Waiting

The count down begins; there are only a few weeks between your life as you know it now and your new life with your new puppy. You've done your research, talked to goodness knows how many breeders and found the one. Once you found the one you paid to be one of the many in line for these precious little bundles which may or may not have already been born. Once they are born there is a new excitement in the adventure and the wait begins. Those who have acquired a puppy from an ethical breeder know far too well the what the wait is like.

Some people are lucky and stumble upon a litter that is already ready to go. But for many; the road to adding a new puppy to their home is a long one. There are obstacles that can add or reduce the length of your search. If you are trying to match personalities with other dogs in your existing pack then your search will be much longer. If you are stuck on one color and your breed has a multitude of colors then you'll be a while. If this is a first dog then you will have a much shorter search. But now the question arises; are you ready?

What do you have to do to prepare for your new puppy? Much of it is psychological; resetting your mind to a different station. One where you are the supervisor for several months; checking your watch while you are out and getting back in time for the baby. Listening; always listening for the tiniest little whimper that lets you know it's go time again. Are you ready?

There are things you need to purchase; a crate, toys and lots of them, a new bowl maybe two, leash and collar. You'll need old blankets or towels for the puppy to sleep on and perhaps some paper towels. You will need to decide if you haven't already; what food this new addition will be eating. If you don't have a vet that you really like; you'll have to find one. I suggest going and talking to all the possibilities. Are you a conventional thinker when it comes to medicine or do you lean more to the alternative healing side? These difference are important to consider when choosing a vet.

Oh yes; things are going to be different but as I sit here blogging I am surrounded by three senior dogs. How time flies; it seems like just yesterday that I was bringing my blonde bundle home to meet the girls. My baby is now 9 years old; enjoy the puppy months they are fleeting.

Sense of smell

Dogs love the wind don't they? Although we should not allow it; dogs love to hang their heads out the car window taking in all the scents that they can. It is dangerous to do this because they could get something lodged in their eye, hurt their throat or all sorts of things. Anytime the breeze comes up my dogs all face the wind and let their ears flap. They love it; it is a transportation device for smells.

The other day Luke was standing out at the top of the yard, ears flying in the wind, eyes squinted and nose working overtime. He was catching the scent; who knows what he was getting in it but he was definitely enjoying himself. Dogs have the ability to smell some 100,000 times better than we do. Hard to wrap your head around that number eh? Watching them follow a scent is very interesting and if you watch closely you will see them use their sense of smell often.

Many times my own dogs loose sight of someone they have been following; say my husband or myself. They immediately drop their head to the ground and start the scenting process of finding that person. They know the difference between a fresh and old scent and can follow the most recent one. This is very clear when Jessie (my Jack Russell) is hunting for critters. She sticks her head into each hole in the ground but only digs the holes where there is someone home presently. No doubt all of the holes smell like critters but she knows which ones have tenants who are home.

As dogs age they tend to loose some of their scent ability. One reason why I now can find food on the floor in the kitchen, not only has Jessie not seen it she has not smelled it either. Click on this article on a dogs sense of smell for a great read.

Feeding dogs

You've all seen the big advertisements on the tv. "Your dog will thank you, your dogs coat will glissen." They even make the little kibbles into bone shaped pieces to convince us it is healthy. Well what these big dog food companies are doing is exactly the same thing that all the other big commercial companies are doing; advertising. They are advertising a product as an amazingly nutritious food source for your dogs when in fact "real food," is a much healthier alternative. There are very few actual "dog foods" that I would ever give my dogs and the ones you can buy in the big box stores or grocery stores would not be any of them.

When we are told by veterinarians not to give our dogs anything other than dog food; we obediently comply. I have been told by so many clients; no treats for my dog, the vet said so. I shake my head and over the next few weeks slowly turn over some true nutritional information. The biggest advertised foods Iams and Pedigree are some of the absolute worst foods to feed. Even after the biggest dog food recall ever people are buying this stuff. Do your research; and do your research on sites that look at all different dog foods.

The largest information facts that are smack dab in our faces about what our dogs should eat is the fact that they all are descendants of wolves. All of our dogs; big, small, short and long came from domesticating the wolf. There genes remain the same and their food requirements are the same. When was the last time you watched a documentary on wolves where they were eating kibble? Processing food kills essential nutrients so the best food for dogs is fresh and raw.

No variety is another big "lie" we are told. "Only feed one food, don't mix it up." The truth is far from this statement. Wolves in the wild eat whatever they can sink their teeth into, perhaps a deer one day, a rabbit the next and then a week full of mice if the pick'ns are slim. Can you imagine someone making you eat a big bowl of dry cereal day in and day out; the same cereal at that? I know lots of people who don't even like to eat leftovers because it is what they ate yesterday.

There is a plethora of information on feeding canines on the internet; how to's and how not to's. Before you pour that dry stuff into your dogs bowl; do some reading with your eyes very wide open and do not go blindly down the path that the big commercial dog food companies have laid for you.

Body language

The other evening I was enjoying the cooler weather after the sunset as the dogs were eating outside. I am always there when the dogs are eating no matter where they do their eating. Jessie typically moves in to a safe range and hovers; waiting to snatch what she can. Although Jessie is the alpha in our pack and a voracious food maniac she is not stupid, not entirely stupid that is. But often her drive for food does hamper her otherwise dog savvy behavior.

So there we were; everyone eating nicely, even Luke. Jessie was done in a heartbeat; she doesn't chew anything and simply inhales which takes next to no time. She then moves to Luke's bowl and inch by inch closes in. This is where I come in and keep her at a distance that doesn't bother Luke; he doesn't like when she moves in and will sometimes just walk away if it gets to him too much. This night he was very much enjoying his fresh chicken and was not moving away. As I watched closely Luke froze at Jessie's approach; she missed this signal and one second later she received an almighty growl which even startled me.

Jessie's head flew to face the opposite direction before the growl was complete and Luke continued to eat. This head turn let's Luke know that she has no intention of pushing the issue. The action/reaction is imperative for dogs, it is how they communicate. Had she meant to take the food from Luke she would not have turned her head and the interaction would have grown. This is where it is the most important to step in. Normally I don't allow Jessie to get close enough to receive a growl; I make her wait at a distance and then once Luke is done she must wait for me to give the okay or not.

Obviously on this night the normal range was too close for Luke. He had put a higher value on what he was eating and intended on not letting Jessie have even the tiniest of morsels. Not watching got Jessie into trouble on this night; the same thing goes for when guardians are not watching. You can miss alot in a heartbeat.

The heart of a k9

How many times has a human let you down? If you are like most people; your answer will be often. This morning I was having a bit of bloggers block; it happens now and again so off to the gym I went. On my return; I was welcomed with an exhuberant display from a tiny Jack Russell doing her best "wild stallion" display. She grabbed her toy and stomped her way through the house at top speed. She had seen me coming; she was looking out the front window as I pulled into the driveway so as soon as I came through the door the show began.

How great is it to be greeted by your dog? After my big JRT greeting Tilley came flying down the stairs with her tail wagging and her teeth giving me the biggest grin. Geesh; I'd only been gone maybe 35 min. but they were overjoyed to see me. This old lady was acting like she was just given a shot of super juice and charged around barking and growling up a storm. She did the best "huge" greeting that her old legs could muster. We ran out the back door to continue our big event as she latched onto my arm the way she use to many years ago.

I knew it was only a matter of time before all the excitement got Luke out of bed. He watched from the livingroom until he could stand it no more and charged out to join in the fun. I don't know what got into Tilley this morning but she was surely excited to see me. It is a bit sad to see her mind going through the process but her legs have a hard time keeping up. But no matter; this morning made me smile, her sheer happiness made me happy. It is contagious; watching dogs have fun and being happy just for sake of being happy makes you happy.

Although the elaborate greetings are wonderful ; sometimes it is in the quiet times that you come to the realization; just how wonderful dogs really are. They seldom talk back; never put you down, never lie (that's a biggy), never disappoint you, worship the ground you walk on, hang on your every word and are always, always there for you. Dogs are great listeners; something that I try very hard to be but they are naturals at it. You can tell them your deepest darkest secrets and they won't tell anyone........Mom's the word.

My husband commented earlier this week "dogs are way happier than people." This is so true; my dogs are rarely in a grump and the worst of it is usually that they don't feel like obliging to one of my requests. They are up and ready all the time; even at the age of 12 and 13 my old girls are up for fun. And now that it is there time in life for all the special tlc they are still giving. When your really need a hug they are there to give them out freely; they seem to draw away all the bad and fill you with peace and happiness once again. Amazing what one simple hug can do for a human. Canines have amazing healing power; simply by being a dog.

Progressive retinal atrophy

PRA - is a disease of the retina. Jessie has recently been diagnosed with Progressive retinal atrophy. We have not gone to a specialist as it is simply a diagnosis and nothing is to be done for dogs with this disease but when it is discovered in young dogs it should be reported to a breed related genetic data base so that breeders can follow and locate it's progress. There are many forms of PRA ranging from very early loss of eyesight to a loss of some eyesight over a longer length of time without loosing full sight.

Jessie is one of the lucky ones; she is not a high risk breed and is just recently loosing enough sight to trip up. At 13.5 it is sad to see many things failing in our dogs but sight especially. Just this weekend when I was away my husband had her out for a walk; he explained to me how she hit a curb infront of her that she never saw. There are things we must adjust to as well as our dogs adjusting. I see her loss of sight on a daily basis now; she will come into a room looking for me and not see me right off. One of the biggest signs of her loss of sight is the fact that there is food on my kitchen floor; something that is very new for me. Jessie has always been my little vacuum.

We are very fortunate that this disease did not affect Jessie until now and if we keep Jessie's surroundings fairly familiar to her she will do just fine. It is the young dogs who will suffer the most from this disease and like any other disease it is one that breeders must try their best to get on top of. There is no guarantee when you add a dog to your family but by purchasing from a very good breeder you definitely lower the risk of genetic diseases. When breeders research lines and outcross breed to heathly researched lines they give their puppies the best chance at a healthy life.

Pick'n it up

Most of us do it; and most of us have seen those who don't. And if you are like me you have probably glared at those who don't. Don't pick up poop that is; life with dogs involves picking up poop, fact. How you pick it up is a personal thing but YOU MUST pick it up. There are two areas where you need to pick it up; at home and away from home. Some people have different ways of picking up at home versus away. Many use the pooper scooper for home; I use to use one but find here in SoCal that it tends to attract far too many flies so I pick up using bags both at home and away.

I bought hundreds of biodegradeable bags for this purpose; I do not want to add to the whole "plastic bags" issue. When I pick up at home I tend to pack more in one bag; scouring the yard I try to get it all in. But there is a factor when you know that it is no longer safe to try to get more in. That is when you chance the poop on the hand and must weigh the risks of going for it or going and getting another bag. Many people find picking up poop in a bag to be gag causing; if you've got a weak stomach then the possibility is definitely there.

When I am out I'm more a one per bag type; even though once the dogs get started it seems to be a chain reaction and we have three within minutes to pick up. Once picked up you then have the "carry" issue. Carrying Jessie's poop is a non issue; it is small and compact, almost like there is nothing in the bag. But the poodles on the other hand is far more to handle and you pretty much want to get rid of it asap. I hate having more than one hand full when I am walking the dogs; I like a spare hand for the incase issues that might arise.

I have a strong stomach; nothing about dealing with dogs bothers me. At times others will be on the verge but not me. Don't know where I got my stomach of steel but after dealing with my skunk issue years ago, nothing gets to me. Ask me about my skunk story; but only if you have a strong stomach.

I'm back

I'm back; I was away for a week. I spent the major part of the time up at a cottage on a lake; the weather was amazing. When I returned lastnight my guys gave a quick sniff and flew into action. Luke nearly poked both my eyes out jumping and spinning with excitement. Tilley was smiling which she doesn't do near as often as she use to. And Jessie ran around like a little horse searching for a toy.

Once we went through the process all the dogs settled with one eye on Mom. They wanted to make sure if I left they were going to know about it. Good to be home.

Toys

Toys are an extremely important part of living with dogs. They may seem frivolous but don't be mistaken; they are very useful. The more toys and chew items you have for your dog to entertain themselves; the less likely your items are going to be chewed.

Toys are important right from the start; as soon as those little angels open their eyes they should have a plethora or toys to choose from. Big ones, little ones, hard, soft, textured, smooth and noisy. Toys are a great way to get started on environmental stimulus. I have talked to many people who have acquired rescue dogs that don't play. Many of these dogs may have lived an isolated life; they haven't a clue what a toy is or what to do with it, sad. You can still try to teach old dogs new tricks though through sheer enthusiasm. If you are excited; chances are they'll get excited.

Toys help you to interact; they serve a very useful purpose when teaching the drop exercise. They help when teaching a dog to be gentle and they can help you obtain leadership status through "he who owns the toys is the boss." So go ahead and splurge; your dog deserves it. Again I get alot of my toys at the good discount stores. Why pay more for something your dog may very well destroy in minutes?

Heat

Although it has cooled down somewhat here; it's still hot. The other day I was driving down the street and noticed a guy walking his FULL COATED pomeranian in the midday sun. The dogs was obviously way overheated and I wanted to pull over and give the guy a blast. Then as the guy was waiting to cross the street the dog was frantically pacing; lifting his feet from the heat radiating from the pavement. I almost lost it.

If it is hot out; please take off your shoes and stand in one spot on the surface where you plan to walk your dog. Then make your decision if your dog would rather stay home in the cool comforts of home; or join you on your heat walk. And don't forget to add 10 more degrees to how hot it is for your dog who is way down close to that radiating hard surface.

Puppy days

My husband was going through the garage the other day and found this image. A photo of me and Luke; Luke is 4 mos. old in this photo and looking at it today I see why I fell instantly in love with him. Even so many years later he still melts my heart. I mean look at those eyes and those giant ears. He can be doing nothing; simply laying on the floor with his paw beside his face and I'm sunk.

When I went to see Luke's litter I honestly had no intention of getting one of the puppies. I met him when he was 7 weeks old; the age I would normally do the temperament test. Trying to think back I don't know how Luke would have scored; probably not so great. He was crazy; jumping, jumping and jumping as his brothers and sisters lay quiet all resting. All but Luke.There was just something about his over exhuberance that got me. He definitely liked people; ALOT. And I had never seen such a "pick me" display before. After I left I could not stop thinking about the little butter colored puppy I'd met there. For 5 weeks our meeting muddle my everyday thoughts until an amazing friend intervened and the decision was made.

Luke and I were fate; I'm sure of it. I can't imagine Luke not in my life; it sure makes for excitement. Never a dull moment with my butter.

The startle factor

We all do it; we startle. But what startles one may not do a thing to the next person or dog. I have three dogs as you know; both girls are pretty rock solid and Luke....................well he is not. He is about the most nervous dog we've had. He is not the most nervous dog I've met; far from it. He is not constantly looking over his shoulder, is not afraid of people or dogs; he's just jumpy. Luke does not like things that move on their own, door that blow, bags that blow, broom that slide down the wall and smash on the floor etc.

For Luke there is something mighty creepy about things that simply move on their own. He also is not a big fan of being stepped over; just try it and see. He flies up and out of position nearly knocking you to the ground; I have learned to let him fly before I step. I have actually tried to startle Tilley just to see how much it would take; in 12 years I've only startled her once. Jessie is starting to startle alot lately but I know that is because she is loosing both her hearing and her eye sight. Just imagine. I will often reach out to pet her and she startles; telling me that she didn't see my and coming towards her.

You can help dogs that startle alot by introducing them to as many things that might startle them small increments and work up. And like most behaviors the biggest help is your reaction; don't apologize, coddle or otherwise treat your dog like a baby. If you knocked a book onto the floor and it really startled your dog; say nothing bend down calmly and pick it up. Then go on with what you were doing.

You can actually create problems and cause issues that are already ingrained to become larger just by reacting. "Oh my gosh I'm sorry; did that scare you poor little guy?" I often slam doors because Luke has a real fear of doors slamming. He once had a seizure when he was very suddenly awoken from a deep sleep by a slamming door. This has left him with a fear of doors that move or blow in the wind.

Lead by example; your dog is watching.

Hackles

Hackles; is the hair on your dogs back. It goes from right behind their ears all the way to the and on the tail. Usually just the hair on the shoulders goes up easily with the neck and tail end being reserved for really big things. The hair on our dogs back goes up in times of alertness. It could be caused by fear or dominance. Fearful dogs approaching another dog will raise their hair as will an aggressive dog.

Situations like would be intruders can raise a dogs hackles. I think lastnight my guys hair would have been up. I know Jessie's was but I never know if the poodles hair is up or not. Although they both shook when they came if after fearlessly advanced on the invisible intruder in the backyard which is a good sign that it was up. When Jessie is really ticked off it goes from her neck all the way down onto her tail. She is very fierce looking. Jessie's hair even goes up when she is having an intense dream; raising shackles is an involuntary behavior.

It is very similar to turning red in the face. Some people have a very quick trigger to the red face situation as some dogs have a quick hair up trigger. But to really know what is going on with raised hair you must look at the whole picture, not only the hair. What are the ears, tail, head and body saying with the raised hair?

Puppies normally have hair triggers so to speak. Their hair goes up easily because they are not yet completely confident. But no matter what the cause the result is a dog who is not in a calm relaxed state.

Evolution of our dogs

It was approximately 15,000 years ago that our dogs began their evolution from wild wolf to domesticated dog. There is some disagreement as to the exact location of the first domesticated dog but no matter how long or where they first started all of our dogs evolved from wolves. You can see the genetic similiarities in looks and behavior. Watching a pack of dogs or a pack of wolves is very similar.

So how the heck did we end up with so many different looking dogs? We humans like what we like correct? As the dog worked it's way into more and more human lives; these humans started to pick and choose traits they either liked visually or found useful. Traits such as good hunters, gentle with humans, cute ears etc were specifically chosen and the dogs who had these traits were the ones who were bred with other dogs who had desirable traits. Thus the pick and choose process began.

Once dogs were found to be good little companion; humans started breeding down in size so these cute little munchkins could sit on the elite laps. Where there was a need a dog was bred to fill that need; hunting dogs were bred by picking the superior scent or sight dogs. The evolution continued over thousands of years to now; there are dogs for everything. We have herding dogs; scent hounds, sight hounds, companion dogs, go to ground dogs, gentle lap dogs who's natural prey drive are nearly all but eliminated.

But beneath all of dogs lies the genetic pathway to the wolf; a wolf in dogs clothing. We humans can often humanize our dogs; we dress them and expect them to act as humans in our human world. They are often discarded as "bad dogs" when they act as dogs and not humans. Most humans do not come with the built in ability to understand dog behavior yet almost all humans want to live with dogs. It is in our best interest to learn as much as we can before attempting to live with a dog in our human world. Afterall there are wolves lurking in there.

As years go by

I had the girls out for their walk yesterday morning; we went early as the temperatures were to hit in the 100s. By 8:30 it was already in the 80s and well into the 90s when we got back home. A half of our walk is in the shade which is really nice; especially because Tilley was really really slow. As we made our way around the park Tilley lagged about 25 feet behind Jessie and I. Jessie was on her extension leash; she was jetting in every direction with the energy of a two year old.

I cut our walk short and we head back. On the way back we ran into a nice couple; they immediately asked if "that one," meaning Tilley was old? Yep she is 12.5 years; then came the customary "awwwwwwwwwww" as they gently pet Tilley and commented on her beautiful collar. I piped in "this one" meaning Jessie is 13.5 years old.................................................what? They were shocked; even though Jessie is a small dog she is amazing looking for her age. Without knowing that she is missing the pigment that she use to have you can't tell how old she is.

We got back home and the gang happily chowed down some raw beef for breakfast. Then in was into the a/c and sleeptime. It's not just me that feels the heat; the dogs definitely slow down in this kind of hit. Can't wait till its over.

The legacy of a lift

Not all boys lift; many people say that they wish their boy lifted but doesn't. The usual reason for a lift is to mark; not just to pee. Luke is a very good example of one who lifts to mark. He never lifts in the backyard; unless of course there has been another male in his yard and he is forced to remark his territory. Other than that he doesn't lift at home; he just sort of stands there. Sometimes he bends slightly but normally; he just lets r rip.

When we go for walks anywhere; he lifts. He lifts all over the place and he does the tiptoe lifting. "Look how big I am dude." Unfortunately Luke is one of the worst aimers and stoppers. He tends to start running off even before he has stopped peeing. Of course this results in the leg stains, nice. And he often contorts himself into strange positions and ends up peeing on his legs rather than his target. He has even peed on Jessie's head several times.

Luke pees after the girls pee; he usually waits for them to go and then by peeing on their pee lets any rogue boys in the yard know that these girls are his girls. He gets rather panicky about it and hence Jessie has been peed on. But it is not only the boys that mark or lift for that matter. Jessie marks and she lifts. I have seen her back up a tree as high as she can to go. She marks like a male on a walk and by end she is going through the process but nothig is coming out. She also like to do the kick display; check this out everyone. And I often have to tug on her when she kicks dirt in my face. But she loves it and I let her do it whenever it is an okay spot to do so. She can really get goin too; I've seen her go for a good 10-12 feet kicking and backing up.

So there you have some fun facts about peeing. Happy Saturday

Leashes

When you live with dogs you live with dogs on leashes; if and when I can safely allow my dogs to run free I do. Dogs running for the simple love of running is about one of the best things in life to watch. But then there are times when leashes are a must and frankly just good common sense. Many of my clients use to ask "when are we going to work off leash?" They wanted to be able to walk down a street with their dog off leash. I don't even do that with Tilley and Tilley as you all know is perfect.

Why do I not walk down the street with my dogs off leash? Because it's stupid; that's why. Even the best trained dogs will bolt; cat!!!! chase it. This can happen before a dog even knows what they are doing. Why risk your dogs life? I see people jogging with their dogs 100s of feet behind them on a busy street and it makes me shudder.

Another good reason for leashes is when you have a dog that is; let's say not so social. Let's use Jessie as an example; Jessie is a very dominant Jack Russell. When she meets a new dog she needs to let them know that she is the Queen of the world and they must bow down to her. Well; not such a good thing to do to all dogs you don't know. Some dogs just dont' like having a 15 lb little tank body throwing themselves at them. So, Jessie is almost always on a leash basically for her own safety.

The other day at the park there was a bunch of woman exercising on mats; the teacher of the group had an old golden off leash. I played the whole scenario in my head before we even got close to the area where they were working. The big lumbering golden was going to come and say hello to Jessie; she was going to take a mouthful of his golden locks from his body and the lady would yell at me, nope not happening. As I got closer and saw the golden coming our way I shouted "my dog is not friendly." She shot up off her mat and apologized immensely for her dog wandering our way. Much better than the first scenario.

You can tell when someone has a dog that is not entirely social; they will give you space. They either pull their dog in or get off the path; perhaps position their dog on the other side of them. Watch for these signs; they are there if you pay attention. I don't know how many times I've reigned Jessie in to have someone else keep coming our way; letting their dog go to the very end of their extension leash until I have to say "she's not social."

Come on, not all of us want a stranger in our face.

Heat'n up

Its really hot out; so I think I'll be skipping my gym workout and get the dogs out early, really early. I was thinking about a poor husky I saw the other day as I was driving home. It's owner was out for a jog and decided that his dog should go as well; in the 90 degree weather and he is a Siberian Husky? Hmmmmmmmm..............makes ones ponder doesn't it? People just don't seem to get it; it is too hot to run dogs when it is 90, even when it's in the 80s its too hot to run dogs.

Yesterday as I came out of the grocers you could just feel the heat coming out of the pavement; it was so hot down beneath my feet that I it must make it at least 10 degrees hotter. Even in my own backyard where we have a very large concrete patio; which is very light colored, almost white it's hot. I cannot stand on it in my bare feet for more than 10 seconds before I have to run for shade.

Dogs react; they work on the action/reaction method of behavior. But we as humans are suppose to think first right? So think before taking your dog out into the heat; they cannot tell you in words that they are about to pass out. But if you are watching their body will tell you that.

Luke and trouble

Luke got in trouble yesterday; this is a very rare occasion of course because my dogs are all old and very well behaved. Although you would never in a million years guess that Luke is over 2 because he is such a crazy guy. Anyway; he didn't get in big trouble and he didn't do anything really bad but he didn't listen to me. So as a result he was scolded for not listening; again not hugely but Luke does NOT like to get into trouble and will always stay in the background hoping not to do anything wrong if the girls are acting up.

Yesterday afternoon in the extreme heat he found a lizard in the wood pile. The last one he found in there he killed so wanting to save the little guy I called Luke into the house with me. He immediately ran through the kitchen, down into the familyroom and out the dog door. Hmmmmm, he's a smarty. So out I go and round him up again making quite sure that he knows what I mean this time.

We go upstairs to the computer where I tell him to laydown and stay which he does. Before too long I'm pretty involved in what I'm doing and look around to see that Luke is gone. My bad; I wasn't paying attention. So down I go and I'm going to make a point; I need to use startle tactics and bluster. Booming out the door and clapping my hands Luke knows immediately that I mean business. He runs to the door while keeping a close eye on the wood pile; at this point it is instinct vs. survival. Survival wins of course; like I said, he's a smart boy. Even with such a distraction it is very important to follow through; you cannot let it slide. Especially with a dog like Luke; one who has a dominant personality, you must follow through.

So upstairs we go again; I tell him to laydown and stay, which he does. He also knows as this point that there are no options but to lay there. I keep a close eye on his position. Then an hour later we both go outside and I downplay the whole lizard in the wood issue trying to help him get over his obsession. It works and he is soon over the lizard zone. Now because he got into trouble he is doing his best to be adorable. He is not leaving my side and wants constant eye contact. As I sit on the couch at the end of the day to put my feet up for a few he is there by my side and he is not going anywhere anytime soon. He is adorable.

Greenies

I was in a petstore the other day. There was a woman looking at all the Greenies and the salesperson was explaining the differences between all the different types. Satisfied that she had learned all she could about them she grabbed a pack; I held my tongue.

There are so many articles on the dangers of Greenies yet people still keep buying.

#1
#2 (VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES)
#3

These are just a few that I pulled up quickly on the ever popular Greenies. I do not feed greenies to my dogs; never had and never will. Anything that can be consumed like rawhides, pig ears, greenies or those other dental chews by pedigree should in my opinion never be used. There are lots of things out there for dogs to chew on that do not breakdown in size possibly causing choking or blockage issues.

I use real bones; and I use the tough Nylabones. I do regular inventory of all bones and toss any that are small enough to ingest. Poor Jessie has to use the wolfsized bones because of the larger dogs in the house. But at least she is safe from choking.

Please do your research and if the petstore owners are not going to be ethical about a product and the manufacturers are still pumping them out to get a piece of your hard earned money; then you have to do the work for all these people and research like crazy before giving your dog anything.