If you live anywhere in Northern New Mexico, and if you are involved in animal welfare in any way, shape, or form, then you've probably heard of The Edgewood 48. This being the Southwest, that sounds like the title of an old Clint Eastwood movie, but I digress...

In early April, a group of forty-eight dogs from an alleged animal hoarding case were seized as evidence and transported to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society. The shelter's intake facility and adoption building were already busting at the seams with stray, transferred, and owner surrendered dogs, cats, bunnies, and other critters waiting for their second chance at a forever home. Due to the lack of accommodations, the dogs currently in the intake facility were temporarily transferred out to local boarding establishments to make room for the hoarding case dogs. Felicity is not one of The Edgewood 48 - she is a stray, she is an American Pit Bull Terrier, and she is black.

Santa Fe Tails Dog Academy, Daycare & Resort is a local enterprise, well-known for their training classes, doggy daycare and boarding services. Dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes love their time at Tails, as it is affectionately called by the dog's guardians* (I try to refrain from using the term "owner"). From the early days of opening their business, Santa Fe Tails has aspired to give back to their community and in doing so, has been a staunch supporter of the local shelter. From implementing the Tails Taxi service which transports shelter dogs to and from the daycare for some much needed change of scenery and socialization time, to sponsoring activities and events such as the Barkin' Ball and Paws for a Cause, Santa Fe Tails walks the talk and wags their tails on behalf of the dogs of Santa Fe..

Unbeknownst to most Santa Feans, Santa Fe Tails opened their boarding kennel doors to over 30 dogs from the shelter in order to make room for The Edgewood 48. After assessing their affability with the "regular" day care attendees, the shelter dogs were made welcome and they began to acclimate to their new, temporary digs, For how long their stay would be, only goD knows. Felicity was one of those such dogs. I was unaware that Tails had so many additional dogs in their care, and by the time I contacted them to see if they needed any dog walking help, all but four of the shelter dogs had returned to the shelter at Caja Del Rio.

Sweet Felicity. As I approached her kennel, I could hear soft whimpering and tap dancing from behind her metal door in anticipation of attention and human contact. I'd never met Felicity. I knew nothing about her other than she was a "shelter dog". I slowly opened the kennel door a few inches, and as she nudged her face through the crack, I slipped a harness over her head and snapped the buckle underneath her girth. Suffice it to say, there wasn't much of a girth to snap a harness buckle under...However, what she lacked in weight, she made up for in enthusiasm. It wasn't easy adjusting the harness of a dog doing her best impression of the spin cycle on a washing machine. When I knelt at her eye level, I realized that the width of her big ole head obscured the rest of her body. Sadly, it was impossible to not notice how thin she was and that she'd probably had a litter of puppies not all that long ago. Sigh...

The old adage, "strong like bull" certainly applies to Felicity - and any dog for that matter - when the opposition reflex kicks in. Even with the leash clipped to her Easy Walk harness and to the ring on her collar, she was like a locomotive on a mission. Serendipitously, after taking three right-hand turns from the Santa Fe Tails parking lot, we were on the Rail Trail. And then everything changed.

Felicity became really quiet, her body motionless yet somehow still in motion. Her periscope-like head scanning every possible visual; her forehead showing more wrinkles and creases as she enveloped the packets of information sent to her on the wind. She held her ears both back and upward at the same time as if she could ice cream scoop the flavorable sounds right out of the air. I began to wonder if things were looking and smelling familiar to her - could she have come from this area or someplace similar? Was she getting her bearings? When we would move forward, it was with purpose. When she would stop, it too was with purpose. I didn't care how long it took; this wasn't about stellar leash walking skills. This was her walk and it could be whatever she wanted it to be. I talked quietly to her, telling her what a good girl she was while she chowed down on blades of early spring green grass as if they were individual slices of filet mignon. She reminded me of the ubiquitous cow in a Gary Larson cartoon - when her head was up, she was scanning the horizon; when her head was down, she was eating grass. I knew that the grass would inevitably pass from either one end or the other when she returned to her kennel, but for now I was content watching her enjoy the tasty tendrils; so was she.

I noticed that a man was heading our way, so I made kissy noises and moved her several feet off the trail where she was happy to watch the man approach, snatch a blade of grass and intermittently sniff the air. The man was wearing a heavy military-style coat, a baseball cap, and had a large backpack over his shoulder. He was moving at a relatively fast pace, so not knowing much at all about how Felicity would respond to a) a man, b) a man wearing a baseball cap, c) a man wearing a baseball cap and a backpack and d) a man wearing a baseball cap, a backpack and moving fast, I chose to feed her yummy treats (I probably could have used grass, poor thing...) and mark her calm behavior with an enthusiastic "Yes!" as the man got closer. She did fantastic! I was thrilled! I briefly glanced at the man during my rapid-fire treat fest, half expecting an appreciative acknowledgement; a raised eyebrow; the slightest of smiles - something. Wishful thinking on my part... As he passed by and lowered his gaze first on Felicity and then on me, I felt as if I were in a slow motion scene from The Matrix - you know the one; the shootout between Neo and Agent Smith. I was so stunned by the look on his face that I almost forgot what I was doing. Not a word passed his lips but his face said it all. Disdain? Disgust? Contempt? Antipathy? Hatred? Fear? Pretty presumptuous on my part for sure, that I could derive what was going on in this stranger's head from a split second of eye contact. As a professional dog trainer, heading down that slippery slope goes against everything I've learned about the practice of behavior analysis. And yet there I was getting sucked into that proverbial vortex of labeling, making assumptions and anthropomorphizing. Yikes...

I literally took in a humongous deep breath as he passed, and in a louder than necessary voice declared, "YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD GIRL!!! YAY! GoOOoOOD GIRL, FELICITY!" Of course I got a look from Felicity as if saying, "Um...you alright lady?" We simultaneously looked in the direction of the man, as we both heard him mutter something. Probably not a compliment, but who knows? We took our leave and shortly thereafter, we encountered a runner on the trail. Again, we moved off the pathway and so did the runner - in a BIG way. There was a wide enough birth for a circus to pass between us, but this time instead of eye daggers being shot our way, we got a breathy, "Thank you! Good job!" which of course prompted another round of, "YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD GIRL!!! YAY! GoOOoOOD GIRL, FELICITY!" from me. We simultaneously looked in the direction of the woman, as we both heard a giggle. Probably was a compliment, but who knows?

I don't know what will become of Felicity. I won't know until the morning if she is still at Santa Fe Tails. Joey spoke of reminding the shelter that she was still housed at their facility; not that he was complaining. But there's that elephant in the room or in this case, black pit bull in the room that is out of sight/out of mind. She's doing well at Tails and is a favorite among the staff for her sweet personality and wiggle butt ways. Above and beyond what the staff and owners of Santa Fe Tails are giving her, and the once a week outings with me, she's not being seen by potential adopters and given the chance to maybe, just maybe, have that shot at a forever home, Along with hundreds if not thousands of American Pit Bull Terrier and pit mixes, Felicity faces a daily uphill battle against breed specific discrimination and the simple fact that she is black. Ridiculous, I know, but unfortunately there is such a thing as black dog syndrome (more on that topic in an upcoming blog post). I think of her every time that I look at my stocky, purebred black Labrador whom I was told by the breeder was hard to sell - black and a female. Huh? Damn, we are a messed up society sometimes...

I saw a post by a professional dog trainer on Facebook last week, stating that it bothered her when she heard people say that all a dog needs is love. Putting it in context, she was referring to comments made about dogs in shelters - that if somehow we would all just provide love to shelter dogs, it would break them free from the confines of their kennel and they might then live happily ever after in a forever home. I wish it were that simple, and yet it is. I can relate to her frustration; it takes a lot more than "just love" to provide for everything a dog needs and deserves. Whew...don't get me started...I certainly do not look at Felicity's fate through rose colored glasses, thinking that love alone will wipe away all that she faces, but I've got to start somewhere. Felicity is an English feminine given name meaning "happiness". It is derived from the Latin word felicitas meaning "luck, good fortune". I wonder if the shelter person assigning a name to the sweet black pit bull now known as Felicity knew anything of the name's origin. No matter; it fits.

I'm going to think happy thoughts and hope that I see you tomorrow, Felicity. If not, I wish you only good luck and good fortune. And yes, love.

While most of you were putting together the kids Easter baskets and hiding eggs for the Sunday morning hunt, a few people-type peeps gathered at Lucky Dawg Daycare & Training Center for a discussion with Dr. Jeannette Kelly of Veterinary Cancer Care Center of Santa Fe. 

Dr. Kelly is a petite, athletic, powerhouse of hope. She and her staff are passionate about providing exceptional care and compassion for those animals and their people who are dealing with the realities of cancer. Throughout the hour and a half, relaxed and informative discussion, I was impressed with the fact that this level of empathy is the norm at Veterinary Cancer Care, not the exception. And yet it seems that Veterinary Cancer Care is a little-known secret in Santa Fe (www.vetcancercare.com). Did you know that Dr. Kelly is Santa Fe's only veterinary board certified oncologist? While most pet guardians are familiar with and grateful for the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center located at 2001 Vivigen Way, it was clear that most of us in attendance were unaware of the numbers of animals being treated for various types of cancer, literally right around the corner.

Why even talk about cancer unless your pet is given that heart-sinking prognosis? Because, as Dr. Kelly presented, it is diagnosable, treatable, manageable and often curable, Nearly 50% of all pets over ten years of age will battle cancer. Now more than ever, there is a greater cultural sway highlighting the importance of the human/animal bond, Due to that connection, there are more educated owners and more emphasis on better nutritional choices for our pets. But Veterinary Cancer Care also emphasizes the importance of early detection and screening, as well as prevention which includes the role of genetics and environmental factors.

Dr. Kelly shared that cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells that spread withing the body despite the immune system's own attempt at control. The following warning signs could be an indication of cancer:

• Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow
• Sores that do not heal
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Bleeding or discharge from any body opening
• Offensive odor
• Difficulty eating or swallowing
• Hesitation to exercise or loss of stamina
• Persistent lameness or stiffness
• Difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating

Due in part to irresponsible breeding, environmental factors and/or compromised immune systems, cancer can be found in many popular breeds. Please talk with your veterinarian if you think your dog may be predisposed as an at-risk breed:

• Golden Retriever - general predisposition; lymphoma
  
• Boxer, Pug, Shar Pei - mast cell tumor
  
• German Shepherd Dog, Labrador - hemangiosarcoma (spleen)
  
• Large breeds - osteosarcoma (bone)
  
• Standard Poodle - interdigit squamous cell carcinoma
  
• Sparsely coated/lightly pigmented breeds - skin cancers
  
• Scottish Terrier - transitional cell carcinoma (bladder)
  
• Boxer, Mastiffs, St. Bernard, Scottish Terrier, Airedale, Bulldog, Cocker Spaniel, Labrador - lymphoma
  
• Collies - nasal tumors
  
• English Springer Spaniel - mammary gland tumors
  
• Bernese Mountain Dog - soft tissue sarcoma
  

Did you know that spaying or neutering your pet at an early age can help to prevent mammary or testicular tumors? Compared with females left intact, those spayed before puberty have a 0.5% risk; those spayed after one estrous cycle have an 8.0% risk; and dogs spayed after two estrous cycles have up to a 26.0% risk for developing mammary neoplasia later in life. Overall, unspayed females have a 7 times greater risk of developing mammary neoplasia than do those that are spayed.

According to Dr. Kelly, nutrition can play a big role in the prevention of cancers in your four-legged friend. A high quality, well-balanced food that is grain-free (grains should not be looked at as "the bad guys", but just like anything, too much of a good thing...) is optimal for your dog. Cancer feeds on simple carbohydrates, so if your dog food is filled with fillers, it's a recipe for disaster (pun intended...). Adding fish oil as an anti-inflammatory to your dog's meals or other foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids will help keep your dog's immune system in check.

When and where applicable, decrease or eliminate your dog's exposure to environmental risks such as:

• Pesticides (includes flea collars)
• Sun exposure
• Second-hand smoke and urban pollution
• Chronic inflammation (seasonal allergies)
• Asbestos exposure
• Viruses
• Bone plates/implant connection to bone tumors

If your dog has a previous history of cancer, or cancer is known to be in the lineage, regular wellness exams are recommended every three months that should include routine dentistry, blood work, urinalysis, and applicable tumor mapping and aspiration. As a pet guardian, you play an important role in early detection and diagnosis. Perform a regular body exam on your dog - check the lymph nodes and the mammary chain. Look for any crusty sores or scabs on lightly pigmented or sparsely coated dogs. Feel for subcutaneous lumps. Don't forget to check your dogs paws and in between the toes. Look in your dogs ears, up the nose, around the gum line and the roof of the mouth. It is important to establish a relationship with your veterinarian; don't wait until you think something is wrong or your dog is visibly ill. Keep a log of the monthly body exams; include dates and body areas where you have performed the exams, as well as any notable changes. Share these with your veterinarian - do not think that you are hypochondriatic - you could be saving your dog's life.

I was impressed with the varying degree of treatment options that Veterinary Cancer Care provide it's patients, intended to support, educate and empower pet guardians. Surgery in itself can be curative and is often combined with chemotherapy - either intravenous or local - to achieve a cure. Unlike humans, dogs do not have the same reaction to chemotherapy; in fact, they handle the treatment quite well. There are very few side effects and most can be managed easily, resulting in a happier pet. There have been advances that are leading to improved responses to the medication, longer disease-free intervals and survival times. Discomfort, nausea, vomiting and the lack of appetite are not normal responses to chemotherapy for dogs.

For Veterinary Cancer Care, the quality of your pet's life is their #1 concern. As they administer a less frequent and lower dose of chemo, there is low to no toxicity and general improvement in the quality of life. The goal is often to add quality time to life; not achieve a cure; by arresting the growth and metastasis of cancer through chemotherapy. Other treatment options can include cryosurgery (use of cold to kill cancer cells and their blood supply), radiation, oral melanoma vaccine (for those with existing oral melanoma), nutrition and supplement counseling, and antiangiogenic therapy (oral drug that inhibits cancer cells from growing blood vessels). 

I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Kelly for speaking to us about the hope she and her team provide to pet guardians and of course, their pets. I for one, will be taking my two Labs in for a wellness check soon. While we can't prevent every "bad" thing from happening to our beloved pets, knowing that we have this gem right here in Santa Fe is surely comforting and encouraging. And hopeful.

The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. - Samuel Butler

Thank doG for fun. For play. For silliness. For downright goofiness. For being in the moment. For joy. For love.

But what if it wasn't always that way? What if it took a ginormous amount of patience, and time, and clarity, and breathing skills? What if you had to go places in your heart and in your body that totally redefined "stepping outside your comfort zone"? What if you felt the lead weight of guilt creeping into your brain because lately you'd been thinking, "Maybe I can't do this?" What if you rarely got together with friends and family because, well...you just can't? 

Enter Maya - one of many Shepherd/Heeler mixes waiting for a forever home at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society. Right about when Maya was entering adolescence, and every little thing under the sun seemed to elicit a fear response, her soon-to-be pet parent knew in her heart-of-hearts that Maya was indeed the one for her; her first dog. Undoubtedly, it was love at first sight. Yay!

Fear of strangers. Men or women. Fear of kids. Tall ones, short ones, teenagers, toddlers, babies - no matter; they're all freaky. Fear of hats. Fear of rats (pet rats - very cool). Not sure about cats, but maybe. Fear of bikes. Fear of loud cars and trucks. Fear of fast movements. Or odd movements. Don't wipe you nose! Fear of new places. Any place, really. Unsure of other dogs. Little dogs are strange... Fear of touch. Fear of loud voices. Fear of the wind. Fear of change. WHAT are we doing now????? 

Maya's "Mom" feared that this was more than she had signed up for in her first dog. Where to begin? Does the fear - for both of them - ever end? 

Maya's microcosm consisted of trick training. Management of her environment. Desensitization and counter conditioning exercises. Recall games. Play in the back yard. Management of her environment. Building trust. Clicker training. CAT for dogs (constructive aggression treatment). Shaping behavior. Getting to know the world in two minute increments. Management of her environment. Training sessions in the local parks. Capturing behavior. Short rides in the car. Finding joy. Crate training. Walking to the end of the driveway and back. BAT for dogs (behavioral adjustment training). Food dispensing toys. Management of her environment. Visits to the pizza parlor parking lot. Play as reinforcement. Embracing joy. 

And breathing...Maya and her "Mom" breathing; always breathing. Making a connection; a connection unlike any other.

(Click on the Read More link below to well, read more!)

I can't help it. It's definitely not something I brag about. It certainly doesn't come up during lunch conversations. But there it is...and over there. And right here, too. And....LOOK OUT! You almost stepped in it!

I clean up after my own dogs after they've "done their business," and I clean up after yours, too. What?! A community canine cupcake custodian? Not necessarily by choice but yeah, I guess you could call me that. I was taught to "pack it in/pack it out". I take to heart the statement, "Leave nothing behind but footprints." Then why is it that most public places frequented by both on- or off-leash dogs and their ambivalent guardians look like a freakin' feces freeway? Not cleaning up after your dog makes me cRaZy!

Just because your sweet little Shih Tzu (pun intended) proficiently produces perfectly petite pooplettes, doesn't mean that they do not over time, contribute to the defecation decimation of public natural environments. They add up. Not to mention the health hazards that are attributed to not cleaning up after your dog. 

As Kathy Diamond Davis states in her article, Poop! Cleaning Up After Your Dog for veterinarypartners.com, "Dog waste contaminates the ground and becomes a means of passing intestinal parasites and infections to dogs and people. Your own dog can be repeatedly re-infested by parasites in this way. Picking up feces prevents a great deal of the contamination, especially if diarrhea is not involved. Cleanup can reduce veterinary expenses and might even save on human doctor bills. Because of contamination as well as smell and mess, dog waste is highly offensive to many people in the community. It often becomes a reason to ban dogs from areas. Of course the dogs can't clean up after themselves, so this is a people problem rather than a dog problem. It's easy to enact "no dogs allowed" rules, and then the people who clean up suffer right along with the ones who don't."

I was beginning to worry that the inevitable "no dogs allowed"or "dogs must be on leash at all times" rules may well be enacted after a recent visit with my two dogs to a nearby multi-thousand acre preserve. The mountains! The blue skies! The vistas! The famed New Mexico light! The trails! The poop....everywhere. I really had never seen anything quite like it. The disregard... And this coming from a former animal shelter volunteer where a plethora of poop piles are picked up and properly disposed of on a daily basis by dedicated dog walkers extraordinaire. So what gives? What makes a local dog park or a hiking trail in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains any different? Access to and use of this beautiful aforementioned preserve does not give anyone a free bathroom pass for their dog. Yes, of course your dog may shoot off into the chamisa ahead of you to "do the doo" while out of your eyesight. I've observed people glancing over their shoulder while their dog deposits their doo-doo on the side of the trail. Upon completion, the guardian enthusiastically calls to their dog, "Good boy! Let's go, Buddy!" I've been known to follow in pursuit while waving a friendly, forest green biodegradable poop bag. "Wait a minute! You forgot something! "

Chances are that you have a gazillion yellow plastic sleeves just perfect for picking up poop if you subscribe to home delivery of the local newspaper. Don't use a cloth bag at the grocery store? (In this day and age, why not? But that's another story...) Inevitably, you will be asked, "Paper or plastic?" While not a first choice for doggie doo-doo disposal, plastic bags are everywhere and sadly, they are practically a species all their own. Relatively inexpensive biodegradable corn starch pet waste bags are available at most big box and local pet supply stores. Really, there's no excuse for indifference...

Freaked out that your hand has to touch the mud bunny on the side of the trail? Get over it. It's part of being a responsible pet guardian. Stick your hand in the bag, turn it inside out after claiming your prize, and tie the ends together. Drop it in a trash receptacle on your way out of the dog park/hiking trail, or bring it home and put it in the trash bin. Be respectful. Be courteous. Take pride in your surroundings. And bring poop bags with you wherever you go. Make a habit of it. After a while, you won't have to withstand the passerby's accusatory, laser-like stare at your dog's purposeful hunched posture while you sheepishly mumble, "I forgot my poop bags..." Poop happens. Be prepared.

While we don't live adjacent to an ocean here in New Mexico, animal waste is definitely hazardous to our water sources. Katherine Noyes describes this non-point source pollution in an article for VolunteerGuide.org as what happens when snow melt or rain carries the pollutants that are on the ground into rivers, lakes, groundwater, wetlands and coastal waters. A superbly funny, yet to-the-point public service announcement was produced by Puget Sound Starts Here. They teamed up with musician Martin Luther, to bring awareness to the effects of pet waste on the Puget Sound. Remember the saying, "I don't swim in your toilet, so don't pee in my pool?" Check out this marketing masterpiece on YouTube titled Dog Doogity. You may just find yourself happily humming this tune while scooping your dog's poop!

Clicker Expo 2013 made my head almost explode with thinking, re-thinking, awe, excitement, affirmation, networking, and yes, gratitude.
 
I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from some of the industry's leading pioneers and cutting-edge trainers, behaviorists, and research scientists.

Karen Pryor. Alexandra Kurland. Ken Ramirez. Susan Friedman. Kay Laurence. Cecilie Køste. Kathy Sdao. Debbie Martin. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz. Emma Parsons. Alexandra Horowitz. Emilie Johnson Vegh and Eva Bertilsson. Michele Pouliot. Helix Fairweather. And more! WOW! Is this an amazing line-up, or what! One of many aspects that makes Clicker Expo a "gotta-go-to" conference, is the openness and approachability of the presenters throughout the three-day conference. Unlike larger venues, Clicker Expo (in it's 10th year) keeps the registrations to a manageable number, for both the attendees, Karen Pryor Academy faculty, the presenters, and the conference staff. Way to go, Clicker Expo! 

The dilemma of attending an intimate conference, is that you want to participate in every session! Obviously you can't be in two places at one time, but that's where video streaming comes in handy. I'm looking forward to watching some of the learning labs that I was unable to go to. Yay technology! Another way to reap the benefits of the information-packed sessions, is to pick the brains of someone else who attended the conference. A shout-out to colleague Almudena Ortiz Cué; a transplant from the Bay Area now living in Santa Fe and the owner of CHACO Dog Training & Behavior Consulting, LLC., and Drea Harris; a past student of mine and a recent graduate from Animal Behavior College, who is the manager/head groomer/trainer at Black Mesa Kennels in La Mesilla. Thank you ladies, for sharing your Expo experience with me!

I was thinking about a session titled, Reward Ends,Then What? and how Swedish trainers Emilie Johnson Vegh and Eva Bertilsson question what happens right after a reward is delivered and how that pause; that lapse in time before the next cue; can itself function as a cue for some behavior. Who knew?! It's one of those details that can get lost in translation, so to speak. We teach our students about rate of reinforcement/timing/delivery, yet neglect to capture (pun intended!) those behaviors after the reinforcement. With this awareness of stimulus control, we can reinforce the behaviors we're looking for and not inadvertently affix undesired behaviors into the learning session. So the ending reward becomes an antecedent for the next behavior:

A → B → C → B → C → B → C  (Antecedent → Behavior → Consequence)
                 ↓          ↓
                 A↗        A↗
¡Bravo! Emilie and Eva!  More musings and gratitude abound on my Clicker Expo experience in upcoming posts . 

“A dog comes to you and lives with you in your own house, but you do not therefore own her, as you do not own the rain, or the trees, or the laws which pertain to them ...

A dog can never tell you what she knows from the smells of the world, but you know, watching her, that you know almost nothing. . .” - Mary Oliver

Can we ever fully know what a dog is thinking? Some say that they can. "I know dogs," the woman emphatically states as she clutches her wide-eyed, panting Chiweenie closer to her chest. "If you let Coco sniff your hand, she'll know whether or not to trust you." I do not offer the obligatory hand for investigation; knowing that if I were Coco, I might just nip that opposable thumb headed my way. But the doting, protective guardian is by and large, on to something. 

Dogs do take in tremendous amounts of information through their nose. A dog’s sense of smell is said to be a thousand times more sensitive than that of humans. In fact, a dog has more than 220 million olfactory receptors in its nose, while humans have only 5 million. In an excerpt from her book, Inside of a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz readily points out that we humans are, well, pretty inept when it comes to using our schnoz....

"We humans tend not to spend a lot of time thinking about smelling. Smells are minor blips in our sensory day compared to the reams of visual information that we take in and obsess over in every moment. The room I'm in right now is a phantasmagoric mix of colors and surfaces and densities, of small movements and shadows and lights. Oh, and if I really call my attention to it I can smell the coffee on the table next to me, and maybe the fresh scent of the book cracked open--but only if I dig my nose into its pages." (Excerpt from Chapter 3: Sniff)

Read more here about your dog's olfactory senses and what it could possibly be like if you were inside a dog. Alexandra Horowitz teaches psychology at Barnard College, Columbia University. She earned her PhD in Cognitive Science at the University of California at San Diego, and has studied the cognition of humans, rhinoceros, bonobos, and dogs. For seventeen years, she has shared her home with an unwitting research subject, Pumpernickel, a wonderful mixed breed. 

Nose work classes? The Find It game? Tracking? Lure coursing? Hide and Seek? How does your dog connect to her/his world? What do you do to encourage that connection?