We're still trying to get the perfect "stand" picture and we'll keep working on it until we get it right. But this one is better than the last one. Ok so it's outside at night and all, but she doesn't look like she's balancing a banjo on her nose ( Read more... )

It's not the BEST picture, but here's Dahlia standing up on her hind legs for a treat. Right now she'll ONLY do it under two conditions: (1) HIGH VALUE TREAT OMG and (2) We just came home after being out for a couple hours.


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I've been reading Pat Miller's book called Play with your Dog and they describe play styles in there. Dahlia is pretty clearly a chaser and a cheerleader (playing on the outside of a group who is more physically engaged and barking). But more than a cheerleader, I'm afraid Dahlia might be the "fun police ( Read more... )

We got home from Kitty's today with a thing of leftover steak. Dahlia is always excited about this and usually "sit pretty" turns into sit pretty and then "jump up and put my paws on their chest ( Read more... )

We bounded out of the apartment tonight. Me with happiness over going for a walk with my dog; Dahlia with a big grin at the sight and smell of more snow. We rushed down the steps as we often do. You see, walks are fun. Dahlia gets to race through the snow, stopping to sniff when she wants to and then rushing to catch up to me or racing ahead to ( Read more... )

REALLY sensitive. That's how much. She can't even handle a prong collar being used on another dog. Seriously. Tonight we ran into my next door neighbor whose new trainer has her buying into the "My dog is a dominan, alpha male type because he's a German shepherd and therefore I must train with a firm hand" nonsense. I'm not going to argue with ( Read more... )

I'm reading Patricia McConnell's latest book, Tales of Two Species: Essays on Loving and Living with Dogs. It's a collection of the articles she wrote for The Bark magazine (she still works for them ( Read more... )

Dahlia is learning a new trick. I think. When we got home from session on Saturday I came bearing pieces of steak. I can never finish my open steak sandwich and so I always cut up the rest and bring it home to Dahlia (no she's not spoiled, not at all!). She can smell that stuff from a mile away and so combined with her excitement over our ( Read more... )

I'm reading Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs and this anecdote about a Newfoundland's rather unorthodox solution to a problem she was having, really made me laugh. I thought I'd share it here.

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Attempt at a sit pretty picture #2: Basically she looks like a furball with front legs. Her back legs are like GONE. She's like dorf. Dorf on sit pretty.


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