Bones, sinew and cartilage

Luke having a chew, color was off for this which is perhaps a good thing. Not quite so graphic. Enjoy!!

It's bone day so that means I'm grounded for the time being. I always supervise the bone chewing and typically I bake (I can see the entire yard from the kitchen). Unfortunately this morning I'm out of eggs; so I'm blogging and then I'll do some gardening. These bones are different, they consist of tough grissle, sinew or tendons, cartilage and bone. Mmmmmmmm sounds yummy doesn't it? The dogs all need some teeth cleaning so this is the easiest way to accomplish that.

But there can be tension in the air when the bones come out; Jessie is a diehard guarder and through the virtue of my bigger brain I can outwit her over this issue. But if any of the dogs happen to approach she will defend her bone with every inch of her 12 3/4" body. Luke isn't hugely guarding, he might throw a few glances at Jessie every so often to seem as tough as she is and Tilley, well Tilley is on the otherside of the yard in the shade and not giving a care about anyone else.

Mmmmm from all the cruching going on there should be some mighty pearly whites pretty soon.

It's puppy season

Being that I am very involved with dogs there is never a shortage of puppies around. But there are certain times of the year when there seems to be alot more, that's now. Almost every few people I talk to either know of someone who just got a puppy, they are getting a puppy or just got a puppy or they are having or have a litter. And my puppy pains are stirring. How wonderful is it to get a new puppy, a new little life to mold and guide, fresh and ready to take on the world.

Finding a puppy and choosing a puppy can be a daunting task. Admittedly I find it very difficult; the more you know about what to look for the harder it is. Acquiring a puppy should not be done on a whim; open the paper, go see the puppies and bring one home. If you have thought and thought and consider if you really want a puppy, done your homework to figure out what type of puppy you want then you go. If you find one right away then you are lucky.

No matter if you are getting a mix or not you want to know what type of temperament your puppy is starting off with. You may be getting a dog from a shelter, a resue group or a breeder but you still want to know the temperament. I have done alot of testing over the years and there have only been a few puppies who have raised red flags with me. Many of them have issues, some issues need an experienced dog person to deal with and some are just basis issues most can work through.

A litter of puppies can be vastly different, you can have everything from a very fearful pup, middle of the road guys all the way to very dominant and even aggressive. What if you go in, look at the pups and pick the one with the adorable white feet? What if that puppy is very touch sensitive, reacts to touch in a negative fasion and is extremely aggressive in resource guarding. Are you ready to tackle these behaviors? If you have small children then this would totally be the wrong dog for you.

Although many people think that temperament testing is useless and consider environment to play a larger role in how a dog turns out, I believe it is very important. By understanding how a puppy reacts to different things in life that will be thrown at them you can better decide on what puppy should go to what type of home. There are litters that are all great and anyone could take anyone of the puppies home. But most have big differences and you cannot see these differences if the puppies are never pulled out alone and tested. They will react entirely different within the pack than out.

Environment, socializing, training and basic life lessons play a huge part in how a dog develops. Each and every dog I have ever had came with some sort of issue, mostly easy but sometimes there were issues that were alot of work. You should know what issues may arise and decide if you are willing and capable of dealing with those. There will be issues that arise throughout your dogs life that cannot have been foreseen but at least you can have a general idea of who your puppy is if they are tested.

It is the inside of the puppy that you want to look at, not the outside.

Clyde

Our poodle group is talking about brown poodles right now and because of this thoughts of Clyde have been filling my mind. Clyde was one of my heart dogs; a true faithful friend to the end and one who remains in my heart today. Infact poor Luke has been called Clyde several times; even as recently as lastweek and Clyde has been gone now 9 years. This just shows you that once a dog is in your heart; that is where they stay long after they are gone.

I got Clyde at the age of 6 weeks, he was adorable. I chose him out of a pile of brown wavy puppies; I was looking for a boy so at least it had been narrowed down somewhat for me. I was suppose to have had first pick but another couple got there before me and the breeder let them choose one as they had driven so far, not cool. Looking back now I obviously got the better dog. Clyde was not the most structurely sound built dog; although his temperament was stellar his structure was not. At least it was not until later years that he suffered from it.

I remember driving to North Gower, Ontario to pick him up. I was alone and some excited. At the time I had my first dog Mandy at home; an airedale who's life was about to change. Clyde was adorable; being a brown his eyes were lighter so at 6 weeks old you could still see the blue cast over them. I was instantly in love and through his 13 years we were inseparable. Clyde was one of those dogs that I call "porch dogs." The dogs who love nothing more than to lay by your feet wherever you may be.

As a typical male he was sensitive, not the brightest poodle I've had but a love none the less and I have only good and comical memories of him. I remember coming home one day as it neared Christmas to find a bowl of foil chocolate balls that had been on the kitchen table empty. Starring at the bowl my eyes wandered up to the kitchen window where there were many clear nose print images catching the midday sun. What? Clyde had climbed up onto a chair, onto the table and onto the kitchen counter. The prints went from one window and onto the next and I had wished I could have seen this big brown boy walking around my kitchen counter. It was a first and last incident, and it still makes me smile.

Another memory I have of Clyde is watching him as he jetted himself after my husband on skates. He loved rough housing, both of them did. My husband would be on the back skating rink where the field behind our house flooded each year and froze, it was huge. Clyde would run along the snow banks beside my husband until he got the "look." The look that told him it was go time. Clyde would launch himself at my husbands gloves which resembled well chewed rawhides by the end of the winter. Sometimes he would connect, other times he would slide on past only stopping once he hit the bank again. This was one of his absolute favorite things to do.

He was a wonderful dog and will be with me forever, at least in my thoughts and my heart. I try not to remember the last days when he was failing quickly and a decision had to be made. They may not be with us long but they leave such a mark.

Alternative vs conventional

There is a whole lot of info out there these days as far as health goes. There is the conventional treatments of western medicine. There is no longer only one way to look at an illness. The way I look at treating something both for myself and for my dogs is through a ton of research. We go to the Dr. or Vet; get their advice, do more research and figure it all out. By no means do I go down the easy route; and I am not one to believe everything that I am told, by anyone.

I think that far too often there is a reach for drug for everything. Whether that is antibiotics, steroids or anti-inflammatory drugs; there can be a time to say "let me check it out first." Often I will fill a prescription but I will not give it to my dogs until I have fully research the net on the stuff. And there have been times that the medicine comes home from the vets and straight into the garbage after doing all of my reading. With the internet filled with so much information there is just no reason not to do your research.

Yes there will be things that are not fully true, things you do not believe in and things that are downright misleading but there is alot of good info out there as well. Take Luke for instance; he is epileptic, has been since about the age of 3. He is not medicated and he is doing wonderfully. I am not saying that not medicating is the way to go but it was the way I went and I'm glad I did. By changing his food completely, eliminating almost all chemicals from my house and not allowing any chemicals to be used outside we have almost completely stopped his seizures. I've done a ton of research, found possible triggers and studied Luke himself.

There are alot of western medicines out there that have such severe side effects that you may suffer worse with them than without. I had the exact thing happen to me and have taken my health into my own hands. There is no one size fits all with health issues and to not look at the underlying cause and just treat the symptoms is an injustice to our and our dogs bodies, I believe.

Today there are many vets and Drs looking at alternatives as well as western medicines, these are the great Doctors in my opinion. To close your eyes and not want to learn is something foreign to me, if there is something great out there I want to know about it and I think Doctors who are looking for more answers are the ones we want to see. There are many medicines that have been around forever that are still great but there are new things, new techniques, new alternatives now that are being discovered on a daily basis.

I fully believe that both alternatives and conventional medicines are needed; but I will always opt to reach for an alternative first. That is if I have time, and time is of essence often. As was with Jessie almost 8 years ago now, it was certain death or steroids. There was no decision to be made, do we know why the steroids saved her life? No. But they did and she is with us and going strong at the age of 13 and nearly off of them completely now. By changing her diet she too made a full recovery, grew all of her hair back and made a complete turn around.

The body is a complicated thing; there is no one size fixes all.

July 4th this and that

Well, it is 3 days since my first Newsletter went out and I'm already working on #2. I really enjoy writing about dogs so a Newsletter is a resonable extension of my blog. If anyone is interested please email me at sherri@justdogswithsherri.com and put newsletter in the subject line.

Today is hot, not too hot until later maybe 3 but then it hit. The air has now been on for several hours and will be off again soon. Luckily we typically get much cooler weather in the evening so we don't die overnight. The dogs are very bothered by the heat now; especially as they age. My house honestly is so quiet during the hot days that no one would even think that we have dogs here. Bring on the cooler evenings and everyone starts to move.

Tonight will be a big one for Tilley, she is fearful of fireworks. She got much better last year because we worked the whole night with her. This meant exposing her to the sounds but not reacting to them. We sat on the balcony with the dogs watching the show, they could not see them as they are too short. They could hear the booming in the distance and with every boom Tilley shook and shuttered. By the end of the evening of our non reacting and the other dogs not reacting she was much improved. This is a great example of how dogs watch us and how we react to things around us.

Tilley is at my side right now, no doubt she has heard the few neigborhood fireworks already. We are heading out for dinner so they will be locked in so to speak until we return. All doors, windows and dog doors will be shutdown. The tv will be on high volume and the air running for extra surround sound.

Have a great on everyone and I'll be back tomorrow.

The Breeder

I have literally talked to hundreds of breeders over the years and from one to another there are vast differences. What makes a good breeder? This is one of the most perplexing questions that prospective puppy buyers will ask themselves. There are so many; how do you find the right one? A good breeder is hard to find so when you do find one, hold onto them.

A list of what is important to me:

1. A compassionate and caring person; afterall if they don't care about their puppies or you why are they breeding? A breeder who puts the right dog with the right people.

2. Someone who does not just breed; but researching all the genetic health issues concerning breeding.

3. I want a breeder who puts temperament up at the top of the list. Temperament can make or break a dog; this is hugely important. A good breeder will alter any dog with a borderline temperament.

4. Structure; no matter what is "in style" will breed for sound structure.

5. Believes that dogs are a part of the family; their dogs live in the house with the rest of the family.

6. Communication; not all canine guardians are knowledgable on dog behavior. You want someone you can talk to; the sort of person who believes there is no stupid question. If you need guidance; you should be able to turn to your breeder.

7. Good breeders will take back their dogs whenever and for whatever reason; afterall it is their offspring (well their dog's offspring).

8. Recommendations; a good breeder will refer you to other good breeders if they do not have what you are looking for.

These are the most important things to me; there are other things that I consider but this is the top of the list. It can be a daunting task to find a breeder that you mesh with personally as well as having the similar ideologies as you. With time and effort you'll find what you looking for, be patient.

So deep

It's a deep sleep; so deep that one does not easily awake from. Jessie is sleeping sound; I mean so sound that when I shook her lastnight it only added to her dream. I quickly removed my hand and called her; and then called her louder. It took her a long while to react; this is deep. This is not the type of sleep that younger dogs have; this of very deep sleep is reserved for the golden years. And well deserved I might add. Our dogs are always on guard; okay maybe your dogs are not, some dogs just do not have a guarding instinct at all, nada.

It has always amazed me how a dog can be completely asleep and up and running in a mere second. Can we do that; nope. There have been many times when I've heard something at night; flown out of bed and I'm going but my senses are not all with me at that point. I more than likely stumbled several times, may have even ran into a wall as well. We are just not capable of instant action like our dogs.

There have been many changes in our home as of late. This deep state of relaxation is one; another is that Tilley has taken up sleeping at the front door throughout the day. It is odd; she has only lay there a couple of times in two years but now it seems to be a regular spot. I was trying to figure it out yesterday and the only reason I can come up with is that she is not hearing as well. There are times when I come home now that both Jessie and Tilley don't hear me come in. This is another strange change in a house where the dogs typically explode at the smallest of door sounds.

I think laying at the front door; Tilley is hoping to not miss anything. It is a great spot; you can see almost everything from the vantage point, or at least anything that matters. Like anything else in life you have to roll with the changes; I don't like to see my dogs age but I do enjoy watching them enjoy the small things like enjoying a great sunbeam in the afternoon. Or having them all dreaming on my bed; that is a little piece of heaven.

Canada Day

It is Canada Day for those of you who are not aware; this is our equivalent to July fourth. It is a day of huge celebration and a sea of red and white; wish I could be home for it. So to stay along the lines of the day I will discuss Dogs in Canada. First the actual publication Dogs in Canada was a staple throughout my younger years. It was where I turned to see who was who in the dog world.

There are several breeds of dogs that originate from Canada:

The Newfoundland
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever I know alot of Tollers and actually had a four page pictorial in Dog World 2 years ago featuring the Toller.
Hare Indian dog
Labrador Retriever (yep, the #1 popular American dog is Canadian)
MacKenzie River Husky
Seppala Siberian Sleddog
Tahltan Bear Dog
Valley Bulldog

See you learn something new everyday. Have a wonderful Canada Day.

Chow time

First, a reminder that my Newsletter is coming out tomorrow. If interested email me at sherri@justdogswithsherri.com and put Newsletter in the subjtect line.

I've been feeding "real food" for a very longtime. I started way back when my pack consisted of Clyde, Jessie and Tilley. That is back now 10 years ago; I miss Clyde, what a wonderful guy he was with just the best temperament ever. It was his health that got me started, it was declining so I started my research. Things have changed over the years, I've tweeked and adjusted what I feed and occassionally feed the best kibble I can find just for ease sake.

This whole feeding "real food" to dogs is a big adjustment. When asked what I feed my dogs some people shake their head in dismay; others are quite interested. When you have more than one dog to feed; getting it just right can be a challenge. What works for one may not with another, what one likes the other two may not. And one of the biggest considerations is taste, not everyone has the same likes and dislikes.

In my house I have one who will eat anything, one who will eat almost anything and then there is Luke who will eat next to nothing. He is the one of the fussiest dogs I have ever met in my life; but we're getting it. Slowly but surely I am figuring out this very complex boy. Recently I purchased what is called beef trim; it is the meat that is the outer dry meat cut off after hanging and before butchering. There is alot of grissle and such on it, and Luke loves it. He tends to really like the chewy challenge so I will be getting more.

Variety is the most important thing; just like we should eat a large variety of foods so should our dogs. Often we are told that our dogs should only eat one type of dog food, no treats, no variety and definitely no "people food." I don't use the term "people food" for what I give my dogs. For me; people food is stuff like Pizza, burgers, souffle, you know things that I had to make. So to give you an idea of what my dogs eat. Lastnight they had raw beef trim, green beans which they all really like, apple, green pepper, probiotics and Tilley had her cranberry d=mannose.

This morning will be different, perhaps some ground turkey with bone, arugula, oatmeal, wheat grass and egg. It is a big step to go from your comfort zone of dog food to preparing food for your dogs. There is alot of research to do and every dog is very different. There is alot of trial and error that goes with feeding a pack of dogs and along with watching what goes into your dog you must watch what is coming out. Some foods just don't sit well with certain dogs, just like some foods don't agree with us.

And just like for us; food is best cooked as little as possible for our dogs. Although our dogs have very different digestive tracts and must have their veggies and fruit either partially cooked or cut very tiny to aid in digestion. I know lots of people who would never consider preparing food for their dog; they don't even prepare food for themselves and that is perfectly fine. Dog food has come alongway and there are some great foods to choose from. When I do reach for a dog food bag it is Orijen or Stella and Chewys.

I need a ramp

I need a ramp, a dog ramp and I'm out to find a good one. I saw a couple with one the other day but as they pulled away from the park it was hanging out their back window; not what I'm looking for. I want a ramp for my xterra; a midsized suv. Tilley has not jumped in nor out of the car for a longtime now and I'd like to spare my back. I can easily lift her in and out but I'd like Luke to use a ramp as well. He is more than able to do the jumping and it is not the in I'm worried about; I don't want his shoulders to take the impact of the jump out.

So I'm on a hunt; being that my owns dogs do product testing along with two other dogs I have enlisted to test; I'm hoping we can get several products to give a try. There are many things to consider when getting a good suv ramp, ease of use, steadiness, quality and cost. So if anyone has a good ramp that they would like to tell me about I'm all ears.

The product testing on my website is just in it's fledgling stage. We've had some excellent products so far and I look forward to trying out some other great stuff.

Have a great short week everyone.

Hot hot heat

Okay, it is officially upon us and as one person put it; I'm in reverse bear mode. I hybernate in the summer. I hate this heat; I truly do. To me the only good thing about the heat is that it heats up the water that we want to swim in. The dogs don't like the heat; Tilley will spend most of her time laying on the tile floor in the kitchen and the other two just wiped for the day.

These are the days that I have to get up and get going. You have to get the dogs out really early if you want to give them a good run. If you get out just early then it will be a medium impact exercise and then if you leave it until not early; well you missed the boat. Both you and your do will suffer the consequences. It is summer folks and with that comes an added responsibility to keep our dogs safe from the heat.

LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME; is the first rule of summer.

If you are planning on walking your dog later than say 10am then first take off your shoes and stand on the pavement which you plan on walking your dog on. Is it freaking hot? Then forget the walk until later. Also take into account that your dog is much closer to the ground, the ground which is more than like asphalt. Asphalt gets hot in the sun and throws an enormous amount of heat upward. The lower to the ground that your dog is the more heat they will feel.

Do your dog a favor and get up and at it early. Get a nice run in while it's cool and be done for the day. Let your dog chill during the hottest hours of the day.

Walking the dogs

This morning I head over to a school yard very early with Jessie; she is very allergic to grass so schools are great over the summer vaction time to walk her. There are tons of rabbits and lots of smells for her. This morning she saw squirrels, rabbits and smelled rats. She was so full of energy this morning it was wonderful to see. She was darting and charging around like a 2 year old. There was an extremely noticeable change in her; could it be all the great food she's been eating lately? Perhaps.

And in comparison, after bringing jessie back from her walk I head out with the poodles. We met lots of dogs to talk to and Luke was his usually "joe cool." Tilley was really lagging this morning; I'm not sure if it was the fact that she knows there are rabbits at this park or if she is really slowing down that much now. And I did notice that she tripped several times. This getting old thing sucks; especially when it happens to such an amazing athlete.

TGIF

An off day

Today is an off day for me; you know one of those days where you're not quite sure what you are doing and when the day is done you are not sure what you did do. I'm out of whack for some reason; could be the latenight lastnight. Well for whatever reason; here I am writing my blog at 2 in the afternoon. Right now I am waiting to head out and pick up my cartilage. Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

I am hoping that it is what I'm thinking it is. I have not ordered it before so I'm not sure what to expect. Cartilage is a great natural source of glucosomine and chondroitin it is like a soft bone and entirely edible for the dogs. Or for anyone who would like to munch on it I guess. What I am hoping is that it is a good length; Jessie needs some really good chewing and she tends to just swallow if she can, so her very back teeth need some work. For some reason it is very hard to get back to hers. I can clean the poodles quite easily but it almost seems like Jessie has too many teeth for her little mouth.

The order is coming in just a few moments; this might be a regular purchase if I really like it and if I'm not too gross out by it. The last stuff I ordered was great, ground turkey with bone. The dogs loved it but it took me a while to get use to hearing the crunch as they ate. I have opted to give them meat and bones separately now, I feel I can better regulate the bone consumption if I give them a big bone to chew on.

Well I must be on my way; will let you know when I get it.

Anesthesia free dental cleaning

Doesn't anesthesia free sound wonderful? No need to have your dog put out for a teeth cleaning. With anesthesia there is always a health risk that you should know about. So; many are turning to anesthesia free dental cleaning. I scrape and clean my dogs teeth; so last week as I was holding Jessie scraping her teeth I was thinking about how someone else could do this without causing Jessie great stress. Not only was it hard to consider how this could be done but I couldn't even contemplate Luke having his teeth done.

I have serious issues with the whole practice of strangers holding down my dogs. It is not really my issue but one of my dogs; most dogs are not comfortable having a stranger hold them tight. They don't care that it is a vet tech or a dental assistant, they don't know this person and the more they struggle the tighter the strangers grip becomes. This is a hugely stressful occurance and one reason that I insist on doing the holding when my dogs go to the vet. If a guardian is comfortable doing the holding it should always be the first choice.

As far as anesthesia free dental cleaning; I don't get this at all. California law states that dental operations must be performed by a licensed veterinarian or under the strict supervision of one. But as I see these signs everywhere, grooming shops, training facilities, boarding and pet stores who are holding these anesthesia free clinics. There is no regulation of these services; no certification or registration boards to verify the person cleaning your dogs teeth knows what they are doing.

What I want to know is how they control the dog? When I tell people that I clean and scrape my dogs teeth they are astounded? They don't know how my dogs just lay there and let me do it. So if I was unable to get into my dogs mouth without them having a fit, if they were not okay with me going in a scraping; how could a stranger do it without totally freaking out my dog? I don't think they could. I'm thinking that it would be extremely traumatic for them. I would actually like to watch one of these teeth cleaners for a day and see how the dogs react.

So what are you to do? First; like anything else there is a huge spectrum of experience in any service business; there are good cleaners out there. What I would recommend is that if you are asked to leave, don't leave your dog there. In my opinion if you cannot watch what is going on, there is a reason. Next get your dog use to having someone in their mouth, even if you are not going to clean the teeth yourself it will help them in the longrun.

Give your dog a bone; that's right a big raw knuckle bone to chomp on. It is amazing how Mother Nature works. Giving a dog a bone to chew on is exactly how wolves stay away from the dentist.

The wolf inside

I have often written about Luke's lack of desire to eat; it is at times frutrating and not something I look forward to in any of my future dogs. Feeding a dog who eats well is a joy as is feeding a big strong growing boy. I like feeding people and dogs who like to eat; I guess I fall into the Mom category for enjoying to feed for sure. But Luke has given me pause to think about the whole "I don't want to eat" issue. What is it in Luke that makes him like this?

There are times I have put raw meat in his dish and he walks away. What I am finding and you will no doubt be laughing when you read this is that if I take his food and entice him with it; he will eat. So this leaves me to ponder. Lately I have been making him work for his food; taking a piece of meat and keeping it at a distance, winging it around like the proverbial airplane so to speak. Mmmmmmmm look at this, looks good eh? Giving him a little nibble but making him really want it by keeping it away for a bit*. This is really working, the more I keep it away the more he wants it. When I do give it to him he must pull it away from me which seems to trigger his prey drive, interesting.

So is Luke's low level food desire a problem caused by humans? Caused by the simple fact that we have over the years made eating out of a bowl the way we feed our dogs? Eating out of a bowl is a very unnatural thing for a dog; normal now after years of being fed in a bowl but genetically it is radically different from hunting down and ripping into their meal like a wolf would. Luke seems to eat just fine if his prey drive is tapped into. For us it is quite normal to sit down at the table and eat our food very civilized like; for dogs not so much.

Luke is a different dog; he is like the "big book of dogs" for me and has taught me much over the years. He is reactive and very instinctive although many onlookers would think not so. There is clearly a wolf very near the surface of his poodle exterior. More often than not we humanize our dogs; I try very hard not to do this myself but as a human it happens and luckily for us many of our dogs have adjusted to our weird and strange human ways.

Life is an evolution for all involved.

*For many dogs; keeping their food away will trigger a guarding behavior. I can barely get Luke to eat let alone guard his food; so I can use this to entice eating. I do not recommend using this for the average dog guardian.

It's all association

Luke lizard hunt'n

This video is cute but the reason I have it on here is so that we can discuss association in dogs. Dogs learn through association. Yesterday Luke found a lizard under the wood pile; yep there is a lizard in there. The way that you can tell that there is indeed a lizard in the wood is to watch Luke's tail, he is in a very high state of excitement.

The dogs rarely catch and kill the lizards; they are pretty darn quick and sneaky. But unfortunately this guy got caught. What is interesting is that once the lizard is caught and killed thus stopping all movement, there is no more interest. The dogs don't eat the lizard; don't think they taste that great because Jessie does eat other things. Luke not only ignored the dead lizard he went back to the pile thinking that his flushing technique would bring bag him another.

Throughout the evening he went back to the same pile, did a few stomps in hopes that there would be another lizard in there. Association is so important in the whole world of dogs, it is everything. When you see a behavior; perhaps new or strange it is caused by some sort of association. Luke has a bad association with doors that move on their own, he doesn't like when my bedspread blows up from the wind and he will immediately look at the door. He knows that if the spread is blowing there is a good chance that the door will slam which is something he hates.

The dogs know that the lizards are not out when it is overcast, you will never see them standing at the window on a cloudy day. But, when the sun it is out they are often seen checking their backyard for lizard though the back window. It is not a whole thought process like ours, although we do use association just not quite to the degree that dogs do.

By dissecting a behavior and being a detective you can often figure out where an unwanted behavior comes from. There was an association somewhere. Jessie has a tendency to go after little furball dogs. She has been attacked several times by them so I don't blame her. She figures get them before they get her. Tilley also associates the sun with shadows; she will not stand out in the yard on a cloudy day either.

Not all associations are simply; they can be very complex and take alot of work to figure out.

It's in the blood

Jessie loves nothing more than to hunt critters. Jack Russells were originally bred to hunt foxes with their owner and anything else that moved. They were kept by many to keep vermin away from the farms and their ability to hunt and kill small animals is not to be matched. The Jack Russell and the Fox terrier were once the same dog. One dog and a fork in the road, one Jack Russell continued down the working road and the other down the opposite road slowly evolving through dog shows into the Fox terrier of today.

Terriers in general are a tenacious group; and until you have had a terrier of "true" temperament you cannot fully understand these little dogs. Just yesterday as I was walking my poodles in the park I passed a gentleman with a Scottish Terrier. Each time we walked past him he veered off of the path and distanced himself. The last time round the park I shouted to him "feisty scottie eh?" He grinned as I told him that I had a Jack Russell Terror at home and fully understood.

This morning I took Jessie over to the school for a run; she loves it. The entire time she is in the "zone." Her body posture oozes that she is "on a mission." She is on high alert as the squirrels (stupid that they are) alert her to their presence. She knows she cannot catch squirrels but every once in a while she will charge one; you can see her beaming. You simply cannot see more joy in a dog than a Jack Russell hunting for critters.

We walked the school yard where all the rats hang out; yes rats. I was mortified the first time I saw them but it is a fact of life; there are lots of rats around here. And Jessie's favorite subjects to hunt are rats. She can smell their little footprints everywhere but it is only when she knows that they are actual present that she goes into crazy mode. Today she found a fresh scent in a sort of underground drainage thing; it had a steel plate running over it with gaps every so often. She checked each and every gap and soon knew exactly where they were. With her tiny little legs she attempted to extract them from their hiding spot; we moved on.

By the time she is done her walk she is exhausted; I know she barely realizes that I've been with her the whole time. I love letting her do what is in her blood, it is what makes her tick. She is afterall a Jack Russell Terrier.

Dominance and confidents

There is no misunderstanding this communication; ears forward, tail held high and a hard stare.

Dominance has become a very "in" word and one that is quite misunderstood. For many the word dominance alone is a bad thing. The dictionary meaning of dominance is:

position especially in a social hierarchy.

Dominance in a dog means that status ranking is more important. A dominant dog is more apt to push with status seeking behaviors to maintain a higher position in a hierarchy. There are many levels of dominance from slightly dominant to fat headed over dominance. During temperament testing when puppies are 7 weeks of age I test for dominance. Along with other tests which are done; findings are recorded and that puppy should be placed accordingly. The time when dominance can go wrong is when a puppy is placed in the wrong home; a dominant dog needs someone who understands it and is a strong leader.

A dominant dog placed with a very submissive human can go wrong quickly. If a dog pushes and gets no resistance; then even a great dog can turn bad. But it really doesn't matter if you have a dominant dog or not; you must be a leader. I have seen even the most meek of dogs quickly become dominant accompanied by big issues which was entirely created by having a weak leader.

Dominance is just an explanation of personality type; not a doomsday evaluation. I have had to change my terminology sometimes when speaking to guardians because they get stuck on the word "dominant" and cannot move past it. My boy Luke is quite dominant but not very confident so easily controllable. My Jack Russell is a highly dominant female; very typical for the breed but with strict rules the only dominance shown in our house is towards the other dogs. And even that is kept for when things get a bit out of control. She is a very good leader; she is not neurotic about her position. She is serious and factual which are good traits for a good leader.

Tilley is a very non dominant dog; I would class her as a very level and highly confident dog. She in no way seeks status in our pack and is happy hanging out in the middle. She is submissive only when needed and fits like a glove into our pack. It is of the utmost importance that I run the pack; I am the leader and I make the rules. I will not let Jessie and Luke hash it out for top dog status; I just won't allow it. And because of this the dogs know who is the boss here.

Where the wires have become entangled with the whole dominance thing is when aggression is added to a dominant dog. Dogs who are highly dominant will use aggression to keep or maintain their status. A dominant dog carries themselves as such and it is a clear message to all who they are. Dominance aggression is the act of maintaining status and can lead to big trouble. It can be in the form of a challenge to another dog; resource guarding or bullying. Just like in humans bullying is unwanted and should be stopped always.

The best type of dominance is when it comes with confidence. A confident dominant dog is a joy to watch. They are typically wonderful leaders; never getting flustered and only using "reasonable force" to solve issues within a pack. In all my years of dealing with dogs in some form I have met very few "amazing leaders" but when I do I could watch them from sun up till sundown. One such dog was a mix I had the honor of meeting. He had been a stray street dog in LA and now lived with a wonderful woman. I got to witness this amazing dog in action one day at the dogbeach. His presence on the beach was immediately understood and I could not take my eyes off of all the behaviors that were unraveling and falling into place. It is something to see when there is a true leader in your midst.

So dominance in itself is not a bad thing; it can and often turns bad by an uneducated human.

Canine products

Good Friday morning; same ole here, overcast. Gotta love June gloom in Southern California. I wanted to disguss canine products this morning. I love a great dog product but I am not a big consumer of tons of dog stuff. The things I do like are the necessity type things; leashes, collars, bowls, beds and pretty much anything else that will make my life living with dogs easier. But a whole lot of the stuff out there today is crap; useless to throw your money at.

It is not often that I venture into a big box petstore; I much prefer to support the small specialty ones who care. The guys who carry the "good stuff" not the products that Walmart carries. And surprisingly enough there are alot of little guys out there and doing really great; they have a very big fan base. I love learning about new great places to buy very cool dog stuff.

I have been to so many Pet expo type shows where I walk aimlessly down the isles shrugging; who buys all this stuff? But every once in a while I will come by something that triggers my "hmmmmm, this might be good" sense. This is why I have a box full of harnesses, both body and face, collars and leashes in my garage. And the ones I use on a daily basis? These. I started using these leashes at the age of 13 when I was training and have stuck with them. I like the 5/8" width and 6-8'length. Plain and simple.

Infact I have a new section on my website where both my dogs and "official" test dogs are testing and reviewing canine products. I reserve the right not to test and review any product which I think not good for dogs. There are alot of things out there that have become a staple in many guardian shopping carts that I feel very strongly against. And I cannot stand when a product uses catchy marketing terms to make you think that you are giving your dog a great product; words like green, natural or fresh.

We have a good panel of testers at Just dogs with Sherri, just my dogs alone offer a huge varied personality of likes, dislikes and different destructive levels. We can give a product a great test but we also added a nice big ole Labrador and a little one. You can read about the others and my guys here.

So I hope to get some cool items in for testing and we will weed through the good and bad.

The big one

It was just another show; I was handling in the junior showmanship ring again. Junior showmanship is different than the regular breed ring; this is where you the handler are judged and not the dog. So all eyes are on you. We had decided which of the dobermans I would take into the ring and I was ready. I'd been in so many competitions at this point that it was old hat, I wasn't nervous at all until I found out who our judge was to be. She was a bigtime pro handler and author of this book I can't find an image of the book but I use to have my own copy; I may still have it somewhere in the mass of dog books that I have. Anyhow she was big and then the nerves kicked in. Wow, Martha?

I managed my nerves and was soon chill about going in the ring again; and then a glitch. I found out that "my dog" was to go into another ring and I had no dog to handle. I frantically ran around looking for a familiar face; what dog was I going to use? Finally at the very last moment possible; standing at the edge of the ring and going in that ring momentarily I asked a nice couple with their beautiful Airedale if I could use her. They agreed and handed her over to me; they stood on the sidelines watching.

Having never met this dog we did our quick "hi" and away we went. There were several different age groups and then the "best in show." I had won my age group so I was going in again; I had never handled an Airedale up until now, who knew that I would have my own airedale (which my very first dog) in a few short years? We went in; did our thing and won the big one; the trophy, the rosette ribbon, the huge bag of Purina dog food; which at the time was great a big win. I won it all; but the biggest win for me was what Martha whispered to me as she handed me my trophy. "My dear; never stop handling, we need more handlers like you in the ring." I was beaming.

Looking back at that one small phrase now; that alone stands out in my memory. Not that I won, not the ribbons, the trophies or the other prizes which are all long gone now; but the fact that she had noticed my ability with dogs. And although I don't handle in the conformation ring anymore; infact I haven't for many many years I still handle dogs on a regular basis and will forever. It was always to be me and the dogs.