Since Tajji’s last class, we’ve been working her frequently and most particularly on voluntary head-turns, as requested by Sandy Pensinger, our trainer. You simply start rewarding any turn of the head towards you, no matter how feeble, under very low-distraction … Continue reading
Dave Trowbridge
I suppose everyone has had the experience of looking into an animal’s eyes and wondering what thoughts were passing through its mind, or how it was experiencing the moment. When learning to train an animal, the wonder becomes tinged with … Continue reading
I find it poignant to look into the eyes of an adopted dog or cat. Always, I wonder, what was its former life like? Who loved it? Who didn’t? How did it come to me? Temps perdu! There’s no magic … Continue reading
With her retirement, Tajji’s life got a lot wider. Since she’s no longer a working dog, we’re able to allow her many more choices about what she does and does not want to do. Yesterday I walked Tajji down to … Continue reading
“Rulers should always avoid giving commands…for commands, being direct and verbal, always bring to the subject’s mind the possibility of doing the opposite. But since rituals are non-verbal, they have no contraries. They can therefore be used to produce harmony … Continue reading
When we began looking into ways to rehabilitate Tajji, at least one source noted a tendency for a dog to backslide for “three to seven days” in the relatively complex training required. Two weeks ago we noted something like this … Continue reading
We are all mask-makers. Fear teaches us the art, And time holds them up for us to dance among, Changing our faces To face other gazes. In saints and bodhisattvas They disappear. Some masks are Gauzy, Thin. But more … Continue reading
We’ve now had Tajji for almost three weeks and have a pretty solid sense of the challenges we’ll be facing while re-socializing her. As I noted in my first blog post about her, she’s “hyper-vigilant:” aware of and alert to … Continue reading
The scent of blackberry sage tea Like a whisper unheard Steals through the house Borne on cool spring invading through opened windows: Plum blossoms, mold and forest, the fresh tea-like woodiness of redwoods. In a moment The space these … Continue reading
We’re nearing the two-week mark with Tajji, the retired seeing-eye dog we’ve adopted. That’s an observational milestone; next week we’ll report to our trainer and decide with her on a course of action for teaching Tajji how to be just … Continue reading