Griffin is smart enough and active enough that I have been giving him puzzles, toys, and “scavenger hunts” each day before I leave the house. Tonight I didn’t set anything up. After all, we had been to an hour long agility training class, and I was only gone for a short time! Guess I was wrong…

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In memory of

Kalee Laika Hiskey

1996-2010

and all of the great dogs who came and went before her

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Several months ago I was looking for a new activity to do with my 14 year old, deaf dog with hip dysplasia. So we started dancing!

The sport of Canine Freestyle is great because we can move at Kalee’s pace and do moves on the flat. Quite honestly, her recent deafness is the biggest challenge since you aren’t supposed to use hand signals when competing. We aren’t at the competition level – yet – but I’ll contact the World Canine Freestyle Organization to check on rules for deaf dogs before we get there.

I’ll let you know what they say!

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We are constantly wishing our dogs would quit doing this or that – quit jumping up, quit running away, quit getting in the trash. But I have found that if you can focus on your dog’s strengths, the bad behavior diminishes. Take for example Ricochet – the service dog in training…

My proudest example is Kalee. When we adopted her at four years old, she was always in the trash and jumping the fence to explore the neighborhood on her own. It took my friend Kathy pointing out that if she likes to jump and run, we should try dog agility. Kathy was right. Not only did Kalee stop jumping the fence and getting into things around the house, but agility training led me down a long path (10+ years) of dog sports, and the added benefit of a very well mannered dog who listens and loves nothing more than waiting for my next request.

Troubles with your dog? Look for what your dog does well, and capitalize on that!

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