Cutie

So what is it about a Jack Russell that makes people smile?  We took Jessie down to the beach lastnight; just her.  It is special for her to go out alone because she is the Alpha dog of the house.  At almost 12 years old she still makes people smile.  I always have people approach me asking "how old is your puppy?"  When I tell them that she is almost 12 they think I mean weeks.I guess the fact that people think she is a puppy is quite a compliment.  I wish someone would mistake me for a 30 year old, not likely.

  Anyhow people are shocked that she is not a puppy and then double shocked that it is not 12 months but is infact 12 years.  It is a miracle that Jessie is still with us actually because of the ordeal she went through 6 years ago.

http://www.k9magazinefree.com/k9_perspective/iss13p16.shtml

So at nearly 12 she is looking very good for her age.  The only sign that she is any older at all is the fact that she is very good, hey she is a Jack Russell.  And she likes to lay in the sun a little more than she use to.  Other than that there is nothing that gives any hint of her age.She is always ready for a rumble; infact lastnight a couple of dogs challenged her at the beach and she was more than ready to kick sand in their face.  She makes me smile at her confident, tough attitude. 

Poodle with a tude

Faux Hawks and heat

I just finished clipping Tilley again; she has such a tight, thick coat that she really feels the heat. Even when it is only an inch long she suffers so off it came. Just as I was heading outside my son asked me to PLEASE give her a Mohawk, Faux hawk to be exact. Ah what the heck, I can shave it off after he enjoys his poodle sporting a faux hawk for a while. Well, its not coming off anytime soon; it looks adorable.

I have decided that as soon as Luke has enough coat; he will be sporting a faux hawk as well. Then I will take the two down to the beach as see what happens. No one knows that my guys are poodles, with no familiar pom poms people are truly baffled. Just last week my husband got asked if they were Weimaraners, ah no. I have taken some photos of Tilley and will post them as soon as I get them onto my computer.

Its hot today; up around the 100 degree mark; which is just plain to hot. I'm so glad I made it to the pet Expo on Friday when it was only in the 80s. I feel for all those folks and the dogs who sat through this heat today. The temps are suppose to go back down to around the 70s tomorrow but those high temps are just around the corner for us. I really have to finish my book before we are in the full throws of summer.

Pot Roast and dog stuff

I spent approx. 3 hours at the Pet Expo yesterday; it was pretty hot but nothing like it is going to be today. I'd probably be going back if it wasn't going to be so hot. I was there to shoot a couple of different dogs and I had fun shooting the Dock Diving dogs. There is quite a knack to getting a great shot of these flying water dogs. You really cannot predict what they will do and sometimes they are just so fast you miss them entirely. So out of a ton of shots only a handful turned out great. But one is amazing and to me one out of a hundred is worth shooting the hundred.

I briefly visited the adoption buildings; it was heartbreaking and mind boggling how there can be so many. But there were also alot of people there obviously looking to bring someone home with them which is great. So many breeds are represented at this function; people really have a chance to learn about some cool dogs from really dedicated breeders and rescuers.

So this morning we slept in, 7 o'clock is sleeping in for us. I went down to get the coffee and remembered I had put meat on for the dogs lastnight. I placed three 2 1/2 lb london broils in my slow cooker. The thing with the slow cooker is that you don't smell the food cooking until you unlatch the lid so that's how I had forgotten. It smelled amazing when I lift the lid; it is cooking in organic chicken broth. I have rice that I cooked lastnight for them and they will have tomatos and green beans with it.

I'm telling you, it smells amazing first thing in the morning. I might just join them in their delicious feast.

Pet Expo 2008

I'm off to the Pet Expo this morning early; in hopes of beating the crowds. A couple of years ago I attended the same event on Friday and Sunday. The Friday wasn't too, too bad but Sunday was crazy. It is a huge event with all animals represented but you know where I will be. Unfortunately it is suppose to heat up; so I don't know how long into the afternoon I'll be staying.

The event is all about representing; so all the people there representing their breed are more than happy to share information on their breeds. There will be breeds that are common and the ones that are rare; there might even be something I hadn't seen before. The last event that I attended I met my first Klee Kai (tiny siberian husky).

There is dock diving set up which I would love to bring Tilley to but with my camera and shooting its tough to drag her around all day, especially in the heat so she' ll stay at home with her bed buddies. There is also an "adoption" area set up with all the rescue groups from around the area there with dogs. I hope alot of these dogs find homes this year; I'll have to see how many got new homes from last years event.

There is of course a vendor section which I'll have a look at. Last time there was a booth that sold amazingly beautiful log bunkbeds for dogs. They were gorgeous; wish I could afford one or two. So I see if there is anything new out there for our dogs that might be great; I'll probably bring home a toy or two for my guys. And hopefully I will get lots of great images.

Have a great weekend all.

Busy Wed.

What a busy day it was yesterday. I started my morning early at the grocery store. I've decided to keep an eye on the meat sales instead of relying on the hit and miss method of getting meat at great prices for my dogs. I stocked up on London Broil which here in CA is a less than tender piece of beef. $1.99/lb which is a great piece for meat that is not ground. Now I've seen one of my favorite health food stores has chicken on for .99/lb so that's where I'm headed today.

After the grocery store and then feeding the dogs it was on the computer to work on both of my books. I am caught up with all my photos and just about done my training book. I really cannot wait to have both done so I can move onto my new projects.

The afternoon and into the early evening was filled with 4 back to back shoots. Everything ran smoothly albeit a bit of expect SoCal traffic to deal with. But all the dogs did wonderfully and I loved chatting with all the guardians; what a great job I have.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, mid 60s; my kind of weather. But, we are in for heat tomorrow and over the weekend. Today is suppose to be 75 then moving up to 83 Friday and over the weekend. The beach goers will love it. I'm so glad that I have a new set of clippers because Tilley is already due for another hair cut. I'm sure it will be done in a flash which will be far from the old method of struggling through the hair.

I will be spending the better part of tomorrow at the Pet Expo at the OC Fair Grounds so anyone in the area; don't forget it is on this weekend if you want to attend.

Leash Aggression

Leash aggression is a very common problem. Two out of my three dogs have it; although with Jessie it is not such a big change in her behavior when she is on leash. Many people complain that their dogs display so aggressively that they are embarrassed to walk their dog. It is uncomfortable when your dog is acting like they are trying to kill another dog. Let alone trying to convince the other guardian that your dog is indeed friendly. Yep; been there.

So why do dogs react differently off leash versus on? There are many things that factor into the change that occurs in their behavior. Communication is the biggy; our dogs loose their ability to communicate freely when they are on a leash. When dogs approach each other off leash they are communicating the entire time. If you go to a park or dog beach where they can run freely and watch carefully you will see it. Restrained by a leash this cannot happen so anxiety rises in some dogs.

Communication is also messed up by a leash. A dog that may want to approach your dog may strain at their leash making them go up onto their toes; which is a dominant gesture. They hadn't meant to give off this message but the leash is causing it. Being restrained causes the "let me at him" message. Whining, barking, jumping and growling can all be caused by not having the freedom to approach.

A protectiveness can kick into gear as well; not with all dogs but many. If a dog is off leash they tend to move away from their guardian. But when they are very close to their guardian they tend to be a little protective over their one and only. My dogs do it; when I was at the dog beach I was petting a very cute little dog. Luke immediately came over to make sure that this dog knew that I was "his" person. He wasn't aggressive about it; just pushy.

And the real issue to deal with is the humans, yep we make matters worse by our reactive behavior. Pulling on the lead and getting all tensed up tells our dogs that this is a stressful situation. So what may start out as a small issue snowballs into a monster very quickly. You need to relax; you are not alone. So many people have the same problem. Just yesterday I passed a couple with two very cute Boston terriers who were displaying to Jessie like mad. What a ton of noise; and Jessie is not one to take a challenge lightly, nope. So I just smiled as we passed; asked Jessie to chill out and she did just that. Had I reeled her in close to me; things would have gotten much worse.

Bring treats on your walk; teach your dog that walking past other dogs is a great thing. Luke use to be very reactive to walking past other dogs; now it is a rare occurance. Luke loves to catch so when we would see another dog I would immediately relax and get him to catch treats. Engaging your dogs helps them and you; it is hard to two things at once so if you are already involved in an activity it is much less likely that either of you will be able to do things like stress about another dog. No tugging on the leash, no change in pace; nothing to make him feel that this was a bad situation. Your behavior makes a huge impact on your dogs behavior.


Leash aggression is a fallout of our leashed society. Of course we cannot have dogs running everywhere; but we can lessen the blow of being on leash by relaxing. Lead by example; chill out.

Luke is on the mend

Well after a day of rest Luke is limping less; although he does tend to kick into action as soon as he is feeling the slightest bit better which is not good. When my husband got home lastnight Luke was sent into a crazy bounding frenzy which was definitely not good for his leg but it is hard to stop him. The greatest excitement to Luke is when Jessie starts getting excited and barking so then his attention is on her and the chase is on. She knows this and is always ready. She does not like when he goes after her and throws her small body at him with her teeth fully exposed. Lastnight I said if I could just get a shot of that.

It is quite a sight; just picture a 27" (at the shoulders) blonde standard poodle running and bounding like a crazy person. Now picture a 12 3/4" jack russell in mid air connecting with his face. Jessie's hair is all up; down her back and her lips are pulled back to add emphasize to the hit. I don't know if I'll ever have my camera ready at the precise moment but I'm going to start thinking about it for sure; it would be a great shot.

So today will be another day of rest and when Luke does start getting back at it; it will be on leash. Luke walks on the Easy Walker from Premier. He is by far one of the worst pulling dogs that I have ever come across. He is reactive which basically means when he displays emotion it is tenfold. No matter what the emotion is; it is bigger than a regular dog so when he is excited he pulls and he pulls hard. Often the pulling is accompanied with whining; sometimes extreme whining.
So, I was sent this harness from Premier to give it a try. They sent me an XL which was too big for Luke so I ordered a large. Well, I ordered several more and gave each one away to clients.

http://www.premier.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/collars/easywalk/description

This is going to be long so; I'm going to make two posts out of it. Continued below.

We start again

Its Monday again and this past weekend was a flurry of activity at our house. The dogs were exercised like crazy; everyone was in a walking mood. Everyone is sleeping soundly; crashed to be exact on my bed. Luke has hurt himself again; I don't know what he did but he is limping pretty badly. I will rest him for a couple of days and see how his leg is.

Luke hurts himself alot, he is very long legged and long necked; hence leg and neck injuries constantly. Typically a couple of days of quiet gets everything back to where it should be and then he is ready to go again. When he runs in the canyon he could easily twist something. There are hills and rocks a varitable agility course to run.

April is wrap up the books month. I have two on the go and would like to move onto the next so; I'm kicking it into full gear and trying to finish the first two. This calls for alot of scheduling, organizing, writing and shooting. So, I best get at it.

Oprah's show

Oh yes it was rough to watch; as the tears flowed in people around the world it was like a slap in the face for many. Far too often I hear; "if I'd known I would have never. " Now hopefully there will be no more people who do not know. Oprah addressed the pet store issues, the mills and the rate of euthanasia; startling for many I'm sure. How can people, so called human beings think of dogs in the way a miller does. I have always wondered how they sleep at night but after watching the show you realize that they just don't see anything wrong with what they are doing.

Having been a dog trainer for over 9 years; I have seen my share of puppy mill dogs. I have councelled guardians on extreme behavior issues; talked them through their grief after having to euthanize their deathly ill puppy and watched the saddness of those who dedicate their lives to rescuing the discarded and unwanted. So, it is a new day and the truth has been told by the most influential person that can spread the word. I fear that if this does not drastically change the masses that there is little hope for the bleak life of mill dogs.

The direction is upward and onward; you just keeping telling people; you hope that those who can, will spread the word. There are so many people out there who are helping in the cause. The people who are at the frontlines trying to shut the mills down, the people who take in all the broken dogs when a mill is shutdown. The ones who foster the dogs and try to fix what has been done to them and the families who adopt them into their homes.

But there is another issue that needs addressing as well and that is the idea of disposable dogs. Many of these dogs were pet store dogs; purchased on impulse because of the awww factor, then simply tossed aside when the realization hits that "hey we really don't want a dog." I for one have talked many people out of a dog; helped people with behavior issues so that they can keep their dog and brought many an "outside dog," in where they belong. I will help anyone who needs it and I can be contacted by anyone who just needs to discuss a dog issue; just email me.

OPRAH and ice cream

Yesterday my daughter and I stopped for ice cream on the way home; after taking the three dogs out. She ate 3/4 of hers and decided to share it with the dogs. I often get them their own mini cup of plain frozen yogurt which they love but this was a cone so I spent about 5 min. capturing it with my camera.

Okay, enough with the cutesy stuff. Oprah's show today is about Puppy Mills; for me it has been alongtime coming. I've been hoping for her to do a show on the subject for sometime. Seeing the effect that her show has on anything is inspiring. Hopefully now everyone will know and there will be no more excuse for purchasing a puppy from a pet store. It is just not okay.

So many people frequent the store even though they know. Now in all fairness some people actually don't know; which I don't get. With all the information out there, it has been on the news, there have been specials about the millers and how they fill the petstores with their sickly little dogs but still there are people filling the stores.

We have a store at the mall that is very close to me. I never go in, I can't stomach it. It is a dirty little secret and hopefully this will help to shut them all down. Take a stand and do not give stores that carry dogs and cats your money. There are many stores that do not.

Pet stores are only part of the problem though, the internet websites with the adorably posed puppies is the next to be addressed. I don't know if I can make it through the whole show, it looks pretty graphic but huge kudos for Oprah for addressing the topic.

Please watch and spread the word.

Thursday rain

Good morning, its raining. The big storm they've been forecasting for days has finally arrived. I can't actually see any rain but the ground is wet and I hear a few drips coming off of the roof. But I'll take what we can get, I like weather; different from what the norm is here in sunny California; which is not today, not sunny that is.

All the dogs are snuggled up on the bed; I'm sure they enjoy a rainy day as well. Yesterday was a beautiful day; it too was suppose to be rainy and windy but was not. I was in and out alot, I had gone down to the Huntington Beach pier to shoot enormous waves (photo above) we were to have; only to be very dissapointed when I got there with waves that were not even the regular size ones. So I thought I'll see if there are any dogs around to shoot.

I spotted a Kerry Blue running alongside their guardian as she peddled down the pathway along the beach. You don't see this breed much so I carefully approached crossed the bike path and tried my best approach to a person riding their bike. I don't want to wipe anyone out. I asked and she said "nope."

I then saw a lady running with her American Bulldog down the path; I always try to get a feeling if people will be up for a shoot or not before I approach, I'm rarely wrong. But as I watched I could see that this dog was not having fun, he was not cool in the environment he was in. He had the tell tale big eyes darting here and there and the plastered back ears. And although I would have love to photograph him, he was not a happy guy.

So into my xterra and on the way home. As I drove down the PCH (Pacific Coast Hwy) I spotted a dog on the beach. I pulled over and parked, grabbed my camera and headed down. After watching for a while; the dog was really cute and having fun so I asked. The guardian was very nice, told me a long story of how he came to be with this little guy; it was a happy ending. So I took 5-7 min. shooting and was on my way.

I love photographing dogs and just like with photographing humans there are always alot to trash. Closed eye shots, head turns, blur etc. On occassion there is the "shot" and its a good one. I love when the dogs give me "the look." It makes for a true image of how the dogs feel about me (stranger) staring at them with my camera. The images are priceless.

Grass

Why do dogs eat grass? There doesn't seem to be a clear and definite answer for this question. But just about all dogs do it for one reason or another; whether as an additional vitamin sourse or to empty the contents of their stomach. As I was prepairing my dogs dinner tonight Luke decided to go outside and eat grass. Knowing him like I do; I knew he was going to be sick because he was probably hungry. Could I stop it? Yep. I can usually stop the whole process if I work fast enough, if it is due to hunger. If Luke is not feeling well then he just needs to get rid of whatever is bothering him.

Dogs eat grass and not always to make themselves vomit. Dogs often eat grass because it tastes good, this I know from many years of experience with my own guys. My dogs love spring grass and when they are set loose in the canyon or field after a couple of good rain showers; they resemble cows. They will and often eat grass at all times of the year but the new baby grass is obviously the best.

The only place my dogs are allowed to eat grass is where I know there are no chemicals like in natural fields, canyons or my own yard. In fact when we moved into this house I assumed the grass was treated; so I went out and bought my dogs their own grass and planted a pot of it on the patio. I trained them all that this was their grass to eat and they all graze from it. We don't seem to have grass in our yard that they enjoy eating, it is a much tougher, harsh type.

When a dog eats alot of grass at an increased rate, not the grazing type of consumption; the chowing down kind of eating grass; there is a good chance that they need to clean their stomach. Don't stop your dog if they feel the need to vomit; just keep them outdoors until they are done. Oh, and a rule of thumb is that they always vomit at least two times in a row. All dogs are different but most dogs react to foreign substances in their stomach by vomiting. So the fast consumption of alot of harsh grass works well. I know everytime Luke would eat a bit of his frisbee before returning it to me; he was sure to vomit the brightly colored plastic up shortly.

Grass is a very natural source of vitamins, minerals, enzympes and amino acids for dogs. Chlorophyll can be found in grass, which was used for many ailments before the introduction of antibiotics. Dogs are very smart; they've been eating grass for years and years; we humans are just figuring out the benefits of grass consumption.

watchdogs

I thought this morning that I would discuss watchdogs. There were many definitions in the dictionary for watchdog but I liked this one - to watch carefully, esp. so as to detect illegal or unethical conduct. This statement makes me think of a very serious tiny dog watching over their home and human companion. A serious job indeed.

There are many types of watchdogs, degrees of and levels of intensity. There are many times while watching a movie I will say "if they had a dog this wouldn't happen." Dogs have amazing hearing and sense of scent far beyond what we have. Infact lastnight Luke was barking up a storm outside; I went out to see what was up. He was standing to one side of the yard, head held high in the air sniffing out the intruder. Of course I couldn't smell anything but he definitely could.

Tilley often will wander outside and suddenly move into a pacing action back and forth at the side yard. She obviously knows something is there and she knows when it leaves; which is usually soon after her arrival. Most dogs will alarm in some way if something is out of the ordinary. And even if your dog is not the barking type they may tell you in other ways if you are paying attention. Like Tilley's pacing, she is not much of a barker but shows her stuff in her behavior.

All of my dogs are great watchdogs; even my little JRT. Although they are not as quick to jump to the occassion as they are all moving into their senior years. If they know there is someone new at the door, a stranger or someone they just have not met yet they are there in a flash. Often they will think that a family member has come in alone; when they hear one word out of the new persons voice they sound off and charge.

A watchdog is all most of us need, someone to tell us when they hear something strange or smell something strange that we as meer humans cannot. A good watchdog can be any size; afterall it is just an alerting requirement, not an action requirement. My breed; the standard poodle are very good watchdogs, surprising to most people. Many breeds do not have a watchdog bone in their body. My a dogs natural instinct to bark at a strangers approach often kicks into gear, even if they do plan on licking the person to death once they arrive.

It is the alert, a heads up that you want from a dog; no action other than that is required. This is how it should be and for some breeds it is hard to stop at that. Some of the natural guarding breeds are on the job 24/7. For these types of breeds it is important to let them know where their job ends and where yours starts. In essence "thanks for the heads up, I'll take it from here." Unless you want your friends and family to get the "up against the wall, spread'm" routine everytime they come over, you need to work on clearly defining the job description.

Invasion

All dogs are in bed with us again this morning. Actually Jessie's head is resting on my hand which is making typing a little difficult. She is of course the closest to the jar of cookies and my food. Luke was first up on the bed, Jessie next and finally Tilley after much cheering. It's not that she doesn't want to come up; she is having a diffcult time of it now in her senior years. Several times she has slid back almost crashing to the ground so she is a bit apprehensive about it. But she can still do it.

Luke of course is front and center, under the down comforter that he matches so nicely. Once Jessie arrived she was crowding him a little. He is not one for being moved in on; he hates it and will typically get up and move to a less crowded spot. But this morning it was a supreme spot that he was not giving up, even if others were wanting a piece of it.

Then Tilley arrived and lay across the top of Luke with her arm slung over him. He got up a bit; gave a look of "what the heck is going on here?" And he lay back down. This is a first, I'm amazed that he stayed in his spot. But as I look at him now I see that he is not only covered with the down blanket; he is also ontop of it so he is pretty much in a toasty sandwich and not moving. Not moving except to dream; he is a big and active dreamer.

So when all three dogs were in position; I wanted to grab my camera. There was much discussion as to who should try to get it without having the dogs move. I was the least entangled by the dogs so gave the command to stay and quietly grabbed my camera, put on the flash and climbed back into bed. Above are the shots I got; very cute.

They are now scattered around the bed but Luke is still covered and on top of the down comforter.

New clippers

Here they are and they're gorgeous. I cannot wait to try them out; finally after many years of saying "I'm not clipping the dogs again with these clippers," I can finally put the old ones to rest. I just recently threw out my first original set and now the remaining oldies are 20 years old and time to call it quits.

It is such a hassle to shave the dogs so the other day I put in my order and they just arrived. As you all know I do not fuss with my poodles; off it all goes. Very utility; just like the breed themselves. No fuss no muss; it is truly a wash and wear clip and rarely needs brushing. So gone are the days of "extreme grooming" under the poodle category; at least in this house.

I've come alongway from the show ring with my second standard poodle Clyde who very much resembled an orangutan in full coat. He was brown; clearning to cafe au lait as he aged. But in his prime and full coat we matched pretty well. His coat faded to red in the sun and I am a red head so we were quite the pair.

Clyde should have never been in the ring; poor guy. He was not from good breeding but handling in the ring was what I did back then so in he went with me. It is amazing what a coat can hide and he racked up quite a few ribbons.

But it all ended very abruptly one day as I was grooming and getting ready for a show. I had two children at the time and I was busy; a show coat like that takes alot of time. I sort of lost it, I took my clippers and shaved it all off. In a moment of weakness it was all over; just like that. No more shows for Clyde; in fact there were no more shows ever; it was a defining moment in my life. At the time I didnt' realize what a huge impact this would have on my life with dogs but, it was sort of the beginning of a new for me.

Over the years I have gone between shaving completely and doing the "poodle" look. I have not had the "poodle" look now for years. Grooming was a hobby at one point, a sort of relaxing sculpting session. I would bathe the dogs, blowdry them out straight and scissor them into the perfect looking poodle. That is until I grew tired of the needless work and shaved them down again.

I am continually amazed by how few people know what breed my dogs are because they are not in a recognizable clip. Poodles are after all wonderful, big, non-shedding curly retrievers.

Expression and comfort

Getting a good shot of a dog can be alot of work; and it can be a super capture in the spur of a moment. But typically when I'm doing a shoot there is alot of waiting it out. Having a dog relaxed is probably the most important part of a great shoot. That is why up until now I have not worked in a studio.

I've had my own dogs shot in a studio many years ago to help out a photographer for her advertising. I brought all three dogs and all three dogs were not themselves. This left me with a definite experience to fall back on. They were antsy, out of sorts and basically not themselves so getting a facial expression that I see on a regular basis was not going to happen.

Of course now that I am a dog photographer; being a dog trainer specializing in behavior modification helps me greatly. I am always looking for expression; whether it be relaxed, goofy or I'm getting the look. I talk to the dogs occassionally but I mostly use my body language.

Many dogs are uncomfortable being photographed; not the way that humans are uncomfortable but by the fact that there is a strange cyclopse(sp?) staring at them. Lately I've had quite a few dogs that are so uncomfortable that each time I point the camera at them; they become unglued. So again I sit; chill and perhaps change my lense. If at all possible, unless I'm going for a scenic landscape shot I like to use my mid-big lense. This allows me to move away from the dog; out of their space.

But, then there are the dogs that do best with me in their space and face. Some dogs give me the best and funniest expressions when I'm right up there; close and personal. When I'm on a role and getting some great shots I will often want to move a little closer; this can be tricky. I will immediately assume a sideways approach, looking off into the distance so the dog thinks I'm not focused (pardon the pun) on them. Then I quick snap the shot.

You cannot be a dog photographer in my mind if you don't love dogs; love spending your whole day with them and have the utmost of respect for their feelings. You can't get a good shot if the dog is not comfortable; plain and simple.

Jessie, the beach and squirrels

My daughter and I took Jessie to Salt Creek yesterday. This is a dog friendly area although you cannot take them on the actual beach. But there is a path right beside the beach that you can walk on and dream of walking on the beach with your dog. It is a beautiful area; typically it is a sea of bodies in the summer but right now the people are few and far between. There are alot of surfers at this beach, walking down the path to the beach the ocean is littered with bobbing surfers waiting for their wave.

Yesterday as we started down the walkway a lady in front of us had two pomeranians. Both of these dogs wanted a piece of Jessie; obviously they did not know who Jessie was. Jess tried her hardest to ignore these obnoxious girls for a while but as we passed them it was just too much for her to bare. Being called out in public like this is a bit much for a very dominant little Jack Russell. I felt like taking the two poms aside and telling them that they were messing with the wrong girl. Being the good little JRT that she is, we talked and walked past the poms without incident.

Jessie hasn't been to Salt Creek before; so she didn't know about the squirrels. If she did know about the squirrels she would have completely ignored the other dogs and dragged me down to the beach path; all 15 lbs of her. Once we got to the path she could smell them; and she knew they were around. Jessie knows when she smells a hole if there is an occupant or not. So she knew she was in for some fun. The first glimpse of a squirrel projected her like a torpedo. She wears a body harness and it is a very good thing in these sort of situations.

The pathway runs along the beach, out to a lighthouse type thing and around a rocky corner with a small cliff to the water. Having lived with Jessie for almost 12 years now I know she would run off the cliff in a heartbeat. There will be no stopping to see if it is safe while she chases a squirrel. She sees the squirrel and goes after the squirrel, she sees nothing else. So I tightened up her leash just as she went over the edge. Its not a big cliff; maybe 8 feet in total but she only dropped a foot over the edge.

As she clammored her way back up onto the path a little white Maltese type dog was ahead of us. He hadn't noticed Jessie coming up behind him. Some dogs read other dogs very well and this boy definitely did that. He got excited; took one look at miss bossy pants and decided to keep to himself. That was until we passed him and I could hear him then trying to catch up with Queen Jessie. Jessie always gives other dogs the look first; the "don't even think about it," look. And if they do think about it, she tunes them up.

No one would ever think that she is a 12 year old dog; she doesn't think she is. As we came to the end of the path the squirrels seem to entertain themselves by shreiking at the dogs passing by. It amazes me how some dogs have no interest in them. All of my guys would love nothing more than to grab one. And the entire time we are there; they are in hunt mode. Even as we walked up the path to the park area; Jessie was trembling in anticipation. Every once in a while she would make a death defying leap; but the squirrels always manage to stay one step ahead of her.

Of course; this is because I'm in control. If I let her off her leash those squirrels would be in for a big surprise.

Patience

Patience is a virtue; true. Just about everything works out better if you have patience. Over my years of training I have incorporated patience into working with dogs. Unless you are using the harsh choke'm method of training patience will do well for you. Many behavior modification solutions need to be well thought out; usually a quick fix is not in your best interest.

Watching requires patience; watching and taking in tells you alot about whatever you happen to be watching. Keeping calm requires patience; and sometimes dealing with dogs, keeping calm can require a whole lot of patience. Take for instance a common issue at my house. I am on my computer and the dogs are outside; Luke decides he would like to come in; so tries a couple of barks.

My computer is at the back patio door so I just say "stop." He thinks about it but decides he would rather come in. I am remaining completely calm as I tell him to stop. One more bark; just a trial small bark to see if I really mean for him to stop. I calmly walk downstairs and look at him out the livingroom patio doors; there are no words, we have a visual understanding and he goes and lays down.

Patience in my photography not only helps the dogs but it helps me as well. There are many instances that one could loose their patience; afterall dogs are unpredictable and react in many ways to many different things. So if I did not have patience I could loose my cool very quickly. I often have to explain to the guardians that I am perfectly fine waiting for the dog to calm or relax.

Loosing your patience almost always results in doing something you will regret later or doing something you will have to undo later. So yes, patience is a virtue.

Today is the day & the term "to spoil"

Well, today is the day; it's all coming off. My big blonde bundle of curls is getting shaved; I don't want to but I have to. The temps are rising and Luke has been a bit sluggish the last couple of days. And with the added coat comes the "velcro effect" as well. Honestly when he goes for a run in the canyon he comes home with no telling what attached to him. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get the brush through his coat and it's just plain hot now.

Even though he will be chilly in the evening when we go to bed for a couple of weeks; he will not be suffering from the heat during the day. And I have to admit; not only do the dogs all have their own bed; but they all have their own blankets for just those times when one looses their coat. If they have been shaved recently they will be tucked in at night with their very own fleece blanket and they love it. Especially Luke; he does loves his comforts. And no I do not consider this to be spoiling; just imagine having a big warm wool blanket on and then someone rips it off. You'd be pretty cranky.

Many people say to me "oh my dogs are so spoiled." The term spoiled to me is a bad one and in dictionary terms it is not a good one either. Spoil - to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc.: I always correct people when they are either speaking about spoiling their dog or about how I spoil my dogs. They are being treated the way they should be treated, not spoiled. To me spoiling is exactly as the definition describes; creating a monster in effect.

But making real food meals for my dogs, allowing them the comforts of a bed on the floor, taking them out on daily excursions, keeping them clean and comfortable and giving them all the love they give me is treating them the way they deserve. Spoiling ones dogs to me would be to allow them a better spot on the bed, give them the couch because they growl if you try to sit there, go and get a cookie for them when they bark at the cookie cupboard or let them take you for walk instead of you taking them.

The true meaning of spoiling is a bad one and it is never a good idea to either spoil a dog or a human. It doesn't help anyone involved in the whole scenario.