turns into play for sexual access, which again, can cause conflict with unknown dogs or dogs in the same household.

Ultra males need play with appropriately socialized dogs, a managed environment, and little to no dog park time. They need to be watched like a hawk in the home so they don’t learn to mark in your home, or anyone else’s for that matter. Fencing needs to be sturdy and high. Sexual mature dogs are receptive to mating at any time, even if a female is not in estrus. They are not cyclical, it’s 24/7 365.

Letting a young intact male cruise the neighborhood while you shovel the driveway, or run free on a trail is simply irresponsible. A sexually mature dog is a different kind of ownership and management, I’m not saying better or worse, just different. Think of it this way, how many people do you know that own a stallion? If you know someone that does, and they are few and far between, ask them how it’s different from owning a gelding?
In the past three to four years many dog owners are waiting to neuter until their dog reaches 11-13 months of age. A recommendation most of the time from their breeder or veterinarian. But why? Well there have been some really good studies that show how testosterone is linked to appropriate joint health including the growth plates. Please refer to Dr. Chris Zink. I think this information is awesome, and all dog  owners should read about it, however it needs to be balanced with the very real fact that the dog currently living in your home may be sexually mature and thinking about having sex the majority of the time. If you don’t want a sexually driven canine, and are not up to the management an intact male requires, than neutering slightly before sexual maturity would be a better option. It’s something that needs to be thought out, and in best best interest of everyone involved. Ha, in writing that I would seriously doubt a dog would say  neutering is in his best interest, pretty sure I would be flipped the paw on that one.

If you talk to someone that fosters dogs, works at a rescue or volunteers at a shelter, they most likely will tell you all male dogs need to be neutered. And truly can you blame them? They see the very real problem with canine over population and the surplus that are euthanized each year because there aren’t enough homes available. I believe in 2009 it was a 17 million dog surplus that was euthanized. It’s safe to say that unmanaged dogs like to have sex, and if given the chance they will.

If you have a young intact male, be honest about who they will be growing into. Decide if it’s right for you and your household. If you don’t want to be a good manger of property, dog or space, than a sexually mature animal shouldn’t be in your future. And, because I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in the dog rescue world, and they would haunt me if I didn’t mention it, just because you have an intact male does not mean he has to have sex in his life time. It is not obligatory to pimp your male dog out just because he wants sex with the cute Golden next door.

On a side note -
$eeker is a neutered male, and it was the right choice for him (not his choice of course, ours).

My Story is an intact male. He is hands down the nicest dog I have ever owned, socially, emotionally and physically. Because of the testosterone he is built like a brick shit house, one of the secondary sexual characteristics is increased muscle mass. He is an amazing worker and competitor, but I have to manage him heavily when we have down time around other dogs, he wants to have sex. I’m pretty upfront about it, and honest with his desires, much to the blushed cheek owners embarrassment, who weren’t prepared for a sex talk when they let their cute dog run up to Story to say Hi!

Every dog, and every choice you make for their health and sexuality is individual. Please be informed, please have conversations with professionals that are partners in your dogs health care, and decide how MUCH dog you are willing to live with.

Have fun,
Nancy
originally posted 2/26/2012

dogs that take, dogs that give, and those waiting to return to the Starship Enterprise

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You don’t have to listen very hard to hear someone say, “my dog loves to please me, my dog is so loyal”, or conversely “I wish my dog was more loyal, I wish he wanted to please me”. I’m not quite sure the root of these sentiments, where is Chrysti the Wordsmith when you need her!

Personally and professionally, I’ve always found this a bit odd. Simply from the stand point of slavishness, is that even a word? Why yes it is, I just looked it up! The sentiments tend to suggest a dog that see’s and feels nothing else in life, but it’s owner. Ego? I don’t really know.

Now I have seen that butter soft Golden Retriever, with big beautiful brown bedroom eyes, They appear to melt into their owners, follow them around adoringly, look deep into their owners eyes, UNTIL, the rabbit goes by, see ya!  Pit Bulls can be the same. I’ve seen Pit Bulls look like they want to crawl inside their owners skin they love them so much, they just can’t get close enough, can’t get enough contact, can’t look into that human face without turning into a virtual jelly bean, UNTIL, the ball comes out, THROW IT!

Is there in fact such a thing as a loyal dog, a dog who is genetically pre disposed to pleasing another species? I don’t know. I think more than genetics it is the rare pairing of just the right dog with just the right person, and magic, it happens.

So here is my current line up of dogs. This is who they are and what they came to the planet with. I love them for who they are, not what I need them to be.

Franny – She is my partner, she is not a taker, and only a giver every once in awhile. She does not require me to support her emotionally or physically, she has good confidence, and great instincts. Franny does lay next to me when I am not feeling well or when I am particularly tired. She likes to check in with me, particularly in the evenings. She has a slight guarding quality so she will step in front of me at home if there is something outside that causes her concern. She has never done anything that I am aware of,  to indicate that she has wanted to please me. She’s more of a ‘keep up if you want to hang with me’ kind of dog. A true partner, trust on both ends for us. But this has taken time!

Ocean – She is a taker. She was a spooky, low confident puppy. Timid, fearful and extremely cautious. Her whole life has been about us supporting her emotionally, physically, and spiritually. She comes to us for comfort, but does not give us comfort. She comes to us if she is afraid, so we can reassure her. If I am having a bad day, stressed or concerned, she leaves the room. She is not capable of handling emotions from anything or anybody, outside of neutral. If we were out hiking and something hit the fan, she would take off running, and expect me to deal with it, she would not be there to help me out. I/we take care of her, she was never born with enough grit to support, please, or be loyal to anything.

Story – He is my giver and my partner. He is my gift, plain and simple. He stands next to my side and I can feel that we are in this together. He allows me to love him and work with him, and I allow him to love me back and push me to be a better person. On a low day he will come and comfort me and nuzzle me. He looks out for me when we are hiking, and always keeps an eye on me, always. He is my one dog that will stop and wait for me to catch up. He will allow me to lean on his back if we are going up a steep hill, and he will step in front of me and stop if he is unsure of what is coming down the trail. If he is frustrated with some new sport we are working on, he lets me know, he does not obey anything or anyone, it’s about fairness for Story. He has integrity, grit, and kindness all wrapped up into one dog, but he expects the same from everyone he encounters.

$eeker – he is not a giver, a taker, or a partner. I am still so up in the air about my dear sweet $eeker. He lives in a world where sometimes we just don’t get each other, I don’t feel he is present, or I feel he is present with the other voices in his head? This morning on our hike he was amazing, playful with me, attentive, and I could feel him wanting to be with me. Other days I’m not sure he even see’s me. To be honest, I think we are all his little experiment, and one day I am going to turn around slowly, and catch him whispering into his shoulder, “my work is done here, beam me up Scotty”.

Nancy

prepare to be inspired!

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Sandy, who was 72 years old at the time wanted to come and watch one of my puppy classes with a friend. She just got a new Maltese puppy and was looking for a class.

They showed up early, they seemed nice enough, sat down and watched a class of 14 week old puppies romping and roaring, scampering around and learning to work with their owners.

Every time I looked over at them their eyes were as big as pancakes, I had a feeling the environment was a bit too overwhelming for them, may not be the right fit.

After class they had some questions, actually a lot, and a ton of concerns for their small puppies. No matter how much reassurance I offered, they still seemed concerned. So I just told them to go to PetsMart and take a basic training class, have fun, and have a nice evening.

Sandy, who I didn’t know at the time, was so blown away that I turned them away, and maybe even a bit pissed off, accepted the challenge and signed up for classes with her friend.

On the first night of class, Sandy and her little Sophie were surrounded by twenty somethings and their large breed puppies. Her class mates dismissed ‘Grandma and her tiny white dog’, but I didn’t. I knew there was some grit to this woman, and I’m sure she picked a dog that could keep up. I watched them closely and I was excited, as I knew how this was going to play out. Watch out all you young hot guns, here comes an awesome lesson!

As always, the large Newf mix puppy fell for little Sophie. He was so love struck, and Sophie could care less. She was sassy, saucy, high energy, playful, and flirty. But above all, clever, as in super smart and liked to solve concepts. Even at the tender age of thirteen weeks.

When we met again the following week, all of the twenty somethings stood back and took note, they were about to be schooled by Grandma. Sandy and Sophie in just a week, blew all of them out of the water, all of them. She not only did the homework, she did some of the extra fun tricks, and just for good measure worked on some self control work too, like capturing settle.

Sophie loved working with Sandy, and when they were engaged, no other distraction in the room mattered, not even Sophie’s giant boyfriend. After our second class, there was an amazing amount of respect gained for Sandy and Sophie. It turned out to be a class where everyone enjoyed each other, cheered each other on, and got together outside of class for play dates.

Sophie won the hearts of people who didn’t give much credit to small dogs. I think we all fell in love with her more than we thought possible. I particularly fell hard. I referred to her as our ‘border collie in the witness protection program’. Sandy knew that if she ever had second thoughts about Sophie I would take her in a heart beat.

Sandy and Sophie went on to take an adolescent class, freestyle & tricks, and attend some of our Sweet Petites play groups.

They are now a working Therapy Team with ITA here in Bozeman. Sandy makes sure to play fetch, have wild play times, and work on tricks daily. Sophie, a little fire cracker, thrives on the BIG fun!

We have become friends outside of training, which I love. We go for walks, have tea, and play with our dogs. We’ve even had a holiday vodka tonic together because Sandy said she needed to use up a lime or two! That’s Sandy, and I love her for it!

So here is to a team that I find so inspiring. Sandy is now seventy six years old and Sophie four. They still blow most of our young clientele away with their skills, and they still make me smile every time!

Enjoy, Nancy

a family affair, with friends and furry loved ones!

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Our facility is fully open now! Well it has been for about a month really, but we were working out some kinks and finishing up the office. We had our official Open House yesterday! While I have attended open houses over the years, my favorites being hardware store openings, I have never had the pleasure to host my own.

It is simply the coolest feeling ever to open your doors, invite people to come on over, and step aside to allow them to enjoy it. We put a lot of thought and heart into our new space, and while it’s personal to me,  and a space I love, it’s totally different when you open the doors and let everyone make it their own, for their own reasons. Every single person that walked through our doors had a smile, and kindness to share. It was awesome, and as one person said, refreshing!

And this is what I hoped for. A place where people and their dogs can come and enjoy their time working together. A place that feels good from the moment you walk in the door. And as I have always said, and I hope our new space is a direct translation of these words, “learn as much as possible, have fun, and do more!”

Thank you to Bridger Feeds, Petcurean, FitPAWS, Eagle Ridge Ranch, and our Scent Project! It is so fun to give things away!

I was visiting with people all morning and tried to get to my camera but never made it. So here are the final photos and the final touches … Nancy

if your new to following the story on our new facility, click here to read, and see the photos of where we started, the progress, and what we now have!

open letter – for a more responsible dog community

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A couple of weeks ago I sent an open letter to four agencies in town, including the City Commission and the Bozeman Ranger District. It’s been passed on to other agencies already so I consider it open. If you need a template to write to your city agencies, please feel free to use this.

I generally send out a yearly letter, and I keep hoping for a more responsible dog community, where ALL dogs and their people can have access to town and the trails undisturbed by out of control dogs and owners that don’t care. City’s don’t know there are problems unless they are given information on what is really going on.

I will continue to be an advocate for responsible dog families who are trying to do the right thing. And I will forever be an advocate for dogs that need to get out and about and can’t because of unmanaged environments.

Cheers and happy reading! Nancy

To:

My past letters to the City Commission have been in regards to dogs, specifically, management in town, and on the nearby front country trails. I would like to expand that this year.

While Bozeman continues to make magazine headlines as one of the Top 10 Most Dog Friendly Places, many people that live here see it a bit differently. It is definitely a dog town that boasts almost 200 acres of official off leash open space, trails that go through town that allow dogs on leash, and two mountain ranges with unlimited trails for hiking with your dog. On paper this is amazing.

But the reality is, dogs are off leash almost every place in town, not just in designated areas, they are off leash on ‘dogs must be leashed trails’, and even running around in areas where dogs aren’t even allowed, Gallatin Recreation Area/Ponds for example. There is not one single place you can go in Bozeman and be guaranteed a safe leash walk with your own dog, without an off leash dog coming into your space. This applies from Main street to the mountains.

Is it a war zone? No. Is there a big problem that is causing conflict on a daily basis? Yes.

Because there is a lack of enforcement, the culture in Bozeman is ‘off leash and deal with it’. Bozeman is in fact growing an irresponsible dog owner population. The dog park mentality of “take a dog off leash and let them run whether they are under voice control or not”, has seeped out into town, City Parks, GVLT trails, Forest Service trails, and beyond.

It is common for off leash dogs to run up to strangers, baby strollers, other dogs, dogs on leash with elderly handlers, children, service dogs that are working, picnickers, wild life, etc. And there is rarely an apology, explanation, or even acknowledgment from the off leash dog’s owner. Why? Because ‘rules for off leash dogs’ in Bozeman has never been clearly defined, and the lack of enforcement allows this ‘owner behavior’ to not only continue but to flourish.

This summer I have purposefully gotten out more often. There is always a pulse to a community, I wanted to really get the pulse for the dog community, more so than just through my training business. I work with on average, 400+ clients a year, but there are many more dog owners in Bozeman, and I have a sense of curiosity.

I have been walking the various GVLT trails everyday all summer, they are great trails and because they are supposed to build a better community, what better place to walk, right? I have either walked with one of my dogs or a client’s dog. I have been the only one on leash. The only other dogs on leash are my clients walking with me. I have had numerous dogs run into my space uninvited with unapologetic owners, two dogs that have stalked me, and too many dogs to count that showed up without owners nearby at all, they were from a house or neighborhood nearby and just cruising apparently. These trails are treated as an extension of the dog parks in town.

I have been in the Gallatin National Forest almost two to three times per week. I have never seen a dog on leash. In the FS information I picked up at their office, it states in very tiny print, dogs must be leashed to prevent chasing of wild life. Because this would be an almost impossible task to enforce, you would think that at the very least, managed and under voice control? I have passed dogs under really good owner voice control, but have passed many more that were either busy running around chasing wild life, or having a dog park experience in the back country.

Recently at the Gallatin Rec./Ponds we had two off leash dogs run right through our picnic space while they were manically chasing gophers. Their owners? Casually walking on the trail and never once offered an apology, or made a motion to get their dogs. This is common, not uncommon.

Not all dogs appreciate a dog park experience, in fact the majority of dogs do not. Yet our City is making a statement, simply by omission, that all dogs must be able to ‘deal’. We have responsible owners in town with lovely dogs, they pay taxes, their license fees, take excellent care of their dogs, but will never be able to use all of these great amenities because their dogs don’t want an off leash dog in their space. There is not a single place to walk where all dogs are in fact on leash except Lowe’s Hardware store. This is a sad statement.

I have received calls from some City Commissioners over the years, sat one two committees that include an Animal Control Officer, offered examples of programs that have become successful in other City’s similar to Bozeman. Not much has changed.

I would be open to talking and discussing possibilities and opportunities for a more responsible dog owner population. Our town should be dog friendly to everyone, not just off leash dog owners. If this is of interest, please let me know.

Thank you,

Nancy Tanner, CPDT-KSA