It’s been awhile since I’ve worked with a dog other than my own, but I’ve been helping my friend Maria Heinrich, the artist out. Maria, who makes rogue quilts out of one of my barns has been working out of town this week and so I’ve been taking care of Frieda and doing some training. Frieda is a rescue dog, a Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who seemed very anxious and dog aggressive when I first met her. She didn’t like me much either. I’ve been working with her for a few weeks, a lot of treats, positive reinforcement, throwing sticks. We have bonded a bit, and she ignores my dogs completely most of the time, and today we took our first walk on the path in the woods.
  She loves the snow. This reminded me how satisfying training a dog can be, and how effective positive reinforcement training is. Frieda is dramatically more relaxed and responsive, and I’ve used a lot of alternative reinforcement training – when she sees something that arouses her, I throw a stick or a treat to distract her. Maria got a crate, which has calmed Frieda and which she loves.
 Today was our first long walk together, and it was a hit for both of us. I’m reminded how spiritual training a dog is, and how much they like understanding what is expected of them. Tomorrow, I’ll walk Frieda with my dogs – she and Rose seem eager to eat one another – and we will see what happens.