Do you think he remembers me?

"Do you think they remember me?" This is often the question when friends and family visit after a long absence. The answer is not always easy to see. Depending on the individual dog it can be difficult to see recognition. But if you know your dog's every tiny behavior; this means watching, always watching you will know if your dog remembers.

How does your dog greet people they have never met before? Often there is a huge difference between strangers and friends in a greeting; sometimes not. Sometimes there is one tiny little behavior that only you could recognize for recognition. Two of my dogs are like this; only the tiniest of behavior lets me know that they remember the visiting person.

Then there is Luke; Luke is a clear read because his behaviors are so large. That said his behavior vary drastically with dog people and non dog people as well. He is a very complicated boy but watching his behaviors are very educational. What I see in Luke is a pumped up version of what my girls display.

I believe dogs remember a whole lot better than we do. Dogs know people intimately by scent, not only by visual. Because Luke displays his emotions so largely I can learn a whole lot more from him; I love it. Luke knows alot of young men; my son is 18 and has a large ring of friends who come and go. When a large group come over Luke will very quickly find the one he has not met before. He pushes by all the known scent until he finds the new one.

Several years ago when my son was younger we had parents coming over more often. It was very interesting to see Luke act like he knew people that he had never met before. When it was a parent of my sons bestfriends there was an obvious recognition from Luke; "oh you belong to that guy." One quick smell and he felt like he already knew this person.

Did Tilley remember her breeder yesterday? She spent the first 8 weeks of her life with this woman. She met her again at about the age of 1 year and then there was a 10 year span. I believe she did; one sniff and Tilley allowed a hug, this is completely out of the ordinary for Tilley. She was not threatened in the least by the close proximity which is something I look for in Tilley's expression.

Like elephants; I believe a dog never forgets.

Tilley's breeder

We are really excited to be having Tilley's breeder visit us today. Tilley came from Manilla, Ontario as does her breeder. I'm pretty much on the other side of North America now being in Southern California so this is quite a way to come. She hasn't seen Tilley in 10 years not that Tilley acts or looks any different.

Tilley is a blue standard poodle which means dark gray in normal color appointing terms. I remember getting Tilley like it was yesterday. I was looking for a third dog; a standard poodle of course. Jessie was 10 months old and already smart as a whip so I was ready.

At the time my husband was working in Kingston; he had been reading through a local paper when he saw Silver Standard Poodle puppies for sale. Not one to ever get a dog out of the paper; I thought long and hard before calling. I'd never actually seen a silver in person so I was curious.

After a long conversation; I made plans to take the approximately 4 hour drive to see all the adults; the puppies were only days old so there was really nothing to see in regards to the puppies. The drive was beautiful; that I remember clearly. I passed lake after lake on the trip there.

Once I made it to my destination I was very happy with what I saw; all silver standards and all over the top friendly. Tilley's Mother Tia was blue as was her father Eddie. I did sneak a quick peek at the puppies who resembled a pile of black guinea pigs, nothing very exciting. After hours of discussion it was decided that I would take the pick of females. I'd be back in about 8 weeks.

After another beautiful drive to Manilla, the day had arrived to choose my girl. Tilley was then who she is now; quiet and as close to a perfect dog as you can get dog. I remember a moment so clearly after all these years as a sibling of hers was yanking on her coat. She looked back at her then human Mom as if to say "do you see this, do you see what she is doing to me?" And that is pretty much what she would do today.

At 11 1/2 Tilley looks amazing; she was my longtime demo dog in the obedience group classes that I taught, she was used many times for fearful or aggressive dog cases, she appeared on "Pet Star" twice demonstrating her amazing catching ability, did many frisbee demonstrations; one was for the premier of Good Boy in Hollywood.

Now well into her senior years Tilley is grounded, that because she is a high flying frisbee dog. She loves to spend time basking in the sun, rolling on the grass. One of her favorite things in life is still retrieving; but her objects to retrieve are now closer to the ground.

All dolled up-bling for dogs

The phrase alone "all dolled up;" says it all doesn't it? Dolled; meaning it should be applied on a doll or as we know a human, not a dog.

Dolled: 1. To dress oneself smartly and often ostentatiously, especially for a special occasion.
2. To add embellishing details to in order to make much more attractive.

I'm not into canine clothing; and having an actual wardrobe for your dog to me is a huge waste of money unless of course you have one of the bald breeds. Best to donate that money to a good rescue group. Anyhow; everyone has different opinions on everything and that in itself is what makes the world go round.

Even leashes and collars can be the flashiest and more expensive than any clothing in your own closet. Do dogs care if their collar is diamond studded or plain black? Nope. Do they care that their leash is not a Gucci or Coach leash? Nope.

I do believe in clothing that keep a dog warm; my own dogs each have a coat that I purchased from Old Navy for 2.99 each; after season. If my poodles get a haircut mid winter they wear their coat at night until their coat grows a bit and my Jack Russell wears hers if she gets extra chilly because she is now 12.5 years old.

I am a very utility type person; I do like collars and leashes that make my dogs comfortable or have some type of special use. I go through alot of trial and error when trying new things. I have a box full of "not usefull" leashes, harness and collars that sounded good but were useless.

There are a few companies that focus on great dog products; I tend to stick with these companies. Their products are well researched and tested so anything I get from this company I pretty much like.

My dogs new collars are great; 2" wide which I love for their necks. They happen to be very nice looking which is an added bonus but if they weren't functional; they'd be in the "useless box" in a flash.

Leashes,collars and harnesses

Good Saturday morning; I don't think I've discussed attachment equipment for a while so this is my blog for the day. There are so many different types of devices to attach to your dog thata it can be mind boggling. I like to try every new collar, leash or harness that I discover; and let you the consumer know what I think.

My favorite body attachment is a harness; I like the fact that a harness eliminates any pressure on the dogs neck. That said often a harness increases a dogs desire to pull so a regular harness is not always a great idea. For those dogs there are non pulling harnesses (the Easy Walk harness by Premier) which I use for my boy Luke who thinks that he is indeed sleddog.

For leashes I like the good old cotton mesh lead or training lead. They don't slip through your hands like the nylon ones and I order them however long I want them. Nothing fancy; just a plain old black leash. I like the 8 foot lengths so when I'm in a field, the beach or a park my dogs can walk way out in front of me with out causing any tangling.

I also like the bungee type leads made by Ezy dog; they take alot of the impact away from the big pulling dogs. They are well made and tough equipment.

As far as collars go I like the 2" ones. They are very difficult to find but I have found one company who makes really nice ones. More companies make a 1 1/2" collar which is still better than the thin collars. Many people like the rolled leather collar; athough nice looking the thinner the collar the more pressure is put onto one spot of the neck.

Here are several links where I buy my equipment.

http://www.ezydog.com/ezydog/?CFID=21369775&CFTOKEN=77482972

http://www.premier.com/

http://www.dogsinstyle.com

Barking dogs

Dogs bark; we all know that, but what can be done to lessen the barking of the ones who just love to hear themselves? As I sit here in my room; crazy barking is the norm in the morning in my neighborhood. I wonder if the guardians of the crazed barking dogs are just ignoring them or if they have infact gone off to work leaving their dogs in the yard.

That my friends is the first big no no. Leave a dog unattended to entertain themselves all day where they do not receive any feedback and you will more than likely have a problem. Barking can quickly become a habit; especially with dogs who are bored, have excess energy and too much time on their hands.

I do know that some of the worst barking culprits in my neighborhood are gate chargers and fence fighters. Having a see through gate at the side of your house is torture for a dog; and your neighbors. They see what is going on outside the gate but become frustrated at being behind the gate and the barking starts. They soon learn that if they bark at the people and dogs going by their house it scares them away.

You see in the dogs mind they see the people leaving past your house as they did their job well. This only entices them to bark more and keep up the good job. Some dogs work themselves into a frenzy when people walk by the house and it becomes a habit. They wait; listening ever so intently for the first sound of someone coming and it starts.

Not only is frenzy barking annoying; it can be very dangerous. If you have more than one dog; they can start to display redirected aggression. This is especially common with dogs behind a fence, window or screen because they are at such a heightened state of excitement. I know of several breeders who left their dogs in the yard when they went out; only to come home to find one dead dog in the middle of the pack. These are redirection cases.

Even my own dogs will display redirected aggression sometimes when barking goes on too long. That is why my dogs have no way to look out the front of the house when we are not at home. They have lots of windows to look out the back where there should not be any strangers wandering around.

There is no reason for a dog to bark non stop. Dogs bark and they should be allowed to bark but barking that goes on and on should be stopped. I have a method that works wonderfully but you have to be around. Like I said a dog left on their own is not going to learn to stop barking. If you would like to see a "how to" for stopping barking; let me know.

Just dogs with Sherri

Its the little things

How cute is the video below? I was actually shooting another one of my other dogs when Luke started with the squeeking; I couldn't resist. Each and everytime I view that video it makes me smile; I smile because he is obviously so happy squeeking that darned toy.

My dogs make me smile alot; the guilty face Jessie gets on when she is considering eating something she knows she's not suppose to eat when I come in the room. Tilley's little tail vibration after she catches anything; her favorite thing in life is to catch and retrieve anything, it is who she is. I love Tilley's soundless bark she gives me when I ask her if she is ready for a throw. The only audible sound is the clashing of her teeth.

My now long gone Clyde use to make me smile as he would follow me from garden to garden in the summer on a weeding day. He would lay quiet by my side at each garden until we moved onto the next. Clyde was always so happy to see me come outside with him that he would walk around ever so proud with my hand in his mouth for all to see.

And Luke; he is such a character that he makes me smile constantly. He is a nervous dog; my nervous ninny and his little jitters make me smile. The way he stares at the kitchen door if it blows open by itself. I smile when Tilley puts him in his place as he dons his humiliated face. I even smile when he growls and barks at fake intruders because he is grumpy about being brushed.

I could honestly write a book; hmmmmmmmmm. There are so many moments in a day when a dog makes me smile. And it's not always my dogs; I am so lucky to be a trainer and photographer of dogs that I spend hours a day with lots of dogs; which means lots of smiles.

One happy poodle

To catch a thief

I recently wrote about Jessie's chocolate eating binge and the fact that she DIDN'T die which was another one of her many lives spent. Well; she has moved to the next level of sneakiness. With my dinner in hand I left the kitchen lastnight and was heading to the familyroom to eat and watch Living with the Wolfman (that's another blog); when I noticed a granola bar wrapper.

??????????????????I stood there puzzled; where did this come from? Looking further under the front table was my purse with the side pocket opened up and not surprisingly my granola bar was missing. At some point in the last hour Jessie had gotten into my purse, this bold act was a first.

Yes; Jessie has gotten into everyone's purse, backpack or whatever you happen to leave on the floor and eaten everything from chocolate, granola bars, old sandwiches left by my son in his backpack to pack of tic tacs. But never when I've been home. This is not a good sign; not only do I have to do the perimeter check now as I leave but I must be constantly on guard.

I have become a champion scanner of goods; glancing quickly over a room I can see issues in a flash, I know it's a talent. Certain doors must be closed; particular tables need to be cleared. Sad at the age of 12 1/2 you think she would know better. But unfortunately Jessie's stomach rules over her brains so now she has also learned that when I'm on the computer I'm pretty much involved in the computer. Yesterday I was working on photos; I never even heard her.

In the next while I will be fine tuning my "noise alert system" and be very much more aware of where I am putting everything.

Sardines - GROSS

Okay Gross; just plain gross. I heard that Sardines are a great source of protein for your dog. I never actually thought about it before; I guess the fact that sardines would NEVER be on my shopping list was the reason. But with an open mind; I threw a couple of square cans in my cart a couple of weeks ago.

I've never even seen a sardine close up; probably because I would never in a million years consider eating one. So I grabbed the can this morning; "I'll give it a whirl." I figured right off; there is no way Luke will eat a sardine. He is not a big fish fan to begin with so something this fishy; I have my doubts.

The only way Luke likes fish is if it is maybe poached in butter; that's right; you heard me correctly. Anyhow; back to the sardines. The pooches breakfast this morning consisted of ground beef, stewed beef which was warmed up and smelled great I might add, rice, tomato, and baby lettuce. So I thought this might be a good beefy mixture to sneak in a bit of sardine.

First I was freaked out that I was going to get sardine juice on me as I opened the can which as it happened was a very near miss. As I was grossing out completely I chopped two of the little devils into tiny pieces and placed them strategically throughout the food; less in Luke's. Luke was obviously loosing his interest as he smelled the open can of sardines on the counter.

I know he loves roast so if he didn't eat; it was the sardines. The girls ate it with gusto; Luke not so much. He approached the bowl; he could smell the beef, mmmmmmm. But there was something in there that was not inviting. He picked away at his breakfast and left over half. I knew he would hate sardines.

Don't worry he got a good late sardineless breakfast. The girls will be given the other half of the can tomorrow for breakfast and I will chalk sardines up with the many other things that Luke simply does not like; don't blame him on this one. Yuck.

Leash aggression

Leash aggression is a hassle, it can be unpredictable and very embarrassing. This is probably one of the most common issues that canine guardians deal with. From the tiniest of pocket pooches to the whopper Giant breeds it can happen to anyone. Even if your dog is very dog friendly; leash aggression can be an issue.

Within my own three dogs I have one who regularly shows leash aggression, one who displays every so often and one who would never consider such an rude behavior outbreak; that would be my perfect Tilley. Jessie is very reliable with her leash aggression; her objective in life is to let anyone who doesn't already know that she is the queen of the world, just who Jessie is.

And then there is my perfect case scenario leash aggression example; Luke. Luke is by far my most social dog; he loves other dogs, doesn't like to fight and will run off to play with someone else if the dog wants to fight. He is a complex dog; not a simple Simon. He does like to display and he loves to intimidate; this because he is bottom man at home.

On a casual walk we will see someone else heading our way; looks like a nice couple, nice dog. As we get closer I get Luke's attention calmly; very calmly. Calm is the answer for leash aggression; the minute you start to reign in the leash, your done for. This takes a whole lot more practice on the humans part than the dog.

The whole problem that leads to leash aggression is infact THE LEASH. The leash restricts movement, alters body language, keeps your dog close to you causing a guarding reaction and is the link from your brain to theirs. Most dogs who display leash aggression every so often are great off leash; Luke is. But not Jessie; she still has her little Queen agenda off or on leash.

You need to create a "no big deal" attitude about walking near other dogs. As well as associating a big positive about walking by other dogs. Being able to communicate with your dog is very important; sometimes a dog will "lock on," and it can become difficult to get through to them. They see a dog; fix their stare and there they stay until the final moment when they lunge; not good.

"Catch," is a great behavior in my house and one that I use when I need to breakthrough. "Watch me," is another good exercise; a dog cannot do either of these behavior while displaying leash aggression. It gives the dog something positive to do and you something to keep your mind on.

Teaching your dog to be chill about walking past other dogs takes time and work. Do it somewhere you can get distance from the other dog, not in a downtown street where you are trapped for space. Be ever watchful; before your dog sees the other dog, without changing pace, without tightening up on the leash give them a "this way**," and cross the street.

Now you have room to work, keep moving. This is your big chance to show your dog that other dogs walking by means nothing. Chat with your dog, very upbeat happy talk but calm and not excited. Do not change the grip on the leash and do not alter your walking speed. Bring out your treats, and they'd best be good ones. Now use your "catch or watch me."

With time, patience, calmness and consistency your dog will follow your lead. But know that leash aggression can pop out at anytime. A sideways glance, a misunderstood approach, altered body language due to the big problem; the leash. The other person walking down the street is doing everything wrong, pulling on the leash which is creating a very happy dog to look like it is displaying dominance like crazy. So there is alot more to "leash aggression" than most think, but know that you are definitely not alone with your issues.

**This way - teaching your dog direction change verbal cues is very useful for many different scenarios. "This way" tells my dogs that I am changing direction; look at me and go this way. I use it on leash and off; it gets their attention immediately.

Sign of the times

These economic times are troubling; so many people are getting into trouble. So many people are loosing their homes and with them are their dogs. Many dogs are being displaced because their humans have lost their home and cannot keep them. Some people have no where to go; some have to move in with family members and some take tiny apartments where dogs are not allowed.

But whatever their situation; it is a sad one for a family and the family dog. Rescue groups can really save the day when this is a situation that a family is facing. Most rescues are by far a better situation than a shelter; some shelters won't even take a relinquished pet.

Many rescue groups take in mixes as well as their designated breed. They also have foster homes that take dogs in and care for them as their own. But what if the family was only down on their luck for a few months? In these days of economic troubles it would be great if some of the rescue groups could round up more foster homes who would be prepared to foster a dog until the original guardians were ready to take their dog back.

Yes this would be a huge commitment; but just for a minute put yourself in those less fortunate shoes. What if you had to give up your dog; you just had to or you felt like it was your only option? Wouldn't it be great instead of having to loose your dog forever; someone stepped up to care for your dog until you could care for him again?

This idea is not without glitches; emotional glitches. The guardian would have to physically turn over their dog; putting full trust in the foster to care for their dog. The foster would be taking on a big responsibility; adding an adult dog to another dog or existing pack can be difficult. Hearts would be damaged; both guardian and foster.

But as this plan may be an emotional one; the guardian giving up their dog and the foster taking on a new dog and the challenes that come with that. Then to loose their heart to this dog when they went back to the original guardian once again. It is all very emotionally trying; as it would be for the dog as well.

Just imagine the impact of returning a dog to their family once they are back on their feet. The children's faces as they throw their arms around Rover once again. As Rover settles; curled up beside their kids on the couch once again; letting out a sigh that only home can create.

Looking at the enormity of task may seem simply undoable but everything great starts out as a glimmer; a glimmer of hope for these poor families and their dog/dogs.

wolfman and Luke again

I don't know if you all have seen the previews for the new Wolfman show or not but it looks pretty weird to me. I guess it starts next Tuesday and you better believe I'm tuning in. I'm thinking that it will keep my attention with the wolf behavior but irk me that this guy is trying to be a wolf.

I've seen him written up and on a couple of other shows before; apparently he does not shower. This is so that he smells like the wolfs and this is so that they accept him as one of them. Hmmm, apparently his wife left him but he seems to have a new woman in his life. It waits to be seen if the wolves are a big enough draw to keep me watching or if the guy is weird enough to get me to tune out after the first episode.

I love dog or wolf behavior; they are almost identical in displays of behavior and I could literally watch them for hours upon hours. Even my own little pack is so interesting; things change very quickly and subtle signs are sent back and forth in split seconds.

For some reason Luke is fired up these days; he is posturing constantly to the girls and trying to block Tilley's every movement. It is all display and that is all it is; it takes but one poke from me to stop it. Maybe it is the cooler air; but whatever it is it has him in a heightened state of excitement.

Or it could be I'm noticing more because I am still sick and have been spending many hours on the couch watching my dogs be dogs.

TGIF-The great Tilley

The sun is just thinking about coming up. It is suppose to be another hot one and I have a stupid cold; colds and summer (although apparently it is suppose to be fall) just don't go together. So I'm going to get up, take some cold medicine and pretend that I don't have a cold.

I watched a great show lastnight on dogs. I think it was called Dogs that changed the world; by PBS Nature.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/dogs-that-changed-the-world/introduction/1273/

It was a very educational show about breeds; history and intelligence in dogs. I highly recommend it.

Sometime this week will be having visitors; Tilley's breeder is taking a vacation and she will be coming to see her. She has not seen Tilley for over 10 years although we have stayed in touch. I have stayed in touch with almost all of the breeders where my dogs came from. A few have not stayed in touch with me but I have always sent health, happiness and achievement updates to them.

I know if I was a breeder; I would want to stay in close contact with all the puppy guardians. Once you obtain a puppy from someone I think you are family; dog family but still family.

My girl Tilley started out as a very meek and timid girl. Over the years she has bloomed into the most amazing dog; she's near perfection. She is amazingly athletic, very well mannered, affectionate, an amazing guard dog and wonderful companion. What more can you ever ask for in a dog.

For many years Tilley was my demo dog for group obedience classes. Many of my students would say "I just want my dog to be like Tilley." And although they could try to be like Tilley; she is an individual; a very special dog. All of my dogs are special but Tilley is my Lassie in poodle clothing.

She is at 11.5 years old in amazing shape. No one would ever think she is a day over 3 years to see her. Although she is starting to show her age in her eyes; they are cloudy. She takes longer to get up from a long sleep and her hearing isn't what it use to be.

Tilley has performed for alot of people; she was on Pet Star twice showing off her catching ability. She has won numerous photo contests with her airborne flying talent. She has helped many aggressive and fearful dogs with behavior councelling and helped more than a couple of people who were afraid of dogs overcome their fear.

Tilley's breeders should be proud, I know I am.

Day to day stuff

Today my dishwasher repair man will come; hopefully he will be repairing my dishwasher. If not; well that will suck. After celebrating our Canadian Thanksgiving and doing all the dishes by hand I realized how much doing dishes just plain sucks. As you all know I make my dogs food as well as the human's food so I have alot of dishes. Mostly it is the time spent doing them and the fact that until I do wash the dishes they are sitting there on the counter staring me in the face. So I'm really hoping he can fix it.

Jessie is completely back to her old self with no ill side effects of her chocolate eating binge. She is a resilient little dog; tough as nails and the boss here in this house. Lastnight Luke decided he had to dig out a tennis ball from under the ottoman. Problem was Jessie was laying beside the Ottoman; Luke knew this was a problem. With his giant ears up and his head looking down at the mighty leader Jessie; I could see the wheels turning.

Luke decided it was worth the risk; and pawed at the Ottoman. Hmmmm, a little reaction from the boss. He tried again keeping a close eye on Jessie; she tends to react quickly and Luke knows this as well. Not happy with the dozens of other toys in his toy basket; Luke had to have this one tennis ball that was wedged under the ottoman.

With one almighty pounce he crossed the line and Jessie flew from her resting spot to scold him. Luke jumped out of teeth range and watched as she left this spot confidently walking to one of the many dog beds to sleep. Now that he was free of obstacles he dove in full force to get the ball; now it was annoying us so I reached down to retrieve the ball he just had to have. This tennis ball entertained him for only a moment and he was onto the next toy.

With the cooler (only in the evening) weather the dogs have been more active in the evening; so the toys pay a toll. Yesterday morning I went down to the family room to find one of the newer toys my daughter had made spread from one side of the room to the other. One of the cheap stuffed bone shaped toys I buy regularly was empty of it's contents which were spread around the room and there were various pieces of toys all around. What a mess.

Tilley is the only one of the dogs who does not gut her toys. She has a special stash and she takes great care toting them around and placing them in her own hiding spots. The dogs are informed immediately when new toys come into the house which ones are Tilley's. And surprisingly they are pretty good about not gutting those and leaving them for Tilley's enjoyment.

Have a great day; and give your dog an extra kiss and hug for me.

Shooting Art

So I'm in this boot brace for a month while my achilles tendon is hopefully healing in there. This obviously puts a wrench into some of my daily routine. I can get around in it really well but going for a walk is a hassel more than anything. So I've been running my dogs at a field where we just walk in and they are off.

I am a huge believer that dogs must be off leash sometimes. I also believe that they must be able to walk nice and mannerly on leash so a bit of both is nice. If you only exercise your dog off leash then it is very difficult for them to control themselves when out on leash; so best to give them both opportunities.

As my outtings are limited I'm going to pull out my big lense and go shooting. I love photos of dogs, no duh!!!! But I'm not a fan of posed photos and much prefer a candid. I love capturing the essence of a dog but it can be difficult, much more difficult when a human is involved. Humans like to pose, come on fess up, when you see a camera you look into the lense and smile, right?

So having my big lense on and sneaking a shot sometimes works out best. Also it is much easier to capture a natural candid off leash. But the problem with off leash is that the dog is off leash; meaning that I will often have to chase it around. So again a little of both helps here, some on leash some off.

Some of the best photos I've ever shot are at home on the couch. Where is a dog more comfortable than on their couch or bed at home? Sleeping dog images are fabulous as are playing dogs. Dogs capturing a sunbeam that is streaming through the livingroom shots are amazing.

To me dogs are art, nothing need be done but to capture them.

De ja vue

Have you ever felt like you've been somewhere or done something exactly the same before. Sunday night I was in a time warp; there I was yet again administering Peroxide to my Jack Russell in attempt to get the contents of her stomach out. I was out with my husband at the hockey game Ducks/Coyotes (crappy game). Anyhow the call came in "Jessie ate a whole dark chocolate bar."

My husband and I have discussed this often and we have both acknowledged that this will proabably be the end of our little 15 lb eating machine someday. Unfortunately eating a particular food and having to vomit later on; or having explosive diarrhea don't seem to fit into the action/reaction type of learning that dogs have.

Sitting patiently in the backyard waiting, waiting and waiting it finally came out. My husband was in shock to see the amount of food that came out of this little food monster. It had been a while before she vomitted so I knew she would have some effects from the Chocolate. She was not good yesterday; when my girl does not eat it's serious. I managed to get a bit of chicken into her in the morning and shortly after she vomitted two more huge piles of brown gunk.

I was really worried before she vomitted Monday morning and was going to head to the vet with her. But shortly after puking up the rest of the brown gunk in her she turned the corner. She slept the rest of the day under my watchful eye and had a good dinner lastnight. So again she has lived through a near death experience to tell the tale and again she had beaten the odds.

I know she is a dog but she truly has many lives this one. She has escaped the jaws of a boxer who was meaning to kill her; fallen 30 feet out of a tree; nearly died 6 years ago from an autoimmune disorder

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

and lived through chocolate eating de ja vue many times. When she does get into something it is human error; we all know that EVERYTHING must be put away. Let nothing be forgotten when you go out but as humans there is always a chance of human error so to save her life Jessie will be crated once again; especially with the holiday season fast approaching us.

Happily she is well this morning but unfortunately looking for the next package left out for her to get into.

The ability to reason

When asked if dogs have the ability to reason I am left pondering. Is their amazing ability to survive and thrive in life due to their reasoning ability or is it a more learned ability to survive. When a dog performs an act; a behavior in life such as going to the cookie cupboard; is this an act of reasoning or the simple fact that they have learned through life experiences through action and reaction?

Reason - the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.

It truly is a difficult question; dogs are amazing creatures who learn through association. They are much smarter than many give them credit. And I have personally witnessed many canine behaviors that have blown me away. But the question still lies; can they reason?

I'm more apt to answer no; even given many amazing displays of behaviors that have left me wondering how this certain dog could know or display a particular behavior. I still believe that most of the thought process of a canine is related to an action/reaction form of conclusion.

Some behaviors are very instinctual that appear from the inner dog and not from a learned experience. These may infact give the illusion of an ability to reason but stem from years of evolution and not reasoning at all. As hard as I conjure up scenarios that I have witness; each one can be related to an experience; action/reaction.

When you contemplate if in fact dogs can reason or not; you do have to factor in the way that we humans reason. We are given facts which we then mull around in our little gray matter to come up with our own variation of conclusion. But our ability to reason is challenged and guided by life experience; correct? Hmmmmm.

So in regards to reasoning I think dogs do not reason in the human sense of reasoning. But; I have no doubt that they think, which to me are two different entities entirely.

Thanksgiving weekend

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. Being Canadians we like to celebrate; as the cook for thanksgiving dinner I prefer a turkey dinner now in October and one again in December for Christmas. So we had our turkey dinner lastnight and so did the dogs. To watch Luke hover the table and keep a close eye on me during the meal preparation you would think he'd be dying for his meal.

Well; as usual he walked away from a handful portion in the bottom of his bowl. This is his typical behavior and if and when he ever eats it all of his meal it is a miracle. And his leaving food has nothing to do with the amount of food in his bowl. I've cut way back on his portions because I was throwing good food away daily. He is so darn picky; eating is not his thing really.

This morning I was in bed eating turkey leftovers, yum. As I came to the end I gave Jessie a piece of turkey, tossed Tilley a piece and offered Luke some. Nope; he wasn't having anything to do with turkey at this hour in the morning. I left it in front of him and he ignored it, wouldn't even give it a sniff. He curled his legs back underneath him and commenced his snoozing.

What kind of dog doesn't eat a piece of turkey? Well, this kind. Weird, just plain weird I say. In fact if I leave the piece of turkey that Luke does not want to eat in front of him, it will annoy him so much that he get's up and moves away from it. What did I tell you? weird.

All three dogs are getting ready for their canyon run; it's beautifully cool out. Yesterday was windy and cool; I'm loving it if only for a few meager days; I'll take what I can get. I will head down to the kitchen to prepare the dogs meal for their return. I'll do my best to prepare something for his majesty's taste; geesh.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Training dogs

As a dog trainer I am often asked "how long, how often." And the answer is a simple one; all the time. I recommend for the firt year of your dogs life with you that you are in "training mode," all the time. Now this does not mean that you have to be teaching your dog behaviors the entire time; more that you are in a constant state of educating.

When you let your guard down and allow unwanted behaviors you do an injustice to your dog. Rules are made for a reason and believe me when your dog is 5 years old and up rules will be broken. My dogs are now 8, 11.5 and 12.5 years old and I often give a refresher course.

You are the leader of the pack and as such you make and enforce the rules. Rules can be as simple as "please don't knock me down the stairs," no running out open doors uninvited or sit for a meal." If you have more than one dog then with the addition of a new one; there are alot of rules to learn.

Daily routines are learned in the beginning; where you nap, where everyone sleeps at night, who eats out of what bowl and who gets to eat first, second and last etc. Dogs thrive on guidance, they need a leader and if you aren't up for the role then you will be taking a follower role instead. A dog without a leader is a leader and you really don't want to be following your dogs lead.

Actual behaviors like sit, down, leave it, stay etc are used to implement rules. If you drop a steak on the floor you should have control over that steak; the leave it exercise. I do know many people who cannot have food out on a coffee table for fear of it being scarfed down by the family dog/dogs. Not good.

The more behaviors you teach your dog the more opportunities you have for communication. Stay is a biggy; you should be able to ask your dog to sit or down and stay anywhere. I just can't imagine not being able to communicate my wishes to my dogs. This failure to educate also leads to the necessity of physical control which is in actuality a lack of control. If you don't have any type of verbal or vocal control then you must rely on grab control; correct?

So when you are in the midst of working with a newbie in your pack; be on your toes. Asking for behaviors constantly and working behaviors into your daily routine work much better than taking 20 min. twice a day for obedience and allowing your dog to run amuck the rest of the day. Manners is a constant; dogs left to do as they please only creates a monster you will have to conquer in the future.

Whooo Hoooooo it's Friday

It's Friday again and this Friday is starting out as a great one; it's cooler. Yesterday was much cooler than the near 100 degree weather we've been having and it is suppose to get cooler still. This should mean that I'll be out and about with the dogs but unfortunately I'm in a boot brace for a month. I can walk around and get them out but I'll not be going on any hikes for while.

With fall upon us I've got pumpkins in the microwave for the dogs this morning. I ran by Henry's yesterday and stocked up on chicken that they had on sale for 1.99/lb. We and the dogs as well have been eating alot of sweet potato lately, I love them and so do they. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato

I'm trying to switch it up a little more for my pooches; lastnight they enjoyed fish, sweet potato, cooked carrots, bone meal and apple. Well at least my girls enjoyed it; Luke ate a bit as normal and wandered off. He is such a picky eater that it is very difficult keeping any weight on him at all.

The most frustrating thing about Luke's eating habits is that they are never the same. One day he loves chicken the next he won't touch it. Pretty much the only thing he loves always is cream, butter or whipped cream. No he is not spoiled at all.

In fact yesterday after shopping at Henry's I made a quick stop at Goldenspoon. I always get the samething, a peanut butter cup regular cone. But yesterday I switched it up and got pumpkin pie and it was delicious. I always get a mini vanilla for the dogs and typically Luke loves it. They all sit in a row in front of me and eat very mannerly.

Well, yesterday Luke was having non of it. He would not even taste it; let alone come anywhere near me holding the evil frozen yogurt. What a guy; that's all I can say is "what a guy."