Breed Talk - The Bulldog

Few breeds can entertain like a Bulldog. I have had the honor of training alot of Bulldogs and it did not take me long to fall in love. Hands down Bulldogs are the most expressive and amuzing breed there is. If you have never had the chance to meet and get to know one; I highly recommend it.

What I noticed very quickly when I started working with Bulldogs is that they have been given the "stupid card." Far from stupid; their intelligence works to their benefit; convincing their guardians that they just can't "get it." And far too often the bulldog guardian shrugs and moves onto something more pliable. Do not let a bulldog con you into thinking they are the big dumb dog; not even close.

Bulldog are heavy set low riders; not built for super athletic sports but love run and romp with the best of them. With their lack of muzzle length you must take extra precaution in the heat; ensuring that they do not over heat. The bulldog does not have a height standard in the US but goes by weight; a male should run around 50 lbs with the females approx. 40.

Unfortunately Bulldogs are one of the breeds that the puppy millers have gotten their hands on so be careful where you acquire your dog from. Make sure that the breeder where you get your bulldog does all the required health testing. Bulldogs have their fair share of health issues so before buying make sure you can afford the up keep. Most Bulldogs that I have met have allergies; whether food, grass or other substance it is common with the breed.

With a body built like a tank it makes sense that swimming is not a bulldogs cup of tea. Although I do know several who can swim; most sink like a stone. So please take extra precaution around water with your bulldog.

The bulldog is definitely one of the breeds that people accept as big and fat. But a fat Bulldog is just as unhealthy as any other breed, maybe even more so given their height. Watch their weight; they do love to eat. And many guardians have told me that once you have a bulldog you always have a bulldog. Their annoying snoring becomes melodic to most; something you learn to love and cannot live without.

I love Bulldogs, their expressiveness, ignorning stubborness, funny body language and loveable snorting makes them irresisstble. And I have to admit; there is nothing cuter than a bulldog puppy, they win hands down.

Poodles

I have had standard poodles for over 20 years; my first standard was a black female in Canada. My very first dog was an airedale and although I loved her with all my heart I knew the airedale was not my breed. Mandy had been my sisters dog and when she had her second child; she found her to be too much to handle with the little ones. So at the age of 18 I took Mandy; we were inseparable until she left us at the age of 13. I added our first standard poodle to our family when Mandy was still around. Mandy taught her well.

When I had decided to add another dog to the family I had seriously considered the doberman; which was my first choice. After much contemplation decided that I could not deal with the short life expectancy; which was at the time 7-9. With great breeders out there it has now moved up to pretty much a normal large dog life expectancy. I looked at the Giant Schnauzer and the standard poodle. Because of Mandy I was drawn to a furry face but I had heard alot about the standard poodle that sounded good.

Mandy didn't shed much which I really liked so I was looking for another breed that didn't shed; at least didn't shed alot. So I decided to take a serious look at the poodle; I was not turned off by the "poodle" image as many people are. The first visit was to a home in the country with lots of dogs and lots of colors. The dogs were all very friendly, I was impressed and hooked. It happened very quickly with poodles and I.

So after the addition of our first standard poodle it has been poodles since. Except for the one addition of a tiny Jack Russell; the rest have been standards. Today I will meet a bunch of poodles at the beach. This is our first official OC Standard Poodle get together and I'm really looking forward to it.

My dogs will be different than the others in looks as I abandoned the "poodle" clip long ago. My dogs are large curly retrievers; utility dogs. If you really get to know a poodle; their exterior image hints of nothing about the real dog; only the guardian. The hair is the work of the guardian and usually a groomer; this breed is very much an all purpose dog. I am constantly asked what breed of dog my dogs are and when I tell people they always say "really, poodles?"

As a trainer I can say that they are the smartest breed that I work with; the Golden coming in at second I'd have to say. Although I love the breed; I also love that each and every dog within the breed is completely different. Just like every other breed and mix, there are no two dogs the same.

Busy week

The week is already underway and we are at Tuesday already. I don't know about you but starting my week off on a Tuesday messes me up. I hope everyone had a great Memorial weekend, I did. Nothing hugely memorable but nice. The dogs had a full weekend of exercise, getting bathed and fun and are crashed bigtime.

Unfortunately with summer comes fleas and the hunt for a little less non toxic treatments to keep the beast away is a huge undertaking. Last year we were innundated and I finally found out the cause; MY NEIGBORS DOG WAS INFESTED. Fleas had taken over the dog nextdoor who lives outside, at the side of my house. So with so many fleas they decided to hop the fence and look for more dogs to eat.

We finally got it under control when a vet told them that their dog was infested with fleas!!!!!!!!!!! So reasearch, research to find out how to ward these things away without doing any longterm damage to my dogs. I've decided to bath the pooches regularly as those little beast drown during a bath. If you have a pool, let your dog swim for the good of them and the death of a flea.

I highly recommend looking into all those "topical" treatments that are so amazing. Just what are we putting on our dogs? Did you ever think twice when the label says "keep children away." And we are putting it right on our dogs? How about flea and tick killer that we have our dogs ingest? If you think about it really hard, it doesn't make sense. Something that is so toxic that it kills fleas and ticks in hours; get your dog to eat it.

I am using Natural Defense; at a minimum. A little spray here and there, washing the beds and the dogs regularly and keeping a close eye on anything moving that shouldn't be moving on my dogs. I hate fleas.

I've got a full spectrum of dog stuff going on this week, a couple of shoots, some training, a poodle meet up, working up photos for a magazine submission and getting my two books off to some new publishers.

Busy, busy.

Happy B-day Jessie

Today is Jessie's 12th birthday; no one would ever guess that she is a day over a year old. I am always stopped by people wondering how old my puppy is; and when I tell them she was 11 they think I mean weeks. They are totally shocked when I tell them years. Now at 12 years old she looks great; the lady at the petstore today told her so today. I took her into get a special treat and the cashier gave her a huge ice cream cone shaped cookie for her birthday.

To have Jessie reach the age of 12 years is pretty much a miracle. We have had a bonus 6 years so far with her as she was at deaths door 6 years ago. To think that these past 6 years could have be spent without our little Jessie would have been very sad indeed. I have to admit that she is the cutest Jack Russell Ive ever seen, not because she is mine or anything. ;)

We got Jessie almost 12 years ago at the request of my husband; he had wanted a Jack Russell for years. Other than this single little JRT its been Standard poodles. So when I realized he really want a Jack Russell I set off to find a good breeder in Ontario. I found The Bowery in Bancroft, Ontario. I set up an appointment to come out and check out their dogs and perhaps bring home a tiny puppy.

When we arrived I was amazed at the set up and impressed by the quality of dogs. She had set two puppies inside for us to choose from. Knowing our family history, children and dogs she had chose two puppies that would fit. I was immediately drawn to the white broken coat with a tiny spot on her eye. My husband immediately fell in love with Jessie. At that moment I decided to step back and let him choose the dog he wanted; afterall it was his breed of choice. So the decision was made and Jessie joined us on our trip home.

She was definitely a handful in the beginning but made a big turn around at around the age of 3. Now at 12 she is a tiny angel; but still very much a Jack Russell. She is always ready for a rumble, up to hunt and kill at any moment, chase anything that moves, eat anything edible; sometimes even not edible, she is the continual enforcer and keeps everyone smiling always.

Happy Birthday Jess

Not for the sensitive type-diarrhea

You might want to have breakfast before reading this one people. I know it is gross but with dogs comes the issue of diarrhea.

With a pack of three dogs it seems that every so often someone has either loose stool or diarrhea. Dogs are very much like us in that they can have steel stomachs or not. My guys are pretty much great in the stomach department; Jessie is completely amazing and rarely has any bouts of diarrhea.

The worst we ever had was when Luke was just a puppy and brought Coccidia into our home.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_coccidia.html

We had three dogs with diarrhea at one time. If your dog has never had coccidia you are very, very lucky. Luke was a very bad dirt eater when he was a puppy, he could not help himself from grabbing mouthfuls of it everytime he saw dirt. When we were at the vet I told him of this problem and he said "once a dirt eater always a dirt eater." I took it as a challenge and my mission in life to stop him from eatting dirt. I won, I stopped Luke from eatting dirt and we had no more coccidia problems.(How I did it in a later post)

Tilley has a problem with eating coyote poop; we didn't have this issue in Canada but we sure have it here. We actually had to stop taking her down into the canyons for her runs until we did some anti poop eatting training. Just like Luke she did great and we don't have the problem too often. Except that now she is getting older and naturally hangs back on my husbands runs. I think she knows how to get to the poop by waiting until my husband is up ahead. Gross but remember they are dogs, not people and dogs do tend to like to snack on other species poop every now and again.


So now she has an upset stomach, yesterday I went and bought pumpkin. Pumpkin really helps if a dog has loose stool or diarrhea. She seems better this morning so I'm hoping that she is on the mend. If not I will once again collect a sample and be on my way to the vet.

Its a dirty job but someone has to do it. :)

Breed talk - The Golden

I've decided to do a weekly "breed talk." I have been researching different breeds since the age of 13; from then until now makes alot of dogs I've checked out. I love learning about dogs and their purpose, where they came from, who wants them and meeting individuals of the breed. Of course there are many still that are so rare that I have yet to meet and new breeds popping up all around so I don't think I'll run out of breeds to discuss.

I will write from my experience with each breed; so this is a JMHO.


Golden Retrievers

In my line of work the Golden is definitely in the "top 5" in popularity. I have worked with many, many goldens and although they resemble one another in looks; they are very individual. Typically a sensitive breed, they are easily trained and love to work for their guardian. Their soft face gives the breed a friendly look and their personality lives up to that. Over the years I have worked with a wide variety of Goldens both in looks and in personality.

Goldens have a wide range of Gold, from the platinum beauties all the way to the dark red which is seen much less often these days. Coat length and density varies as well; the dogs in the conformation ring have much more coat with their feathering being exaggerated. As with most breeds who have dual purpose; dogs bred for working generally have much less coat.

Goldens shed alot; you must not mind golden tumble weeds rolling around your home to be a Golden lover. Many of my clients comment on all the hair but say having a golden outways any hair issues.

The height standard for the golden: Females 21 1/2 -22 1/2 males 23-24 at the shoulders. Females weight is around 50lbs, give or take. Males weigh in at approximately 60 lbs.

The golden has suffered many health issues over the years with the predominant problems being hip dysplasia, allergies and cancer. I have known many individuals who have suffered from one or all of these problems. One couple I worked with had done their research, gone to a great breeder who was a longtime family friend and had their puppy shipped to them. Not long after her 6 months they discovered she had severe hip dysplasia.

And; I have known way too many goldens who's lives were ended far too early by cancer.

The velcro dog, yes the golden is the true velcro dog. Many people call their breed a velcro one but I quickly correct them, the Golden Retriever is the original velcro dog. I have a very good article which I wrote on Velcro dogs and the dog I wrote it for was a Golden boy.

Most goldens that I have had the pleasure of working with loved to work for their guardians. Their gentle enthusiasm is uplifting, their submissive body language unmistakable. The golden is a soft breed, sometimes too soft which can lead to difficulties in training. Not that they cannot learn but you must be so very careful with your tone and body language. I have rarely met an aggressive golden and that aggression was specifically directed at other dogs.

A young golden is often overly enthusiastic leading them to the airborne greeting. Jumping is a typical young golden issue. How many times have I been sent flying by my new clients? Once you can get the excitement level under control they are one of the easiest dogs to train. My regular comment to new clients is to give their dog the training articles and thats it, trained.

And watch the waistlline; goldens do seem to be a breed that puts on the pounds easily. And for some reason it is accepted more readily to have a fat golden; not in my books. A lean, muscular and athletic golden is a beutiful vision.

All in all a wonderful breed, and with the work of some great breeders the health issues will soon be a thing of the past.

Dried up chicken

Dried chicken breast, it is one of my dogs favorite treats. I buy these at Trader Joe's and the dogs go crazy for them. This is one of my secret weapons when Luke is in his "not eating" moods. This morning I was getting one ready to bring upstairs with me; I turned to grab my coffee and heard it hit the floor.

Knowing full well that Jessie was right behind me I turned in an instant to grab it from her. It was already in her mouth when I turned; she is like lightening when it comes to food. I told her to drop it "fat chance." A 12 year old Jack Russell on prednisone is going to drop a piece of chicken out of her mouth, yep!

I have to say she is pretty good about dropping things, being a JRT and all. But I could tell by her face that her brain had shut down and her stomach had taken over. It is a look that I am accustom to working with. I grabbed one end of the chicken and told her to drop it; again. It wasn't happening.

Although she loves food beyond life itself I am use to her finally giving in; this was not going to happen this morning. Maybe it was because she hasn't eaten yet this morning, maybe she thought the consequences were going to be such that eating the chicken was worth it. For whatever reason; her stomach told her to hang on tight.

As I am well use to her crazed love of food; I am also not use to loosing. So as she held tight, so did I. The chicken finally broke in half and she swallowed her way too large piece. Yes she stood there in discomfort as it lodged in her throat. I waited to see if it would go down or I was going to need to perform the heimlic manoeuvre: Abdominal thrusts, also known as the Heimlich Maneuver (after Henry Heimlich, who first described the procedure in a June 1974 informal article entitled "Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary," published in the journal Emergency Medicine. Edward A. Patrick, MD, PhD, an associate of Heimlich, has claimed to be the uncredited co-developer of the procedure, and has been quoted calling it the Patrick maneuver.[4] Heimlich has objected to the name "abdominal thrusts" on the grounds that the vagueness of the term "abdomen" could cause the rescuer to exert force at the wrong site.

After a few seconds she managed to down the chicken and was banished from the kitchen. Ya gotta laugh.

The amazing Tilley

I was at the beach again yesterday; my two daughters and all the dogs went. The sun had just peeked out at our house but by the time we hit 1/2 way on Laguna Canyon Rd we were covered by marine layer. I love the beach in any weather; not only when it is sunny and beautiful. And it obviously means nothing to the dogs if the sun is out or not. My dogs all love the beach.

As we made our way to the beach we stop at a traffic light to wait for the green. This is where the first people took photographs of the dogs. They were amazed by them; oooohhing and aaawwwwing as they snapped away. We had quite a few people taking pictures of the dogs yesterday. I've occassionally had people ask to photograph them but this was alot and no one was asking. I'm not sure if it was just the dogs or my daugthers and the dogs; quite possibly the appeal was a combination. So there we were walking the length of the beach, each of us with a dog. I of course had Luke.

About halfway through our walk my daughter who was walking Tilley asked me "how is Tilley go good?" I told her that I always call her my Lassie in poodle clothing and that she came that way. Yes Tilley had quite a bit of training but her polite, non pushy, extreme level of compliance is who she is. She does not like conflict, always gives way to the other dogs, she always does as we ask and is devoted beyond belief to her family. What more could ask for from a dog?

When I chose Tilley from her litter; she was already very different. At that time all of the puppies were pretty much black so it was hard to tell them apart. Tilley was playing with the others but there was something different right from the start. As her sister yanked on her coat; she turned and connected eyes with me as if to say "do you see what she is doing to me?" The eye contact was so direct that I asked about it. Tilley's breeder told me that it came from her Uncle; he used his eyes to comminucate as well.

All of my dogs have been so different; they may look similar; (except for Jessie of course) being the same breed but no two have been alike. I have a great combination of dogs in my pack. I love them all for who they are and would not want three of any one of them. They balance out each others behaviors making life with this pack always interesting, complex and a blast.

Dreaming dogs

Good morning; I have three dreaming dogs on my bed this morning. My husband is away so lastnight I had three bed buddies who were fairly quiet. Until 4:45 this morning I didn't hear a peep from them. Typically Luke sleeps at the end of the bed but Tilley nabbed that spot first lastnight so Luke slept beside my head. So when he had a huge sneeze this morning I got the full affect "I'm up now."

So after being awakened abruptly I lay there listening; listening to their dreams. Luke is the most dreaming dog we have ever had. But all my dogs dream; they dream alot. After reading up on dogs dreaming they apparently have the same Slow wave sleep and Rapid eye movement parts of sleep as we do. But they slip into REM much faster than we do. And from researching my own dogs I know this to be very true.

Luke dreams very quickly after closing his eyes. Infact I comment on this regularly. He can be watching out the window intently starring at a crow and the next minute he is sleeping and dreaming. How can they possibly be in such a deep sleep so quickly? The answer is relaxation; a dog must be relaxed to fall into a deep sleep.

What do they dream about? No one can be sure but I think that it is regular dog activities; some good some bad, very much like us I would imagine. Their body reacts to the dreaming; often while sleeping Jessie's hair will rise on her back. She is usually growling when this occurs and it will remain up until her body seems to relax. Tilley seems to be a more relaxed dreamer; quietly twitching, deeply engulfed in her dream. Every once in a while she has a burst, legs going full out with her body convulsing; she is at this point very vocal as well.

Luke dreams constantly; from the tiniest face and feet movements to full on charging; he dreams alot consistenly and very regularly. Being an epileptic dog; does this factor in his dreaming cycle?: Is his brain so different that it interferes with his dreaming patterns? I think so. His brain obviously functions differently than a non epileptic dog. When awakened abruptly and forced into action by reactive response his brain sends his body into convulsions. Yet the girls can be sleeping one second and charging to the door the next and suffer no ill effects. What happens to his brain?

Although Luke slips into REM within seconds of closing his eyes; his brain seems to have a problem waking quickly. This is always a problem leading to a seizure. If he wakes normally he suffers no effects; this leads me to think that his dreaming patterns are different as well.

What a weekend and crates

It is to be hot again today; apparently not quite as hot as it was yesterday and Sat. but still hot in my books. The dogs had their exercise early in the morning and we pretty much tried to hide from the heat.

This morning I was looking around the bedroom for Jessie in the mounds of dog blankets and beds, hmmmm where was she? I decided because it was so warm lastnight not to put her into her crate. She sleeps in her crate because when we bought a giant kingsize bed almost 1 1/2 years ago she continually woke me up at night trying to jump up onto it.

After weeks of broken sleep I decided to pull out the old crate. As a trainer I am accustom to people giving me the "I would never put my dog in a cage" ideas. I then go over the whole thing about how a crate becomes a dogs den when used correctly and mostly people are sold once I give them all the info. Some stand strong in their beliefs until their dog nearly ruins their whole house.

I often get the call as a last attempt to save their dog. They are at their wits end and if nothing can be done; the dog and the destructiveness will be handed to someone else. I give them the goods on a crate and all is saved; YEAH Sherri saves the day again.

I am so use to the non crate attitude now that it just takes one look to know who is a non believer. It is that "oh no I wouldn't" face that people have when you mention the idea of a crate. All I know is that I love crates and will always have crates. They are used as a bed/den and safe place to have your dog if you have any doubts about giving free reign when you are out.

So, where did I find Jessie this morning? In her crate, with the door open.

Another year

Another year has come and gone and I am hopefully not only older but wiser ;) I spent the morning of my b-day at Main beach in Laguna with my three dogs and my daughter, very nice. The sun was out and the scenery as usual was breathtaking. I try very hard to never take the turquoise water with the white waves crashing up onto the rocks for granted; it is one of the most beautiful things.

Luke's leash came yesterday as if on cue. He was not anxious to try it on so I called Tilley to give it a first time fitting. I fit it on Tilley but for Luke; leaving extra room for Luke's very deep chest. He is very hard to fit harnesses on as he is very narrow but deep in the chest. Once I fit the harness I called Luke over, we did the keeping just out of reach routine until I grew impatient.

Luke hung his head while I put the harness on and fit it; he is such a ween about getting anything fit on him, especially harnesses. Once on I wanted to see if it made him walk the way the other harness does. When he first gets a harness on he walks on his tiptoes for some reason; I think he thinks that he can get away from it somehow that way. He did do the tiptoe thing but very quickly realized that it was quite comfortable.

These harnesses from http://www.wiggleswags.com/ are made very well and come in a huge array of colors and sizes. I like that each size has very large adjustment straps. And although I have not walked Luke in it yet, I am very impressed and think that I'm really going to love it.

I am not a fan of collars, of course not choke, pinch or e-collars but even a regular collar can put alot of pressure on a dogs neck so I really love a good harness. Now that I have found this one I plan on ordering one for Tilley and Jessie, not sure what color but definitely something girly. For some reason people think that Tilley is a boy and Luke is a girl. I believe it is the color with Luke being a blondie and Tilley grey. Everyone usually assumes that Jessie is a boy as well but I think that is because she is pretty tough looking ;)

Leadership

Friday is upon us yet again and I'll be heading to the beach with the hounds. I love walking the dogs at the beach; I would love it more if they were allowed off leash but there is only one spot here in the OC that allows that. And if I'm not up for a 1/2 hour drive to get there in freeway traffic then it is a leash beach. I've adapted. My dogs love walking at the beach, mostly my poodles but Jessie loves to hang her little arms in the wading pools to see what she can fish out; nothing so far.

I wanted to discuss leadership today; its a big term thrown around lately so I wanted to give my two cents worth. What does leadership mean? Leadership: an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction. A true leader is fair, understanding, confident and kind. Yes there are leaders who should not be leaders both in the human and animal world. Those who allow their leadership to inflate their ego giving them an almighty sense; and these are the leaders who will fail in the end.

As a leader I take my job seriously; being a canine leader is a big responsibility. And if you don't take your job seriously and allow your dog to step up into the position; that is where the problems start. I do not believe as some do that our dogs must always be behind us, never allowed to walk out in front or exit a door before us. If you watch a pack of wolves you will see that the Alpah wolf is not always out front and is often in the middle of the pack in travels. But he/she is the one guiding the pack; they will go where the leader goes.

All dogs are different and it is that difference that determines how much guidance and control is needed. Some dogs slip into their follower roles easily, never baulking never challenging. And then there are the dogs who will challenge you at every turn. Even the most challenging dogs can assume a follower position by simply implementing house rules which are enforced.

Don't allow your dogs to be the ones to greet visitors first. Don't allow excessive barking; allow some alert barking and let them know that you will take it from there. You own the best spots in the house, couch, bed etc. They are only allowed on if you say so. Never allow food grabbing, all dogs wait politely before given their meal etc.

Yesterday I was sitting at the side of the house watching my daughter plant her flower box. There are no comfy beds at the side of the house as it is reserved for making gardening messes. All three dogs lay by my side in the dirt on the concrete. Where the leader goes, they will follow. I love dogs, especially my dogs.

Shower day

It was a busy day today; the sun was out bright and early so I decided after my shoots this morning that everyone was going in the shower. I figure if I'm bathing one; I may as well do everyone. Tilley was first; I caught her off guard and escorted her in. They all try the get away routine out the bathroom door but I am always ready for it.

They don't really hate it that much but they always have to object. Tilley's coat is by far the most tedious; it is thick and very curly. I like to get her done with first so it just gets easier. Next is Jessie which is literally 3 minutes; in and out. With my back spasming I decide to wait a bit for Luke. Besides this gives me a chance to catch Luke off guard; he'll forget after a while that he hasn 't had his turn yet.

Sure enough, he forgot and came running in the house with the girls. Happy as can be until I put my hand around him; he sunk and tried the get away but it was too late. They are all very good in the shower. Luke's coat is much thinner and loosely curled, so he doesn't take very long. Once out he is a complete maniac and loves to play his attack the towel game with me. He zooms around the yard, spinning and jumping like a fool as I attempt to dry him.

What fun !!!!!

Gloomy in the OC

Good morning; well yesterday was less than a sunny SoCal day. The dogs came in from their early morning trip to the yard and were wet; it was actually raining. Maybe rain isn't the correct term; it was heavy misting which luckily does not cause the brakes to come on when I open the door for the dogs. A good rain will do it everytime; "rain? Its raining? I'm not going out." A common problem with Dogs in the OC.

But by the end of the week the sun is to be out and the temps rising into the 90s. Even with the gloom it looks like a great day already; afterall I have a puppy training session this morning. It's a great day when you get to spend a good portion of it with a puppy. A day spent with a dog of any age in my books is a good one.

Yesterday was recovery day here at my house; the weekend was a very active exercise one for the pooches. Luke will be 8 in August and the girls are 11 and 12 so that means that sleep is a big part of life here in my house. Monday is typically the day when they sleep the entire day and yesterday was just that. While working on photos and finishing up my training book I did a "check in" every once in a while.

The dogs were scattered around the house in their primo spots. Allow they like to switch it up every so often they have their favorites. Tilley like to sleep on my daughters bed where she can sleep with one eye open still keeping a watch out the front of the house. Luke sleeps on my bed to keep a close eye on my comings and goings and jessie was curled up on the top of two dog beds and a fleece blanket.

The house was so quiet; not a peep out of any of exhausted canines. If someone had visit our home yesterday they would not have believed that we have dogs. But by the evening Luke was rested and ready to go. I had the evening ritual toy dropped in my lap to toss or tug; take your pick. I pretty much opt for a toss as Luke's strength can litterally yank me off of the couch. It is surprising at only 50 lbs the sheer power and determination in that boy.

Now rested they will be ready to go today; we'll be out enjoying the OC somewhere.

Tilley's tail update and food

I thought I would update everyone who followed the tail situation with Tilley last fall. Her tail healed and her hair grew back. She does have a few tiny bald spots that her hair covers nicely. The hair that did grow back is black and course so she has a big black spot on her tail which is a whole lot better than not having a tail. It was a long and painful ordeal for her but with much TLC she was able to keep her tail; I am very happy to say.

Now onto food, what is your dog eating this morning? My dogs are eating chicken, carrots, green beans, ground flax seed and brown rice. Lastnight they finished up some beef I had cooked up for them on Friday and they had steak. When my dogs do eat the same thing that we are eating they get the same quality that we do. I may throw in some grissle or tough pieces but they do not recieve fat cutoffs.

Fat is typically what will upset a dogs stomach and give them the much unwanted diarrhea. I do buy tougher cuts of meat for them; they don't care about tenderness and it helps their teeth to have to chew more. I was resently speaking to a woman who throws a whole chicken into her slow cooker and once it is cooked, crushes the whole thing down for her dogs, bones and all.

I have not tried this yet but plan to. I do not think I'll give them the leg bones but once I see what type of consistency it becomes I will know more. I do not EVER give my dogs cooked bones, but she said it all gets soft. My dogs do eat bones but they are always raw, no splitting no sharp edges.

When they eat bones it is big beef leg bones, raw and soft. What they consume is bone meal as it slowly is chewed, so no sharp pieces or edges. It is very important to watch what your dogs eat; especially if you have a non chewer like our little Jack Russell Jessie.

Speaking about Jessie; everyone was commenting on how her hair has completely grown back since being on a "real" food diet. She is pretty furry, even what use to be a very bald stomach is now furry. Her ears completely grew back, the bald spot on her tail and she has once again her trademark freckles all over.

You are what you eat so to speak.

Happy M-Day and Rattlesnakes :)

Happy Mothers Day to all of you Moms out there. I hope that you are all spoiled wrotten on this day.

Yesterday we took the dogs for a run in the canyon; typically my husband runs the dogs on the weekend, but I joined them yesterday. It was a bit warm and as you all know I don't like the heat but we were out of there before it really heated up. Surprisingly it is hotter down in the canyon than out of the canyon. It seems like it should be cooler down there; well at least to me is seems like it should be. I guess I'm thinking back to my Cdn days when a venture down into a ravine meant cooler temps.

Rattlesnake weather is upon us, hot sunny days for them to bask their bodies in. I have seen one rattlesnake since living here and it turned out to be a pretty cool experience. Only because I did not recieve the bite that the snake had been threatening me with. I was on a shoot; I was at the edge of the canyon waiting for the sun to rise for the fabulous "sunrise" shot. I took a step to the left and heard a noise that I had never heard before. It took just a split second for my brain to register; a rattlesnake.

There are warnings everyone near the canyons but this morning I wasn't even thinking; snake. I froze in position; brought my camera down from my face and slowly looked around. There was a curled up rattlesnake not 6 inches from my foot. It looked like a smaller snake which apparently is a better likelihood of being bitten. I stood my ground and hoped that the snake would move away. I was in no way thinking of moving my foot away.

It lasted maybe a minute; which at the time seemed like a lifetime. It slowly slitered away while maintaining its threatening rattle. Whew. The only other rattlesnake experience I have had here was with a snake skin. I use to take the dogs to a canyon side open space weekly until they transformed the space into an actual park. The dogs were running free and I was enjoying the freedom of having them run free. When we saw something in the grass; I approached at the sametime that Luke approached it to investigate. He got within three feet of it and flew back like someone had startled the pants off of him.

I changed my slow pace to a quick run when I came upon the culprit of Luke scare. It was a snake skin; it was a big one, probably 2 1/2 feet in length. I have never snake trained my dogs; I've heard about it and know the basic idea behind it but never done any training myself. How did Luke know that this was a bad thing? It was not moving; it lay there as dead as it was.

I never touched the skin; each and everytime we were at the park Luke responded to the skin in the same way. He knew it was dangerous but how, I do not know. Maybe it is built in with some dogs; both Tilley and Jessie did not have the reaction that Luke did. But I do think that Luke is amazingly intelligent; he may seem like a big goofy blonde but there is alot more in that head than it appears.

Checking in/Eye contact

I love eye contact; it is the "connection" that a human and canine shares. My dogs often look for eye contact either for guidance, reassuance or for communication. Luke is my big "eye contact" dog. Just yesterday while we walked the beach with a couple of other dogs; he checked in often. He will look at me until I look at him and we connect; then he is good and off he goes.

Dogs communicate with eye contact; if you could see my Jack Russell when someone is eating. She is not the type to just jump up and grab your food; actually yes she is but she has been trained not to do that. So; she will sit beside you and look deeply into your eyes; then with intensity move her eyes to the food. This is her way of saying "give me that food, that I am looking at." Her eyes move purposefully from the eaters eyes to the food; back and forth. She is communicating her desires.

Tilley speaks volumes with her eyes; she always has. Even when I was in the process of choosing her out of the litter she was using her eyes; more so than any other puppy I had seen up to that point. It was this intense eye contact that made her stand out of the crowd and to this day she still uses this eye contact to communicate to us. Often I get wrapped up in my computer work and forget time. If it is past Tilley's meal time she will come and stare at me; she has done this for so long now that usually I notice right away. If I do not notice immediately she will use her laser beam eyes to drill the message into my head; it works well.

In general if one of my dogs comes and looks at me; they need something. It is then up to me to figure out what they need. This is not a leadership issue as some would say; but a way for my dogs to communicate to me. It may be that the water bowl is empty, they need to go outside, they want you to throw a toy, someone is in their bed, they want permission to do something or they just need to connect. Figuring out what they want is pretty easy if you know your dogs well and watch their follow up communications.

If it is a demanding communication, you should probably choose to ignore it. But you should figure out what it is that your dog wants; afterall they cannot say "I'm really thirsty and there is not water in our bowl." So watch carefully.

This and that

Well, I did it; I trained yesterday. Its been alongtime since I had a client and went off to train both dog and guardian. The morning was a little out of sorts for me, it will take a bit to get back into the swing of the training routine. The photography routine is entirely different from the training one so juggling back and forth should do my poor brain some good. It will be a challenge to say the least.

So off I went; not sure how training again was going to feel. IT FELT GREAT. I'm not sure how long exactly I haven't been training for because I am continually submerged in dog stuff. I was burnt out when I decided to call it quits; but even then I knew it wasn't over for good. I love dog behavior too much to say "that's it."

Back to my dogs; we are going to be having alot of work done on the outside of the house so I decided to order up some long needed ex pens. Ex pens are great for anytime you need to contain or partion a dog or dogs. I bought two 42" so that they would accomodate both poodles and jrt. They are big and they are heavy but I love them. The easier I can make life with dogs the better. So these will allow me to keep the dogs in certain areas of the yard and not have to worry about mixing workers and dogs.

I ordered my "dog stuff" from PetEdge.com on Wednesday and it was at my door when I returned from training yesterday. I was shocked; and very happy. I have been extremely happy with PetEdge both with service and prices. I will definitely purchase all of my "dog stuff" from them.

I am off to the beach this morning with the poodles. I have started an OCstandardpoodle group and hope to get a good number of people join with their dogs. I'm always shooting these events, French Bulldogs, Cavaliers, Doxies and Chi meet ups. So I thought it was time for our own SP (standard poodle) group. There are several other groups, one in San Diego and a couple in LA so we needed on in the OC.

At the moment we are very small but hopefully we will grow to a big bunch of sp's. I was just at the beach on Tuesday with the dogs and they love it so needless to say; we'll have a good time.

Happy "It's Friday" everyone. Have a great weekend.

The act of protecting

I have been thinking and discussing the act of guarding and protecting lately. When asked "is your dog a good watchdog?" We usually get into a discussion of whether or not you think your dog would kick into gear and protect you. The term guard dog and watchdog are basically meant as the samething. Even when I looked up both meanings in the dictionary they are pretty much the same. The term "alert dog" is a good term to use for most dogs who just alert us to someone at our home.

Guard dog: a large, aggressive dog, as a German shepherd or Doberman pinscher, trained to guard persons or property and often to attack or restrain on command.

Watch dog: A dog trained to guard people or property.

But let's look at what we expect from our dogs in the way of protection. Many people buy big, guarding breeds so that they feel well protected; others choose completely non guarding breeds like Goldens or Cavaliers strictly as a companion. But even though people may choose a dog strictly for companionship; some of these people still say to me in frustration "they would open the door, and show the thief the goods." So even though we may choose a breed that is not known to serve and protect; we still expect some sort of a soft net of protection from mans best friend right?:

Most dogs bark at a strangers approach to our home, not all though. I know a few dogs that simply stand there and look. This is due to breeding out some of the undesirable qualities. Barking is a normal behavior, it is our dogs means of communication. "Hey, there is someone coming up the walk." This in turn allows us to respond by taking over the situation. That is how it typically should go, but this is where it can go wrong. If we do not step up and take control from there you can be left with a dog in charge.

Promoting a guarding behavior is never a good idea; egging your dog on to bark more so that you feel safe can cause problems. In a natural well balanced situation a dog will bark, you will say thanks and take over the situation. This lets the dog know he has done his job and now you will do yours. The dog is not left feeling that they need to deal with the situation. You never want a dog to make the decision on who is friend or enemy.

Most of us like the fact that our dogs will alert us; I do. I am often engulfed in an activity and if it were not for my dogs I wouldn't even know I had a guess standing at my door. I have been very thankful a couple of times when my dogs let me know someone had entered our backyard while I was bent over with my head in the garden. Both my breeds, the standard poodle and the Jack Russell are very good alert dogs. Typically of course, not always.

It comes down to the individual dog and the individual guardian. My dogs know that barking is allowed, crazy overly long barking is not. If you coax your dog to be the guard by getting them to bark more and work themselves into a frenzy, you may be creating a monster that you will regret bigtime down the road.

Its the little things

I remember hearing Nate ask Oprah; "what makes you happy? " Oprah liked the question and so did I; so much that I pondered the question for about a week and everytime I smile I think of the question asked. Little things make me smile:

Watching my lanky blonde poodle stretch out on the shag carpet; rubbing his face, with his tail wagging uncontrolably.

My Jack Russell airborne in a toothy face snap as she tries to control the big dogs.

A quiet moment in the sun when all three dogs are curled up together on one bed.

Although it is annoying; when Luke is screaming with excitement chasing a bird.

Eye contact; thats a biggy.

Checking in; they just like to know we're here.

Watching my Jack Russell reach into a tide pool with her tiny front legs.

The intense drive behind Tilley's desire to chase and retrieve.

Watching my dogs dream.

Sharing an ice cream cone with my three.

Bringing home a double quarter pounder as a special treat.

Watching them; watching me.

Capturing a special connection between guardian and their dog.

Hearing others talk about their dogs.

Bringing home a new dog bed; and having three try it out.

Seeing contentment in their eyes.

It's the little things.