cutting corners with your k9

In these economic times things are getting scarey. Everyone is pulling back and trying their best to keep money in their wallets so what can you do with regards to spending money on your dog?

- Contact your dog food company for coupons and savings.
- Often online petfood suppliers offer much better deals and have regular specials.
- If you feed your dog real food; check the weekly grocery store coupon and clip. I stock up every week on meat and freeze it.
- Buy seasonal items like veggies and fruit and freeze.
- Don't throw out good food; your dog can eat alot of your left overs such as plain meats, veggies and fruit. Food is never wasted in my house.
- Dogs don't need stuff; a good ball and an indestructible chew toy is more than enough; that is unless you have a new puppy.
- Check out the discount stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Homegoods for deals on dog toys, bed and accessories. (This is where I get most of my things)
- Make your own dog treats; there are tons of easy recipes on the net.
- Buy in bulk and split the cost with a friend or neighbor.
- Swap pet sitting with your friends and neighbors.

Dogs are simple animals; time spent with your dog is worth a fortune. ;)

A senior pack

I was up in the middle of the night with Jessie lastnight; upset stomach. This seems to be something that is happening more often with my two old girls. How on earth did my girls reach 11 1/2 and 12 1/2 already?

Luke turned 8 in August; hard to believe that 8 years could have passed by since that fateful day I met him. But after having him at the vets where he was official declared "a senior," I cannot believe that I have a senior pack. Luke doesn't seem like a senior; don't know if he ever will but in regards to dogs and lifespan he is a senior.

I never actually thought about having three seniors at the sametime. Each dog has come into our life just when they did; but here we are with three seniors. Over the years I've had many seniors but it was one at a time. We added Tilley to our family when Jessie was only 10 months old and Luke when Tilley was 3 1/2 years old.

I'm definitely seeing seniorism with my girls Tilley and Jessie. Jessie being a senior has meant that I don't have to run after her anymore. Jack Russell's chase trigger is a fast one and I've learned over the years to watch her for any ears up behavior. She doesn't always chase now when she triggers; I will often see her think about it before charging off.

Although she is 12 1/2 years old Jessie looks and acts like a dog half her age most of the time. No one would ever guess that she is nearing 13 years of age. Infact I am often asked how old my puppy is. What does give her age away is when we are looking through old photos and see an image of a young Jessie. She had a very distinctive 1/2 and 1/2 face. Once side of her face was white, the other had a large dark patch over her eye. That patch is now gone; we never noticed it leaving.

Tilley is showing more physical senior signs. As a large dog age hits her harder than the smaller ones. Having been an amazing frisbee dog for years; she is now grounded. There are things you have to do for your senior dogs that they may not agree with; like grounding them. I do use my chuck it for her retrieving joy but even then she sometimes retrieves with a bit too much gusto.

Tilley's stomach is a bit sensitive now so I am more aware of what she eats. And there is a whole lot of sleeping going on in our house. Although physically the oldest Tilley tends to be awake the most. She has a shadow OCD issue so that draws her outside if it is sunny.

And Luke being the youngest sleeps the most; his favorite sleeping time is early morning; this boy will sleep in until 10 if I let him. I really consider himm to be middle aged; especially since I only saw him mature at the age of 7; 4 years after most of my poodles matured.

Senior dogs spend alot of their time sitting; taking things in and enjoying the quiet things in life. There is no one to impress; just life to enjoy as life has taken them to this moment. Life lessons are all under their belt; and learning is replaced with maturity and confidence.

There is a quiet contentment in a senior dog's eyes. Once a dog hits their senior years; it's all about enjoying life. There is an amazing uncluttered quiet connection between guardian and senior dog. Each moment is a precious one; and life from this perspective needs to be about simply enjoying each other.

living with dogs and dirt

First; it's going to be freaking hot again today. I just wanted to whine a bit about it. Okay, I want to discuss dogs and dirt. In my humble opinion dogs and dirt help to keep you healthy. I think the people who have an ultra (I mean germ free) clean house, no animals and put an increased importance on "anti bacteria" are actually much less healthy.

There is good dirt and bad dirt; I'm talking about good dirt. The regular everyday stuff, actual dirt and grime. Not the gross disgusting kind of dirt from years of not being cleaned; okay we have the dirt straightened away. I watched a show years ago and read an article written by an amazing man. Since then I have been unable to find it on the net but I'm still looking.

In his article he stated how living with animals in ones house is a healthy thing to do. This is how I have always thought; I think having regular everyday germs around helps to keep your immunity strong. My family has always been very healthy; sure we got the regular stuff when our kids were young, stomach flu, runny noses etc. But in general we are a healthy bunch.

Imagine when you use anti bacterial products all the time. Our bodies become use to a germ free environment; basically the germ fighters go on an extended vacation. Now what happens when a germ sneaks up on you and all the germ fighters are away? That's right, you get really sick.

Add a dog or two; all of a sudden you have some nice germs in your house. And again I don't mean the gross germs like from cesspool drinking bowl at a dog park. Good dirt germs that your dog brings in the house regularly. Your germ fighters are happily at work keeping everything running nice a smooth. So when you are subjected to a bad germ; your fighters are there ready for action.

The same goes for our dogs; let them get out and get dirty. Take them for a good run in the woods, canyon or desert. Take them to the beach and let them fill your car with sand; it's all good clean dirt and it's good for you and your dog.

JMHO

Kids and dogs

Kids and dogs; picture perfect aren't they? They definitely can be and I believe that having dogs and children is good for both but it can also be a bad situation if certain protocols are not kept up. Often dogs and children and thrown together without a second thought and things go very wrong.

Supervision is the most important factor when children and dogs are spending time together. My thought is that dogs should NEVER, EVER be alone with children without supervision. I recently met a girl at a vet office; she was explaining to me how she had two goldens; a wonderfully friendly breed. She has a little girl; I believe around 4 years of age who she trusts with her dogs completely. She felt that this "never leave your dogs alone with your child" thing was ridiculous. She said that she felt that if you can trust your dogs with your child then you shouldn't have this dog/s.

That's a nice thought for a dream world but this is reality and dogs are dogs. Heck; people do bad things when we aren't watching as do dogs. As a trainer I have been called in often to fix a child/dog situation. Almost always the problem lies with the adults and not the dog at all. After watching the typical interactions between the child and dog; I'm sometimes left shuddering as a Mother and trainer.

"If you don't stop, she is going to bite you." This phrase always leaves me wondering how parents can leave the disciplining of their child up to their dog. Yes if you let your child bother your dog enough; they may bite them and then what? Then the dog is going to go; or the dog will be banished to the backyard where they either lead a lonely sad life or things go from bad to worse.

As a canine guardian it is our job to protect our dogs; as a parent it is our job to protect our children. When you are both you have a big responisibility; educating, guiding, disciplining and SUPERVISING. Supervision is huge; and a must with dogs and children. The fact is that if your child is bitten by your dog and you were not there to witness it; you don't know what happened do you? Kids do weird things and they aren't going to tell you that they tried to put earrings on the dog or thought that your dog needed her teeth brushed are they?

One of my child/dog calls back a couple of years ago was for a toddler and a very large breed dog. Within minutes of meeting this family I had goosebumps and was up out of my seat intervening. The cold hard facts were that this child WAS going to be bitten. Sometimes my job as trainer is to give people the scarey facts of what can happen. Giving parents a glimpse of what is going on can sometimes be a reality check.

Letting a dog discipline your children is a very bad idea. If you leave your child unchecked to annoy your dog then your dog is left to defend themselves. Which may mean biting; and that is the cold hard truth. I've brought many parents to tears as the realization sinks in as to what could have happened when their child and dog are left unsupervised.

One such call was a tiny 2 year old who within minutes of my arrival was crawling on the newly acquired family dogs head. This dog was close to 100 lbs more than the weight of the child and growling. I wasn't sitting for long; I scooped up the child and explained.

A growl is a communication; one that children simply don't hear or don't react upon. Yes many dogs just growl and that is as far as it goes but when children are involved it should never be ignored. Dogs do not just bite; dogs give many warning signals and if you aren't there to see them; that is when children get bitten.

On the other side of the supervision wheel is protecting your dog from annoying child behaviors. Things like crawling on your dog, staring in the dogs face, poking and proding or just general annoying children things. You cannot have a casual "children will be children" attitude with children and dogs.

When you protect both child and dogs; it is a win win situation.

Boundary training, I love it

I was puttering in the yard early yesterday morning. It was going to be a scorcher again so I got to my gardening before the worst of it hit. Luke was trailing me as he typically does. He follows me from garden to garden often slipping in a quick snuggle that knocks me into the dirt. I have to admit I love it.

Once I was done with the backyard the front yard needed alot of work. My front yard is big for this area but still much too close to the road for me to feel like the dogs can safely join me out there. I'm guessing the yard is about 40 feet from the door to the curb and the driveway is about 1 1/2 car lengths. Too close for comfort.

I actually hadn't realized that I left the side gate open. But after working on several of the front gardens; I looked back to see Luke standing at the side of the house waiting. He wagged as we connected glances and I smiled at him. What a good boy he his; knowing he is NEVER aloud to come out the gate on his own decision there he waited patiently.

After a bit more gardening I took a quick peek at the side again and there he was waiting. This time he gave a little stress yawn; he get's stressed very easily. He wasn't stressed because he couldn't come out the gate but the fact that he was in the sideyard; somewhere he typically isn't. I gathered up all of my clippings and headed into the sideyard where Luke greeted me with a hugely wagging tail but tried to act like it was no big deal. Again I had to smile at my boy.

After dropping off my gloves and gardening tools we headed towards the backyard; with Luke out in the lead of course. He rounded the corner and I purposely did not; I waited. Luke loves to pretend he is the leader. After about a minute passed he came back around the corner to find me; of course he was very cool about it sniffing the ground and making it look like he was very busy smelling things and he was not looking for me.

Yes he is a complex and amusing boy. The fact that our boundary training is so solid is a safe and wonderful thing. It is one of the best things you can ever teach a dog. Done correctly it can save your dogs life; it also keeps things in perspective for those who would like to be the leader. You can't come through because I said so and that as they say just is.

Hot hot heat and beach walking

We had our OC standard poodle beach walk lastnight. As I drove down the canyon road I put my window down and held out my hand to check the temp. Ahhhh, it was cooler down here; not as cool as I had hoped but cooler than the over 100 degree temps at my house. I think it is suppose to cool down today but we wait and see and hope.

The tide was low which is great for wading; this allowed me to go in with my dogs without getting soaked like my last beach walk. Although the dogs must remain on leash at this beach they love it. They charge after the many birds that frequent the beach; giving them lots of outlet for their innate hunting instincts to run free.

It always amazes me when I see dogs who don't have the chase instinct. The instinct that drives them to chase the shore birds and pigeons. Standard poodles are the original water retriever so for them it comes naturally. For my little JRT (jack russell terrier) she is triggered by movement so if it moves; she's after it.

Our standard poodle group drew alot of people out to take pictures. Not that often you see 14 standard poodles walking down the beach; ranging now from 13 weeks to 11.5 years. So I guess our little group is quite the spectacle for many.

Watching the different behaviors of each individual is interesting. And the difference in age groups is decisively appropriate and distinct. The very young dogs and puppies are excited with a touch of apprehension; breaking out with energy surges every so often but aware they lack experience.

The teenagers are plain excited; they have lost their apprehension and are loving life to the max. There is no mistaking the teenagers. The middle aged dogs are enthusiastic with a touch of maturity. They tend to like giving discipline a try knowing it will be their job before long.

And the seniors of the group are mostly reserved; there is no show, nothing to prove. They enjoy their time without hesitation. Like myself; I'm sure they do not wish they were a teenager again. But no matter what age they all enjoy getting out and socializing; who doesn't?

Some like it hot

Not me; no September is my least favorite month here in Southern California and this one is no exception. It's hot; too hot and especially too hot to do anything with the dogs. Yesterday I took them to a park around 9:30; I thought I was good for time but I obviously lagged too long and it was hot. Luckily there is alot of shade at this park so it wasn't too too bad.

While we were there a gentleman with an overweight very tiny Chihuahua joined us. As he made his way up the hill to my dogs I leashed Luke; afterall this dog was about the size of Luke's head and Luke is not known for his gentle play. Once with us the man explained how his tiny dog loves to play with the big dogs; the bigger the better so I shrugged and unhooked Luke. He was very good; letting this tiny version of a canine wander under his legs as he watched her.

They had a couple of interactions; she played the tough little dog and Luke wasn't quite sure what to do with her. So he was quickly back to his retrieving and watched her with a smile on his face as she left the field. We had several more rounds of fetch and headed home.

Today is suppose to be the same; hot. I'm heading down to the beach for some training this morning and then I'll be back down there this evening for a group poodle walk. Our OC standard poodles are meeting for an evening walk and I am hoping a beautiful sunset will show up.

I am going to attempt a new group photo so a nice sunset background would be good. But you never know at the beach; sometimes the sun simply sets and sometimes we are gifted an amazing sunset. No matter what the skies are like I will be wearing my short shorts so that my poodles can enjoy the cool waters on a very hot evening.

Huffing

My boy Luke huffs; it is the best way I can describe it. It is a greeting behavior that he displays to people he likes. I have not seen another dog that does this but I'm sure that they are out there. This huffing behavior started at a very young age as an open mouth greeting.

Open mouth greetings can be disconcerting to some especially when added to a highly reactive dog. This means that not only is the mouth open but chances are that the dog is jumping a s well. Luke has nailed several people in the face with his open mouth in his younger years which was a problem. But it was not a negative; the outcome was negative but the meaning was purely positive.

About a year ago I was watching a documentary on tigers. The guy in with the tigers was explaining that tigers chuff. A chuff is a sound tigers make to say hello to each other. They also make this sound just to tell you they're in a good mood. Visually; it looked like what Luke does but when I took a closer look, a tigers chuff is more of a universal tiger communication. A chuff seems to be more related to a sound than an action.

When Luke huffs, his mouth is held open in a relaxed manner. His lips are pulled down almost over his teeth and his tongue is pulled up from the back. His breathing is heavy and very audible. This is a clear communication of happiness. The rest of his body concurs that this is a positive canine behavior.

Often when Luke is huffing he is also rubbing up against whoever the huffing is directed at. His head is held to the side and there is soft eye contact. We have come to enjoy this communication as it is a very pleasurable experience for both Luke and for us.

Anyone who knows Luke knows that receiving the open mouth huffing is a good thing. Each dog is an individual and although there are man universal canine body behaviors; some are more of an individual style. These if you do not understand them can be quite confusing. That is why it is imperative to watch the entire package and not just one factor of a behavior.

I will try to capture an image of huffing.

Booming, thunder, fireworks etc.

I awoke this morning to what sounded like Thunder. After laying there trying to figure out what the noise was it came again; it was thunder and lightening. What? So strange; I looked out my window at the clear blue sky. Then I heard it again. My attention immediately moved to Tilley; she is intensely afraid of storms and fireworks; actually anything that makes the same booming noise.

She was sitting upright listening; listening and watching me. As I have said so many times, "our dogs are watching us." So I lay in bed calmly; trying my best to have no reaction to the very strange outskirt thunderstorm. I love storms; I grew up where we had them all summer long and I miss them. This morning Tilley remained calm; almost waiting to see what was going to happen.

Typically during a real boomer or fireworks she is in a state of panic. But lately she is getting better; she is showing less signs of panic. This is due to our acting ability growing with each dog who has suffered from the same issues. It seems like we always have one. First there was Mandy the airedale; who was my very first dog.

She use to be petrified of storms; an issue that stemmed from being taken "shooting" (with a gun that is) when she was very young. It was not me that took her shooting but her original guardian. After Mandy's passing Clyde took on the role of panic dog during a storm. And oddly enough Tilley never showed any signs of this problem until Clyde's passing over 8 years ago.

We always stay home on fireworks nights; just to be sure she never hurts herself and if we are out when a storm hits we return to a house that has been dug up. I believe she is trying to get away; trying to find somewhere to hide. The worst hit areas are always a small room, bathroom, closet etc. Everything in the room has been dug up.

Remaining calm and ignoring the environmental activity is the best line of defense. Go on like nothing is unusual, eat, chat, play a game of ball etc. This helps your dog to relax; remember they are watching you. If you act like something is off, out of the ordinary or something to be concerned about they'll pick up on it immediately.

So as the weather season approaches; I'm entering my "chill" state of mind.

Pit bulls at the shelter

My daughters visited the SPCA and San Diego shelter this week. Not surprisingly it was filled with unwanted pit bulls. And after asking my daughter how many; it seems around 70% of the dogs occuping space at the shelter are pits.

I understand the pit bull issues of late but where are all of these dogs coming from? In my mind the good shelters take in unwanted dogs as well as strays but so many pits? In these times of crisis; with all of the financial problems many are having some people are forced to leave their dogs behind; a very sad fallout of loosing your home.

But the pit bull question remains; where are they all coming from? The plain fact is that not too many people want to adopt a pit bull these days. With all the bad hype I'm sure that many prospective owners pass by the pit cages without a second thought. Leading to the numbers building at the shelter.

But there are the puppies and the very young ones. As my daughter talked about all the different dogs at the shelter I was left pondering this question. Are they dogs taken from fighting rings? Are they simply growing in numbers because they are an unwanted breed now with all the bad news about them? So I have decided to find out where they are all coming from.

Revisiting food

As you all know I cook for my dogs. They eat a huge array of food both cooked and raw. Their protein source, veggie and grain changes constantly which is what keeps them able to eat a variety of food. When you feed your dog one brand of food alone for a long period of time it can cause problems when you offer them something new.

This last summer when I went away on a trip I was in the kitchen for way too long. Cooking and cooking and cooking; until I could cook no more. So recently I have been considering getting my dogs accustom to eating dog food on occasion. This way if I want to go away I don't have to cook up a storm in the days before I leave.

I have been asking for recommendations from both pet food store owners and some of the more knowledgeable dog people on types, brands etc. Yesterday I dropped by a great pet store Wild's in Dana Point on the corner of the PCH and Crown Valley. There I purchased Prairie freeze dried food and raw beef frozen made by

http://www.naturesvariety.com/

and a bag of Orijen

http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/

Reading the ingredients on both foods; they sound really good. Yes I still think that my food is better; it is not processed. But in a pinch I want the ability to offer dog food. So lastnight they had 1/2 their normal food which I make and 1/2 freeze dried Prairie; so it waits to be seen what comes out this morning. I've got my fingers crossed.

Tails you win

Not always, often tails you loose. Tail speak largely; they tell you how a dog is feeling. Whether it is happy, tense, scared or aggitated a tail says alot. Here is a great site to visit about tail positions.

http://www.wolfdancer.org/communication/

I had the chance to listen in on a Sue Sternberg seminar years ago. One thing that stuck in my head was the circle tail. The circle tail is a very good tail, happy and very friendly. The dog actually wags their tail in a circle. My boy Luke does circle tail alot.

Yes the tail communicates alot but you must look at the rest of the body to see what is going on fully. Ears, body, eyes, mouth and tail; it's all a matter of communication for our canines.

The cold truth

As I made my way through the clutter; an air conditioner past it's usefullness lay rusting, a old table with three legs was upturned. A refridgerator; hot and musty with the door held ajar with an old paint can lay in front of me; I stepped cautiously. I was making my way to the puppies; the puppies that were for sale. Yes there were many things running through my head at that moment; disgust was one. How could anyone have puppies back here?

Driving up to the house; it hadn't seemed so bad. A nice long driveway which lead up to the red brick bungalow. No it wasn't beautifully landscaped but there were a few bushes and flower beds scattered around. It looked like any other typical country home. Nothing told of the horrors I was to encounter just beyond the perimeters of normal.

The woman who greeted me at the door was unkept; the type of unkept you can't hide. I tried my best to remain indifferent and asked about the puppies for sale. She had a suspicious demeanor about her; suspicious indeed. With all the media of late; one cannot say they don't know what is going on.

After a few questions about what I was looking for we head back. "Don't mind the mess," she offered "we're renovating." Believe me, I've seen plenty of renovating in my lifetime and this had nothing to do with improvements. The backyard didn't give any hint of what was down the path we were on.

Once we got over the obstacle course there was an opening; an opening that a person never wants to see. Some parts of me wish I'd never seen this; this is something you wish didn't exist. But hiding from the truth is no way to a solution. Facing the ugly facts and dealing with them head on is the only way.

So again keeping my composure I walked past the crates; the crates were stacked 4 high and filled with dogs wanting out. Some were past wanting out and were simply shutdown. "These are the breeders," she exclaimed. The bitches on the top three rows and the studs on the bottom. All the dogs were filthy; it was all I could do not to vomit from the stench.

Still making our ways to the puppies we passed many cages with puppies and their mothers. "These are all spoken for" she said. Which I knew meant they were headed to the pet stores; the places that turn a blind eye to the horrific treatment of animals.

Some of the dogs on the bottom cages stood ankle deep in water. Each cage was at least 1/2 submerged and with more than 3 dogs per cage someone had to stand in the water. I could only imagine the filth and disease running wild through this place. I should receive an Oscar for this performance, I remained unmoved by what stood before me.

Finally we reached our destination; I looked back to take it all in. Taking a quick head count, three dogs per cage, rows and rows of cages stacked three high. There had to be at least 500 dogs here. Here were the puppies that for some reason weren't going to the pet store; were these rejects? Why were these puppies being left behind?

On taking a closer look I noticed an eye missing, a leg misformed and held up tight under the dogs chest, a white puppy with a blank stare who may have been one of the lucky ones who could not see all that lay before him. There was a puppy with some sort of skin disorder, another with a badly deformed back and a tiny blue puppy no larger than the palm of my hand who lay trembling and sick in the middle of a cage alone.

I'll take them, I'll take them all. The hackles rose on the lady as she turned abruptly "WHAT?" I had to backtrack quickly, "I'm kidding, I'd love to take them all." I disfused the situation and took two of the saddest puppies. The little white blind one and the blue sick puppy who had stood in a separate cage.

Once back in the house we filled out the paperwork. The house was a mess but liveable; very unlike where I had just been. With my purse my constant companion and witness I had captured it all. I'd be back.

This story is fiction, but this is all too familiar for the puppies who stand in the beautiful stores at the mall and strip malls. Think about what is left behind, don't buy from a pet store.

Piles of poodles

Yesterday we had another poodle get together on the beach. Now that the summer tourists have gone we are allowed to enjoy the beach with our dogs all day long. We met at 10:00 at the hoops and we were quite a group.

I haven't counted but I think there were around 15 dogs in attendance. All together we cause quite the commotion and many people stop to take pictures. We even had a couple from the South of France who told us they had never seen so many poodles together. So they took several pictures and left on their way smiling.

It is so interesting getting together with so many; the differences are huge. First difference you notice is the grooming styles. The human preference is what shows through here; we have everything from the very fancy saddle poodle clip down to the utility clip or bareballs as we say of my poodles (basically clipped down all the same length).

Then there are the differences in personality; shy or timid, friendly, over exuberant, in your face, aloof and stand offish and everything in between. But the one huge similarity is the fact that all of these people love standard poodles. We love to get out and have fun with our dogs.

And fun we had; both my guys were soaked by a huge wave that caught us all off guard. I was soaked as well which sucked bigtime walking with soaking wet sweat shorts; got where my short shorts. The dogs are covered with sand and huge smiles; love it.

It is great fun and we are steadily growing. Poodles everywhere.

Revisiting vaccinations

Vaccinations and vaccine protocol is a hot and controversial subject these days. Here is a link from a holistic veterinarians blog that I found very interesting.

http://drpollen.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post.html

Many of the old die hard type vets who still think that dogs should be vaccinated each and every year are panicked by the thought of revenue loss. I have to say that I am willing to spend more money on my dogs than I ever have because I am not having things shoved down my throat. I have a wonderful vet who does not believe in over vaccinating and I highly respect that.

As with everything in this world; if you are not will to open your mind and be enlightened by new information then it is time for you to close your doors. Working with animals and humans alike is an evolution in medicine. Things we use to think were right were very, very wrong.

So now with all the cancer in our dogs they are finding that the vaccinations may be playing a huge part in this. Even if this is a concern; don't you want to know about it? Why should a dog be vaccinated every year? It makes no sense when we are not vaccinated every year.

Recently it was suggested that I needed a tentinus (sp?). Thinking that I've had a few and that I'm probably good I had a titer run; yes for a human. My tentnus was fine; completely covered. It may be easy to just restick ourselves or our dogs and seem like the thing to do; but perhaps if you read about it you will find the opposite to be true. Please read!!!!!!!!!!!!!everything you can for the safety and health of your dog.

Pooping styles

Yes I'm discussing poop this morning. Don't roll your eyes in disgust; as canine guardians we all deal with the issue of poop so laugh instead of cry I say. I can't even imagine how much of it I've picked up over the years but it never bothers me. This along with some other tedious type chores that go with having dogs is just a part of having dogs.

Each dog has their own pooping style and position. Luke my big boy does it right and if I were a judge he would get a solid 10. Mind you Luke's style sometimes leaves him teetering but there is no chance of having any remains left on his rear end; that would mortify him. He gets so scrunched up that there is literally one placce for the poop to go and that's down.

The poopers I'm not a fan of are the travellers; Jessie is a bigtime traveller and if she happens to be on the trail of some critter then the travelling is immense. So for Jessie the method of pick up is to start at the big end and connect the dots until they stop.

I've heard of a doxie that use to poop with his front feet up on a wall so his guardians had a nice line of poop each week to pick up; weird. Many dogs enjoy pooping on things; my old boy Clyde use to like to poop on small bushes. And if we were in the middle of planting seedling trees they had a rough start in life as Clyde initiated them.

Then there are the perimitter poopers; these too get high marks. Keeping the poop out of the main traffic area is smart. I knew a doberman alongtime ago who would never poop in front of you; she was a behind the bushes kind of gal. None of my dogs now care about that; they'll plop one out right in front of you.

But no matter what their style; poop is a fact of life with dogs. Ya just gotta grin and bare it. ;)

We're all so different

We humans are different aren't we? What I consider to be a glorious day; some would find extremely boring. And what others think of as a great way to spend I day I may want to shoot myself. Our dogs are different as well; even within the same breed they are all so different.

I have had so many different personality types in my home and met even more in training and shooting. I love that people love different breeds for their own particular quirks. I recently met a bunch of huskies; who's guardians love to mush with them. These dogs were obviously happy and stoked to be spending time expending energy with their guardian.

While other dogs are happy to be sitting on their guardians lap just soaking up the "together time." It is the guardians who strive to find the connection that inspire me. The frisbee dogs who love nothing more than to catch that darn disc. The flyball dogs who are constantly chomping at the bit just to have a chance to fly over the hurdles and bring that ball home.

I am the sort of person who likes to dabble in everything; I find it hard to dedicate my time to one sport with my dogs. Having an extremely versatile breed I am lucky to be able to do just about whatever I like with them. Now the individuality plays a part; some are more outgoing, some more driven so each has their favorite things to do.

But my absolute favorite thing to do with my dogs is hike; mostly in the forest where you have terrain to get around. The dogs love it; no matter what personality type I have in the pack they all love to walk in the woods or trails. No matter what you do with your dogs; isn't it fun finding out what they love to do that makes you happy doing?

Inter canine tolerance

Add a puppy to an existing pack of dogs and you will see many different degrees of tolerance and intolerance. When we added Luke to our pack; Tilley was none too thrilled with the idea. She hated him for months; infact she hated him for so long that I thought I may have ruined her life forever.

It was months after he joined us that she first allowed an approach from him without trying to attack him. At that point he was very wary of her and never pushed any of her buttons. Now 8 years later she would never admit it but she loves him. Jessie on the other hand has an agenda; mount and get her message across.

For a Jack Russell she is pretty great; she tolerates as long as the newbie knows that she is the queen and she will drive that message home until it is understood. There are things you must watch for like bullying or over the top dominance. But what is toughest for many is the fact that you have to let the adults growl and display. This is their way of setting things right with the new member of the pack.

It is definitely easiest to add a puppy to your pack; they are much easier to bend and mold. And you cannot force anything; your existing dogs will take their own time to decide how and when they will accept the newcomer into the pack. A watchful eye and mediation is often called for before that moment in time when they are completely accepted.

Birds of a feather

Funny how we love to flock with people who have the same breed as we do isn't it? Listen in on a breed meet-up and you will hear the gushings of proud guardians. It is a congregation of similarities. And I for one think it is a good thing. These groups tend to promote activities and getting out with your pooch.

Often it enables one to do more than they would do on their own giving us and our dogs a good chance to socialize. I have been able to photograph many breed meet ups and love watching the things each dog has in common with the others. Even the dogs seem to know they are amongst their own; I'm not sure if that is built in or they remember from their early childhood.

The guardians who attend these events are much more forgiving of bad behavior when it comes from a dog "of their breed." And love spending a morning or afternoon surrounded by their "breed of choice." It is a very popular activity amongst dog people now; breed and mixbreed groups are popping up all over North America.

Some groups are small; the more rare your breed the tougher it is to find friends with the same. But once a group starts it grows and members love to spread the word. I started a group here in Southern California; OC Standard Poodles and I will hop out of my car or approach anyone with a standard to let them know.

There is a sharing of canine education within groups; which is always a good thing. And often people who have similar breeds have things in common making it nice to spend time together. But even if it is just the dogs that are similar; spending time with a pack is great fun for anyone.

Our group started on Yahoo Groups but you can start a meet up anywhere you put the your information out there. Meet ups is a good place but it costs to start but all over the net you can get started. Go ahead and meet some great dog people.

The eyes have it

The eyes have all the information; if you are watching that is. A dogs eyes say alot; they can portray anger, pleasure, disgust and any other communication in the dogs mind. I am always saying "what a look," or "what a face." Watching a dogs eyes is very enlightening.

Although full of information a dog's eyes like our are just sometimes a blank slate. Have you ever seen your dog staring off into space causing you to wonder what the heck is going on in that little head of theirs? I have; especially with my epileptic boy who often is watching the ceiling.

Having a new puppy in the house we are getting lots of "eyes." My Jack Russell speaks volumes with her eyes; one glance from those lazer like beamers and our new puppy stops in her tracks. There is no mistaking those "I dare you;" eyes.

Eye contact is important in dogs and even in very young dogs you will see them gazing into our eyes. They watch us and read us very carefully; looking into our eyes to see what is going on. The eyes are the beginning of a communication; the body then follows.

Take for instance my Jack Russell; she is comfy on the biggest dog bed in our home. The puppy comes charging up; not thinking. Jessie throws her a lazer beam stare and the puppy is tries her hardest to throw it into reverse before she hits the bed. If the puppy is not watching and approaches the bed; Jessie then offers up a very throaty growl that you cannot miss.

What are your dog's eyes saying?