Here Come the Puppies - from Somerset Magazine, July 2017

by REBECCA S. LINDEMAN

                Perhaps the most important thing you can teach your puppy is to come when called.  Immediately - not when she decides it’s time.  The majority of young pups learn their names without formal training and come running when you use it.  It is often not until they enter their “teenage” period that they begin to test their limits or start to choose when they respond and when they do not.  To avoid this problem, I teach what I refer to as an emergency recall in every class – puppy, adult, even agility.  (Recall means to call your pup back to you from something else)

                The first step is to give your puppy a middle name.  Now, when a human’s middle name is used, it is often a sign that he’s in trouble.  Picture yourself coming home past your curfew to discover your mother standing just inside the front door, hands on her hips, foot tapping.  When she utters your full name, your stomach clenches and your heart skips a beat.

                The use of your pup’s middle name will have the exact opposite effect. She will wiggle with joy and come running into your arms - if you follow the training steps exactly.  There are really only three rules to follow.  1.  Train and practice the behavior expected – coming when called – in a manner that allows your pup to succeed.  2.  Never use your pup’s middle name as a negative – that is, don’t use it to tell him he’s done something wrong and don’t use it to call him to do something he doesn’t like.  3.  Always pair the middle name with a great reward, usually an especially delicious treat.

Using a special name, consistently paired with rewards,

 will help your pup learn to come every time he’s called 

(Photo: Rebecca S. Lindeman)

               So, let’s get started.  Choose a middle name that is new, not something that you’ve used on a regular basis.  For the best results, make sure it is short and sounds very different from her first name.  In my pack are Ethel Jane, Daisy Rose, and Horatio Vince.

                Gather some tasty treats – ten is a good number – and we’re ready to begin.  In this step, it’s important to remember that we are not training a behavior; we are creating a positive association with the new name.  Work in a quiet room with no distractions.  Say your pup’s first and middle name in a happy voice, then immediately pop one of those delicious treats into her mouth.  Don’t wait for her to look at you, don’t require her to sit, don’t expect her to even move a muscle.  Just say the name and deliver the treat.  Because this training is so important, I generally use lean, cooked chicken breast.  Repeat this training twice a day for three days.

                On the fourth day, wait until your puppy is across the room from you, not paying attention.  Have those tasty treats ready, say his name and, if he whips his head in your direction – better yet, if he comes running to you – deliver all ten treats and throw a praise party!  If he didn’t, don’t worry, some pups learn a little more slowly.  Repeat the steps for another three days, and then try again.  When he responds as described, start doing this exercise twice a day for five days.

                On the sixth day, wait for your puppy to be in a different room.  Again, have your treats ready and be prepared to throw the praise party.  Call out your puppy’s first and middle name in a clear, loud, happy voice then say, “pup, pup, pup!” until she finds you.  Deliver the treats one at a time, all the while telling her what a wonderful girl she is.  Play hide and seek with your puppy three times a day for a full week.

Fatima Lohr demonstrates the welcoming posture 

and happy voice that very few puppies can resist 

(Photo: Phil Balko)

                The next step is to take it outside.  Take your puppy somewhere that he can be off leash and with few distractions – no other dogs, squirrels, kids, etc.  Let him play and explore for a while, then call him with his first and middle names.  As he comes to you, drop to the ground with your arms open wide, a big smile on your face, and call, “pup, pup, pup!” until he’s in front of you.  Hold his collar with one hand while you treat and pet with the other.  An important part of this step is to then release your puppy to play and explore some more.  Try to do this exercise three times a day for a week, then begin to do it in more and more distracting circumstances.

                In no time at all, you should have a dog that comes running when she hears her middle name.  When she is reliable, you can practice less.  Even now, I try to practice with my dogs once during every walk.  If you have any questions, please send me an email at rebeccaslindeman@gmail.com.

Rebecca is the President & Executive Director of The Ethel Fund Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to changing animals' lives by providing assistance in times of catastrophic veterinary need.  To learn more, please visit http://www.ethelfund.org or https://www.facebook.com/TheEthelFund.  You may contact Rebecca at rslindeman@ethelfund.org.

Phil Balko is the proprietor of Photography by Balko and donates his talents to the Ethel Fund Inc. as well as other community organizations.  To see more of his work, visit http://philipbalko.com/. You may contact Phil at inquiry@philipbalko.com.

Show Me Your Tattoo - from Somerset Magazine, July 2017

by REBECCA S. LINDEMAN

photos by PHIL BALKO

                Across the half-century I’ve spent on this earth, there’s been a changing trend when it comes to tattoos.  Growing up, it was unheard of – outside the circus – for a woman to have one.  In fact, tattoos were generally frowned upon, unless the bearer was a veteran.  If you had ink in your skin without such experience, it was often assumed that you’d spent time in prison. 

                Before learning about Amy Bluell and Project Semicolon, I gave very little thought to the meaning of tattoos.  Amy lost her father to suicide in 2013 and, herself, this year.  She was a brave young woman who inspired a lot of ink when she described a semicolon as representing “a sentence the author could’ve ended, but chose not to.  The author is you and the sentence is your life.”  Visit www.projectsemicolon.com to learn more about her mission and the punctuation that defines it.

                With her heartbreaking story in mind, I began to notice living art and realized that I know far more women than men who choose to use their bodies as canvas.  So, this month, we borrowed a line from Craig Morgan and asked, “Come on, girl, show me your tattoo!”  

Ellen Luchsinger shares her love of tattoos
with her husband, Jay

                Ellen Luchsinger is a beautiful young woman with nine tattoos; each has significance and a story.  She and her husband get a new tattoo in each state they visit together.  They have matching trees on their shoulders, which Jay designed.  The branches nearly touch a quill pen beside a line from Hamlet, “nothing is either good or bad, thinking makes it so.”  Scholars of Shakespeare will forgive the slight deviation of phrase; the tattoo is an exact replica of the handwriting of her best friend – her late grandmother.

                Another quote, this one from the Grateful Dead, graces her back, “If I knew the way, I would take you home.”  One either side is the Dead’s signature bear and a triforce from The Legend of Zelda, the only video game she’s ever played.  The game so enthralled her that she would, at times, fake being sick to stay home from school and spend the day with her Nintendo 64.  On her wrist are two simple words, stacked together to remind her that, when times are tough, it’s often just mind over matter.

the handprints of Cooper Luchsinger

                Though many people get tattoos to memorialize someone they’ve lost, Ellen chooses to honor her parents, Wayne and Roberta Lohr, now.  Their signatures are scrawled across her foot exactly as they’ve appeared in every card they’ve ever given her.  While her first tattoo, received with a dose of trepidation, is hidden inside her lip, her most recent is the one she displays most proudly: a water color handprint portrait of her son, Cooper.  “He’s the best thing in my life, my greatest accomplishment, literally my favorite thing on the planet.”

                While Ellen and her tattoo habit are supported by family and friends, Paula Eppley-Newman’s single tattoo caused unexpected uproar.  Paula is an elegant lady of a certain age, known for independence and a propensity to succeed.  Among other pursuits, Paula is a member of loosely formed group called the Community Connections Team.  When asked to describe the group of ladies, she answered, “We laugh together and we rant together.  When one cries, we all cry.  When one celebrates, we all celebrate.  We lift each other up when the world around us beats us down.  We celebrate babies and goats.  I am honored and humbled to be in their company.  To learn from them and grow with them.  It’s a bond like no other.”

The emotional strength of these women is a wonder.  Therefore, it is no wonder (at least to me) that they would choose to adorn themselves with the words of Maya Angelou, “still I rise.”  What I do wonder about is why so many of Paula’s friends were shocked, even abhorred.   After an unprecedented number of messages, she wrote the following:

Paula Eppley-Newman
received mixed reactions to her tattoo

“I never thought choosing to get a tattoo would cause such a sensation among my family, friends, co-workers, and peers.  The shock, awe, delight, and degradation has me overwhelmed and amazed.  Although I owe no explanation, I submit one here, for all to read, ponder, digest, and hopefully, accept.  If you reach the end and acceptance is beyond your reach, I suggest you do some internal reflection to understand and, maybe, even develop your own perceptions on tolerance.

“This decision was not made lightly and I chose the design for a variety of reasons.  It is about solidarity – with like-minded women who feel the world slipping backwards instead of moving forward.  These women are my compass points.  They help me find true north when society wants me to move in other directions.

“It is about honor – honoring the memory of the most powerful woman I knew, my mother.  She was a woman of faith, love, and kindness.  A strong woman who lost one child but went on to raise the other four to be strong, compassionate adults, all while taking care of a sick husband.  She maintained her love and respect for him and never complained.  No matter what, still she rose, and the purple rose is in her honor.

                “It is about memory and respect – for all the women who came before, who struggled and rose beyond where they were to create the powerful female gene that generations to come will share.  They set the stage for women everywhere to build their own resistance and find their internal power.

                “It is a reminder – of where I was and where I am now.

                “It is about never ending love – for my daughters by birth, love, and law, whom I watched grow into strong women who are now raising strong women.

the words of Maya Angelou

                “It is about injustice – that in this day and age, women still have to worry about body image, shaming, fitting a societal mold instead of living the best life they can and breaking that mold forever.

                “So, to the individual who asked if I was going through a mid-life crisis: thank you for the compliment as I am way past mid-life.  To the one who asked, ‘What are you thinking? You are an intelligent woman!’: thank you for recognizing my intelligence, if not my choice.”

Phil Balko is the proprietor of Photography by Balko, a full-service studio specializing in senior portraits, custom wedding, and lifestyle photography.  To see more of his work, visit http://philipbalko.com.  You may contact Phil at inquiry@philipbalko.com or (814)352-5327.