Finding Balance Dog Training

Over the weekend I entered Basha and Legend in our second AKC hunt test together. Basha passed both junior tests and earned her JH!

Legend, the goodest boy, also passed both senior tests. He already has his MH, but it feels as though we earned *our* SH together by passing these 4 senior tests as a team.

I would love for the 3 of us to be ready to enter SH and MH tests together this time next year. We will be training hard to get there!

These rad photos were taken by at one of the many days we’ve spent at Denverton doin the birdy things with our retrievers 🦆

Tove did a board and train with me a few months ago. When we began training together she struggled immensely with arousal and impulse control. She could not be trusted off leash due to her social exuberance and prey drive but also wasn’t able walk calmly on leash without darting every which way. Tove was so wildly over stimulated around toys that even the sight of a tennis ball across the field would immediately send her into over arousal. She would then have trouble settling the rest of the day and as a result, playing fetch at the park was not an enjoyable experience for her owner.

While Tove may look like a Chesapeake, she has the intensity and motivation of a working line Malinois in bird dog form…which makes for a very fun sport dog but a far cry from the easygoing labrador retrievers that she lives with. We worked hard to teach this drivey lady how to *find chill* in the house and on leashed walks, but also how to remain level headed when working for toys so that we could give her more freedom through fun and fulfilling outlets. Tove’s family has done an amazing job at keeping up with training in the months that have passed since her board and train. Now that she has a solid recall she has the privilege of hiking off leash, playing retrieve games at the local field, or swimming each day.

We are continuing private lessons to focus on the fun stuff like advanced obedience, dock diving and detection sport so that she can live an even more fulfilled life! I’m so happy for Tove and her family…I hope to see them a nosework trial some day!

The last couple months have been a whole lot of cuddling on the couch and spending quality time with Leroy. I’m not sure exactly what is wrong with him, if he will get better or how much time we have left together.

My life has been on a bit of a stand still since the day Leroy suddenly lost cognitive function in July. It was quite heartbreaking to see him unexpectedly fall apart after such a long recovery this last year from two TPLO surgeries - I wanted nothing more than for him to be comfortable in his final years only to watch him deteriorate two weeks after healing. We didn’t know if he had a stroke, vestibular disease, a brain tumor, dementia…the onset was so sudden and his lab work came back normal. There were days he couldn’t walk or get up on his own, others where he was constantly circling and pacing. Some days he needed appetite stimulants to eat, and others he couldn’t hold down his food if he did eat. He lost 10% of his body weight in 6 weeks.

In one of Leroy’s countless recent veterinary visits, I was told that “if he doesn’t have an inner ear infection, he has a brain tumor”. I held my breath during his ear exam - and felt a huge wave of relief in discovering that he does in fact have a ruptured ear drum and an inner ear infection. I’ve been cautiously optimistic ever since, and at this point we are waiting to see if this long round of antibiotics helps him get back to his normal self. Deep inner ear infections can put a lot of pressure on the cranial nerve and cause all of the vestibular symptoms that he is experiencing.

Needless to say, it’s been a difficult time waiting this out to see if he can make a recovery, and I’ve been a bit quiet on here as a result. Navigating that fine line between doing all you can and more for your best friend while trying your best to always selflessly prioritize their quality of life amidst the guilt of it all is my least favorite place to be.

All that I can really do at this time is reflect on the 11 incredible years we’ve had together and cherish each day we share. I’ve been so lucky to have this unicorn by my side all this time, and I’m hoping to be lucky enough to see him feel better. Love you, Leroy 💔