Dr. Dodman...Again

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Boulder, where I attended a 2-day lecture by Dr. Nicholas Dodman.  I have written about him before- he is my idol!
He wrote the Well-Adjusted Dog.  I learned even more about canine and feline behavior modification and pharmacology, and look forward to putting my new knowledge in to practice. 

Here is a photo from yesterday...

Kitty Love

Below is a link to a video of a client's Great Dane, Amos.  Amos is the second Dane for Sigrid and her husband, as they lost their first Dane tragically to bloat at age 2.  His name was Riddick, he was a black mantle, and he was loved and adored by all.  When Riddick had been gone for a few weeks, Sigrid felt the need to get another Dane as her life was too empty without a gentle giant.  her husband travels a lot, mainly to Africa, and is gone for weeks at a time- so things get lonely around the house! She looked on the DDFL website and saw Amos.  Needless to say, Amos had a new family that day. 
Amos has been through both levels of my classes and passed with flying colors, although he does have a bit of a stubborn streak as most teenagers do.  Amos is very much like his big brother, so much so that it took me about a month to stop calling him Riddick!  Amos is as gentle as they come.
Last month, Sigrid and her husband adopted again from the DDFl, but this time she is of the feline variety, and not a giant at all.  However, it is very clear that Amos knows who's boss!  This is their ritual in the morning.
Enjoy! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6VoqYt4DFQ

Callie

Several weeks ago, I met a very nice couple, Julie and Brian, who came to me with their senior Great Dane, Callie.  She is a 7 year old blue merle, adopted from Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue, and she is a sweetheart!  However, her mom reported that Callie has some leash reactivity issues with other dogs..  We got to work right away with her behavior and confidence level.  During our conversation, we randomly began talking about my senior blue merle Great Dane, Piper, and how similar the dogs look.  After our session, they put Callie in the car and I brought Piper out.  All of a sudden Julie said "this is Piper from Big Dogs Huge Paws?... We almost adopted her!".  Apparently, at the same time we were fostering Piper, Julie and Brian were looking for a senior... They were going back and forth between Callie and Piper- too weird!   It is a small world indeed.

New Location!

As of this week, we now have our own dedicated training space!  It's been on my wishlist for a VERY long time, and now it has come to fruition.   The space is at VCA Mountainview Animal Hospital in Highlands Ranch.  It's huge, and we'll be able to hold all kinds of classes and workshops.  I am very excited with the new partnership and being able to be in a vet hospital, and start early- with all the puppies that come in.
I will post photos as soon as the space is ready to go...