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Can you be lieve that a year has gone by and it's now summer with the holidays coming up. Did we miss a few months?
We want to thank everybody to having trust in us with their dog while they stayed with us, thank you for asking us to help you train your dog. We have enjoyed every dog that comes into our life.
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Our Life Skills Class' -A 'leaps and bounds' -November Class 2020.
What a great class we have had this past month. A mix of mature and youthful and very young puppies started class atypically nosey, noisy, and not paying attention. Voila, four weeks later, we should have recorded the testimonies for everyone, handlers, and their Dog were leaps and bounds ahead of where they were. It is a joy indeed to share the simplicity of getting the basics right empowering the best your dog can be.
December is only three weeks of class, but Life Skills are additive. Remember, you can always come back. Without next year for some new classes, especially some outdoor recall and loose leash training.
Some readers here in Christchurch of course, know of our Red Zone, with ten years now of angst, loss, and for us who have lived in it all, the pleasure of seeing it used as 'The Worlds Largest Off-Leash, Urban Dog Park'. Not to be confused with a term, largely heard now much more rarely "Red Zone Dogs" an expression coined by a popular if contentious Mexican TV star referring to Dogs that are over the threshold. Thankfully, we have trainers here that get that 'punishers' of any kind are not just unhelpful, they can and do, lead to very poor outcomes.
However, our Red Zone Dogs were recognised for the 'social dividend' our earthquake legacy provides at a recent meeting all about the 'future' of that enormous civic space, where yours truly pointed out that the area is ALREADY delivering a social dividend to the city, where it's not just the Dog, it is the other end of the leash that can be measured - where walking your dog is twice as popular as walking without a dog as we take in the natural environment and all that means.
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Tips for Keeping Your Dog Busy
Dogs get stir-crazy, too. If yours is climbing the walls and driving you to distraction, here are five ways to help him chill.
Lots of exercise. “A tired dog is a good dog” is a cliché for good reason. It’s easy to be well-behaved when you’re sleeping off a good run. If a run isn’t in the cards, there are plenty of other ways to tire out your best friend. Try a brisk leash walk, a game of fetch or keep away in the yard or hallway, or a round of hide-and-seek or catch-me-if-you-can.
Put away the food bowl. Extend your dog’s mealtime by putting his food in a Kong or treat ball or other food delivery toy. He’ll enjoy the challenge and expend extra energy.
Let ‘em chew. Dogs are born to chew, and many are content to spend hours on a good project. Talk to your vet and local pet store about safe options, then try a variety to discover what tickles your dog’s fancy. Whatever you choose, always supervise for safety and remove the item before it becomes small enough to swallow.
Work the mind. We all know dogs are smart, and mental exercise can tucker a dog out as well as the physical kind can. Do an online search for canine puzzle toys and you’ll find an impressive array of creative products to keep your dog’s mind occupied for long stretches. For best results, read and follow the training directions that accompany the toys you choose.
Reward the calm. Here’s an easy one that’s often overlooked. Tell your dog “thank you” when he’s being calm. Reinforced behaviour increases in frequency. Reward your dog’s calm moments with a treat, some attention, a chew, or a puzzle toy, and he’ll reward you with more calm moments. Ahhhh
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 ‘Raise the Woof!’: ‘First ever’ Christmas song for dogs released
29 Dog Songs: Love, Loss, and Appreciation in Songs About Dogs Shakespeare said, “If music be the food of love, play on.”
“Can I Pat your Dog?” Why it's Always Okay to Say No. Great article. A good way to see if your dog wants to be patted by thousands of people is to let your dog make the decision to go up to someone.
How Do Dogs Process Words?
For the first time, scientists trained dogs to sit still inside a brain scanner so they could investigate how the canine brain distinguishes between new and old words.
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Words to use instead of "very"
Never Stop Dating Your Significant Other with the 2-2-2 Rule
Every 2 weeks, we go out for the evening.
Every 2 months, we go out for the weekend.
Every 2 years, we go out for a week.
5 Ingredients of an Effective Apology
Low Fat vs. Low Carb -- No Difference (Steven Novella, MD)
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None of us will ever know for certain what a dog is thinking, what are its motives or why it does what it does. What we do know however, is what the dog did. -- Dr. Ian Dunbar
If government, or those in positions of power and authority, can silence criticism by the argument that such criticism might be misunderstood somewhere, there is an end to all criticism, and perhaps an end to our kind of political system. For men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.
-- Henry Steele Commager
A poem by Lawrence Raab, "The Hero's Luck":
When something bad happens
we play it back in our minds,
looking for a place to step in
and change things. We should go outside
right now, you might have said. Or:
Let's not drive anywhere today.
The sea rises, the mountain collapses.
A car swerves toward the crowd
you've just led your family into.
We all look for reasons. Luck
isn't the word you want to hear.
What happened had to,
or it didn't. Maybe
the exceptional man can change direction
in midair, thread the needle's eye,
and come out whole. But even the hero
who stands up to chance has to feel
how far the world will bend
until it breaks him. He can see
that day: the unappeasable ocean,
the cascades of stone. A crowd
gathers around his body. He sees that too.
someone is saying: His luck just ran out.
It happens to us all.
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I’m going to retire and live off my savings. What I do on the second day, I’m not sure.
Just got back from my mate's funeral. He died after being hit on the head with a tennis ball. It was a lovely service.
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A magician gets a 6 month contract on a cruise ship to do nightly shows.
The Captain's parrot attends every night, paying close attention to the tricks and memorising each one.
After 3 months the parrot is sitting in the back row calling out, "It's up your sleeve!".
One night the ship hits a rock and sinks.
By chance, the magician and the parrot survive and find themselves clinging to the same piece of wood, floating in the ocean.
Four days go by, and the parrot just sits and stares at the magician without saying a word. On the morning of the fifth day, the parrot finally says, "OK, I give up. Where's the ship?"
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