Thursday Inspirations Number 11. Finding yourself.

This is specifically dedicated to my best friend this week.

#1.  If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.

#2.  Dear me, before you can truly love someone else you have to learn to love yourself.

If this last one is true, which I believe it is, you need to consider who you want to be and how that person will help the world when you start to create yourself.

Posts may soon go on break again.

We are moving at the end of the month and I'm not sure if we will have internet service right away.  I'll try to keep up with posts as much as I can.  After we move and we have internet service I will start posting reliably again.   Tuesday training tips are officially on break until we are moved.  They take a lot of time and I advertise to get questions.  I don't want to promise anyone an answer and not be able to give it.  But I'm TOTALLY on board to start them again because they are one of my favorites and I love helping people for free.

Wednesday Comedy. Cars

What am I going to do with my life?

   This is a question I've been asking myself lately.  Not in a negative way at all.  I haven't been sitting around despairing about where my life will go and how to find something useful to do.  Rather I've been looking at life and all its opportunities and wondering how in the world I will choose the one that will help others and make me happy.  I want to do something to help people but my gifts are with animals.  After a lot of time spent thinking and comparing I've finally combined everything I love into a "perfect" future for me.    So, here goes my best in describing what my plans are for the future.

Of course, there are always things that could completely ruin or change these plans.  Stock market crash for example.  (This week was apparently the worst week in four years.)  Zombie apocalypse, government population control.  But, I'll never have a chance to make a change or help anyone if I sit around worrying about everything that could prevent me and in the process prevent myself.

  My plans may seem too elaborate.  They could have been much simpler if it were not for my strong ambition and drive for power.  I'm fine with a simple job at first, but as time goes on I want to increase my efficiency by employing people and branching out.  I never want to be someone with a strictly paperwork job.  I want to be involved in the bigger jobs and accessible to the public.

•    The revenue production of the whole operation will be based in a horse boarding operation.   This will be a full care operation with grain, blanketing, turnout, and possibly even vet visits included in the board.  This will be run by a barn manager, grooms, and probably an on site trainer.  
•   On the side will be a board and train facility for dogs.  This may be for the average dog owner or directed towards training service dogs.  This will hopefully produce some revenue as well.  I would employ caretakers to care for the dogs needs while I do the training sessions with the dogs and possibly work with a co-trainer.
•   The most important part to me will be an animal assisted therapy and rehabilitation center.   This will be for helping people recover from emotional and possibly physical trauma through animals.  I will probably spend most of my time managing this.  I wanted this to be a non-profit which is why I decided to combine it with my other interests.  We would need someone qualified in counseling psychology to help people directly.  I have not yet decided if I would like to become qualified myself or employ someone else.  If I use hippotherapy to help people recover physically I would need a physical therapist to work with.

  There are two basic types of animal assisted therapy that I would like to combine in my operation for optimal recovery in both time and fullness.  The first type involves trained therapy animals that go with patients during their recovery process and are a great emotional support.  The second type involves patients working with animals that are going through similar trauma and helping each other recover.  This helps people through their recovery because they have a sense of usefulness and the benefit of seeing someone else struggle through recovery.  The second type also helps animals recover and be placed into homes.  And often the people who help them through their recovery are the ones who adopt them and they go on helping each other after therapy.  

•   Since I would like to apply both types of animal assisted therapy my property would also function as an animal shelter.  We would accept all sorts of animals that need rehabilitation before they can be placed in homes.  As a trainer I would offer direction and the patients would offer support until they are recovered enough to be adopted out.

Better pics from the trip!

Mom sent me pictures from her phone. I'm not going to bother to label them all.  But they are interesting things we saw on our trip.  Again, many of them are from the Earthhaven eco-village.  This post demonstrates clearly that my mom is better at photography than me.  :)  And she also has a better camera on her phone.

Paper plate flowers.

Asheville

Drum circle in Asheville square.  (triangle)

Commercial kitchen "failure" turned art wall/teen hangout.

Solar home

Bamboo

Aronia berry.

Vytex

Community kitchen

The chakras and phases of the moon were on the sides of this bridge.

This pyramid was built into the side of the bridge and had all sorts of cool stones in it.

The kids played a lot of this at grandmas house.

Black mountain

I'm back!

  Our spur-of-the-moment trip to see my great-grandmother turned into a months long vacation spent in Ohio and North Carolina.
 
I have some pictures from the trip.  Mostly from our time spent in North Carolina even though that was a minority of the trip.

So here's chronologically.

Entering Indiana on the way there.

    A little story here.  After we got into Indiana we had to stop for the night in Terra Haute.  Overall it wasn't that great but I had an interesting experience with a kitten while we were there.  We were sitting and a little kitten who was suffering from hunger and fleas came over to us and sat on my lap.  It left an impression on me because I've never been a cat lover since I was six.  Something changed in that moment and my entire trip was filled with encounters with kittens and cats that has forever changed the light I see them in.  

While we were in Ohio we went to Lakefarm Park.   Its a large functioning farm that is open to the public and offers lots of demonstrations daily.  We saw this cute little 4 day old calf while we were there and my brother said he "wanted to bring this cute little animal home".  :)

We visited Black Mountain North Carolina and this cool chair was on one of the little streets.

We bought this GIANT peanut butter cup!

This cute teashop was in Black Mountain and its where we got the iced matcha above.

   While we were in North Carolina we toured the Earthhaven Eco-village.  The next pictures are all of things I saw there.  

Cool bridge.

They have a free store where people drop off what they don't need and pick up things they need.

Here's another one of my kitten adventures.  While we are the village this little siamese ventured out of the woods and played with some of the kids.

This is one of the beautiful hand built homes.

   Our visit wasn't all fun.  We got into a little fender bender when we got back to Ohio.  

The intersection.  (parking lot of course)

Our van.

We're all okay and waiting for the insurance companies to sort things out.

I'm still really busy now that I'm home cause we still have to move.  We are moving just across town though.  I'll do my best to get back to my regular posts but it might be a bit before I am in the swing of things again.

Driving across the country.

Written on Wednesday the 22nd:
    On Monday we decided to go to the east coast to visit family.  We are especially going to see my great-grandmother.  We unexpectedly left early Tuesday the 21st.  I am blogging from my mom's phone while we are driving across Illinois.  We are making amazing time and are completing the trip in two days.  I drove for 5 1/2 hours yesterday and we got into Columbia Missouri around 12:30 am and got a hotel.  We all got showers and were back on the road by 8:00.  (9:00 local time but we are still operating on colorado time.)  We saw a pretty big fire somewhere in Kansas or Missouri.   We are traveling via I-70 and there is a lot of construction at various points on the interstate.  We were stuck in stop and go traffic for about 20 minutes at one point.   Right now we are driving through construction with a 45mph speed limit but a semi is pushing us to go faster with construction workers really close.
    After we visit my great-grandmother we (or just my mom) will probably be headed to North Carolina and Virginia to look for housing before we come back to Colorado.

UPDATE:  Written on Thursday the 30th.
   My Great-Grandmother is doing way better now!  We are at my grandparents house and having fun.  My mom went and looked at a house here in Ohio this morning that we might consider moving into.  We're still considering looking in Virginia and North Carolina.  I'm SO SORRY for the lack of posting.  Scheduled posts are officially taking a break until things are settled enough for me to start blogging again.  Hopefully it wont be too long.  Right now I want to enjoy family and not be glued to the computer.
    Today is my birthday and I am turning 17!  I almost cant believe that I will be 18 in a year.  I hope ll of you are having a great day!

Tuesday Training Tip Number 11. Indoor potty training advice.

    Hi I adopted a mini-dachshound 2 weeks ago, I'm going crazy with trying to pad train. I live in a high rise building. She does her business all over the carpet and has not used the several

pads I have around. I won't be taking her out much just when I feel like it.  Help did I just make a mistake? She is adorable, red dapple. I like her a lot, wish I could figure this out. - Gayle

    First of all, I would like to clarify that having multiple pads all over the house does not help your puppy learn where to go.  It seems helpful, but really, it is very confusing for dogs.  If there are multiple pads ending up in different places it will be incredibly hard for her to learn where she is and isn't supposed to do her business. 

Supplies:

Potty pads. 

Potty attractant.  Some potty pads come with attractant in them.  If not, you should buy a spray and spray it onto the pads to make her interested in using them.

Deodorizing product.  Use a special product to deter dogs from re-soiling where they have gone before.   Dogs have a tendency to do their business where they have previously if they can smell it.  So whenever they have an accident, make sure the smell is fully eliminated.   Here is an example. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=1092

Step 1.  Decide where her one "potty spot" will be.  It is up to YOU and not her where her potty spot will be.  When you decide where she will go, it is potty training.  When you put pad wherever you catch her going, it is giving up.  

Things to consider:  Placing her pads on linoleum or tile will be better than carpet.  It will be easier for her to distinguish the edge of the pad from the ground.  And also, if her aim is off it will be easier to clean the floor.  Past that, it is up to you.  Some places are less desirable given the "yuck factor".  For example, the kitchen, by the bed, or by the door.  In my opinion the best place is the bathroom if that works for you.

   Keep in mind that pad training her will probably take longer than training a dog to go outside.  The difference is harder for her to realize.  But I'm sure she will get it with time if you are consistent in using a good method.  When you first start you should put a few pads in her potty area so it is about 4' x 4'.

Step 2.  Decide what training method you will use.   You have the option of confinement training or crate training.  With crate training you will probably see results quicker but this will only work well if you are home a lot.  Confinement training is great for if you are away at work or you don't wish to purchase a crate.  However, it might take a little bit longer for her to get the idea.   

Confinement Training.  You will confine her to a small area that has her potty area and a small other area with food, water, and bed.   This is where having the potty area in the bathroom is very helpful because you can just keep her in the bathroom while she is learning.  If her potty area is somewhere else you can close off the area with an exercise pen or baby gates.  She will stay in this area unless you are watching her.  She should be in here after waking up, eating, or drinking.  When you let her out of this area you should start by taking her into it every 15 min and keeping her in there for about 5 min.  As time goes on and she gets better your visits can be further apart and eventually she will go to her potty place on her own.  Whenever you leave the house she should be in here until she can be home all day without having accidents.

Crate Training.  For crate training she will start out in the crate most of the time.  She will sleep in the crate and be in the crate whenever you are not supervising her.  Dogs almost never soil their sleeping place unless the crate is too big and she creates a separate potty place inside.  Whenever she comes out of her crate you will take her straight to her potty area until she does her business.  Since you will probably want her to be out often you will have to be very attentive and take her to her potty place a lot.

Correction and praise during potty training.  The reason I have stressed so much that you have to be with your puppy whenever she is loose in the house is that you can only correct your dog correctly when you are present when she has an accident.  If you are watching when she has an accident, say "NO" loudly and firmly and take her to her potty place.  If you notice later that she has had an accident there is nothing you can do.  Trying to discipline her or stuffing her nose into it will not do any good.  Every accident that she gets away with, when you cannot correct her, will influence her.  Try to be around when she goes on her pads.  When she does praise her profusely and offer her special treats that she only gets for peeing on her pads.

    Lastly, she should go for walks.  Because she is small and young doesn't mean she doesn't need exercise.  Taking her on walks will help her overall behavior, intelligence, and mental health and make training easier.

Friday Fashion Tip Number 10. Dressing for Show Jumping.

    Show jumping has an almost equal emphasis on presentation and safety.   You will wear everything  that you wear for dressage and also a medical armband.   You are also allowed to use a riding crop.

Tall black or brown boots

Black or navy blue hunt coat

White or tan breeches

White show shirt

Stock tie

ASTM/SEI approved Helmet

Gloves

Spurs

Riding crop

Medica armband with up-to-date information