![]() Typist: Amelia Go ahead and say "Amelia who?" It's okay. I'm used to it. I'm the only cat of the Cascadian Nomads and I am also not nomadic. I don't get to be at the keyboard very often. It has disadvantages and advantages. One thing is for sure, I have more time to have fun! For an indoor cat, I get to enjoy some pretty amazing outdoor adventures. Outside is fun for me if (and it is a big if) I am safe inside my tent, tunnel or stroller. Sometimes I like to walk on my leash but if I hear a scary noise like a car or an airplane, I need to get really low and small so that it can't see me. The only thing I don't like about going outside is that Bethany always fusses over puttingbug repellent on me. That stuff is stinky! And while my stroller is safe and comfortable, someday I'd like to just walk on my leash like the dogs do. Bethany says I wouldn't cooperate enough on a leash walk with the rest of the nomads. What does cooperate mean? I'd also like to be allowed in the part of the yard the dogs get to roam in without my leash but Bethany says I will jump over the fence. Why does she think that? I only jump onto the fence. I'm so misunderstood.
Lately all of this nice weather in Cascadia has meant longer walks in the stroller and even some stops where I get to be out of the stroller on my leash. I enjoy attention at the pet store or sniffing the grass at the park. But my very favorite adventure is still in my own back yard. I just love my tunnel. It was a gift from Bethany for Christmas but she decided it was kind of cheap and flimsy so she was going to send it back. I disagreed and chewed on the box until Bethany just had to let me try it. Now I go out into the yard in my tunnel almost everyday. I can even move the tunnel myself so I can safely enjoy the sun or the shade, next to the porch or under the porch. It's wonderful! Every adventuresome cat should have a tunnel like mine. Best of all, I never have to share it with dogs or cockatoos. Sometimes an only cat needs cat only fun! Are you or do you know any excitement loving adventure cats? What's their favorite feline fun? Cascadian Nomads was not asked to or paid to promote any businesses or organizations mentioned and linked in this post. We're just sharing information or stuff we like! Share this post: Typist: Bethany In my many decade dog training journey, I currently find myself in a place where I have come full circle in how I measure training success. As a teenager, when I first started training my dogs, it was for fun as well as for practical reasons. My family needed dogs that listened, behaved in public and were polite when guests came. When I adopted Tynan, training was necessary to calm him down as well as acclimate him to his new (fourth) home. The instructor was enamored with Tynan's genius and work ethic and encouraged me to sample the few dog sports a mixed breed was allowed to participate in back then. Tynan and I had fun trying out different sports and training but in the end, all of his advanced training just made him a fabulous partner. Tynan went everywhere with me. He was the mascot of the sports teams of several kids I cared for as well as many of the health clubs where I taught classes. The front desk staff would argue over who got to have Tynan while I taught my classes and my students whined if I left Tynan at the front desk.
Brychwyn and Huxley were both dogs I specifically sought out to train and compete with in dog sports. Brychwyn was going to be my agility star but his mysterious shoulder issue and leash reactivity completely changed our training journey together. Huxley was going to be the first dog I took all the way to a UDX but he gets quickly bored with obedience training and prefers agility. And with all of the traveling the dogs and I have been doing for the last several years, we haven't had much time to focus on or proof any one behavior or sport. So all of the dogs ribbons are tucked away in a cupboard and I am back to training for fun and for practical reasons. I measure success not by titles but by smiles. When I say "share the road" to the dogs on a walk and they all duck in behind the stroller to make room on the sidewalk for another pedestrian, I smile and know we are a success. And if the other pedestrian smiles, that feels like a best in show score to me. The best part of my full circle journey in the reason for and how I measure success in dog training, is all I have learned about positive reinforcement techniques. I am eager to continue to hone my positive pet training skills whether I measure successes in smiles and miles or ribbons and titles. How do you measure training success? What successes have you had recently? Share this post: "Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far." Share this post: |
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