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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

For real though, dog training?

Not a scam.

Not scary, yelly, toxic military guys with froth on their lips demanding that I have to be the "alpha" and "dominate" my sweet pups.

Just genuine partnership and love for dogs that shines through and helps everyone have a better life together!

Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

And if you live in San Antonio, DM me and I'll give you Jess's info. She is a gosh-darn miracle worker, and her wife, Katie Beth, is the sweetest. Oh, and Katie Beth does grooming, too, so if you need a dog groomer, I can hook you up!

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

That's your #pupdate for Cups and her first training session. It went really well, and I'm seeing a massive improvement just in her first week.

If you aren't sure about getting a trainer for your dog, I can tell you that even as an unemployed person living off savings, this is absolutely worth it.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

While I do the whole weird close-away-close-medium thing with Cups, she just stays sitting until I tell her she's "free."

And you guys, Cups is doing AMAZING with the sitting practice. I am so proud of her!!! It's only been like a day and a half and she has GOT THIS.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

I sit Cups, then I back up as far as I can without dropping the lead, then step in super-close, like, weirdly in-her-space close, then back up again and give her a treat.

Sometimes we repeat it a few times before she gets the treat, so it really, really looks like I'm dancing with her haha.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

Basically, I take Cups to various near-the-house-but-outside places and practice getting her to sit and stay sitting while I move around.

In practice, it looks like I'm dancing with my dog.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

If Cups can learn the door thing, it will be so much better, because we will worry less about her sprinting outside unexpectedly and (heaven forbid) getting hit by a car or something. So far, she's making really good progress.

Her final bit of homework is more sitting and waiting practice.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

... call her through the door from the outside (she can get up at this time), sit her again outside the door, and close the door while she remains sitting.

This is HARD. We have to practice A LOT. She does not always get it. But she's getting better! And she does get it some of the time!

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

In addition to no-pull walks, she is learning to sit (REALLY sit, not just put her booty on the ground for a millisecond and pop up again) so I can open the door without her zooming out.

The practice goes like this:
I ask for a sit, open the door, step out the open door (she's still sitting)...

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

I'm pretty sure my dog was astonished to discover that I am also there during our walks when we walked together to practice her training objectives today.
It was a completely different experience.

Because Cups is the smartest bestest girl, she also has two other homework assignments this week.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

So if your pup is sniffing the whole time, they (and you) are missing the RELATIONSHIP part. So, you simply lift their head back up (thanks to the training lead, which allows you to do this) when they put it down, and focus on, you know, walking!

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

Jess the Trainer says bathroom access is pretty much utilitarian and not the purpose of the WALK, per se. So you let them use the bathroom, but it's not the whole point. The whole point is your relationship and doing something together.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

Also, did you know that dogs are not supposed to spend the entire walk with their nose on the ground?

Mostly, I thought that walks for dogs are pretty much for two things:
1) To allow them to use the bathroom
2) To let them sniff stuff

Turns out I was wrong!

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

So Cups still needs 3x daily practice on the heeling/pivot walk, but she can do it! She hasn't dragged me at all since she learned it yesterday morning! My life is immeasurably better (trust me, my arms are still all bruised from getting dragged and tugged and knocked down for the last two weeks).

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

So basically, if your dog walks (or in my case, zooms) ahead of you, simply perform the pivot the moment the dog gets ahead. This means that you are magically in front of them again. You have to do it kind of a lot at first, and you do feel a little (a lot) silly, but it actually works!

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

It's PIVOT! (Okay, when it was my turn to work with Cups and the trainer, I ended up needing remedial pivot lessons because my pivots weren't sharp enough.) The pivot is a full, brisk, perfectly crisp about-face while maintaining forward momentum. I still have to practice because it's tricky for me.

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

Holy smokes, y'all! I could not believe how fast Cups picked up on the new "don't pull" rule!
Like, I have been out here basically waterskiing all over the place as Cups drags me around the neighborhood for weeks, and it turns out she could just... not?

Do y'all already know this magical secret?

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

They weren't just hanging out, though. Even though Jess was working to help Cups feel comfortable with her, she began teaching right away.
In addition to "the trainer is your ally," Cups also started to learn "pulling on the lead will get you nowhere."

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

Jess, our trainer, (and I do mean OUR trainer, because boy howdy did she train me), had me hand off Cups to her, and showed us how to use a slip lead for training.

Cups' first lesson was to be chill with Jess, which she adjusted to pretty quickly, but not without longing glances towards mom (me).

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Magpie Needs A Job @magpielaughs.bsky.social · 11h

#Pupdate
Yesterday, THE DOGS went to their first day of training.
Because THE DOGS have different needs, they go to school separately. Cups the Bernedoodle was up first.

Cups is not always friendly around new folks, and doesn't like hats, so she took a minute to warm up to her hat-wearing trainer.

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Reposted by Magpie Needs A Job

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 11h

What www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

POLITICO
"They killed Charlie Kirk — the least that we can do is go through a legal process and redistrict Indiana into a nine to zero map," Sen. Jim Banks, the Republican of Indiana, told POLITICO last month.

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Reposted by Magpie Needs A Job

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 12h

every so often Justice Alito says something during Supreme Court oral argument that makes me perk up and go uhh lol this man's brain is pickled in conservative crank juice fr fr

today was one such day

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/bost-...

Sam Alito Is Just Asking Questions About Mail-In Voting

In Illinois, Democrats passed a law making it easier for people to cast absentee ballots. Alito was ready to give the Republican challenging the law some free advice.

ballsandstrikes.org

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Reposted by Magpie Needs A Job

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 12h

As I told @josephcox.bsky.social for this piece, if DHS is concerned that the actions of their own officers might inflame public opinion against the agency, they should work to increase oversight and accountability at the agency — rather than seek to have the evidence banned.

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 13h

New: Apple banned an app that simply archived videos of ICE abuses. Rather than other apps that record ICE official's real-time location, Eyes Up is to "preserve evidence until it can be used in court." Videos from TikTok etc. Every submission manually reviewed

www.404media.co/apple-banned...

Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses

Eyes Up's purpose is to "preserve evidence until it can be used in court." But it has been swept up in Apple's crackdown on ICE-spotting apps.

www.404media.co

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Reposted by Magpie Needs A Job

Kelly Barnhill @kellybarnhill.bsky.social · 18h

Jesus wept

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 21h

WATCH: Trump’s lawless Ice goons shoot an unarmed priest in the head with a pepper ball. Completely out of control.

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Reposted by Magpie Needs A Job

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 19h

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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