One on one time

One on one with your dog; yep it is extremely important. Do you remember when you were a kid; if you had brothers and sisters how great it felt when you got to spend one on one with your parents? I know it made me feel pretty special; it was a time to share without getting lost in the crowd so to speak. I have two sisters and two brothers so getting some individual time was a treat. The same goes for your dogs; if you have two or more then you have a pack of dogs and although a pack of dogs is a wonderful thing they need their alone time.

Alone time is especially important when you have a puppy; you don't want the puppy bonding with the other dogs and not you. You need to become the most important thing in your dog;s life; the leader. Dogs in a pack will usually figure out the pack dimension; occasionally they can't quite figure it out and we must step in. If the dogs are always together they will be handicapped when you take them out alone. I have seen this alot when people never have alone time with individuals. By removing a dog and spending quallity alone time with them, taking them on walks or just getting out and socializing you allow each dog to grow to their full potential.

Dogs act very differently when they are on their own. A dog who is a confident member of a pack may be a very fearful dog when removed from the pack; their comfort zone. Socializing is extremely important; the more you introduce your dog to the more comfortable they will be in general about life as a whole. And when you take them out alone they flourish; they can experience life without the shadow of the pack. Even when you only have two dogs; individual time is extremely important.

If you have a big pack then you can do individual time and switch around pair time. This allows each dog to bond to the others without the whole pack watching. New relationships can form resulting in a very happy pack. Having a pack of dogs is work; and often one member can get lost in the crowd. This is a sad situation because removed from a large pack this individual may thrive. Sometimes certain dogs are not meant to be large pack dogs; and these dogs are best placed in a home with perhaps only one other member.

Remember how wonderful it feels to be given one on one attention; then give that gift to your dogs.

Greeting

Having been home now for 2 days since visiting the beautiful city of Victoria BC the dogs are settling down somewhat. It takes them few days to realize that we are not leaving again. When we did arrive home late Wednesday evening they went crazy. Tilley was smiling, Jessie was doing her tiny horse routine, trotting around with a toy in her mouth and Luke.......................well Luke was going ape. He was spinning, jumping, huffing and biting my hair. Hair biting is reserved for the big greetings or for when he is in an exceptionally excited mood.

Although we got the big parade greeting when we got home from our trip; we often get nothing now. Luke will be 9 in two weeks, Tilley is 12 and Jessie 13 so sometimes no one comes to the door. Jessie's hearing is not what it use to be so many times she simply doesn't hear us. Tilley finds it harder to get up so although she may know we are home; it's alot of work to get up and greet us. And Luke is just plain lazy sometimes; waiting for us to come and greet him.

They are a funny bunch and there is nothing like coming home to your dogs.

Root of the cause

Drugs, antibiotics and more drugs................this seems to be the trend of many doctors and vets alike. The more I hear of dogs being given antibiotic after antibiotic the more I shutter. Yes there is a time and a place when antibiotics are very much needed and I am not down on them; what I am down on is the overuse of them in the medical profession. There are some people who the minute they are sick want antibiotics. They don't give a hoot if they are not going to help them; they just want them because they are sick. But if you do some research you soon find out that they may be doing more harm than good.

Within the last couple of years I have had some medical issues of my own. With many many trips to the doctors I was given the same instructions that anyone else with similar problems was given; take this. Then when it wasn't helping I was given a stronger dose of basically the samething. I was told the exact same thing as everyone else and it wasn't working. Becoming fed up with the doctors treating me as a part on an assembly line I took things into my own hands and I am happy to say I am feeling much better.

Now as far as I am concerned the same goes for our dogs. No two dogs are alike; cortisone, predisone and antibiotics are freely given by many vets. There is no searching into the root cause; and many times these drugs are merely a bandaid giving no real healing benefits. And if they are given medications often they can harm a dogs natural immune system.

As with anything in my life; research is the way to go, that is IMHO.

I'm back

Sorry I missed a couple of days; I've been gone a full week and now I am back home. I wrote several blogs to post while I was gone but at the very end skipped a couple. I was in Victoria, BC which was totally amazing. I don't think I've seen more beautiful scenery. And from a tourist perspective it looks very dog friendly. The hotel where we were staying allowed dogs; there were quite a few. And one day we ran into a nice couple with a beautiful cafe au lait standard poodle who we discussed the wonders of the poodle with.

We did alot of traveling around the island and there were lots of places to run dogs off leash. We found an amazing trail that went all along the shore of Victoria that was leash free past a certain point. I so wish I had my guys there to enjoy it. Then on several occasions when we were enjoying the local shores we watched as the dogs had fun. One evening a pack of three arrived with their guardians; they were all off leash and obviously accustom to coming to this spot, so feeling like the beach was theirs. They wandered around; they were perhaps a chow mix, a smaller short haired mix and a very old lab. The pack consisted of 2 boys who were well into their senior years and one female who was much younger but very clearly the boss of the pack.

We watched as the poor old lab swayed as he tried to walk over the rocks. While we watched the dogs enjoying themselves another woman arrived with her very young lab who was loving every second of his stick retrieving in the water. As soon as the first pack alpha noticed him she was down and checking him out in a flash. She decided it was okay for him to stay; the old boy gave him a once over and after several head in the air barks decided he could stay as well. I'm not sure if you can see; but the old labs back legs were crossed so badly as he tried to leave that he nearly lost his balance. Then the chow mix wandered over after hearing his brother barking; he too told the young'n that he could stay. The pack wandered off and watched the young dog having fun.

It was interesting to see the young labs response to the entire pack swooping down on him; he was quite confident. After the old boy checked him out he seemed to be even more confident; perhaps realizing just how old this senior was. It was a wonderful trip; but I'm sure glad to be back with the gang.

Exercising the dog

How much exercise is enough and is there an amount of exercise for our dogs that is too much? I often see people at the dog park who tell me that they come for 2 hours a day. But they also say that their dog seems to need more and more exercise all the time. Makes sense doesn't it? The more your dog becomes accustom to a certain amount of exercise the more they need to tucker them out. Not all exercise needs to come in the form of all out pelting; mental exercise can really baff a dog.

I believe all dogs need to go for a run everyday; an off leash run. But, that could be a 30 min good run or a 20 full out speed run. Then they need to cool down and relax. Teaching a dog to chill can be as important if not more important than a marathon run. I like when dogs know when to turn it on, and turn it off. For many this means teaching them how to chill. Obedience is a wonderful exercise if done in a positive manner. But even for some obedience can be overstimulating so you have to watch for those signs of excitement.

Entertaining a brain is just as important as entertaining a body. When you do go for a walk; switch it up, don't do the same ole walk day in and day out. Dogs love new scents to smell, new ground to conquer and a whole new bunch of messages to read on their walks. Dogs can become very annoying if their routine becomes well.............routine. Often when dogs are brought to a certain field or park and let off to run wild; they cannot be controlled by their guardian. This is a common complaint; so to minimize this issue make sure no matter where you go or what you are doing; there are rules to follow and don't forget to mix it up.

Got it again

I got it again just the other day; "what is that?" That being my boy Luke with his fresh new haircut. I get this alot; my dogs don't look what people think poodles should look like. So why do poodles have all the poofs and pom poms? Poodles were originally a water retriever; way before labradors came the poodle. Yep, they are a working dog and a great utility dog at that. The poofs were created to protect certain parts of their body from the cold in the water. Later as they made their way into the show ring the hair got bigger and higher; like we see today.

There really is no reason for it today and most of the "actual" working poodles are clipped in utility type styles. The shorter the hair the less the work; plain and simple. Absolutely everything sticks in a poodle coat and if you plan on a day of swimming and running through the fields or beaches with your poodle then you have two choices. 1. Tons of brushing and bathing or 2. Clip them short and don't worry about it.

I was asked many years ago why I wanted poodles if I didn't want them to look like poodles. Hmmmm; poodles do not come out with pom poms. Let's be straight about this, pom poms are a human thing, not a dog thing. Poodles come out as curly dogs; that's it curly and hugely hairy if let to grow. There are some people letting their dogs grow and cording but that comes with a whole pile of gross issues. To each his own; I like ease in my life and I happen to think poodles are far to beautiful an animal to hide under a pile of hair. But if you love the hair then that is entirely up to you.

The one thing I do hate is that people think of poodles in a certain way because of the pom poms. And this could not be further from the real poodle inside. They all look like my poodles, under the hair that is.

Finding the right groomer

Finding the right groomer for you and your dog can be a task. There are lots of things to consider; one of the first is that you should use referrals. Others who use a certain groomer and really like them is invaluable. Otherwise how can you know? Second; is the grooming shop clean? Do they take the dogs out to relieve themselves? Are they friendly with the other groomers and with you? Of course not all friendly people are great with dogs but if you don't like the person how can you leave your dog with them?

How long do you have to leave your dog at the facility? All day is a long day for a dog. I like the ones that make an appointment and although they might run over or under a bit your dog doesn't have to stay all day. What about the mobile groomers; this is great that they come to your door, get the job done and they are gone. Again get a recommedation from others who love their groomer. Afterall if you have a dog that is going to be getting groomed alot; that is alot of time spent with this person.

Does the groomer listen? I don't know how many people I've heard tell me that they thought their groomer knew what they wanted but when they picked up their dog they were shocked. The dog was not groomed anything like they had discussed. Make sure you have a good line of communication with your groomer. Do they use cage dryers? I am not a fan of these because I know of several dogs who have died from them. There are people who use them safely but I much prefer a handheld and time spent with the dog out of a cage than cage dryers.

Pay close attention to your dogs behavior after you pick them up from a groomer. Do they seem okay or upset? Check them over with a fine tooth comb; watch for any razor burn, nicks or cuts. With some research and networking you can find one of the great groomers out there.

Puppy eyes

The eyes have it; you know they do. Once you lock onto those baby blues your doomed. Do you really have a choice in the matter or is it the awwww emotion that get's you everytime? You should have a choice and as adorable as that puppy may be she may not be the one for you. As a temperament tester it is my job to see the differences in puppies. And believe me there is a big difference.

A litter of puppies may look all the same; and yes we know they are all adorable but what are you looking for in your puppy? Do you want a dog that just lays by your feet day in and day out? Do you want a dog who acts like it's the fourth of July everytime you walk in the front door? Do you want a dog that will love greeting all your friends and their dogs or do you care? There are alot of things to think about when looking into those big adorable puppy dog eyes.

If you know what type of dog will best suit your family and lifestyle then looking for those specific traits makes raising a puppy much easier. Yes there are behaviors that can change through the simple experiences of life but for some changing is easier than others. And there are litters where puppies are very similar; these are the great litters. The litters where there are differences but pretty much every puppy would fit nicely into someones home without too much difficulty.

Of course there are people who like a challenge; the people who want the tough dogs, the ones who are going to give you a run for your money every step of the way.
It is good that we are as different as dogs and like in humans there is someone for everyone. ;)

Car manners

One thing I demand of my dogs is manners; sometimes I want very mannerly dogs, other times I'm not as fussy about it. For the car I demand manners; it can be dangerous if you don't have a controlled situation when in the car or going in or out of the car. All dogs are different so what is a piece of cake for one can be very tough for another. Like my Luke and Tilley.

Tilley is almost always mannerly; she patiently waits until she is asked for everything including the car. Now at 12 she needs to be hoisted in and accepts this. Then there is Luke; not so patient; Luke get's over excited. Anything he loves is something to get overly excited about So the car is one thing and he typically whines out the door until he is in the car. Before we leave the house he must have his harness grabbed onto or he is like a rocket. He'll knock anything in his path down; hence needing control.

He has to wait until he is given the word; the "o" word that let's him know he can leap like a gazzel into the car. Patient he is not but he complies. Once he is in he paces like a maniac stomping over the girls. He is allowed to jump in and can still easily do this so I let him. Once I get in the car he calms until we near our destination and again he must keep his composure. Depending on the level of fun will determine the shrieking level until he gets out of the car.

He must wait again until I give the "o" (okay) word. This is one of the most important things I've taught my dogs. They should never be allowed to just fly out as soon as the door is open. This is a behavior I see regularly and one that is worth the time spent to stop. It could save your dog's life and perhaps your sanity.

Have a great Thursday :)

Swimming

I've taught alot of dogs to swim; my poor first girl (an Airedale) had been thrown in the lake at the age of 6 weeks old (not by me). Thinking "dogs swim naturally" the idiot. From that day she was afraid of the water; gee that's odd eh? So anyway when she was my dog I decided she should learn to swim because she really wanted to go in but was afraid. It took a while; she did what most dogs do when they are learning, she was reaching. She was reaching for the bottom with her back legs which is not a good idea when you are trying to stay ontop of the water. Wasn't long and she was going down.

I came to Mandy's rescue many times before it kicked in and when it did she was gone. We use to go to the lake whenever we could and Mandy would just run in and be gone for a hour swimming. She'd go out really far; past my comfort zone and all you could see is her little head poking up out of the water. She also loved to go under and pull out rocks or I should say boulders. She'd pull out rocks that were so huge it seemed impossible for her to grab them but as a result in her old age; her k9s were mere stubs.

Most of my poodles have loved to swim, but they were all brought up on lakes. Lakes are easy to learn to swim in with the slopping entry. Here the ocean is scarey; even for a natural and pro like Tilley. She does not battle the huge crash on the shore and prefers now to run in the surf. Luke has never learned how to swim because of it. There are not alot of places to take your dog swimming here. There is the big waves ocean or the man made lakes that you aren't allowed in with dogs. So I miss the lakes.

I took Luke swimming "illegally" a while back. A harbor area where there are no waves but there is a huge drop off. Tilley had a blast diving off of the drop off; she learned to dock dive in Canada. Luke on the other hand had no idea that darker means deeper and while running around in the water; he himself dropped off. I had to go to his rescue as he was reaching, reaching for the unfound bottom and slowly sinking.

He fell off the edge several times and was so panicked that he never got the swim thing. He naturally knows to paddle but the reaching interferes with the swimming lesson. Because the drop off is not good for me to walk around in I couldn't help him. For Mandy I had held her rear end up until she learned to use it to paddle with instead of reach. Maybe I'll head back down at high tide when I can walk but Luke must swim, maybe.

Today

Grooming

Well the weather man says that this heat is not letting up anytime soon; so it's groom time today. I have been contemplating grooming the poodles for several days but knowing that it will remain hot I'll now get to it. I will start as soon as I am done here. I got a great grooming jacket at a Grooming expo that I went to a while back; it is amazing. For 25 years I have been dealing with the hair issue after grooming. Those little things get in everywhere and even after washing the clothes they are still there; well not anymore. I guess I would have known about these shirt/jacket type things had I been a professional groomer but I'm not so it took a while but I LOVE IT.

Luke will be in a mood for several days once he is clipped down; he really enjoys his coat. It's like an extra blanket under him; very cozy. He doesn't mind so much during the day but in the evening and morning especially he misses it and will not be speaking to anyone for a while. But with the heat, the beach and the environment being so dry everything sticks onto a poodle coat. They are like giant walking velcro, so no more chatting. I must get to it.

Have a great day and try to stay cool.

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?