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Hunting in the Right Places

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Sammy and Zorro both like to hunt.  It's what they're bred to do, and they're both fairly good at it. Zorro has quite an impressive nose, and Sammy has both the speed and stamina to keep up the chase for miles.  Unfortunately for them, neither is actually a hunting dog by trade, and unfortunately for me, their definition of "hunting" is fairly loose. For example, I don't personally feel that the kitchen trash can is the best place for Zorro to follow his nose, but Zorro would tell you that every time he's "hunted" there, he's found some plentiful and delicious game. Location, location, location. Likewise, I frequently remind Samantha that chasing my nephew's go-kart is not a good reason to run through her electric fence, and the barn cats probably don't want to play tag either.  She chases the vacuum cleaner, too, but don't get me started.  We're all driven and gifted in unique ways, but context is important. Like Zorro, I als...
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Zorro is and isn't my dog.

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Zorro is not my dog. I mean, he does live in a house with my husband and I, we pay for his food and medicine, and we feed him every day.  I take him for walks, buy him special treats, and even hold the flashlight while my EMS-trained husband cleans the crud out of his hound-ears.  So, he is my dog, but he's not really my dog. Zorro is and is not my dog in the same way that Heath never was but always will be my horse. I used to work on a big farm that raised Standardbred racehorses.  I first met Heath when he was about 6 months old.  He was out in a 50 acre pasture with his mom and several other mares and foals.   After he was weaned, he lived in that first stall off the main aisle, and I was one of the first to brush him, teach him to lead, and pick up his feet.  He was very shy, hard to catch, and had a fear of hay being thrown into his stall.  I watched him play in the paddock, studied his build and gait, and even memorized the number freeze-bra...
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Specific, Persistent, Assertive

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 Samantha is afraid of the rain.  Yeah, I know a lot of dogs are afraid of storms and thunder and lightning, but Sammy's fears go a lot further than that.  It's understandable when you consider her history.  She came to the shelter after someone found her tied behind a trailer, forgotten and emaciated. She was three years old. I knew her story when we brought her home, but I didn't really understand what that would mean going forward.  See, things like that don't just go away.  Entering into a loving future didn't "fix" her right away.  She had to learn how things worked in the present, and I had to learn how things had worked in the past. We didn't have a fenced in yard.  Our house was a rental, so we couldn't build a fence either.  I tried to tether Sammy to a tree, but being tied completely shut her down.  Even if I sat out with her in my lawn chair, she would just sit and quiver with frightened eyes until I brought her back in. ...
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Plans and Boundaries

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 When we first adopted Samantha, we talked it out, got on the same page, and decided what kind of dog owners we were going to be.  We weren't going to be the type who referred to their dog like it was their child, and she wouldn't be allowed on any of the furniture because of my allergies.  It was a long drive back from the shelter, and I remember looking in the back seat at that little ribby dog and wondering "what have we done?  I don't know anything about dogs!" I had to work that weekend, but my husband was off.  That's why we picked a Saturday.  My "weekend" was Monday, Tuesday, so someone would be home all day with the new dog for the first four days. So I went to work, and within the first few hours my husband sent me a pic with the message, "What do I do?" That silly little dog had curled up on the couch.  "Well, push her off and tell her no!" I said. "But... she's cute..." "Well, I guess she's allow...
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No Longer an "Only Dog"

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According to their descriptions on PetFinder, both my dogs would prefer to be the only dog in the home. Sammy was for four and a half years.  And it worked.  She wasn't always the best around other dogs. She didn't get along my my inlaw's old blue healer, but she loved their big husky puppy.  Probably because she could boss him around.   There were a few dogs at the dog park that Sammy loved, and there were a few that didn't love her.  She just wanted to run... and run and run and run.  That little border collie was one of the few that could keep up with her little Whippet legs, and most of the rest just tried to sit it out. But, Sammy is persistent.  She'd get in their faces and bark and bark and bark trying to convince someone to come run with her.  This was not an effective strategy for making friends.  Some would cower and tremble, others would get pushed to the edge and snap at her. Zorro also had a reputation of only getting along ...
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