09/06/2025
I was getting ready to grind Leo’s nails with the dremel today and the other dogs were acting really curious, so I decided to put down a big blanket and make it a group affair. None of these dogs, including Leo, ‘like’ the dremel and I don’t ever expect them to. It is loud and it vibrates and it can hurt if I’m not careful. But they are comfortable here in my home and interactions with me and the other dogs are overwhelmingly positive in nature. We do similarly structured activities all the time; today the dremel was just one new element inserted into a very familiar picture. I did my best to have each dog interact with the tool up to the edge of their comfort zone and have everyone walk away feeling good about the whole thing. That means a dog like Lenny never had the dremel actually touch a nail, but I actually think a dog like Lenny benefits the most from an activity like this. Living with, managing, and training groups of dogs is hard because if you are going to do it well, you need to be really good at knowing what all the dogs are thinking and feeling, and then show them through your actions that you care and you are kind and fair. When they can trust that, then these magical group moments happen when I think social/emotional learning is taking place. There is this sense of wanting to do a thing together, even if it’s a weird thing. When I put that blanket down, I had to pretty much wedge myself in there because the dogs got on it and plopped down so fast, I couldn’t get the blanket spread out. Look at little Lenny. Yes he in the very back, but he is actually really close to the dremel when I’m working on Leo’s back feet. Lenny is typically terrified of strange, mechanical noises and he is certainly not a fan of anything touching his paws. But he is right there hanging out, all eyes on every part. There is some stress here and there, but mostly curiosity. I love getting to see these pieces of progress. Hilary MankofskyAyla Ridley
