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Training crazy dogs from over-the-top to under-control book cover, dogs in action.

Please welcome the revised edition(s)!

    I am very pleased to announce that Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out has a new revised version!

    It has somehow been ten years since the first publication of Fired Up, and the book has gone further than I had ever dreamed. A lot can change in ten years, however–not the basic theory of reinforcing good behavior, and not the concepts for teaching coping skills before they’re needed under duress, no, but other things. Many links to resources were outdated, as organizations reorganized their websites or took materials offline, for example.

    Labrador on Klimb platform and Doberman sitting beside, both hopeful

    Nail Trim: Making It A Choice Makes It An Easy Choice

      I made a mistake yesterday. I went to a drawer in the kitchen. Not just any drawer, it’s the not-a-junk drawer, where I keep among other things the dogs’ nail trimmers.

      As I opened the drawer, two dogs materialized behind me, sitting politely with ears forward and eyes bright. So of course I had to get the trimmers out.

      Better Together is Coming Soon

        Better Together: the Collected Wisdom of Modern Dog Trainers

        Hey, there’s a great new training book hitting the shelves!

        Better Together: The Collected Wisdom of Modern Dog Trainers is a comprehensive collection of both practical and inspirational advice from some of the best trainers in the world. Learn the methods of modern dog training through more than 60 articles from 28 experts, specially selected by world-renowned trainer Ken Ramirez.

        Doberman puppy on trampoline

        Puppy Socialization: the Physical

          I have been a terrible pet parent, and I have not been spamming the blog with puppy photos and puppy stories. I apologize, I’ve been crazy busy, and in the end it’s more important to spend those extra minutes with the puppy rather than writing about her.

          But today I’m going to officially spam about the puppy.

          Meet Undómiel, who is 12 weeks old now and already gi-normous. Her paws are dinner plates. She’s going to be bigger than Laev.

          I went to Denmark to pick her up, so she could fly home in the cabin with me.

          Training & Gaming at Gen Con

            Mindy joined me at Gen Con this year. Because you can’t buy that kind of socialization experience. What is Gen Con, you may ask? Well, “Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, science fiction and adventure game convention in North America. Gen Con, The Best Four Days In Gaming!™”

            (Actually, I think it’s the world’s largest?)

            A girl in a wheelchair is accompanied by a Golden Retriever wearing a service vest and carrying a plushed terrier on his back, dressed as Sir Didymus from the film Labyrinth.
            Mindy wasn’t the only service dog at Gen Con. Here’s an assistance dog appearing as Sir Didymus (from Labyrinth).

            It’s a gaming (and SFF, miniatures, film, etc.) convention which takes over much of Indianapolis each year. I posted on Facebook that Mindy wasn’t impressed by the 60,000 people, but that was an exaggeration; this year’s actual count was 56, 614 attendees. But of course, most of those people came more than one day, so turnstile attendance was 184,699. The con runs five days, but Mindy attended only three, including the two busiest. And she was a rock star. Rock star, I tell you.

            Fireworks Without the Freak-Out

              Fireworks on the beach on the Fourth of July. ...
              (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

              So it was the Fourth of July this past weekend, Independence Day, with all the challenges that brings for pets and their people.

              I was traveling with Mindy, the guide dog in training, and we did fireworks. With flying colors (terrible pun intended).

              Puppy Training on a FitPAWS Donut

                So apparently I forgot to publish this blog post — sorry!

                Set the Wayback Machine for a few months ago, when Mindy was small enough to use this size FitPAWS Donut. The weather was too bad (sub-zero Fahrenheit) for puppies to play outdoors for long, and this was not only a great energy burn, but an important skill development for a dog expected to handle lots of surfaces and challenges in her career.

                puppy under the table at a restaurant.

                A Big Day 4 (and end of the first week)

                  My husband met the puppy for the first time Friday morning. They’ve seemed to hit it off pretty well.

                  black lab puppy lying in man's lap with green dragon toyIMAG0316

                  I had made plans to go to the Home Show with others, and I knew it would be a great big experience for the new pup. It also had the potential to be too big an experience, so I packed an entire day’s worth of kibble and an extra bully stick, more on that in a moment.

                  I picked up the vest and gear, and I put on my coat, and Mindy launched from my husband’s lap and ran to join me. Remember how I said I wanted most of all to condition that outings were fun? I think we’re on target.

                  And then we headed out to the State Fairgrounds for a socialization adventure.

                  "You mean I can lie here and get treats for watching the people? Seriously?"

                  Day 2 with the Guide Dog puppy: Moving Fast

                    IMAG0246So yeah, lots of puppy posts. Not gonna apologize.

                    This one’s a little less “aww!” and a little more training-oriented. I’ve got to type fast, though, because I just put the pup down for a nap after a big afternoon!