Schooner Archives - Smart Dog University

Knocked Down. And Then Again.

February 5, 2018

I’ve had “write blog post” on my daily schedule for the last six days. I keep moving it.

Regular readers (ha, as if I’ve been a regular writer) know that for the past thirteen or so months, my life has been more personal and less business.

It started when our 11-year old “healthy” dog, Nemo, died suddenly as he was walking into the house one afternoon.

That rocked me back on my heels and sort of set the whole family adrift.

Then, I took Tango to the veterinary hospital for drinking too much water and we wound up with same-day splenectomy surgery and an eventual two-cancer diagnosis.

Tango’s health was up and down for a few months, then things evened out.

We had a good summer until Lily took a turn for the worse.

Lily's still beautiful. We’d been dealing with canine cognitive dysfunction for over a year and with, I think degenerative myelopathy. She was a trooper and didn’t quit until she finally couldn’t stand on her own. It happened suddenly and we called the veterinarian to come that very day. She had a great 15.5 years, but it was still difficult to say goodbye to that sweet girl.

Two dogs in seven months.

That was tough. Especially knowing that Tango was up against severe osteoarthritis and two different types of cancer. Thank goodness Schooner was in good health.

Tango stayed steady into the fall.

He was on medication four times a day, was still getting massage and laser to help with the osteoarthritis, and seemed to be coasting along, with an occasional off-day (which I watched like a hawk). He was doing well enough that we felt comfortable enough to go on vacation and leave Tango and Schooner with a wonderful house sitter and a friend who took excellent care of both the dogs.

In mid-November, Schooner was lethargic and had a slight cough.

I thought he had the dog flu. I took him to the veterinary hospital hoping to get some antibiotics to help him feel better. Imagine my shock when I was told he had an arrhythmia and was given a referral to a cardiologist. The diagnosis dealt another blow: dilated cardiomyopathy.

The cardiologist wouldn’t give us a prognosis but said sudden death was possible.

We started an intense medication regimen for Schooner, hoping to buy some time.

In December, Tango started a slow, but steady decline.

yellow lab, Labrador, yellow labrador — The handsomest.

He was less able to maneuver through the house. I added a ramp so he could go outside more easily. I bought orthopedic beds. Still, he was moving less. His tail still wagged, but even that was becoming less frequent. One evening he didn’t want his dinner.

We said goodbye to Tango on December 13 at home.

Tango was my favorite, he was my business partner, and my best friend. I felt as if I’d been run over by a semi-truck.

We made it through Christmas with just Schooner.

To be honest, we started our holiday celebration early after Schooner’s diagnosis because we didn’t know how long we’d have him. The medication seemed to be making Schooner feel normal again. And, like Tango, we dropped into a steady “new normal” routine.

Things seemed to be going so well, I had let myself forget that he had a fatal heart diagnosis.

I had to travel to ClickerExpo to present some talks and we didn’t want Schooner home alone during the day for so many hours, plus he needed mid-day medication. On January 16, I took Schoons to my parent’s place on Lake Anna and came home the next day to fly out to California.

As I was boarding the plane, I got a call from my dad telling me Schooner had just collapsed.

Great Dane

I didn’t know it then, but Schooner died immediately. And there I was, boarding a flight that would take me 3,000 miles away for the next eight days. It was, without a doubt, one of the worst days of my life. Helpless, lost, heartbroken, numb — all those words described my state of mind.

I plan to write something special for both Tango and for Schooner.

In fact, I finally felt ready to write about Tango and had planned to write on the long flight to California. As circumstances were, I had two glasses of wine and concentrated on not collapsing in a heap on the plane.

I strongly believe Tango and Schooner need a tribute.

And I’ll get to those later this week.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Great Danes

December 4, 2017

Schooner, our Great Dane, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Apparently, dilated cardiomyopathy in Great Danes isn’t uncommon.

It was quite a blow to us.

He’s relatively young (not yet 5 years old) and until very recently has been healthy and athletic. I run with Schooner and I’d noticed that on the last two runs he’d been slower than normal.

Great Dane, dilated cardiomyopathy In hindsight, I think he’d been having the problem since at least June, but I chalked it up to heat intolerance, not heart trouble. But when Schoons’ lethargy expanded to his daily routine — not just our runs — I got worried.

I was sure he had some kind of doggie flu — bronchitis or pneumonia — but he certainly wasn’t seriously ill. The veterinarian seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time listening to his heart, which seemed odd. We have been in the veterinary office fairly frequently due to a pesky toe infection and his heart hadn’t caused the veterinarians any concern previously. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the veterinarian said “I’m concerned” and “arrhythmia” and gave us a referral to a cardiologist.

Like a good little Dane owner, I trotted Schoons off to the cardiologist the very next day.

That veterinarian repeated some of the same tests, along with some new ones, and dealt the blow: advanced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with the complication of arrhythmia. The DCM is bad enough — it’s fatal for cripes sake — but the arrhythmia is the scariest piece because it increases the likelihood of sudden death.

We experienced sudden death with Nemo almost exactly a year ago and, to be honest, I’d rather not go through that ordeal again. We didn’t know there was anything wrong with Nemo when he died, but now, learning about Schooner’s condition, I wonder if that’s why Nemo died suddenly. Looking back, I remember Nemo having some of the same symptoms. They were so subtle, though, that I chalked them up to the normal aging process. Neems had just turned 11 when he died — I thought he was simply slowing down due to his age.

Anyway, I digress. Schooner is now not allowed (nor is he capable) of running with me.

I am surprised at how much I grieve this single thing. He was so fun to run with. His pace matched mine exactly. His leash manners were impeccable — he always ran next to me with a loose leash.

I run the roads, so it’s important for me to be able to get onto the shoulder quickly if a car is approaching. As you might imagine, with a giant dog, it’s even more crucial that I (1) get out of the way and (2) do it quickly. Schooner and I had developed a really nice silent communication system over the year or so that we ran together. When a car was approaching, I simply laid the leash on his right shoulder to move off the road. He was as elegant as a dressage horse, moving onto the shoulder without ever breaking stride. After the car passed, we silently moved back up onto the road as easy as you please.

Running solo carries a bit of a risk, especially for a woman on country roads. When I had Schooner as my running partner, I never worried about my safety. He’s a friendly chap, but his size alone is enough to deter anyone from getting too close. Cyclists would often cross our path and I loved Schooner’s steadiness. If they stopped to talk to us, Schoons was happy to accept some ear rubs and kind words. But if the cyclists were on a mission and only gave us a “hello,” Schooner never tried to visit or pull away from the pack of cyclists.

Great Dane, Schooner, running, Turkey Trot, dog training

I ra n a couple of races with Schooner.

Our first was a turkey trot on Thanksgiving day in 2016. It was a dog-friendly race and I admit I was a little nervous. I’d never had Schooner in a crowd of 2,000 people. Who were running. At the same time in the same direction. Some with their own dogs.

He did great! After that first race, I was hooked on running with Schoons. If he could handle that race, he could handle anything! We trained together a lot that winter and spring. But by summer, he was intolerant of the heat, so he stayed home while I ran. Then, when fall brought cooler temperatures, I took him out again. But that’s of course when I noticed his lethargy.

And so here we are.

Schooner is still allowed to walk. And while he’s technically not allowed to chase squirrels in the backyard, he still does. Yes, the “burst activity” could kill him. But honestly: what dog would be sad if he died chasing a squirrel!?

Great Dane, Schooner, run with your dog, exercise with a dog We don’t have a prognosis for Schooner, but the (many) medications he’s on have helped considerably. He’s playing again — throwing around toys, more energetic, looks like he’s feeling peppy again. So, while this is not what I’d hoped for, it’s certainly better to know about it and help him live longer and happier. We will have regular check-ins with our veterinarians and with the cardiologist. Hopefully, we’ll have a prognosis in about three months after the cardiologist evaluates Schooner’s improvement with medication.

I hope it’s obvious, but I’m not a veterinarian and nothing you read here or on this blog constitutes veterinary advice or recommendations. Jeez, I thought Schooner had the flu when it turned out he had a fatal heart ailment, for goodness sake. Always see your veterinarian for advice on the health of your pet.

Veterinarians are doing some really specific research on Great Danes and dilated cardiomyopathy.

And you can help! If you have a Great Dane — pedigreed or rescued — researchers at NC State need your dog’s DNA to help build their database. Samples are needed from healthy Danes as well as those diagnosed with DCM. It’s easy to contribute a sample, all the details are here.

4 Mistakes People Make When Exercising with a Dog

July 12, 2017

4 Mistakes People Make When Exercising with a Dog

Exercising with a dog is a smart way to get in shape and also get your dog the exercise he needs.

Plus, if your dog is well trained, working out with your dog makes exercise more fun.

Great Dane, Schooner, run with your dog, exercise with a dog

I’m thankful I have Schooner, the Great Dane, as my running partner. He also likes hiking, too. Anything outdoors (that doesn’t involve swimming) makes Schoons happy.

If you’re going out to a park or other public space to exercise with your dog, there are some common etiquette mistakes to avoid.

This month’s newsletter will focus on four mistakes that tick people off. Keep reading to see if you make any of these mistakes!

Mistake #1: Letting your dog off-leash.

Many states and municipalities have leash laws. And for good reason. Off-leash dogs can be a nuisance, can be dangerous to others, and can damage property or wildlife. If there’s a leash law, OBEY IT. Plain and simple.

It doesn’t matter that you “probably won’t see anyone else” out on the trail. If the law says your dog must be leashed, leash her. Think the trail you’re on is so far out in the boonies that you won’t run into anyone else? That’s usually where other dog owners go to walk or hike with their dogs off-leash. Back when I had an aggressive dog (to humans), we’d look for those out-of-the-way places in the hopes we could have a quiet, incident- Exercise with a dog, on leash, dog training, Frederick, clicker, Smart Dog

Exercise with a dog, on leash, dog training, Frederick, clicker, Smart Dog

free walk. We always kept our dog on a leash, however, because we almost always ran into other dog owners who also had aggressive dogs.

Even if your dog is super friendly and wouldn’t hurt a fly, it’s still not ok to let your dog off-leash. Remember: not every dog on the trail is as friendly as yours. If your off-leash dog runs up to greet one of those aggressive dogs and gets injured, you’re at fault.

Believe it or not, not everyone loves dogs. Even friendly ones like yours. If your dog is running off-leash and you come upon someone who is frightened, it’s not good enough to yell “She’s friendly!” as your dog bounds up to someone afraid of dogs.

There are some places where dogs are allowed off-leash. Those places also require that your dog is under your voice control. That means that if your dog sees a deer or another dog, you can call them and they’ll come right back to you. Right then, not 20 minutes after you call. Not after they jump on the person up ahead on the trail. Not after they get tired of chasing the deer and come loping back. So if you don’t have that kind of recall on your dog and you’re in one of those off-leash areas, you’ll still want to leash your dog.

Mistake #2: Using a Retractable Leash

Leashes, again. While it is important to have your dog on a leash, the type of leash is also important. Retractable leashes are exactly what they sound like — they are long leashes that automatically recoil into their case that also serves as the handle of the leash. At first glance, they seem perfect — your dog gets some wander room, but you can quickly control how far the leash plays out.

In reality, they are one of the most dangerous inventions of the last 20 years. Google “Flexi-leash injuries” and take a look at the horrible leash burns, cuts, and amputations (yes, amputations) that have resulted from retractable leashes. Both dogs and people risk injury from retractable leashes.

Additionally, retractable leashes contribute to bad leash manners from your dog. Those leashes actually reward your dog for pulling. A retractable leash is always tight. Tension is always on the collar. In order for the dog to move forward, the dog actually has to lean into the collar/leash to move further forward. That extra effort — the pulling — gets the dog exactly what she’s seeking, more distance. So if your dog is a pulling maniac and you walk your dog — even sometimes — on a retractable leash, you’re actually perpetuating the leash pulling.

The only place retractable leashes are appropriate is large, empty areas; places like beaches, meadows, or pastures. If there are trees, shrubs, people, other dogs or animals, don’t use the retractable leash. You’re more likely to get tangled, injure yourself, your dog, or another person when using a retractable leash in any area where there is other stuff. Those hikers on the trail do not want to run into your dog who is 26 feet away from you, covered in mud, and wanting to say hi oh-so-badly. The cross-country runner would rather stay on her feet than trip over the thin, almost invisible flexible leash.

Mistake #3: Allowing your dog to visit any person or dog that you come across.

I’ve heard horror stories about dog fights that happened when two dogs were allowed to meet on-leash. Unless I know you — and your dog really well — there’s a mighty good chance I’m going to keep my dog close to me while we pass on the trail. It’s the occasion dog who enjoys meeting every single dog she comes across. Even if your dog is the friendliest dog on the block, the dog you come up to on the trail may not be. The other dog might be a big scaredy cat. She might be aggressive. She might be anti-social. She might be fine, but her owner’s in the middle of a really good workout and has no plans on wrecking his workout just to let your dog say hi (raising my hand — I don’t wear my running watch and heart rate monitor to be trendy, I’ve got a training plan to stick to!).

Even if I’m out for a recreational hike, there are very few dogs I’m going to let Schooner, the Great Dane meet. Not because HE’S unfriendly. But because I don’t know if the other dog is friendly. The last thing I want is another dog ruining my dog’s fun because “they just have to say hello!” No. No, they don’t. In fact, if you come across me on a trail, I’m going to head way off the trail to let you pass with your dog because I don’t want to find out the hard way that your dog “is a little iffy” around bigger dogs.

From a training perspective, I don’t want my dog thinking he can say hi to every dog that crosses his path. Because in reality, he can’t. We’ve come across lots of dogs who don’t care to be investigated from stem to stern by a huge dog like Schooner. And that’s a-ok. Because Schooner doesn’t need to investigate every dog he comes across. And if set him up to think that he is able to visit with every dog, of course he’s going to expect it in the future.

Instead, I teach Schooner (and all my dogs) that the presence of another dog is the perfect time to check in with me. Checking in with me results in a hearty “Good BOY!” and a small treat.

Mistake #4: Leaving Your Dog’s Poop

PICK UP THE POOP, PEOPLE!

This one seems so obvious to me, but by the piles of poop I see on my local running routes, I guess it’s not as obvious as I thought. Poop bags are easy to carry, they can be free (if you recycle those plastic grocery bags or plastic sleeves your paper is delivered in. Or you can buy fancy schmancy poop bags with spiffy poop bag holders (check Amazon, they have dozens of choices).

Some people try to justify leaving their dog’s poop behind saying “Well, who picks up the deer poop? How about the raccoon poop? Who picks that up?” When’s the last time you heard someone complain about stepping in deer poop? I haven’t ever. But dog poop? Yeah, we’ve all been there and done that. It ain’t fun, is it?

Look, wildlife doesn’t have owners. No one is responsible for picking up after the deer. There aren’t laws that say deer must pick up the poop. There IS a law about dog poop, though. Because dog poop is gross! People who walk their dogs also need to be responsible enough to pick up their dogs’ poop.

Exercise is great for you and for your dog.

Get out there, have fun, stay safe!

Run With Your Dog: Schooner Runs His First 10K

March 7, 2017

Schooner’s First 10K

I’ve talked about my adventures in running in past articles. How I got started running, how running is a lot like dog training, and how training for a race is exactly like training your dog.

Last year, I was up for an adventure, so I took Schooner, my Great Dane, to a local Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning.

Great Dane, Schooner, running, Turkey Trot, dog training — Schooner runs his first Turkey Trot 5K!

Schooner did a great job running his first race.

So this year we’re going to enter some other dog-friendly races. We’re doing the Turkey Trot again, and looking to find a couple more races we can run with the Schoons.

I’ve been running with Schooner for about a year now and he set a new record for himself: he ran his very first 10K! It was a training run for me (my husband and I have a bunch of races coming up, but I’m training specifically for a 10K in April).

running, Spook Hill race, Frederick, dog training Schooner has done 5.75 miles, but this one was a full 10K (6.2 miles). The weather was nice — not too hot, some cloud cover — and he’d been somewhat stir crazy over the weekend, so I took him with me. He did a great job, I don’t think he even felt the 6 miles — he was ready to race around the backyard when we got home.

Dogs aren’t welcome at a lot of races — and for good reason.

Races are competitive events. Running with a dog can be dangerous if he isn’t trained well, especially if you’re in a large group of runners. There is also dog-etiquette to be aware of if you want to stay on the good side of fellow runners. In addition, I think it’s important to think about health and conditioning issues for your dog, as well. I’m not a veterinarian, so I’ll leave that up to the experts. I strongly encourage you to check with your veterinarian before you start running with your dog to make sure your dog is healthy and can withstand the rigors of running.

This post is about what kind of training your dog should have so that you can both run safely (whether in a race, on the road, or on the trail).

Leash manners is an important skill to teach any dog, but especially a dog who’s going to run with you.

You don’t want your dog to pull you — that’s a recipe for disaster. You could be pulled into traffic, you could fall and injure yourself, and you could really tick off other runners. Here are some articles (with video!) to help teach your dog great leash manners. Start here, then go to this step, and finish with this one.

Another running skill your dog should have is attention to you.

It’s crucial that you can get your dog’s attention quickly whenever you need it. For instance, if you’re running the roads and you see something ahead that you’d like to avoid, you can call your dog’s name, safely cross the street, and continue your run uninterrupted. I wrote an article and made a video demonstrating how to teach the basics of attention. Schooner, the Great Dane is also the star of the second article and video in the series working on advanced attention.

You may think that because you run alone or out on lonely trails, that it’s ok that your dog isn’t so friendly to other dogs or to people.

I can confirm that those “empty” trails aren’t always empty. Sometimes I’m on them. I can’t tell you the number of times people have said to me “I never see anyone here!” as they’re frantically begging their off-leash dog (a huge pet-peeve of mine that I’ll get to in the next article…) to come back to them and to leave me alone. Some trails are narrow, sidewalks can be crowded, and running routes can be tight. If your dog isn’t friendly to people, don’t take him running in public. If your dog isn’t so great with other dogs, leave him home. You may go out 99 times and not run across another person or dog. But that one time you do, and your dog bites someone or gets into a dog fight, will be the one that really matters (angry runner, injured dog, potential lawsuit, etc.).

Fellow “runs with dogs” runners, what training tasks have I missed? What other behavior and training concepts should I include?

Stay tuned, my next article will focus on etiquette when you run with your dog.

Settle on a Mat

February 9, 2017

Settle on a mat is a lifesaver.

Settle on a mat, dog training, clicker, Smart Dog University It’s the fix for “He’s too excitable.”

Is your dog easily excited?

A bit “too much?” Is he a maniac when people come to the door? Does he bug you when you’re trying to eat dinner? Would you love to have a place where your dog could just chill out yet still be in the same room with you?

You need SETTLE.

Well, more accurately, your dog needs settle. What is settle? Settle is when your dog goes to his specified mat (wherever you are: your house, the park, hotel room, family’s house for a party, veterinary visit, etc.) and relaxes (and even falls asleep – yep, honest. I’ve seen it happen!).

Settle on a mat is pretty darn easy to teach, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your dog catches on.

What you’ll need to teach settle on a mat.

a mat (think: bathroom mat [the kind with a plastic backing])
clicker
treats

How to teach settle on a mat.

Stand still centered behind the mat.
Have your clicker ready to go (in your hand, thumb on the clicker).
When the dog just happens to put a paw on the mat (totally by chance), CLICK!
Toss the treat off the mat (we need the dog to leave the mat so he can come back onto the mat to get another click).
Wait for the dog to eat the treat and wander back over to where you’re standing, in the process accidentally stepping a paw on the mat again.
Click, treat, toss.
Repeat.

Fairly quickly, you’re going to be clicking and treating like a maniac — your dog might not know [yet!] exactly what’s getting him the click and treat, but you’ll see that he’s hanging out near you and with his paw on that mat a lot more often.

When he’s getting a paw on that mat every single time, hold off on clicking him until he gets two paws on.

Ooh, we’re tricky, aren’t we! You’ll be surprised at how quickly your dog moves both those paws on that mat. Be ready and click the moment that second paw touches the mat. Toss the treat off and wait again.

Pretty soon, two paws will be the norm. Then guess what you’re going to do. You’re going to wait for the dog to have three paws on before you click. Then, you guessed it, when he’s good at getting three paws on the mat, you’re only going to click when the dog has all four paws on the mat. You’re always tossing a treat off after you click, of course.

Ok, now comes the first big leap of faith that I’m going to ask you for.

It’s going to involve your doing nothing. And that’s really hard for people, I’ve learned. We want to help. We want to tell the dog what to do. I’m begging you — remain silent. Remain still. You’re doing nothing except clicking and treating.

Ok, ready: once the dog is good at getting four paws on, I want you to wait (!) until the dog voluntarily (!!) sits on that mat. I PROMISE YOU THE DOG WILL SIT without your asking him. HONEST. I wouldn’t steer you wrong here. Just wait. It’ll be worth it, I promise.

Once your dog is coming to that mat and sitting reliably, guess what.

You’re going to wait for the dog to volunteer a down. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? It’s not. Again, you have to trust me here. You’ll, of course, click and treat the instant that dog lies down.

Here’s what it looks like. This is little Levi, a sweet 10-ish week old Labrador retriever who was so punky when we shot this video, I laugh every time I watch it.

He had never worked on settle prior to this video shoot. See how fast he gets the idea? Your dog will likely be this quick, too.

Troubleshooting the settle on a mat:

What if my dog doesn’t move? Just be patient. Remember in the beginning of the video, Levi sort of sat still for a bit. I didn’t look at him, didn’t talk to him, just sat and waited. If your dog gets really stuck (lies down, for instance), you can toss a treat (no click, just toss) to get him up and moving.
What if my dog wanders off? Some inexperienced dogs might not understand the process. To help the novice dog, try this. Click and treat 10 times in a row. Click, then toss the treat away a few feet. You’re not clicking for anything in particular, just pairing the sound of the click with the tossed treat. Tossing the treat gets the dog moving and once we have a dog who’s up and moving, it’s a sure bet that he’ll inadvertently walk across or onto that mat (for which you will click and treat).
My dog just stares at me, what do I do? Stand (or sit) still and look at the mat. Keep your eyes on the mat and resist the urge to “help” your dog.

There are still some things we need to do to make this behavior useful. Things like adding the cue word to tell the dog when he should settle, introducing the concept of staying on the mat, and introducing distractions, too. No worries, we’ll cover that in next month’s newsletter.

Take the next few weeks to work on this piece of “settle” and you’ll be ready for the next steps next month!

Personal Life. Business Life. It All Blends Together Sometimes.

January 26, 2017

Personal life. Business life. It all blends together sometimes.

Most readers of the Smart Dog U blog know that I own Smart Dog University, a one-woman dog training business. Like most micro business owners, I do it all: accounting, marketing, admin, teaching, email, blogging, training, well, you get the picture.

In addition to the business, I have my personal life which includes (now) three dogs.

Two of which are seniors (13.75 years old and 15 years old), and the other is a 160 pound giant of a dog, Schooner the Great Dane. In the last 45 days, one of my dogs died, two of the three remaining have had surgery, and all three have been to the veterinarian in the last seven days.

vet, veterinarian, Great Dane, Labrador, yellow lab, black lab — Three dogs at the vet at the same time

Sometimes my personal life bleeds into and affects my business life.

When Nemo died, not only did my personal life go off the rails, but I had to cancel class that night, which I know put my clients out through no fault of their own. No one complained, of course, they were understanding of my situation and my distress, but still — personal affected business.

Just this week, I took my 13.75 year old Labrador, Tango, in for an ultrasound (we were trying to get to the bottom of some abnormal blood and urine results).

The week before, his chest x-rays showed no abnormalities, so I was fairly confident the ultrasound would be equally unremarkable.

Imagine my anguish when I was told he had a mass on his spleen.

That led to same-day surgery to remove the 7 cm mass.

yellow Labrador, lab, yellow lab, splenectomy, — Tango recovers from a splenectomy

Surgery is tough on an old dog. I’ve worked on my laptop from my couch since Monday (which is where I’m writing this blog post) — and slept here, too, so I can take care of this sweet old dog as he recovers with me at home.

yellow Labrador, yellow Lab, splenectomy — Nothing like a comfy chair at home to make you feel better after surgery.

I’ve turned down clients this week who wanted to schedule in-home training appointments.

I’m loathe to leave Tango alone while he’s recuperating and still woozy from the anesthesia and the subsequent daily pain medication. My husband has modified his schedule, giving up his time after work at the gym, to ensure that when I leave to teach my group dog training classes, that he’s able to be home with Tango.

Again, personal life affects business life.

While I’ve kept up with email (email is so easy — I can answer email from almost anywhere), I’ve fallen behind on returning phone calls. Today, I need to carve out an hour or so devoted solely to returning calls.

I know I’m likely to lose some business due to the personal life/business life crossover.

And that’s stressful. I want to be responsive. However, with two old dogs, I know I can’t be the best in both my professional and personal life. So for now, personal life takes priority.

I don’t know how long I’ll have these oldsters.

I can’t reschedule time with them — we have only a finite amount of time together. I have a robust net of qualified trainers to whom I can refer clients who can’t wait. And for that I’m thankful. And I’m especially thankful to those clients who understand that a phone call might be returned a day or two later, and would prefer it that way as they love their dogs just as much as I do mine.

To all my fellow micro business owners, we may feel scattered and strung-out, especially when our home lives intersect and cause disruptions in our business lives.

But with support from family and friends — and those fabulous clients who understand our dilemma — we’ll get through it. Those folks allow us to tip the balance occasionally to whichever side needs us the most. For that I’m eternally grateful.

To those who do business with one-person businesses, understand that we’re doing our absolute best and often are running two lives at the same time — our personal life and our business life.

And there’s often no line separating the two. That’s both the upside and the downside of running your own micro business. Sometimes my business gets more of me than my family does. Sometimes I have to pull back from the business because my family needs me. It’s a balancing act that, for the most part, pretty much balances out. Except when it doesn’t.

Menu

Schooner

I’ve had “write blog post” on my daily schedule for the last six days. I keep moving it.

It started when our 11-year old “healthy” dog, Nemo, died suddenly as he was walking into the house one afternoon.

Then, I took Tango to the veterinary hospital for drinking too much water and we wound up with same-day splenectomy surgery and an eventual two-cancer diagnosis.

We had a good summer until Lily took a turn for the worse.

Two dogs in seven months.

Tango stayed steady into the fall.

In mid-November, Schooner was lethargic and had a slight cough.

The cardiologist wouldn’t give us a prognosis but said sudden death was possible.

In December, Tango started a slow, but steady decline.

We said goodbye to Tango on December 13 at home.

We made it through Christmas with just Schooner.

Things seemed to be going so well, I had let myself forget that he had a fatal heart diagnosis.

As I was boarding the plane, I got a call from my dad telling me Schooner had just collapsed.

I plan to write something special for both Tango and for Schooner.

I strongly believe Tango and Schooner need a tribute.

Schooner, our Great Dane, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.

It was quite a blow to us.

Like a good little Dane owner, I trotted Schoons off to the cardiologist the very next day.

Anyway, I digress. Schooner is now not allowed (nor is he capable) of running with me.

I ran a couple of races with Schooner.

And so here we are.

Veterinarians are doing some really specific research on Great Danes and dilated cardiomyopathy.

4 Mistakes People Make When Exercising with a Dog

Exercising with a dog is a smart way to get in shape and also get your dog the exercise he needs.

If you’re going out to a park or other public space to exercise with your dog, there are some common etiquette mistakes to avoid.

Mistake #1: Letting your dog off-leash.

Mistake #2: Using a Retractable Leash

Mistake #3: Allowing your dog to visit any person or dog that you come across.

Mistake #4: Leaving Your Dog’s Poop

Exercise is great for you and for your dog.

Schooner’s First 10K

Last year, I was up for an adventure, so I took Schooner, my Great Dane, to a local Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning.

Schooner did a great job running his first race.

Dogs aren’t welcome at a lot of races — and for good reason.

This post is about what kind of training your dog should have so that you can both run safely (whether in a race, on the road, or on the trail).

Leash manners is an important skill to teach any dog, but especially a dog who’s going to run with you.

Another running skill your dog should have is attention to you.

You may think that because you run alone or out on lonely trails, that it’s ok that your dog isn’t so friendly to other dogs or to people.

Fellow “runs with dogs” runners, what training tasks have I missed? What other behavior and training concepts should I include?

Settle on a mat is a lifesaver.

Is your dog easily excited?

You need SETTLE.

Settle on a mat is pretty darn easy to teach, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your dog catches on.

What you’ll need to teach settle on a mat.

How to teach settle on a mat.

When he’s getting a paw on that mat every single time, hold off on clicking him until he gets two paws on.

Ok, now comes the first big leap of faith that I’m going to ask you for.

Once your dog is coming to that mat and sitting reliably, guess what.

Troubleshooting the settle on a mat:

Take the next few weeks to work on this piece of “settle” and you’ll be ready for the next steps next month!

Personal life. Business life. It all blends together sometimes.

In addition to the business, I have my personal life which includes (now) three dogs.

Sometimes my personal life bleeds into and affects my business life.

Just this week, I took my 13.75 year old Labrador, Tango, in for an ultrasound (we were trying to get to the bottom of some abnormal blood and urine results).

Imagine my anguish when I was told he had a mass on his spleen.

I’ve turned down clients this week who wanted to schedule in-home training appointments.

Again, personal life affects business life.

I know I’m likely to lose some business due to the personal life/business life crossover.

I don’t know how long I’ll have these oldsters.

To all my fellow micro business owners, we may feel scattered and strung-out, especially when our home lives intersect and cause disruptions in our business lives.

To those who do business with one-person businesses, understand that we’re doing our absolute best and often are running two lives at the same time — our personal life and our business life.

Subscribe to Email Updates

What People Are Saying

I ra n a couple of races with Schooner.