I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Linda Clavette Quigley who paints wonderful Pet Portraits right here on our own Mount Desert Island!! I encourage you to check out her website at  lindaspetportraitsandmore.com Enjoy!Tracy  

When Simon and I headed out to walk yesterday morning the temperature was clinging to the ten degree mark - one certainly does not think it a good day for swimming. Simon, on the other hand, thought it a marvelous day for a plunge into the refreshing waters of the stream we were passing. Thinking he was going down to have a sniff, I let him continue down the bank to the sides of the stream. On his return I noted a dampness about him, ah, yes my little fella had gone for the Labrador plunge, and then a zesty slither through the snow! What could be better if you happen to be a dog that was bred to plunge into the icy waters off Canada.  It was a wonderful morning for a walk and today was as well. Keeping a brisk pace kept me warm and so I was delighted to watch Simon explore smells, hop about and practice our off-leash recalls. We also like to play hide-n-seek and he finds me every time! I actually must be quite sneaky if I am to successfully hide at all, which is great as it shows me that the time we have spent on developing focus is paying off. I love having a dog that, when walking off leash, likes to keep tabs on where I am and frequently checks in with me - critical skills to have if we are to one day compete in agility trials. 

An absolute glorious morning walk along the ocean this morning. The sun shining, the waves breaking and lots of great smells for Simon. He was going wild smelling like mad - we passed a nice fresh batch of coyote scat, lots of tracks and then Simon discovered a coyote carcass underneath some low conifer branches. I had noticed the raised hair along Simon’s back, so went over to see what had triggered this, and there lying on the ground was the body of a coyote. Interestingly, as we looped back past the carcass, Simon did not even glance in its direction. Which started me thinking about how our dog’s percieve death- too much to write about this evening. I also wondered what Simon learned from that carcass, suspecting that he knew a great deal more about that animal than I did. I suspect some of these thoughts have grown out of the wonderful book I have been reading - Minding Animals: Awareness, Emotions and Heart by Marc Bekoff. I highly recommend it. Read the rest of this entry »

We had a beautiful new layer of snow fell over the evening and it was absolutely stunning on our walk this morning. Simon headed out to one of our favorite places to walk - a place where it is ok for him to be off leash and to run and roll in the snow to his heart’s delight. Yet, soon after heading out I spotted a coyote crossing the pond below us. I decided to clip Simon’s leash on, pretty sure that when he caught the scent of the coyote he might want to investigate a bit closer than I was comfortable with! The coyote crossed the pond, and started up the slope opposite of where Simon and I were walking. She/he looked back at us and paused a number of times. We, in turn, did the same. The coyote spent a bit of time with her/his snout in the snow and then she/he settled down in a sitting position facing back across the pond towards us. I’m not sure if the coyote was waiting for another to join her/him, checking out Simon and I a bit longer, waiting for a small mammal to betray itself under the fresh layer of snow or just enjoying the day. I decided to keep Simon on his leash and we continued on our way. As I predicted, when we got to the place where the coyote had crossed our path, Simon caught the scent and went wild with interest. Meanwhile the coyote sat and observed. When we looped back, the coyote was no longer sitting in the field. I am so grateful to live in a place where I see wild animals and today’s sighting was enhanced by the mist rising off the ice covered pond, the fresh snow cover, the trees laden with snow, the quiet, the sun just starting to shine and being with Simon.  Read the rest of this entry »

Our time out this morning was beautific! Simon’s Nonni came with us making it an extra special day. There was a nice fresh cover of snow, and some new smells for Simon. He got to romp about off lead and did a great job at returning when asked. A few games of hide-n-seek are always a good compliment to the walk, and a great way to reinforce ‘focus’.  We played ‘go get Nonni’ and ‘go get mommy’ and boy oh, boy did Simon spin with glee when he got to us. It is such fun when we humans remember that all of training can be a game for our dogs and usually we all benefit from the levity that comes with the game approach. Think of how you currently ask for a ‘come’ and notice the qualities of your voice and your body posture. Now, try to re-imagine it as if ‘come’ is the most fun game on the planet and notice how different your voice and body posture are. Have fun with your dogs today and give them an extra cuddle for allowing you to experience the lighter side of life!

Just finished reading a friend’s blog and am going to try to make a promise to myself to be a bit more diligent in posting. This has been a glorious week of snow, wind and mother nature making herself well-known. Fortunately, this has not deterred Simon and I from enjoying our morning walks.The last two mornings we walked along the ocean - the waves were truly impressive and the sun provided some warmth to offset temperatures in the low teens. Simon seems oblivious to the cold and pounces into the snow with paws and snout seeking out any small mammal lurking beneath. There was extra excitement as following the multitude of deer tracks finally led to a sighting. All the snow makes it hard for the deer to move about, but this one seemed as graceful as ever. Our training focus has been well - focus! Simon is progressing well and our working relationship is deepening. Yesterday during agility class he did not get the ‘zoomies’ and he kept checking in with me to find out what game we would play next. He is learning that I can be fun and that he gets to play more if he hangs out with me! 

Simon and I walked with Larry today. Weekends are nice as Larry usually does not have time before work to join us. The morning already had a warmness about it that made us think it will be a rather hot, humid day. OK, after the unseasonably cool August weather we have been having. Simon had a blast running through the woods and leaping up into the air. He is quite proficient in the classic “four foot stab”. We met a nice man out jogging and Simon was able to display polite greeting behavior… well he only lept into the air once and did not jump on the man : ) Tempering Simon’s joy at meeting all walks of life has been quite a process. It is nice to see he is learning to practice self-control! Wonderfull recall back to me!

Welcome to Peaceful Pack’s blog. It is my hope to post training tips, general dog information and musings about life on the Maine coast.
See you soon, Tracy & Simon