Its hot again

Well, the temps are up in the high 80s already; although they are suppose to drop down again by mid week I believe. These temps make it much more difficult to exercise the dogs as you must get out before it gets hot or wait until it cools off in the evening. But many people don't; opting to exercise themselves and their dogs in the mid day heat. I truly never understand how people don't get that it is too hot out to run their dogs. Especially on the pavement, it radiates heat like crazy.

My rule has always been, take your shoe off and stand on the surface you intend to run your dog on. It is surprising how hot the manmade ground can become. That and the fact that our dogs whole body is much closer to the ground where the heat can be the worst can make running or even walking an unenjoyable event. This weather for us is a taste of things to come; it gets hot here, and the heat is something we dog people must contend with.

It is definitely time for Luke's coat to come off; I've been procrastinating on the new clippers, I'm just not sure which ones to buy. But, I'm doing it today; I'm not up for the struggle of getting the old ones through that huge thick coat anymore. We saw another standard poodle at the beach the other day clipped the same way as I keep my guys. I guess it is catching on and I couldn't be happier.

No one ever knows what kind of dogs I have; although since I clipped Luke's face he is looking very poodley, or at least how people think poodles should look. But it is about to all change, we will once again go back to the mysterious curly coated breed. I've even had people who have poodles come up to us and ask "what kind of dogs are those?"

So I guess the saying "you are what you wear" even goes for dogs. With the pom poms they are poodles, without they are the dogs that leave everyone with a question mark over their head. And this is the best ever; some poodle people have even asked me "why I would want a poodle if I don't want them to look like poodles?" News flash people, poodles are not born with pom poms.

Allergies, the beach and k9 behaviors

I had my dog at the beach yesterday, Huntington dog beach. One of my daughters joined me; it was her first trip to the beach where dogs can run free; off leash. The day was gorgeous, high 60s by 10:00 am and sunny. As it was good Friday there were a few more dogs than normal but not too many for a quiet run with the dogs. As we arrived a family with three Irish Red and Whites were just leaving; of course I had to talk to them.

Once down on the beach the dogs had a blast; there were no issues the entire time. All the dogs were running, chasing balls and frisbees and having a great time. The thing I did see that was not good was from a very insecure young female pit mix. Nothing happened but I can guarantee that something will happen down the road with this dog. I could see in the distance by her shrunken body language that she was not comfortable interacting with the other dogs. Then they came our way; and I wondered if Luke would sense this. He made an obvious choice not to meet her as she pasted by then changed his mind and approached her slowly. She shrunk at his approach and then when she could tolerate no more she froze with flashing lazer stare eyes, this was the bad sign. I immediately called Luke and he happily came to me. This freeze was definitely going to be an issue for this guardian if she does not address it.

When it is time to leave the dogs are happy; they've had enough time to enjoy themselves and are not left with the "I don't want to go" feeling. They are calm and relaxed and Luke wants water. I bring a colapseable bowl to the beach with a bottle of water; he is a big drinker. This is very different from Tilley who I can barely get to take a sip once in the car. But Luke can chug back alot of water at the beach and he gets a bit more once back at the car.

Once we got back to the car Tilley really needed a lift into the back of the xterra. She just celebrated her 11th birthday and although she is in amazing shape and looks like a 2 year old she is starting to show signs of her age. After a day at the beach or a long run she finds it difficult to muster up the energy to hoist herself into the back. It is either time for a ramp or I'll just resign myself to do the hoisting. Luke will be 8 this August and still has built in springs in his back legs.

So, sitting in bed with my three this morning poor Jessie is itching her face off. She has allergies and it is now very clear that the worst cause is grass, not good. I have suspected grass for a while but with seasonal allergies as well it is hard to pinpoint the worst cause. So I now have to select grassless areas to take her on her walks. She is fine on open natural areas where there is dirt and long grass but it is the manmade grass areas that get her. Probably it is the chemicals that are put onto the grass in those areas so, au natural for this girl. Which will mean carrying her over the groomed grass areas to get the natural areas.

These guys love the weekend, they love to sleep in and they are waiting to see the tell tale signs that Dad is ready for a run in the canyon.

Lizards, seizures and gourmet cooking

Good morning and TGIF again.

Yesterday Luke had a seizure; the first in a very longtime. A tiny lizard running around my backyard was the cause. The cause of most of Luke's seizures is being waken out of a deep sleep too fast. I have written about it on my blog before. This time he was asleep in the familyroom; the patio door was open as it was such a nice day. Suddenly, the girls shot out the door like a flash; in a flurry of fur all you could hear was nails ripping across the concrete. In an instant Luke was up and out following the girls lead. Within less than a minute he was back with the look of panic on his face, and began the climbing, clawing behavior that comes with it.

This is a look I know well; and as I often do I tried to stop the thing from coming. I change the topic; talk upbeat, asked him about the lizard that he had been running after. I'm sure he didn't even know it was a lizard he was after; he had just followed the herd. He then ran halfway out to check on the lizard that I had now told him was outside and came back in immediately. It was coming and there was nothing stopping it this time**. I got myself comfortable and lay him down beside me.

It starts at a low level seizure, he is conscious and with me; you can tell by his eye movement. Then it seems to stop but it is the calm before the storm. Luke then slips into the full force of the mysterious enemy; stiffening up with his legs well over his head in a very unnatural position. I try keep out of the way of his stiffening legs and paws; which could do alot of damage with one blow. I am always aware of where his mouth is; those teeth can start nashing at anytime and you don't want to be within bite range if they do.

When the second phase of the seizure hits; Luke is gone, his eyes are dead. His pupils are dilated, and his stare is fixed which is very scarey to see the first time but something again that I am use to. Yesterday I called my son down as Luke started to seize, I want everyone to know what to expect and what to do if I'm not there when Luke has a seizure. It is disturbing the first time you witness it.

After the seizure has quieted in Luke's body he is shakey on his feet. His tail wags alot from the reassurance of his Mom by his side. The panting starts and he is transformed into a very extreme velcro dog. For probably an hour he must be by my side. So, I settle in and watch some tv, until the of fear and insecurity loosens it's grip on Luke and he is satisfied to be in the same room with me.

By dinner time he was okay just being in the same room which soon gave way to me being in the kitchen preparing their dinner and Luke lay waiting in the livingroom. For some reason he does not like the dog bed in the kitchen and lays on the livingroom carpet which is just around the corner. So lastnight I cooked up some fresh halibut, ham for flavor, green beans and oatmeal and to my surprise Luke ate every bit. He is not a big fish fan, the girls love; although Jessie loves anything pretty much but they all ate it with gusto.

After dinner we watched a National Geographic show and then went to bed; Luke was on the bed when I fell asleep but in his own bed when I awoke this morning. The sun is rising on a new day and we will put yesterday behind us.

**There have been several times over the years where Luke has displayed pre seizure behaviors that give me a heads up of the impending seize. Immediately I kick into "we are not having a seizure" gear which has actually worked. Luke knows when he is going to have a seizure and I'm not sure what the signs are to him but I'm thinking it must be a scent; something that happens from his brain. The times I have seen that he thinks he is going to have a seizure and then does not he is always sniffing the air. Sort of like that commercial from the past "I smell burnt toast." Is it a scent that precedes a seizure? An atomospheric occurance? I'm not sure but there have been times when Luke has received the information that comes before a seizure, but it never comes.

Control and lack there of

Control, how important is it to you? I was thinking about control yesterday when I took all three of my dogs to the field for a run. As soon as it was apparent that Jessie was coming along with the poodles Luke is wired. There is definite control issues in my house and most stem from Luke. Jessie likes being in control but she is not crazed by it like Luke. And because it is such an issue with Luke; he becomes out of control; something that I cannot tolerate.

He spins and starts his whine barking which I do not enjoy. And yesterday he gave me some back talk when I asked him to sit and wait until I locked the front door. He still did what he was told; just barely. He was like the pebble in a slingshot at the ready to fly. I really hate when he gets like this but mixing his control issues with his reactive behavior and there you have Luke. What he is concerned with is being first; first out the door, first to the car, first in and out of the car. But he is last and I keep it this way. Somedogs want to be in charge but should never be given the position in a pack.


I like having control; I do not enjoy when things are out of my control. I am by no means a control freak; I try very hard in life to worry about the big things and let the little things fall where they may. But when it comes to my dogs I like control, I like them to do what they are told and to listen when I speak. This is something that is very important that you know about yourself when choosing a dog; how much training are you willing to put into a dog? Some dogs are much more difficult to train and keep under control than others.

I know people who have very strong dogs, not physically but mentally; the type you have to stay on top of pretty much their whole life. People who have these dogs need to be very strong, in charge types. If you take a very meek person who does not take charge and mix them with an in charge breed; you get big issues. The same goes the other way, a meek non pushy dog with an aggressive control freak guardian and again there will be issues.

Many breeds need a high level of training, some need a minimal amount. Of course all dogs can use ongoing high levels but to live a balanced day to day life there are extreme differences. It is the humans who need to take control, bottom line. So how much work you are willing to put into day to day life is really the big question. Being a person who likes calm controlled behavior I have implemented many rules to do just that. My girls are very calm and do not become loopy like Luke does so they have very few rules that need enforcing.

Luke on the other hand is a pusher; he loves to push when he can and who he can. Rules must be enforced with him; he has a big head and if allowed he would be one of those chest out and beating on it types. This is not a normal standard poodle trait; but like I said in an earlier post they are all very different. And wouldn't life be so boring if they were all the same?

Personalities

I guess my favorite part of working with dogs is getting to know them, on a personal level. It is funny talking to some people who "don't get dogs," which I don't get at all; how they think dogs are dogs. They are so individual to themselves; just like people they are very different from one another. Even within the same breed they are very, very different.

There are definitely canine innate behaviors but aside from those there are very subtle difference in each dog that many just do not see. While in the midst of a shoot I have often said to a guardian "he is getting anxious, or she is a bit nervous," only to have the human in charge of this dog disagree with me. Not everything comes across in a dogs eyes but there is alot if you take the time to see it.

I love when I get "the face," as a Mom I'm use to rolling eyes and dagger stares. Dogs do the same; often dogs are "over" being photographed. These are the times that I can get the best expression from a dog. Dogs don't lie; so what you see is what you get, IF you are paying attention. It is when you either aren't paying attention or you really do not understand dog behavior or body language that a human can get it wrong.

As a trainer and photographer I try to interact as little as possible with a dog. Keeping them calm in both situations is a good idea. I do like to meet my clients; let them sniff me over and check out my camera but the more I intereact the more excited they become which can definitely interfere with seeing the real dog inside.

I watch, I watch alot and take in as much information about each dog that I can. From that point; the amount I interact is gadged. Sometimes my watching has to be done with peripheral vision only; for those dogs who are watching me as much as I am watching them.

I also do litter temperament testing; which is where I go in a basically personality test 7 week old puppies. This is about as RAW as it gets, the puppies have yet to experience a whole lot. If the breeder has done a good job; the puppies have experienced many different stimulus in their young lives in the form of sound, sight and feel. It is really eye opening to see how different a litter of puppies can be. It makes the whole picking a puppy because of a certain look seem very, very superficial; but I don't mean that in a bad way.

Choosing a dog because they have that cute little spot over their eye; or because they alone stand out in the litter because of their amazing white coat really does that puppy an unjustice. You deserve and they deserve to be placed into the most perfect fit family. When I do TT; as I hand a puppy back to a breeder I may say "this one needs an experienced dog family, or this one would do great in most situations." This is not the final word, nor is it the only good outcome. It is simply a judgement on the best fit.

Each puppy and adult is an individual; how they adapt to life is important. But more important is how we as humans adapt to our dogs adaptions to life. My life revolves around dogs and that is how I am the happiest. I do know many people who would be giving me rolling eyeballs if they had to live in my shoes for a day or two. ;) Our dogs are just as different.

Tues, back already

Well I'm back and my dogs didn't die while I was gone. I had a quick trip down to San Diego yesterday for business so spent the day today in LaJolla with my daughter. Yes I was stressed about the dogs; I hate to leave them but my daughter and son were here to care for them. I made their food ahead for lastnight and this morning and they were only alone I think for about 2 hours at the most.

I have to admit it was great to get away and clear my head for a while, even if it was only for exactly 25 hours. One thing that my dogs must be accustom to is me being being in and out of the home; I'm always in and out all day long and that is the schedule I enjoy. I'm never gone too, too long and I have a whole family coming and going as well.

This is another reason why I like having three dogs; they keep each other company. It is funny when they know I'm going out; I grab my camera bag and put on work clothes and they will all run upstairs and dive on either my bed or theirs. They all settle in and watch me leave; no one is hugely bothered by it. And that is how it should be. They know I'll be back.

When I have been gone for an overnighter; then I brace myself for my very physical greeting which I will receive. I get the Praying mantise from Luke; arms flying everywhere that you have to watch your eyes. Jessie grabs the nearest toy and charges around galloping from one room to the next. Luke likes to give rough kisses where you have to be careful for your lip safety and he loves to bite hair when he is very excited. This we keep to a minimum by leaving the room; which immediately defuses the situation.

But watching all the wagging tails when my head pops through the door makes it more than worth it to be away for a bit. Its always good to be home.

Monday

I'm off to an early shoot this morning; I have a very busy week ahead of me. Both Luke and Jessie are on the bed with me this morning, Tilley has yet to get up and move the comforts of the human bed. The dog's bed are very comfortable and in fact Luke left his bed upstairs this morning and went downstairs to his couch. He loves that darn dog couch; and if he is not with me somewhere then that is where he can be found. I have my eye out at Costco and when they bring in more dog couches I will be stocking up.

I had a shoot on the weekend, sighthounds which have to be my all time favorite dog group to shoot. I don't know what it is about them but you just cannot take a bad photo of a sighthound. Maybe it is the whole historic thing around them; most have been around for hundreds of years and changed little since the beginning. I love to photograph all dogs, breeds or mixes makes no difference to me; don't get me wrong. But there is just something in a sighthound that give a photo that Wow factor.

I'm also playing on my new computer with a new effect; giving a gorgeous photo an effect of a painting is alot of fun. I love the way the poodle hair takes on an PS effect and Tilley's tight curls get highlighted nicely with it. Tilley has now joined us in the bed; curled up in my husbands spot. This has always been her favorite place to lay; she adores her Dad. Although Tilley and I have an amazing relationship; it is nothing compared to theirs. The mere mention of the word Dad and her ears are plastered to the side of her head. Tilley loves men; but her men rank top position in her life. And she is a smiler; she mostly smiles for her kid Brad but will if excited enough smile for the rest of the family. But she does love her boys.

Well time to get on with the day.

Beaching it with Luke

What a fabulous Sunday, high 60s and sunny. We took Luke down to Salt Creek, Jessie and Tilley were very tired this morning so we thought we'd just bring Luke. Taking the dogs out on their own and in two's in really good for them. And often I don't want to bring the whole pack so it works out great. This also allows me to bring my camera and get some great shots of my dogs for a change which I will post soon.

So Luke is now exhausted; the entire time we were at the beach he was in hunt mode. There are these sort of scraggly, mangy looking squirrels that live in the rocks that drive the dogs crazy. I see some dogs that don't have that natural prey drive but my three are very much primal. And the squirrels know the dogs can't get them; they sit until the last moment and then run away out of reach.

There is alot of whining going on while we are there; Luke hates that he just cannot catch one. Although he sure has a great time trying; he stalks forever, freezes and then makes a pounce. It is great seeing him be a dog and loving it. At the moment we are watching some very dark clouds on their way overhead. And believe it or not we are listening the very loud thunder. I'm very excited to have a thunderstorm but now need to shut the house up and act like nothing is going on for Tilley's sake.

Tilley is petrified of thunder; she never use to be until our stupid neighbors from our previous house use to throw firecrackers on a regular basis. Clyde, the male we had before Luke was insanely fearful about thunderstorms. So far it is only Tilley who reacts to a storm; and her reaction is frantic digging. She likes to dig in the bathrooms if she can get in there but if not she'll dig anywhere. I think she wants to dig into the ground and hide.

What we do for her is to pretend it is another regular day, no talking out of the ordinary, nothing different than our typical routine. If you do anything to help sooth her; it only makes matters worse. Dogs watch us for reaction on how to deal with a situation so we pretend that there is no big deal about a storm. In fact it may be the best time to throw the ball around and have fun.

So we've covered all the patio furniture and we are awaiting the storm.

Retrieving

Ah the joy of retrieving; yesterday my little JRT had one of her twice a year retrieving moments. She is adorable when she retrieves and her retrieving moments are so few and far between that I really love watching her do it. Usually she is way above the act of chasing a stupid ball; she leaves this activity to the poodles who love it. Jessie's retrieving last but a few moments but she has fun while she's doing it. She charges after the ball; slamming into anything in the way to get it. She doesn't retrieve the ball to me but to the nearest bed in her path.

There are many different types of retrieving dogs and some who have retriever in their name but wouldn't think of chasing a ball if you begged them to. I have had several training clients who were very upset that their retrievers didn't like to retrieve. My husband always wanted a golden retriever; now we have one. Luke is golden color and loves to retreive; there you go. Tilley is a maniac retriever; she loves nothing more than the chase. She will infact chase and retrieve anything.

With Tilley's shadow chasing bad behavior I had to switch her chase drive onto something else for her own safety. First it was balls and then onto frisbees which she was unbelievably amazing at. She has actually been on Pet Star twice; I'm in the process of trying to get a video of her from Animal Planet.

But not all dogs have drive; it actually amazes me when I see dogs interacting in a friendly manner to rabbits, birds or other small critters. My dogs are all very wired to chase, but they do not all kill. My JRT does kill small things like lizards, birds, mice, rabbbits etc. But my poodles just love the chase.

Retrieving is great for exercising your dog; especially if you are not big on jogging yourself. But you must take great care if you have an obsessive retriever; they tend to not watch where they are going and only keep their eye on the ball so to speak.

So if you want to get your dog retrieving, you must make the ball the greatest most fun thing in the world first. If you don't accomplish this, forget it.

Does size matter?

Does size really matter? Well; maybe in humans but not so much in dogs. I spent several hours at a couple of different dog parks around Orange County yesterday. I love watching dogs interact with one another; the interactions at dog parks are very different from regular pack behavior so there is alot of angles and dimensions to experience. Entering the park dogless is a little tricky; automatically the dogs gravitate to the gate when they hear the latch close. I draw quite a bit of attention because to them; it looks like I have a small black dog in my arms which is typically fair game.

Anytime you pick a dog up while in a pack of dogs; all attention goes to the elevated one. Not good attention normally; the dog has lost their control and the other dogs tend to take advantage. So I try my best to sneak in unnoticed but it doesn't often work. At one of the parks yesterday there was a pile of puppies playing together, great entertainment. They were 3, 5 and 6 months old; and would eventually reach about the same size at maturity. It was the 3 month old that was running the show; she was controlling what the other puppies did.

This very confident and bold puppy was clearly a leader; which will definitely be giving their guardian a run for their money in the near future. The three month old showed the other two puppies how exactly to dig a whole and get as dirty as possible. She was playing rough, much rougher than the other two. And for her age; she had boundless amounts of energy. This was a very different puppy; usually at the age of 3 mos they tire quickly.

Then a small terrier came into the park; up until that point the park had been filled with big dogs and big breed puppies. But in typical terrier style he came in a laid claim to the place. Size is not everything; attitude is. I have regularly seen small dogs put very large dogs in their place. Watching a tiny dog submit a big burly dog is very interesting; a dog either has it or they don't. But with small dogs comes the extra sense of protection from a safety perspective. I feel much more protective over my little JRT versus my standards. Even though Jessie is a much tougher dog; but this toughness is what gets her into trouble.

When she meets a dog; her immediate sense urgency to educate the other dog is obvious. She wants them to know right off; she is the boss unquestionably. There is no waiting around for small talk; she swings into action. And if the other dog isn't impressed by her "boss of the world" attitude; she can get into trouble. So I watch her body language very closely and I also watch the other dog's body as well.

There are times when being bigger works; if a fight breaks out and you have 50 lbs on the other dog; the odds are going to be on your side. But in regular canine meetings; it is all attitude. Dogs speak to each other way before they actually touch; if infact they ever do touch is a factor having to do with the initial greeting. No one touches Jessie, fact.

There was a big and burly Bouvier at the park yesterday; he was a very confident and calm male, who slowly did the perimeter of the fence. As I watched; a much more inexperience and status seeking male who was smaller attempted to mount the Bouvier. He had nothing to do with it and in a quick spin and freeze motion the smaller dog got the clear message.

So much to watch.

What exactly is a growl

Over the years I have worked with alot of growling dogs. The subject came up this morning with one of the dog lists I'm on. So I thought I would disect a growl. Dogs speak with their body and sound, first they signal with their body and if that doesn't work it is escalated to a growl. If your dog is growling at you; it means that you missed or ignored the first threatening body language which is a freeze. It can be very small but it's there.

Many people consider a growl to be just their silly grouchy dog; but what a growl tells you is that some work needs to be done. It may be that your dog considers themself to be the boss and is issuing orders; not good. A growl gives you alot of information; it can tell you that there is an order confusion in your pack or that they are very uncomfortable with what you are doing. Maybe the dog is new to the pack and close proximity makes them uncomfortable, maybe your growls only when you lean over them to put their collar on. Or perhaps your dog growls when someone enters the room they are eating in.

The old method of dealing with a growl use to be to alpha roll the growling dog. No matter what the reason was for the growl; this was the solution. This is one of the worst things you can do; it can further escalate the problem. Because a growl can come out of so many situations; there is no one answer to get rid of growling. I remember a friend of mine who is also a trainer; telling me a story of a little terrier who never growled, only bit. He had been taught to never growl by receiving a slap everytime he growled. So soon that communication signal was gone and he became an unpredictable biter. My friend started from the beginning and taught this boy to warn people with a growl again.

A growl is a heads up for you. Hey, I intend on enforcing a rule; or I am uncomfortable with this. When Luke was around the age of 9 mos old he growled at my son. My son was 10 at the time and tried to physically push Luke off of the couch; Luke wasn't having it and clearly considered himself above my son in the pack. I quickly moved in an got Luke off the couch and he was not allowed back on again for over 6 months. I had my son work with Luke and made a point of having my son beside me on the couch with Luke on the floor. There was no hitting, no yelling; just a simple "this is how it really is."
So now Luke will be 8 in August and still asks to come on the couch; which I believe all dogs should do.

Another very good example is growling when uncomfortable. Tilley; yes my amazing Lassie dog use to growl. She has never growled at a family member but she use to growl at men who came into our house. She was extremely uncomfortable with them in the house and would lurk around the back wall and growl. I'm glad she did because it let me know how uncomfortable she was; so that I addressed the situation head on. She now is drawn to men and is quite the flirt.

The important thing is to never ignore a growl, you could end up on the receiving end of a bad bite. Or worse still, someone else could get bitten. Listen to your dog.

shooting k9s

Yes, I shoot dogs for a living; with a camera that is. Funny how I correct myself depending on whom I am talking to. Sometimes it just about comes out "can I shoo-----, photograph your dog?" I am currently working on a book so I'm out shooting alot. I can pop up anywhere but I'm usually hanging where the dogs hang.

I'm getting pretty good at my schpeel; I've had to receit it so many times now. The one thing that I don't get; and it doesn't matter how many times I hear it, I still don't understand. From the wary and suspicious eye of the k9 guardian "what are you doing with the images?" What? What evil purpose could I possibly conjure up for the images?

Admittedly I am a very overprotective Mom; it starts with my kids but covers my furkids as well. I'm like a constant hovering security blanket; so when someone thinks there might be something "bad" about having their dogs image taken, it surprises me. I have been asked a couple of times to have my dogs picture taken and I'm all over it. I may be very protective but I am very proud as well.

Although dogs are extremely adorable and they are by far my favorite subject to shoot; they aren't people. Even if someone schemed to use a photo for an evil plotted plan; would anyone know it was your dog? Chances are slim. I could count the number of times someone has looked at me with suspicion on one hand. Afterall I'm not a real threatening looking person.

So be proud of your dog; let people shoot away. I am so glad I'm not a people photographer.

Early morning

Getting up at 5:15 is early in my books; and the fact that this morning it was actually 4:15 is insane. I find it very difficult to pull myself out of bed when it is still dark outside; it just doesn't seem right. And lastnight I had a warm and cuddly poodle snuggled beside me which really makes me want to leap out of bed; not.

A couple of years ago I went to one of those meetings where a weekend seminar is held by a huge conglomerate type company who's sole purpose is to lure others into the mix. The only thing I took away from that long and tedious day was something one person had said while lecturing about something I cared not to hear "I sleep until I'm done." What a concept; I had never even thought about it before but when I heard it; I loved it. We should all sleep until we are done; shouldn't we?

Okay, so I'm up and it is now 6:45 (really only 5:45). This time change takes me a while to adjust so bare with me. Anyhow back to dogs! Yesterday was the first day of many to come when Tilley stayed home and my husband took Luke for a run. It is time, she is slowing down and really showing signs of her age. Like I said in a previous post; it in no way means that she is done; we just need to give her a little more breathing space between extensive exercise.

She was more than happy to join Jessie and I in bed with cookies. With her golden years has come the quest for food; she and Jessie are becoming more the same with each day. I thought she would be traumatized by being left behind. But after the early morning cookies in bed; which leave a lovely crunchy coating in the bed which are not so enjoyable come bedtime, we head outside to garden.

Tilley happily chased shadows back and forth and came to check in every once in a while. Shadow chasing is only ever allowed in the yard and she knows this. She on occasion will forget herself but a little quick ahhh and she remembers. So this is a big turning point in our household; we have acknowledged Tilley's age. Not an easy thing to do.

This August will mark Luke's 8th birthday; not that 8 means anything in Luke terms but it does mean that it has been a very longtime since I've had a puppy.

Direction changes

I wanted to discuss the direction change. Anyone who has previously trained with me knows about it. Lastnight we were out on a walk with all of our dogs. Because there were four of us we switched out dogs a couple of times. Several situations arose that required me to use the "this way" and "this side" cue. These are some of the best and most useful things I've taught my dogs.

Dogs are typically distracted when on a walk; unless you are doing heeling they are in sniff mode. I hate to see people jogging with their dog when they just about yank their dogs head off as they change directions. Or the dogs leash gets stuck around a tree because neither dog nor person were paying enough attention.

When I approach a tree I give my dogs a heads up "this side" and they go around my side of the tree; no need to get hung up. If I want to change directions I let them know that too. Why just yank on your dog? It's pretty rude and thoughtless just to yank on them when you want them to follow you.

I have many, many verbal cues I use for my dogs; some I don't even realize that I use. But the most common ones used on a walk are "turn, this way and this side". Turn is for when they are close to me and if I turn, I will walk directly into them. This gives them a heads up to move back out of the way and they do.

The "this way" is used most for direction changes when they are out ahead, behind or out of direct hit range. I use it all the time when they are off leash and on leash; I love it. It is used as an attention cue and as a heads up, hey; I'm going somewhere else cue. The dogs know this cue and watch me immediately when they hear it. Afterall no one wants to be left behind.

TGIF

Good morning, I'm waiting for an electrician this morning. I was up at 5:00 getting everything done before he arrives around 7. I hate having workers in the house, it throws a wrench into my daily routine. The dogs hate it too; they were outside at 6:30. For three dogs who love to sleep in and enjoy sharing the warmth of my bed with me in the morning; getting thrown out into the cold cruel world in the am is not okay with them. Luke is mad and venting his anger on any noise that happens to catch his attention. He also knows that if he barks enough; there is a good chance I'm coming to bring him in.

Speaking about Luke, the supreme Momma's boy. Everytime I feed the dogs I hang out in the kitchen until they are done. If I didn't Jessie would either have alot of scars or be as fat as a house. So supervision is a must. Lastnight I quietly snuck out of the kitchen to watch American Idol and my husband did the watching. I thought once Luke noticed my absence that he would stop eating but he didn't. But what he did do after finishing his meal was to charge downstairs in a panick to find me. I was not in my normal couch spot and he ran around the familyroom like a crazed dog.

With his head straight up; using his nose to help him find me he was very upset. He actually looked right past me but because he was in a stress mode; he didn't even see me. He ran back and forth, checked the couch where I usually sit; several times. He even approached the couch wagging; no one was sitting on the couch. After watching this for a while I said "hey, I'm right here." He pounced me and then proceeded to stand 3 feet away from me just starring; he wasn't letting me out of his sight again.

Being that he was in front of the television; I invited him up to sit with me. He took an almightly leap over Tilley and Jessie to get to me, did several spins and snuggled down a happy guy beside me. So Luke's nose had been working great but because he let himself get into such a state his eyes failed him. He knew I was in the room but couldn't find me; so he was really panicked.

Boys.

The beach, dog clothes and behavior

Good morning, I had my dogs at the beach yesterday and it was amazing. There was a mere handful of people there; it was sunny in the high 60s. This is how I enjoy the dog beach, I do not go to the beach on the weekends or once we enter into the summer months when the beach is so crowded that you can't find a spot. The stress level grows both in the dogs and the people so a quiet walk on the beach; meeting other dogs every so often is what I call fabulous.

The dogs were thrilled to be there; Tilley enjoyed retrieving her ball in the water and Luke loves to meet new dogs. He is so great with other dogs if he doesn't have a leash on. Even the small ones; we came across a group of people with a doxie, two minpins and two rat terriers and he got excited; met everyone and then was on his way. Tilley basically pretends we are the only ones at the beach and even when a dog is pushy; she tends to freeze until I help her. When we arrived yesterday I scoped the beach before walking down; everything looked good.

There were two shepherd mix looking dogs at the entrance who looked a bit pushy but Luke sailed by without a problem. Tilley got held up with them, they didn't want her to cross their imaginary line and so she did not. I was only about 10 feet ahead when I turned to see her situation. I quickly made a direct head on abrupt approach to the dogs which sent the two bullies packing and Tilley was a happy girl as she wagged and charged ahead to catch up with Luke.

We basically had the beach to ourselves; at least a stretch of it. There was one girl with her two pomeranians who Luke played with for a long while. One of the dogs loved to be chased and Luke does love to chase so it was a good game. Tilley only wanted her ball tossed, she knew I had it in my belt so out it came and the tossing began. Tilley's birthday is on the 13th of this month and she will be 11; so we now have to limit her activities. Not that she doesn't get to go nuts but she will retrieve until she drops dead so someone has to do the thinking.

Now onto dog clothes; I spent about an hour lastnight at the book store doing some research. Of course I visit the dog magazine area to see the magazines that I don't have photos in. There are several newer magazines that are focusing on the "Paris Hilton" type dog image. You know the dogs that are all dressed up with no where to go. So many images grace the pages of dogs in costumes and outfits. But if you look closely; the facial expression says it all.

I for one like real dogs and clothes are for keeping a dog warm and thats it. They are not little people and therefore should not have a wardrobe unless of course they don't have hair like some of the breeds. This whole way of thinking, fashion for dogs, feather boa's, hats and high end jewelry; I mean come on. It is entirely a different world from those who love to let their dogs be dogs and get down and dirty. The sledding, frisbee, agility, flyball, obedience, search and rescue and dock diving type dog people are "real dog" people.

The fashion wearing, dog in a tote bag, jewelry and formal attire wearing dog guardians should really just get a Barbie to dress up and drag around with them. And to promote this type of behavior in a magazine geared to the high fashion dog? All I can do is shake my head.

Feeding dogs

Sadly the pet food recall of 07 has claimed many lives and is still ending the lives of great dogs. Another has been added; and I send out my deepest sympathy to her family http://k9athletes.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/pet-food-recall-claims-the-life-of-dock-jumping-beloved/

www.drmarty.com I personally know of several dogs who lost their battle because of this vast food recall. The only way to fight back is to educate everyone you speak to about good and bad dog food. I have included a link to Dr. Martin Goldsteins website above, please read all you can about dog food.

Our dogs are meant to eat meat; as a decendant of the wolf it is in their daily requirements. Dr. Goldstein has a list of the only dog foods that you should consider feeding your dog on his site; but after discussing the issue with him he does not recommend dog food at all. Only that if you have to feed dog food, these are the ones that you should look at.

Many believe that dogs should eat one type of dog food and that's it, never treats, never straying from that one same bowl of food a day. Well, my dogs eat something entirely different each and everyday and are doing amazingly. My little Jack Russell has grown her hair back; which we thought was entirely due to the prednisone she takes.

My boy Luke has not had a seizure since I started feeding "real" food to my pack back in August of 07. I have always gone back and forth from dog food to real; my dogs never eat the same food day in and day out. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I will stop by the butchers and pick up some stewing beef for dinner; my dogs dinner.

As a trainer this is not only healthy for them but a very good training exercise. I sit on patio or kitchen floor and they must sit. Each waits their turn and no one gets pushy about it; even though raw beef is there absolute favorite. Not only is it good training and great nutrition; it is really good for their teeth.

This morning they will be having chicken, green beans and organic brown rice. Tomorrow it will be something else. And although it can be more expensive than dog food, you can definitely cut costs with feeding your dog or dogs real food. I regularly hit the grocery store for bargains. Fact, dogs don't care if meat is tender and it's it great for cleaning teeth if it's not. So stocking up on chuck roasts at .99 a lb is a big deal.

I recently cleaned out the shelf at the grocery store when I found roasts on sale. And I don't throw out leftover veggies, rice, potatos or whole wheat pasta. As you start to feed your dog real food there will be a "poop" transition that you will have to deal with, inevitably. But for the health of your dog; its worth dealing with.

Dogs who eat real food rarely drink food; that from my own experience. I cannot believe the difference in water consumption. And they only poop once a day; not two, three or more. And although bloat www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm
is an issue in my breed; the standard poodle, I don't worry about it near as much when they eat real food.

If you don't want to feed your dog real food, then check out the "dog food" list on Dr. Goldsteins website and buy the best dog food you can. Afterall our dogs are worth it.

Personalities

Over the years I have met alot of dogs. When I meet a dog I quickly assess personality; afterall temperament testing is something I do regularly on litters of puppies. I watch body language very closely and get a quick read as to what is going on. Now as a photographer; this dog behavior experience works very well for me as many dogs are not comfortable being photographed.

It is my job to make sure I get the shot; their guardians deserve a great shot of their dog and if their pooch is uncomfortable or stressed it's going to show. I take alot of shots when I'm on a photo shoot and probably a third of them end up getting deleted. Closed eyes, turned heads and bad expression shots make their way to my recycle bin to be tossed.

I love getting to know dogs and when I meet one with a great personality it truly makes my day. I met several yesterday; really cool dogs with great temperaments; all of them. I shot alot of dogs yesterday and I was again crawling around trying to get the shot. I can regularly be seen on my elbows and knees trying to capture the perfect image. Sometimes it's quick and easy and other times it's a ton of work to get the shot. Distraction is probably the hardest thing to work with; if a dog is distracted then their personality is not going to show up in a photo.

Even still a dog is much more likely to show their true colors in a familiar surrounding; this is one of the reasons I don't have a studio. I know how my own dogs act in a strange building versus a park that they are familiar to going to. All dogs are different and training one dog is very different than training another. So is photographing different dogs very different. The technique I use to get a great shot of one dog might produce a very uncomfortable and stressed looking shot in another dog. It's all about body language, facial expression, ears and tails.

Watching visitor behavior

Good morning, what a busy weekend so far. Lastnight was UFC night at our house; every month we have UFC night. Which means we have a full house. About 95% of the people in our home on UFC night are between 17-23 years of age so it gets loud and pretty rowdy. Typically I have the dogs in my bedroom where they are quiet and comfortable. This lets me enjoy the night and watch the fights; with pizza on the menu every fight night it is hard for me to watch the dogs and visitors and watch the fights.

There are definite things that you do and do not do when you enter into a dogs home. You do not act like the dogs are your dogs, you do not pick up dogs, you do not hug dogs and you do not kiss dogs. But this goes against what most humans do; for some reason we; or I should say they feel the need to treat other dogs as their own. And in dog terms that is a big no, no.

But lastnight I decided to leave everyone out; the poodles had been on their canyon run in the morning and were exhausted and that just left Jessie (the eating machine) to keep my very close eye on. The house was full as usual; loud and very active but the dogs were pretty content laying in their beds and watching the goings on. That is until the pizza arrived. It didn't take long for Jessie to kick it into gear and be making the rounds.

I told Luke and Tilley to get back to their beds and they did; being the good poodles that they are. Watching three dogs amidst all these people is a job; but it is much more a job of watching what the people are doing and how the dogs are reacting to the human behavior. Lastnight was a great example of humans acting inappropriately; it was nothing huge, just alot of little things. First it was Jessie up on the couch with one of my daughters doing her best to prove to her and her friends that she was starving to death. While my daughter snuggled her; another non family member reached over and gave her a hug. With all the food around this was not a good idea so I kept my eye on the situation.

Jessie was in full begging mode which is not to be interrupted by visitors. She does not appreciate a hug from an outsider while doing her best to get the pizza from my daughter. Seeing that this was not a good situation I called Jessie to me and all was well. Then there was the guest who crawled across the floor, towards Luke and I which was really not a good idea.

Let me set the stage, I was on the couch with Luke right below me on his couch and he was very tired. He was going in and out of sleep because of the noise level but he is very relaxed. Then a person from the other side of the room decided to cross the room in a stalking manner approaching my other daughter who was sitting beside me. Luke in his half in, half out state saw this and reacted. A deep growl came from within and I reacted immediately putting my hand on him to stop any forward motion. Luke obviously saw this as a threat and being half asleep didn't realize who it was; and as soon as he did everything was fine.

It is so important to watch your dogs around other people. There are things that we can do with our dogs that they would never accept from an outsider. If people could read a book on how to and how not to behavior around dogs; that would be great.

Counter surfing

I think that this behavior has got to be on my worst top 5 list. I hate when dogs are allowed; or maybe not allowed but get away with getting up on the counter and helping themselves to whatever they can find. And the thought of a cat wandering around on the counter top where the food is prepared; don't even get me started on the whole "cat" issue. Counter surfing tends to be one of those shoulder shrugging behavior. A behavior that humans see as "what can I do about it?"

There is lots to do about it and it should NEVER be allowed under any circumstance. So that means that if you have a surfer; one that you know will be shopping around the counter top when you leave; then you must keep them away from the kitchen. When you go out; they are crated, in a different room, outside or somewhere that they cannot indulge in their very bad behavior. This has to happen until you can get it under control.

Every time your dog surfs and scores; will make your job of stopping the behavior much harder. When your dog is successful in the quest for food from the counter top they are reinforcing their own bad behavior; being rewarding for getting up there. And this is what you have to keep in mind. The counter top, cupboards and refridgerator are to accessed by the humans and this should be strictly enforced. Once a dog can help themselves to your stuff whenever they choose all sorts of bad behaviors can start.

I'm sure I have already covered counter surfing on this blog, it is something that I feel very strongly about. But each time I am reminded of it I feel that I must cover the issue once again. The way to stop it is to first not allow it in your own mind. There will be no stealing of my food!! Next you stop any advances to the counter top, no sniffing, no head turning to reach further up onto the counter. I would definitely start with a 1 foot boundary so that you can be more aware of what is going on.

The startle tactic works best, it works best for many things. But and this is a big but you must be careful when startling your dog, you do not want fall out behaviors from it. All dogs are different and what one can tolerate another may become unravelled from. So tread carefully when startling. The best startle is when your dog thinks you are not watching but to their surprise you can see through walls and out the back of your head.

You need to make it like you cannot believe they were just considering what they were considering. Make short and sweet, feedback should NEVER, EVER be long and drawn out. Dogs don't do grudges, if you miss your moment to deliver the appropriate feedback you missed a chance to educate your dog. So when they go to sniff the counter, you pop out which is the startle; abruptly saying "get off of there." Once they move away you immediately stop and bring everything back to normal. You stopped the behavior you did not like; your job is done.

It is a good idea to make the kitchen your own (as Paula Abduhl would say). You say when your dog can and cannot come into the kitchen, this definitely helps with the surfing.