Typist: Bethany
I love this time of year in Cascadia. I love the temperatures, the rain, the snow covered mountains, the stormy waters, the myriads of cloud types, and the light beaming through. What I do not love is being so sick that I cannot enjoy every second of my spectacular bioregion's winter beauty. But I accept that with the good comes the bad, and vice versa. I have endured fourteen days and counting of miserable head, throat, and lung congestion, all while still healing broken and separated ribs, but I have managed to enjoy a little storm watching with the dogs. And, of course, capture some fantastic photographs of our adventure.

Dogwood Photography Photo Challenge Week 5, Landscape: Black and White
Look for a scene with great contrast that will make a great black and white.

More difficult than bundling up and venturing out with dachshund Wilhelm, corgi Brychwyn, and collie Huxley between Pacific Northwest storms, has been choosing photos to post through blurry eyes and between sneezes. Thanks to the stark beauty of a storm looming over Puget Sound, the varied viewpoints at Emma Schmitz Park in West Seattle, and my three creative canine models, I had a large amount of heavily contrasted storm photos to choose from. I think I finally managed a clear enough head to choose the best of the black and white storm watching dogs bunch. We'll see what I think once I am 100% again but for now, I have to go back to using every bit of energy I have making sure the dogs keep being as happy as they are pictured above.

This post is a part of the Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge. Please see more of our photo challenge posts here.

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Typist: Bethany
It was my first training class with Tynan when I heard the instructor give her speech about the word "sit" for the first time. "You might want to consider using a different word, one that your dog understands as 'this is my trainer cueing me' as opposed to a kid at the park or a clerk at the store ask you dog to do something cute," she urged. Yet in all the times I heard that speech, in classes with Tynan, Wilhelm, Brychwyn, and Huxley, when the instructor would go around the room after asking "what word will you be using?" I only once heard someone say something other than "sit." And, unfortunately, it wasn't me. Now, I have three super smart dogs who can go anywhere and be adored, but not one of them knows "sit."

One flaw in my dogs "sit" is that I used the word "sit." If I had used any other word, a word that isn't said to them dozens of times a day by neighbors, shop keepers, mail carriers, etc, my cue to lower the tail end may not have been poisoned. But I chose "sit." Yet if I had worked harder in proofing the cue before they heard it over and over again from people all over in our travels, people who rewarded them even if they didn't obey, the cue may not have been poisoned. So my true training confession is that I am terrible at proofing.

I am not a bad trainer. I am just way more focused on socialization than proofing. Back when I was gung-ho about titles and competitions, I was horrified when a child at the park told my dogs to "sit." Yet, I didn't like horrified trainer me. The being able to take the pets anywhere happily trainer me, even if the dogs don't obey every random "sit" they hear, is a much more fun trainer me. Happy, well-socialized pets matter more to me than perfect, consistently compliant to obedience cues pets. The only exception to this lazy proofing attitude is I insist on a speedy recall and, like all good pet owners should, the pets and I work on it daily. I know that if I gave "sit" a new cue word and the same attention as our recalls, the dogs would learn it in no time. After all, they are smarter than me! I am really the one that does not know "sit."

Just because I am bad at proofing skills doesn't mean you have to be! Here's a great resource on proofing. Do you have any proofing tips to share?

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Before teaching a cat to walk on a leash, make sure the cat is comfortable, safe, and confident in a harness; read "Walk Your Pet Month: How to Train A Cat To Wear A Harness."

 Typist: Bethany
The first time I put a leash on adventure cat Amelia, I did it on a whim. It was a lovely summer evening and the whole family, dogs, humans and cockatoo, were all enjoying time on the deck together while Amelia peered longingly through the glass on the deck door. I grabbed one of the dogs bungee leashes, attached it to her collar, and carried her outside. Well, Amelia did what she always used to do when outside, she froze. I stroked her and spoke to her softly and when she finally moved, it was back towards the door. Once the door was cracked, she bolted inside, surprising both of us with a suddenly tight leash. And cats don't like to feel a tight leash. Especially cats who have never been on a leash before. Amelia's reaction to that tight leash was a speed blur but in her upwards and sideways motion she ricocheted of a mirror on the wall and broke it. I am not sure if the superstitious seven years of bad luck is hers or mine. Fortunately, that moment that horrified both of us also taught us both about how to teach a cat to walk on a leash.

Cat Leash Training
1) Know Thy Leash
Just like with training a cat to wear a harness, leash training begins with getting the cat used to just having the leash around. One of the reasons Amelia freaked out the first time I put a leash on her was that it smelled like dog. Sure, it is a dog she lives with and tolerates but still, dog. Placing the cats leash in harms way of playtime (pictured) is also a good way to make sure it is truly a cat proof leash. Having the leash and harness around at meal time helps the cat learn to associate those items with good things (like food and fun!)

2) Keep It Loose
Cats don't like tight leashes. This is important, so I'll repeat it; cats don't like tight leashes. But tight leashes are an inevitability. All it takes it get a cat to accept a tight leash is to work up to it gradually. Amelia is an absolute pro at knowing when she is reaching the end of her leash (literally and figuratively, but lets stick with the literal.) But it wasn't always that way, as the lack of an antique mirror in the back room of our house proves. To get Amelia trained to know what it meant when she felt the leash begin to tighten, we worked very slowly, in very controlled environments. Basically, I did not allow the leash to get tight while Amelia practiced wearing her harness and leash in a small room of the house. We moved up to larger rooms and finally the hallway but I followed closely and carefully, keeping the leash consistently loose. Once Amelia was comfortable and confident on her loose leash, it was time for her to gradually feel it tighten. The goal was for her to freeze or even turn around when feeling the leash tighten as opposed to going into frightened fleeing mode. There was a little trial and error here because I had to get used to what she could feel. So there were a few times she freaked out, which is why we were in a safe room, with all hazards out of bungee leash length. I immediately soothed her and treated her after a panic, and stopped the leash training once she was calm. Finally, both she and I got a rhythm on me allowing the leash to tighten slightly, and her slowing down or pausing when it did. Once we were good at this routine, I finally attempted a complete stop and did not loosen the leash immediately after it tightened. And the was no panic! So with patience and consistency. Amelia learned about a tight leash even though cats don't like tight leashes.

3) Slow and Steady Wins the Leashed Cat Walk
Do not attempt to go for a leashed cat walk outside until both walker and cat are confident with a tight leash. I am physically capable of running if needed to help Amelia enjoy her outdoor time on a loose leash but she is fast! And every time that leash gets close to being tight, I flash back to broken mirror day. But after broken mirror day, I took my time to properly teach Amelia to love her harness and accept her leash. The slow and steady pace I used to teach Amelia how to safely walk on her leash has meant that she has even tightened her own leash, by wrapping it around a tree or pole, and sat patiently waiting for me to fix the tension. This is the trust consistent, gradual leash training has instilled. I am very proud of Amelia's trust in me and her leash as well as the patience I gained in training her. After all, cat walks are awfully sluggish at times as well!

IMPORTANT TRAINING TIP: Never let a leashed cat walk out the door; always carry a cat outside. This will prevent any bad running out the door habits from forming. I always let Amelia walk inside on her own, though, as that is exactly what I want her to know how to do, leashed or not.

Lucky Amelia has gone from having a crazy human wrap her in a dog leash, to one who she trusts enough to untangle her tight leash from a tree. Lucky me has gone from a frightened whirlwind smashing mirrors at the end of a bungee, to an adventure cat who loves to go wherever the rest of the Cascadian Nomads go. If there really is seven years bad luck from a broken mirror, it certainly has not been bad luck in my relationship with my precious kitty. The bond of training and spending time together indoors and out has made us both as lucky as can be.

Do you have any cat leash training tips to share?

January is Walk Your Pet Month and while the Cascadian Nomads love events like this to raise awareness of pet health and safety, we think pets should get a walk every day!

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Typist: Bethany
Photographing three dogs while out on dog friendly adventures is enough of a daily challenge. When I throw adventure cat Amelia and traveling cockatoo Leo into the pet friendly outing mix, I very rarely get a picture with all five pets in perfect photograph form. But I do get a variety of group pet photos that display each pets individuality, serve the "we were here together" purpose, and give me a good chuckle. Perhaps it is the togetherness aspect of our adventures or that I am a glutton for punishment but I rarely photograph any of the pets alone. Shooting headshots for the Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity to see what I could do with only one pet at a time in front of my camera. Any change in routine can be difficult. In this case, moving from photographing multiple pets to just one was indeed a challenge.

Dogwood Photography Photo Challenge Week 4, Portrait: Headshot
"You shot a selfie, now shoot a 'selfie' of someone else!"

The first challenge for me this week was choosing the pet portrait location and best lighting. I toyed with the idea of shooting each pet in their favorite place but the lighting in some of those places would not make for the classy portrait the dogs, cat and cockatoo deserved. So upon settling on photographing the pet's headshots outdoors, it rained buckets for days. Then I got a cold. I also knew that getting the right angle and clarity in these photographs would take an extra set of human hands. And Jason did a lot of traveling for work last week. Photo challenge indeed! But at last, the sun came out, I was able to get out of bed, and the neighbor was kindly available to help pet wrangle. Like all challenges, the tougher it is, the greater the reward. And I absolutely love each headshot! Like an excellent portrait should do, these photos perfectly display the individual personalities of my beloved pets.

This post is a part of the Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge. Please see more of our photo challenge posts here.

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