Just kick'n it

Good Saturday morning, yes my guys are gone out for their canyon run and will return happy with their tongues hanging out the side of their mouth. I just gave Tilley another summer haircut so she will be much happier and feel much cooler on her run. My two poodles are the picture of happiness when they return. Speaking of pictures, being a professional photographer enables me to capture all sorts of great images. I do shoot posed shots when I need a particular image but mostly I try to shoot a dog being a dog.

A dogs face says everything and if they are not happy the picture is not going to turn out. Being a dog trainer gives me that extra advantage in understanding dog behavior so I can react to a situation or capture a special moment that may last a split second. Often I have told a guardian that their dog is getting stressed, not hugely stressed but I can see the first signs. They tend to not agree, afterall they want the shots. But I always take five, put my camera on a table and sit on the ground so that their pooch can just chill.

Even if I have taken the time to get to know the dog, stress can happen during a shoot. It is one thing to be just kick'n it with this dog but once you are completely focused (literally) on the dog it can make a dog uncomfortable. I now use my long lense so that I can sit a comfortable distance away and still get great shots. This makes the shoot much less intrusive for the dog and they relax much more readily.

Getting great dog shots takes patience and alot of it. Guardians tend to get flustered when their dog is acting up for a shoot, so I immediately tell them to relax and that I have patience beyond patience. You must have patience to be a good dog trainer and that flows over to my photography. You cannot be in a hurry to get a shot, you have to let a great shot happen naturally. You can always help it along but helping it can also backfire.

I love spending time with dogs so waiting is never an issue. I could just sit on the floor or ground and wait for them to relax for a very longtime. Watching dogs is what I love to do.

Here for a good time, not a long time

A dog's time with us here is short indeed. With my dogs now 7, 10 1/2 and 11 1/2, age is something I am thinking about. I don't dwell on it and I certainly don't treat my dogs like seniors. Luke is my baby and in his prime but the girls are getting up there. It seems like yesterday I was bringing each of them home. How did I get to this point in time with senior dogs so quickly?

Being a dog lover you must somehow come to terms with the fact that your dog or dogs will only be by your side for a short time. Often the knowledge of this is enough to keep people from adding a dog to their life. But for many it is not enough to stop them from enjoying the company of dogs. I know that my dogs are only with me for a small chunk out of my life but I wouldn't miss a second of it.

It is sad but true, our dogs are only on this earth for on average of 10 years. That is a short time compared to how long we will be on this earth. Yet our lives are enriched so much by living with dogs that I simply can't imagine life without dogs. Our dogs cram a whole lifetime into a decade, so much so that it may seem that our dogs live forever.

If you are a big dog lover and have had many dogs in your past, present and know there will be more in your future there are a few things to think about that help with knowing our dogs are here for a short while. Live life in the moment, enjoy every second (even the bad seconds) you are with your dog. Think back at all of the dogs that have touched your life in some way, each one enriching your life. How have all the dogs in your life changed you to be a better person? I know all of my dogs have helped in my evolution.

Our dogs are here for a good time and good time is what they should have. An intensely close relationship with their guardian, fun romping in the fields, good food and good sleep. They don't ask much of us, but as a guardian it is our chosen role to keep them happy. That means learning as much as you can how to keep your dog happy. Research and learn.

I would not be the person I am today had I not lived with all the dogs I have. If I had not experienced the good and bad moments with them and learned. Learning is the biggest part of living with dogs, I truly believe that each dog has something big to teach us. The dogs in our future will benefit from the dogs in our past.

Boot camp

I am on alot of dog groups both breed and behavior or training and the topic of late seems to be the effects or non effect of sending your dog off to boot camp. What I call boot camp are the in kennel type training facilities that you send your dog to. Many of them will keep your dog for several weeks and return to you a trained dog, at least this is the premise of these type facilities.

Personally I have had to retrain or rehabilitate several dogs that were sent to places like this. The dogs that I had to rework were mistreated and the owners were themselves bullied into leaving their dog at the facility. Now, I know not all are bad and there are some very experienced and knowledgable trainers out there that do a great job but my problem with in kennel facilities is that someone else is training your dog.

To have a dog that will listen to you and do as you ask you must work with your dog yourself. You must invest the time and depending on your dog it may be alot of time. I am a positive trainer, I do not believe in choke, pinch/prong or electric collars. And basically when I train a dog I am training the guardian to train their dog. I will do a demonstration but it is my job to make sure that the owner "gets it." If the owner "get's it," the dog will get it. I work them through their problems until they both get it right and understand completely.

The tough part of training is teaching the guardians, many of my clients have said "Sherri you make it look easy." It is easy for me to train a dog but if the owner can't work with their dog there is a problem. I don't live with your dogs you do, so you must be able to understand how your dog thinks and how to work with them as a team.

Take for example a couple where the wife trains and works with the dog on a regular basis. Often I hear from the husband that the dog won't listen to a thing he says. That is because the husband does not work with the dogs and once he starts working with the dogs then they will listen to him. If you have someone else train your dog you are going to be in the same siutation, you are still going to have to learn it all and work with your dog alot. So why send your dog off to a place where they are left alone with strangers to do the initial work?

I am admittedly an overprotective Mom which encompasses my children and my dogs. There is no way I would leave my dogs in the hands of people that I do not know. Especially a puppy, you are missing out on all of that bonding time that would otherwise be spent on your relationship building. By training your dog yourself you will learn how your dog thinks and how to best respond to their needs. If there is a problem you will find out how to deal with it. I always try to teach my guardians how to look at behaviors the same way their dog looks at something. This allows them to figure out problems once I am out of the picture.

I have often been asked to live with a family until their dog is all trained. That just makes it very clear that my job is to make sure that the owner feels very empowered about teaching their dog what they need to know in this human world. Once the guardian understands they can then teach their dog and you can too.

Its in the heart of the dog

Have you ever seen a toy size dog chase down a giant breed? I have and it is amusing. The owner of the giant breed often is ashamed and publicly thrashes their dog for such a humiliating display. Size only matters when it comes to a physical confrontation and sometimes not even then. I have also seen a smaller dog kick a big buff dogs ***.

When a large dog approaches a small dog often the smaller dog feels intimidated by size so may deliver an over the top "don't mess with me" message. Just imagine how you would feel if a t-rex came over to you to say hello. You'd be on guard and try desperately to seem very big indeed.

Confidence comes in many shapes and sizes and some of they most confident dogs I've ever met were in very tiny packages. I have a very confident Jack Russell, all 15 pounds of her. She has only once been intimidated by a large dog and that dog was the tallest of breeds, an Irish wolfhound. It was the one and only time I ever saw my girl roll in submission at a mere approach. Mind you she was only 4 months old at the time and I'm not sure that she would do the same now.

Jessie's confidence makes me smile when she approaches another dog. She walks with purpose and a direct stare which usually has the other dog worrying quite a bit. She makes her position very clear and very few dogs challenge let alone approach her at close range.

You can see it play out when a small dog approaches a large dog. The tiny dog walking to greet with intent body posture while the large dog starts having self doubt. The large dogs ears are up and then down, up and down. Until finally they fold under the pressure literally and are on the ground even lower than the small dog. From there the small dog takes over completely sniffing and keeping the large dog down simply by intense confidence.

Even between large dogs you can see immediately who is confident and who is not. If two confident dogs get together they can have a good time but it is a much more guarded interaction. Add to that "top dog" status seeking behaviors and a good time turns into a time bomb. (Look back at Alpha bitch soup post)

So if you have one of those very big baby type dogs, be happy. These type dogs seldomly get into trouble.

Mixed messages

Often when I am watching dogs interact I have seen them misinterpret a message. Whether it is at a park, a friends dogs or my own dogs it happens quite often. I love dog behavior so I watch it very closely when it is going on. And just like we humans who tend to jump to conclusions and assume which always leads to misunderstanding so to do our dogs. They are not perfect communicators although I'd have to say they get it right at a higher percent rate than we do.

I remember one time when I was doing a shoot at the dog park, I was there for a certain breed but I do have a very hardtime stopping my wandering eye. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a pit bull just entered the park. This pit was giving off "I'm super friendly body language" to everyone. Then there was the self appointed boss of the park, an unaltered airedale. He approached the pit on his toes showing him what a tough guy he was and the pit didn't care at all. He actually ran right past and onto play with someone else.

Well, this would not satisfy the airedale and he approached the pit again. If I could have explained to the airedale that he was attempting to push the wrong dog, I would have. The airedale mounted the pit and it was funny because the pit did not submit but really didn't care about what was going on. He ran off again which seemed to infuriate the airedale. Again they were together and at this point I was trying to locate the owner of the airedale. The dogs were in a close group which is never good when there is conflict.

Unfortunately the owner of the pit picked up a ball right beside the airedale. The pit lunged forward and barked, he was excited to have the ball thrown but the airedale took it as a clear challenge directed his way and that was the last straw. He went after the pit and needless to say it was turned around pretty quickly. Because of the great nature of the pit and the very good guardian skills of the pits owner it was stopped very fast as well.

A miscommunication that has happened several times with my owns dogs is funny but something we have to keep our eye on. We sit outside alot with the dogs in the evening and one night Jessie was being harrassed by a fly, she started to snap and then it got worse so that she was snapping at the fly very loudly. Luke was beside her and flew out of the way with a huge growl. He thought she was going after him, he didn't see the fly she was after. This has actually happened several times and Luke gets very angry, he will not tolerate being disciplined for nothing.

Posture is another big mistake, many dogs take a frozen posture as a threat or angry message. Sometimes it is a dog just standing there but because they are not moving the other dog takes it as a frozen posture. This also happens at my house, mostly with Jessie and Tilley. They have a very sensitive relationship, each girl knows where they stand and things work that way but sometimes it can get tense.

Several times Tilley has simply been standing looking at something on the floor and Jessie for some reason has taken it as a threat. She reacts immediately turning her head and walking away very slowly. Of course Tilley just stays there chill'n like she was from the start. Or Jessie will be sitting near a bone, one that she just happened to be beside not that she has laid claim to it. Tilley will cautiously with head turned use her paw to get the bone away thinking that Jessie will go for her if she tries. She doesn't seem to see the relaxing "I don't care about the bone" communication.

Often I have seen dogs standing just relaxing and when a dog has approached they act like the dog has given them a freeze or stare. When in fact it was a clear misunderstanding. So although dogs communicate amazingly well, they get it wrong now and then. Many times it is a dog that is not a great communicator that can be the cause of a problem.

Hand signals

I have always used hand signals with my dogs and now that my dogs are getting up there in age I realize how important signalling is. I have noticed of late that my girl Tilley is getting a little hard of hearing. Just yesterday I was getting ready to take the poodles to the beach and I couldn't find Tilley. I finally located her in the family room where it is the coolest during the day. She was completely crashed and did not hear me calling her. So I clapped my hands once and she was awake, then motioned with my hand for her to come and she did but slowly. I am again reminded that she is not getting any younger.

I have always taught hand signals with verbal cues and usually a dog learns a hand signal before they learn the verbal cue for a behavior. Dogs watch, its what they do so associating a hand signal to an action is very easy. A couple of repetitions and they've got it, plus using hand signals teaches your dog to watch you more often. I love practicing hand signal races with the three of my dogs, the first one who does the behavior wins and gets the treat. Believe me they start paying really close attention when they've missed a signal or two and loose the treat.

You can teach your dog a hand signal for whatever behavior you like, I have all the basics like sit, down, come, stay, heel, go to heel, swing, and their release, plus all of their tricks and many many more. The important part of signal training is that your signals are clear and clearly different from each other. So each signal should look very different from another. Usually you start out with a very exaggerated signal which becomes shortened with time and experience. So a down may have started out as a whole arm motion from up in the air to pointing to the ground but over time your dog knows it as a simple finger pointing to the ground.

You may even signal to your dog and you don't know it. I love watching other people work with their dogs to see just what going on with their signalling and then explaining to them how they are using their body to signal. They never believe me until I tell them to stand completely still, which can be tough in itself and using their hand only to signal to their dog. Almost always the dog stands there confused because although the hand signal looks familiar it is missing the body movement cue..

You can dissect your signalling by yourself to see just how much signalling you are giving your dog. Just stand perfectly still and ask you dog to do something they know how to do without using any signals. If they look confused then chances are you are using signals from your body without knowing it. Down is a very common one, most people tend to bend down when they tell their dog to "down." Try asking them to down and standing completely upright and you' ll know if you are using your body.

If you would like to teach your dog hand signals you can start anytime, you can use beahaviors your dog already knows and new ones. Just choose the signal first and make sure it is something you and your dog can clearly remember and use it repetitively and your dog will learn it in no time. Hand signalling is very impressive as well.

Bed Hogs

My dogs are piled on my bed this morning, they love sleeping with us. They typically do not sleep with us throughout the night but join us in the early morning. None of them are really fond of being kicked and pushed around so they know where to and not to sleep on the bed. Tilley is probably the worst for hogging the bed and not moving if she is in the way. Even when she knows you are going to move her she is a dead weight, she is completely trusting so just waits to see where you are going to move her to.

Luke has his "spot" on the bed, the end left corner (left if you are looking at him from my bed). This is and always has been his perch, he occupies this spot whenever he is on the bed and we are not. He really likes it now since we moved because he can see me on the computer from this position. He will lie there if we are in bed as well but if there are feet in the way, he'll adjust his position to a feetless spot.

And then there is Jessie, the burrowing hog dog. Her favorite spot is under the covers and she'll push her way under like a bulldozer. Its actually pretty annoying if you are trying to sleep, she tries to lift the edge of the covers so that she can get under and then proceeds to push until she is at her perfect destination. In the colder months she wants to be at the bottom where I truly wonder how she can breath at all with all the heavy blankets covering her.

Jessie is pretty good about being stepped on when she is burrowed deep in the covers, it happens quite a bit. She is a small girl, only 15 lbs so once she is under the covers you really can't see that there is a dog under the blankets. Every once in a while if one of the other dogs steps on her, you'll hear a low growl. The dog who stepped on her acts immediately startled by the sound coming deep within the bed. Both of my poodles do not like when Jessie is under the covers, it freaks them out.
If Jessie starts moving around under the covers Luke won't even stay on the bed, I think it is the fact that he can't see her that bothers him.

All of my dogs will vacate the bed immediatley when asked. This is the one rule about being on the bed, if anyone objects to getting off, they are not allowed on. The bed is one place you have to be very careful about clear ownership. It is of course the most comfortable and desirable spot in the house, it is also up high so you have to be sure that your dog knows who owns the bed. Many people tell me that their dog will growl if they try to move or remove them from the bed. This is a clear reason to remove them immediately. These types of dogs can only get on the bed if you say so and only if they will then get off when you say so, otherwise they stay off.

When I ask guardians if their dog sleeps in their bed I can always tell before they answer, their eyes shift downward as if in shame. Immediately I tell them "my dogs sleep in my bed" to reassure them. For some reason people seem to think dogs should not be in the people bed and that if they do it is best kept a secret. So for those of you who are closet "allow your dog on the bed" people, establish "the rule." Once the rule is followed you can freely admit to others that yes in fact your dog does sleep on the bed.

So, what's new?

Not much new in the weather department, its stinking hot and I hate this weather. I love the weather when it is in the high 70s low 80s but this high 90s into low 100s is simply too hot. What is new is that my boy Luke (the great spider hunter) has learned a new word and a new taste. Luke likes ice cubes.

Ever since my first dog Mandy who was an ice cube maniac of an airedale, I thought all dogs pretty much liked ice. In fact all of my dogs have liked ice cubes to some extent until Luke. Luke does not like to try new things, he's pretty much like a little kid. I've tried offering him ice but he won't even put it in his mouth.
When Jessie and Tilley eat it he just watches.

Since the temperatures started going up my husband recently put cubes in his water, well this was new and wonderful. Within a couple of days he totally understood what ice meant and really prefers his water on ice. He has always preferred cold water over room temperature so just maybe he gets the whole icy cold thing.

As I've said before Luke is all about communication so I watch him closely. He now goes in the kitchen where his "spring water" is served and even if the bowl has water in it he will look up at me. Sometimes I'll ask him if he wants ice and he moves away from the bowl until I fix his drink.

I love when my dogs learn new things even when its not something I'm intentionally trying to teach them. The more they learn the more they can learn. Dogs who are accustom to learning catch on much easier than dogs who have never been taught anything.

Most dogs have a talent for something so that is where "new" behaviors should start. What have you taught your dog recently? So, what's new?

adding another dog

I'm in the thinking process about adding another dog to my existing pack. It is a long and arduous procedure for me because I simply love so many dogs. Just the other night after days of talking about adding a toy poodle (I'm thinking about down sizing with this addition) I said to my husband "What do you think about an Irish Wolfhound?"

He looked up at me and hesitated a moment and then said "are you insane?" "Um, no!" I stated. "That's like choosing between a mini and a hummer" he said. At this point my dog loving daughter was getting very excited at the idea of a monster dog living in our home.

Adding another dog may be a long way off for me still but the thought process is a long one. How do you choose when you love so many different types, shapes and sizes? Everytime except for once I have always gone back to the standard poodle, which I still may do. But this time I want to contemplate all the dogs that really catch my eye.

I meet so many breeds and mixes in my line of work and with each new acquaintance there is always the risk of falling for a new breed. I want to list some of the breeds that I have contemplated adding to our family. There are many other breeds that I have fallen in love with but for some reason or other have not considered adding them to my family.

These are in no certain order

Doberman
Pointer
Giant Schnauzer
Bouvier
Wirehair Ibizan hound
Borzoi
Irish Wolfhound
Scottish Deerhound
Italian Spinoni (sp?)
German shorthaired pointer
Beauceron
Toy Poodle

These are the ones that come to mind first. So there you have it, quite a mixed bag to think about. The most important issue of course is that the new addition must mesh with my existing pack so it's going to be a long road ahead. Probably a very good thing.

Loss of a great dog

We lost a k9 family member from our extended family yesterday. Although she was well into her years and lived a great long life it is very sad to loose such a great dog. This girl lived through alot of difficult family moments and was always there to support whoever she could just by being there. She was one of the most gentle, loving and happy dogs. I remember the day she joined the family like it was yesterday. She was a fluffy deep golden puppy who you just couldn't keep your hands off of.

Through her life she had alot of adjustments to make as do many of us and our dogs. She took every change in stride and in the end was the best type of dog anyone could ever expect to live with. She was very true to her breed but with some added bonuses, a very special insight as to when she was needed for support or protection.

As a dog lover we know that our dogs lives with us are short, this is sad but true. And with each dog comes joy, happiness and life lessons. Each dog gives a piece of themselves left on our heart forever, some leave a huge mark and some change our lives entirely. As the life of our dogs fade we should look back at how that life touched ours and realize how special it is that we humans have the amazing priviledge of connecting with such a pure and trusting species.

Each person and their dog have a personal and private relationship. In our hearts we hold memories of many dogs who have shared our lives in some way. When a dog passes we all deal with the loss in our own way, we all express ourselves differently. For me grieving is a very private and personal time in life. Only you can understand what your dog meant to you and only you have the amazing gift of those thoughts and memories in your heart, yours to keep to yourself forever.

She will me missed and remembered often.

My relationship with a Birthday Boy

It is Luke's birthday today, he doesn't know it but I do. I told him when he woke up this morning that he is a 7 year old now and suppose to act like an adult, not likely. If you go to my post of June 10 you can read about how Luke joined our family. Luke has without a doubt taught me the most about how dogs think, feel and act. Being a reactive dog his every emotion is bigger than life.

Luke is extremely sensitive to everything, nothing gets by him. Until you live with a dog like Luke you just don't realize how much they "get" and how extremely intelligent they are. Luke is a very complex guy and to truly know who he is you either have to live with him or listen to my ramblings about him :)

Luke is the result of show breeding and for this they want what I call the wild mustang look in the ring. They want a dog that flies into the ring on the end of the leash and looks like they might just take off to the skies with their handler. Well Luke is all that and more, he is very high energy you just cannot tire out this boy. But he is not hyper active, he is a great house dog and pretty much just lays around the house all day.

Luke loves to sleep and when he sleeps, he sleeps very sound. One of Luke's favorite things is sleeping in on the weekend. He always joins us on the bed very early in the morning and snuggles down into his spot. He is a big dreamer, no sooner are his eyes closed when his feet and legs are going a mile a minute. He does a lot of eye twitching, growling and serious inplace running during his dreaming.

Luke is hyper sensitive to body language, watching him watch people and react is very educational. By watching Luke you get a glimpse through k9 eyes. Not all dogs react or display so it can be easy to miss behaviors. Even with a dog like Luke many people miss the messages, but if you take the time to see what's going on it is amazing what you can learn. I could go on all day about his multi talented, super sensitive, affection craving, nervous, hilarious, pushy, goofy, lovable blonde with an amazing sense of humor all day, but I have some snuggling to do.

Dollars and cents

How much is a dog worth? I will never forget something my son said to me when he was very young. I believe I was looking for a puppy at the time and we were discussing how much this puppy would cost. He then said to me, "a dog shouldn't be for sale," and I completely understood what he meant immediately. He felt that dogs were not a commodity but a living creature that you don't put up for sale. I then sat him down to explain why they should cost something.

Free Dog! How many times have you seen this advertised? The word Free itself lends to the "i'll take it," mentality. You may not even know what it is but if its free you'll take it. By giving dogs away for free you increase the risk that the dog will be dumped once the people realize they don't really want it. Asking for money actually helps to ensure that the people taking the dog may really want it. Of course this is no guarantee but most people will think about it first if they have to dish out money.

Why should dogs cost as much as they do? There is a huge range for the cost of a dog, anywhere from 100.00 to the sky's the limit. Some people who's dog accidentally got pregnant or who just wanted one litter may just try to cover their costs. Then there are the people who do all the genetic and health testing, visit the vet a multitude of times and make sure that all will be well with Mom and kids, this costs alot of money. These breeders should be paid for doing it all correctly and trying to make sure we get the healthiest dog possible.

There are the people who breed for money, no health tests, minimal vet visits but boy is their website spectacular. They have star spangled banner ads and they could sell you just abouit anything. These people are typically charging a fortune for dogs who have questionable health and temperament. Usually these are the "in" dogs that have caught on as the newest and greatest mixed breed. But not always, many are just pumping out puppies in hopes of making lots of money. I have a big hate on for these type breeders.

And then there are the breeders who do it all right with respect to testing and health but for some reason think that their dogs are worth their weight in gold. I really dislike how these people work and feel that they really rip people off. Sometimes they charge more certain colors, rare colors or again the "in" color, which makes no sense at all. It does not cost anymore to breed dogs of a certain color.

So I told my son the people who make sure that the Mom is healthy and the puppies will be healthy with good temperaments should get money for the time and money they have spent to make sure we get a great puppy. That should cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of 800-1500 dollars.

Hot dogs - keep'm cool!!!!!

The heat knocks me out, but it also knocks out my dogs. Yesterday I made sure that they went out for their run nice and early before the searing heat hit us. I was very preoccupied in the afternoon and really didn't know where everyone was, so I had a walk around the house.

There were dog bodies laying in three different rooms but all in the same position. They were on a bed of some sort either human or dog, flat out on their side with their heads hanging over the edge. It was pretty cool in the house with the AC on but still warm enough to not want to do anything.

Many of my clients have asked me if dogs are bothered by the heat because their dogs had seemed very low key. My answer is always to enjoy this short down time. As soon as the cooler air hits they will be back to their old energetic self. Having a little break from a high energy dog is sort of nice for a while.

I enjoy an afternoon or two with the dogs all crashed out looking very much like "porch dogs," as I call them. You know the type of dog that just sit quietly on the porch watching the world go by? To me these are not lazy dogs, just very secure mellow dogs that take life one day at a time. They may be needed the next day to scare off some coyotes or mailman so take the opportunity to rest while they can.

Many dogs have lessened appetites during the hot months of summer, I've never noticed this with my guys but they definitely drink alot more. It is very important on these days to make sure they have lots of nice fresh water to drink. And one of my dogs especially likes cold water with ice, please!

On days when the temperatures are up in the high 80s to low 100s no one should be walking their dog after morning. And today all the dogs should have been out before 9am. If you cannot get your dog out early then wait until well after the sun sets to take your dog for their daily walk. I see people all the time walking their dog mid afternoon in the searing heat and wish I could stop and make them feel the heat coming from the ground.

I am very concerned about dogs over heating and my advice is always if you have any doubt about the heat when walking your dog, take a shoe off and stand barefoot on the pavement. Doing this will allow you to feel what your dog will feel, they don't have the protection of shoes like we do. Also they are much closer to the ground which puts them closer to the heat radiating from the ground, making it unbearable.

And consider coat color, I know my black xterra is about 500% hotter to get into than my husbands nice cream colored car on a day like today. So is it much more uncomfortable to wear a black t-shirt vs. a white one on scorching hot days. And my dark gray girl suffers from the heat much more than my blonde boy. So watch the dark colored dogs and make sure to keep them nice and cool weather in the shade, pool or AC on days like today.

Dogs are smart, give them the option of AC or no AC and they'll choose the cool indoors when given the chance. I feel bad for dogs that cannot get cool indoors when the temperatures soar up into the high 90s. Even the shade is hot when the temps are that high. Honestly I hate the idea of outside dogs at anytime of the year and try to educate as many people as I can about "outside dogs." More on that in a later post.


So pour yourself a tall one, fill up the bowl with fresh spring water and ice cubes and relax on hot days like today!

The stay command

Stay and come are two of the most important behaviors you can teach your dog. Both stay and come are the most misused, under trained and under enforced behaviors. What exactly does stay mean? I actually looked it up and there are alot of meanings for stay but my meaning for stay is stay put until I say so. So if I put my dog in a stay, that means they are there until I give them the word to move.

The largest problem with stay is that people get lazy and don't enforce a stay. Stay is used in a casual manner meaning to stay until the dog feels like moving away. I see people telling their dog to stay but don't really mean for the dog to stay. So when you don't teach a formal stay, how will your dog ever know when you really mean for them to stay? The best course of action is to first understand what stay means. Then choose another word that will replace the lazy or casual stay, like wait, hold or pause etc.

But stay must mean stay. You can use whatever word you want, my word is stay for my official very serious stay. My casual word for "hey wait up," or "just hold on a minute," is wait. In official obedience trials a dog must do a sit stay and a down stay without altering position. In my obedience they can sit or down, it doesn't matter to me but they must stay in the spot I put them in.

Stay takes enforcing, which means that if they decide to get up and leave, you must enforce. Enforcing takes skill, patience and close attention to body language. You must be serious but not angry because an angry approach to your dog will almost always send them further away from you. Rewarding them for staying is very good through talking and food treats. Although you must be careful when you use vocal or verbal praise because too much can break a stay.

Just like with every behavior you teach your dog you must start out slow and grow with each success. Don't expect your dog to do a 5 minute stay the first day. Once your dog is doing a several second stay you can move up with your time. Distance is another tricky one, some dogs have a safety zone around them and once you leave that they feel they must come to you. Dogs who have separation anxiety can have problems with staying quite a distance from their guardian but this is a great thing to work with them on.

Biggest mistake

One of the biggest mistakes when teaching the stay exercise is calling your dog out of a stay. The way I was taught to teach my dog a stay was to put them in a stay, walk away and then call them. What does this teach? Calling your dog out of a stay teaches anticipation, that at some point your dog will be coming to you. I think this interferes with a very solid stay and that especially in the beginning you should always go back to your dog to release them. Teaching them that the only way out of a stay is by hearing the "release word."

My release word is "okay" and it is my release for everything, wait, boundary training, eating, jumping out of the car and stay.

Don't use Stay unless you mean it and unless you plan on enforcing. Lack of enforcement teaches nothing and leaves your dog with the sense of "they can do whatever they want."

Some dogs who are not use to doing what you ask of them may baulk at this exercise. "What do you mean I can't move?" They run around barking and jumping on the guardian. For these types of dogs baby steps are a must, reward each tiny success and stay close by. It is much easier to stop your dog before they move rather than try to catch them once they are up and on the run.

Continuous failure can cause frustration which can lead to mental shutdown. So quit while you are ahead and reward the smallest of success, building on that.

Dogs and water

As far as I'm concerned dogs and water go hand in hand. But that all depends on what breed and individual dog you are discussing. Not all dogs are built alike in body or mind. Many dogs are suppose to love water and much to the dismay of their guardians, hate it.

Others are not suppose to like it but do and some just should not be near water other than in a bowl. My breed of choice is the standard poodle, both of my poodles love water, infact Tilley is crazy for it. She will completely submerge her head to retrieve a rock from the bottom or a lake or stream. She is not such a fan of the ocean, neither her or Luke are keen on being beat up by the huge waves.

My Jack Russell on the other hand is not a fan of swimming but loves to hunt in the shallows of any water in hopes of finding some type of critter. She can swim but I found out very early that because of her short stocky body she finds it difficult to right herself if she falls into the water, not good.

I am a water person myself and could sit and just look at a lake, stream or ocean all day. I love taking my dogs to have fun in the water and love watching other dogs enjoying it. But there are also huge dangers in water for many dogs. Pools can be deadly even to the best of swimmers.

I have many clients with short stocky type dogs that should never be allowed unattended near a pool. I know far too many people who have had a dog drown in their backyard pool. If you have a pool the first and most important factor is to get your dog in the pool and teach them how to get out. That is if you have a dog that is going to be able to swim.

Dogs like dachshunds, bulldogs, or Jack Russells have a very time swimming. Many cannot swim at all and sink like a stone, for these types of dogs it is of the utmost importance to keep them away from the pool entirely. It only takes a minute for a dog to sink and believe me just like people they don't always make a ton of noise when they are sinking.

I'll never forget being at a lake many years ago and just like most people assumed that when someone is drowning that there is alot of noise to alert you. Watching a family at a sandbar enjoying the water with their family a small boy was hoping in the water. His parents were not too far away but as I watched him hop he instantly disappeared. He had hopped too far and went down a drop off, luckily his father was watching and dove down and retrieved his son immediately. I was shocked, he just disappeared, I never forgot that.

Even dogs that can swim can die in a pool, even dogs that know how to get out can die. If a dog falls into a pool it can be difficult to right themselves, they may suck in some water while trying to correct their body. This can be the start of the end while they struggle and grow tired they become confused and desperately seek the safety of the side. They can only hold on for so long.

Just like with your children, never leave your dog unattended near a pool. Even if they never go in the pool or they know how to get out. Accidents happen and sometimes accidents are avoidable.

Controlling the beast

Today I took my two poodles to a private field to run. Usually there is no one there but I still enter with Luke on leash and Tilley by my side. As soon as we rounded the corner this morning and the dogs could see the field Tilley's posture dropped. Luke was on auto pilot being a reactive dog, he was about to explode.

I stopped in my tracks to see what the cause of the drastic behavior was, a rabbit. Tilley is truly amazing, she has a chase drive that is off the charts but still manages to keep it under control. At this point she was about 20 feet behind me frozen and Luke was whirling around like a maniac, sublte he is not.

I called Tilley to me, she dropped her head and moved 3 feet closer. I called again, her body slunk down further and she turned her head towards me in a fraction of a second glancing just long enough to let me know she was listening. Finally with a smile on my face I firmly called her to my side. I know this is one of the most exciting moments in their life, a real critter chase.

I was able to calm Luke and had him sitting with Tilley now at my side. Both unleashed and bursting at the seams I continue to talk to them. They can barely acknowledge me now but await their release word. Finally I give them what they want, OKAY!! Shortening their nails as they blast off on the pavement they explode into action and the rabbit easily hops out of range.

I love watching my dogs be dogs and how they try so hard to control their instincts. Instinct tells them to chase the rabbit but training has interfered with their their natural behavior. They both know that they cannot chase whatever they want but their bodies fly into action as soon as they get a glimpse of a rabbit, squirrel or lizard.

They both immediately slink down into staulking position, moving at turtle speed so as not to spook the victim. Tilley simply cannot move fast when she is in the sneak zone, everything takes forever. I have watched Luke try to sneak up on a lizard across our yard. First he will watch it for what seems to be a lifetime and then he dares take the first step. He moves with stealth and purpose, he means to catch the lizard in his sights.

If I should happen to be rude enough and talk to him at this point he will flash me a WHAT? look so fast that you could miss it. He then listens without taking his eyes off the prey, only his ears move letting me know he is listening to me. Within the next 5 min. he may take 3 or 4 steps on tiptoes and never taking his eye off the target. Finally when he thinks he is within jumping range he will make an almighty leap and of course scare the lizard away.

I think it is truly amazing that when a dog is in such a zone that you can actually still control them. I can't do that with my kids. I cannot stop what is going on in my dogs heads but I can interfere and this is extremely important because if they could not be stopped it could be a very dangerous situation.

Training a dog when they are in a heightened state of arousal is tough. As I said Tilley's chase drive is off the charts but she has learned when I put her in a down stay that it is Luke's turn to chase the frisbee or ball. She is a tense bundle of fire during her stay and ready to spring into action the minute she is released, but she stays until that moment.

This type of training takes a great deal of patience and time, breaking each "goal" into very tiny increments to get there. Every success no matter how small is a success, it may take a while but with persistence you can train a beast.

A great dog

As I waited at the gate I wondered what type of Shepherd I was going to meet. It seemed of late that I had run across alot of not so friendly ones. This girl needed some training which could have meant many different things. I got the buzz in and walked up the steps to the front door. There I could hear the recognizable bark of a shepherd.

Once in the house I was met by a pair of piercing eyes on a beautiful sleek black shepherd. She was young, only 10 months old but striking with her huge ears and jet black coat. Not often that I meet a shepherd with her coloring, she had the typical markings of a shepherd but with much more black on her.

I didn't know it then but this was one of the greatest dogs I was to meet. At the time she was a youngster still trying out the whole "let's see how far I can push" behavior. She lived with a very strong willed female bulldog who was typically humorous and very serious about retaining her alpha status. Watching the young shepherd harass the old bulldog and be put in her place was very interesting. The shepherd towered over her much older but much shorter sister yet she was very intimidated by her confidence.

I spent many training sessions with these two watching the young shepherd grow into an adult who learned to respect the bulldog as she grew old and finally faded. This shepherd now well into her adult life is one of the most even tempered, friendly yet intimidating dogs I have ever met. Intimidating only to people who do not know her through her ominous exterior. But she is intelligent, endearing and loyal to her guardian beyond belief.

I love to watch the connection between a guardian and their dog and this one is exceptional. The intelligence in this dogs eyes is obvious and to watch her hang on every word from her guardian, clearly she understands far more than you would ever think they understand.

I love nothing more than meeting dogs who have amazing temperments and personalities. The breeder who produces dogs like this is the type of person who should be breeding dogs.

There are many dogs who have come in and out of my life, some have left a mark and this one amazingly beautiful and intense girl has left hers.

Fear based behavior

My soft spot for fearful dogs started way back with Jake, the beautiful Doberman who started it all. He was under socialized and thrown into a world that he was not comfortable with. My girl Tilley came to me a meek little thing and I only found out later that she was fearful. Sometimes called "shy" these dogs can display their fear in many forms. The range of behavior can go from standoffish to a display of aggression. But a truly fearful dog does not display unless provoked meaning that they don't run out and growl at people for no reason, they don't approach people. Their behavior displya is a response to an approach to them.

A very good example of this is my boy Luke, he is a confident guy who rarely has his tail down but all that changes when we go to the vets. Luke turns into a true Cujo at the vets, so much so that they have asked me to put a muzzle on him(which I do not do). He growls at anything and everything that moves whether it is an animal or person and he tries his hardest to sound very scary. I do not put a muzzle on him because this would only worsen the problem. Once in the examining room and much explanation they are convinced that he will not bite. He has no intention of biting but only to keep them at a distance. This is his response to a fearful situation, keep them away and everything will be fine.

When I meet a dog that is obviously fearful I react immediately attempting to calm their fears. Not by talking to them or trying to reassure them but ignoring them. This is the only way to help a fearful dog. As I have said before our dogs watch us and learn from us so if your dog reacts fearful you must calm yourself and act like whatever the scary thing is, is no big deal. By trying to calm them through petting or verbal reassurance you only make matters worse.

Your response to someone elses dog who is fearful should be the same. Make like you are not there, if you just walked into someones home and the dog is barking and backing up, they are fearful. Do not give the dog eye contact, eye contact is the most important factor. Turn your body sideways to seem less threatening. A full frontal approach is a dominant behavior and not good with fearful dogs.

And one of the most essential ingredients to helping a fearful dog is patience. You cannot get mad at a fearful dog, this makes matters worse as well. Whatever their fear, whether it be a logical fear or not it is a real fear to them and you need to be patient and understanding.

My Tilley came to me with quite a fear of men, she would lurk around the back of the room growling when a man came into our home. Now through patience and exposure she will seek men out over women, it is quite obvious.

Monday morning-Sterotyping

Good morning, its Monday once again and the start of another busy week. It is hard to get back into the swing of things when you've been away on vacation, but the best way is to just dive in and get at it. This morning I thought I'd discuss stereotyping in dogs. I've heard it all especially with my breed, "poodles can run?" "poodles can swim?" It's about as bad as it can get, but other breeds suffer from preconceived personality traits.

Some of the other wrongs I've heard are "bulldogs are stupid," "can't train a sight hound," "dobermans are mean dogs," and "pitbulls are all bad." These are just a few of the myths that I have attempted to erase when I have been given the chance. Bulldogs are the #2 dog that I work with in popularity and they are amazingly intelligent, funny too. The problem lies with the guardian and their expectations, which are non. How sad to look at your dog and think "your stupid so I won't try."

Same goes for sight hounds who are typically a soft breed and do not do well with harsh choke'm type training. Positive training definitely uses more brain power, you need to think your way around some behaviors especially problem behaviors. But with patience even the toughest cases can be cracked. How a dog is raised has alot to do with how they turn out, just like with humans.

I've met alot of dogs that have completely changed my mind on a preconceived idea that I had in my head about a certain breed. Humans understandably have strong feelings when they have had a negative association to a certain breed. For instance I had several very bad experiences with German Shepherds several years back. One took a large chunk out of my dogs neck and the other continually charged us everytime it was off leash and we happened to be walking by. This dog also bit several people and pretty much terrorized the neighborhood. So it is hard to erase these types of experiences and look at the dog in a new light. Just like in humans there are good and bad dogs, most bad dogs have been left untrained and bored to create their own life. Both of my situations could have been completely eliminated by a little human intervention and control. I have now met lots of German Shepherds that I love, especially one phenominal one that I will write about later.

How many times have you reached over to pet a pocket pooch in someones arms when you are startled by a snarling little beast? This is caused by the people who insist on keeping their dogs in their arms and never allow them to experience life. I know lots of amazing pocket pooches who are real loveable dogs. These dogs don't want to spend their life in the arms of a human, they love to run at the park, swim, hike and enjoy everything that normal sized dogs enjoy.

Pitbulls, the name alone stirs up alot of controversy but I'm going to say what I feel about these guys. I think it is very sad what has happened to the breed and believe that they are a special breed. That said so are alot of other hard type breeds. There are a few breeds that pretty much anyone can have and then there are alot of breeds that few people should have. That is because they are a tougher breed to control, not because they are a bad dog. Some of the worst problems are caused by a strong dog living with a weak guardian, a very bad combination.

To have a pitbull in your family you must be willing in my mind to go above and beyond to make sure that the general population is not proved correct in how they feel about the breed. I have met some amazing pits, loveable, friendly and very loyal. But because they do have a tendency to be dog aggressive as are some other breeds they take more control. I just recently watched a couple of amazing frisbee pits, I've met therapy pits and amazing agility pits.

Some of my training clients have been very upset by the fact that their labrador will not swim, or their golden retriever will not retrieve. Funny but they don't come out of a cookie cutter and even when you get a dog with a preconceived idea of what that dog will be you can be dead wrong. My husband has always wanted a golden retriever and as you know I am a standard poodle person. He now has his golden retriever and I still have my poodles. My boy Luke is golden blond and a retrieving maniac.

We humans commonly assume, and in my books assuming always messes things up in one way or another. So the next time you meet a dog that you have a strong preconceived image of, open your mind. And when you see a poodle on the street, don't assume he just left the salon, in actuality he's probably coming back from a marathon run or duck hunting. ;)

Bloat

This morning I want to discuss a very dangerous medical condition, bloat. Bloat is fairly common but unfortunately alot of people do not know about it. All of my clients have been educated about bloat and anyone I can tell I try to let know about it. Bloat can be deadly killing your dog in a matter of hours.

Some breeds are more prone to bloat, typically the large chested dogs like weimaraners, great danes and even my breed standard poodles, but any dog can be a victim. Bloat is when too much gas accumulates in the stomach which can cause the stomach to twist. This is called stomach Torsion and once it happens it is an extreme emergency.

The exact cause is not known but there seems to be a genetic factor and a link between the amount of dry dog food consumed. It is very important to know that you should never exercise your dog right before feeding them or feed your dog right after exercise. The problem lies in the amount of food in the stomach, when dogs exercise they drink alot of water which can turn a cup of food into double or more.

I am constantly aware of bloat with my own dogs and take the utmost of care to hopefully prevent it from ever happening. I never feed my dogs before exercise and do not feed them until at least an hour after exercise. All dogs should eat twice a day which divides a daily feeding into two. A huge meal once a day can be dangerous. The idea of more being better does not apply when feeding your dog. Keep your dog lean and never over feed.

I am not a vet but I do know of many dogs who have suffered from bloat, some have survived many have not. I have listed three very good resources to read up on the subject and please pass on what you learn about bloat.

http://www.thepetcenter.com/sur/bloat.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloat

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm