Boston's August Horoscope

I read my horoscope on a regular basis so it is only fitting that Boston follow hers. I like to watch for applications within our daily routines.

Aquarius Pets (January 20 - February 18)

The easygoing days of August have arrived, but expect some tense moments as well. As always, the key to keeping your pet happy is to act as if you've got it all under control. Fortunately, unnerving issues will be resolved around August 5th, once the third eclipse of the summer brings resolution. Once pets get through the pent-up feeling Mars and Saturn are sure to deliver between August 10 and 11, the rest of the month will be comparatively calm. Take time to enjoy being warm and moving slow, and your pet will follow.

Your Aquarius pet might not be the most romantic creature on four legs, but this month Venus in Leo will put Aquarius in the mood for love! Obviously, if your pet isn't spayed or neutered and you want them to be, make that trip to the vet before it's too late. But if you're into the breeding thing, this could be the perfect time to become a doting "grandparent." You'll also notice your pet will really be digging that time you spend with just the two of you. Venus in the House of One-on-One brings out Aquarius' affectionate side.

Sounds like we'd better call Eileen to schedule an appointment with the vet.

We'll see what tomorrow, August 5, brings. The comparatively calmness seems to be setting in already. Here's Boston doing her favorite thing ever. I just get a kick out of making little movies with my camera.

Class Notes

Monday night class last week was enjoyable. We were able to talk more as a group, sharing stories & ideas about the training of our current dogs and stories of previous experiences we might have had. The theme of the discussion surrounded how Helping Paws' clients rely so strongly on the skills we teach the dogs, and the importance of having good, solid responses to the commands.

One of the trainers, Elaine Beckstrom, comes to us with a very different perspective than most trainers: her son, Jake (age 20), is a recipient of a service dog, Miles. Elaine relayed a story about Jake and Miles to the class and with her permission I am sharing it with you.

"I would like to add a personal story about the importance of retrieving.

"At college Jake often zooms between his dorm and the main campus without putting on a coat. He can't get it on and off by himself and he doesn't want to sit in class in a winter jacket. So in the winter he is often outside in his shirt sleeves. One time Miles' flexi leash became detached from Jake's wheelchair while they were outside. Jake's first concern was for Miles and him potentially chasing after a squirrel or running away to have some fun. This was a below zero day with the wind blowing fiercely as well. Both Jake and Miles were in a potentially dangerous situation with no other people around at the moment to help grab Miles.

Jake asked Miles to pick up his flexi - which he did. Then Jake asked Miles to carry the flexi while they traveled about 100 yards to get back to Jake's dorm room. Other than Miles' stopping one time for a potty break (Miles set down the flexi to potty and then picked it up again), he stayed by Jake's side and carried the flexi without hesitation. This is a pretty heavy flexi with a leash/reel system which includes a metal bar so it can be attached to the wheel chair - probably weighs a couple pounds.

Thank goodness Miles is such a well-trained dog! They were both able to get back to the dorm safely.

The retrieve skill is one of the biggest ways that Miles assists Jake. You never know what the dogs will be asked to pick up or where they may be, but when the time comes they need to do it! I know our puppies are a long way from mastering this skill, but thinking of this episode with Jake and Miles does remind me of the importance of practicing it."

There are countless stories such as this one that we hear of. It never ceases to amaze me that we, as trainers, can contribute to such positive life changes.

Have you made a difference in someone's life today?

Bobbing For Vegetables

The vegetable garden exploded with produce while we were on vacation, and we spent the day on Sunday harvesting and cleaning vegetables. It was a warm day so the pool was filled for the dogs while we worked outside.

We discovered that Boston loves snow peas, and threw a few in the pool for her. We also learned that snow peas do not float, and Boston had to stick her face in the water to get them. If you click on the picture to enlarge it you can get a better look at the bubbles she is blowing.

Summer Vacation

The Post family went on a week's vacation to Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota and just returned Saturday. It was a fun week even though the fishing wasn't so good. I had high hopes of catching my first muskie but didn't catch anything. Richard felt he didn't do much better, but that's a matter of opinion. He snagged this dandy piece of driftwood which I am pretty excited about. We brought it home and it's in the garden.

Sage went swimming for the first time in his life, that we know of. He had a blast and mastered retrieving the stick quickly.

Boston went on her own vacation to "summer camp" at another foster home, Jon and Louis Speck. We thought it would be good for her to spend time away from us, and vice versa. It puts things into perspective for both us and Boston. The Specks are training a service dog, Jazz, who is in the Working Wonders class (one class ahead of us); they also have another dog, Nugget. Louis is going to send pictures of Boston's visit and I'll post them.

Louise reports that Boston was the (almost) perfect house guest. Boston came back to us a different gal. She definitely has grown during the week. What was most exciting is that she is calmer. We sat on the patio Saturday night and didn't have to supervise her and Sage's playtime like we normally do. They just laid together side by side, romping occasionally. It was so nice. There has been no counter surfing since she got home. I told Louise she is a miracle worker!

It's almost like Boston is a different dog. Louise took Boston to her Monday night training class last week. Richard claims there must have been a mix-up and Louise took the wrong dog home.

Update on Boston

So much for my posting more messages. I didn't realize it had been so long until I looked at the date of the last blog post. Time flies! It's been a busy time for Boston and me. I've been work-working quite a bit and Boston has been working on new skills.

We're starting to get into the stage in training class of what I call the "fun stuff". Getting beyond the basic pet obedience skills of sit, drop, wait, etc. Here are a few things we're working on now:

• Push - the first step is to teach the dogs to push drawers and doors close. We're now starting to work on rocker light switches that we hold in our hand. The end result is the dog will rise to turn on/off a light switch on the wall.
  

• Go to bed - we are shaping the behavior to teach the dog to go to a rug and lay down. A very useful skill in keeping the dog in a controlled situation - and out from under our feet!

• Get it and give (a.k.a., retrieving) - we've been working on this skill for quite a while and it's one of Boston's favorites. She is extremely good at retrieving items and giving them to me. We're challenging her more and more with this skill by putting items under chairs, tables etc., on chair seats and the back of shelves, and under vehicles. She's up to the challenge and will go in for the items and bring to me. We are also raising the bar on the types of items she is retrieving.

Another skill we will work on in the future is "rise". This is used to chain with the push skill to turn on lights, among other things. Boston is trying to get extra credit and doing her own version of rise right now. She's quite the counter surfer. We have to be careful to push items back from the edge and keep a close eye on her.

Update on her diet. We have finally found a food that she will tolerate and are slooowly working her off the chicken and rice. It's taking at least twice as much time as a normal transition, but are seeing progress so I continue to move forward with it.

Update on the Boots. Boston has stopped terrorizing me with her tugging and attacking my pants (and legs!) so the boots have been repurposed. They're actually one of the best investments I've made. I use them now for chores, gardening and on rainy days. Here's a picture of a recent raspberry harvest from the garden. The day I picked these it was pouring rain, but as far as we're concerned well worth the inconvenience.

Re: Boston's Horoscope for July

Posting Boston's horoscope might have been a self-fulfilling prophecy. Right out of the gate yesterday morning she was challenging me. Her first visit outside after getting up in the morning is usually on point - she does her business and heads for the house because breakfast is waiting.

Instead, Friday morning Boston chased birds and squirrels (a newly acquired interest), and vaulted herself vertically to get at the bird feeders. I find her ability to be that agile quite impressive, but it wasn't making me happy this particular morning - I had a cup of coffee waiting for me inside. After a few laps around the yard Boston turned her attention back to me and we went inside.

Being inside wasn't much better. Boston loves to check out what is on my dresser table, and she quickly removed several items.

I decided a long walk was in order. Which, according to her horoscope, might be what Boston was trying to get all along. She thought it should be play time with Sage, and pestered him the first half of the walk. Thankfully I took the long route this day and they both settled down eventually. By the time we got home Boston was a pooped pup, and I took advantage of the situation to clip her nails.

Finally, I get my way.

Boston's Horoscope for July

Aquarius Pets (January 20 - February 18)

Mars and Pluto will enliven your Aquarian pet's imagination this month, and what's going on in that adorably furry head might surprise you. Your pet could escalate a dispute over coming in or going out and force you into a confrontation. You might not even be aware of what's going on at first -- or at least that's what your dog or cat might be hoping! If there's a long-standing argument about permission to sit on the furniture, or how many times a day you're going for a walk, you'll be amazed at how far your pet will go to make a point, particularly around July 3 and 4.