Flash of Brilliance Behavior Consulting

11/22/2024

White Supremacy permeates every single aspect of society. Here are some examples of how it permeates dog ownership

11/21/2024

Stay tuned for sign up info!

11/15/2024

This photo was taken Wednesday May 16, 2018 at 3:48pm

This was the first time Flash experienced off leash freedom. It was his 3rd decompression walk and I was ready to take the plunge!

Look at his face!

The moment he realized he was free, he RAN. he ran and run. And we've been running ever since 🥰

He was born to run. It took me nearly 2 years of his life to understand and I'm grateful I finally did.

My boy.
My champion.
My legacy.

11/05/2024

Join us for some training and good old fashioned escapism!

11/01/2024

A new post is up on patreon

https://www.patreon.com/BrilliantDogPod

10/31/2024

Halloween is often a stressful time for our pets:
The doorbell is constantly ringing and there are SO MANY tiny humans coming up to the door with very STRANGE attire- often their attire is so strange that they're not recognizable as human!

This isn't the time to be socializing or training your dogs. This is too much "weird and creepy" context for most dogs to be able to cope with let alone function appropriately in.

If you haven't discussed a drug protocol to help your dogs cope, the time has passed and it is too late.

Instead, I would suggest putting your dog up where they feel the most comfortable and safe, with some background noise, a chewy, and some natural and safe calming supplements or treats.

I also suggest sitting outside to wait for trick or treaters to minimize doorbell ringing and upsetting your dog. It will be near 80°F today so that's doable for me. If it's not, I'd consider turning your porch light off and just hunkering down for the evening - especially if your dog is sensitive to the doorbell.

Good luck and have fun!

Happy Halloween!

10/26/2024

Behind the scenes!
Working hard on integration over here. Bacon is an excellent facilitator!

For more on this mornings happenings check out Patreon - choose the household integration tier!

https://www.patreon.com/BrilliantDogPod

10/21/2024

This is the first time Gene and Haymitch are interacting without a gate or other hard barrier.

They did phenomenally well.

Gene, who initially showed a lot of icky puppy feelings, tolerated Haymitch's puppy antics incredibly well.

They had free access to each other today with only long lines and the space of the outdoors acting as barriers of safety.

Gene modeled good trail etiquette for Haymitch when we crossed paths with some of the nicest hunters and their dog. He stayed in his down and ate his scatter and even shared nicely with his newest brother.

Well done, Gene ! You're rocking this big brother thing!

09/18/2024

Haymitch tagged along for Flash's physio appointment first thing this morning.

He's a little worried about the big world but it's also only day 3 of being here so I'm not surprised. He takes it all in stride, thinking and pondering and asking for support when he needs it. Allowing him to do what he needs and supporting him when appropriate is very different from how I raised Flash in the beginning. But not dissimilar to how I raised Wibble.

My hope is that between his excellent Genetics and my skills and experience gained since raising Flash, he will grow up to be exactly how he is now towards things that worry him: cautiously optimistic.

He got to watch people and dogs come into the building and didn't fuss much about wanting to say hi.

He got to check out the building where he'll eventually come for physio too.

We also got a weight on him: 32.5 lbs

He is 53% of Flash's weight at only 13.5 weeks old. Me thinketh I have a donkey, not a dog

09/17/2024

Okay. For those of you who are able to and would like to support me financially, I added a tier to my patreon dedicated to this project! It's $50/month and what you'll get is:

-full length (as well as edited down sometimes) videos and blogs of the things I'm doing with the dogs including a lot of dog-specific content and not just integration specific content.

- Once a month meet ups where I'm at in integration and deep diving into the puzzles I'm working through that I think would benefit everyone (ie resource guarding, stationing, meal times, etc). These would be on the FIRST Wednesday of the month starting in October over zoom. Recordings will be available.

- The occasional live training session (probably once or twice a month) showing me work specific things with the dogs in real time and how i problem solve and how long it can take me to puzzle through something.

- your household integration and puppy raising questions answered!

- early access to actual information I will share in my integration facebook group. I'll still impulsively post s**t there too but most things will be put to Patreon first.

- Did I mention I have cats too? So like teaching dogs to be cat-safe content will be made as well.

This will help me take on less work so I can do MORE with the dogs in this first year. Just 10 of you would mean I can dedicated one extra hour a day to the dogs without sacrificing my clients

patreon.com/BrilliantDogPod (also in bio)

09/16/2024

09/12/2024

I look at skills as essential in order to unlock agency and freedom.

I have a few essential skills that make living in my house pleasant for both my dogs and myself.

One of these skills is knowing when my lap is available for sitting on and when it isn't - and what to do instead!

So it looks something like this:
- If I'm in my spot on the couch with the recliner out and my legs crossed, my lap is available to a dog.

- If a dog is already on my lap, it isn't available to another dog.

- If I am in my spot with my legs closed, my lap is unavailable.

- If I'm not reclined, my lap isn't available

I use antecedent arrangement and management (ex-pens, crates, and tethers) to teach dogs what I expect them to do with these context cues.

I also make sure I'm consistent with my consequences if they're trying to access my lap when it's unavailable (usually time in their pen/crate, or tethered to a spot where a bed is available).

This makes my life easier to live, and makes things incredibly clear for my dogs so they don't have to wonder whether or not their favorite resource is available to them.

This clarity helps prevent issues like resource guarding - something incredibly important in a multi-dog household.

Teach your dog SKILLS - behaviors they perform intentionally to access reinforcement (and yes, rest & peace can be used as reinforcers).

Happy Training

09/12/2024

I look at skills as essential in order to achieve agency and freedom.

I have a few essential skills that make living in my house pleasant for both my dogs and myself.

One of these skills is knowing when my lap is available for sitting on and when it isn't - and what to do instead!

So it looks something like this:
If I'm in my spot on the couch with the recliner out and my legs crossed, my lap is available to a

09/10/2024

So it turned out my best little man had aspiration pneumonia caught super super early. He wasn't symptomatic (or I'd never have flown him) and the only sign was Sunday morning when his breathing changed and he began acting in pain.

We were set to fly home that night so I really wanted him checked out. The vet took one listen to his lungs and spang into action: ordering an oxygen cage and x rays.

The x rays confirmed fluid in his lungs but also showed an enlarged heart which was ✨️concerning✨️

This immediately sent us down the path of ✨️All the labwork✨️ and led to his staying overnight, canceling my flight home, booking the hotel another night, and planning how to get him home.

The next day an echo was done and interpreted to say NO heart disease detected 😮‍💨

They weaned him off oxygen and sent us home with meds as a precaution.

That's when my friend, who stayed with me to support me, and I started our 15 hr drive home, stopping every 2 hours for pottying or medicating Wibble, gas, and switch off driving.

We made it home at 9am this morning. As I was settling into bed, I called my vet to check in about a follow up appt, and it turned out I already had one scheduled! So I scrambled to make it.

My vet heard NO fluid in his lungs (the meds were working!!) and we theorize that we caught his aspiration pneumonia pretty much immediately.

We then came home and rested up.

In the next few weeks Wibble has a few more follow ups but the prognosis is stupidly good!

Thank you all for the part you played in helping keep my little ham sammich safe and healthy.

09/02/2024

Even while on vacation we're building resilience and learning to be brave around water! Staying at a lake house isn't his favorite but he's such a trooper.

Through observing his best buddy who loves water, and the social support of his favorite Hannah - plus his favorite Auntie Gretchen's cookie (other people's treats are always better), oh and not too mention my nonchalance, Wibble was able to spend as much time as he wanted near or away from the water. He did so well.

08/30/2024

One of my favorite sights

08/23/2024

Doing the things with all the dogs.
Honing skills, building connections, and learning about different breeds.

Pink is a lovely Malinois who isn't *too* familiar with me (she's only been a houseguest one before). We learned about heeling, leash slides, and eye contact in the presence of pressure (the cookie hand) in preparation for zen work.

Her mom is lovely and is doing lots with her including competition obedience, dock diving, tricks, and more!

08/16/2024

✨️WINNER WINNER✨️
wrld ! Please DM me on Instagram or Facebook to get your enrollment information!

Thanks everyone for playing and sharing!