Here at my house we are preparing for another upcoming school year.
This isn’t an average, run of the mill, school year for us. This year, my youngest is entering Kindergarten and my oldest is heading off for his first year of college. Our family is about to go through some major changes. It won’t be easy. In fact, some of these changes will be quite difficult and stressful. But here’s the thing. Change is good. It is stressful, yes. But, it’s still good. Without change, without stress, we don’t grow. We don’t get better. Change, and the stress that accompanies it, can be a gift, as long as we allow ourselves to learn from the situation and don’t let the stress swallow us up. It’s going to be hard to see my son off to college. To leave him to learn and grow on his own without the safety net of his family right there. But it’s time. He’s ready. And I have no doubt that this will be good for him. I respect him enough to stand back and watch him take this journey. It’s going to be hard to send my youngest son off to school on the bus like I have his siblings before him. This little guy has had a rougher past than his siblings have. He has medical and emotional needs that are different. He has a traumatic history. But I need to let him go. He needs to know that I have faith in him. He needs to learn and grow and see what he can accomplish. My kids know I’m here for them if they need me. They also know that I am not going to rush in and save them every time their life gets messy. I have been a parent to a lot of children with a large range of differing needs over these last decades. One of the many things I’ve learned is that I don’t do my kids any favors by making life too easy for them. If I wrap them in bubble wrap, never let them make mistakes, and keep them away from anything remotely dangerous, they may be safe, but at what cost? I would be protecting them for my own peace of mind, not for their good. And they would lose out on many important life lessons. Life with our dogs can be similar. It can be hard to watch a dog go through stress. It can be difficult to watch our dogs battle with fear, aggression, or other issues. The rougher the dog’s past, the harder it can be to see him under stress. But without some stress, there is no growth. Sometimes we have to be firm as we help our dogs make progress. Sometimes we have to push our dogs forward, in spite of their past, so they can take the next step in their education or training. It’s always rewarding to watch a dog overcome an obstacle, whether it’s fear or something else. I love to watch as the successful dog prances back and forth in front of their “parents” with pride as if to say, “Did you see what I just did?” It’s truly enjoyable when we see the hard work, the change, pay off. We can help your dog overcome the problems you are experiencing. You too will find the peace and joy when you see the hard work, the change, pay off. Let us show you how. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training!
1 Comment
I have been sick for several weeks- so sick that I haven’t been able to eat much of anything or even drink a lot of my favorite beverages without debilitating pain.
Apparently, my gallbladder decided it was quitting its job. No notice or anything. It just decided to up and quit. Do you know what that means? It not only means that I couldn’t have meats, cheeses, or pastries, I wasn’t able to eat grains, fruits, or vegetables, either. It got so bad that I couldn’t tolerate soup. I was surviving on limited ingredient berry smoothies, plain nonfat yogurt, and plain rice. It wasn’t easy, but one of the worst things was that I wasn’t able to have coffee- for weeks! Last week, my gallbladder was removed. It took a couple of days before I was ready to introduce exciting things back into my diet. The most exciting thing that’s back? You guessed it- Coffee! So, what does this have to do with dog training, right? Often, I have clients that come to me out of desperation. Things they used to take for granted before cause stress now. They will tell me about their worry over what their dog will do when company comes over. Or, they talk about the difficulty they have taking their dog for a walk because he pulls, barks, or lunges at people or other dogs. Many of these clients had “good” dogs prior to the “problem” dog they have now. That only makes their awareness of what they lost even greater. When dogs have behavior problems, life is stressful. And not just for their humans. Life is stressful for the dogs as well. The good news is, it doesn’t have to continue that way. We can help. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! If you’ve been around kids for any amount of time, you probably realized that kids can ask a lot of questions.
It’s important, it’s how they learn. But that doesn’t mean it’s not exhausting for the person tasked with answering all the questions. My youngest son is currently in the "Why Phase." In case you don’t know what that is, it’s when a little kid asks "Why?" repeatedly to every statement someone makes - relentlessly. The "Why Phase" is one of my favorites, just kidding - not really. And the questions don’t stop as children get older. They just morph into new ones. Here are some questions my kids have asked me recently: "Mom, he’s touching me. Can you make him stop touching me?" "Mom, what’s for dinner? Can I just eat a handful of salt?" "Can I have a Popsicle now? Why do I have to wait until after dinner?" "Have you seen my shoes? Where are my socks? Do you know where my swimsuit is?" The questions are endless. My energy is running low. This takes me to the other day, where I was sitting in a waiting room next to a young mother with two small children. The children were asking questions pretty much nonstop. I was impressed with the mother’s ability to answer her children’s questions so well and still fill out the paperwork in front of her. I am not good at that anymore. I’ve been parenting young, inquisitive children continuously for over 20 years. At some point along the way, I stopped being able to focus on all the chatter. Don’t get me wrong, I hear the important stuff - usually. Although, sometimes the kids have to repeat themselves a couple of times. But more times than I’d like to admit, I completely tune them out. I don’t hear them. And it’s not like I’m trying to ignore them. Well, MOST of the time. So, what’s my point and what does this have to do with dog training? Well, dogs can get to the point where they tune us out, too! If we inundate our dogs with words, commands that we repeat over and over again, eventually our dogs stop listening. Often, we see dogs that only listen when their owners use a stern tone of voice. They completely tune out their owner’s kind requests to perform a behavior. The same dogs will perform the request well if the owner has a treat. You see the owner has their dog’s attention. One of the hardest things we teach people is to use fewer words when training their dogs. We train owners to make their words have meaning, instead of repeating commands in an endless stream of chatter. It is possible to get your dog to obey a command the first time you request it. And yes, without a treat. We can show you how. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! A detective from our local police department called me this week.
He was investigating a report about several young boys in the area who vandalized a local school building. There was camera footage and some of the boys were identified. During the investigation, my son was named as one of the boys involved. My heart sunk as I heard the news. My mind raced to figure out how this could happen. Not that my boy is perfect. I know he does dumb stuff - especially when he’s with his friends. I wondered if the officer was right - if it could have been my son, but I couldn’t figure out when he would have had the opportunity to get himself in so much trouble. I started asking the detective some questions and he told me the day and time of the vandalism. That’s when I told the officer that he had the wrong kid. We discussed the camera footage and the reports, but it didn’t add up. I was with my son when the vandalism happened. I know exactly where he was during that time, and it wasn’t anywhere near the school. My son was playing in our backyard with his siblings. I know because I was watching them! I literally had my boys in sight during the time in question. I explained that my son was with me when the incident occurred and then it dawned on me. I asked the officer if there was any way the other boy could have been the neighbor kid that happens to have the same name as my son. The officer wasn’t aware that there is a second boy with my son’s name in our neighborhood. He did a brief investigation while we were on the phone and found that it was likely the neighbor boy that had been named and not my son. That was a relief! So, how does this relate to dog training? Well, I find that a lot of issues can be eliminated if we keep a close eye on our dogs, especially when they are young. Young dogs are curious and full of energy. Sometimes, dogs make bad choices. We can’t correct those bad decisions if we don’t see them happen. Just as having my eyes on my son saved us a lot of trouble, keeping your eyes on your dog can save you a lot of trouble as well. As a dog trainer, I always recommend that when you are not watching your dog you should have him in a safe, confined space, such as a crate or a small room - preferably without carpet or anything that can be shredded or chewed. Crate training can save both you and your dog from a lot of trouble. Do you need help keeping an eye on your dog? Does he get into trouble when you are not looking? We can help you. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! Sometimes it can be hard for me to find a place that is quiet enough to think clearly so I can write.
Recently, I decided to try hiding in my car in the back parking lot. It was the perfect plan. There was nobody outside and the people inside were occupied with running a class. I sat in silence for almost 10 whole minutes. Just long enough for me to be completely engrossed in planning my next post. Then my daughter Emma came out and saw me… Problem was, I didn’t see her. Emma knocked on my car window and I jumped half a mile. I hate to be startled. I’m not the kind of person that willingly goes to a movie full of jump scares. You won’t catch me standing in line at a haunted house. But, the thing is, Emma got my attention even though I was completely caught up in what I was doing. Sometimes, dog training is like that. There are times that your dog will be completely engrossed in something that has his attention, whether it’s chasing a squirrel, jumping on guests, barking at the mailman, or getting into the trash. It’s important to be able to get his attention when his focus is so far away from us. It’s even more important to be able to get your dog to respond to commands when he is so distracted. Occasionally, using something that startles your dog can be helpful in getting him to stop when he is engrossed in a negative behavior. Other times, it is best to step in and redirect. No matter what, training your dog to respond, even when he’d rather not, makes all the difference when distractions are intense. Do you need help getting your dog's attention? Do you need help getting your dog to respond? We can help you. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! A Friend in Need (1903) By Cassius Marcellus Coolidge
I have a print of this painting hanging my office. It’s there to remind me of a wise trainer I was fortunate enough to train under. He is often heard repeating the following quip: "If dogs could play poker, we’d all be broke." Some days I think we should adopt that saying to be our motto. Oh, if people only knew how skilled their dog is at reading them. How effective their dog has gotten at getting what he wants. How easily he has learned to manipulate situations to his advantage. Seriously, we would absolutely lose a game of poker to our dog. Here are a couple of examples of dogs trying to play us. Recently, Kaytie, one of our trainers, was riding in her car with her new puppy in the backseat. Every time Kaytie looked back at the puppy, the puppy seemed to be asleep. When Kaytie would look away, she would hear a noise coming from the puppy. It took a little while before Kaytie found that the puppy was hiding a tissue under herself and chewing on it when no one was looking. Sneaky little girl. The other day, I was walking one of our training dogs at a local park when a strange dog started to approach us. Our dog wanted to go to greet the strange dog. I told her no and tried to walk in another direction. That’s when our training dog, with a flair for the dramatic, flopped on the ground, rolled on her back, and started screaming like a 2-year old child. There was nothing pulling on her, pushing her, or even touching her, yet the dog was literally screaming. Thankfully, this dog’s tantrum was not my first experience with "puppy tantrums." Otherwise, I might have been worried that something was wrong. I stood there calmly and waited for our dog to finish with her tantrum. After a few seconds of screaming and rolling, she turned to look at me, saw that I was unaffected by her antics, and then she got up and walked nicely with me. I’ve watched dogs throw tantrums ranging from mild to intense for the simplest of requests. The important thing is to wait the dog out and not give in. If you can’t get your dog to follow your leadership in the little things, you can’t expect them to listen to you with the big things- like aggression. As pet parents, we need to be willing to lead our dogs. Not because we are on a power trip, but because we are the parents and we know what’s best. Just like with children, when we give in to tantrums, we both lose. The dog may get his way this time, but he has lost respect for us as his leader. And we lose the ability to ask our dog to do anything, unless he feels like it. The best way to show your dog that you love him is through leadership. Do you know how to be your dog’s leader? We would like to help you. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! It’s no big secret that I love my clients, both the dogs and their owners.
It doesn’t take me long to find something endearing in all of them. I look forward to their appointment times just because they are fun to spend time with. Even though I wholeheartedly enjoy so many of my clients, I try really hard not to choose favorites. That being said, there is one client that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. This dear woman researched and poured over different dog training methods and styles for over a year just looking for a way to help her dog. Nothing she found seemed to be the answer. Nothing really worked. Then, a few weeks ago, she walked in my door for a free evaluation. She signed up and got started right away. And are we having fun! Half of the session is spent laughing. One of my favorite parts of our time together is when she says, "That makes so much sense!" We have been systematically working through the Great Dog in Eight Weeks lesson plan, each week building on the previous. And each week, as the lessons build on the one before, my endearing client seems to have more and more "Ah-hah!" moments when the process is suddenly so clear. I just love that! Yes, dog training is logical. Yes, there is a process that helps your dog understand what you want from him. Yes, it is possible to see a lot of change in a short period of time. It is so much fun watching both the client and the dog as they grow. We would like to help you. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! Before coming into work yesterday morning, I made cupcakes.
This was not planned. It was completely spontaneous. It was my youngest son, Theo’s, first day of summer break. During his morning adventures in the kitchen, Theo found Mickey Mouse cupcake liners and an idea sprouted in his head. My little boy absolutely loves to cook. Theo looked at me with his big brown eyes and begged me to make cupcakes with him. I had a hundred reasons why I didn’t have time to bake anything yesterday morning, but none of those reasons were solid enough to hold. So, I found time to bake with my little son. His eyes danced and his smile was contagious as he poured ingredients and watched the mixer turn. Everything was going well ... That is, until the new dog, Luke, stole one of the Mickey Mouse cupcake liners. Theo took that offense personally. The chase was on. Theo ran after Luke yelling to give the paper back. Luke thought that this was a great game and ran so Theo could chase him, all the while chewing on the fun, new paper in his mouth. I joined in to try and get the situation under control. In short order, poor Luke was caught and I was able to retrieve a badly mangled, half chewed cupcake liner from his mouth. I realized a couple of things after this incident: 1. It is time to leave a leash on Luke while he is in the house so I have an easy way to catch him when he steals contraband. 2. It is time to work on Leave it, Drop it, and Come with Luke. 3. Theo is serious about his cupcakes. Do you have a dog that likes to steal your things and then run away so you will chase them? We can help. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! This week, we had the pleasure of being able to foster and train another dog from Canine Companions Rescue Center.
This time around, we were matched with a 4-month old puppy. And is she CUTE! It’s a good thing she’s cute, because, my goodness, is she a spitfire. Already, little princess and I have had several conversations about her manners. We had a chat about the inappropriateness of jumping onto the kitchen table to steal food. We’ve had several discussions about how it is not nice to bite people’s pants, legs, and ankles when she wants attention. I had to remind her that throwing a tantrum at bedtime will not get her out of her crate. We’ve had a couple long talks about not being able to run outside to play any time she wants to, even when the closest door opens. Also, we’ve had more than one conversation about proper behavior when she’s angry. Mostly, that it is NEVER ok to bite out of frustration. It is especially NOT ok to bite my hands, arms, or my poor watch that never did anything to her. I think she and I are making some good progress, which is bittersweet because the little girl is being adopted on Sunday. I’m going to miss our daily discussions, but I’m thankful that Little Miss is staying in the Clever Canine family. One of our trainers is adopting her, and we couldn’t be happier to have the little stinker stay around. Do you have a dog (young or old) that needs help with their behaviors or manners? We can help. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! “I know you hate it when I use kitchen analogies. . .” my husband said to me earlier this week.
Again. For the countless time. He really is trying to be helpful, I just don’t have a lot of patience with the comparison. It’s well known in our house that my husband loves watching a certain TV show that stars an infamous chef. Show after show, the chef goes to struggling restaurants and helps to transform them into successful businesses. (It’s a great premise, just not my favorite show.) The point is, in every episode I can recall, the restaurant kitchen is riddled with problems. Often, the kitchen is a mess, in need of deep cleaning. The kitchen staff argue and fight. The food is terrible. Nothing goes as planned. The owners are frustrated, anxious, and angry. The clients are irritated and disappointed. Often, it looks as if the restaurant won’t make it. Then the chef arrives. He analyzes the situation and implements a plan to rehabilitate the restaurant. With many dog families, things aren’t much different than the chef’s TV show: The kitchen is a mess because the dog won’t stay out when you’re cooking and he gets into the trash whenever he thinks he can get away with it. Counters are littered with crumbs left from your sandwich that your dog stole when you had left him unattended for a brief second. You are frustrated and irritated and, possibly, anxious. Your dog has learned that the reward of stealing food is better than any scolding you might give. The tension in the kitchen is growing. Now you need an expert to help you get your dog, and kitchen, under control. We can help. The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation. Click here to schedule your evaluation online now. You pick a day and time that works best for you. A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options. We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results. You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered. There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything. Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html Happy Training! |