Roller coaster

Roller coaster

Backslides in any type of dog training can be difficult. Frustrating. Demoralizing. Heart-breaking. And the more difficult the problem, the more difficult the backslide becomes. The more progress you make, the harsher the backslide feels. I know this all too well. In...
From long line to no line

From long line to no line

Want to hike your dog off-leash, but have too many worries to do so? I used to be the same. Some people can unclip the leash without too much thought or anxiety, but after one of my dogs disappeared for three hours, that wasn’t me. But about a year later, Oz wiggled...
Sh*t happens

Sh*t happens

I am still in the process of shedding my need to be Oz’s superwoman, who can shelter him from everything in the world that might ever upset him. I am letting go of my overly-vigilant self who gave me literal stress pains. I am letting go of my invisible Oz-sized...
What if?

What if?

To me, off-leash hiking used to be full of what ifs. There were the “normal” ones, like what if my dog runs off after a deer and doesn’t come back? What if he gets hurt? What if we run into a coyote? A bobcat? A mountain lion? What if something happens to him while...
I will love you the same

I will love you the same

Music has always been important to me. (Country, Rap, Folk, Pop, Musicals, & Alternative for me — Classical for Oz.) Thanks to a friend, I’ve recently discovered my new song obsession, WILD’s All my life. These lyrics have been particularly resounding in my head...