Team Together Class

You have a dog, maybe more than one. Do you ever stop and really think about what a wild thing it is to live with another species? Sharing your world with a canine companion can be amazing! But there is definitely a steep learning curve for a dog inhabiting the human world. Whether you stick to neighborhood walks, take long hikes, travel or do sports with your dog, there are some foundation behaviors that will make life easier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable for you and your dog. Team Together, a class based on Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed skills, gives you and your dog the skills to navigate the world together as a team.

Interested? Find out more HERE!

Spring Is Springing! Are You Springing, Too?

March sunrise.

I feel as though I’m greeting you from a great distance. It’s been a few months since I last wrote a blog, so there’s distance in time. The pandemic is still raging (please keep wearing your mask, get a vaccine when you can, and remember the vaccine doesn’t necessarily prevent you from getting COVID, but it will help you stay alive--kind of a big deal), so there’s still social distancing and keeping connections virtual where/when possible. And additionally, there’s the change within each of us over time which doesn’t necessarily create distance, but does necessitate some maneuvering to figure out where I am in space and how to connect with you from this different space which also provides different perspectives.

While I am aware of the changes, I’m also aware of that which hasn’t changed. If you’ve experienced my guided meditations, you know that I bring awareness to and have you look for what is different as well as what is the same. Here are a few things I am aware of that have changed for me and my world: I am more aware of my need for quality human interaction; I only hit the grocery once a week for the whole household; I am now more comfortable with texting as a way to stay connected with friends; physical contact with other humans is nonexistent. Here are a few things I am aware of that have not changed for me and my world: Lilly is still my best pal; our walks are still a daily practice; patterns and rhythms are still foundations to my sanity; I still need a balance of quiet me-time and interactions with humans.

Here are a few things that have changed in the bigger picture: there are multiple COVID vaccines and they are reaching more people everyday; some politicians are not only listening to their constituents and the majority of the American public, but are taking moral stands; more people understand that mental health is health. Here are a few things that have not changed in the big picture: COVID is still here; systemic racism is still not being addressed; it is still harder to register to vote in most states than it is to buy a gun; there are too many deaths by guns every day.

Are you aware of what has changed and what hasn’t for you in your world?

My Intuitive Guide services have not changed. I am still here for you when you need a different perspective, and some deep relaxation or clearing, and this is still by phone.

My Doggedly Whole private training is still outside at a client’s home. My classes are also outside: I have ongoing Nose Work classes; and I am starting up some new classes next month. I am offering both Nose Work for Beginners and Team Together where you and your dog will learn foundational skills to help you both comfortably navigate the world together. You can find more information on these classes HERE.

May this find you soaking in the green, the new growth, and the emerging colors of a season of hope.

My thanks to you and your companion animals for being part of my world, and for connecting others with me and my work. I look forward to working together more in the future.

~Namaste

Clicker Class Time, Again!

My first round of Clicker Basics for Kids was a grand time for everyone and now I’m ready to do it all over again! 

What do we do in Clicker Basics for Kids?

What the humans will learn: 

• What clicker training is and the science behind it

• Good clicker timing and mechanics

• How to create the behavior you want

• How to set everyone up for success

• A fun way to connect with their critter

What the dog or cat will learn:

• Click means a tasty treat is coming

• Nose target behavior

• Tell me a secret trick

• Posing for pictures

• Follow a target behavior

• And more

Who is Clicker Basics for Kids for? For a team made up of a child, adult, and critter (dog or cat), and is open to kids 10 and up.

Whether you are a complete clicker beginner or have a little clicker experience, you’ll learn something new!

HERE you can read why this class is more important than ever right now, and you can register HERE. Any questions? Ask me HERE. Class size is limited, so register now!

Clicker Class Time!

Lilly is having fun!

I love clicker training. I’m a clicker training, so I’m sure you’d never have guessed. Critters’ responses are fast; and they’re clearly having fun. Humans’ responses are fast; and they’re usually amazed. Clicker training creates enthusiastic learners of all species (humans included of course)!

These are strange times we’re currently experiencing and most of us, humans and dogs, are spending more time at home. Another great aspect of clicker training is that it increases and improves the bond across the species gap. With all this extra time together, this is actually a good time to learn clicker training. I’m starting off my online classes with a class for kids, parents, and their critters: Clicker Basics for Kids! I want to share: the basics of clicker training; a few foundation behaviors; a few tricks; the amazing connection; and the fun! If you’ve got a critter loving kid or know one, please pass along this class information. Register here.

What the humans will learn: 

• What clicker training is and the science behind it

• Good clicker timing

• How to create the behavior you want

• How to set everyone up for success

• A fun way to connect with their critter

What the dog or cat will learn:

• Click means a tasty treat is coming

• Nose target behavior

• Tell me a secret trick

• Mat behavior

• Posing for pictures

• Possibly more depending on the speed of training!

Note: this class is for kids ages 10 and up, and is perfect for cats, too.

Solstice Time and Another Announcement!

The summer solstice is Saturday. The earth is still spinning, winds still blowing, plants still growing and yet, so much has changed. Humans are not only remembering that we are part of the whole, but we are joining together in ways that have been a long time coming. The Black Lives Matter movement is a wave that has been building and now has enough power to start pushing away some pieces of the systems that maintain white racism in our country. While many of these changes that are happening are small and slow, there are larger pieces finally being shown in ways that many whites can no longer ignore. We all have biases and prejudices and being anti-racist is not some final resting point. Being anti-racist is an ongoing way of being. If you’re new to these issues or want to explore them farther, start with the New York Times bestseller list which is currently filled with books on racism. I find myself coming back, again and again, to the basic practice of paying attention to who I mean and who I include when I use the word “we” in thoughts and words.

Timing is something that fascinates me. I have a bizarre relationship with time and noticing how intricately things can fit together in time is something I pay attention to. Back in the fall I enrolled in a dog training program ready to up my skill set. All winter my plan was that in June I’d announce my graduation from the program and launch some new aspects of Doggedly Whole. With all the changes brought about by COVID-19 and other events in my life this spring, things have fallen into a different pattern than I expected. So, while I’m thrilled to let you know that I’m now KPA-CTP which means I am a Karen Pryor Academy-Certified Training Partner, I’m also excited to introduce Interspecies Family Balance as the umbrella name for all my work: from dog training to energy work, heart-centered work to help your whole family find balance. I’m in the process of updating my website, but you can still find the basic information here: Doggedly Whole for the dog training, and Intuitive Guide for the energy work.

Doggedly Whole Announcement

Lilly is oh-so-serious when she’s posing for her frisbee!

How are you? How are your dogs? These are definitely some different times. I’ve been busy since November and have just completed a course to up my training skills. I’m now KPA-CTP which means I am a Karen Pryor Academy-Certified Training Partner. It was a lot of hard work, but full of fun learning that I couldn’t have done without my Lilly. With COVID-19, I am changing things up with this big announcement and want to focus on what my services are and how we can still work together to help you and your dog(s) fit together in balance during these surreal times.

Before I get into the details, I want to mention that I’m working on building an email list for my Doggedly Whole newsletter. If you’re interested in staying up to date through my newsletter, please let me know HERE and I’ll stick you on the list. (I hope to get the sign up form here on my website soon to differentiate between the Intuitive Guide and Doggedly Whole newsletters. You can be on both!)

If you have some specific behaviors you’re struggling with or want to get some foundation behaviors trained, I am here to help. How? I am available for Private Training and Day Training. If you have a yard that’s not tiny, we can work in your yard. If you don’t have a yard or it’s too small, I am getting myself up to speed tech-wise, so that I can offer virtual training via Zoom or possibly even Facebook Messenger.

• Private Training: I teach you how to train your dog. We meet at least once a week and you have homework to do since the repetitions are what make behaviors consistent.

• Day Training: I train your dog and transfer the training to you once your dog has the desired behaviors. I work with your dog 3 times a week, and meet with you and your dog 1 time a week, so you know where we are with the behavior building.

If you have a dog who needs something more than you can give right now, I have Enrichment Breaks.

• Enrichment Breaks: I work with your dog to provide the mental, emotional, and physical stimulation that she needs through specific behaviors and games. These are customized sessions depending on what your dog needs.

I am working on some online class options and hope to offer a class on clicker training basics through training tricks that will be geared for both kids and adults to take. Kids are intuitive with their clicker training skills and if you’ve got a critter loving kid, this class might be right up her/his alley! And for the adults, this class will be great whether you’re learning clicker skills or want a good review of clicker skills.

While I consider myself mainly a dog trainer, if you’ve got a cat or other companion animal you want to work with, I’d love to help; clicker training works across the species, and my Maine Coon was a clicker loving fella. He came when I whistled, sat, waved a paw, and loved to play hide and seek.

More details on my services are available HERE and if you have any questions or are interested in working with me in any way, you can just reply to this email or contact me HERE. The scheduling page is a work in progress.

My thanks to you and your dog(s) for being part of my world. I look forward to working together more in the future. And thank you for spreading the word to your fellow friends with companion animals.

Overeager Greeters: When Jumping for Joy at People *Isn’t* the Greeting You Want from Your Dog

Bryn is politely waiting for the approach of a human he knows.

Puppies are adorable and small…so when they are exuberantly jumping all over you and your friends, you probably aren’t thinking about what happens to that behavior when they get bigger and the jumping on you and your friends becomes jumping on or at *all* people and how that can head toward dangerous territory. Your puppy isn’t going to read your mind if you suddenly get upset and expect new behavior for greeting people. You need to create the behavior you want from your full sized dog now, not later. Food motivated dog? Great, that’s what you can use to reinforce the new behavior. If your dog loves people, you have another reinforcer already built into this situation: actually getting to be with the people (but in a way that is safe for everyone).

Where do you start? The many ways a dog can politely greet people can look different, but the common denominator is that all of your dog’s feet will be on the ground. One of the easiest ways to make sure your dog’s feet stay on the ground is to place the reward, food, on the ground or floor. It’s hard to bend down and eat while jumping on people! This is just the beginning, but you have to start somewhere, right? If you need help with an overeager greeter, contact me and we’ll get the specifics lined up and create the behavior you want now, not later.