Kachina will be two next month.  It has been a challenging but really fun two years with her.  Yes, she was all I've ever wanted in a dog and then some.  As much as I dislike Dermott (the breeder) he sure does breed nice dogs!

Kachina's temperament is stabilizing as she matures. She still lifts her leg when she pees (a dominance thing) and she still requires me to stay on my toes and never relax my leadership (Alpha status) with her. She is one of those dogs who will take any opportunity to take charge and lead. I'm really, really glad that there are places like Leerburg Dog Training (http://leerburg.com/) that provide really good information about dogs, especially dominant dogs. Another source of information that has been really helpful in understanding my dog is Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer (http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/). These two sources have made a real difference in helping me understand Kachina and guiding her into becoming a great dog.  Thank you. Thank you! Thank you!

We do not go to off-leash (Dog parks) anymore, except when we are passing through with the bike. In this case, Kachina is attached to my bike with this really cool device (http://www.walkydogusa.com/). I also have a leash on her to correct her if she even thinks of paying attention to another dog.  

The idea of a dog park is a human idea of fantasy.   The fantasy is that our dogs go there, meet each other and play nicely - like children in a playground, with the owners (parents) watching them frolic. Well it is a fantasy as dogs are not children and even children don't always play nicely together. Too many dog owners are psychotic when it comes to their dogs. I don't think it's the dogs at the park who are necessarily the problem, they on the most part seem to work out their differences quickly, it's the owners. Yikes! Muzzles for people please!

I've been enjoying taking Kachina to on-leash parks such as Glenmore park and Fish Creek park. It's sure a lot easier on the nerves and I still get some human socializing time in when I can drag someone with me - usually Jo and I'm working on Cathy.

To any of you reading this who have dogs, please go read all the information on the two websites I listed above. It's really worth the time!