Tilley, Jessie and me with Luke

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season, so here I am with the three canines that make my life complete. My daughter took this shot and we were done in less than 2 min. My guys are so use to being shot on a weekly basis that they are a dream to work with. Not all dogs are the same to work with though and some need alot of coaxing and or patience on my part.

Often the guardians of these dogs think their dog must be the worst I've ever worked with. All people are different and all dogs are different so just like in training dogs; there is no set rules on how to shoot them. Many people think their dogs are amazing and the best I must have ever worked with. Usually these people couldn't be further from the actual fact. Then there are the people who are sure that their dog is the worst and they become flustered very easyily if their dog acts up.

My job as a photographer is to calm everyone and have an enjoyable shoot. The expression on a dogs face is the most important part in a great shot. I usually don't care what the rest of the body is doing of course unless it is doing some weird funky thing. The eyes are where the impact of an image is. So making sure a dog is comfortable is very important. I have seen many photos where you can see that the dog is stressed or not happy and the shot is lost.

Some dogs are extremely intimidated by having a huge camera in their face so I pull out the big zoom. Others get so excited that there is a human crouced down in front of them that they cannot sit still; so I try to become invisible and silent. I have seen dogs do a fabulous shoot for 15 min. and then decide that this huge eye staring at them has been staring long enough and I get the barking routine. You never really know how a dog will act; everyday is different and every solution different.

So just like in my training, it must be fun. As soon as it's not fun, there is no great shot.

Misread signals

Miscommunication, do dogs ever misread each others body language? Yes they do. The other day I had my poodles at the field for a run; which is somewhere I have been taking them for probably 8 years now. The field is a place where I can let them chase the frisbee or ball without interruption. They love it there; Luke makes his marking perimeter rounds and Tilley fetches the ball; its what she lives for.

We have a routine at the field which keeps the dogs from getting out of control. They can easily become over excited but with the rules instilled we keep the chance of that happening down. So when did the miscommunication happen? I do random obedience with my dogs and they know it; I often will ask them to down stay as I go to the exit of the field and then release them. This keeps them on their toes.

But what happened the otherday was a total canine miscommunication. Tilley had a ball in her mouth which is the norm; Luke was running around her being annoying, again the norm. Tilley took a frozen posture; not an aggressive posture more like a please leave me alone freeze. I walked ahead to the exit and turned to see both dogs at the other side of the park standing watching me.

Why were they not with me? With Tilley freezing in position; Luke misread this as "she must be in a stay." So he stood beside her thinking that he probably missed my stay command. Tilley then thought that they were doing a stay because Luke was staying. I never told them to stay, I never signaled a stay or even accidently conveived a stay visual cue. This was all their doing and even as I stood watching them watching me it was obvious that they thought they were in a stay.

I waited for several minutes; they were doing a very good "non stay." I released them and they both charged to my side. There are many times dogs misread each other; this was a very good example.

Mistaken identity

Good Tuesday morning everyone. Lastnight my husband and I were watching Planet in Peril on the Animal Planet network. We had gone out for a while and I always leave Animal Planet on for the dogs. It makes for good background noise so that they don't feel so alone. Plus, Luke really enjoys watching shows about animals. So anyway when we got home this great show was on so we sat and watched.

Luke was laying by my side on the floor; there is a huge shag carpet in the familyroom which he really seems to enjoy sleeping on. I know what you're thinking; a purple shag carpet? No, its a modern version but not my favorite for sure; especially with dogs. As he lay there I noticed him starting to growl; I didn't know at what though. I don't like to interfere with natural behavior so tried to look around without disturbing him.

This was unusual because my daughter had said that he did the same thing on the weekend when we had been out. It didn't take long to figure out what he was growling at. We decorate our house bigtime for Christmas and on the couch opposite to where we were sitting was a Christmas teddy bear we've had since the kids were small. He was sitting upright; just staring at Luke or so Luke thought.

Luke's growl was deep but lacked confidence. How had he let this critter in the house without noticing him until now? As I watched his ears go up and down I wondered how long it would take him to muster up the courage to have a look. As his growling grew louder and more angry, afterall this guy was still staring at him he finally got up nerve and took the first few apprehensive steps towards teddy.

The bear was holding his very dominant posture which was inturn intimidating Luke. Stetched out forwards but in a "take off in a second" backwards position he inched closer. He had one scared moment where he flew away like he'd been bit but then went all the way and had a good sniff. As he left the bear he was up on his tip toes and stiff as a board, this was his house and he was the big protector.

schlogging along

My husband took the dogs for their weekend run yesterday; he hesitated whether or not to do the canyon thing. He loaded them into my SUV not knowing if the conditions would be good or not. It rained on Friday; it rained hard and steady the whole day so chances were really good that the canyon was going to be a mucky mess. Saturday he had only taken them around the block; although a block here is huge and steep so it's no leisurely run.

The entrance to the canyon is a steep dirt trail which has been maintained by the city. Once down at the bottom he realized it was as he thought; a muddy mess. So they did their run anyway; heck they were there, why not. The run was rough for them all as they collected huge mud boots to run in. It was an extra dose of exercise; running and sliding in heavy mud boots.

They all came home with mud caked feet after schlogging down the trails. The dogs were in the backyard with mud filled feet awaiting attention. I decided to first hose off what I could and then to fill a bucket with warm soapy water and get the rest of it. I thought I had gotten rid of quite a bit until I brought out the bucket and dunked Tilley's foot. Her feet and toes were packed with mud; each foot took at least a full minute of turbulent mud removal. The dogs are so good about this, being poodles they often have big furry feet when I have not been prompt about foot shaving. So they have had their feet submerged many times before. Even Luke who is not a fan of having his feet washed seemed happy to have his toes back.

They had a blast on their run; even though it was tough and very dirty. Dogs don't mind dirt; I have never met one who did. There are many guardians who mind dirt but it is definitely not the dogs who avoid it. My breed can be a high maintenance one if you allow it to be; we don't. My dogs are shaved right down, no pom poms, no poofs anywhere. They love to get wet and dirty and just have fun. Afterall its just dirt; it washes off.

Sunday morning

Good morning, its a fabulously cold morning. My little Jack Russell is laying the sunbeam beside my bed and the poodles are out with Dad on their run. Luke was like a torpedo this morning and he ripped out the front door to dive into the back of my SUV. http://www.nissanusa.com/xterra/ This is the exact image of my SUV although because of the rain on Friday, my xterra is pretty clean. It is the perfect dog trainer/photographer, dog lover vehicle and I have never loved a vehicle more.

Okay enough about my xterra. I wanted to discuss the common dilemma of many families. The whole "the dogs don't listen to me" scenario. Many of my clients have complained that although the dogs are wonderfully trained and listen to Mom amazingly; they don't listen to Dad or the kids. This is a problem that is very easily resolved by interaction. Everyone who is going to want your dog or dogs to listen to them must work with the dogs.

If the kids or your husband or wife does not work with the dog; never hands down any rules to be followed and is basically a play toy for your dog; then your dog is not going to listen to them. I as a trainer never expect someone else's dog to listen to me like they listen to the head of the household. I don't live with them and I don't make the rules in their house. If your kids ask the dog to sit, stay or come and they completely ignore them; this is a clear sign that your dog does not see them as an enforcer.

All it takes is a little interaction a little working with the dog and presto, problem solved. Have your kids feed the dog every so often; the dog must sit before eating. Have your kids do a sit stay and enforce it; teach them how to gently but firmly enforce. If it is either the hubby or wife that does not work with the dogs all the time then they need to do this as well. Everyone in the home should be able to control the dog or dogs. If not, then get to work.

And please, never expect someone else's dog to listen to you.

Friday rain

Its raining this morning, woooo hooooo. The rain should clean up most of the ash from the fires and hopefully we won't need to deal with it being airborne again. Although now anyone living on a steep slope has to worry about mud slides, not good. My dogs will not want to go out in the rain this morning along with thousands of other Southern California dogs. They are pretty use to warm sunny weather and can be big babies about weather in general.

I have to tell you I was in Homegoods yesterday with my daughter when we came across some great dog toys. I always buy three new dog toys and three new Nylabones for my guys at Christmas. Here is the link to the Nylabones I have used for over 25 years, http://www.nylabone.com/products/non-edible/durable-chews/original-flavor-bone.htm . This is the style and I buy the "wolf" size. Poor little Jessie has to deal with the big ones because we cannot have small chokeable ones in the house with the poodles.

The toys I got for them are the same ones I recently saw at a pet store for over three times the price. They are stuffed tough toys that are suppose to be tough enough for the roughest dogs. Both Luke and Jessie have an agenda when a new stuffed toy comes into the house, gut it. Make a hole, get to the sqeaker and pull all the stuffing out and spread it around the house. At least it's fairly easy to clean up.

Tilley on the other hand is gentle and keeps her toys. I make it clear right from the start that Tilley's toy is hers alone and if one of the other dogs should touch it, they hear from me about it. Last year they were very good about leaving Tilley to her toy, of course until we went away and "Mom" was not around to know any better. I found the gutted toy when I returned home. So Luke and Jessie have the "invinsible" toys and Tilley got an adorable soft and squishy snowman that she will no doubt take great care of.

I will let you know how these tough toys hold up after I let the beasts at them.

Have a great weekend.

Collar reliance

Are you overly dependent on collars? I would say probably 90% of the regular canine guardians are today, so you are not alone. When I say regular guardians I mean people who are not very involved with obedience, agility or some other canine performance actiivty. So that means all of you people out there who are afraid to take off your dogs collar. A collar gives guardians a sense of control but that control can be misleading.

When I am out either shooting, driving or just out sight seeing I often see dogs being yanked around. I have been told many times that "oh no, we can't take the collar off." I completely understand when out in an environment that is not secure, best to be safe than sorry but what about your home or an enclosed park? Many people have a loss of control issue if they take their dogs collar off.

Do you control your dog via their collar? This can also be a huge issue, if the only way you can control your dog is by yanking or grabbing their collar then you simply do not have control. With the introduction of micro chips most dogs don't even need a collar for identification purposes so that cannot be an excuse. A dog collar can become a crutch, afterall if you can grab hold of your dog by it you don't have to worry about having actual control over your dog.

But what if I said today, take it off? Take off the collar and see what happens? We do not keep collars on our dogs when they are home, they only get a collar on if we are going for a walk and even then I much prefer a body harness. Many years ago I had an incident with two of my dogs who while playing got tangled up in each others collar. It was a horrible situation and one that I swore would never occur again by taking off the collars.

When you don't have the crutch of a collar on your dog you may realize that you feel helpless and lack the control you desire over your dog. This will lead to training your dog. It is amazing how training, learning about body language, feedback, consistency and leadership can eliminate the need for collar grabs. All of this may sound like a ton of work and grabbing the collar sounds like a much easier solution but it is not a solution. Collar grabs are physical control and if you constantly grab your dogs collar for control chances are you are going to start seeing collar grab avoidance.

Dog quickly learn that your hand heading their way means to duck out. By avoiding your grab you have lost control and your dog starts ruling the roost. Unless you can grab that collar you have no control. Take control today and take off your dogs collar. If you have any questions or concerns about this plesae ask away.

Incorrect accusations

Well I finally got a squint from my boy Luke. What you are asking yourself is a squint? When a dog submits to you they do many different things with their body to portray to you that they are submitting. Squinting is one of them and some dogs squint much more than other dogs. My sisters dog which can be seen in the Jan 08 issue of Dog World squints like crazy. Everytime you greet her; her whole body is shrunk down and her eyes are just about shut. It is very cute when she does it. The dogs most likely to squint are the unsure dogs, not necessarily submissive by nature but not overly confident types.

Yesterday my overly confident boy Luke squinted at me. I was shocked as he approached and I noticed the tiniest squinting from him. Luke was squinting because I was angry; lets face it I don't get angry very often with my dogs. As I have said many times before I am a very strong leader and my dogs know by the slightest change in my posture if I am displeased so they don't see much of a big display most of the time.

I was super busy yesterday; in and out of the house and as I entered the backyard I noticed a pile of dirt outside one of the planters. One of the planters that I had just swept up from a previous dig. The scene was set; Luke was standing with both front feet up on the raised planter with his head stuck in the bushes. Forecasting the future I could see that this could become a daily routine that I did not have time for. The dirt was on the ground and so of course I assumed. I have learned over the years that you should never assume, but I did it anyway. AAAHHHHHHH, GET OUT OF THERE!!!!!!!! YOU STAY OUT OF THOSE BUSHES.

Now, for most dogs that would have been nothing. Afterall I just angrily told him to get out of the bushes but for Luke who is typically a very confident dog; he is a baby with me. He does not llike to get into trouble and is very sensitive as are most boys. So he lowered his tail, his body and his head and squint. I was quite literally in shock; wow this was a first. I stood there thinking that this was very strange when the thought came to mind that maybe it wasn't what it looked like. I called Luke over and felt under his stomach where the dirt tends to be drawn upward, nothing. I checked his front feet and nothing.

I then called Tilley outside; yes my perfect dog that never does anything bad; ever. The evidence was clear; her front feet were very dirty and her underbelly held more evidence of her crime. Ahh, I made the wrong assumption; I hate when that happens. It has probably only happened twice in the life of these dogs that I have now because they are all so different that it is very clear who has done what. So; feeling very guilty I called my boy over for some big hugs and kisses. He was very happy for the affection from Mom and we were cool once again.

So was this behavior from Luke a clear sign that I had assumed wrong right from the start? I think so. I have caught Luke in the act before and although he is submissive he has clearly understood what was going on. This time I believe I caught him off guard because he had done nothing wrong. Well, hopefully they will both stay out of the planter now.

Dogs and the holiday season

The Holiday season is upon us but the "big day" is still around the corner. Many of you may be contemplating the idea of a Christmas puppy. Oh, I know; the idea itself is dreamy. Afterall who wouldn't want an adorable fuzz bucket with a cold black nose under the Christmas tree.

Reality check, me; I don't want a puppy for Christmas. The fact that this phrase came out of me; Sherri the most dog loving dog person around may be quite surprising to many of you. My life revolves around dogs and there was a day that I did want a puppy for Christmas but not anymore. Puppies are too much work to have the week of Christmas.

Puppies deserve your undivided attention and honesty there is no way you can give them that on Christmas day. It is simply not fair for the puppy or the family. The holiday season can be a hectic time and adding a puppy on top of an already overflowing agenda can push anyone over the the edge. Stress can turn to frustration which can then lead to regret.

What is a great idea though is a puppy "gift certificate." Write out a note to your love one telling them of their gift. This does two things; 1. allows them to prepare for the arrival of a new puppy and 2. gives them time to figure out how to tell you that they don't want a puppy right now in their life.

There are far too many dogs dumped after Christmas for one reason or another and an impulsive purchase can be #1. Even myself; an experienced dog trainer knows that adding a puppy to my family at Christmas would be a very bad idea. But a gift certificate would be very nice. Afterall, I do temperament testing of litters; I want to pick out my own puppy.

Routine dogs

Good Monday morning; wow we just finished a very long weekend and now my batteries are charged and ready to start the week. As I saw my husband and son off this morning I headed upstairs to write; while watching my Jack Russell tear up the steps and wipe out around the corner. Honestly she is like a torpedo when she's on a mission and in the morning her mission is the morning cookie; the routine morning cookie.

I like to give my dogs a cookie in the morning, this way I have more time flexibility with breakfast. Once they have a cookie in their stomach they are good for a while and they seem to enjoy their extra long snooze afterwards. What has become an issue which typically does with my little Jessie is too much of a routine. She becomes out of control until she gets her cookie. So it is now time to mix it up again.

When I see a routine becoming too ingrained in my dogs I switch things around. I like routine myself but only a bit, I do not like days to go by carbon copies of each other. And with dogs; too much routine can be a bad thing. A behavior can become too much of a cue to a proceeding behavior. Say like putting on a specific pair of shoes, the ones you only put on when you walk your dog or dogs. Or everytime you go in the cupboard above the microwave; this is the cue that tips your dog off that they are receiving a cookie.

Although i'm not big on routine, I do like structure. And by structure I mean rules; daily rules that the dogs must follow. Rules which are put in place to obtain easily living. And when and if they do not follow these rules, things can get out of hand. Like the "door bolting" rule, the "out of the kitchen"rule, or "no snatching" food rule. These are rules that must be in place; rules and routine are entirely different.

It is always good to keep your dog on their toes as far as scheduling goes. Changing the time they eat, where they eat, what they eat. Changing the meaning of a leash; just because you pick up the leash does not mean they are going for a walk. You can and should alter walks; the same ole walks day in and day out usually leave dogs doing the leading. Adding new behavior cues here and there when your dog does not expect it like asking them to "down" for no reason. Or having them learn a new boundary that is completely flexible; meaning if you want them out of a room you just have to say so.

Switching around your daily routine is good for dogs, it keeps you in control and your dogs ever watchful. Afterall you are the boss and the phrase "because I said so" also includes out dogs.

Fire again and growling

We woke up this morning to a black haze on everything. The winds kicked up yesterday sending all the settled ash from the roof tops, trees and wherever else it had settled to the air one again. My backyard is an ash graveyard; blackening the dogs feet which in turn blackens my house. What a huge clean up and then I turned on the tv. to hear about a raging fire once again in Malibu. Not a good year for California.

The dogs are not having their run this morning, the air is not good and they would all come back little ash dogs. So they will be grouchy and I am grouchy because I just cleaned all the freaking ash off of everything. Being that we are all grouchy I thought I'd discuss growling.

What exactly is a growl? Right from dictionary.com (to utter a deep guttural sound of anger or hostility) Although this definition is close it is not entirely correct. Dogs can growl without being angry or aggressive, a growl is a means of communication to convey an emotion. Are there such things as happy growls? NO, a growl is a growl and a growl means to stop, it is meant as a warning. Dogs do make happy noises but they are not growls.

So what is your dog saying when they growl? They may be saying "don't even think about taking my food, this is my comfy spot on the couch, I am uncomfortable with your proximity to me or stop, just stop whatever you are doing that they don't want you to do. A growl is an insight for you; a heads up for what may be around the corner.

Far too many people react to a growl with their own aggression. Yes, it is our nature as humans when threatened to protect ourselves. But, this can be damaging when it comes to our dogs. What if our dog growls when a person who is not in their pack approaches to touch them? A typical reaction might be to slap or yank on the dogs collar; then maybe a severe scolding, right? Your behavior has now proven to your dog that people are really bad to have around, they create a very negative association.

What should occur is that you see that your dog is uncomfortable with strangers being very close. A dog who is uncomfortable with strangers coming close is not rare; everydog has their comfort zone just like we do. I have a rather large personal space and although I will not growl at someone who enters it; I will definitely react by stepping away. If a dog feels that they cannot move away, they may threaten the person not to come any closer.

So a growl lets you know you have work to do. Instead of teaching your dog that they receive a scolding each time they growl, work at making them feel comfortable around people so that they don't feel threatened. Make sure people do not approach your dog until they feel comfortable in this situation.

When a dog growls, whether it is at a human or another dog; they are telling us something. It is very important that dogs be able to growl at each other, but growling is as far as it should go. Just this morning my beyond perfect Tilley growled at Jessie in the kitchen. I was cleaning up the kitchen and heard her growl. This let me know that Jessie was trying to take Tilley's food, (a head's up).

Should I have scolded Tilley for growling? NO, Jessie got scooted away past the poodle bowls and I kept a closer eye on her. Tilley was doing her job, and because of it there was no need for a fight.

Shopping Friday

So, with the biggest shopping day upon us I wonder how many people are out there going crazy? Well I for one am still in bed with my dogs snuggled all around me. The weather is fabulous; in the mid 60s and overcast this morning. Although hearing that it is snowing back home is a little hard to take this time of year. I know my dogs would love to be playing in the snow today but they are just about to go for another big canyon run with their Dad. They all went yesterday with Dad and my daughter; Jessie doesn't always go because she is such a sniffer and lags behind badly. With the threat of coyotes looming they cannot leave her alone to catch up.

Yesterday we celebrated CKO (Christmas Kick off); you see we already celebrated the Canadian Thanksgiving so on the Am. Thanksgiving we prepare for the Christmas season. We had a huge Italian feast and while my daughter and I were cooking up a storm my dogs were unusually quiet. I occassionally saw them enter the kitchen, have a look around at what was being prepared and leave again.

Pit stop

Hey guys, I don't have alot of time this morning; big shoot. Today is completely booked.

My guys are patiently awaiting their breakfast. I cooked up a pile of salmon lastnight and I am now waiting for their basmati rice to be done. They will have some cut fresh greens and apple along with those two staples.

The dogs obviously felt the drop in temperature as Luke never left the bed so with that I had a cramped but warm sleep. Once he is down and comfy it can be very diffcult to move him. And with his new hair cut he was not about to move out of the warm spot on his own.

Well, breakfast time and I'm off.

Happy Turkey Day to everyone for tomorrow.

Status-gaining and loosing

Good morning, I thought I'd talk about Status this morning. We have alot of status seeking behaviors going on right now in our house so it quickly came to mind. Right now I think my status seeker is downstairs under a blanket sleeping. He is a huge sleepy head in the morning and often does not rise with the girls. He stays in bed until he is good and ready to rise and you only get a greeting if he is in the mood. What a guy.

So what exactly gains and looses status for you in the dog world? Believe me I have lots of examples so that you can truly see how the dog mind works.

Anytime your dog makes a decision where you are involved can be a status escalator. Do you throw the ball each tiime the slimey thing is dropped into your lap or at your feet? Up for your dog, down for you. When your dog stands staring at the cookie cupboard in the kitchen; do you go and get them a cookie? Up for your dog, down for you. Does your dog barge out the door each time it is open? Up for your dog, down for you.

Now this is a big one and one that few people "get." Do you lavish attention on your dog the minute you enter the house? You got it, you have just lowered your status. Of course many or all of these behaviors are not bad for all dogs, many dogs have no status seeking secret plots in their daily agenda. For these non status seeking dogs it doesn't really matter if you mess up or not as a guardian. No two dogs are alike so dog behavior modification is not a science. And those who use "one" method to work with dogs are not educated in true dog behavior.

I have a very good pack to work with, all very different; infact they are at opposite ends of the spectrum behavior wise. Luke is my challenge when talking about status seeking; actually Luke is my challenge for just about everything. Tilley is pretty much perfect and never does anything wrong and Jessie tries hard; but she is a true terrier afterakk. Status seeking behaviors can be very small, so small that they can go unnoticed until they are large enough to become serious. But if you stay on top of them; status seeking behavior will remain just that, seeking not obtaining.

One biggy is the ownership of prime realty. Does your dog have the best, most comfortable spot in the house? Does your dog growl at you if you try to move them from the position? Is your bed a war zone? For many this is a daily obstacle and it should not be. If your dog growls when you attempt to move or dislodge them from a certain spot in the house; then they should not be allowed to have that certain spot. Usually this is the bed, so they get the boot TODAY.

I know only too well how difficult it can be to change some of our own behaviors. Afterall your dog is so adorable it can be very difficult not to hug and kiss them all day long. But if you have an attention seeking type dog; like my Luke it is not a good thing to do. Here is a good example: A new visitor comes to my home and immediately upon seeing the dogs lowers themselves to dishing out all kinds of attention. Next, my visitor stops their direct attention to my dogs and starts to walk into my home. This is where Luke swings into action; barking and lunging and acting the fool.

One minute Luke is being rubbed by the visitor and loving it and the next moment he is acting like he never saw this person before; so what is going on? In Luke's mind; this person came into his home and was immediately demanded to dish out worshiping attention from the dogs. So right away the visitor established a low rank by handing out attention; leader types don't dish out affection for nothing. So Luke; as the true low man in our pack takes it upon himself to do some pushing around. He doesn't get to do it often so takes advantage of it when he can.

It is very easy to turn behaviors around with dogs although some behaviors that have been inplace for a longtime can take some maneouvering by you and your family. Going for walks is a very common situation where status is involved. Does your dog grab their leash and act like a maniac until you are out and on your way? Take control today, do not take a step out of your front door until your dog is under control.

It is very important for you as "top dog" to be in control at all times. This does not mean that you have to run a military camp; it may if you have a bunch of hard heads but if you have an average dog then it means that you need to be calling the shots. If you sit down and think about your day interacting with your dog you will soon discover that a good portion of it is controlled by your dog, turn it around today.

Breeds

Isn't it funny how different people love different breeds. One of the many great things about photographing dogs is the fact that I get to listen to people go on about their dog. It usually only takes one question to get them going; dog lovers love to talk about their dogs, I know that for a fact. I love hearing why people love there dog so much and all the little quirks about each of them.

Many people love a particular breed; some just love dogs in general. It is interesting meeting each and every new pack combination. Dogs are special and no two are ever alike; even within the same breed and sex. I have had standard poodles for over 23 years now and no two have been the same. Same breed dogs do have common traits which is why people tend to stick to one breed; but once you get to know them the individuality of each is very interesting.

I love just about all dogs out there, doesn't matter if they are a breed or a mix I just love dogs. A couple of breeds that I think make great pets for the average canine guardian are the Boston Terrier and the French Bulldog.

The French Bulldog or Frenchie is a wonderfully compact little package. They are smaller than the English Bulldog and built a little bit more proportionally allowing them more athletic capabilities than their English cousin. Their ears are erect; but their faces are flat common to other brachycephalic dogs like Bostons, Pekenese, shih tzu etc. This flat face body structure makes it important to keep a close eye on over heating in the breed.

French Bulldogs generally have wonderful temperaments that make them a great addition to a family. They are intelligent and fun loving. I have had the great priviledge of attending a Frenchie get together and found that watching these little guys have fun was very entertaining. They come in an array of colors to suit everyone and their sizes allows you to take them just about everywhere with you. It also might allow you to have more than just one. :)

The Boston Terrier is not actually a terrier breed, they do not have the tenacious personality of a true terrier, but a much more mellow personality. They are one of the true American breeds and like the Frenchie they also have the flat face sydrome that you must take extra care of. Not only do they suffer from extreme heat; all those little folds in their face must be kept clean daily so that they do not become a health issue.

Bostons eyes can be a concern as well as they can stick out further than their face which leaves the eye susceptible to damage. The Boston also has a wonderful temperament and all that I have met have been extremely friendly. They are black and white but do come in shades of brown and brindle as well. Many Bostons have cropped ears but many also have naturally upright ears. Hopefully soon North America will catch up to Europe and disallow ear cropping (that in another post).

Bostons are very intelligent as are most breeds but can have a mind of their own at times. They have wonderfully fun and entertaining personalities and make a great addition to a family.

Unfortunately both breeds are small which makes them perfect for the Puppy Millers to pump out. Watch where you get your Frenchie or Boston from, do your research and support a reputible breeder.

Temperatures

There's a chill in the air and a change in behavior in my home. I have long known about the shift in behavior that weather can have on dogs. Back in Canada and in my "dog showing" days we always marked at the level of energy of the dogs when fall weather made its first appearance. Not only was there a change in the dogs I was showing; but my own dog's behavior changed as well. At the time I was showing I had my first dog, Mandy.

Mandy was a secondhand Airedale and one of my great dogs. She was an angel and not like a typical feisty Airedale in temperament. People would make comments like "oh watch that Airedale" that I didn't understand until I met several other Airedales. They are terriers and typical of terriers, feisty and confident; very much like my little Jack Russell Jessie. But, one thing Mandy loved was snow and cooler weather and her energy level raised as the thermometers dropped.

I remember way back when I was 18 and working at Merrill Lynch; when the first now showed up. It was all I could do to wait until the 5 oclock hour so that I could get home and take Mandy out into the snow. She absolutely loved playing in the snow, she would role in it, run with her mouth open scooping up the snow and could catch snowballs until spring. She was a joy to watch enjoying the snow.

We don't have snow here in Southern California but we do have cooler weather. A couple of weeks have gone by since I clipped my poodles and now with the cooler weather Luke and Tilley are displaying "cooler weather," behaviors. Tilley gets alot more energy; constantly running around the house with a tennis ball in her mouth. Which in turn fires Luke up; of course because he needs to have the ball that she has got in her mouth.

But Luke is getting pushy, he has a new haircut and he feels like a new man. He usually gets pretty grouchy when he has been recently clipped; afterall I just took his big fuzzy, warm coat off that he has gotten use to having on. I have to admit that I love his big coat; he is like a living teaddy bear. He is so enjoyable to snuggle with when his coat is huge but with that coat comes the giant "velcro" effect as well.

We all love the cooler weather but I now have to be on my toes and keep Luke from being too obnoxious. With the cooler weather comes the extra leadership duty of keeping my blondie in line.

Right around the corner

The Holiday Season is upon us and Christmas is just around the corner. Many people; children included will be hoping for a puppy under the tree. As much as I would love my own puppy under the tree; a puppy in the Holiday season is a really bad idea. Most big, huge, gigantic mistake are made from buying a puppy at the pet store or a seedy breeder out for your holiday cash.

No good breeder will give you a puppy for Christmas day, most will hold puppies until after the big event. Even for myself as a very experienced dog trainer I would not want a puppy at Christmas time. They are just too much work to be able to pull off the Christmas morning let alone a great dinner without a hitch. So if a puppy is in your near future be forwarned.

Stay away from the Pet Stores, find a breeder that will hold the puppy until after the big day. Get a great stuffed replica and surprise your giftee with a "this is coming" card. And make sure that the recipient of your thoughtful gift is going to be thankful and not regretful. Way too many puppies are dumped soon after the Holiday season due to lack of interest and no longer wanting a dog now that they are not an adorable puppy.

This may sound too sad to be true but it is very true. Winter is a great time to get a puppy because they housetrain in a flash, ask me how I know? Standing out in the freezing cold works wonders to get things moving really quickly. And the ground is frozen so there is not much to smell or distract a puppy from their business. But wait until the new year or go ahead and do it now before the big day. Hopefully you will have a routine worked out by then and it won't be such a huge wrench in the works.

Happy Holiday Season to everyone; this is my favorite time of year.

TGIF and Truck dogs

Dogs, dogs, dogs; they are everywhere and yesterday I was driving behind one that was crated in the back of a truck. At least this person had the right idea with putting the dog in a crate; which would give a little bit more safety if needed. The dog was still obviously not happy about the predicament he was in as I watched him shift and turn and turn and turn. He looked like he was trying to get comfortable in this situation but it just was not happening. I was trying to get close enough to see what breed of dog it was that was in the back of this truck.

As I got closer I could see that the ears were cropped, hmmmm it was a bully breed, ah ha an Argentine Dogo. Big, tough dogs, very beautiful. Completely white and resembling a pit; not on steroids. Rare for around here for sure. So I got to thinking about truck dogs again. I have written several articles on the subject which makes me crazy. Just how many stories does one need to hear about dogs flying out of trucks, being dragged while hanging out the back of a truck or just leaping out and causing general havoc?

There are a few people in the area that I see on a regular basis; who drive around with their dog in the back of the truck. One is a small truck owner with a very large Great Pyrenese in the back. I almost always have my windows open so I am privy to the booming sound of the barking coming from the truck far before I see it. The dog sounds aggressive as it barks at anything moving past its vision. The image is of a giant dog in a tiny truck bed; one wrong turn and that dog is going flying.

Dogs should not ride in the back of trucks and I am here to tell everyone this fact. It is dangerous and people who do it are thoughtless. Now I don't mean a quick trip down the dirt road to the old swimming hole; I mean real life roads. My own dogs inside my xterra have a hard enough time as I jam on the breaks, take a sharp turn or dive out of the path of danger as they shift and attempt to keep their footing.

And the worst to see are the big gorgeous trucks; the ones with the owners (and I'll say Owners for this statement) sitting up in their luxurious truck with the windows roled up enjoying the AC while their dog slides around the back of the hot box they call "his ride." I wish I could yell something that would make a difference to these people. But with their windows up and the oncoming traffic, best not to create more problems as it probably wouldn't change things. If they can't see this for themselves; then there lies the base problem.

I wish the phrase Truck Dogs meant to me; dogs that love to ride "in" their truck with their guardians. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

http://www.spca.bc.ca/animalissues/dogtrucksfactsheet.asp

This and that

Good morning, I had a great day yesterday. Met a wonderful canine guardian in the morning for a very special shoot I'm doing next week. Went to my favorite camera shop and got a very cool new thingy for my camera and then hit the beach with my daughter and three dogs. It was hot yesterday which I was not happy about; its fall and I want it to feel like it. So we went to the beach in hopes of spending some cooler time with the dogs, didn't happen.

It was hot even down at the beach; but the dogs had so much fun. Jessie was with my daughter just out of the waters reach and I was in the water with my two poodles; even as cold as it is they love being in the water. It never fails though; no matter how short my shorts are I always seem to end up getting wet; and yesterday was no different. It wasn't bad yesterday, just a bit wet around the edges, nothing like the last time we hit the beach.

Jessie is a very dominant little female, the fact is that most Jack Russell are very dominant so this is a typical trait. She was a little bit misbehaved at the beach because she was not hooked up to me; she was walking with my daughter. It is very interesting how behavior depends very much on "who is in charge." I am a very strong leader, I do not like bad behavior and do not tolerate it. But I am also a big softy and dish out hugs and kisses freely. :)

I believe in training dogs until they are reliable and working to modify any undesirable behaviors. And any leftover unwanted behaviors should be managed; like many of Luke's fallout behaviors of being a reactive dog. He had lunged at Tilley going out the front door yesterday and getting in the car to go to the beach. This is a fallout of his overexcitement; and when we arrived at the beach he whined and paced like a crazy dog. Lunging at the other dogs happens when he becomes over excited; I know its coming and I am all over it.

The girls don't even acknowledge Luke's behavior when he is in this state. I think they actually try to pretend that he isn't with them; "he's not with us, never seen this guy before!" But as crazy as he is; it is again, a joy to watch him enjoying himself. Once we all got home there was a quite in the house as the dogs took up their resting place in the familyroom and snoozed a good longtime.

Lastnight they ate a meal consisting of cooked beef, cut baby greens and cheerios. This seems to a big hit; at least for Luke as the speed of his consumption definitely excelerated. All my dogs are grazers so they really seem to like it when I put chopped baby greens in their meal. I know I love a huge big bowl of it for my meal; so it makes sense to me.

Now this morning they have had their favorite cookies which are the Peanut Butter flavored ones from Trader Joe's. They are made by Blue Dog Bakery and they have been a huge hit since I first bought them several years ago. www.bluedogbakery.com They are by far the best dog cookies and even Luke; my boy that will sometimes turn down meat, never turns down a Blue dog bakery cookie. Although I have not tasted them, they smell fabulous.

A smile on your face

We should all know by now that having a pet in our life is good for us. I read an article years ago which I am going to try to find on the net today; about how we are not as healthy now that we have moved away from the farm way of life. I'm a big believer of dirt, I try to use as little chemical cleaners as possible and opt for vinegar and baking soda for as much as I can. My family has been (knock on wood) very healthy to this point.

I am not a cleaning fanatic by a longshot but I like my house to be very tidy and clean. Infact I have had several people suprisingly say "you have three dogs?" while looking around my house in astonishment. So back to farm living, the more regular dirt and germs that your body comes into range with throughout the day the more your body can handle. Of course I'm not talking about filth and buckets of germs, just regular everyday stuff.

I truly believe that people who have dogs (I know other pets count as well) are much happier and healthier. Each day my dogs make me smile, and it is the small things that do it for me. Watching Luke wait patiently while he stalks a lizard across the back wall or Tilley enjoying a good roll in the grass and then showing up at the backdoor covered from head to toe in all the dead grass she pulled out of the lawn.

One of the greatest things dogs give us is being dogs. How much fun is it to watch your dog having a blast being a dog. The beach or a park are some of the best places to see it. Dogs running free and loving every second. Watching a dog dig a hole is completely enlightening; of course only if it is not in the beautiful garden you just spent hours planting.

I walked into my yard yesterday to see a pile of dirt outside of one of the planters, a huge smile came to my face as I pictured long legged Luke in there flinging dirt everywhere. Seeing my little Jack Russell Jessie trigger my a movement in the bushes makes me smile. And watching my three dogs all covered in blankets cozied up together twitching away in their dreams makes me smile.

Dogs truly do bring meaning to our lives each and everyday; so start watching for those amazing little things they do for us.