We just got a new dog and I am thrilled. Lilly came from a nearby shelter and she is about a year and a half old. Believed to be Basset Hound and Blue Heeler (a combination sometimes called Basset Heeler), … Continue reading →
We got down to one dog. Our old dog died, and as LarryDog was 16 and a half, it was quite easy to let him go gently away. Our 6-year-old Rottweiler Lola had several play dates after that. My blog post … Continue reading →
We’ve finally come to it. LarryDog is 16 and a half. He barely can walk. He eats little, though still likes bits of raw hamburger. He is either totally deaf or darn close. He has some vision, and he still … Continue reading →
April 25, 2012. — I was just sorting out some papers from my childhood and I found this, done just after my third birthday: I think somewhere in those old boxes there may be some of the dog stories I … Continue reading →
This dog training tip comes from a dream I had. In the dream my Rottweiler Lola was reaching up to take something off a table. I said NO and she stopped immediately, turning to look at me. I said “Good girl! … Continue reading →
Backchaining is a process that occurs in a dog training sequence when you train a dog to do a series of activities by teaching the last one first. This is effective because the last one is the one that has … Continue reading →
From the 2012 blog — LarryDog, who is now almost 16, has recently taken to following me from one room to the next. This is new. If I’m cooking, he’s underfoot in the kitchen–a logical thing for a dog to do, … Continue reading →
From the blog in 2011 — Recently I moved the sofa in our living room about a foot. So what, you could very reasonably ask. Well, the dogs turned out to think it was a big deal. My office takes up … Continue reading →
Does your dog do a long sit or a long down, where you tell the dog to sit or to go down, and then you say stay and disappear for a short while? Our Rottweiler Lola has gotten much better … Continue reading →
From the 2011 blog — Our logo dog, LarryDog, is 14, actually 14 and a half. Of all the dogs we have had, only one has lived longer than Larry. Not that he is showing any signs of quitting! He still … Continue reading →
From the blog a while back — It was almost dark when I stepped out into our fenced back yard to call our Rottweiler Lola for dinner. LarryDog was already chowing down in the kitchen. Usually if Lola is outside at … Continue reading →
One spring, we said goodbye to our home in central Mexico and moved back to Colorado. It was quite a trip. My husband Kelly was in our small Toyota Dolphin motorhome with our two dogs. Our three-year-old Rottweiler Lola had never … Continue reading →
From a 2010 blog post — We are going to be making a long trip with our dogs and cats. My husband and I have been living in Mexico for five years, near Lake Chapala. It’s been really nice in many … Continue reading →
When we lived in Mexico a few years ago, I wrote this blog post: My husband and I came home last month from a ten-week trip without our dogs. We flew, and our two dogs would not fit under any … Continue reading →
Yesterday we bought some vegetables, including two super-hot habanero chile peppers for my husband to use in the salsa he makes in our bread machine. After we got home, though, we could only find one pepper. Well, okay, the other … Continue reading →
[Blog post from 2009] We’ve had our Rottweiler Lola for about a year and a half now, and I’ve learned a lot about training dogs in general and Rotties in particular from her. Here are five things that may help … Continue reading →
It’s easy to think of dog training as a one-way street. You teach the dog that certain words and perhaps certain hand signals mean that the dog is supposed to do a particular action. This can seem cut and dried, … Continue reading →
Our darling young Rottie Lola was a total nuisance to walk on leash… any walk with her in our neighborhood or in the mountains close behind us was an erratic tour from one possible munchie to the next. We currently … Continue reading →
I often mention in passing the training I do with Lola (left) and LarryDog, but today I will give them their own blog post. LarryDog is 12 now. He seems to be getting a bit harder of hearing and dimmer … Continue reading →
Lately I’ve been training LarryDog on his long down. Kelly and our Rottweiler Lola have a habit of going for a walk around the neighborhood and into the mountains behind us early most mornings. (And of course Lola sees no … Continue reading →
Instead of always just having the food in the same bowl in the same place, I experimented with feeding the dogs differently. After all, dogs enjoy a little variety, some mental stimulation. Well, I know I like to eat in different places, … Continue reading →
Blog, Dec. 26, 2007 — Recently we finished turning our large roofed-over front porch into a sunroom. Over a couple of months, my husband Kelly and a helper had built side walls with windows and a place for a dog … Continue reading →
Dec. 18, 2007 — Yesterday I was out most of the day, so it was late afternoon by the time I got to my email. Surprise! Our Rottweiler Lola had been chosen Dog of the Day at Dogster.com! It’s been … Continue reading →
When ourRottweiler Lola was a year old, I left hubby and dogs for a weekend over at a friend’s place. She has a new baby and a two-year-old, and her husband was away. I know the two-year-old well, and it was … Continue reading →
Sept. 29, 2007 — When we first got Lola, she quickly developed a habit of scratching on the screen door when she wanted someone to let her in — which was frequently. It’s been warm enough lately that we mostly … Continue reading →
Sept. 5, 2007 — Yesterday, I happened to have two chances to see how well our new dog Lola, a Rottweiler pup age 8 months, has really mastered the sit. I’ve been training her to sit for most of the … Continue reading →
From my blog dated August 12, 2007 — Lola will turn up a lot in this blog and website from now on! We acquired her two days ago, from a woman who was fostering her till a good home was … Continue reading →
When we were living in Mexico, one summer we took a long trip around the U.S. Unfortunately, we returned to our Mexican home to discover our two portable propane tanks, plus some other things, had been stolen from our yard and … Continue reading →
For five years, my husband and I lived in Mexico. Here’s a blog post I wrote at the time: We consider our life here an experiment and don’t know yet if we will return permanently to the small town in Colorado … Continue reading →
