Intrepid Tails

05/29/2024

A well-earned rest for my boarding dogs after an adrenaline-inducing morning. I've known Siggi and Lulu for 6+ years, and they are among the more remarkable dogs I have ever met. They have impressed me on more than one occasion with their intelligence, and today was one such occasion.

This morning we got "escorted" by a coyote.

For those who don't know what that means, when coyotes are raising their pups, if you come too close, they will turn up and appear to be following you. Really, they just want to make sure you don't get too close to their little ones. All you have to do is leave.

I heard rustling in the brush and turned around, assuming someone's dog was coming to investigate us. I had my personal dog on leash, who is an avid hunter of critters, and whose personal philosophy on unfamiliar dogs is "if I kill them, they can't bother me", and I quickly got her close to me, ready to ask an owner to call their dog.

But it wasn't a dog. We were face to face with a coyote, just a stones throw away. Nickles quickly became inconsolable, the coyote became nervous and agitated, growling at us, but Siggi and Lulu stayed calm. As I turned to leave and drag Nickles away, the situation between her and the coyote became more fraught. To my dismay, Siggi and Lulu began to chase the coyote. But before I could call them, the coyote, who clearly knew it was outmatched, retreated, and they came back all on their own!

The girls stayed close to me, and a loudly screeching, frustrated Nickles, as we left this poor coyote's territory, only ever leaving our side to chase off the coyote when it came too close until we got far enough away that it was no longer worried about us.

There are lots of dogs out there who, even with an extensive training history, I would have needed to put significant effort into keeping safe in that situation. With different dogs, I would have acted differently. But Siggi and Lulu knew what to do instinctually.

Now, this isn't just a "holy crap, how cool are these dogs?!" story. It's also a cautionary tail. When you are in the woods, even woods in a relatively urban area, s**t happens, and it will often take you by surprise. Be ready for it.

06/30/2022

to when I had just gotten my last car. Tricked out the back of it with ruffwear beds and it was great for both dog transport and car camping.

Let me tell you something. This was comfortable as f**k.

But also, I hated that car. Couldn't give you a really good reason why. Its name was Jack, because when I went to go look at it I pulled up and saw that it was dark blue and that song by Jack's Mannequin popped into my head. I don't even really like that band. I sang Hit The Road Jack by Ray Charles to it a lot during my last few days with it before I sold it to a friend who took it traveling.

I will say, Bayna and I had some good snuggles in the back of that car.

[Image Description: a wide angle shot of the back end of a crossover SUV with its trunk open shows that the back seats are folded down, and a Rottweiler lays on one of the giant blue dog beds covering the back]

06/26/2022

Check out the glow up! Well... sorta, since I don't have a before picture. But here's a good example of how working with a reactive dog shouldn't look exciting. The French Bulldog in this picture is my board and train, Louie, who goes home in 3 days. Louie came to this board and train to clean up his recall (done and done, I recalled him off a deer this morning), and work on his on leash reactivity towards other dogs especially in the hallways of his apartment building. When we first started, even looking at another dog halfway down the hallway without lunging and barking was out of the question. For the past 2 and a half weeks we have been working on skills, building Louie's confidence, identifying his needs and preferences and accounting for them in his day to day life, and we have come SO far.

To be clear...
The the setup here was meticulously planned in order to set Louie up for success. Louie is not ready to meet and greet strange dogs on leash in general. We chose the other dog for this session carefully and her handler for this scenario was another experienced dog professional. Progress is not linear and Louie will have setbacks. His reactivity isn't *cured*. Changing feelings is slow and careful work and because you can't control how the rest of the world behaves, s**t will happen. But 2 and a half weeks ago meeting any new dog on leash in this environment would not have been able to happen safely, and today it did. Damn if that ain't some serious PROGRESS this little dude has made! And I'm confident that Louie will be able to keep making progress. I'm just so pleased that I was able to help him get on his way!

[Image description: two dogs stand in a hallway with slack leashes, sniffing each others' faces]

05/15/2022

I started my dog’s Instagram account, , because like every other dog parent in the world, I think my dog is the most beautiful dog to ever live. Since it was a “pet page,” I usually only appeared in the captions of the pictures, instead of the images themselves. The few times I d...

04/14/2022

What they were looking at: a group of dogs one trail over
What this looks like: effortless recall with the 2 easiest dogs ever.
What actually is behind this: a whole lot of consistency. Consistency with...
-meeting these dogs physical, emotional, biological, and social needs
-pairing the sound of their handler whistling with food and/or fun
-handler (in this case me) being a source of safety, comfort, fun, and tasty food

Zero force or fancy equipment required.

Both of these dogs have a history of running up to every dog they see, sometimes in socially inappropriate ways. Not anymore!

Video description: two dogs stand on a trail in the woods staring intently off into the distance. The person behind the camera gives a soft short whistle. Both dogs heads snap towards the handler in unison and they lick their lips in anticipation as they walk towards the handler for treats, which they take nicely.

03/11/2022

It's actually not *just* the food, but food is a convenient and effective tool for building recall.

Ever wonder what it's like to call your dog and watch them enthusiastically run towards you? I can show you!

a meme of Westley from The Princess Bride. The caption above the meme reads "when people see me flawlessly recall 4 - 6 dogs at once." Top text over the image of Westley leaning back against a log with his arms out to the side in a shrug gesture reads "your treat pouch reveals everything! Your dogs only follow you around because you have food, admit it!" Bottom text reads "with pride! And I can do it for you and your dog, too!"

02/03/2022

This is Avery. And I am so. Freaking. Proud of him. Avery is starting to get on in years. He's got arthritis and glaucoma, and he's been really nervous getting up and down stairs and in and out of the car. He is painful, and on top of it the glaucoma is probably making it hard for him to see. He is worried about his footing, worried he can't make the jump. He's only got about 5 stairs to get into his house which is mercifully has everything he needs access to on one level, but even to an untrained eye it is painfully obvious, watching how he scrambles up and down those 5 stairs and the hesitancy with which he jumps in and out of the car to go for the walks in nature that he loves so much that he is Freaked. The F**k. Out.

Avery's parents are some of the most kind and caring people I've ever met, so of course when they saw he was struggling they bought him a ramp. Avery had used the ramp just fine when they were using it to get him in and out of a van they rented while on vacation a while back, but at home he seemed afraid to use the ramp at all, and was more afraid of the ramp than of the stairs! They couldn't convince him to use it.

Lucky for them, they're part of my new VIP program, so Avery got my help. Last week I started working with Avery on getting him comfortable with the ramp, and yesterday, on our 3rd or 4th session working on getting him comfortable with the ramp, he decided he was brave enough to use the ramp to get into the car! He didn’t scramble. He hardly hesitated. His movements weren't anxious, tense, and rushed, but confident and relaxed. AND! When I gave him the choice to exit the car with or without the ramp, he chose with. What a smart boy!

A 60ish lb dog mostly white with black spots and long, feathery fur, stands on a hammock style seat cover in the back seat of a black car, cleaning treats off the seat. We're going to ignore the mess on the floor, and the fur and drool, but we'll note that the door is open and a ramp can be seen in the bottom of the frame, leading off camera.

12/06/2021

Choosing discomfort even when it means growth is really really hard. Doing a lot of growth very quickly can be overwhelming. So much so, in fact, that one might dissociate and try to microwave ones mug of water in the spice cabinet. Oh dear lord, please let people laugh at this rather than be concerned...

Anyway, changes are coming to Intrepid Tails. You probably haven't noticed, but the bio on this account has changed, and so will the type of stuff I'll be posting. I'm not saying I'm committing to paying consistently or anything, don't get too excited. And there will still be cute dogs! But maybe less of the repetitive content I've been posting for the past several years and hopefully some more fun stuff. Less "Look at this cute dog in the woods. Hey look, here's another cute dog in the woods. Now it's a picture of MULTIPLE cute dogs in the woods!", more substance.

Image description: a hand holds a mug with text on it in front of an open cabinet with spices in it. The edge of a microwave, the door of which is still closed, is next to it.

10/08/2021

is true model quality 👌🏻
[image description: close up of a blue merle Australian shepherd, Stella, lying down to the left of a yellow and orange amanita mushroom which is to the left of a tree trunk. Stella's mouth is open and her eyes are closed, giving the anthropomorphic appearance of a smile]

10/01/2021

A very muddy "excuse me, if I could have your attention for a moment..."

[image description] a closeup of my right hip. I am wearing camouflage pants, a treat pouch, a light gray thermal, and navyblue leashes are visible from being slung over the opposite shoulder. There is a crisp, muddy paw print stamped on the thermal on my hip. Trees and woods can be seen in the background.

09/29/2021

The return of Penny ! Penny started with us when she was little, but moved away for a while. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I heard she was moving back to the area and I would get to hang out with her again 🥰

[image description: a small golden retriever stands with a lake and trees behind her, facing the camera]

09/27/2021

Now that the remaining dogs in my personal life are very old, having boarding dogs on the weekends can be a blessing. My old dogs can't appreciate me waking them up at 530 in the morning to drag them out to the woods for two hours. But my boarding dogs will 😉

[image description: closeup of the face of a brindle dog who is looking at the camera.]

09/03/2021

All hail Sally, empress of the woods!

09/01/2021

"We heard you have treats" - Cholula & Frankie

07/21/2021

Rarely captured, all 6 dogs in one frame! This happened organically yesterday when I stopped to snap a pic of this beautiful moss in the background that's thriving in all this rain and humidity. If I stop moving for too long the crew will come find me. Given that this was a narrow trail, there wasn't much room for them to spread out so I was able to get all six of them in this picture. However. If I wanted more pictures of them sitting together nicely, could I make that happen? Could I pose them, ask them to wait til I got a shot I was satisfied with, and then release them? With some effort, sure. I've done it before... But the dogs don't enjoy it. It doesn't have any affect on other behaviors on the trail. What's the point? Make myself look impressive to my clients? To Instagram? Ew. No thanks. Because honestly, it's not that impressive. What makes me impressive is the bond I have with each dog in my care. What makes me impressive is the fact that I have a greeting routine at pickup with each of these dogs that is unique to them. What makes me impressive is the fact that even though the environment around us is rich and rewarding to these dogs they choose to make sure they know where I am at all times.

Anyway, check out the pretty dogs in the pretty nature

[Image description: 6 dogs stand on a moss and fern covered trail in the woods]

06/24/2021

Fearsome Trevi gonna pounce on you!

[Image description: a small brown and white dog is mid play pounce]

06/22/2021

Sometimes I do live tracking for Guapo just to see the squiggly lines he makes while exploring the brush around us as I walk❤️

[Image description: screen shot of a blue squiggly line on a green background shows the path of a dog while on a hike from a tracking app]

06/17/2021

Dogminded knocking it out of the park, as always

Larkin’s first trainer was careful with his words. He didn’t say “alpha” or “dominance” or “punishment”. He brought treats. He was personable. But he also did things during that one hour that made us deeply uncomfortable, confused, and caused us to question ourselves.

As we tried to implement the plan our unease deepened. I began to feverishly research and realized that the person we trusted and let into our home was bringing us to the precipice of causing irreparable harm to our puppy. When I shared this with my partner, he said, “F**k this, we’re not doing this anymore. Why even bring a dog into our family if we have to treat him like this?”

I know I’m not alone on this. I know so many of us have been there. So many of us have stood in front of a trainer wondering, “Is this OK?”, “Is this safe?”, “Does that hurt?” So many of us have watched our dogs’ personalities change, their spirits shrink, their behaviors diminish in front of our eyes.

And so many of us have heard the assurances. “Hurt? No! It’s JUST like a mother dog correcting her puppies”, “What shock? This is S-T-I-M. See, feel it, it’s barely a tingle”, “Oh, this is just to get their attention, we’re communicating”. The assurances are swift and well-rehearsed and may make us feel silly for questioning in the first place. And yet, that little voice deep inside remains.

Listen to that voice. Trust your gut. Real training doesn’t need a PR team. When being given a training tool it shouldn’t be followed up with a disclaimer that even though it looks painful, it’s actually quite benign “when used properly.” You shouldn’t’ have to hear assurances that something you‘re about to do to your dog “doesn’t hurt.”

Good training feels…good. Good training is fun. Good training is uplifting, empowering, meets you and your dog where you are, and brings out the best in you both. Whether you’re working with a puppy, an adolescent, or an adult dog with behavior challenges, training should never hurt or make you uncomfortable. Trust that. And trust yourself, you and your dog deserve it.

[ID: A brown dog is standing on a wooden crate on a beach. His head is turned to his left, his mouth is open, and his ears are flopping in the wind.]

06/01/2021

Me: Dylan, it's almost blueberry season! You have no idea how excited I am!
Dylan: I do, actually! You tell me every summer.
Me: ....oh. That's true. Well what do you think the odds are that this will be the year I actually make you blueberry pancakes instead of just talking about it?
Dylan: Do you want my honest answer, or...?
Me: Honest answer! Always!
Dylan: I give it 20 to% odds.
Me: *disappointed* ...okay. Actually thats fair.

Dylan started working for me in the summer of 2019. So this will be his 3rd summer with Intrepid Tails. Every year I claim I'm going to pick enough blueberries on a hike to make blueberry pancakes and every year I fail to deliver. But at least I don't fail to deliver paychecks!

Anyway, I'm very excited for blueberries. Here's to another summer of feeding the dogs wild blueberries!

[Image description: closeup of a flowering wild blueberry bush. Some of the flowers are beginning to turn into blueberries.]

05/21/2021

Pongo's very cool people got him some sweet new gear to kick off month! (okay, it's early but really it's always a good time for pride 🌈)

[Image description: a closeup of Pongo's head and shoulders from the side. He is wearing a rainbow collar]

05/19/2021

This is a picture of Grier expressing his opinion that I am boring. No one asked for your wrong opinion, buddy 😉😂

[Image description: Grier, a brown dog, stands on a trail and is looking up at me. He is mid-bork]

05/18/2021

Henlo jumpy fren, am doggo.

[Image description: a closeup of Jedi, a yellow lab, closely sniffing a frog who is sitting on a trail.]

05/14/2021

It's the Wallace and Roscoe showwwww

05/07/2021

Biiiiiiig zoom!
[video description: on a trail in the woods, a yellow lab/hound mix is doing zoomies in a very very big circle. She stops briefly and looks around. I tell her "we're over here!" and she eagerly runs back to me.]

05/06/2021

Pongo and Nala sniffing, ft. found mini soccer ball that is only interesting if a human wants to kick it or another dog wants to take it.
[Image description: Pongo, a white and black mutt stands at the side of a trail with his body away from the camera and looking over his shoulder towards the camera with his mouth open. Nala's butt can be seen to the right of him and there is a small green soccer ball on the ground just in front of his front legs directly under his head]