March 23, 2011
So, every Tuesday I go to the Humane Society of Washington County to do behavior assessments for adoption dogs, and every week I manage to resist some wonderful faces and personalities. We even play an “if” game at the end of assessments… Teasing ourselves a little we ask each other, “If you had to adopt one of the dogs we assessed today, which one would it be?” I’m pretty safe playing this game – we have five dogs in the family, with no intentions of adding another permanent canine resident. Five is our limit. However, that doesn’t preclude an occasional temporary addition. Hence, Squid.
Three weeks ago we started to assess an 8-week-old Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix. He had already failed his assessment once for being ferociously mouthy, and they wanted a second opinion (mine). We started to assess, but his snuffling and sneezing convinced me he might have a little upper respiratory infection, so he went into isolation kennels for treatment for two weeks.
Last Thursday Squid came home with me to Peaceable Paws under the shelter’s “GOLD Paw” program. “GOLD” stands for “Giving Opportunity, Love and Direction” and it’s the shelter’s behavioral foster care program. What I’ve discovered so far:
 Squid: Terminally cute
- He’s terminally cute.
- He loves everyone (all species) and thinks everyone loves him.
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 Playing with a Shih Tzu and a Schnauzer puppy in our Saturday puppy class.
- At age 10-12 weeks he tries devilishly hard not to soil his puppy pen or his outdoor kennel. He doesn’t always succeed, but he tries really hard.
- He is fearless. Resilient. Indomitable. Assertive. Nothing fazes him. He played with puppies three times his size Monday night, and never hesitated.
- He is smart. He has learned to sit to make the kennel door open, and did his first “verbal down” yesterday.
- He is fun. Loves to hike, play with toys, and fetches a tennis ball.
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 Helping Lucy fetch her stick (very bold, since Lucy does *not* share well).
- He is surprisingly non-vocal. Despite spending a fair amount of time by himself in his pen and/or his kennel, he isn’t barking much – only when he gets excited because he realizes someone is coming to see him.
- And yes, he is a little mouthy. Not half as bad as Maggie-the-Westie-puppy who was abandoned in a crate in our driveway last year, but yes, he does need to learn to inhibit his bite a little. And to stop using his mouth to get what he wants.
So he’s actually a pretty fun project, and I’m hoping a pretty easy one. I’ve started counter conditioning his resistance to restraint and can already pick him up without any dental protest on his part. Amazing what a little “associate *that* with high value treats” can do! Actually, not all that amazing, I pretty much expected it to work, although maybe not this quickly. Next is teaching him that having someone look at his teeth is also a reliable predictor of really yummy stuff.I expect that to go quickly as well.
I’d love to hear what kind of pup you think he is, from his pictures, and my description of his personality. I see the Jack Russell, but I’m not seeing Chihuahua. Maybe all Jack?
 What do *you* think he is?  Pestering Lucy  Pestering Missy I’m thinking he’s a great candidate for flyball, and since the flyball class meets here tonight, I may just have to go out and introduce him, and troll for some prospective adopters.
 A rare, brief moment of relaxation...  This is more in character. I’ll keep you posted. And no, he’s not staying. Really.
Warm Woofs and Happy Training,
Pat Miller
January 29, 2011
An admirable quality of our species is that those who have more are often willing to give back to those who have less. For many years, much of my own giving has been focused on the animal sheltering world, with an occasional book donation to some other dog-related cause. I decided it’s time to extend that give to the dog training world through an offer of scholarships to our Peaceable Paws Level One (Basic Dog Behavior and Training) Dog Trainer Academies. There are presently three scholarships available, one for each 2011 date, for our Maryland location only. Academy dates are: April 11-16; June 20-25; October 3-8.
 Welcome to Peaceable Paws! I am reluctant to take total leave of my preference for shelter giving, however, so scholarships will be directed toward trainers who are either employed by or volunteering with shelters in some capacity.
 I left my heart at the Marin Humane Society, where I worked from 1976 to 1996 When I say “trainers” – you don’t have to be a full time professional trainer to qualify; you can be working as an employee in your shelter in some other capacity but with a strong interest in behavior and training, or volunteering at a shelter with your behavior and training skills even if you’re not a behavior/training professional.
I want this opportunity to reach as many potential deserving scholarship winners as possible, so please feel free to share this blog far and wide. I am also looking for scholarship sponsors (corporate or personal – hint, hint) so we can broaden the reach – right now all three that we are offering are Peaceable Paws donations only.
Peaceable Paws Academies qualify for CEUs through CCPDT and IAABC. All students work with dogs selected from the nearby Humane Society of Washington County.
 Level 1 Academy student Sarah Matisak relaxes with her shelter academy Pit Bull. Details are below. The application will be up on our website soon, but for now, if you are interested, e-mail me at Pat@PeaceablePaws.com and I will send you an application.
PEACEABLE PAWS ACADEMY SCHOLARSHIPS
Peaceable Paws is offering one full scholarship (value $1200) for each of our Level 1 Academies (a total of 3), at our Maryland location only. Applicants must be presently working in a paid position at an animal shelter or be currently volunteering at a shelter a minimum of 8 hours per week, and have volunteered for at least one year. Scholarship winners are responsible for their own transportation, meals and lodging. Please request an application from and return your completed application to: Pat@PeaceablePaws.com or mail it to: Peaceable Paws, 17816 Spielman Rd., Fairplay, MD 21733. Submission deadline: March 1, 2011
 Level 1 Academy student and Peaceable Paws apprentice Beth Joy tries to lure her shelter academy MinPin into a sit. (She succeeded)
Along with your application, please attach a minimum 400-word 12-pt Times New Roman-font essay describing the work you do at the shelter, your interest in attending the Peaceable Paws Academy, your background and experience with dogs, and anything else you’d like us to know. Include 3 support/reference letters and their contact information: one from an administrator at your shelter, one from a personal friend, and one from another trainer. Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of merit, financial need, and commitment to positive training. Submission of this application is confirmation of your ability to attend on the dates you have marked, and to pay for your travel, meals and lodging.
 Level 1 Academy student Kelly Spring shares a moment with her shelter academy Husky. Hope to see you at an academy one of these days!
Warm Woofs and Happy Training,
Pat Miller
January 24, 2011
Every trainer I know can recount horror stories of veterinarians giving their clients bad training and behavior advice, and handling dogs inappropriately.
You know:
- “Alpha-roll your puppy to show him you are dominant”
- “Don’t take your pup anywhere until after he’s 6 months old and has had all his shots”
- Techs and vets forcibly restraining a violently resisting dog in order to trim nails or draw blood
(To be fair, I’m sure veterinarians have equally horrifying stories of trainers inappropriately giving veterinary advice, but that’s grist for another blog.)
The good news is that a growing number of veterinarians are taking interest in learning appropriate information about dog behavior and training. Yes, there is a bright light on the veterinary horizon.
 Flying above the clouds on the way to Orlando for the NAVC conference. There *is* a bright light on the horizon! I saw this with my own happy eyes at the recent NAVC (National Association of Veterinarians Conference) in Orlando, Florida, where I had been invited to present at and assist in an all-day behavior lab with the renowned veterinary behaviorist, Dr. Karen Overall.
 One of the two NAVC vendor exhibit halls. Huge. This conference draws more than 14,000 vets, vet techs and others interested in veterinary medicine, shelter medicine and behavior, and includes two packed exhibit halls. It’s huge! In addition to the behavior labs and lectures, there are week-long tracks on every aspect of veterinary medicine imaginable.
 Stoic Bloodhond sculpture guarding one of the booths tolerates a hug from fellow trainer and friend, Anne Marie Easton, from Memphis.
Thanks in large part to the efforts of Dr. Overall, this year for the very first time ever, the NAVC offered an entire week-long behavior track for veterinarians. Last year they offered a partial track, at which I also presented, and the subject was so well-received they made it a full track this year. Also in large part thanks to Dr. Overall, the speakers for this track, primarily veterinary behaviorists, were all on board with the positive reinforcement approach to handling, managing, training and modifying behaviors. We worked with dogs in the lab, but emphasized throughout that the information presented was applicable to all species.
The behavior lab was a capacity sellout, and many of the lectures I attended filled the huge lecture hall.
The lab was a (very!) full day, with lecture in the morning and some hands-on practice fitting harnesses and head halters, and teaching dogs to “breathe”. For the afternoon, attendees broke into groups and applied the morning’s information to 6 hands-on scenarios. Here’s the schedule:
8:30-8.45A Introduction – Karen Overall (Pennsylvania)
 The renowned Dr. Karen Overall, tireless advocate for humane training and behavior modification, addresses the lab. 8.45-9.30A Overview short lecture of main points of learning +/- clicker demonstration – Pat Miller (Maryland)
9.30-10.00 5A What to look for in a dog at a vet clinic – demonstration/lecture – Dr. Tiny de Keuster (Belgium)
 Dr. Tiny De Keuster, all the way from Belgium, speaks to the lab. 10.00-10.15A Break
10.15-10.45A Lecture on theory/demonstration of harnesses/collars – Dr. Soraya Juarbe-Diaz (Florida)
 Dr. Soraya Juarbe-Diaz (right) a strong positive presence at the lab, and in the veterinary behavior world. 10.45-11.15A Lecture on teaching dogs to breath and relax plus demo – Karen Overall
11.15A-12.30P Stations for fitting harnesses/collars and teaching breathing
 Teaching dogs to breathe, to reduce anxiety. 12.30-1.30P Lunch
1.30-2.00P Overview of tasks for lab - dogs with the following ‘problems’:
1. – cannot get on scale
2. – cannot be touched for derm exam (offer belly and inguinal region)
3. – cannot touch feet for nail trim
4. – cannot look in mouth
5. – cannot draw blood
6. – cannot palpate or ultrasound belly
2.00-3.30P Teach tasks
3.30-3.45P Break
3.45-4.30P Demonstration of tasks and last questions.
 Using lure-shaping to teach a fearful dog to get on the "scale."  Dr. Overall offers suggestions for helping this dog get comfortable with lying on his side for an ultra-sound.  Teaching a dog to offer his front leg for a blood draw.  Ken McCort's group worked on a hind leg blood draw with this very cooperative bully dog.  This Golden is ready for her ultrasound! The day ended with a strong take-home message to attending vets and techs that it’s not necessary to rush a dog, or use forcible restraint to accomplish their handling, exam and treatment goals. The trauma inflicted in an effort to get the job done quickly causes long-term behavior challenges, sometimes very serious ones, that are better avoided, for the well-being of dogs and their owners, for the safety of clinic staff and for client retention. If it there is urgency to the procedure, there are still ways of minimizing the trauma – sedation is often an appropriate option.
I could only stay for two days of the five-day conference but headed home to (cold!) Maryland, very encouraged by the experience. Despite challenges presented to all of us by animal care professionals whose methods are still in the dark ages (choke, prong and shock collars, “dominance” garbage), we are making great progress. As my friend Dr. Randall Lockwood (ASPCA) said to me in one of the NAVC lecture halls, “We are making progress. Ten years ago, it would have been Dr. RK Anderson (inventor of the Gentle Leader head halter), Suzanne Hetts (certified applied animal behaviorist) and me, sitting in this room.”
If your animal care professionals haven’t yet bought into the science-based positive reinforcement approach to animal care and training, and aren’t willing to listen and learn, look elsewhere. There is no excuse anymore for abusive animal handling.
If you’re looking for a trainer/behavior consultant, check out the trainer referral lists on my own Peaceable Paws website, as well as the list on the Truly Dog Friendly site, also Karen Pryor Certified Trainers, the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Even if you find a trainer n one of these lists, use your own judgment to determine if they are the right person to work with your dog.
Always remember that you are your dog’s protector. He depends on you to look out for his well being and keep him safe. You always have the right to say no if someone wants to do something to your dog that you know isn’t right. Not just the right, but the duty and obligation.
Follow the light.
Warm Woofs and Happy Training,
Pat Miller
 I always know I'm almost home when I see the ski runs at Whitetail Resort in the distance.
December 18, 2010
Animal forensics DVM Melinda Merck’s rising star has recently taken a meteoric crash as a result of a couple of very high-profile animal cruelty cases gone wrong. There have been a lot of blogs and articles accusing her of either jumping recklessly to conclusions, or deliberately misconstruing forensic evidence in order to seek convictions against alleged animal abusers.
Merck is director of veterinary forensic sciences for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She also co-founded a widely-hailed veterinary forensic science training program at the University of Florida. As one of the country’s most prominent forensic veterinarians, Merck helped federal prosecutors build the dogfighting case against NFL star Michael Vick, who served 18 months in prison.
The first case to fall apart was a case in which a Florida teen was accused of mutilating and killing multiple cats. Merck, relying on information from Miami-Dade Animal Services Director Sara Pizano, initially concluded that the cats must have been killed by a human. However, after a defense expert peeled back the fur on eight preserved cat corpses and discovered bite marks that showed an animal predator was to blame for the killings, Merck retracted her statement and the charges against the teen suspect were dropped.
In the second case, a Florida businessman made a statement to a vet tech (jokingly, he later claimed) about having sex with his Great Dane. In July, authorities arrested Armand Pacher, 65, on animal cruelty charges after Merck examined the dog, named Christie Brinkley, and reportedly found signs of sexual abuse and apparent human sperm inside her body. Police also found leashes attached to Pacher’s bed that investigators believe were used to restrain the dog. A separate University of Florida geneticist also determined that human DNA was present.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Weiner says his experts concluded that Merck exaggerated the dog’s physical condition, and what appeared to be human DNA in the dog’s urine sample is likely contamination such as human skin cells, not sperm.
So what’s up with Dr. Merck? Certainly she should have known better than to simply rely on someone else’s observations in the cat-killing case, if that is indeed what happened. The second case, however, sounds more like the kind of “battle of the experts” not that uncommon.
Here’s an example of conflicting expert opinion from a current news story about Amelia Earhart:
“Thinking of Earhart, the overseer sent the items to Fiji, where a British doctor decided they belonged to a stocky European or mixed-blood male, ruling out any Earhart connection.
The bones later vanished, but in 1998, Gillespie’s group located the doctor’s notes in London. Two other forensic specialists reviewed the doctor’s bone measurements and agreed they were more “consistent with” a female of northern European descent, about Earhart’s age and height.”
In fact, Merck’s findings of human sperm are supported by those of a second expert, and if it hadn’t been for the previous recent fiasco, no one would be taking much note of conflicting opinions in the second case, or questioning Merck’s opinion.
Animal forensics is in its relative infancy, and holds great promise for refining the field of animal cruelty prosecutions. Stumbles are inevitable, and I sincerely hope Dr. Merck recovers from this one and continues to contribute her valuable knowledge and passion to this emerging discipline. Animal cruelty prosecutors need all the tools they can get, and it would be a real shame if they lose this one. Having been involved in animal protection and animal cruelty cases myself, for decades, I know that it’s easy to fall into the trap of overzealousness. We want so badly for someone to be held responsible for animal suffering, partly to see justice done (as it so often isn’t) and partly in hopes of reducing the amount of future animal suffering.
Dr. Merck’s credibility has certainly been damaged by these two cases coming one right after the other. Overzealous and perhaps a little sloppy? Maybe. Deliberate malfeasance, as some have accused her of? I think not. I hope that she, and the adolescent field of animal forensics, have the resilience to recover and forge ahead with their mission of protecting animals, perhaps a little more carefully in the future. The animals need them. They need all the help they can get.
 Abused and neglected animals need all the help they can get. On a happier note, husband Paul and I just enjoyed a lovely two days on a trip to York, Pennsylvania and back. We gave ourselves an early Christmas present and drove up to see Bill Engvall (of Blue Collar Comedy Tour fame) at the Strand Theater, and spent the night at the historic Yorktowne Hotel.
 Historic Yorktowne Hotel, York, Pennsylvania  Lobby of the Yorktowne Hotel We laughed until our faces hurt, learned a new texting abbreviation I will use on Facebook (HYS – for “Here’s Your Sign”) and had the luxury of sleeping in on Thursday morning, without worrying about animals to feed and stalls to clean.
 Great metal flower sculptures at Foundry Park in York! 
We stopped for lunch on the way up and back at the Cozy Restaurant in Thurmont, Maryland, (wonderful food, and an almost endless lunch buffet!) and were met halfway home with one of the early snowstorms that have been plaguing the country.
 Cozy Restaurant, Thurmont, Maryland. They know how to do Christmas!  Paul, enjoying the holiday lights at Cozy  Cozy has close ties to nearby Camp David presidential retreat  Prophetic little "Let it snow!" snowman - we did, indeed, encounter snow on our way home! Glad we were in the Blazer, with 4-wheel drive. Glad Paul was driving, not me!
 Almost home! Glad we made it home safe, and the alarming phone report from my assistant, Shirley, of a strong smell of gas in our house, was just an empty propane tank, resolved by the time we arrived home, with all the animals safe.
It’s always a challenge to take time away from the farm – what with our menagerie of 5 dogs, 3 cats, 5 horses, a donkey, a pot-bellied pig and 4 boarded horses. Sometimes it doesn’t seem worth it – until we finally get away and realize how important it is to take time for ourselves.
This holiday season, if you can, give yourself the gift of time with your loved ones. The memories are presents that lasts forever, and they never lose their value. I hope you all have the happiest of holiday times with your friends and families, two-legged and four.
Warm Woofs, Happy Howlidays, and Happy Training,
Pat Miller
December 10, 2010
Happy Holidays!!!
It’s December! It’s almost Christmas! Why not put “Tuition for a Peaceable Paws Class or Training Program” at the top of your wish list for yourself – or for your dog-loving family members and friends?
 Happy Holidays to you and all of yours, from all of us at Peaceable Paws & Pastures Happy New Year…
I always feel a little drained by the end of a Peaceable Paws year, what with our half-dozen week-long academies, multiple 1-3 day workshops, out-of-town seminars, weekly group classes, articles to write, private consults, a couple of dozen articles, sometimes a book, and more. Fortunately things grind to a halt in early December. My assistant, Shirley and I have a month to recharge before classes begin again in January, and a whole four months before the heavy academy season starts up again in April. This gives us time to catch up on website changes, dig out from beneath the embarrassingly deep piles of paperwork in my office that need filing, and make plans for the coming year.
This month I was feeling particularly in need of new-year inspiration. I was looking for something that would freshen up our class offerings, and inspire our pet dog clients to get as excited as we are about the concept of training as a lifetime relationship with their dogs rather than as a seven-week basic good manners class to complete.
In conversation with Katie Ervin, PPaws trainer and owner of her own pet-sitting business, 4-Legged Friends, we came up with the idea of Peaceable Paws Performance Titles as a way of acknowledging and reinforcing a commitment to ongoing training – and fun – for our clients. I thought about it. I loved it. And so – it’s happening!
All the PPaws trainers are meeting tomorrow here at the training center for a holiday pot-luck, canine playtime and brainstorming session, but here are some of my thoughts on the project so far. (Bear in mind these are preliminary thoughts, to be developed and fleshed out with the input of the rest of the crew.) I’m just so excited about the concept I can’t keep it to myself; I have to share.
Peaceable Paws Performance Titles
We will alternate one Friday night each month (first Friday or every month) between My Dog Can Do That and K9 Games Night so people can earn points toward their championships. We will have one Saturday afternoon each month where people can come and test for the other titles. When we have enough people with Level 1 titles, we can add more levels. We may also offer a “Versatility Champion Title (PPVCH)” for dogs who title in 4 of the 8 events, and a Versatility Champion Excellent (PPVCH-X) for dogs who title in all 8. There will be some cost for each of the events, to cover administrative costs such as certificates and such, but it won’t be prohibitive.
1. PPaws Good Manners Dog (PPGMD-I)
Dog and handler perform 10 Good Manners behaviors (similar to a CGC test, but with some differences):
1. Respond quickly to spoken name, three times, with distractions
2. Walk politely on leash with other dogs and people in the room, sitting when handler stops
3. Greet another person by sitting politely when approached
4. Lie down on verbal cue
5. Drop a valuable object on verbal “Trade” cue
6. Walk past a “Temptation Alley” using “Leave it” cue
7. Wait as food bowl is placed on the ground, until given permission to eat
8. Come happily when called from across the room
9. Target three times to hand or object in different locations
10. Perform a trick from list provided – owner’s choice.
Each skill is worth 10 points; must score a minimum of 5 to pass each skill and a earn a minimum of 70 points overall to earn the title.
2. PPaws My Dog Can Do That Champion (PPMDCDT-CH)
Requires 100 MDCDT Game Points to attain Champion title.
a.) 10 Points for winning a PPaws MDCDT Game, plus one point for every dog outscored
b.) 5 points for coming in second, plus a half-point for every dog outscored
c.) 2 points for coming in third
 One of the easier "My Dog Can Do That" challenges... 3. PPaws Games Dog (PPGD-CH)
Requires 100 Game points to attain Champion title. Games include Tennis Ball Catch, Treat Toss, Bobbing for Hotdogs, Musical Sits and Downs, Find it, Simon Says, and more.
a) 5 Points for winning any PPaws Game (3 games per competition), plus one point for every dog outscored
b) 3 points for coming in second, plus a half-point for every dog outscored
c) 1 point for coming in third
4. PPaws Scent Dog (PPSD-I)
Perform 5 scent-test challenges:
a.) Dog watches owner hide 3 treats; finds all three within 60 seconds
b.) Dog out-of-sight while owner hides 3 treats; finds all three within 5 minutes
c.) Dog-and-owner out of sight while tester hides 3 treats; finds all three within 10 minutes
d.) Dog indicates treat in 1 container out of 5; points off for false indications
e.) Dog indicates non-treat scent in 1 container out of 5; points off for false indications
Each test worth 20 points; must score a minimum of 10 on each test, and a minimum of 70 overall to pass.
 Find it!
5. PPaws Trick Dog (PPTD-I)
Perform 10 tricks from Basic Tricks list provided by PPaws; score 70 or better on each trick. Judged on responsiveness to cue (absence of latency or repeated cues), quality of trick performance, complexity of trick, positive attitude of dog and handler.
 Dubhy plays the keyboard; how many tricks can your dog do?
6. PPaws Canine Drive Ball Dog (PPCDBD-I)
Herd 8 exercise balls into a goal within 15 minutes. Bonus and penalty points for various performance details.
7. PPaws Dancing Dog (PPDD-I)
Perform a 3-minute routine with dog, set to music. Routine may be on or off leash; if on leash, the presence of the leash must not interfere with the flow of the routine. More rules to come.
8. PPaws Interactive Toy Dog (PPITD-I)
I haven’t thought through the details for this – but it would involve solving several of the Nina Ottosson Zooactive puzzle toys to some standard – perhaps a times event. The more difficult toys would be worth more points.
 Dogs love these treat-filled puzzle toys! We’ll have final details for the next blog – but we have already scheduled our first My Dog Can Do That competition for Friday, January 7 at 7-9pm. Now I’m excited to welcome 2011 with a whole new plan for helping people have fun with their dogs.
By The Way
Our 2011 Academies and Workshops are up on the website, as is our 2011 Winter/Spring Class schedule. We’re offering Nose Games again; Treibball (Drive Ball) for the first time ever; Intro to Rally; Intro to Canine Freestyle, My Dog Can Do That (get the leg up on the competition for you MDCDT Championship!) and Really Reliable Recall, in addition to our Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Good Manners Classes.
Come play with us!!
Jingle Woofs and Happy Howl-idays
Pat Miller
  
PS: We currently have two openings in our PPaws Apprentice Program. The program requires a commitment of one night per week assisting with classes, and hours in a variety of other training areas including shelter dog assessments, observing private consults, and more. Contact us for more information at info@peaceablepaws.com if you’re interested.
November 19, 2010
No Lion, no Witch, no Wardrobe, just a wonderful weekend with some of the nicest hosts I’ve ever had the privilege of spending time with. They took me out for delicious dinners both Saturday and Sunday evenings, and we laughed so much my stomach hurt. The trip started on my favorite plane with my favorite airline (Cape Air) out of my favorite airport (Hagerstown, MD). I was the only passenger on the 8-seater propeller plane – I love the feeling of having my own private airplane – and it sure beats driving to the Baltimore airport in rush-hour traffic.
 My own private plane (a girl can dream...)  This beats *driving* to the Baltimore airport! Flying in to Chicago provided a stunning view of the Lake Michigan shoreline, and miles and miles and miles of unbroken city. Chicago is huge! I lived there as a kid (1413 E. 57th St.) but when you’re a kid, wherever you are, the world isn’t much bigger than your own neighborhood…
 City on the edge of the great lake Narnia Pet Behavior and Training (www.narniapets.com ), located in Plainfield, Illinois, just outside Chicago, boasts a long list of talented trainers. Owners Katie and Sarah took over the business several years ago when the original owner retired, and have continued on with a fine tradition of positive-based dog training services, including hosting seminars with some of the top trainers and speakers from around the world. They are also very committed to ongoing education for their staff, as evidenced by the numerous seminars listed in each of their resumes. What a fun, talented, enthusiastic, organized and capable group! Narnia joined with Puppyworks to offer the first of my 2-day seminars based loosely on my latest book, “Do-Over Dogs.” We were delighted with the turnout – a total of 80 attendees ranging from dedicated dog owners and trainers new to the field, all the way to long-time, experienced dog trainers and old friends, including Laura Dorfman of Kona’s Touch, who I see regularly, and Debbie Bickford of Debbie’s Dogs, whom I hadn’t seen since an APDT conference many years ago.
On Day 1 of the seminar, titled “Solutions to Everyday (and Not So Everyday) Canine Behavior Problems” I discuss the basics of behavior (reflexive, classical and operant behaviors) – a review for some, new learning for others – and then applied the information to non-aggression behavior challenges including barking, digging, jumping up, escaping, leash training, housetraining, and more. We review actual cases; first several of mine, and then several submitted by the seminar audience.
Day 2 focuses on aggression, with an in-depth look at CAT (Constructional Aggression Treatment) and CC&D (Counter Conditioning and Desensitization), complete with video footage from my Reactive Rover workshops and Juni’s Cat Procedure. We also discuss the BAT procedure (Behavioral Adjustment Training) which is a take-off on CAT, intended to take more care to keep the subject dog below threshold (although a good CAT procedure keeps the dog below threshold as well, as does CC&D). This morning discussion is followed by an afternoon of case examination, again some of mine and some offered by the attendees.
(If you’re sorry you missed this seminar, I’m doing it again in a couple of weeks, December 4-5, for Wags ‘n Woofs Dog Training in State College, Pennsylvania. Join us! Contact Puppyworks for more information.)
I’m usually too wiped out by the end of Day 2 to go out to dinner, but I wouldn’t for the world have missed one more chance to spend time with the delightful Narnia group. At dinner, they broached the idea of doing a caravan to Maryland with 6 of their dogs for a Narnia-PPaws Reactive Rover workshop. Wouldn’t that be a blast!
 With the Narnia crew at dinner... l.to r: Joy, Kathie, me, Laura Dorfman (Kona's Touch), Rebecca, Brian, Sarah, Bonnie and Bridget As much fun as the weekend was, it was beyond wonderful to fly back to my own family. Doing barn chores with Paul that evening was a classic “There’s no place like home!” moment. There’s nothing like hugs and kisses from Paul, happy greetings from the dogs, the warm puff of horse breath on my hand, the raucous braying of Joan the donkey, the gentle snorting of Sturgis the PB pig, and a soft cat paw to my face, to reaffirm for me that there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here on the farm.
 l to r: Lucy, Missy, Dubhy, Bonnie - not present: Scooter, who declined this hike  Sturgis plays with his Linkables  Joan the donkey  Barney the cat, supervising my work HOLIDAY SPECIAL!!!!
Hope you are all gearing up for a happy Thanksgiving. Paul and I will be dining on Tofurkey with all the trimmings. PPaws is offering this holiday special to help your gift-giving for your dog-loving friends: You will get a 10% discount on all books (signed!), booklets and DVDs, now through December 31, 2010, from our web store, with this coupon code : HO1210
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
Jingle Woofs,
Pat Miller
November 7, 2010
Exhausted after completing our last Level 1 Academy for the year… so why am I up at 5am on a Sunday morning? Well, clocks turned back at 2am this morning, so it’s really 6am and my internal clock just doesn’t get the message that fast. And besides, there are horses and dogs to feed, a dog-hike on the schedule, and blogs and articles to write. Not to mention laundry to do. Might as well get up instead of lying in bed trying to convince myself to sleep in another hour…
Had a great week with a terrific group of dog trainers hailing from Alabama, Missouri. New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland. Several ROTFL moments – the best was about the Humane Society of Washington County’s 2004 impoundment of 126 color-dyed Easter chicks. I can’t explain, you had to have been there.
 Paul Miller, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Washington County, and my wonderful husband, speaks to the class before their Day 1 tour of the shelter As always, it was a brain-and-body exhausting and fulfilling experience for all concerned, and as always, I was immensely impressed with what our students are able to accomplish with their shelter dogs in just 6 short days. To see dogs go from “distracted wild-child” behavior on Day 1 to rapt and focused attention on their handlers on Day 6 brings tears to my eyes every time.
Here they are in all their glory:
Lulu Brooks (former marine mammal trainer and high-scoring graduate of this Academy) from Montgomery, Alabama, and brilliant but very high-energy 4-month-old “Olivia” – described by the owner who surrendered her to the shelter as an “Afghan Hound mix” – we think more like Border Collie mix:
 Lulu reinforcing Olivia for loose-leash walking Melissa Noyes from Woodbridge, Virginia (where she has a pet-sitting business and does Pit rescue), with Moose, a delightful 4-month-old Pit mix:
 Melissa teaching Moose that "Trade" means "Human taking away high-value object (peanut butter-filled hoof) makes good stuff happen - and then I get the hoof back!" Diana Foley from Gaithersburg, Maryland, fulltime shelter worker in the behavior department (and they are lucky to have her!) with sweet Gina, a 5-6 year-old Pomeranian – one of 5 found running stray in a “pack” (take a moment to visualize!) in Hagerstown. Diana was a trooper – ended up working with 3 different dogs during the week (for various reasons) and took it all in stride:
 Diana conditioning Gine to the clicker and helping a shy girl get brave Beth Joy, Peaceable Paws Apprentice and future dog training business owner, with the fun-loving Miniature Pinscher Hope. Beth, who found it took two weeks to get her own Min Pin to lie down for a lure, was delighted to be able to lure Hope into a down on Day 1 of the Academy.
 Beth snuggles with Hope during a training break Julie Cortino of Hagerstown, Maryland, Customer Service Supervisor at the Humane Society of Washington County, and the brilliant, attentive and calm 4-month-old Labrador Retriever, Koda. The shelter sends an employee to every Level 1 academy, demonstrating their commitment to education for their staff and the importance of understanding dog behavior.
 Julie is happy to see Koda offering sits on Day 1 of the academy Kelly Rohring of Ashland, Virginia, future dog trainer, and the gentle Shepherd mix, Zeke. Kelly plans to become a full-time professional dog trainer one day:
 Kelly, heading out with Zeke on one of the daily morning hikes on the farm to benefit from the value of exercise before working with dogs in the training center. Violetta Abalova, high scorer on the practical final, and the exuberant Lab/Doberman mix, Java (a good name for him, since he appeared to be mainlining caffeine…). Violetta, too, has her sights set on becoming a professional dog trainer.
 Violetta shares a play bow with Java on Day 1 of the Academy Debbie Gugliuzzo and the incredibly handsome Husky mix, Toby. Debbie is a part time shelter worker, and would love to work full time with dogs:
 Debbie discovers how much energy Toby has! Here’s the class photo, taken on Friday after a week of hiking, training, and learning about the scientific principles of behavior and learning. On Saturday, students take their written and practical finals. Stress!
 Left to right: Violetta and Java, Julie and Koda, Diana and Scooter, Kelly and Zeke, Melissa and Moose, Beth and Hope, Lulu and Olivia, me, Debbie and Toby And here’s the group walking back to the training center after the class photo shoot:
 Headed back to class... And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for – the answers to the “Where in the World is Pat Miller” contest, and the announcement of the winner:
Photo #1: Paul Miller/Frog; International Terminal – Sydney AU Airport; Green and Gold Bell Frog – mascot for the Olympics (two colonies discovered, one during construction of Olympic Park, one @ Sydney International Airport.) – Artist: Ron Smith
Photo #2: Paul Miller standing in front of ginormous Aussie/Girl cutout – Toro Park, Hwy 68, Salinas, CA. Martial Arts girl (martial arts studio in shopping center); art by John Cerney. Cerney creates each work through a series of photos, laying a grid for enlargements that are scaled to 3 times the original size. He then transfers the images to larger squares on sheets of 1″ paper-surfaced plywood. He cuts out the figure and paints them using acrylics. The figures are then braced with steel and set on embedded timbers to withstand wind. There are incredible cutouts all over Salinas, depicting various scenes of people engaged in activities.
Photo #3 – A community park, Osprey Sculpture – Eastern Shore, MD
Photo #4: Tip Top House – Mt. Washington, NH
June 2010 bike trip, Tip Top House, the earliest summit building on Mt. Washington, Mt. Washington State Park.
Mount Washington Observatory
P. O. Box 2310
2779 White Mountain Highway
North Conway, NH 03860
Home of the World’s Worst Weather
Photo #5: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Visitors Center, Paul – Hawk Mt. PA The world’s first refuge for birds of prey. Hawk Mountain is located north of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, approximately 7 miles northeast of I-78; October 2008 – on a Harley ride, celebrating my birthday
Photo #6: Pat and sister Meg (and wolf) – Wolf Park, Battleground, IN; 2009
Photo #7: Chattanooga, TN – Bike trip to National Hog Rally #22, August 26-28, 2005
Photo #8: Wisconsin Humane Society – Milwaukee, WI; The statue is of Henry Bergh, the father of the humane movement in the United States. A New York ambassador, Henry Bergh, horrified at the sight of horses beaten in the streets, organized the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in April, 1866. The Wisconsin Humane Society is located at 4500 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI. Wisconsin Humane was the first shelter I ever visited, as a girl living in Mequon/Cedarburg – although at the time it was a small shelter in danger of falling into the river.
Photo #9: Taronga Park Zoo – Sydney, AU; October 2006, during the trip when I was invited to speak and we went over for the APDT-AU conference – Pat with Wedge-Tailed Eagle
Photo #10: SPCA of Luzerne County – Wilkes-Barre PA; June 2010 – Memorial to Phyllis Wright HSUS and animals that served during military campaigns. Celebrates a legend in the animal shelter world for improving conditions and setting precedents like spay/neuter. She was Chief of Dog Training for the US Army during the Korean War before joining the HSUS.
Photo #11: Marin Humane Society – Novato, CA, where I worked from 1976 to 1996; wall mural, “Making Tracks” (Sept 20, 1997) by artist Phillip L. McDonel.
Photo #12: Wall mural, Boonsboro, MD
Photo #13: Polar Bear Plunge – Williamsport, MD, January 1, 2008; Polar Bear Plunge, benefiting the Humane Society of Washington County. See Paul Miller plunge on January 1, 2010, along with 217 other Polar Bears in various stages of dress, undress and costume, leap into the icy waters of the Potomac River in Williamsport, MD. Air temperature approximately 34 degrees Fahrenheit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPIcunjnP2o
Photo #14: Carmel Beach, Carmel by the Sea, CA – It’s locally renowned for good surf and excellent dog-walking conditions, as well as breathtaking sunsets
Photo #15: Crazy Horse – SD; Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota, on our 2008 motorcycle ride to Sturgis and beyond (6,000+ miles!). It’s a model of the eventual carving in the mountain that is a work in progress (in background). Memorial being created by the Ziolkowski family
And the winner is… (drum roll)… my friend Margaret Hughes!!! Margaret and I worked together at the Marin Humane Society. I haven’t seen her in over 10 years, but we found each other on FB recently. Margaret wins her choice of a $100 certificate toward any Peaceable Paws event held here at Fairplay, Maryland, or a set of signed (5) Pat Miller books.
Congratulations, Margaret!!!
Warm Woofs and Happy Training,
Pat Miller
October 30, 2010
It’s been so long since I’ve blogged I’m almost embarrassed to start up again. I have friends e-mailing me asking if I’m still alive – and Jim Croce’s song lyric, “You never seem to have enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them…” is making endless loops in my brain. So… my apologies for the long absence.
 Fall sunset at Peaceable Paws So here it is, almost November already. Where does the time go? It’s been a very busy couple of months. For some reason this fall seemed more jammed than usual – perhaps because of the addition of our first-ever Level 3 Academy. Next week, our last trainer academy for the year (Level 1). Then I am scheduled to give a seminar in Chicago, Illinois on 11/13-14 (coming right up!) and another in State College, Pennsylvania on 12/4-5, before the much-anticipated year-end break. The two seminars are organized by Puppyworks – if you’re in the area, come see me!
So, I’ve been dying to blog about the Level 3 Academy ever since we wrapped it up on September 24th. Since it was our very first one I anticipated some road bumps, and there certainly were some, but it was great to spend a week with some of my very best trainer protégées. By the time they enroll in the Level 3 Academy they have attended Level 1 (Basic Dog Training and Behavior) and at least one Level 2 (Behavior Modification), and preferably our Level 2 Instructors Course as well. Many are CPDTs (Certified Professional Dog Trainers) through the CCPDT and some are CDBCs (certified Dog Behavior Consultants) through the IAABC. Some have also completed the Level 2 Multi-Species Academy that we offer from time to time. These are trainers who are truly committed to their ongoing education. You can find all our Interns listed here on our website.
My vision for the Level 3 Academy was a heavy emphasis on behavior study; gaining a better understanding of how the research process works, in order to better understand the studies that are increasingly exploring the canine mind and the behavior of our favorite companion species. We sent discs to the 8 Academy Interns well in advance, loaded with studies and articles that we would discuss during the week.
Our scheduled curriculum included two training session per day with the dogs that attendees brought with them. We would practice principles of training and behavior that they often employ with clients and sometimes don’t have the time to experiment with on their own dogs absent the distractions of real life. We also had sessions planned each day to discuss the assigned studies and articles. The first two days of the schedule looked like this:
SUNDAY
9:00 – Greeting; introductions of canine and human students; discussion of program for the week, first working project with dogs
Discuss:
Key Questions to Ask About Research Studies
False Research Findings
10:00 – Training & Behavior Session #1: Jean Donaldson’s canine IQ test
11-11:15 – BREAK
11:15-Noon – Discuss session results, impressions, opinions, validity
Noon-1:00 – Discuss Studies
1. Dog Training Study
2. U of P Aversive Methods
1:00-2:30 – LUNCH
2:30-3:30 – T&B Session #2 – Shaping
 Chris Danker's Lucy enjoys the hiking! 3:30-3:45 – Discuss session results
3:30-4:30 – Discuss Articles
1. Carrot Approach
2. Intelligence
3. Ratios
4:30-4:45 – BREAK
4:45-5:30 – Discuss “Oh, Behave,” C&S project assignment
6:30 – Class Dinner (Optional) – Next Dimensions
MONDAY
9:00-9:45 – Hike with dogs – practice distance downs
 Academy morning group hike. Note Jolanta Benal's infamous previously-reactive Juni on the right, acting pretty darn normal! 9:45-10:45 – Business Track
10:45-11:00 – BREAK
11:00-Noon – T&B Session #3 – Premack
Noon-12:15 – Session Results
12:15-1:45 – LUNCH
1:45-2:45 – T&B Session #4 – Behavior Chain – 3 Behaviors
2:45-3:00 – Session Results
3:00-4:15 – Discuss Studies
3. Training Frequency
4. Does Dog Training Make You Smarter?
4:15-4:30 – BREAK
 Lisa Waggoner works with Gibson 4:30-5:00 – Discuss Articles
4. Insect Brains
5. Brain Connections-Learning
5:00-5:30 – Discuss “Carrots & Sticks”
My bubble was a little burst on Day 2 when some of the attendees let it be known they felt there was too much emphasis on the studies and articles; that they would prefer to shorten those discussion times and include more training time as well as more discussion of real-life client consultations. I resisted at first. There are huge issues surrounding professionalism in our field, with probably what is a preponderance of trainers, even still, who aren’t as informed as they could/should be about the science behind the practice of training and behavior modification. With that in mind I had deliberately created the Level 3 emphasis on behavior study.
 Nancy Fitzgerald conditions a husbandry procedure with Man Ray Clearly, however, not all my students were as excited about the study part as I was, and although some were very supportive, I succumbed to the pressure and rearranged the schedule somewhat, to try to meet the needs and expectations of everyone attending.
Despite the slightly rough start, it was a very good week. We experimented with Jean Donaldson’s canine IQ test from her excellent book “Oh Behave,” and determined that two of eight dogs attending were “above average.” Not a scientific test, but interesting – and fun.
After a hike on the farm each morning, students practiced a Premack exercise; taught their dogs a behavior chain; shaped a behavior; played nose games; operantly conditioned a behavior – and then extinguished the response by teaching an incompatible behavior to the same cue; and classically conditioned a positive response to a husbandry procedure. We changed all the “Business Track” scheduled sessions to “Behavior Consults” to satisfy those who wanted more work in that arena, and shortened the study discussion times to allow for a third training session each day – although some of the dogs were pretty toasted by the time we got to the third training session.
Everyone worked hard and learned lots, and as usual, we were all exhausted when the final test was written, the practicals were presented, and each Intern had their final one-on-one meeting with me before hitting the road for home. While they all headed home, I headed back to the drawing board to tweak the curriculum for our 2011 Level 3 Academy, September 19-24.
I treasure these opportunities to work with other trainers who are committed to their professional development. I deliberately keep the academies small and do all the training and teaching myself so that I can build personal relationships with the Interns. I value the friendships we develop over these academy weeks, and take great pride in watching our students go back to their homes and businesses to share the joy of positive training with their dogs, and their clients.
When I left the Marin Humane Society in 1996, after 20 years as an animal protection professional in an organization that had national influence, I was worried that, as a dog trainer, my sphere of influence would be much smaller, only impacting dogs and their humans in my own community. I am eternally grateful that the fates have allowed me to create a sphere of influence that goes far beyond my own community here in Washington County, Maryland. As the holiday season approaches, I give thanks to the more than 200 trainers who have attend our academies since their inception in 1998, for the important part they play in that ever-growing sphere. One trainer at a time, one dog at a time, one dog owner at a time, we all make a difference.
Warm Woofs and Happy Training!
Pat Miller
 Level 3 Graduating Class of 2010, l to r: Jolanta Benal, Chris Danker, Viviane Arzoumanian, me, Nancy Fitzgerald, ,Karol Kennedy, Susan Kaminsky, Lisa Waggoner, Trish Castelucci
September 18, 2010
It used to be a rarity to hear of a dog being shot by a law enforcement officer. Not any more. Something has happened in our culture and our law enforcement communities that has caused an exponential increase in tragic incidents such as the one that occurred on September 12th at a crowded street festival in Washington DC. On that afternoon, Officer Scott Fike shot and killed Parrot, a Pit Bull/Shar-Pei mix who was attending the event with his foster caretaker.
Other recent cases from the Police-Killing-Dogs Hall of Shame include Bear-Bear, a Siberian Husky who was shot by an off-duty federal police officer for engaging in what was probably rough play between two dogs at a dog park, or at worse a normal, non-serious “scuffle” between two dogs,” and the killing of two Labrador Retrievers in their own home; the home of the mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland, when police officers served a search warrant at the wrong address.
Dr. Randal Lockwood of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says he sees 250 to 300 incidents per year in media reports, and estimates another 1,000 aren’t reported. That’s more than three per day. Three per day!!! What is wrong with us???
I worked for 20 years at the Marin Humane Society in Novato, California, just north of San Francisco, for much of that time as a humane officer enforcing humane and animal control laws. I can’t recall one single incident of a dog being shot by a police officer in our county during that two-decade span. I also edited and published a quarterly newsletter the (C.H.A.I.N. Letter) for animal protection professionals for 13 years, ending in 1999. Pre-Internet, we compiled and published animal-law-enforcement news from around the country (and the world) and if we came across three or four dog shootings a year it was a lot.
On the rare occasions when a dog shooting did happen there was inevitably a huge uproar with considerable attention from the media. Today, cops shoot and kill dogs around the United States multiple times daily and it hardly causes a ripple. Let me repeat that. Today, cops shoot and kill dogs around the United States multiple times daily and it hardly causes a ripple. Most of the time not much is said about it – it certainly isn’t often picked up by national news. So what has changed? Several things.
- Popularization of the Pit Bull. When I started working at Marin in 1976, we never saw a Pit Bull in a shelter. Ever. In those days the only people who owned Pit Bulls were dogfighters, and they weren’t about to let their dogs end up in shelters. Nor were they foolish enough to breed dogs who would attack people. Heck, they had to be in the pit with dogs who were fighting each other, and they had to separate them when they were fighting. The last thing they wanted was a dog who would bite a human. If one did, he was taken behind the barn and shot. Then, in the 1990s, The Humane Society of the United States launched a campaign to make dogfighting a felony in all 50 states, and in their efforts to educate the public and legislators about the brutally cruel “sport” they glamorized the breed – and people started wanting them; some responsible dog owners, for the right reasons, but a lot of irresponsible ones for all the wrong reasons. Shelters started seeing a trickle, then a downpour, and finally a flood of Bully dogs, until today almost every full-service shelter in the country often finds a preponderance of Pit-type dogs in their kennels. Many other large, strong breeds – like the Rottweiler, the Cane Corso, the Presa Canario, the Boerboel, and the American Bulldog – were also extremely rare in this country until the 1990s and later. Now they are common. Law enforcement officers in general seem to be exceptionally phobic about the Bully breeds, or dogs who appear to have even a remote possible relationship to a Bully breed.
 Two decades ago you never saw a Pit Bull on the street or at a shelter. Now they are everywhere, and are, sadly, one of the breeds most commonly found at many shelters.
- Sensitization of Our Society to Dog Bites. In the “good old days,” if a dog bit a kid, Mom usually asked Junior what he did to the dog that he shouldn’t have. Today she calls Animal Control first, then her attorney. In the “good old days,” dogs ran loose a lot, everyone accepted that dogs were a part of life, that dogs sometimes bit people, and it was no big deal. Plus, because dogs ran loose a lot, they were better socialized and probably less likely to bite people. Today, with a marked increase in responsible dog ownership, dogs don’t run loose so much, they aren’t as well socialized, and the population of humans as a whole is a lot less comfortable, and a lot less tolerant, of dogs doing what dogs do.
- Dog Mauling and Dog-Related Fatality Statistics. In the mid 1990’s, an average of 20 people per year were killed by dogs in the U.S. In those pre-pit-popularity days, dogs most often implicated in serious dog bites and dog-related fatalities were breeds like Huskies and German Shepherds – medium-to-large dogs who lacked the sheer bulk and determination of many of the Bully types. In 2009, depending on whose numbers you believe, there were 32 dog-related fatalities in this country; fifteen of the deaths were allegedly caused by Pitbulls or Pit mixes and three by Rottweilers or Rottie mixes. (I say “allegedly” because there are people who insist that there is a rampant problem of reed-misidentification in dog-fatality cases – not a point I want to argue here, but I don want to acknowledge the point.) This year so far, with 24 fatalities on the books and three months to go (projecting a total of 32-ish again this year), twelve of the deaths were caused by Pits; four by Rotts; and one by an American Bulldog. That’s 56% in 2009 by what some call “high-risk” breeds, and a staggering 75% so far in 2010. Although 32 deaths is miniscule in a country with a population of more than 310 million, in which an average of 92 people are killed by lightning annually; 15,500 by murder (by our own species) and 42,000 in car accidents, still, people get incensed over dog-related fatalities.
- Lack of Community Outrage. In the end, the police work for us. We the People. If we don’t get outraged over cops shooting dogs, they can reasonably take that as a statement of public support for their actions. I think back to all the aggressive dogs I managed to handle during my animal protection career without ever shooting one – and without ever being badly bitten (one minor bite in 20 years… but that’s another story). I carried a gun for the sole purpose of dispatching badly injured wildlife, and it never even occurred to me to point it at a dog. My trusty control pole was all I ever needed to protect me from the ravages of flashing canine teeth.
So… let’s get outraged. For starters, sign the petition that urges disciplinary action against Officer Scott Fike for his inappropriate use of deadly force against a dog who had reportedly already been subdued prior to his arrival on the scene. But let’s go farther than that. We need a grassroots campaign that insists our law enforcement officers be trained and equipped to appropriately and non-lethally handle situations in which dogs are involved. Call your own police department tomorrow to inquire about their department policies for handling dogs, and to ask if their officers are equipped with and trained in the use of humane canine capture equipment. Then ask three of your friends to call, and have them ask three of their friends. Get it started. Perhaps Parrot’s death can have some meaning after all.
Warm Woofs, Happy Training,
and
keep your dogs safe…
Pat Miller
September 13, 2010
Lest you think that everything Paul and I do is animal-related, this week’s blog is about mushrooms and music. Okay, maybe with a few dogs tossed in for good measure…
MYCELIUM RUNNING
 Mycelium running - important part of mushroom production, and environmental health
 Oyster mushrooms cultivated on logs A week ago Sunday (September 5th) Paul and I attended a wonderful workshop through Common Market (a Frederick Food Co-op that we joined last year). We arrived at the Judd estate north of Frederick, traveling down the long, poplar-lined gravel driveway that opens up onto a vintage brick mansion overlooking an expanse of lush green lawn. It was a perfect day for a mushroom workshop – clear, cool, sunny, with a light breeze.
We walked toward the house and were greeted by Chulo (“Dude” in Spanish), a polite young Rhodesian Ridgeback, and ushered into the living room by our host, Michael Judd, where we were joined by Chulo’s little West Highland Terrier pal.
 Chulo Michael is the founder and owner of Ecologia, which specializes in edible landscapes. Following a brief introduction by Common Market’s Zoe, Michael invited each of us to introduce ourselves and explain why we had come. For most of us, the answer was, “To learn how to grow mushrooms because we like to eat them.” Then we watched an 18-minute educational TED video presentation by mushroom guru Paul Stamets, in which he explained the invaluable role that fungi and mycelium play in our ecosystem. Michael added some inspirational words, grabbing everyone’s attention when he spoke of growing mushrooms on books and toilet paper rolls, and we trooped outside to grow fungi.
Together we created a “mushroom lasagna” bed in the cool shade of some pine trees, with layers of small wood chips already impregnated with mycelium from another bed, cardboard, large wood chips, mushroom spawn (wine caps), more chips, more cardboard, water, and straw. Attendees all joined in to help – Michael wanted us to be able to fall back on muscle memory later, when we went home to grow our own mushrooms.
 Raking chips  Michael adding mycelium  Soaking the chips  Covering with cardboard  Adding more chips (that's Paul, shoveling in the foreground) Mushroom bed completed, we went for a relaxing stroll down the driveway, flanked by a forest of tall poplars that reached toward the sky.
 Class in the poplars Michael located the stump in the woods from the poplar tree he had cut to create the 4-inch diameter 3-foot long hardwood logs we would take home with us at the end of the day. We drilled holes in the stump and filled them with plugs impregnated with Golden Oyster mushroom spores. “Stacking functions” – Michael calls it – making multiple uses of the resources we consume to maximize their productivity and return value back to the ecosystem.
 "Stacking functions" - growing mushrooms on the stump (that's Paul, hammering mushroom plugs inthe the stump) He also explained that cutting hardwood trees for mushroom logs, done properly, is an ecologically sound practice – it thins out the forest and allows for healthier growth of the larger trees that remain standing.
Next we headed back to the house to make our mushroom logs. In the shade of the back deck we drilled holes and filled them – some logs with the same plugs we had just used with the stump, others with PoHu Oyster spawn. Meanwhile, our host melted cheese wax, and when we were done filling holes we painted a cap of wax over each plug to protect it. Lots of muscle memory happening here – as well as some wonderful camaraderie between workers.
 Preparing our mushroom logs (that's me in the baseball cap)  Waxing the logs, with Chulo's Westie friend and Michael's niece Finally, Michael demonstrated how to build a mushroom totem – laying mushroom spawn in the bottom of a large black plastic bag, setting one of two larger-diameter logs onto the spawn, covering that log with spawn, stacking the other log on top, covering that one with spawn, topping it with an open paper bag, and tying up the plastic bag over the totem.
 Making a mushroom totem What a great day. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, we came away with a newfound respect for fungi and gained an astounding amount of new knowledge in a few short hours. Paul and I are both excited about our future as mushroom farmers on our Fairplay farm, and looking forward to more great educational offerings from Common Market.
 Our two logs in the shade of a pine tree at their new home (ours) - mycelium running, making mushrooms for next spring! PICKIN’ IN THE PANHANDLE
Yesterday, we took the Harley to a terrific music festival outside Hedgesville, West Virginia, “Pickin’ in the Panhandle” – courtesy of gift-tickets from Shirley and James (my assistant and her husband).
 On the Harley  Pickin' in the Panhandle It was another perfect day – sunny and cool (4 layers on the bike) and a great bike ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains to “Lazy A Campground” outside Glengary, WV (check out the local post office – in someone’s garage!).
 Glengary WV post office - in a garage~  In the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains There was music going everywhere, constantly, with bluegrass action on two stages and lots of pickin’ and playin’ wherever two musicians happened to connect.
 Lots of music happening! We were particularly taken by a young man named Victor Furtado (maybe 10 years old?) who carried his banjo with him everywhere, and were delighted when he excelled in the banjo division of the post-lunch flat-picking contest.
 Victor Furtado - excellent banjo player, very serious about his music... We had to leave before winners were announced, but we’re hoping he won his division!
The festival covered three days and several acres, and included a barbecue competition (we passed on that part, since we’re both vegetarian – almost – Paul still eats seafood…). There was a lot to see – with craft booths as well as music, and food, of course. And signs. You have to see some of the signs:
 I especially like the "no cockfighting..." 
 Ummmmmm... 
 Must have missed the "no cockfighting" sign... Dogs were allowed at the festival and we saw several, from Poodle, Border Collie and Pit Bull puppies, to Dachshunds, Labs and All-Americans – most wearing flat collars or harnesses (big hooray!) only one on a prong collar (boo!) – A Bernese Mountain Dog.
 "Bubba" the Pit Bull puppy, socializing with kids  Lovely Berner on a prong (frownie face) Now it’s Sunday evening – time to go feed horses, practice Sturgis’ harness behavior to get him ready for the September 25th Bark in the Park Fast-Sit Competition. Looking forward to spending this week wrapping up final details for our first-ever Level 3 Academy – Advanced Behavior Study and Training, with some of my all-time favorite trainer friends. Have a great week!
 Sturgis says, "I'm counting on the distraction factor. I don't care if I win, I just don't want to be first one out..." Warm Woofs and Happy Training,
Pat
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