Paws and Reflect

Paws and Reflect

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Haley's Journal
Welcome to Paws and Reflect! I share in hopes to encourage fellow dog lovers.
Today my dog training philosophy is centered around playing together.

Posts about canine fulfillment and play

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Our favorite activities to share with our cattle dog
How do I decide what to do with Scout? What does she enjoy most? A look at our favorite physical, mental, and social activities—and whether they fill or…
 • Haley Young
In my perfect world… Dog ownership fantasies
We live in reality. But we can daydream, too! (And work together to move the real world closer to our ideal visions.)
 • Haley Young
Why I encourage my dog to play with things that aren't toys
I consider it one of our greatest accomplishments that Scout's expanding her idea of what constitutes a “toy”.
 • Haley Young
Hills I will die on as a dog lover
The more specific a guideline, the more likely I am to take issue with it. But I stand behind some overarching beliefs.
 • Haley Young
My timid dog has come to love the outdoors
How did Scout transform from homebody clinger to feral maniac?
 • Haley Young
What my dog's given up for full-time van life
And what we’ve gained in its place. Does it feel like loss—or making room for something better?
 • Haley Young
What it takes to fulfill my dog on days with lots of alone time
Perspective on her exercise, enrichment, and social needs compared to other dogs and depending on the environment.
 • Haley Young
My dog is a physical creature
Scout has arrived at her own version of the cattle dog’s stereotypical boldness.
 • Haley Young
After a dog attack, we spent years navigating fear-based reactivity.

Dog reactivity reflections

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Four years since: What my first foster dog taught me
Big realizations and tiny seeds planted by our first foster dog in 2022, a bully-breed mix on medically mandated crate rest
 • Haley Young
My sensitive dog's first two weeks as a campground host
An introvert and her shy blue heeler decide to volunteer at a busy state park. The punchline? They love it.
 • Haley Young
My dog and I will never be "cured" of our reactivity
All these years of progress later, sometimes I still grieve the things that aren't easy with such a sensitive creature.
 • Haley Young
Seven years writing the story of Scout Finch
Happy gotcha day to the dog I got in my 20s—the one who's moved into four apartments, one house, and now a converted van by my side.
 • Haley Young
An example of my "reactive" dog pattern mapping unpleasant encounters
Once in a while, we can’t avoid the chaos—and then those experiences stack atop one another, threatening all our confidence just a bit. This pattern…
 • Haley Young
I don't want the vet to "win over" my dog
Poking-and-prodding betrayal is worse coming from a potential friend.
 • Haley Young
Is off-leash dog drama really worth physical assault?!
Come one, come all: Heated off-leash dog incidents are happening again
 • Haley Young
It’s (still) isolating to love a sensitive dog
But I am capable of crossing any imaginary line my least-productive thought spirals draw.
 • Haley Young
Thank you so much for being here! Love from Haley and Scout.

Paws and Reflect

Nuanced thoughts on dog behavior, training, emotions, and more from a writer, van lifer, and animal nerd.
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