Talisman & Totem SportDogs

Fall is upon us in NH. Getting ready for Winter, when there was no time for Summer...how time flies! So much to do, trying to get front area leveled before having to put posts/fence back in and sheep there for winter. Raising two pups,...yes I'm crazy but lots of great skills can work on at home and in class, as they mature. Good not to hibernate. Pup Suede is growing up! Still a gangly, loose-jointed boy-but sweetest, tough-guy ever. Almost named him Clint! His first time on sheep a few weeks back, very keen and no quit. A bit too forward for the knee-knockers we went for a lesson on. He is definitely a cow dog. So...yesterday as I was doing a little one on one with each dog in training, etc figured I would let him hang out with me in back field. Practicing some recalls, as he can be "selective" in hearing as he hits 5 months, just general stick around with me stuff.  I am picking up downed branches from recent deluge and windy storm and fixing e-net...next thi...

Will no longer be updating website.....winter project to launch new one and NOT on GoDaddy :)                   Puppies! They are growing in leaps and bounds. At 5 weeks the real fun begins!! Also, all the work I feel is necessary as foundation for the future starts in earnest now-social bonding with people and other animals,  building resiliency to loud noises & large things moving, interactive play for early recalls, little problem solving games, build drive and on/off settling switch, field trips for a variety of new expected & unexpected things, lots of handling of them and by strangers and also started housebreaking-they are asking to go out in the AM to Poop! :) not going in their sleeping area. I have been so busy with them and stuff...haven't had time to chronicle their adventures so far.... The last few days, their mama has decided it is time to wean them, which is her right. Until now, she has chose...

I think about things, a lot! To the extent I sometimes want to tell my brain to stop. Life, work and of course my dogs...big topics! I love my dogs. The training and competing in different venues is fun-it is a very 3-D way to get out into the world.  Losing my Dad a few months ago and the one year anniversary of losing my Mom and my Beloved Reve, has pretty much killed my enthusiasm for many things...luckily work has been so insanely busy, no time to stop moving.  I am probably delaying grieving as it hits me at the strangest times-like stuck in 3 lanes of speeding-psycho highway traffic or ordering mashed potatoes at a Diner and find myself crying, as my chest wells into my eyes. I have pushed myself to not withdraw...dogs help keep you in the here and now. Puppies breathe new life into the world! I am always looking for that special something in a dog. It is a hard quality to quantify, and I think a very personal c...

Best laid plans, sometimes go awry. Maybe not as dire as Steinbeck's Lennie, but have not had much to say or write, too much loss & betrayal this past 10 months, just numb.  We lost my Dad in mid-April on the 15th. Of all, he the literary genius would see the ironic symmetry to death & taxes. It was unexpected and yet expected...just not yet, as he battled cancer. I'm now an orphan. I grieve in private, not good at asking for help. For friends that have loyally been there, thank you.  This past Monday, was the anniversary of my Mom's brain injury that resulted in her death on June 3rd. I got through the day, but felt a throbbing in my head and heart the entire 24 hours. So many upcoming anniversaries of sad events, I guess those increase as we get older too. Not writing now for sympathy or to bum anyone out-but it is also cathartic to sometimes just let it go....death and loss shape you, as much as joy and rebirth. We plan to ...

Opportunity Knocks! I sometimes think that the death of a loved one, creates pivotal points where we spin into a new phase-some for the good, some for the bad. Death is always with us. Do we move forward, as we remember a beloved? Or, let it hold us back in decisions or get stuck repeating the patterns of grief? The stages of grief spin through me, like a wild horizontal roller coaster. I don’t expect anyone to understand how I feel, but the “me, me, me” or waffling wishy-washy-ness that directly affects someone else...the insensitivity of some during such a hard time…boggles my mind! Not dwelling in grief, but timing can be kinder, when continued expectations are pushed your way. One thing I think you learn from grieving, is further empathy for others-even if you cannot possibly fathom exactly how they feel. One thing you also learn is to clarify, is to edit out bullshit & who & what you move forward with, and who/what you don’t. There are many excuses for being indec...

Life Lessons from my Mom! In no particular order, things I have learned from my Mom: 1. Always unplug the toaster and coffeemaker, and never leave the dryer running, when you leave the house. It is inevitable you will burn the place down. 2. Don’t preach the Golden Rule, BE the Golden Rule. 3. Learn so that you can Teach.  Teach so that you can Learn. When you stop learning, or feel the need to be seen as an “expert”, you might as well be dead. 4. Learn New Things Daily!! Love what you love-learn to play an instrument or sing, so others see and hear your heart. 5. Never be a Snob, but always have an opinion. 6. Avoid Cliques like the plague, they squelch creativity and individuality-but join groups of like minded people that are enthusiastic about something you all love. 7. Join in on lots of things with lots of people, make sure to validate other people’s efforts and make them feel happy. 8. Love what you do, Do what you love!  9. Find...

Talisman Farm 2014 So what IS ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation)? What does ENS do long term? It is a set of quick exercises designed to stimulate the senses in infant puppies. It may set the stage for better learning capacity, body awareness and less sensitivity. Most of us raise pups in our home-not sterile or commercial kennel environments-where ENS is even more critical. Large scale breeding operations like those who raise guide dogs, etc use tons of early environmental enrichment, to help build stable pups. ENS is a bit "institutional" in feel...but the reasons for doing it with baby pups, are very warm & fuzzy!!! I'm not a scientist...just really love dogs and watching dogs and puppies. These tiny new lives on earth seem so "empty" to some because there is no obvious social reaction yet...yet to me, I'm just waiting for the day they hit the ground running and see it all come together, in what I observed from birth. I "see" pup...