DWAA 2013 winner of the Maxwell Medallion Award She has never apologized for her choices. She has never lied. She has lived her life with raw honesty, take it or leave it. I chose to take it, and have not one single regret. My Franny is reaching the end of her life. She has gone…
Category: Outsdie of Neutral Series
living with a dog outside of neutral – part 7
Living is the foundation. While we have spent 10+ years with Franny, and have had to learn and grow a great deal so we could all be successful, living our lives together was always at the center of our thoughts. It sounds rather obvious, but you might be surprised by the great number of professional…
living with a dog outside of neutral – part 6
Franny is still very much alive so it would be unfair for me to conclude if the choices we have made for her have been right or not. The story is still being lived. I hesitate in the biggest kind of way to be a trainer/owner who works with a dog for a year or…
living with a dog outside of neutral – part 5
the years – Fran was now turning into Franny, Frannie Girl, Franny Bear, and about a dozen other names. She was settling in with us and us with her. While there was comfort on some level, there was still the side of her that caused some stress. As she started to age and come into…
living with a dog outside of neutral – part 4
moving forward – When you have a dog that is wanting to learn, it makes training fun. It doesn’t necessarily imply that behaviors will come easily, sometimes yes for sure, but at least you have a partner that will hang in there with you and go for the ride. You can make some minor mistakes…
living with a dog outside of neutral – part 3
Mr. Toads Wild Ride, the first year – If I look back at my choice in dogs, I’m definitely drawn to a particular type. I like my dogs athletic and agile. I value stamina and endurance. I want my dogs to have opinions, fire in the belly. And most importantly, dogs that are great problem…
living with a dog outside of neutral – part 2
the first month – welcome … maybe Fran got out of our car and looked at our house cautiously. As she entered the front door all of her black wooly fur stood straight up, it was the first time I had seen a dog go completely pilo erect. She almost doubled in size. She got…
living with a dog outside of neutral – part 1
This 7 part article series received a DWAA nomination, February 2013! the introduction I have been wanting to sit down and write this for a long time, long time as in years. It’s still very much a relationship in the present, but it is the past that I have been thinking about. I haven’t been…
Nancy Tanner 