Lingo Dog Training

08/20/2024

Columbia River Gorge. Full moon last night, with a rainbow around it (from wildfire smoke?); gorgeous.

08/16/2024

We had another fun day exploring a different beach. There were many other dogs on the beach but everyone I've seen so far has been very respectful of each other's space. ❤️

08/16/2024

I'm going to frame these photos next to each other.

08/14/2024

Five dogs, four humans, one camper. 😀

08/14/2024

Adventure dogs. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

08/13/2024

California black sand beach at dawn with Hero and Merlin. ❤️❤️

08/13/2024

Black dogs on black sand.

08/12/2024

Camping by the redwoods.

08/12/2024

Dog Days; my pack has now been to the Pacific Ocean. 😊

08/10/2024

07/30/2024

Another storm.

07/30/2024

I'm having fun cozying up with some of my family during this midday summer storm (it looks like evening!).

07/28/2024

Thestral ate lunch with us outside of Bountiful Bakery in Fairfield. He was very calm and quiet while people talked and ate on the deck next to us and walked by on the sidewalk. He chewed on his frozen Toppl some of the time and some of the time he just watched.

07/28/2024

Merlin isn't perfectly healthy (he's chronically underweight and a picky eater) but he's still a great adventure buddy for my family. So far we've done full bookwork, Texas A&M GI Panel, ACTH Stim Test, abdominal ultrasound and X-rays with a full barium study. 😅 Next up is a consultation with Internal Medicine and another abdominal ultrasound, this time with a radiologist. 🙃 We've gotten some answers from these tests and appropriate supplements and diet are already helping him feel better and act like a happier, more relaxed dog. ❤️

07/25/2024

Hero, Roo, Thestral and Titan.

07/24/2024

It's my goal to give my client's improvement in their dog's behavior as quickly as possible. A key piece of the behavior puzzle is to make sure the dog feels as healthy and comfortable as they can be. Pain or discomfort can slow or even stop the progress of any training plan, whether we're dealing with aggressive behaviors or not. A check-up with a veterinarian is warranted particularly in cases of aggression, as demonstrated by this chart of dogs' reactions before and after receiving medication for pain.

Our goal is to prevent, treat and effectively manage behavior problems in companion animals to enhance and strengthen the human-animal bond. If you have any questions about your pet’s behavior please contact us.

07/22/2024

Last night we stayed with a RAGBRAI group at a dentist's office in Red Oak.

07/21/2024

Yeah Dave, not funny. 🤣

07/21/2024

Thestral and Titan enjoyed watching so many bikes go past us this morning. It's definitely a novel experience for them to see so many bicycles together. Close to 30,000 riders are expected at the peak of RAGBRAI this year, I read.

07/20/2024

Our pack is on the road again in our RV, Beast. We're heading to RAGBRAI!!

07/18/2024

Thestral enjoying this morning's sunbeam.

07/16/2024

Pretty and good dog, Thestral.

07/08/2024

😂

07/07/2024

Merlin volunteered to come into the tree house with me. 😂 He appears to love looking around the forest and listening to the wildlife as much as I do.

07/07/2024

We received some answers on the Texas A&M GI Panel test regarding Merlin's picky appetite, underweight condition, and grumpy attitude. I was correct to suspect an underlying health issue. He has malabsorption issues in his intestines (inflammation in his GI tract explains his chronic picky appetite) and he has a thyroid issue. We're starting supplements and have him scheduled for an ACTH stim test and abdominal ultrasound to figure out how best to help him. He's already feeling better on the supplement. ❤️🐕

When Merlin's behavior went downhill and he became intolerant of the other male dogs in the household, I suspected a physical problem was making him uncomfortable. I'm glad I didn't punish him; he was feeling sick all along. Once he feels better, he will act better. Getting your dog feeling healthy is the first priority for any training scenario. I will use positive reinforcement training if there are any further issues. I've already had some success reintegrating everyone using classical conditioning.

Merlin has been on several RV trips already with us this summer and he's a great traveler. He continues to love training games and is really intelligent with how he applies the skills he's learned to real-life scenarios. We love him, as we always have since he came home. ❤️

07/02/2024

RV camping with our pack in Illinois.

06/16/2024

Edit: Just to be clear, I've been investigating Merlin's health issue(s) for a couple months now, unrelated to traveling recently. There were no dog fights on our trip or any other big event, only a little barking. But I want to figure out Merlin's health stuff before it becomes a big problem for him/us - as these things can if ignored.

Merlin in South Dakota. I'm looking forward to hearing from his veterinarian regarding some tests we've run. We're trying to figure out why he's so skinny and itchy and uncomfortable (therefore crabby with the other dogs). Towards me, he's one of the sweetest and funniest dogs I've ever known. He's really fun to train. ❤️