Bonafide CPDT-KA

That's right, your's truly is now a bonafide, Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed.  The "CPDT-KA" suffix can be proudly displayed after my name in the first of what I hope to be a few alphabet soup titles on myself before I die.  I look forward to continuing the pursuit for greater understanding of the canine species and help as many people as I can along the way.

A special shout out to a few very special people who helped me pursue this dream, guided me along the way and supported me when I needed it most:

First and foremost, my loving husband, Aaron.  You have always been there for me.  Physically, mentally, emotionally.  You are my rock.  My foundation.  My everything.  Without you I would be lost and definitely would not be where I am today.  Special gratitude goes to my dear friend Kristin.  She has been the most understanding friend of mine through all of my own dogs' "stuff."  She never hesitated to help; multiple times donning the "Chicken lady" responsibilities and being ridiculously helpful and supportive.  Thank you, Kristin, for being there and cheering me on throughout the past several years.  Kerry and Eric, thank you for allowing me to become part of the BehaviorWorks family.  I look forward to continued growth under Eric's new ownership.  To my satellite buddy Dee, I hope someday soon we'll get to see each other.  Your energy is always present when I'm with the dogs...and I can hear your kind and thoughtful words when I need them.  To Cheri, you rock and you've helped me in more ways than you know.  I love your teaching style and have learned so much while being your student.  Your always quick to help me when I need a positive outlook on things and I thank you for that!

Others who have left an imprint along the way: Jess, Jan, Linda, Lisa, Trish, Suzanne, Grisha, Karen, Leslie, Temple, Kathy, Patricia, Johanna, Kathy, Addie, Dustin, Dr. Rivera, Stacy and many more.  Each of you has been a piece of the pavement along the way to building my road.

Why me?

Warning:  This is going to be one of those posts where I feel sorry for myself...I feel that I can do this from time to time, right?!


UGH.  Today was one of those days with Oscar where I didn't feel any connection what-so-ever.  The dumb ass neighbor with his beagle came out this morning and while Oscar jumped on the fence to peek over, he didn't bark at the guy or his dog (a big YES! in my book).  Aaron then left to take him for a walk and as they were going down our driveway, one of our neighbors was passing by and stopped to chat with Aaron.  Oscar did well, but for whatever reason he barked and lunged in the lady's direction after they were talking (I wasn't there, so I don't know what the hell happened).  Then Oscar had another episode when Aaron was picking up his poop.  Aaron's back was to Oscar while he was picking up the poo and during that time, a lady with her two dogs came out of their house and walked directly at Oscar and Aaron.  Oscar made his presence known.  In my book, this was excusable.  Oscar is bred to alert to S.E.C.'s (sudden environmental changes).   The good news is that Aaron and Oscar saw the same lady and dogs later in the walk and both of them did fine.  

Then there was this evening's extravaganza.  The stupid neighbor takes his dog out again and Oscar, jumped on the fence.  No barking again (AWESOME!).  But then I didn't hold on to him long enough (or simply remove him from the backyard!) and he charged the fence again, jumped on it and barked a few times.  This time the stupid neighbor faces his dog and says, "Boss, say "HI!"  Boss, say "HI!"  Well, then his dog barks and Oscar gets amped up and starts barking at him with a lot more gusto.  Yay for that!  UGH!

It's embarrassing having a dog that is reactive.  Plain and simple.  The majority of people out there don't realize the time, effort, patience and perseverance it takes to work with such a dog.  All they see is the dog who is barking/lunging/growling.  They don't see the dog who is exhibiting self-control in situations that are scary/nerve racking for them.   Today was one of those days when I doubted why I even got a second dog in the first place...and, especially, another shepherd.  I love the breed, but Jesus, they are a lot of work.

Oscar has pure moments of brilliance at times...and lately they have been far outweighing the butthead moments...but still, today I so desired that I could come home to an EASY dog.  A dog that wouldn't have me walking around the backyard or neighborhood with a treat pouch on.  A dog that doesn't need to be on anti-anxiety meds.  A dog that doesn't need a ridiculous amount of home-cooked food each day.  A dog that happily walks over to our fence to greet the neighborhood visitors.

I know I sound incredibly selfish when I type this, but why me?  I give so much effort to both of my dogs and admittedly, the majority of that is to Oscar, and I feel like I get nothing in return.  I would throw myself in front of a bullet for this dog.  Doesn't he know that?  The blank looks I got from him today.  The inability to hear me when I was talking with him.  It's incredibly hurtful to have moments with your dog where there is only one being present.  (Here I go again...almost starting to cry!)

Yet I also know this is part of our journey, our dance together.  Today was not Oscar's day to shine.  I know he was doing the best he could, but what made him feel so unsafe that he had to act that way?  I'll never know...I can only look forward and move that next step toward making our life together better.  Dwelling on this won't help, but it is incredibly therapeutic to (once and a while) sit alone in the dark and just say, "Why me?"

1-on-1

There is something incredibly satisfying about doing 1-on-1 training with someone.  Whether it is dog training, going to school, being in a relationship, heck - driving your car, nothing beats the connection two "things" can share.

Until very recently, I've always been on the other side of the 1-on-1 equation (the "asking for help!" side, that is).  A short while ago, I was contacted by a woman looking for help with her adolescent labrador.  She wanted to get into one of the training classes I teach, however the class schedule conflicted with a prior commitment on hers.  Having heard the sincere desire through her words as we emailed back and forth a few times, I knew this is a woman who wanted dearly to help her young dog and was getting advice from some other trainers that she was not comfortable with.  I could just feel it in her typing that she needed help and knew that there just had to be a better way than what was being told to her (jerking of a head collar and shaking the dog by the scruff!).

Very kindly I apologized that our class schedule did not work for her and I did something that I just knew was right; I offered to help her through private training.  There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in my mind, body or soul to open my services to someone who was suffering from behaviors that have struck very close to home with me.

Reactivity, impulse control, lack of focus, loss of or failure of connection are rapidly becoming modules of dog behavior that I live and breathe by.  There is no greater joy than seeing someone have that "Ah-ha!" moment when you are working with them. When they realize that they made something happen and they are in control. Sure, these moments happen in group classes, but the 1-on-1 sessions allow for a much more focused relationship and that is what leaves me beaming this afternoon.  The ultimate gratitude this new client of mine has had in just 2 short sessions is amazing.  She is seeing the potential in her dog...in their relationship...and I am honored that the perfect sequence of events happened that allowed me to help guide her along her journey.

It seems silly and often times redundant to keep reflecting on how much Oscar has changed my life, but I can't ignore how much he has allowed me to learn.  So, a special shout out to Oscar ("Thank you, Buddy!")

Finished Book (again): Bones Would Rain from the Sky

I love this book so much that I had to read it again (a special "Thank you" goes out to my 8-5 job for flying me out to Seattle this week which allowed me to read it on the plane!).

There is sometime completely comforting each time I read the pages of Suzanne Clothier's book Bones Would Rain from the Sky.  I don't even know how to describe it, really, but it's the same feeling I get when I drink a very welcome warm cup of coffee on a cold winter morning.  It just feels damn good.

I've written about how much I resonate with Suzanne's style of teaching connecting with our beloved canines and I feel and incredible disservice trying to even capture it in my own writing because I know I will fall short. All I can say to those of you who share a life with a dog and looked deep into their eyes and felt that warm, comforting connection, you need to read this book.

For now, I place Bones back on my bookshelf...edges of the cover lovingly starting to curl...the spine prominently shown as an invite to pick it up, once again, when the time is right.

Bust out the Kleenex...

Those who know me, who really know me, understand that it is a rarity to hear about, let alone see, me crying.  The two words "emotion" and "Laura" just don't go together.  I proudly grew up as a tomboy, playing with dirt and stones, G.I. Joe's and Legos, burning insects with a magnifying glass.  Christ, I remember getting several Barbie dolls and, without hesitation, cutting their hair straight down to the scalp.  Someone got me a Barbie car for my birthday went I was about 9 years old and I proceeded to drive it straight off the top of my mom's car...busting the doors off in the process.

I guess you could say that I'm too proud to let emotions in the form of crying and grievance surface in my daily life.  Ever since I can remember I've been of the "Let's have some fun!" mindset, laughing all along the way trying to see the (cliche) glass half-full.   I like to smile, I like to laugh, I like to get by with the least invasive emotions during my waking hours.

Blame it on hormones, getting wiser, being married, whatever you want, but I think I'm starting to become a softy.  I've cried more in the past couple of months than I have between the ages of 9 and 29 combined.  Some of it has been over human-human relationships, but most of it has been over dog-human relationships.  For the sake of this blog, I will focus on the latter.

Simple thoughts, reflections and contemplative thoughts have given Laura's "Water Works" a run for their money.  The realization and acceptance that Fanny is in her last phase of physical life.  Witnessing the special relationship Fanny and Aaron have...the nightly ritual where Aaron rubs her eyes in the perfect spot, at the perfect pressure for the perfect duration; something she has never enjoyed from me...just him.  The beautiful relationship Fanny and Oscar share; the sincere muzzle kisses and mutual acceptance.  The pure joy a simple Frisbee can bring to Oscar (for hours!).  The amazing perseverance Oscar has had with all his digestive and behavioral challenges.

These dang dogs have respectfully demanded more emotional involvement in me than most of my human friends.  They have given back more than their fair share of unconditional love in return.  Reflecting on relationships, respecting another being (fur or skin), and understanding a true sense of togetherness.  Involvement at this level is what makes life worth living...and it never hurts to have a box of Kleenex as a wing man.

One Happy Puppy

If I only knew the immense happiness that dang, rancid, floppy Frisbee brings to Oscar...

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Milestones

Yesterday I took my computer exam to test my knowledge in order to hopefully become a Certified Pet Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed.   And now, on the back end of my studying and preparing, I find myself reflecting back on the past 15 months of my "official" dog training experiences.

I say "official" because before I met Kerry and Eric, I was just a hobby trainer...having fun with my own dogs.  I'm quite sure that both Kerry and Eric pegged me right away as one of those crazy dog owners and I am grateful that one Saturday morning Eric asked if I would like to help out with classes and perhaps become an assistant trainer.  It was hard not to just splurt out, "OH my golly, yes, yes, yes!" so I did my best to have some impulse control and thanked him and told him I would think about it and get back to him.   

Fast forward to a few weeks later and there I was...an assistant trainer with BehaviorWorks.  I am grateful and honored that Kerry and Eric asked me to join them.  Over time, they even trusted me enough to lead my own class and now have afforded me the opportunity to spearhead an entirely new agility class series.

Yesterday was a milestone in my life, both personally and professionally.  Personally, it felt good to fulfill a desire I have to continue learning about dog behavior and never settle into mediocrity...you know, striving for greater knowledge.  Professionally, I'm thrilled that if I do, in fact, pass the CPDT-KA exam, that I can represent a company that helped push me get where I am today.