For Frieda, our trip to the groomer this morning is a bit of a graduation. Frieda has never been to a groomer, but I am comfortable about it. Eileen Quackenbush of Muddy Paws, Shushan, N.Y., can handle herself, and Frieda and I have advanced to the point where I am quite confident about her getting through it. At first, Maria had to muzzle her at the vets, but we haven’t had to do that for a long time. Frieda has never bitten any human, for all the noise she makes, and it my job to work with and train her so that she never does. She is anxious in strange hands, and I have to respect that. That is not aggression. In this case, a good reason for me to be there. She trusts me.

One reason I do not like to refer to dogs as “rescues” or as abused is that I think we project this idea onto them – they are so tuned to our emotions – that they are dangerous and beyond our command. Confidence is a critical part of animal training, I believe. I always stop before training and set my intentions – I can do this, you (the dog) can do this, we will do it together. I think we communicate this confidence and authority to them, and they listen and learn to respond. It’s a profoundly important way to bond with a dog and if we think of them as piteous or damaged – or as rescued things – they will pick it up, one way or the other. I respect Frieda. I expect her to learn the rules of my world, for her safety and the safety of everyone else.

I have researched Frieda’s life intensely for a book on her coming out in 2013 – “Frieda and Me: Second Chances.” We’ve been through a lot here. I remember well her year in the barn and her ferocious responses to the other dogs, the donkeys and the chickens. I expect her to be calm and contained.

I don’t really see today as a crisis, as much as I love to joke about Frieda.

I see grooming today as a kind of graduation.