Today feels like Fall

It feels like fall today. Great, really. I turned off the air and opened the windows. And August is almost over. So fall is really near. I love fall. I guess I love the inbetween seasons. Inbetween as in it could be cold, cool, hot or warm. Unpredictable. Like life itself.

Still thinking about a german shepherd puppy. Not yet though as I don't want to add to my pack just yet. It's not fair to my old guys (and girls). They deserve calmness and peace in their old age. And lots of dog cookies. And lots of love. The puppy can wait, there is always time. And I can investigate and find the best place to get her. I like the name Ariel. But I guess I'll name her when I see her. She might not look like an Ariel. I named Sage on the spot. He just looked like a Sage. And that's not his picture to the left. It's not quite fall yet here.

Stil

Lazy Days of Summer

Finally sent out my August newsletter. I've been working on it and working on it but just couldn't get it all together. I have fun doing these. Now I'm archiving them. You can go to http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs049/1102258079501/archive/1102676771533.html and see all the archived newsletters. I added it to my website and it will be in my next newsletter. And due to some changes in Constant Contact who sends them, they will no longer be marked DANGEROUS. Why it was like that, I'll never know.

More puppy classes tonight. I love teaching them. They are so young and impressionable. I just want to make sure it's the right impression. All adult rescue dogs were once normal puppies. Just think about that.

Otis, the coon hound

Had Otis now for about a week. His owner gave him up as he was not a good family dog. He can be a resource guarder when it comes to rawhide. I have been working with Drop it, Leave it and Take it and he does well. He has attended several of my classes and does well except for the baying which that's what coonhounds do. And he's very good at it:) He loves, loves, loves puppy class. I might keep him another week so he'll have another week of puppy class. Hopefully we can find a forever home with people who know and love coon hounds (and their baying).

Ozzy

Just received new today that Ozzy of "Puppy Chow is Better Than Prozac" died a couple weeks ago. He was instrumental in helping his owner cope with Bi polar and severe depression. The book is wonderful and the pictures adorable. He was 13 years old and lived his life well. He will be terribly missed.

10 Things that make me happy

I saw another blog with this so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

1. Spending time with my loved ones: mom, daughter, dogs

2. the color yellow-sheets, towels, candles

3. german shepherd puppies-saw one the other day-too cute. And of course, Jamaican.

4. Warm but not too warm days with some clouds.

5. Good coffee with lots of cream.

6. Peaceful music: Native American fluke, celtic, south African, classical

7. Dogs and owners working as one team. Beautiful.

8. Chimes ringing, binging, clonging, pinging. I have 7 chimes in my yard.

9. Wolves. Especially when they howl.

10. Macaroni and cheese. Just had to add that one.

New Stuff

I just thought of a couple things I want to try in class. One is talking about the Invisible Leash. It's not a new gadget or letting your dog run loose. It has to do with the relationship you have with your dog. The invisible leash that connects your heart to theirs. The one that is always connected and continues past the grave.

Another idea is to have most of the commands or behaviors that we work on printed on big cardboard signs that I can put out during class. It will signal when we are moving from one thing to another and at the end of class I put up all the ones we worked on that day.

Also playing music when clients and dogs walk in and the stop to the music indicates the class started and at the end when class is over, the music comes back on. It can be a transition from one level to another.

Another one is more emphasis on the head turn, graduating to the Whip lash head turn. I swear it works, worked on an Aussie in Focus class today. I have to remind them to use a "I have something really wonderful for you" voice and not the "You're really in trouble now" voice. That's huge.

My last idea-I need a digital camera bad. I see so many opportunities for pics in class and with my own dogs. Pics that I can post here or my website or my newsletter or graduations or just perfect moments in class. Well, I will add it to my list, right after a car, a dryer and a new pair of shoes. Some day.......

Bootsie

Had a fun time this week training Boots (aka Bootsie). He is a foster dog and his foster mom went on vacation and asked if I'd work with him. He was so much fun and such a pleasure. It is refreshing to work with dogs that love people and other dogs. He is about 8-9 months old, mixture of: Plotthound, Akita, German Shepherd and who knows what else. He's big and adorable. He came to 4 of my classes this week. We also did private training. He's walking well on an Easy Walk harness. We even walked in front of Animal Ark today and he did great. He's not going to have any trouble finding a home. I wish I had a picture to show you. He is such a mix and soooooo handsome. If you are looking for a great dog, check him out at Safe Haven.