Body language and walking the dog

I have often written about canine body language; it is one of the most fascinating things to watch, but that's me. As far as human body language; not quite as easy. There are some things that we display quite simplistically and one of these things is our displeasure of situations. I regularly come across people who really dislike or are afraid of dogs. Walking down a path with my dogs it is easy to see who wants to keep their distance; I always oblige by veering off the path until they have passed. I don't stop and sit my dogs like many people do I just keep going but move.

It amazes the number of people who don't get "the signs." I always, always move off the path or out of others way when I have Jessie with me. As a not so dog friendly girl it is my job to keep her away from other dogs. But it never fails; at least several times a week as I move her off of the path people will keep their "let's go see the little Jack Russell" destination intact. Even when I am giving clear "don't come this way" body language they keep coming; until I have to say "not friendly!" As far as I'm concerned I had been saying that all along; they just weren't listening.

So it is no surprise to me why some people simply don't get their dogs; heck they don't even get people. Yesterday we had all the dogs out for a walk; Luke had gone with Dad for a big run and I took the old ladies in the other direction for a nice slow stroll. We met up afterwards to continue the stroll and give Luke a cool down period. At one point we pulled over to give Luke a drink; I reigned in all the dogs and as a woman with a small Akita mix type dog approached I pulled Jessie in further. (Shaking my head at this moment) She kept coming; she came right up to us and stopped and starred at us. I told her Jessie was not friendly and she told me "he's just looking." Okay...............who stops and stares only feet away from other peoople?

She finally moved on and left both my husband and I looking at one another, shrugging. When body language fails; you resort to verbal, so when that fails you are left to manage the situation to the best of your ability. This situation made me think of a walk I took a week ago with Luke on the beach. Luke likes to make contact with other dogs who are walking; it's not always welcome but I will never allow it unless we discuss it with the human first and reading the other dogs body language. We had walked half down the beach and Luke had been interested in all the other dogs until he saw this one black dog. It looked like a border collie mix and was off leash; the guardian showed no concern in her own body language as she purposefully walked straight on. Luke looked and then moved away not giving the dog a second look.

This was strange behavior for Luke; he is always interested. But this dog clearly gave off "don't bug me; I'm walking with my Mom." It gave off no threatening language; by the simple lack of eye contact the dog gave off a confidence about it. This was obviously a nightly ritual for the dog and his guardian and one he was accustom to coming across other dogs on. As we both turned and made our way back it was the exact same communication and Luke read it loud and clear. Fascinating.

Hot dogs

It's been hot for over a week now and the dogs behavior reflects the temperatures. I try to get them out before 9 otherwise it's just too hot for all of us. The dogs cannot run and enjoy themselves when the sun is beaming and the temps are rising. Tilley suffers the most with being dark gray, Jessie the least of course because she is white and loves the heat. I think back when Jessie use to be trudging across the backyard in Canada; up to her back through the snow, it never seemed to bother her but seeing her bake herself in the heat makes me think that she is not a snow bunny.

There is alot of flopping that goes on in this heat; Luke tends to lay on my bed with his front legs hanging far enough over that it looks like he might just slide off. Tilley goes from inside to outside alot; she can be seen rolling around on the grass in the sun then back inside with all her grass to crash in the AC. Jessie does the same; alot of back and forth. Although she loves the heat she does get overheated and makes a break for the shade or inside.

The shots above were taken in the late afternoon Friday. Tilley enjoying a good roll in the grass with a quick sun soak; Jessie literally baking herself on the hot surface in the sun and Luke who missed the boat going outside and going to complain about it. Luke is looking out the kitchen door; his mouth is open just before barking his complaint to me. He cannot tolerate too much time spent inside if I am out.

Jessie is sleeping really sound now at over 13 years of age. But she is still my shadow when she's awake; both Luke and Jessie are shadow dogs, Tilley is good with a quick check in every so often. If Luke and Jessie have somehow missed where I moved to they get a little panicky and you can hear their footsteps pick up speed until they finally locate me. Jessie remains pretty calm but worried when she can't find me; Luke gets crazed the longer he cannot find me and I will often hear his feet skidding around corners until he has discovered my whereabouts and then he plays it cool like he wasn't going crazy trying to find me. But he quickly lays beside me keeping one eye on me at all times.

The sunny days of summer are great when the temperatures are not too high; whent hey are get out and enjoy the early hours or the great summer evening ones with your pooch.

Friday, this and that

Good Friday morning; love Fridays. I'm planning the day ahead of me and looking at my two very furry poodles. Hmmm, to clip or not to clip today. I think I need to get up and get going before I decide, it is a big task to shave them down and have them look good. A complete utility job is easy but it is all the nip and tucking after the initial trim that takes most of the time. I am not one to fuss over a haircut but they have to look at least presentable.

It was really hot yesterday and I didn't get the poodles out; they'll be out today as soon as I get going. All the dogs were crashed yesterday and when I got back from running errands not one left the comforts of my room. After about 20 min. Jessie wandered down to the kitchen to see what was up and the poodles never got up. The dogs are very accustom to my comings and goings; I don't like to stay out too long so I'm sort of in and out all day if it is a big errand day. As they get older they are less likely to get up for small things, it is different having older dogs.

Lastnight after the dogs ate Luke was fired up; he had that look in his eye and was being very pushy with the girls. He wanted a good romp and unfortunately Tilley is not the one for the job anymore. She tries to play a bit, she returned his play bows, did her mock charges and that's about it. Luke was left with a ton of energy and no one to release it on; after a while we needed to knock him down a few notches as he was not letting up on the poor girl. He needs a young'n to romp around with.

And while all this nonsense was going on; you know who was supervising...........Jessie. She was right in the middle deciding what was allowed and what was not allowed, mostly nothing is allowed. And then she got her walking papers so that the poodles could have a little fun. Tilley use to be able to beat the crap out of Luke, not anymore. Luke is a big body slammer so we have to stop that as well; Tilley is far to easy to knock over now to withstand a full on Luke slam.

Have a great weekend, we'll be chill'n

The heart of a canine

The heart of a canine is wonderful thing. How often do we hear stories about a dog saving their person? Or the recent story on the news of a dog literally dragging another dog off of the freeway who had been hit by a car ? Dogs come into our life and often alter our whole being; what we once thought of as our everyday existence forever changed. But the canine heart fills the little cracks, not every action is monumentous.

Just lastnight we went out to get some Yogurtland; and when we returned the dogs were fired up. Not sure what caused the burst of energy; not an hour before we had all gone on a big walk. Perhaps they knew that my return meant mealtime. But for whatever reason they were all running around like crazy and Luke decided to hassle the boss. Before Luke can even finish his thought Jessie is retaliating with a full airborne assault; she does not tolerate nonsense especially when directed at her. She makes me smile; all 15 pounds of her enforcing power.

A dog's brain may be complicated but their heart is simple. The canine heart belongs to us and ours to them; and there is nothing more uncomplicated than enjoying each others company. They live to be with us; no matter if we are playing a retrieving game, hiking, working or just sitting watching the sunset, they are by our side. They wait patiently for us to return home each and everytime we leave and are ready at a moments notice for anything we might want to do with them.

As I move about my daily routine I am constantly aware that I have several silent partners. The act of a moving pack is inspiring and touching on a human level, for dogs it is what they do, move with the pack. Even during a deep sleep they will glance up with an intense gaze ensuring that you are still close, this look alone can fill a heart. Our dogs take on the role of guardian; both of our person and home and at this they are steadfast.

Truly; there is nothing to compare to the connection we have with a dog. Whether you have one dog or 7 dogs; the connection is available with all. Within each dog lies an individual waiting to bridge with a human; once that happens their heart is yours and yours theirs. And even a once broken heart; tossed aside by an irrelevant human going mindlessly through life; the second hand dog will not give up. Given half the chance this forgotten dog will try again putting their past in the past and moving on to fill a new heart; their guardian, you.

DNA testing

Finally; for those of you who have breeds of questionable heritage you can now find out just what's in the mix. DNA testing is becoming much more popular now that it is being offered to people who really need to know what they dogs heritage is. When you see a litter of mixed breed puppies they can look similar or each and every puppy can look entirely different. And yet those puppies have the same identical dna as one another so guessing as to parentage can be difficult.

Even if two purebred dogs have been bred their puppies can look very different; take the doodles for instance. You can have what looks to be almost pure labs all the way up to almost pure poodles and everything in between. So what if you add a third or forth breed? The results can number into the hundreds of different looking dogs. So if you really want to know what breeds were mixed together to create your dog you can now find that out through canine DNA testing.

Canine DNA tests available


You can have this test done with only a cheek swab although after I have researched the subject; it seems that a blood sample renders a quicker and more reliable end result. While you may be able to take a good guess at what breeds are in your dog; you could be way off. Some mixed breeds are simply the mixing of two purebred dogs while others can have 25 or more breeds in the mix. Dogs can come from a long line of mixed breeds adding more and more dna to the mix over the years.

But do you really need to know? I think it is more for interest sake; your dog may exhibit some behaviors that you want explained. Why do they chase everyone? Why does your dog seem so guarding? Some answers may be revealed by a DNA test but some may just be your dog being a dog. Remember all dog breeds are mixes; over the years humans picked and mixed what they preferred in a dog resulting in the breeds we have today.

Breeders of purebred dogs have been using DNA testing for a longtime. It is used to ensure lineage, coat color and type as well as health issues. Many canine disorders and diseases can be located by a DNA test before breeding.

So if you really need to know what may be in your mixed breed dog's lineage; you can now find that out for a small fee.

I got a beef

Or should I say barbeque? Which is what the poor dogs being walked in this heat are doing, cooking. It truly makes me crazy when people walk their dog when the temperatures are super high like today. On the way home from Laguna Beach yesterday where I could barely stand the heat right on the beach I saw a couple walking their Rottweiller down the street. The dogs tongue was hanging out the side of it's mouth and it was panting far too heavily; I was so close to pulling over and doing some educating.

If for some odd reason you have the desire to take a nice walk in 90 degree weather, fine. Leave your dog at home and walk them in the morning when it is cool. Did you know that the sidewalk can easily be 10 degrees hotter than the air and the darker the ground the higher the temperature. If you walk your dog in high temperatures; not only are they suffering from the heat of the surrounding air but from the much higher temperatures radiating from the ground beneath their feet.

The temperature at 5:00 today was 92, the sidewalk was 10 degrees hotter and the asphhalt was nearly 120 degrees. Please consider as well, the lower to the ground a dog is the more they theses shorties suffer. The darker the dog the more they suffer from the heat. I was once told by a woman that black dogs do not suffer more than white dogs in the sun. Have you ever changed out of a black t-shirt because you are burning up in the sun? Ya, I thought so.

So please, if you want to enjoy the heat wait for the cooler temps to exercise your dog.

shots and stuff

This is not a widely known thing yet; dogs don't need shots every year. The more people I talk to the more I realize that this is not common knowledge. There are so many things that veterinarian offices will push on you that the average person just puts their trust in the vet and says okay. I'm am here to tell you that it is not okay. Let's start with the annuals, the parvo, distemper, rabies etc.

This is Dr. Jean Dodds vaccine protocol and one that I follow.

As far as I am concerned there are far too many booster shots given to dogs. When was the last time you had a booster? That's right, way back when you were a kid. Now don't get me wrong; I'm not bad mouthing vaccines, they are responsible for getting rid of many horrible diseases. But the old saying "more is better" does not apply here; to vaccines. And that sense of urgency you get when the yearly vaccination time comes around, forget about it. There is not a time bomb ticking away and the second that date comes and goes your dog is going to die of a contagious disease.

Titers are a wonderful thing; you can see just how well those vaccines are still working.

And just what happens to a dogs body when they receive too many vaccines? This is a good read.

It is extremely important that very young puppies not be given shots too early. Unfortunately many rescue and shelter groups double up on vaccinations which can cause severe damage days or years later. A dogs body can only handle so many vaccinations at one time and some of the cocktails that they are given are downright dangerous. Please research the subject; there is a wealth of information on the web about over vaccinating.

Okay let's move onto some of the other dangerous things. Flea and parasite treatments or shots.

There are the topical treatments where we put toxic chemicals onto our dogs. These topical treatments are made to stay on; you can barely wash them off so when and if there is a reaction it is nearly impossible to get it off. There are many many stories of this exact thing happening on the net. The warning on the box says to keep children away from it; hmmmmm and yet we put it right onto our dogs skin. That should be a red flag right there.

Then there is the pill, the one that puts the substance right into our dogs digestive system. It is powerful enough to work from the inside out; ever think about that? How toxic a substance has it got to be to kill ticks and fleas on the outer skin? Ivermectin (Ivomec®, Heartgard®)is the most commonly used and comes in the conconction to kill all. This product was originally created for heartworms; a parasite spread via mosquitos. I use to live where there were enough mosquitos in the summer to literally drag you off but here in Southern California I've seen probably 3 in almost 11 years. I do not treat my dogs for heartworm and I do not use flea and tick treatments.

A bath will kill most fleas so regular bathing will keep them in check; yes it is work but keep your dog chemical free is worth it. Got a pool? Let your dogs swim, and kill those buggers. As for ticks, you gotta pick them off. If your dog has been in a tick environment you must check them for ticks and remove them; I do it all the time. I use hemostats pictured above but you can use tweezers or these I have not used this device so don't know if they actually work or not.

Last summer was a bad season for kennel cough; I knew several people who's dog got it at the dogpark. Yes even when a dog has a been vaccinated against it with Bordatella they risk being infected because of the number of strains that can be out there. So for me I would rather steer clear of the dog park in the summer months and forgo the Bordatella shot in lieu of management. I don't walk around bushes in the hot months when ticks are bad and I watch for the first signs of fleas and get bathing. And I run titer tests on my dogs; they have all had numerous bouts of shots and now years later are still getting great immunity results on their titers.

Just something to ponder folks.

The idiot vent

This mornings blog is more a vent; so thank you for allowing me to vent. Yesterday morning I took Jessie and Tilley to a school. It is a school near me with a big field and lots of areas to walk. When I got there I was very happy to see that we were alone so I quickly popped the girls out of the car and off we went. It was nice a quiet; you could hear lots of birds as we meandered through the yards. There are rabbits everywhere so the girls have a great time sniffing around and searching for critters.

We had done the whole yard and were in a quiet little grassy area heading back when I heard the telltale sound of charging feet; not a sound I like to hear. I turned to see who was coming; a tall lab mix with his hair on his back from his head to his tail standing erect. At the speed he was coming it was hard to tell exactly what he had in mind. But knowing Jessie I did know that it was not going to be a good interaction. Jessie saw him immediately and got ready to attack. Tilley being Tilley just watched as he approached and then he hit her; it happened very fast.

Jessie was in full attack mode; with me holding her back on her leash as the dog charged in and out. Tilley regained her footing and the dog focues his attention on Jessie, not good. As Jessie was doing her best grizzle bear routine he decided to counter her. I screamed at the dog and he again turned his attention to Tilley which gave me enough time to speed scan for an owner. Ah, legs in the distance so I screamed at him to call his dog. "Zeke," he called and offered a lame ass "sorry." The kind of sorry that you know has absolutely no emotion behind it; I was fuming.

If you cannot control your dog then DO NOT TAKE IT OFF LEASH. This whole scenario is typical, idiot owner, idiot dog. The dog had meant no real harm, it was however over stimulated which lead to obnoxious bully behaviors. This behavior was obviously fine with the owner; as he saw nothing wrong in what his dog had done. No he had not hurt my dogs although Tilley may have been hurt by being slammed into by the idiot; not everyone appreciates being mauled by a big slobbering and slightly aggressive deliquent. This is not acceptable in our world, nor is it acceptable in the world of dogs. Had Luke been with us the story would have turned out far different.

I have an easily triggered adrenaline rush which was indeed triggered by this whole scene. I am a very protective Mom and the idea that one of my old girls could be injured just brings out the Grizzle bear in me as well. With our nice Saturday morning walk now ruined I tried to get rid of the adrenaline that had coursed through me and focused on having a good rest of the walk so the girls would not have a negative association to this school. It is so important to finish on a high note; you must always consider this when something negative happens. I grumbled some choice words about the idiot with the dog and then headed home. This black beast put in the hands of someone else would probably have been a wonderful dog; idiot.

Am I proud?

You bet I am. I had the poodles at the park the other day; we were lucky as we hit it at an off time. This means that we have the park to ourselves and they can do our walk off leash. I love this because then they get at least double the exercise that I can give them on leash. As usual we pull up and park the car (actually the way cool xterra). Luke is pacing and whining in anticipation; I hop out and open the back hatch. Luke immediately goes into scout mode; "who's here?" I lift Tilley out and then let the wildman out.

I position myself just right so that I can see the park in it's entirety. Cool, no one else is here so I go up a few short steps and release the hounds. The normal protocol is leashes off; they wait until they get the word, the word that let's them know that they can tear off. "Okay," is barely out of my mouth and they are off. Luke is way out ahead but Tilley is close behind. Being all boy the first thing Luke needs to do it mark, trees, garbage cans and anything else a boy can lift a leg on.

It's not long until Luke has got his ya ya's out; Tilley has fallen into her position behind me and I give her a "let's go" to get her out in front and moving. And then I see it; a tiny baby rabbit just off the path. Immediately I look to see if Luke sees it; of course he does and he is already in stalk mode. I yell to him "leave it" and his whole body changes, so then I yell GOOOOOOOOOOOD BOOOOOOOOOOOOY, WHAT A GOOOOOOOD BOY. You can see him beaming, he loves to hear these words. Now it's Tilley's turn; the rabbit has not moved and is still innocently eating.

Tilley's stalk is not the same as Luke's; Tilley means business. Not that she wants to kill the rabbit, her chase or prey drive is off the charts and not something she can easily control. I bellow out "LEAVE IT," she's not that far from me but loosing her hearing somewhat. I fully expect to have to shout it again when to my surprise she turns her head away from the rabbit. I was the one beaming now; both of my dogs had ignored their instinct and listened to me without so much as the tiniest of complaint, nice. I told Tilley how amazing she was and her reaction was more like "ya I know," than Luke's pure joy of being a good boy.

We rounded the otherside of the park and came to yet another young rabbit stupidly eating and not hopping away and we repeated our first leave it success. This is what I call amazing, when you can control this type of drive off leash you have truly connected with your dogs. Am I proud?

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.