DhYoga Dog

Cesar Milan we're not.

2011-04-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Grrrrrr. It's hard to find a 'biteable' way to describe the dog yoga that we're practicing. A local television station wants to do a story on dog yoga, and the model for that is 'doga', successfully written about in urban newspapers.

Socks (r.i.p buddy) and Ellie demonstrate good 'yoga off the mat' in this picture. They are working on their relationship, changing their habits, taking some time be fully present. But, exciting television it isn't.

We follow (and teach) a yoga therapeutic model, based on the pancamayas, or five dimensions. Most dogs don't need us humans to tell them or show them how to find their stable and comfortable posture (although, admittedly, some sloppy sits might need a little assistance to keep those hips healthy).

After all, who is the teacher and who is the student for adho mukha svanasana, otherwise known as downward facing dog?

The dog yoga we have been working on tends to address more subtle levels than the physical. While I think that television well knows how to play on those emotions, and distract us from our immediate surroundings, dog yoga on the subtle level does not for good television make.

Cesar Milan we aren't.

But, you know what? Today's session was really helpful for me anyway. A little bit of kriya yoga: Isvhara pranidhana, releasing attachment to outcome.

Ellie, the dog who flunked her temperament test...

2011-01-16T09:28:00.001-08:00

Ellie's the kind of dog that if you say, "Go get him," she looks at you and runs for a toy.

But, if you say, "Go give him a toy," she's off to share the fun.

And this was a dog who flunked her shelter temperament test.

How do you know if your dog training is working?

2011-01-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

From the 'let me at him' to 'teach me more'

You know something is working

when your husband, as he pets the dog who used to chase his cat up a tree says, "She's so much calmer than she was."
when the cat who used to hide now ignores
when your son says, "She's kooky, but, she's such a good dog, doesn't really do anything wrong."
when people at the park remark, "Wow, your dog is well-behaved."
when the dog who flunked her humane society administered temperament test attends a huge social gathering, (the Muscular Dystrophy Association Christmas party) and socializes with children while refining her dog-assisted pain management technique.
when everyone uses the word 'adorable' to describe your dog.

It's helpful to look back a bit, and see how far we've come.

I give Ellie the lion's share of the credit. I've really just tried to stay out of her way and help her learn the ropes of socializing with people and animals. The rest is pure Ellie. Thanks girl, for coming into our lives.

Pet Blogger Challenge

2011-01-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

1. When did you begin your blog? October, 2009, after Ellie, our rescue German Shepherd Dog, came to live with us.

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog? Dhyoga dog is a branched off blog from deserthorseyoga.blogspot.com, which is my more general blog about yoga and how yoga methods are helpful in working and playing with our animal companions. Ellie was teaching me so many different things that I decided to create a separate blog that would appeal to dog people. I wanted to share what I was learning from her as I was 'training' her.

3. Is your current purpose the same? Yes, although I'm rethinking how this blog can better be of service to both dogs and their humans.

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you? The spirit works in mysterious ways. I have fallen out of the habit of blogging regularly, and am considering how to find that balance between spirit and schedule.

5. Are you generating income from your blog? Not that I know of. hmmm.

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular? I like how blogs express the personality of the blogger and the personality, where relevant, of their dog/pet companions. I like how blogging about pets and reading blogs about pets connects me into the larger community.

What do I like about my own blog? I like the pictures of Ellie, she's so danged cute.

7. What do you like least? The self-induced guilt when I'm not keeping up with the blog. My perfectionista tendency - wanting the words to be perfect, is a habit I am changing. I am. Really.

8. How do you see your blog changing or growing in 2011? My intention is for the blog to share more about how I learn from Ellie and other dogs that I have the privilege of working with, on a more frequent basis. I would like my blog to be a place that people come to and enjoy with a cup of tea with their pooch by their side.

Ellie's public debut for dog-assisted pain management

2010-12-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

Ellie, our 'once-was-incorrigible' rescue girl made her public debut at the 2010 Muscular Dystrophy Association Christmas party in Tucson.

She was outstanding.

In this set of pictures, she is responding to my friend, Laura Coursey, of EQuality Dog Training, who is teaching her about how head pressure on hands relieves Laura's neuropathy pain.

You can see that Ellie is intensely focused on Laura, even in the midst of this huge gathering.

She also took some time out to greet children who came to see her, and taught the children how to ask to touch using a different variation of the head rest technique. What a gal.

Do dogs do math?

2010-08-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

For a lot of people, at least for many of my statistics students, math proves to be a significant challenge. But then there's Ellie, who today seemed to do the math in order to get to her reward as quickly as possible, by traversing the shortest distance possible, even when the shortest distance isn't a straight line.

This morning, Ellie and I practiced recalls in the back yard. I'm keeping recalls pretty simple for now.

"Come" means to come to me and sit in front of me.
"By me" means to come and sit at my left side, facing in the same direction I'm facing.

She is nearly 100% reliable with both behaviors in the house so we are adding distance and distraction by practicing outside.

Given that we live in Arizona, our back yard is pretty much a old (yet functional) pool The pool is pretty useful for creating angles and distance for the recalls. Cats, birds, dragonflies and bees do a pretty good job of providing the distraction element.

Cueing Ellie into a "Sit or Down-Stay", I take up various positions around the pool and give her recall cues. Typically, if I'm facing her, I give the "Come" and if I'm facing any other direction, I'll give her the "By me" but I do mix it up to keep it interesting.

Ellie decided to keep it interesting by choosing her own direction, for approach - the shortest distance on the ground.

So, for example, I might give her a "Come", and instead of just running towards me (around the pool), she opted to turn around, come up from behind, and face me for her reward. She also opted to run towards me and change her position for the "By Me". The maneuvers are more complicated for her, but the time is shorter.

Next up is to see how often she does and to research to see what other information there might be out there on dogs determining distance and time. Doe she just mix it up to keep it interesting for her? Is it all random (I think not.) Is it an innate instinct? And maybe I need to brush up on my trigonometry.

What do you think?

No braggin', just sayin' - She's the cutest dog

2010-07-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

She hikes, and carries her own water, she swims, she leaps over park water fountains, she meditates, and she just keeps smilin'.

Dog parks, longe lines, and dogs making choices

2010-06-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning, and Ellie and I go for our Meditation Walk. She settles in quickly, curious about her world of walkers, runners, birds, and the sounds of barking at the dog park that lies to west, beyond the ball field and tennis courts.

She's happy, tongue lolling, eye soft. She stops to let people by, with a doggie smile and containing her exuberance to her wagging tail.

Today I've brought my longe line, which we use for horses. My plan is to give her plenty of line, so she can more freely pursue her interests, and I can reward her for attention to me, and we can practice her recall away from home, working on distance. Her recall, offline and in the house and yard, is nearly 100%. I've got a few kinks to work out here, as she took off after some birds, and got too hard of a jerk back to the ground, but in general I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. Time for the dog park.

As we got closer to the park, I saw there were about 7 dogs. Some she knows, some I had not seen before. She was her usual excited self as we made our way to the gates. I let her in to the ante-area, took off the leash, and the dogs rushed up to greet her through the fence. Two of the dogs were quite assertive, and then the other dogs arrived. Rather than just take her in, I decided to wait this out, to see what Ellie's choice would be. We've noticed that she gets overwhelmed with more than a few dogs, and we've noticed that she is uncomfortable around very assertive dogs.

After sniffing fence, sniffing noses, and making eye contact, she went to the gate - the gate to the outside, and waited. Pretty clear. I snapped on her leash, and we walked quietly home.

Yoga Dog: It's a good job if you can get it

2010-06-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Ellie and I are exploring how yoga as a model for dog training works. The definition of yoga, from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1.2: Yogas citta vritti nirodha, interpreted as : Yoga is the ability to focus the mind on one thing without distraction. (Desikachar, Heart of Yoga).

In clicker training, we teach a dog a new behavior, and then work towards the dog being able to accomplish that behavior for duration, distance, and under distraction. So, it seems as if clicker training and the definition of yoga would work quite well together. (They do.)

But here's the thing, we humans are the ones who are always deciding what the distraction is. What if we question that assumption - that its all about us?

Today Ellie and I went out for our Meditation Walk. In Meditation Walk, I put away the clicker, I put away the treats, and I announce, "time for meditation". I hold the leash loosely (say that quickly 3 times) and in both hands, the leash in front of my body, balancing my hands to the leash. I take a long exhale, and we walk our variable pattern at the ball field, around the bleacher, around the bench for the disabled, changing direction periodically.

People come and go, we might stop, wait, and then start again. If she gets so interested in that dog, that runner, then I just stop and count my exhales. When she turns her attention back towards me, we begin our walk again. We do our meditation for about 15 minutes today, then I tell her, "Good dog." and I take her to the grass for some doggie sniff time.

Ellie actually seems to like Meditation Walk. The idea of the walk, for me, is to be out in the world, being in the world, at the same time that I am mindful of my breathing, the pressure of my feet against the ground, the balance of lightness and firmness in my connection to Ellie. I am aware of her actions, and part of Meditation Walk is to help her be as aware of my actions, without my having to tell her. Maybe she's more aware of me than I can tell, I suspect sometimes yes, sometimes not, her attention, like my own, drifting around at times, at other times, focusing, focused.

Today, she sniffed a single piece of grass for the space of 4 long breaths (mine) - which is just under a minute (when I'm deliberately breathing long). The definition of yoga, in the sniff of a single blade of grass. Who is teaching who?

Do dogs have expectations?

2010-05-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

When I brush my teeth in the morning, Ellie goes to her kennel. She's done that since day 1 of bringing her home from Central Arizona Animal Rescue. Somewhere along the way, in the language of dog training, she associated the cue of 'human brushes teeth' to her behavior of going into the kennel.

Is that an expectation?

Once we break out the Camelbaks, Ellie goes into a flurry of activity, back and forth to the door, whining. There's a whole slew of activity that takes place before we get to wherever we are going.

I pick up my keys to drive to teach my next yoga class. Ellie takes herself off to her kennel for a biscuit, some fresh water.

I pick up my keys to run some errands, and Ellie runs to the door. Open the door, she runs to the gate. If she gets to go for a ride, the excited whining starts.

Expectation. Or simple association? Is there a difference?

What do you think, and what actions of your dog drive how you think about it?

Losing ground, gaining perspective. Click!

2010-04-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days, one of those days where you wonder why in the world you ever thought you were a dog trainer. Then, realizing that the pain from this healing sprained ankle is useful in this work of working with dogs in a yogic way.

Ellie's training over the last three weeks has been more sporadic, and more focused on running through the basics in the house and the back yard. With no distraction other than the occasional cat-in-the-way, she cruises through her come, sit, down, by me, close and off-leash cues. She's had a few dog park visits and some swims in the pool and some toy-tossing and has been learning her jump-on-cue to work off some of her energy.

Today we went back to our walking meditation, which had been coming along so beautifully before my ankle injury. At least, that was the intention.

Alas, Ellie was distracted by everything, all of the park walkers, dogs, the two guys practicing martial arts way off in the distance, the bird overhead. It took us about 10 minutes to make our way to the park, which is about 1 minute away from the house. I had to break out the clicker just to reward her for a semblance of attention.

I don't usually click during walking meditation. It's a common misconception among people who are unfamiliar with clicker training that you forever click for simple behaviors. Once the dog or horse understands the behavior, you don't need to always click and reward for that same behavior. It's useful, though, to occasionally do so, just as a little reminder.

But, several minutes into what is usually a rhythmic breathing and walking at a comfortable pace in a familiar pattern, I realized I needed to make a change. Ellie was back at her old lunging, leaping, and one dog-walker asked me, "Is your dog under control?" She was, but.

That mental state of wanting 'my dog to behave so I don't look like a fool' came up loud and messy. My breathing became shallower. I realized that my ankle was throbbing with pain and my stance was out of balance.

This agitated and unbalanced state is one I'm well acquainted with, although usually I'm seeing it in clients. It isn't that I don't fall into agitated and unbalanced states, it's just that it happens less and less the longer and more attentively I practice my yoga.

Now, it was me. Instead of serving my dog by breathing more rhythmically, exhaling longer, and being aware of my feet, legs, hips and connection to the earth, I was contributing to her agitation and lack of attention. When this happens with a client, I'm able to assist the client to stop and breathe and take a few moments to collect. With a client or student, we might spend a little time addressing what they are experiencing, and perhaps make some changes to help the person and the dog to be more comfortable and / or present.

So, I had this little observation conversation with myself. I just stopped, took 5 long exhales. When Ellie looked at me, I clicked and rewarded her. When she came to my side, I clicked and rewarded her. With her at my side, I evaluated the state of my ankle and thus my posture. I made a conscious choice to switch to the the Gentle Leader, which has the effect of reducing her pulling behavior.

We went back to our walking meditation, but this time I clicked and rewarded her for staying close. We walked in our pattern for about 5 minutes, then I let her do her sniff-walk as her big reward.

We walked home, and it only took us 1 minute.

Dog Yoga according to Ellie

2010-04-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

When I first started trying to practice yoga, Ellie would get so excited with me being on the floor, that I put her outside to play in the yard. The other day, she lay down with me as I did a relaxation with legs up the wall.

Today, I decided I would just do my practice, and see where she was. As I started to do standing poses, she jumped up on me, so I removed her from the room. I decided to open the room when I began pranayama, breathing regulation practice, just as an experiment.

I can only imagine how cute she must have looked, as she rested her paw in my open palm, then rested her head on her own paw. I kept my eyes closed and kept breathing, and she stayed right with me, for about 10 minutes. She withdrew for awhile and I settled into a meditation.

Then, I felt her gently place one of her tattered rope chewies across my arm and quietly leave the room.

Dog does yoga - what do you think? I'd like to read your comments.
Namaste.

Ellie finds relaxation through yoga

2010-04-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ellie isn't known to be the most relaxed dog. She is happiest, it seems, in the midst of movement. Always, before today, when I went to do my yoga practice, I would need to have her go outside, or hang out in her kennel, or behind a cross pen. She would mouth at me, get excited when I got on the floor, and run for her toys.

Today was different. Taking my own advice, I decided to take a break from doing taxes and lay down with my legs up the wall. She followed me into the yoga space (some cleared out floor in my 8 x 10 office/bead studio/yoga studio) and when my legs went up the wall, she lay calmly down at my head and gave me a few licks on the palm of my hand. She stayed with me for about 5 minutes, then quietly left. I found her laying belly up in her kennel in a perfect doggie svasana.

Maybe it doesn't seem like much, but it sure made me happy, and ready and refreshed to hit those tax records again. And Ellie's relaxing by my side.

Which is the happiest dog?

2010-04-09T21:25:00.001-07:00

Take a look at these pictures of Ellie, and then vote (using the poll at the righ) for which picture (blue scarf or not blue scarf) shows the happy dog.

I would love it if you would use the comment section to let me know what helps you to your conclusion.

Vegan Dog Biscuit Recipe

2010-03-31T11:49:00.001-07:00

Recipe ingredients:
Applesauce, pureed carrots, blackstrap molasses, oat bran, rolled oats, wheat germ, flour, coarse ground cornmeal, flaxseeds that come mixed with little dried blueberries, and anise seed.

Mix up the applesauce, carrot puree, and molasses. Add in the dry ingredients, saving the flour for last. You just want to incorporate the flour (whole wheat or even rice flour is just fine) just enough so the dough is rollable. Roll out on a mixture of the corn meal and flour. Cut with biscuit cutter, or do what I do for clicker-trainer sized treats. Roll out your sheet, placed on buttered pan, and cut with a dough cutter into tiny bite-sizes. (Great for little dogs). Bake at 325 until firm. (20-30 minutes) I like really small treats, because I do clicker train. I also like to use a small dog bone cutter and make thin little crackers, easy to break into pieces, 1 or 2 just perfect for a little clicker session.

Nope, no measurements.

No measurements, because if you are going to go to the trouble to make homemade nutritious treats for your dog, I think you have to make them by smell and texture, because that's what is fun for your dog.

And, it's a time honored tradition that dogs get leftovers, so you use what you have. Pears getting too soft? Mush 'em, use them instead of the applesauce, you get the idea. Use whole foods to start with, shun the onions and garlic (although I might add garlic powder) and see what you can come up with. Peanut butter is good (I prefer smooth, no anything added, because chunky gets in the way of the cutters).

I'm not a vegan, so why do I make vegan dog treats? I have different recipes for dog treats, and most are not vegan, or even vegetarian. I do have friends who are vegan, and although most of my vegan friends do not expect their dogs to also be vegan, I think it's good to have options. The dogs just like what smells, feels, and tastes good, and Ellie approves of her vegan treats.

Dog vs Cat, the saga continues

2010-03-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Bring it...........................It's a draw.

In the ongoing saga of helping our high energy young play-with-me-all-the-time Ellie and our please-leave-me-the-@#$%!-alone older cats, we make progress; two steps forward, and only one step back.

Some mornings are pretty quiet, each in their own corner. Some mornings, not so much, and one or the other might have to retire elsewhere. But, progress gets made.

Doggies can be Vata deranged too...

2010-03-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

Today Ellie is lying comfortably by the side of my chair, and I'm casually shaping her quiet, relaxed, and occasionally attentive to me behavior. This is the Ellie we've come to know, energetic, but more able to self-manage with a little positive reinforcement. Thank goodness!

Ellie had a challenging couple of days. Her Wild Child was as wild as when we first brought her home. On Friday night, like a tired toddler, she couldn't seem to manage her energy and seemed relieved when we told her to just go to bed. Saturday, we took off for a 3 mile urban hike to one of our local roadside Mexican food stands. On her previous visit here, she curled up under the table, 'smiled' at patrons, eagerly interacted with children before we left, and just generally had a good time. Yesterday though, she could not concentrate on her walking, and at one point backed up into a low ledge and fell over.

I'm used to her being fully engaged with her environment, but this was different. There was lack of focus, lack of interest even, coupled with a kind of frenetic movement. While she would still wag her tail at the children, it was clear she was not interested in any prolonged interactions. This was actually the first time I had seen her prefer that children not engage with her - she usually eagerly engages with children.

Vata derangement is a term from Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda approaches well being through the activity of the doshas, which can be considered as 'types' with a physical, mental, and energetic manifestation. Vata is characterized by air and movement. Although I haven't read Ellie's pulse (that would be something an accomplished Ayurvedic animal expert would do), I'm pretty sure that Ellie is Vata through and through: Movement makes her happy, contented even, she's quick, she's sharp, she's light-boned with expressive eyes.

Too much movement, uncontained, unmanaged, unfocused are signs of a Vata derangement. If it can happen in people, why not in dogs? I got to thinking how there is a kind of expectation that our dogs are always on top of their game, always 'at their best'. But what if they just are having a bad day? If we could grant that, sometimes, they are just not going to be dog-thinking clearly, maybe we'd have fewer dogs that need rescue.

Ellie is back to her usual delightful Vata self today.

Paws of Fury - Turns to Kitty head bump !?!

2010-02-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

There he was, Socks the dog crusher, strolling under Ellie's chin, and giving her a little head bump like he used to do with our Gilly.

It's official, Ellie can win anyone over with her joyful exuberance. Still in a bit of shock.

Paws of Fury and Something Else...My Story, Sticking to It

2010-02-22T07:28:00.001-08:00

Ellie has made a shift in the nature of her relationships to the cats again. At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

It isn't that, if she is outside and she spies a cat out of the corner of her eye she doesn't rush towards it. Her drive instinct is REALLY strong. Kafka just hunkers down and ignores her, and Ellie will just move on to something more interesting, which is usually Socks. Socks might run, might jump up on the wall, sit and stare at her from the wall, or maybe walk along the wall. So, he's way more fun, and one might interpret this behavior as Socks having fun, egging her on.

We humans have changed our rules a bit, since Socks made the decision that he wasn't giving up his place in the house to a DOG. With Kafka, we use the cue 'Leave Kafka', should Ellie forget that Kafka is off limits. However, we just let Ellie and Socks work things out for themselves. What typically happens is that Socks will sit, staring at me, on the left side of my work chair, and Ellie hangs around her run on the right side of the chair. Or, Socks will sit in T's lap and stare at Ellie.

Both understand the clicker game very well. I click and reward for each minding their own business and I have gradually lengthened the amount of time required for compliance. I will say however, that Socks does tend to be the initiator of this clicker game.

Socks has the patience of Job, so sits until Ellie can't stand it anymore and leaves her spot to see what he's up to. He might ignore her, he might give her a warning stare, or he might leap up and smack the daylights out of her. I half believe that the fun for her has been his utter unpredictability, and how swiftly he shifts from stone buddha cat to paws of fury.

We've noticed how she has shifted from intense drive behavior to more of a play behavior. She tries play bow, she tries to get him to chase her (which is not currently allowed in the house, since it's a wild game).

This morning, something new. Ellie loves her Bunny, a small soft toy with long dangly legs. We play house fetch and house catch with Bunny. Today, she offered Socks her Bunny. Of course, he ignored her. But, she offered Bunny again, and then gave me Bunny. We had a few Bunny tosses, and Socks retired to a chair for a morning nap. She's been hanging close to me, just hanging out as I prepare for the day.

It's subtle, but she's gained a little something in how she understands how relationships work.

At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

From the Barn to PetSmart -Good Girl Ellie!

2010-02-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

Ellie's second trip to the River Valley Ranch, a horse facility on the east side of Tucson. Her first trip was maybe too exciting, what with barking at those big curious creatures, but today? Calm as a cuke, curious, enjoying meeting with the riders warming up for their lesson, and she likes watching the riders on their horses. Watched a lesson, met some old friends (human). Movement is calming for our Miss Ellie.

Stopped at the bank, and there was PetSmart across the way. What the heck, let's take care of another milestone. Clicker, check. Treats, check. I decided to just go in and pick up a small bag of treats and leave, and that's what we did. Ellie got to meet and greet with store clerks, young children, all the great scents of the treat aisle, and another dog barked a greeting at her, and she calmly watched him.

A good day.

The 80/20 'rule' and Downward Dog for Ellie

2010-02-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

The 80/20 rule applied to dog training new behaviors goes something like this; at home, Ellie is about 80% reliable with two of her new shaped yoga dog behaviors. Get ready to show the husband the new behaviors being on cue, and that 80% turns to 20%. Or less.

I've been casually capturing and shaping Ellie's doggie play bow to put on cue as 'Puppy Stretch'. The play bow is the dog pose that gave rise (we think) to a common yoga pose known as Adho Mukha Svanasana, otherwise called Downward Facing Dog. In people, it's a great release for stress in the back, especially when done with attention to the action of the pelvis and hip joints in line with opening in the shoulder area.

Dogs already know this, which is probably why they do it on rising from their nap. So, it's a great spinal and hip release for the dog - why not put it on cue and encourage your dog to 'take the pose'. And, since Ellie's job is to be a Yoga Dog, what better asana (pose) for demonstration?

I prefer shaping behaviors whenever I can, so we've shaped puppy stretch. All this means is that, whenever Ellie would do her own stretch, I'd start with clicking and rewarding. Then, I added 'Puppy Stretch' as a cue as she was going into her stretch. Since I wasn't in a hurry to teach her the behavior on cue, I just kept doing this whenever I was there to see it.

Then, I started to ask for the behavior, and I started to do this when I could see that it was a likely behavior for her to do on her own. This is where we are, where I can ask for the behavior, when there are no distractions, and 7-8 times out of 10, she will Puppy Stretch on cue.

Her other behavior, by the way, is 'chin rest', which means for her to place her head on my upper thigh, with some weight. This can be a useful behavior for people in chairs and people who have general pain issues. This is an element of the SynergYoga program I'm working on with my friend, Laura, of Equality Dog Training, where we address chronic pain with the aid of the dog. More on that to come.

Who is teaching Whom?

2010-02-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

I thought I was educating Ellie...turns out, I'm the one learning from her utter free spiritedness.

Here's a dog, supposedly 3 years of age, who acts as if she is still a puppy, bringing with that all those behaviors that we train out of our puppies so they are socially responsible citizens.

No jumping, no mouthing, no chasing cats, no getting on the furniture, be careful with that wagging tail. mind me when that interesting other dog goes past. She manages now to maintain some control for minutes at a time around the cats and she tries hard not to jump (mostly). She only gets on the furniture when I'm not looking, and she does like to show off her good behaviors when at home. But, dare I say, she accomplishes her self-management with a bit of a wry grin and look towards the pool - can we go swimming now?

There's a part of me that envies her complete abandonment in the joy of being a puppy who is an adult dog. That part of me is growing. I wonder how she got to this age with this joyful spirit intact but I sure am glad she did.

Who is the teacher here?

Vet your vet: Ellie likes Dr. Darwooalla, me too!

2010-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

Consider, if you are looking for a veterinarian, setting up a friendly visit to 'vet the vet'. I was pretty sure I knew the veterinarian I wanted, Dr. Kayoomee Darwooalla (they don't have a website that I can find) of Bernarda Veterinary in Tucson. She was recommended by a friend, the same friend who recommended the housecall veterinarian (Dr. Lee Fike) that we use for critters who find the trip to vet more stressful than their dis-ease.

I'm partial to ayurvedic, traditional Chinese, holistic, complementary, and integrative medicines for animals (and humans). It can be difficult to find a veterinary practice that is integrative, so I'm glad that Bernarda fills that niche.

I requested about 15 minutes for Ellie to meet with Dr. D and the staff, so that Ellie's first trip to the vet would be 'fun'. I made a big production about going to see 'the vet lady' and we packed up our clicker, good treats, and made the short drive over. The waiting area was large and spacious, with some contented cats within a large kennel tucked out of the way. The vet techs were courteous and friendly with Ellie and with me, and we waited in a nice room furnished with futons instead of stainless steel. We practiced learning 'futon' while we waited.

Dr. D came in and I liked her instantly, with her confident, quiet, and smiling demeanor. She gave Ellie the time to come to her and respected Ellie's 'head-ducking' issue. We talked about Ellie's rather unknown past, she listened to her heart, and asked permission to look into her ears. Ellie's pool time has her on the cusp of an ear infection, and the recommendation? Dilute vinegar solution, and they gave me a little bottle marked for correct proportions.

Total cost? $15.80 - a bargain and a happy dog to boot.

Thanks, Dr.D and staff, for being a veterinary space that's comfortable for critters and for humans.

Curbing Cat Chasing: Update

2010-01-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

You can see the difference in how Ellie expresses her interest in Socks. And, you can see Socks has transitioned from "Get the #$%@ away from me" to near nonchalance.
Yay!

It's been a little over 3 months since Ellie a.k.a "Cat Chaser" came to our home. I started clicker training the cue to 'leave kitty' right away and progress was steady, if slow. Socks and Kafka (the kitty members of the family) both have some rudimentary clicker knowledge, so when the clicker came out, they would show up, hang around to get treated for hanging around so I could reward Ellie, then go off to mind their kitty business.

Kafka eventually started ignoring Ellie, so it became relatively easy for the two of them to be in the house together without constant supervision. Socks decided to reclaim the house, and did so relatively belligerently, so I was spending a lot of time clicking and rewarding the two of them, until they could be fairly close without a blow-up.

But, the true progress happened when Socks decided that being close to Ellie could be okay. Its my preference that the animals work out their relationships on their own as much as possible, so I try for as little direct interference as possible. I follow the clicker principle of rewarding what I like, and ignoring what I don't. It helps when the protagonists in our little get-along drama follow the same principles!

Ellie and the Animal Communicator: Part III

2010-01-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

How did the session with Janet, an animal communicator, affect Ellie's and my relationship?

In our case, Janet's impressions and perceptions fit pretty closely with what we had surmised after living with Ellie for nearly 3 months. (You can read about that here .) Ellie is a free spirit, a Wild Child.

I took away from the session with Janet a stronger determination to explore how Ellie can express her spiritedness and yet be socially appropriate - how to find that common ground that honors her unique Wild Childness?

The session also helped me to more clearly understand Ellie's dharma, her work, her purpose, in connection to my own work. It isn't so much that I'm teaching her how to do her work, it's that I have to be open to what she has to teach me about partnerships with animals that go beyond obedience to arbitrary sets of rules.

I thought that's what I was already doing in my horse and dog work, but Ellie is helping me explore this on a different level. Would I have gotten to this place without our communication session? Maybe, but it would have been a longer journey.

It's still exasperating when she noses my hands off the computer keyboard, but she gives me that look like - haven't you been there long enough? Don't you really want to take a break and PLAY?

What the Animal Communicator Said (Part II of III).

2010-01-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

For context and assumptions and disclaimers, please read this first.

Reading on:

Our session began very quietly. I was in a comfortable chair, Ellie was hanging out on her rug by my feet, having had a walk and a nap. I called Janet, we exchanged a few pleasantries, she asked me if Ellie was present (she didn't actually need to be).

Janet asked if Ellie was slight and I commented she was of slight build, but was a German Shepherd Dog. Janet commented that Ellie was quiet, being reserved, and then Janet started laughing as she got a name 'wild child' (I laughed too). She commented that Ellie was a 'young soul' and quite happy to be a young soul, rather new at being a 'dog soul' and that Ellie thoroughly enjoyed being in her body. She then went on to say that Ellie had little memory of siblings or puppyhood, wondering if maybe she had been taken from her mother quite early. She also said this wasn't an issue for Ellie, it just was what it was. Actually, for Ellie, said Janet, nothing is much of an issue, she's perfectly happy being who she is, she's happy being with us, happy chasing cats, happy doing whatever.

We started talking about the idea of bonding, which apparently is a somewhat novel idea to Ellie, and Janet and I both agreed that this would be unusual for a German Shepherd Dog. I asked Janet two questions: Is Ellie interested in bonding with humans, me specifically, and what emotional residuals might she have from having been given up by her previous people?

Ellie is intrigued by the whole bonding thing, and is willing to give it a try. She is willing to give anything a try, although she's pretty clear she intends to be who she is. Because she wasn't bonded to the people who gave her up, she doesn't seem to be much concerned with what went on before.

That was pretty much the end of the session.

As my husband, the scientist, says, "That isn't really anything that we didn't already surmise." True, but.

What happens next? In my world(one view), what we learn here is a type of information that likely involves perception and imagination that may or may not be useful. How does and can such information from an alternative perspective become a positive influence in our relationship with Ellie?

Conversing with the Animal Communicator-Part 1.

2010-01-09T05:23:00.000-08:00

If you are curious about animal communicators and how working with an animal communicator might fit in with working and playing with your dog (or other animal), then read on.

As a scientifically trained statistician/poet yogini, I look at working with a good animal communicator as sitting down with a good story. When I want to learn about something, I will usually read non-fiction scholarly works and non-fiction popular works, biographies and auto-biographies. However, I find I learn the most when I read the stories and poems of the people, listen to the music, and engage actively (when possible) with people of the culture.

It's not such a huge step to change the word 'people' into 'beings' and thus step into the story of the animal, in this case, the story of Ellie. Ellie's 'non-fiction' story has two elements, what we know before she came, and then my own observations since her arrival into our multi-species family. Her biography is slim-reading: She was surrendered to the humane society, (I don't know by whom), she's around 3 years old.

I know what I know from my observations - but - I also know that my observations can be 'clouded' from my own experiences (avidya) which is why I practice and study yoga. Working with one's own animals almost invariably involves emotional attachment, which can interfere with clear perception.

It can be helpful to obtain information from other sources, which you can then synthesize with what you already think you know. As with any kind of information, whether it be scientific observation, quantitative statistical analysis, or subjective observation of self, we usually begin with a set of assumptions. Here are the assumptions I make when working with an animal communicator:

1. The animal communicator communicates in human language impressions they receive from the dog - they act as a translator, so the words that are used are to make sense to the person, like interpreting for someone what the poem, "Kublai Khan" means.
2. Animals can communicate with people beyond body language.
3. People and animal communication is not constrained by spatial boundaries.

If I'm not willing to make the assumptions, then it's pointless to work in this modality. But I like exploring different modalities, Ellie and I were give a gift of a session with an animal communicator (Janet, mentioned in the above link) and so I'll report on the actual session in the next post.

Does your dog have a doggie mentor?

2009-12-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

Spending time with a dog who is more mature and knowledgeable about the dog world, the human world, and the interaction between, seems to help Ellie make a behavioral shift. As a rescue who came to our family with few social skills, I'm always open to whatever might help her make up for lost socialization time.

As an example, 'cousin' Katie came for a sleepover and a rugged day hike. Ellie, who lacks social skills with dogs and humans, was on the receiving end of several snaps, since she didn't recognize (or respond) to Katie's gently escalating calming signals, the lips, the yawn, the eye blink, the teeth, more teeth, more teeth, and then finally an air snap. Eventually, Ellie was able to self-control and lay down (for some minutes anyway) in Katie's presence without feeling a need to try and get Katie to play. We also did a night walk in the neighborhood with Katie and her person.

We've noticed that Ellie is able to spend more time in 'self-control' since Katie's visit. One big example of self-control was on her morning walk, where she did no lunging, and spent at least 80% of the walk on loose leash with check-ins.

When Ellie went to the dog park yesterday, her interactions with the other dogs, Franko and Rusty, were a bit more circumspect than previously. If I had to put a label on it, I'd say she was a little less puppyish.

We noticed a similar behavior shift after Ellie's outing with friend Sarah. Sarah, although supposedly chronologically younger, is more mature-acting than Ellie.

Does your dog need a doggie mentor? Does a friend or acquaintance of yours have a dog that exhibits self-confidence and self-control? Perhaps you can arrange a play-date (we go to the local dog park at off times) or arrange for a neighborhood walk with the dog mentor.

One day, maybe that mentor will be Ellie!

Dog Encounters of the Desert Kind

2009-12-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

Ellie is pretty quiet today !?!

Actually, not that much of a surprise, considering that she took 2 hikes in 3 days , had an encounter with an unruly unleashed dog on yesterday's 7 mile hike up the Bug Spring trail, played in snow, drank snow melt, and received instructions in doggie manners from her cousin Katie

(a well-seasoned cattle dog who takes her role as teacher quite seriously).

This was Ellie's first 'sleepover' with another dog. Well, sometimes its hard to think of Katie as another dog, because Katie doesn't think of herself as another dog. She has a job, which is as her peep's outdoor adventure companion. This is a dog who understands 'rock' (get out of the way because a rock has unlodged while a person is climbing a rock wall) and understands that rope is never to be walked on, knows how to boulder scramble (with an occasional spotting) and has even gone on a Tyrolean traverse. (No, that isn't Katie, but I'll find a pic of her doing her traverse.)

Ellie wanted desperately for Katie to play with her, but that just was not going to happen. We did have some moments where she lay quietly, following Katie's lead. We sent Katie home with some homemade biscuits, beef brownie, and crispy gizzard treats and both dogs slept well after their get together.

Thank you, good girls.

Quirky Ellie: Its a process, not an event.

2009-12-22T19:07:00.000-08:00

Ellie has some quirks.

I've been working with training dog companions to become service dogs for over five years, and I have to say, Ellie can come up with some stumpers. As my friend and horse rehabber, Stacey Kollman, says, "Ellie is your final exam in using positive reinforcement methods and training dogs following yoga principles."

A little background: Ellie came to us from Central Arizona German Shepherd Rescue. She was surrendered to the animal shelter for the reason of "not having enough time." She is supposed to be 3 years old (although she seems much younger to me), and she was spayed through the shelter. When I went to see her, I tried some click-n-treat, which she picked up within about 4 clicks. She seemed affectionate with Mike, who cares for the GSD rescues, and she jumped right into the car and quietly rode the 2 hours home with me.

And then the fun began. Miss Ellie

chased our cats
loved her kennel from the get-go
is housebroken
jumps on people (she's very light on her feet!)
pulled HARD on the leash, seemed to have no concept of leash walking
mouths a lot, with little to no bite inhibition (doesn't break skin)
runs to her kennel when I brush my teeth
boxes my ankles HARD
still occasionally goes for 'the takedown' - biting at my ankles and boxing HARD
would grab the leash and yank HARD at the end of our walks
leaped and lunged at people, dogs, anything that moved
had her gentle leader off faster than any dog I've ever worked with!
lays quietly within about 6 feet if I putter
gets agitated when I sit in the chair to work on the computer (but not with my husband)-jumps into the chair, grabs my hand or goes for my ankles, noses the computer
would clicker train 24/7
ducks her head and flips your hand to under her chin if try to pet anywhere near her head (clever girl, interesting strategy)'
is all about play (yay - it gives me a key to help her learn to moderate her own behaviors so she's socially acceptable around people and dogs - and - cats)

It's a process, not an event. There are a lot of behaviors to divert, replace, extinguish, and otherwise address. We've made great progress, and we're having fun.

And for now, she's resting quietly at my feet. Thank you, good girl.

The Well-Dressed Clicker Trainer

2009-12-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Your Basic Pupkus Pants: long pants, not recently washed, dark enough not to show doggie drool smears from wiping your hands on your pants. You'll be the most popular person at the dog park, with the dogs.

Shoes of substance: cover the toes, walking shoes best so you can cover plenty of ground, exercise is good for all of us!

Accessorize:

Belly Pack: This is the fanny pack, worn backwards. Preferably with multiple pockets. You have to have room for food rewards, poop bags (always at least 2, so you won't need them), your keys, a toy squeaker, your lip balm, an extra clicker. More food rewards than you think you need. Maybe a hand towel, if you aren't wearing your pupkus pants.

Food Rewards: The best-dressed clickerers have handy an unpredictable mix of flavors, textures, sizes, and smells. Include at least 4 types: kibble, some tiny bits of hot dog (Ellie and I prefer uncured, sliced and quartered), leftover bits of chicken or other meats, maybe a few bits of carrot, gizzard jerky, freeze-dried liver, crispy bread treats (preferably sprouted grain bread, coated in ghee and/or uncured bacon drippings with a few drops of sesame oil), chicken or beef brownie...whatever you take, it needs to be something your dog likes!

Toy Reward: a small tug toy is a nice change if your dog likes them.

Dog Diet Ruminations and Ellie's Raw Experiment Begins

2009-12-13T18:50:00.001-08:00

There's a reason the leftover bag from the restaurant is called a 'doggie bag'. It's my story (and I'm stickin' to it, at least for now), that dogs evolved with us, as our companions, and for many years what they ate was our leavings along with their occasional bunny or bird kill. I wonder, why not feed them that way today? (Although, if we eat junk, then maybe that isn't such a great idea.)

Shortly after Ellie came to our home, I was listening to NPR's Science Friday, taking place at Cornell Veterinary School. The veterinarian on the panel recommended the feeding of quality commercially prepared food because these diets were scientifically formulated to provide a complete food source. I've got to disagree with that veterinarian, if only on the grounds that dogs have the right to a little pleasure with their food along with the rest of us. My disagreement is actually more a matter of degree.

A little background is in order here. Once upon a time, I was an animal scientist, with a few degrees from Purdue University in animal and ruminant nutrition. (I used to be an expert in feeding baby lambs on milk replacer.) I also spent a fair number of years as a researcher in meat science, then in exercise physiology (humans and horses). It's been some years (that's another story), but the animal scientist in me suspects that dog food manufacturers don't conduct taste panels for dogs that include stuff that dogs really like, like road kill, horse manure, or a freshly killed rabbit.

The statistician in me recognizes the need for objective evaluation of data and also recognizes that the value of statistics lies in the ability to generalize to a population of measurements.

The yogini in me is the one that values the subjective experience. Ultimately, whether it's taking aspirin or ingesting a formulation, it comes down to the individual subjective experience.

Ellie has her own subjective experience, one that I can only guess at. However, she's demonstrated to me that she's perfectly capable of making her own decisions. All that to come to this; we are introducing raw into her diet. We are starting slow, to observe changes.

Twice this week she's had a breakfast of a raw turkey wing piece along with some stewed veggies (retrieved from the carcass brownie cookdown). I chopped the first wing up a bit, but realized that wasn't necessary, as Ellie very methodically breaks down the bones in her jaws before eating, rather than trying to wolf it down whole. She likes it, she doesn't get grabby about it, and her poops are smaller, white, more like coyote scat. So far, so good, from Ellie's preference perspective.

She still gets dinner that is commercial food (Trader Joes Bench and Field) with leftovers, her clicker treats are a mixture of what I prepare (crispy gizzard jerky, freeze dried liver, grease bread treats, carcass or meat brownies and biscuits) and treats I pick up on sale, that have the fewest ingredients.

Aside: Isn't it interesting that there is an inverse correlation of the number of ingredients to cost in commercially available dog treats? Watch the movie Food, Inc. to learn why the cheap foods are so cheap (NOT!).

Ellie the Night Swimmer

2009-11-30T07:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just have to let the dog be the dog. Kitties were in the house, so we let Ellie out in the back to play on her own after plenty of clicking sessions. She and Kafka are managing fine together, because Kafka ignores her. Socks? Well, we keep practicing.

Back to the night swimming...

Most of our backyard is a cement pond, some plants, some cactus. Ellie gets her ball, tosses it into the pool, and goes in after it, over and over and over again.

And over and over and over again. She can be a bit obsessive about that ball, but, you know, sometimes you just have to let the dog be the dog.

The picture with the mural? That's Ellie's pool.

This isn't our backyard, but you get the drift of doggie joy.

Loose Leash-Sniff Walk, Let's Go, Close and Hello Schatze

2009-11-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm loving our loose leash walks, and so is Ellie. We still get a few pulls if we pass the dog park and it happens to be busy, but all in all, the leash is mostly loose.

I tie knots in the leash for the different levels of walk-attention that might be called for. No, I was never a sailor, but it seems a pretty effective way to establish space requirements under differing situations.

The longest leash is 'sniff-walk' where the only rule is that the leash stays loose. Ellie can sniff, roll, leap, play, and basically do whatever she wants, as long as that leash stays loose. She's on her own reconnaissance here, and doesn't need to check in with me. However, if she does check in, I'm still clicking and offering her a food reward. She doesn't take the food reward often here, as the roll or sniff is high value.

Knot1 is "Let's Go". This is our let's move ahead together, focusing on what is coming up. This is for walking around the park, around the neighborhood. I am clicking and rewarding for every check in, holding her food reward close to my side for her to come and get and telling her 'Good Girl." Moving is as much of a reward to her as eating, so I just make sure that I have the food as an offer.

Knot 2 is "Close". This is somewhere near the obedience 'heel', although I'm not expecting automatic sits upon stopping at this point. This is for walking on sidewalks on busy streets like Broadway, when another dog who isn't under self control is close by, or simply for when I want a closer attentiveness from Ellie. She is doing great on sidewalks, and we have some practice to do when passing the busy dog park.

Speaking of, why don't I always have my camera with me? Ellie met up today with Schatze the Rottweiler. Schatze is a big girl, and very patient with our playful Ellie, who has a hard time taking no for an answer. I was glad for her to have this kind of encounter with Schatze and grateful for Schatze's willingness to be a good teacher to Ellie. And, I'm grateful to Schatze's person for his understanding and interest in watching the dogs be dogs. Namaste.

horse poop, road kill, kitty barf - What's your dog's..?

2009-11-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

favorite yum yum?

Your dog's idea of a yummy treat is not likely to be something you want to carry around in your pocket.

Yes, they may eat the cereal or day old popcorn, they might go for those 'healthy' dried bits, they might even eat the occasional vegetarian biscuit, but, well, it's been my experience that when they do, it's because they are appeasing you, not because it's what they really, really, really want.

Now, it's true that not every dog thinks fresh steaming horse poop is the equivalent of flourless chocolate cake with ganache, although I haven't run across that dog yet. And, my big Gilly (may she rest in peace) gave me the "have you lost your freakin' mind?" look when I gave her a nice beefy thigh bone. But it's been my experience that, from a dog's point of view, the smellier, the nastier, the more yummy.

I'm off to make another batch of grisly carcass brownies, which actually are pocketable, or at least treat-baggable. These seem to be a good compromise.

What gross-out yummies does your dog really, really, really like? Use the comment feature and let us know.

And for a good and funny take on doggie goodies at Thanksgiving...

Carcass Brownies: Yummy Dog Treat Recipe

2009-11-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

Ellie loves these treats, and it's a frugal way to make carry-able treats for your treat bag.

Take one critter carcass (turkey, chicken, anything with bones) and put in stock pot.
Cover carcass with water.
Cook it down.
Cool it off.
Skim off the fat. Set aside.
Take any skin that isn't
Cook it again. You want it jelly-like, cooking all the good stuff out of the bones.
Cool it off - again.
Scoop off the meat stuff into a bowl.
Add 1/4 c. cornmeal. A pinch or two of anise seed and garlic powder and a pinch of salt.
Add in the saved fat.
Stir.
Mix in spoonfuls of whole wheat flour (or other flour, if your dog or cat has wheat issues) until the mixture pulls away from the bowl. You can add more corn meal here if you prefer.
It's a bit gross, as you'll still have some bits of gristle and connective tissue, but the dogs will love it.
Spread mixture in a jelly roll pan.
Lay the skin over the top.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and check the texture. Should be like brownies, but it isn't crucial. The skin will be crispy - let it cool and cut into pieces and add to your treat bag.
Score the brownie mixture, turn off the oven, and let them dry, then break into pieces.

Serve some fresh to your dog. Cats like it too. Put some in the frig, and freeze the rest.

For more great recipes ...

Happy Hiking, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Ellie

2009-11-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Another milestone, Ellie's first hike and she was one happy dog. We headed to the Green Mountain Trail in the Catalinas, where we had the whole trail to ourselves early in the morning. Ellie clearly knew something was up, she could hardly contain herself as we puttered around getting ready.

Once at the trail, I didn't do much clicking, the joy of walking in the woods and smelling all the good smells and going up and down, experiencing exposure was pleasure enough for our girl. She's a rock climber too, although she is going to need to learn how not to tramp on packs and ropes. At one point, she and Tim went on ahead at a fast pace as I got used to the altitude and the fact that it's been way too long since I've been hiking. All in all, we got in about 4 miles of moderate trail.

It was neat to watch her navigate the trail, and it was gratifying when, as we were heading down trail she would moderate her pace over scree, checking in frequently to make sure we were there, and stopping to wait on us.

She even likes to drink from the camelback.

Ellie, Buddy the Beagle, Ginger, Franko and Treat Bag Lady

2009-11-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

I should have had the camera.

Ellie curbed her enthusiasm when we went by the dog park this morning. We continued around the park, loose leash, some water fountain drinking, a little play on the playground and there we were, back by the dog park.

Franko, Buddy, and Ginger have been there every morning. A nice group who have been inviting Ellie through the fence these past mornings.

Today is the day, after our successful play with Toby. We clicked our way into the ante-park area where I let Ellie loose to sniff noses. Then it was in the gate where she made her acquaintance with the regular morning crew.

What I should have anticipated and didn't was my own popularity! I am, after all, the treat bag lady and I have very good treats.

All the pooches hung around me, quite politely, sitting, watching, giving meaningful glances to my treat bag. But, I told them we had to ask permission, and permission was not given, so I zipped the bag and watched Ellie work hard to entice someone, anyone, to chase her. Apparently, being chased by a dog ties ball catching for high value play.

Ginger and Buddy have become my new best friends, even though I can't give them treats. Ha.
Because of their high level of interest, I was able to quietly gather Ellie in to put on her gentle leader and take our leave.

Another morning, another hurdle accomplished. Thanks Franko and the gang!

Happy Walk: Ellie crosses the dog park hurdle

2009-11-24T11:33:00.001-08:00

The photo shows what has been Ellie's usual behavior near the dog park - but not today!

Happy, happy lunch time walk. The dog park had two dogs, a big red hound and a Weimaraner. Now, usually, when Ellie sees the dog park dogs, she lunges and stands on her hind legs and basically makes herself look pretty darned scary. My criterion for when I was going 'do the dog park' was when Ellie could self manage enough to walk past it with me. She sat and watched the two big dogs, so this looked like a good opportunity.

Since the little dog park adjoining was empty, I decided to let Ellie loose to sniff noses through the chain link fence. She had played so nicely with Sarah I knew that she really isn't interested in confrontations. She came when called, was calm and didn't pull on the leash, so we decided to head into the big dog park.

Weimaraner was leaving, and did some heavy growling and teeth showing as we made our way to the gate, and Ellie ignored her. (Yay!) Weimaraner person asked us to wait, so we walked a distance away, where Ellie proceeded to sit and watch while the Wei went on her way.

We went in. Toby the red hound swarmed me - my treat bag smells pretty good, but he minded his person, I let Ellie loose, and the two didn't do much at all. Unlike Sarah, Toby wasn't interested in chasing Ellie, which is how she wanted to play.

Toby went home, Ellie came to me, and we went on an Ellie walk - she gets to cruise on benches, sniff to her hearts content and roll on the grass. The only rule is loose leash - and she did admirably well.

Hooray. Many chicken brownie bits for reward.

Ellie Making Choices

2009-11-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

Great walk around the park this morning. We saw the papillon, and Ellie looked to me and got a click, and a delicious chicken brownie reward. Cruised around the perimeter, with her doing her own check-in rather frequently. She saw a guy on a bike, and made a move to leap, then stopped, looked to me and sat. Good choice! Ellie - a quick click and reward and moving forward again, and have some sniff time.

I'm rewarding her for checking-in, as she's walking mostly on loose leash (except for when we are near the dog park when dogs are there, calling for her to join them). I'm also starting to raise the criterion, clicking for her walking 'straight' rather than her tendency to angle and so get in front of my feet.

German Shepherd Beauties take over the dog park

2009-11-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

Ellie, I have to say, is flat out exhausted - hooray! And she had a great time getting that way. Today she met her new best friend, Sara, and they played for two hours with the whole dog park to themselves, while Stacey and I got to absorb pooch behavior and talk dogs and horses - a great afternoon.

Sara established quickly that she was the girl in charge, and Ellie figured that was irrelevant as long as Sara played. Later Ellie gave a little half-hearted thought towards maybe, just maybe, seeing if she could one-up Sara, and was promptly informed that wasn't going to work. Quick, sharp, lets' play.

You've got to love the clarity of dog language.

Liver Perfume and Beef Bread Glue...

2009-11-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

It was supposed to be a simple 1 hour project. 3 hours later, and I haven't gone to the barn, my house smells like liver, I have to throw away the beef-glue-bread pan, I smell like liver, but...I have plenty of dog-yummy smelly, small, differentially flavored and textured clicker treats...

Back to the grind...

(Check out this site for good recipes for doggie treats.)

Bizarro Dog World...

2009-11-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

When Ellie and I leave the house, she focuses intently on just about anything except me. When we are in the house and I'm trying to get work done on the computer, suddenly I'm the most interesting thing in the world to her, and she'll do anything to get my attention, including tossing toys at me, grabbing my hand in her mouth and diving for my heels.

If I'm puttering, doing dishes, moving around, Ellie sits or lays quietly, watching me. Once I get quiet, she revs up. If I absolutely have to work on grading online papers, she gets almost frantic with wanting me up and moving.

It's like living in Bizarro World.

But here's an asute observation from my husband; He says Ellie is mirroring my emotional state, and I realize there is something to this. Truth be told, there are about a million things I'd rather be doing than grading papers, but I rather grimly set to the task. And there is Ellie, frantically working at a kong, and it doesn't look like she's having the least bit of fun. hmmm.

Emotions are subtle things, requiring subtle practices to address.

Next time, flower essences, or how Ellie chooses Vervain and I get the Lotus Cosmos.

Dog Walk Meditation - The Real Deal

2009-11-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

Ellie's walks tend to be rather exciting. She directs all of her attention and subsequent energies outward, towards anything that moves. I might as well be a post, and she'd really rather I wasn't there, or, at least, that's my take on it.

Today I tried something different. I'm committed to training in The Yoga Way, which requires a different languaging from me, and checking in with my own habits. I realized that I need to adjust the way that I use the dog training technique known as 'racetracking', where dog and person move in a circle, person as 'moveable post', until the dog self-manages.

What if, instead of calling this racetracking, I call it Walking Companion Meditation? How does that change the way that I view what is happening, and how might that affect Ellie's behavior? How does Walking Companion Meditation affect my expectations and how do my expectations affect the outcome of these training walks?

Thanks, Spanky for Ellie Dog Play

2009-11-12T18:32:00.001-08:00

Spanky, the chihuahua, lives across the road and he's blessedly fearless. So Ellie had the chance for some semi-controlled interaction. She acted a little confused by Spanky not running away but coming in for a friendly genital sniff. She wasn't interested, just kept whirling about and then went into a play bow.

Thanks, Spanky.

Still a ways to go...

2009-11-11T19:46:00.001-08:00

There is Kafka, spying from around the corner as Ellie demonstrates what it looks like when she's completely disconnected from me and focused on her external object - in this case, Mr. Socks.

All is not lost however.

And so it goes...

Can our bond be just around the corner?

2009-11-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

There a few hints of Ellie starting to settle in; the occasional deep satisfying groan while stretching out on the floor, stretching out on the floor closer to us, and today, instead of mouthing my outstretched hand by the chair, some gentle licks without her body in high arousal state.

We've been struck, up to now, by Ellie's intensely 'away from us' focus, not just with her cat chasing, but in general. So these small signs that she is getting comfortable are immensely gratifying.

Small things...

MadGrrrl Ellie, When "Park" goes South

2009-11-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

Mad Grrrl Ellie. Observing Ellie over the last weeks, I see how she's nearly always in a state of arousal, a hyper alertness. I have elected to back off going to the park during busy times and work on our loose leash walking near the house, where it's busy enough, but not quite so stimulating. She has some creative and quite devious-seeming tactics for trying to up-end a person while grabbing the leash and running that I suspect worked rather well for her in her past. More on my strategies and tactics for that problem in another post.

My bright idea for Thursday evening was to put Ellie in Park as we were watching television. This training technique works pretty well in a dog training class situation. For clients with disabilities, we can tether the dog to a bolted ring in the floor, and then just leave the dog to it's own devices until the dog makes the choice to settle down. It's been demonstrated that it helps a dog self-manage, which is what I want for Ellie.

She chewed through the nylon leash several times pretty handily. I knotted the broken leash, tried again. After the third chew-through, I finally (sometimes I'm slow) could see this wasn't working at all. I had an old leash with a leather handle and chain, so I tried that. She couldn't chew through it, but she gave it her all, for a long, long time. I sat still and ignored her antics as she gnawed, flipped, wound around, worried, pawed, and basically worked herself into a tizzie.

What to do.

I'd committed to this path, and if I simply gave in, then it's quite likely that this high energy obsessive behavior will continue, or get worse. Once again, I suspect that she was able to outlast her previous owners under quite a few circumstances. I bided my time until I could find one moment of respite where I could reward her by removing the leash restraint. Finally, 45 minutes into the activity (did I mention that Ellie has the ability to be intensely focused for LONG periods of time?), she stopped, and I casually reached down, took her off the leash and we went into another room and just had a little bit of toy toss play time.

That night, she went right into bed, slept late, and has seemed 'quieter', not so manic.

Where's the yoga in this? That's for another post.

Yoga with Ellie: Dog Yoga that's Something Different

2009-11-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

Yoga citta vritti nirodha:Yoga is the ability to focus the mind on a chosen object, without distraction. (Reflections on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, T.K.V. Desikachar).

Ellie can be intensely focused, on her toys, on the cats, on passing bicyclists, on dogs far in the distance. In turn, I have to be intensely focused on Ellie's behavior, ready for that 'clickable' moment that rewards Ellie for turning that focus towards me - changing her object of focus.

She does that, and the intensity of the focus ratchets downward as well. I'm still not nearly as interesting her as that passing stranger. Do I want, or need, to be 'the cat'?

Lots of mulling, and many hours, Ellie is helping me develop what it means to be in the Yoga of Relationship with a dog who doesn't understand relationship, whose life has been about, well, we don't know.

Hasta luego. We'll be back.

Educating Ellie: Dog Treat Vending Machine

2009-10-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

We made it completely around the block, with half that block being busy Palo Verde Park with only one pull, no stops.

Tonight's strategy was "click-n-treat vending machine". We started with the signal "Let's Go", took off walking and clicked every time she checked in with me while still moving. We went before dinner, and her treats were Wilderness Blue kibble mixed in with bits of leftover frozen steak and bits of hot dogs.

Not a single lunge! Huzzah!

Educating Ellie: Why Hatha Yoga?

2009-10-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ellie isn't very large for a German Shepherd, but when she lunges, launching herself into the air and out and away from me, she gets some pretty good momentum going.

My task is to stand strong, Tadasana, Mountain Pose, exhale deeply, visualize that I am connected to the ground through my feet, and staying calm,focused, ready to capture her attention and help her back to the task at hand, which is simply to walk on a loose leash, regardless of distraction.

Ellie's First Outing

2009-10-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today we took Ellie to Lincoln Park, a bird and nature sanctuary near Pima Community College East for her first outing. To paraphrase Scotty from the recent Star Trek movie, "It's exciting!"

In truth, everything is exciting for Ellie and the outing helped me to understand Ellie's behavior better.

At this stage, Ellie is not really bonded to either of us.
Her focus is externally directed.
She's not strongly motivated by food.
She's not strongly motivated by touch or pats (and in fact passive-actively avoids hands around her head).
She IS motivated by 'the game'.

Our clicker sessions then have to be The Great Game.