Lying Leopard

It is interesting that Lying Leopard is described as being less invasive than Clouded Leopard and so many animals like it better if they are sensitive to touch. We had kind of a mixed reaction here.

Lying Leopard is supposed to allow a larger area of "warm contact" with the hand. I often hold my breath when I'm working - something I try to recognize and change, but it's a work in progress. I think that probably affects how my dogs feel about it overall.

Blue liked it the most. I'm not sure that it wasn't too much like a massage for him, so I need to keep that in mind, although you do need to get through the fur to the skin. He doesn't like the circles too fast or too slow. The trick is finding his "just right"!

Blue

This is another one of those touches that Blue really likes along his hindquarters. He totally backed up into me and wanted this experiment to continue.

Marley

The terriers weren't so sure about the whole process. Maybe because they're smaller so it seemed like I was covering a larger area? Maybe I should increase the speed of the circles, slowing down once they relax. I need to spend more time to see how they react long-term. And I think I need to make sure I'm more on the level with them rather than working from a standing position, which can always be an issue.

Beginning today, we are going to start doing mouth work. This may need a couple of weeks, as it's a slow process and I don't want to push too much or too soon. Basically, we will begin with Lying Leopard TTouches on the outside of the mouth and make tiny circles on the gums, working on both sides of the mouth. I want to do multiple short sessions to keep stress levels down. Mouth TTouch is used extensively for aggression, barking, biting, chewing, dental woe, emotional upset, fear of vet offices, hyperactivity, licking, nervousness and stress - most of the emotional issues. I have seen it used with absolutely wonderful success on dogs, and have seen it magically calm down my own Carson. My friend Cynde Van Vleet, a TTouch practitioner in California, used it to work miracles on Carson during a stressful point in a class a couple of years ago. Carson has recently started barking a lot when outside, so I hope this will ease that a bit.

In other news, the new computer purchase, migration and set-up is complete. I really didn't want to replace my laptop just yet, but it made the decision for me. After long conversations with my children and writer-friends, I opted for the Mac desktop with a 21.5" screen. I have to admit it is nice to write, edit and proofread on it, but I do miss the portability of the laptop. I'll just need to get more comfortable writing on the iPad mini. At right is a photo of the new digs in the sunroom.

The cold and grey continues in Oklahoma. The dogs and I are in desperate need of sunshine and warm breezes (not winds, but breezes would be nice).

Hibernating with Bear TTouch

My apologies in advance if these experiments aren't as interesting as they seem to me! This week we worked with Bear, which means using the fingertips at a 90 degree angle to the skin/coat. I realized I use it pretty often and without realizing that's what I'm doing.

A huge (for us) cold front moved in on Saturday night, so I had a lot of forced hibernation time with the dogs - and the kids. It gave me plenty of chances to get my hands on the dogs, as the temperature dropped and the winds howled.

Bear TTouch puts Carson into a zen state pretty much every time. Her eyelids slowly close and she sinks into me, the bed, the sofa - wherever. I consciously try to slow down the circles, as I find myself going too fast much of the time.

Blue is much bigger, with a ton of coat. For him, the circle moves his fur around more. He will even back up to have the area around his tail touched with Bear, which is nearly unheard of with him.

As for Marley, well, he's pretty easy. He loves almost all touch.




Week 2 focus is on Clouded Leopard, one of the first touches I learned. Founder Linda Tellington-Jones wrote that this touch got its name from a Clouded Leopard at the Los Angeles Zoo who was worked on with TTouch. It's a very light touch to help reduce all kinds of stress and stress-related reactions and to increase self-confidence.

"Fighting fire with fire" and why it's no way to train a dog - or any animal!

One of the blessings of not having subscription television is I don't have access to programming that would just make my blood pressure rise. So when I read a blog post by Victoria Stilwell discussing a recent "Real Housewives" episode, I had no idea what happened. Based on Ms. Stilwell's post, I probably don't want to watch.

One paragraph continues to stick with me. To read it in its entirety, go to http://positively.com/2013/11/15/my-take-on-the-real-horror-of-beverly-hills/. But this is the gist and, to me, it pretty much sums up what I want my relationship with my own dogs - and those of the families I am fortunate enough to work with - to be: "When you fight fire with fire ... When trainers use ... intimidation, you are not only asking for a bite, but you're completely bypassing the root of the problem." Stilwell sums it up by stating the only way to truly change behavior is knowing and understanding the cause, the underlying stress or anxiety that manifests in the problem at hand.

What a powerful statement.



By the way, if you disagree with the way "training" was portrayed in this series, let Bravo know. Their official contact page is http://www.bravotv.com/contact.

My favorite traits

Do your animals have traits or do things that make you laugh, smile, make your heart melt or simply feel good? Each of my dogs has their own special "thing." Most of the time they are endearing although, rarely, these same traits can be irritating or even dangerous.

For big boy Blue, it's all about food. He literally dances when he decides it's time to eat or when his food is being prepared - or just about any activity having to do with food, to be honest! It can be pretty funny to see this big guy prancing around on his hind legs, hopping from one leg to the other, in some intricate doggie dance.

With Marley, it is all tennis balls all the time. There must be a dozen of them, all over the house and yard. He HAS to have one in his mouth when he goes out, but not just any of the 12 or so will do. Some are favored more than others. And, just so you know, he never actually brings one back inside. I pick them up every other day and we start the process all over again. When he's inside, he strategically places a ball just behind human feet - in the kitchen, the bathroom - wherever.   All the better to break one's neck when it is stepped on!

And then there is Carson. Just today when I came in from work, she was waiting at the kitchen door for me. As is her habit, she raised up and starting batting at me with her front legs and paws. She's a master at it: she uses her legs like little arms. She is forever grabbing, wrapping, swatting. And always with such joyous glee and pure happiness. I never get tired of seeing her in action.

So many canine mannerisms are subtle. They require observation skills and close attention to detail. Other times? Well, my dogs couldn't be much more obvious with these mannerisms. Thank goodness I am (slowly) learning to pay attention.

What signature traits do your animals have? And what do they mean?

My greatest teachers - a look back

Dogs have always been a part of my life, even though I didn't always fully recognize the fact. We had multiple dogs when I was a child - always "outside" dogs, once inherited with a house we bought or often brought home by my younger brother. If the weather was particularly cold, we would bring them inside but they were rarely comfortable there, standing by the door, anxious to return to their own part of our universe. Most of these dogs were terrier-mixes of some sort, although there was a blond cocker. Trixie, Taffy (the cocker), Missy, Shorty - they were just always there. Even in the years since I left home there has always been a dog at my parents' home. I learned well.

And so dogs became a part of my life as an adult and still I didn't realize the connection. Even so, their lessons were constant and lasting.

Mattie Rae. My Airedale. She came to us as a 14 month old youngster, having spent most of her days crated. She was sensitive and a quick learner. She was also stoic and a good teacher. Once, when the children had pushed a "final" button, Mattie calmly stepped between them and me. She never moved, she never flinched. But she calmly looked at me and stood her ground when I would have erupted, as if to remind me to take the time and space to calm myself. Mattie never thought of herself; she always tried to make life simpler. Even when she went to the Rainbow Bridge, 13+ years old and battling lymphoma, she waited until she was at the vet's office and then passed on during the night. I will never forgive myself for not being with her, although I know in my heart it was to save me the anguish of seeing her slip away. Her gift, however, was to visit me in my sleep that morning, to run the fields of my mind as I took a walk, and to send a beautiful red dragonfly so I would know that while change is inevitable, re-birth and growth are always available to us. She was indeed the greatest of terriers.

Blue Monster Max. My first Welsh and my personal introduction to puppy mills. Max was born on January 1, 1992 and lived up to his name admirably! My son was born in December of the same year and so felt a special tie to Max. It was in trying to give Max a better quality of life, health-wise, that I first discovered alternative/natural healing, bodywork, and all the associated paths I have traveled in the years since. Without Max, well, the path would certainly have been different.

Hollis Haven's Brodrick (Brody). I will never forget traveling with my son to Pine Bluff (AR) for a dog show on a cold February weekend. He had been devastated at losing Max, his first such loss. A dear friend arranged for us to bring home an 8-month old Welsh Terrier, although my son didn't realize that is why we were making the trip. On Saturday morning she plopped Brody on a grooming table and, with a crowd of people around, ask my son if he wanted to take him home. The look on his face makes me cry even now, more than ten years later! Brody became my sidekick, however, although he loved both the children. Without him, I am not sure I would have survived the divorce years. In hindsight, I wonder how much of his health mirrored my own. I wonder if he took on some of the challenges that would have done me in completely. I do know we lost him far too soon, only six months after his ninth birthday. His small body simply could not take any more health setbacks. And the lessons I learned from Max - to well and truly ask and trust my dog and to never allow your own guilt and wants to overshadow their suffering and wellbeing - meant I had to stop fighting and allow him to go.

Sully is the rescue I mentioned in yesterday's post. Sully reminded me that every dog cannot be saved, by sheer force of will or otherwise. As I was thinking through this writing I remembered all the times he asserted his authority, sitting next to my face on my bed. Sully had a lot of good in him, but the demons were stronger.

Sailaways Blue Norther (Carson). The light of my life. Brody's health concerns and illnesses were hard on all of us. When a friend called me to offer one of a two-girl litter - Kit and Carson. Carson, she said, was the gentlest of the "evil twins," and she knew we needed a respite from having had two high-maintenance Welsh Terriers in our home over the years. Carson is sheer joy and happiness, constant motion (she loves to spin like a top - always in a counterclockwise direction!). She is a destructo-dog, chewing up anything and everything with a speed nearly impossible to comprehend. She rarely stops until she is exhausted - and it takes a lot to exhaust her. She tries (not always patiently) to remind me daily to slow down and appreciate the here and now.

Marley arrived in the weeks after Carson came to live with us. As I mentioned yesterday, he stole our hearts and always has a place in our home. There have been so many rescues over the years who also had lessons and wisdom to offer. I was rarely listening, particularly in the early days. But I think back on them now and realize each of them had a gift they left with me, and they were willing to entrust that gift to me until I was willing or able to open and learn from it. I give them my heartfelt thanks now and every day.

This year, during the cold dark days between Christmas and the New Year, I have chosen to reflect and remember all the dogs whose paw prints have left their marks, to thank them for their gifts and to incorporate their teachings into my plans for the future.

Carson gives love freely and often. I am thankful
to be a frequent recipient!

A rare still moment - but she always makes us laugh.

What do dogs understand?

Yesterday morning I received the following text from a friend who has two Welsh Terriers:

"I tell [dog] that [son] is coming. He trots over to the only window where he can see the street. Looks out, wags his stubby tail. Looks back at me, then settles in to wait." Nearly eight hours later I checked in to ask if he was still in his spot, waiting. The answer came: "Yup."

This story would be even more impressive if I could tell you he didn't move the spot all day. He did, but only for short intervals. And he returned to his post, waiting patiently until low woods signaled the arrival of this woman's son.

Shortly after I read the first text, I was sitting at my desk in the dining room. I heard my daughter's door open and remarked to Blue, who was sitting beside me, "You'll need to go to your room. Marley needs to go outside." I didn't turn my head or even speak in anything but a low monotone (the result of an unfortunate cold and stuffy nose). But Blue clambered to his feet as I finished my remark, trotted to his room and on into his crate, where he turned around and lay down. Perhaps it was the sound of my daughter's door opening. Perhaps not.

So, for those who would argue dogs cannot understand what we say, I beg to differ. Yes, I based my conclusions on anecdotal evidence and a sample of two. So be it.

A dog's sense of smell

Yesterday was spent at the University of Oklahoma for the "Christmas at OU" choir and orchestra concert (my son is in one of the choirs). We didn't actually spend much time with him, but enough to get a couple of hugs along the way.

Saying goodbye & promising to return

That was all it took to make Blue stick to me like glue when we got back home. You see, the son is Blue's boy. Blue arrived on the scene just before a life-changing event in the fall of 2004. He has been my son's rock and guardian angel. While it was difficult when he left for college, the hardest part - by far - was the heart-wrenching scene when he said goodbye to Blue.

Blue smelled his boy. I was thoroughly sniffed and snuffled. He kept looking around, as if he thought his boy would be the next in the door. And when the boy didn't appear, Blue decided to stay close and make the most of it he could. Bless his heart, he will be so much happier when the semester is done - at least for a little while.

Blue, with his paw fur looking like "Max" from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Cabin Fever

It's day four of out Mother Nature-imposed hibernation. I'm sure a shrink would have a field day observing the way each of us deals with our enforced captivity. The teens play instruments - snare pads pounding at all hours, strumming guitars, plaintive voices.

The dogs revert to early behaviors: accidents in crates, hyperactivity, you name it. The snow drifts in the back yard measure 18"+, more than a foot on the deck outside the back door. On the first day of snow, visibility was next-to-zero, winds were howling. I tended to open the door and toss the little ones out. Sorry. Sounds callous. I hate cold weather. Oddly, the Welshies don't. After they got the hang of it, they had to be dragged inside. Covered with little balls of snow and ice, they shiver not only with the cold, but with sheer excitement. They adore running and rolling, but feel the need to poop and pee right outside the back door! Big Boy Blue doesn't share the WT enthusiasm. With his long coat, he rushes to "take care of business" and hurry back inside. Perhaps he remembers his time as a stray, making his way in the winter cold.

The dogs would benefit if I was willing to get bundled up and head outside to play. But I hate the cold even more than Blue, so that isn't likely to happen. We practice basic obedience a few times each day - 20 Cheerios' worth of sits at a time for each dogs. It makes each of us focus on something besides white nothingness, at least for a little while.