Author: Eileen Anderson
Clara on a walk in September 2021 This is about an incident in October 2021 that I wrote about before but did not publish here. I’ve been walking Clara every day in my neighborhood since April [2021]. Now, remember that as a wild puppy he was introduced to the presence of people other than me very slowly. My trainer and I often met at an outdoor mall where we could control the distance. Clara is a difficult case. It was a slow process, but he got to where he could walk through crowds of people happily, as long as no…
When eight-month-old Lewis joined my household, he was afraid to ride in the car. He didn’t like being in a crate either. So I put on my best trainer hat, did an assessment, made a plan, and conducted a series of careful exposures paired with delicious food and fun destinations. Below, with some comments, are the steps I took. This is not a general protocol; there is no generic method that will work for every dog. This is a plan I designed for Lewis. I hope that seeing how I did it will help others consider their own dog’s situation…
Clara left this world on September 28, 2024, four years to the day after Zani. I’m not ready to write a tribute to him yet. But maybe my thoughts about grief and mourning might help someone else. This post is more raw and less edited than I usually publish. I wrote most of it the day he died. Clara’s beloved Goughnuts ball When Cricket died, I dismantled his doggie dementia setup that very day. The old pen, the carefully placed dog beds, his food station, all the yoga mats and rugs and bath mats for traction. I washed a lot.…
Zani drank slowly. Can you tell what is happening to him? What about Lewis? See below. Most of us have experienced what it’s like when a dog grabs treats like a shark. We probably know some situations where our dogs do that and what it might mean. But what if a dog receives too gently? I’ve been writing about dog body language since I started this blog. I recently realized that getting treatment is all down to body language. Sometimes we feel it more than we see it, but behavior can still give us a clue to a dog’s emotional…
“What are we here for this time?” Every year I post an article that lists last minute things you can do to help your dog who is afraid of fireworks. Independence Day and Canada Day are upon us, and that means bangs and booms. Over the years, I’ve changed my list. I will update and repost it in a few days. But here’s an early warning with the most important tip of all. See your vet about medications (or talk to clinic staff via text or phone if that’s an option). There are new products on the market, as well…
This is an unsolicited review with no affiliate links. I bought two balls from this company and Lewis and I think they are great.Shoutout to a company with great product and customer service. I’m always on the lookout for sturdy, throwable pull toys for Lewis. I think I saw an ad for these, or maybe a friend shared them. In any case, Foam Dog Balls toys look perfect. They have two sizes of balls and a remarkable variety of color combinations (12 ball colors and 4 strap colors that you can mix and match). The larger size is 3.25 inches…