Life with a puppy, while it seems intense at the time, is actually a honeymoon compared to living with an adolescent dog. And it isn’t just your dog, it is all adolescent dogs, a little or a lot, that tend to bring out the worst in their human. There are specific reasons why, and the…
the quick fix, the magical pill, the wonder watchamacallit!
When I was working as a Pastry Chef, (by default because I was a Baker), I had this one customer who would come into the restaurant pretty much weekly, and have one of the servers come and ask me if I could ‘whip him up a Grand Mariner Souffle’. My response to the server to…
my thoughts are my own, and so are my dogs
“I have no desire to make windows into men’s souls.” – from the movie Elizabeth Such a great line, so profound, so direct, and I think of it often. Sometimes, when I am working with a dog that is not straight forward, maybe a bit tricky or tweaky, owners ask me what their dog is…
10 things your pet sitter/walker would like you to know
I just had a lovely coffee date with a pet sitter/walker here in town. My dates are far and few between, so it’s always a welcome hour, or more! It’s fun to talk shop with someone who is on the ‘other side’ of what I do. While I coach people, and work with dogs, in…
my cautious, fearful, Ocean – part 3
As Ocean and I were growing together, our household grew as well, intentionally I might add. Story came to our home when Ocean was three, and $eeker moved in just two years later. Again, I think it would be fair to state that Ocean would have preferred to be our only dog, possibly the only…
my cautious, fearful, Ocean – part 2
Ocean was growing into the most gorgeous dog I could have imagined. Actually, I didn’t know what to imagine. She was the only ‘mostly white’ one in her litter, the rest were black and white like the Border Collie mom, or blue merle like the Australian Shepherd dad. She was changing, and I loved waking…
my cautious, fearful, Ocean – part 1
In August 2002, someone told me about a litter of pups, border collie/aussie crosses, that were for sale. $45, they needed to go fast! I called the family and made a time to go out and see the puppies. It wasn’t hell, but it wasn’t good either. When I pulled up, the adult dogs came…
11 years in the Field, A Private Look At My Notebook
My notebook is a collection of words about my work, but it’s also a reflection of the two people who have influenced my life working with animals. John Tanner taught me from the get go, that you have a relationship with every animal in your life. And you take the ups and downs and work…
I always trust my dogs
Today. A day that screamed ‘go hiking with your dogs’! I haven’t been out in the mountains as much as I would like this season. Enough that we all feel healthy, but not enough where I feel a bit ‘itchy’ during the week. So I am going back to my old lifestyle, a new priority so…
and what if …
And what if your dog jumps up on you And what if your dog is sound asleep on your sofa And what if your dog eats tasty treats under your babies high chair And what if your dog carries your shoes into another room and hides them And what if your dog barks at a…
Nancy Tanner 