Posted in Behavior & Training

Elessar had his first sheep herding lesson and he did great! I was so proud of him. He was able to hold a wait as I walked to the sheep and he worked very hard to keep the sheep with me. Our instructor was wonderful and thought we had done a really nice job together! Elessar had a BLAST! Can't you tell from the photo? read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

Ok, here it is, a study that looks at aversive training techniques. This article takes the "magic" of Cesar's methods. My hope is that you will all reading it, and if you are using his methods, realize what you are doing to your relationship with your dog. www.upenn.edu read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

Elessar passed his Sheep Herding Instinct Test with flying colors today! He did so well. I love that he was composed. He didn't pull or over react. He sat waited for me to take his leash off and give him permission - then he went to work! The shepherd seemed to be impressed with his ability and said he would love to see what he would do in a b… read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

This is a yahoo moment!!! Elessar has not been all that interested in toys (puzzling behavior for an Aussie). He does enjoy tug, but tends to tire of it easily. We've been working on this for the last few months, testing out different toys to find something that he would like, trying to encourage a game of fetch. This is to help him exercise an… read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

I asked a question recently, "When did dogs stop being man's best friend?" My point was that we have gone from calling them loyal, loving companions to dominant beasts. I still find them to be loving, loyal and the BEST friends we could ever have. If they really were the dominant beasts that they have recently been made out to be, I wouldn't lov… read more