Fear and Fun: A Behavioral Approach to Vacationing

Laura in red helmet and black wetsuit, abseiling into narrow gap, smiling.

“As I mentioned before, I work in behavior, and my specialty is managing fear and aggression, so all my professionalism is coming to bear right now.” I have newly returned from a dream trip I’d been planning for fully ten years, a visit to New Zealand and then a cruise… Continue reading

Mindy-Penny and the Return to Ordinary Life

young puppy lying down beside table with cheese and crackers
This entry is part 25 of 25 in the series Service Dog Training

So Penny, née Mindy, is a pet dog now. Aside from the obvious things like no longer accompanying us into restaurants, church, grocery stores, etc., her life has changed in other subtle ways. Like, I can feed her what I want now, instead of sticking to a national brand available at… Continue reading

Clicker Expo and After

black lab puppy seated at edge of cliff, looking over river gorge
This entry is part 12 of 25 in the series Service Dog Training

What a week! Mindy and I traveled to Clicker Expo in Norfolk, Virginia, and because I didn’t want to fly her, we drove. It wasn’t a bad drive, about 12 hours, and I broke it up into two days with a bit of hiking each way. “Not a Real Service… Continue reading

The Unseen Fun of a Service Dog’s Life

Chilling while the human guests play Pathfinder.
This entry is part 8 of 25 in the series Service Dog Training

Several people have asked me questions about service dogs, whether they’re always “on the job” or could have normal dog lives. A few were under the heartbreaking impression that because one isn’t supposed to pet service dogs while they’re working, that service dogs aren’t ever to be petted, even at… Continue reading