Greetings readers! Just a quick how do ya do, and Happy New Years wishes for one and all.

First the big news...

Maine Today is expanding the pet section and today is the first day of the official soft launch. A Dog's Life has finally got a home, and we now live at the brand spanking new Maine Pets section.

Click here to be taken to our brand new not quite ready for prime time but still really cool Maine Pets site.

I find this a bit ironic, because way back when my blog was pitched to Maine Today, it almost didn't get off the ground. Reason? They had no place to put a dog blog.

Now the very same powers that be have given me a home, and finally decided to pay me a paltry fee, with the chance of more mula if the new web site takes off.
What does that mean for you? That means you all should click over here a lot and forward my blogs to all your family and friends. No cutting and pasting you hear? These things are tracked!

I am going to try and write more in depth training articles mixed in as always with the usual fluff. I plan on keeping the blog focus on training and Maine. There are enough doggie blogs out there covering everything else.

To get ready for this new move, Charlee and Finney and I had to truck down to the Portland Press Herald office last month, and have official photos taken. I am happy that the chosen image includes both of my dogs, while not including the few extra chins that seem to be making more and more appearances in any photograph that I take. Poor sweet Finney took an instant dislike to the white photo paper that we had to stand on. Notice those, big tall prick ears of his are seen firmly plastered to his head. By the way, dogs whose ears have that wind swept look, like Finney's do in the picture, are exhibiting appeasement. His ears seem to be saying..."well ok, but, are you sure, this is scary." I see both of my dogs looking a little stressed in the picture, but really who could blame them. It was a teeny room and I expected a lot of them. I am just glad that Finney made the final cut, because I didn't make him stay on the paper for more than about 30 seconds.

After the scary white paper incident at the photo shoot, I nearly canceled agility lessons with Anne and I had just about convinced myself that agility was not and would never be Finn's forte. I am sure glad that I did not. Finn is a very nice jumper, and he has been smokin'. Even with my poor handling skills, we have been running courses after only a few classes. Seriously, agility is a complicated sport and it does NOT come naturally to me. When I flounder to run and train at the same time, I think it gives me a glimpse as to how new dog owners must feel. Keeps me humble!

No one was more surprised than me when we got to class and started running courses. Finn and I needed to establish lots of trust between us and I think all the ground work has really started to pay off. A sharp contrast from last winter when he was all legs and nerves. I pulled him after a few sessions and ran Charlee instead.
He did so well in agility in fact, that I then nearly pulled him from his upcoming training class. All three of my kids are sharing the dog in an intro to clicker training class with my friend Jenny Yasi.
Again---glad I didn't pull him! Dogs really can work for different handlers if you keep it positive and fun. It is a great learning experience for my kids and has really helped with that ever important human/canine bond.

This is the first time, by the way, that I have let my kids use a clicker. You should see me in their class as I force my control freak self to bite my tongue and let Yasi work her magic with them. It is imposible for me not to say something, but I am working hard on that.

I tell you my heart was bursting watching Finney work with them. He made all three of my kids feel that he loved them best, and that they were the only people on this earth when it was their respective turns, as you can see from Yasi's video of my 6 year old.

What a great (future kid's freestyle) dog!

Click treats all around.

I'm nursing a colorful bruise on my inner upper arm, where Finney, my 1 1/2 year old Smooth Collie nipped me hard, right after a wild karaoke induced romp in the living room. My two daughters and I had been singing (if you could call it that), dancing and rocking out to the Oxygen Channel Karaoke On Demand. Charlee loves to dance with us, and she was busting some serious moves. We got Sadie all hyped up and all the excitement must have put Finney into herding dog overload.

When Joan Jett's I love Rock and Roll ended, no sooner had I sat down on the couch than I felt a sharp nip on my arm. I screeched, pushed him away, and yelled at him to get out of the room. He got out all right---got out and stayed out.
How I wish I hadn't yelled at him!

Mr. Sensitive Collie Man relegated himself to a crate. It took several hours to get my Finney back and I am not yet sure of the lasting impression I made on the dog by overreacting to his over the top play. Even the power of cheese was no match for the trust I broke. He spent hours "hang dogging" just out my reach, looking all withdrawn and depressed.

Recently the discussion of hard and soft temperaments has been coming up in my group classes. I happen to have prime examples of both types living in my house. Charlee is the hard dog, and Finney is a classic example of a very soft dog. Make that mushy. For those of you that don't know, soft dogs are wonderful. They are super sensitive, and intuitive. They are usually a dream to teach to walk well on a loose leash and make super sweet pets. But the flip side may be a dog that is so sensitive, they may overreact to life's little challenges, and really be crushed by as much as a raised voice, or even a sharp look. Soft dogs may even get upset when you are upset for reasons that have nothing to do with the dog.
Generally soft dogs are very pressure sensitive and do not do well with any sort of corrections, but thrive with positive motivational training. Soft dogs have been know to shut down when asked to perform complex tasks. Collies fell out of favor as competition dogs many years ago because they didn't do well with harsh physical correction (aversive) training, but the breed is becoming more and more popular as they thrive with positive only training methods.

One of the challenges of living with the herding breeds, is that may nip when they get over stimulated. This is a big reason that many herding breeds do not do well in households with children. In Finn's case, there was nothing malicious about what he did. He had a momentary lapse into being the dog he was bred to be. If nipping continues I will view it more seriously, but for now I view it all as my fault. I should have managed him better, and most of all I should have tempered my anger. It is easy to get angry at dogs when they cross what we humans perceive as "the line." I can tell you now it doesn't do humans or dogs any good. No good at all.

If I had reacted exactly the same way with Charlee, she would have offered a dog apology with appeasement behaviors and then we would have made up within seconds. It is challenging for me to live with and train two dogs on complete opposite ends of the temperament spectrum, but Finn has taught me a lesson this weekend that I shall never forgot. Finney is back to being my buddy and I am back to treating him with kid gloves.
For now I am going to try to cut myself some slack.
To err is human, to forgive canine.

Doesn't he look sad with his Yoda ears on?

Read more on soft and hard dogs next month when A Dog's Life moves to the new pet section on MaineToday.com
Mainepets.com..coming soon!

Saturday marked Skyline Farm's first and hopefully annual Dog Day. With me was Charlee, Finney and my 10 year old daughter, who by the way is today's guest photographer.

My Freestyle demo to the song Locomotion at 12:30 was more than a bit sketchy in parts, but considering that Charlee has been out of work since mid July with a neck injury, and a badly cut ped,

she was more focused than I probably deserved. It was a lesson for fellow trainer Jenny Yasi and I on how to work our dogs under less than perfect conditions.

The very small ring was surrounded by dogs in very close proximity (always a challenge for my reactive dog) , and there were tons of treats littered on the ground where training sessions had been going on throughout the morning. Oh and did I mention the two horses that were ridden through the field that set off all the dogs barking mid way through my performance? Charlee kept her cool, but she was far from her peak. Me, I just had to laugh. What else could I do?

Recently I have begun to look at my Smooth Collie Finney in a new light. Some of you may know that I never thought the dog was very bright. Ok, I admit it, we all called him Forest Gump. Well I would like to amend that and offer a public apology to Finney. It was Jenny Yasi who pointed out to me that Finney is very much like a chemistry professor. He is methodical and maybe even a bit odd, but

there are lots of smarts under the nerdy exterior. Finney got his first 15 seconds of fame in the demo ring yesterday, where he was surprisingly flawless in a very short "How to get started in Freestyle demo". He breezed through target heeling, and several types of spins, and he even managed a bow at the end while offering total attention the entire time. Good boy Finney! Until very recently I didn't see him as a Freestyle prospect, but he is a gorgeous mover and his happy springy step makes him look like he is floating above the ground. Of course he is a much slower thinker than Charlee but I am (slowly) learning to adjust to that. He has a calm and cool disposition and is a very likable dog both with people and other dogs. Finn started his life with me very fearful, but we seem to have worked through most of that.
My dogs are like the tortoise and the hare and we all know that slow and steady won that race.

There were quite a few dogs who got to try agility for the very first time and I think a new crop of agility fanatics was born yesterday at Starline Farm.

Cudo's to Diana Logan CPDT for putting it all together.

H. Smith photos

Finn catches early morning rays On Peaks Island

Just a few miles by boat from down town Portland, Peaks Island is a treasure and very dog friendly!
I am forever grateful to friend and fellow dog trainer Jenny Yasi for
setting up our Training and Freestyle demo, and inviting, me, my three kids and both dogs to stay in her wonderful home and training facility for the weekend. We all had a fantastic time and I got a much needed mini vacation.

This was our second training collaboration, and Yasi and I will be getting together for lots more events in the future. The Common Hound Fair was a hoot by the way, and the competition was fierce with a total of 29 dogs vying for top honors in classes like: Sleekest, best tail, best wag, best trick, most obedient, tallest, shortest, longest ears...well you get the picture. Yasi was kind enough to donate training classes to the least obedient dog. It was a tie by the way and both "winners" got certificates good towards future training from her. I just love that idea and I will be stealing it...I mean borrowing it, soon.

We do have a big announcement to make. I will be partnering with Yasi to expand her summer camp, The Whole Dog Camp, a clicker camp for kids on the island, starting next summer. I am very excited about this new venture and there will be more info coming soon.

My dogs Charlee and Finney had very different views of the island as they are very different dogs. If you have a laid back unflappable dog like Finn then a day trip with your dog to Peaks is a must. If your dog doesn't enjoy crowds and people and dogs in their faces, then there are better beaches for you. Either way Peaks is a great day trip with or without your dog.

Oh and speaking of laid back unflappable Mr Finney, lets have three cheers for "Peaks Fest Best In Show 07"! He was "handled (term used loosely) by my 9 year old and he was a real trooper tolerating her skills -- or lack there of.
Mid way through the dog show, two terriers got in a brief tiff right on his front feet and he didn't even budge. Good boy Finney!!! Finney is a great looking dog, and a wonderful mover, with a super sweet temperament. But I suppose it was

the matching red white and blue tiaras that swayed the judges.

Notice that we are abiding by the leash law, although many people don't.

A very tired dog listens to reggae just outside Jone's Landing.
In case you didn't know, Peaks Island has a Reggae fest every Sunday during the summer.

Thanks again Jenny and family!!!

Finn has a boo boo on his toe and he can't run for at least another month while the nail grows back.

He can only go for short leash walks.

Finney loves to walk the kids home from school.

Finn has been getting into a few things that he shouldn't lately due in large part to his lack of exercise.

Check out the site that I beheld when I entered my dining room.

I had my camera handy and took his picture before I realized that he was stuck and not getting enough oxygen.

Don't try this at home kids!

While I was visiting my parents in Florida,

Emmet, Finn, and Riley

Finney vacationed at littermates Emmett's and distant cuz Riley's house where he was on the receiving end of incredible hospitality from Allison and Ted.

Finn got there just in time for a major storm

If dogs can have God parents, Allison and Ted are surely Finney's, even down to the part about if anything was to happen to me and I could no longer care for him, they would take him into their home in a heartbeat. If it wasn't for Allison and Ted, Finney wouldn't even be our dog. They bought him for us last summer on barter for training.

Best barter ever no?

Littermate Keyna came over for a birthday party, complete with goodie bags and doggie cake.
Riley, Keyna, Finnegan, and Emmet

Looks like he had himself a nice vacation doesn't it?

Charlee was at my sister's house with her golden cousins Belmont and Tess. They got two off leash runs in a huge field every day and many trips in the car. Linda reported that Charlee was the first on the bed at night and the last off in the morning. She also reported that Charlee had lightning fast recalls and was a perfect house guest...until her last day. Linda claims Charlee knew she was leaving and waited until the very last day to take off in the field to lick a barbeque grill clean at a church parking lot, and stole half a loaf of bread off the counter. That's my girl!

And for those of you wondering what happened to Brewster, he went home and is back and doing really well, and very very hungry. Go figure!

A huge thank you to Allison (and of course Ted) for taking such great care of Finn and for these wonderful pictures.

Just got finished cramming for agility class tomorrow morning. Here is a picture of Finn doing what does NOT come naturally to him. Walking on weird ground. Collies have a reputation for being cautious and I can surely attest to that!
Here I took my son's skateboards with the wheels removed, and placed them all over the floor, along with some wood and plastic things I had handy. If he steps on the end, the board raises and bangs back down. The goal is to make him comfortable on varied surfaces that may shake rattle and roll, and ultimately make him at home on the contact obstacles - the dog walk, see-saw and A-frame.

We have been playing for weeks on a Buja (tippy) board and Finney took longer than any other dog I ever met to get used to it, and even now, he is not that great at it. Finney is still unsure of what exactly it is that I want him to do.

To get any where in agility, Finney will need to gain a lot of trust in me and get tons and tons of rewards for putting his feet on anything and everything.
If he washes out in agility, that is ok, he is still a great boy. Plus, time spent training now will make him a braver collie of the future. Our summer plans include teaching him to pull a cart.

All in all, tonight's session went really well and finally Finney is offering behaviors instead of me eliciting them from him all the time.
It can be hard for me to switch training gears from Charlee who does things in super fast hyper drive, to MR. Careful Finn. Picture the Tortoise and the Hare.
Slow and steady won that race right?

When I took 5 month old Finney home this summer, I had been looking for ages for a young dog that fit a HUGE criteria.

Here is the short list.

-Good with kids
-Good in crowds
-GREAT dog skills
-Lower in pack order to never challenge Charlee
-Trainable in a multitude of dog areas such as obedience, agility, and freestyle

All these were important, but what I really needed was a STABLE dog. A dog that I could use to help problem dogs. For a great number of private training that I do, I need a calm dog. I needed a non reactive dog for a multitude of training opportunities to help other people teach their dogs that an approaching dog was not scary and didn't need to be lunged and snarled at. I needed a dog who could instantly calm my clients and their dogs and help leash aggressive and reactive dogs accept a new dog while teaching their owners how to accomplish this.

I talked to a LOT of people in search of my new dog. Several trainers recommend that I get a retired show dog, with tons of socialization under it's belt, and I looked into that. But as is often the case with dogs who are meant to be, Finney found me.

And the big news is that today at only 9 months Finney has fulfilled his destiny and then some! I took him on his very first assignment, to see an Aussie mix rescue that I had met with once already. My new puppy was calm as a cucumber. So calm in fact, that the other dog forgot he was there and got down to work,and stopped worrying about us. The Aussie is far from cured, but his owners made huge strides today in understanding how to continue helping their dog.

I was bursting with pride.

Update-if that isn't great enough, Finney has spent the last 24 hours entertaining "Rose" (not her real name), who is here so her care taker can get a break. You will read more about "Rose" in the future. She is a 10 month old Doodle belonging to a local hospital and her job is to help kids!
The hospital has asked for anonymity.
Charlee loves that the young dogs leave her alone and is more than happy to let Finn have both of those jobs.