Personality descriptions


I have been doing a lot of thinking about personalities and the complex depth to which each dog has. When describing my individuals quickly I would say; dominant, timid and reactive. But dogs are so much more than most think; they are very complicated creatures and to live with them and truly know them as individuals you must do just that, get to know them. I have a wonderful mixture; a combination that over the years has melded into a fine tuned machine. We rarely have even a disagreement and as my dogs age this has become more important to me.

Just this morning there was a tiny thing; it was a split second of stupidity from Jessie. She came up on the bed which is the norm for our mornings but in her "breakfast" frenzies she landed on Luke who was snuggled down in the corner. He immediately set to posture as she darted to the other side of the bed, he flashed her a dirty look and it was over. That is the extent of dog "issues" in our home and that is the way I like it. But we didn't get here just by chance; I do not allow nonsense. Yes I allow growling and communications but if someone wants to get into it; they have to go through me first.

I have two dominants and a neutral personalities. First I'll talk about Jessie; she is very dominant which is the norm for a Jack Russell. That said she is not a crazy dominant like many are and she loves people. Even though she is very dominant she is not a bully when it comes time to ruling her pack; she only gets involved when things get out of hand in her opinion. Barking and chasing Dad around is out of hand and over exuberant greetings is out of hand. As dominant as this little 15 lb dynamo is; she is not stupid and has very good canine communication skills. Jessie is confident and steady; not easily flustered or startled although her lack of hearing is lending itself to more startle situations. She is extremely affectionate and devoted and in her old age loves nothing more than a comfy lap to crash in.

Tilley is next in line; she is a very complicated girl but not quite as complex as Luke is. She came to us quite fearful and it has taken years of work to get her to where she is today. She is very affectionate but not a huggy type of gal. Hugs are strictly reserved for family members and even then you can feel a slight pull away if it is the human who initiated it. But when affection is given by Tilley you can expect lap laying, her head on your chest worship type. I can literally do anything to Tilley and she trusts me 150%. She is meek in her daily activities; sitting ever so patiently for whatever happens to be in the works. She is rock steady, she does not startle and is not the nervous type at all. Although she is the only one of our dogs who is very afraid of thunder and fireworks. Tilley and Jessie have an understanding, they coexist with no disciplining. Jessie disciplines Luke but never Tilley.

Last but not least is Luke; the boy with the issues. Luke is one of those dogs who's outward behavior is deceiving to who he really is. He is extremely complicated; first he is a dominant boy and likes to strut his stuff. He likes to push my buttons but is very sensitive as well; if I should raise my voice or posture he turns to mush. He does not like to do wrong and often is caught up by his own over excited behavior. Working with Luke over the years has taught me much about dogs in general as his reactions and mannerisms are bigger than life itself. He is a very nervous type and if something should happen to bump or drop on him; we can expect a big story about what just happened. It just takes one look at those eyes to know that something is up. Luke is on a perpetual conquest to greatness; his daily interactions with many are to inflate his ego. Although with maturity has come a diminishing ego and a more general happy with life attitude.

Luke is often in a state of over excitement which he has no control over. After 9 years of waiting for the whining and crying to stop before commencing I have given up. He is who he is and life it too short to win every fight. I pick my battles and pick them carefully. Luke is HUGELY affectionate; this is what outsiders miss out on and I feel privileged to have. He is without a doubt the most physically affectionate dog we have ever had. The open mouth happy huffing has become one of the most endearing behaviors that I now expect when I come home or when he is just plain happy with his life. Luke has a never ending amount of energy and is up for anything anytime.

So here are my three in a nutshell; a fabulous combination. And although I have touched on their individual personalities there is much more to each of them. I would love to hear about some of the personalities that you live with.

Hidden Collar dangers

I now have something serious to talk about.

I just got notice that another dog has died from strangulation due to their collar. Sadly this is all too common; so I would like to pass this information, please do the same. Collars look cute and are essential tools when you live with dogs; but please take extra precaution and never leave your dog’s collar on while unattended. Collars or harnesses should only ever be worn when your dog is under your strict supervision. My dogs only wear collars when they go for a walk; as soon as we enter back into our home they come off. I had one of these accidents happen to my dogs and luckily I was there to stop a tragedy.

Many years ago now I had two male standard poodles who loved to rough house. One day while outside one of the boys got their mouth snagged up in the other ones collar. Both were extremely upset; thinking that the other was in some way attacking them, they struggled and screamed. I ran screaming myself; I thought they were indeed in a fight. Once I got close it was obvious what was happening and I was able to calm them long enough to untangle them. Unfortunately not all dogs are as lucky; and you don’t need two or more dogs to have an accident.

Many different scenarios can happen when a dog wears a collar unsupervised. There are many stories of dogs being strangled when they have attempted to jump a fence and didn’t make it. Dog tags can become caught on just about anything even in the safety of a crate. Once caught up a dog quickly goes into panic mode. It is often this fight or flight reaction that causes the damage. All collars can be dangerous; choke type collars are the worst because they tighten and don’t let up but even a regular flat buckle collar can take a dog’s life.

Most people keep identification tags on their dog’s collars; having a collar on gives the guardian a sense of security. Tags are fine on a collar for a walk; but if you want to identify your dog 24x7 have them micro-chipped. All veterinarian offices offer micro-chipping; and it is one of the best ways to ensure your dogs return should they ever become lost. Save your collar/harness use for what they were intended; walks. Take all collars and harnesses off when you are not supervising; it could save your dog’s life. Please tell your friends.

Not much today


I don't have much to say today; one of those days. I've already walked Jessie; dremeled 12 feet and I'm heading to the beach with the poodles. This morning I was left shaking on my head once again on my walk as I watched two women yank away at their juvenille goldens by their choke chain. I've decided to make a bumper sticker that says "no chains around our dogs necks." Or something like that; you get my drift.


When you use a choke collar the whole premise around interacting with your dog changes. Instead of wondering hmmmmm how can I fix this behavior that I'm not liking; you just yank away in anger. It is all around us; quick fix scenarios. But a dogs neck should not be a quick fix with a chain...................


Gone to the beach..............................


Okay; I'm already back from the beach, freak'n hot down there already. Geesh will this weather let up? I hit Laguna beach this morning; typically beautiful and scenic but I did notice alot of "permanent" type resident homeless folks set up for the long haul. I've never seen such large "stations" where they keep their stuff. 20'x20' areas with umbrellas, chairs, sleeping bags, dogs (which Luke found under one), you name it they've got it. Perhaps they are saving up for the not as great winter weather.


Well; it is Friday so have a great weekend all.

More off leash talk


Lastnight I had Luke at the park; this particular we are always onleash except for short moments if no one is around. Its pretty popular as it is a huge soccer field park so on the weekends and evenings there are kids everywhere. It was dusk and we were making our way around the path when I noticed a Mom who had her lab off leash tossing a ball with her chuck it. Being that the dog was off leash I assumed she was friendly. As we got closer her ears went up watching Luke as she retrieved her ball. I knew she was going to come and see Luke; her Mom did not. On her final retrieve she headed our way.


Her Mom was following close behind yelling to me that she was friendly. I already knew because the dog could not have been more obvious in her gushy friendliest in her approach. Luke knew as well as ran to meet her as I dropped his leash and they greeted excitedly. It was cute because they were the identical color of light blonde. He said a quick hello and we were on our way. Not all dogs are as friendly and even dogs off leash can be dogs that should not be off leash so you need to read body language.


As we made our way around several dogs made growly lunges at Luke; all smile mind you and now that I think of it all the dogs there lastnight were the same color, weird. Anyhow, you need to know how to read canine body language so that you can assess a situation in the making. Even on leash you need to read both dog and human language. I've walked up to people asking if their dog is friendly so that our dogs could play; but as I got closer it was obvious that the human had no intention of letting their very friendly dog play with my poodle deliquent. Their loss.


Watch, always watch.

Nails

The mere idea of cutting nails sends a wave of terror through many canine guardians. When I regularly ask "how often do you cut them?" I receive a look of horror and the common reply is "I can't cut his nails." I know the idea of cutting too much and having your dogs nails bleed all over is scary for most but you can learn to do it without injuring any of those little toes. Some guardians are lucky and they have a dog who grinds their nails down perfectly when they go for their daily walks. I've seen dogs with beautiful short nails and they never have them ground or cut. I don't have those dogs; mind you I'm not much into walking in the streets, we do alot of field running.

So I have been cutting nails for 30 years now. I remember back when I was in the conformation ring; the nails were not to be heard, that's short. But now I want to make sure they are short but not too short. If you trim your dogs nail regularly it is actually easier. That way you can just clip the very tip off each week; being sure that you are not catching any quick with it.

When you start out with a puppy you can use human nail cutters until their nails get too large and hard. Then there are two types to choose from; the guillotine style and the scissor/clamp style. I've used both and use the scissor style mostly now, I find them to give me more control although they do loose their edge fairly quickly.

I ordered a dremel tool and got it yesterday. I have never been a nail grinder but my little Jack Russell has been objecting to having her nails done lately. Being that she is 13.5 she is allowed to object and I will adjust. So my dremel came and I love it already; you can take the tiniest amount off with it and do a little at a time. Now my dogs are very accustom to having their feet messed with so that would be the first thing to do. If your dog is not use to having their feet touched then you must get them use to it. The dremel vibrates and I would imagine feels strange to them.

And I have been worned to watch the hair; if a dog has longer hair on their feet you must take care. The best way is to hold the nail firmly, not just the paw. This gives you better control and less chance of slipping. The dremel will also heat up so only do a second at a time breaking in between. I will use the dremel for keeping my Jack Russells nails nice and short and for smoothing out the rough edges after cuttting the poodles nails. So far I love it.

Running free


Thinking back to my old life; my old house in the country I miss it, I really miss it. One of the things that I miss the most is that I could walk out my back door and off into the woods where I would sit for hours by a stream with the dogs. I always carried a leash with me "in case" but my dogs never wore one. That was along time ago now; these days revolve around trying to find the elusive free field. We live in a leash law world; around every corner there is a canine leash enforcer ready to give you a ticket. On the first "official" day that the dogs could be on the beach here once again; sure enough there he was handing out tickets.

I understand that it takes but one stupid person with their dog who should definitely not be off leash to ruin it for everyone. And I understand if you allow it; then you allow those who should not be off leash, off leash. But come on; give us something, somewhere other than a fenced in overused and overcrowded tiny piece of land to run our dogs free. Here we tend to hit the canyons but then again you risk running into a coyote, rattle snake and even the odd cougar. Also it is so hot and scrubby many months that it's not very enjoyable; especially with my breed who tend to resemble giant velcro.

While I was vacationing in Victoria over the summer we came across a leash free area. It was miles and miles of path running along the edge of the ocean, beautiful. Some dogs were on leash; most were off socializing as they passed one another along their walk. At the time I wished I had my dogs with me so that they could have enjoyed it as much as I savored watching the other dogs on their walk.

Watching dogs run free is not only great for our dogs but good for our core; I could sit and watch dogs run without a care in the world for hours. But alas there is always that nagging feeling you should be looking over your shoulder for the ticket guy. But there are places; you just gotta look long and hard now to find them. But it is most definitely worth the work.

Building confidence

Just like every single person is different; dogs are just as different. Although I have had standard poodles for 25 years; no two have been the same and the two I have now could not have more contrasting personalities. And then my little Jack Russell who has a personality all her own is one dog that I have never had to use any confidence boosting modification for. Being that dogs are all different; building confidence can be tricky, often confusing. Some dogs may seem to be very confident; even overly confident in some ways yet very uncertain in some situations.

I took the dogs to the beach a couple of weeks back; it was a new beach and the access to the beach was through an underground tunnel with a walkway. When we walked down into the tunnel I could immediately feel the pull on Tilley's leash, she was very uncomfortable. Tilley has never been comfortable walking across wooden pathways or especially bridges. To her this was a bridge with water running down the side; it was dark and scary and she hated it. She managed to get through but on the way back I had to do a lot of pushing. Next time I will be more prepared; I will bring some food to keep her mind off of the environment and on the grub.

Dogs are very complicated; Tilley is not a nervous type at all, she is rock solid but yet walking through that tunnel put her into a state of fear. Luke on the other hand who is a very nervous type, jumpy and skittish walked through the tunnel like nothing. So each dog has their own issues that need confidence building and it most always means lots and lots of calm repetition. Fear can be the catalyst to many different behavior issues. Once a behavior is dissected fear or lack of experience can often be the culprit and a little confidence building can be the answer to the problem.

Pushing a dog to overcome a fear of a confidence issue never the answer. Many people use flooding as a solution and depending on the fear; flooding (a form of psychotherapy in which the patient receives abrupt and intense, rather than gradual, exposure to a fear-producing situation) can backfire big time. CM uses flooding on a regular basis; I'm thinking it is for the purpose of the show and he feels like he hasn't got the time to take the necessary steps to get to the goal. I don't use flooding unless the fear is very low level and the act of flooding will not induce high degrees of fear.

Building confidence has a great deal to do with you; how do you react to a situation. As I have said many, many times before our dogs are watching us so if you startle or react to a situation so to will your dog. Once you see that your dog needs confidence building in certain areas then you must set to work; breaking each issue down into baby steps which can be successfully overcome before moving onto the next step. Never respond to a fear or insecure display and reserve your words for the tiniest of achievements and they will grow.

Saturday morning

Wow; it's 9:00 and I'm still lazing in bed with the hounds. Luke is heading out in a moment with Dad for one of his weekend runs down in the canyon. These are the runs that Tilley can no longer do; but both her and Jessie will be heading out with me very soon. I will take them to one of the many parks that we go to; Jessie will be jetting around and Tilley following us at her own slow pace.

I love the weekends and this one we have everyone home. We will be celebrating a late Canadian Thanksgiving (it was actually last Monday) tomorrow with turkey and all the trimmings. The dogs will have turkey as well which will be a very nice change for them. It is after the American thanksgiving that I load up on turkey for the dogs. Last year I scored hugely at Albertson's grocery picking up 20 lb turkeys for $5.00 a piece when they were trying to get rid of them.

I also stocked up on canned pumpkin yesterday which I have heard will be hard to find soon. Apparently it has been a bad year for pumpkins; and you know what they say about scarcity? I will buy more the next time I visit Trader Joe's as well. We eat alot of pumpkin as well as the dogs and you all know about it as a miracle diarrhea cure right?

Found it, finally

I found it; I finally found it. Several years ago I was contacted by Pearson hall publications advising me that they were putting one of my articles in a text book. Being that they had already done this without my permission I was a bit miffed but happy as well. It is a great article and one worth reading I think. I never did receive the copy of the book I was suppose to get and never saw it. But this morning while surfing something else I found the book online. (It's the black book on the right) My article starts on page 690 and is titled Boredom blues begone. The fact that children are reading this article makes me very happy and probably this is the publication that I am the most proud of.

Then while searching some more I found the actual article; so here it is.


Over vaccinating

The vaccination debate is a biggy; not just with canines but humans as well. I am not a big yearly vaccination fan; I just don't get why dogs would need the same shot every year when we all had our last shot when we were kids. So why do dogs need all these shots? They don't. That's correct they don't and we are actually harming them by giving them yearly vaccinations. I feel strongly that they do indeed need their initial shots and may need them again in their lifetime but with yearly titer tests you can know whether or not your dog has a good level of immunity to certain diseases. I won't go on and on about it because there is plenty of information to read on the subject on the internet. I have linked some good articles below.






Please read the articles and at least be informed before you opt to have your dog revaccinated every year.


It's windy; so we're chill'n


The wind is whipping through the house; I love it but Luke does not. Big storm watch on that started yesterday but we only started getting the rain at noon. The wind started earlier and has Luke on his toes all day. Luke spends much of his day on my bed while I'm on the computer which happens to be beside the big patio doors. Each time something blows his ears go back and he his eyes quickly dart to me for "this okay Mom?" I immediately go into my chill routine; often even whistling while I work. This calms him immediately; this is how you do it.

I have never had a dog that had so much outward behavior displays as Luke. And because of this he has taught me so much. While Jessie, Tilley and my other dogs may have been feeling strange their behavior was so small that you often missed it. So now I miss nothing; or at least I try very hard not to miss anything. This is done by watching; watching very closely. And this goes for anything; scary, loud, intimidating, startling or just plain weird.

Yesterday at the park our group of poodles was approaching a dog that was tied to a table. His guardian was exercising and her dog was anticipating our passing. He readied himself and started the all too familiar lunging and barking; it was a black sort of chow mix type. Knowing Luke does not back down when challenge and that we were going to pass at about a 10 foot distance I calmly said "leave it." He turned to look ahead and calmly walked by; of course he got a ton of praise. Had I opted to reel him in; telling him that it was all right and to ignore that dog things would have been far different.

My behavior in this situation let Luke know that I wasn't worried about this at all. Infact I never broke stride and continued to talk to my walking buddy. Tilley had no interest in this mad man on the end of the leash jumping and growling; she gave him a quick glance and fell into place as I called to her.

Lead by example!
Tomorrow's blog; over vaccinating.

Can you hear me now?






I've been testing Jessie's hearing and vision for a while now. Every once in a while I will whisper call her; a bit louder, a bit louder and then finally hit the "response" decibel. Although Tilley and Jessie are so close in age they are aging very differently. Jessie is loosing her sight and her hearing; Tilley on the other hand is getting very wobbly. Her hearing is good; perhaps not quite what it use to be but pretty good and her eye sight not bad for having such cloudy eyes.

Aging sucks and for our dogs it happens far too early; Jessie will be 14 on her next birthday, Tilley will be 13 and Luke will be 10. Luke is not showing aging signs yet except that he has finally matured. Jessie's body is very deceiving; she doesn't look like an old dog and she doesn't move like an old dog. No one we meet on our walking adventures ever believes it when I tell them that she is 13.5. And although Tilley doesn't look old; she moves old.

I can come and go now from the house without much notice; at least as far as Jessie is concerned. The other day I went out and she was sound asleep curled up in a blanket in my room. When I returned 4 hours later she was still in the same spot and didn't know I'd been gone. She sleeps very sound and with her hearing failing her she doesn't hear the goings on in the house. She is not completely deaf though; I just have to yell alot. I remember not so long ago yelling for Clyde my old boy.

This is when sign language really comes in handy; that is if they are not asleep. I use to sign to Clyde all the time; and when he lost his hearing from old age he continued to watch me sign to him. Let's face it aging sucks; but we are all headed in the same direction right? Dogs are resilient creatures; and even when her hearing is long gone, Jessie will adjust.

Toxins

No toxins, because they are worth it!

Toxins are all around us; they are in the stuff that many of us use on a daily basis and they can be very detrimental to our health and our dogs health. First let's take the flea treatments like Frontline, Advantage etc. I use to use the topical type; they seemed like a miracle cure at first didn't they? No fleas, no ticks? But what we weren't considering then and many don't consider now is what's in this stuff? There are articles everywhere on the net if you want to find out the real goods; here are just a few.




People in general are becoming so much more aware these days. Do you really want to put that toxic substance right onto your dog when it says keep children away? Do you want to give your dog a pill that will stop the cycle of fleas from the inside out? I didn't think so. If you do a small amount of research there are so many way to treat your dog safely; for both your dog and the humans. Phramaceuticals and pet products are big business these days; for the health and safety of your dog don't blindly grab the newest product on the market.

Some safe ideas for natural flea repellants but just look it up on the net and you will find a plethora of products to keep you flea free. Also remember that fleas drown even with a regular shampoo bath; suds up your dog and watch the fleas try to get away. Wash them down the drain and be rid of those pests.

Association

I've discussed association a lot in past blogs; but I cannot talk about it enough as it is the whole art of teaching our dogs. Association - to connect or bring into relation, as thought, feeling, memory, etc. Dogs learn through association; you can watch it in the making if you are paying close attention. Many behavior issues that I deal with in my training work can all be explained by association.

I had the girls at one of our parks yesterday; the park was filled with tiny soccer players and their parents. As we made our way around we passed alot of people; mostly men. As we walked by each man Tilley pulled out; lowering her head in an "is this my Dad?" position. Tilley has now associated this park to meeting up with Dad; it has happened about 5 or 6 times now so that is what she hopes for each time we come.

No one can explain to their dog that when food is put into a certain bowl; this means that they can eat what is put down. But all of our dogs know that when they hear the tell tale sounds of certain bowls in the kitchen; it's chow time. Good comes from using positive associations and bad things can happen with negative associations as well. Often accidental associations occur and unless you know what has happened it can be difficult to figure out a behavior issue.

Ah; let's take the vets office. Once left there each of my dogs has a very negative association to the vets office. And even offices that are not vets may seem like a vets to your dog. Tilley is one who completely hates the vets office; as I lift the back hatch of the car she is shaking in her boots. She only started this behavior once she was left at the vets once.

Luke has learned the association to waving; waving = treats, even when no one asks him to wave. Of course this is our fault because we think his waving is so darned cute. Luke also has a bad association to doors moving in the wind; he once had a seizure because he was awakened abruptly from a door slamming. Doors blowing in the wind freak him out now; and heaven forbid they slam.

Negative associations can happen anytime, anywhere so you must be very aware to your dogs surroundings. If something negative happens you must quickly kick into gear and undo it. Counter conditioning should start immediately; getting back on the horse so to speak. So if you are walking along the street and a car backfires freaking the heck out of you and your dog; get out on that street again. Remain as calm as a cucumber and bring a ton of treats. Your dog is watching you; how you react will be how your dog perceives the situation. Cool is the rule.



Friday once again

Good Friday morning; the weather is much cooler than it has been in a long while although they are talking about it heating up again, but I'm not listening. I'm a northerner and it's in my blood; back home they are calling for snow showers this weekend, yep. And being that I spent my first 36 years there it is still how my brain functions. Canada celebrates their Thanksgiving this weekend so if you have any Canadian friends wish them a happy Turkey Day.

Yesterday was bath day around here again; contemplating my showering strategies I opted for a quick grab and into the shower with Luke first. I did Luke first to save him the hours of worry he goes through if someone else goes first. As soon as one is in the shower the others know; and Luke spends the moments before his turn fretting running here and there trying to hide. So I used the surprise attack and when he was downstairs and close to the bathroom I just quickly ushered him in. Even still by the time he hit the shower he was quaking in his boots.

Just recently I shaved the poodles so they are nice and short; this makes for a very short bath time, which works well for my back. Someday I'm planning on getting a nice raised stainless tub; ah I can dream. But in the meantime it is in the shower downstairs; which is small but very convenient to the outdoors. Once clean the dogs are quickly sent 5 feet to outside where they get rid of all the excess water. It was nice and warm in the morning yesterday so after they receive their thorough towel dry they air dry in the sun.

It is cute looking out to see all the dog bodies laying soaking up the sun. They were all dry very quickly and the poodles have their adorable tight curl hair; a look I love and will loose if a brush touches them. So needless to say I don't brush unless I have to and when their coat air dries it doesn't mat either which is very nice. No; I do not have high maintenance poodles.

Well; I have a small poodle gathering this morning to get ready for, have a great weekend.

Watch it bud

Wondering why her dog will not heel properly we head out to the cul de sac to check it out. A beautiful yellow labrador Daisy (name change) had picked up heeling amazingly and was one of those dogs who was stuck to your side as she pranced along giving constant eye contact. This is a trainers dream. But; on this session I had been told that she is pulling away while heeling, what's up? I ask Daisy's guardian to heel in a big circle as I watch; within a second I can see it. Daisy is being hit in the face by her new leash clasp. The leash is heavy and with every step it sways back and forth smacking her square in the jaw; problem solved.

Getting in her calastetics for the day; I watch as a woman rounds the park at full speed. Her dog; a beautiful large mixed breed is trying to keep up but with every step he is on the receiving end of her power strides. With each step her arms are thrown back and forth hitting the dog square in the face. "Does she not feel this?" He remains enthusiastic but with each whap he seems to deflate. As we pass for the second time I shake my head in amazement; how hard could it be to stop walking like this?

This is a fairly common scenario; "I'm walking and the dog better just keep up" mentality. Having started training at a very young age I've been watching canine reactions to behavior modifications for a longtime. And if you watch very closely you can see exactly what is going on. Now these two tales above were so obvious a 5 year old could have solved them but often it is something so tiny you need a professional. Sitting back and analyzing situations like this is what I do so when I see it out in the general public I find it hard not to say something.

Just yesterday I saw a lady with a very young boxer walking down the street. She too was swinging her arms and pacing out with purpose. The young boxer was ducking every swing of her arm. Not only did she have a way too huge martingale collar on the dog that was hitting him in the face but to top that off she had poop bags tied to the leash at the same place. So he was receiving a clasp and poop bag whap with every step. The guardian was going; she was not waiting around for any young'n nor was she watching how he was doing.

There are a lot of things to watch as you interact with your dog. The more intune you are with your dog the easier it will be to see the tiny behaviors that make a difference. Watch it.





leash clasp, poop bag carrier hitting your dog in the face.

Three in the bed


Dogs in your bed? Yep, mine are usually every morning. Both girls can no longer get up into our bed themselves and the ottoman that I bought specifically for that purpose has since been removed. I figured if they can't get up onto the bed on their own they shouldn't be jumping off. But the morning is different; typically we enjoy our coffee and breakfast in bed before my hubby is off to work. So I hoist both Jessie and Tilley up to join us. When it is time to get up they are hoisted back down so as not to break anything.

Having dogs in bed with you is a very controversial subject; I have often asked clients where their dog sleeps when I receive a very sheepish "in our bed." Afraid to fess up some hedge before I pry it out of them. For me; sleeping on the bed is perfectly fine if it is on your terms. There will be NO growling permitted on the bed; "no growling?" Oh I allow it once; just like all growls it is a heads up of how your dog is feeling. And if you receive a growl in bed your dog is feeling like he owns the place. So; the resulting modification will be "out you go."

We own our bed; we bought it, we picked out the sheets and comforter so that means it is ours. If we let our dogs sleep on it with us; it is a privilege and you should consider it to be so. Obviously the bed is the primo sleeping position; that is where the leader sleeps, me. Our dogs join us in the morning; they share our breakfast but they are very mannerly about it, anything other than good behavior will be grounds for dismissal. Even our food fiend Jessie; who is literally vibrating from head to toe in food anticipation is patient, she doesn't have a choice.

I don't know how many times I've asked clients if they can push or get their dog off the bed easily and they tell me "OH no; he doesn't like to be moved when he's on the bed." Hmmmm; what's wrong with this picture? Like I said; the bed is yours; not your dogs and as much as I love a good snuggle in bed with my guys allowing growling in bed is a clear sign that things are not as they should be. If you have a dog that is climbing the status ladder then a nice comfy bed on the floor is in order. And if you must have them in your bed at some point it is only once you have said so. To put up and even fuel growling in bed is the beginning of your demise.

On a cold night a dog in the bed is a great way to pre-warm your spot so that you don't have to crawl into a cold bed.

Tues musings


Yesterday morning I took my super charged little Jack Russell to the park. She can barely contain herself as I open the back hatch to let her out. The first 5 min. is spent taking the brunt of her charges as she comes to the end of her extension leash. This is when an extension leash is called for; unless you are walking alone at the park or an open space I do not recommend them. Don't even get me started on the many reason why I don't like them. So after about 5 min. she starts to slow it down but then her sniffer is on overdrive; that is what Jessie does on her walks, sniffs.

Jessie goes from a fired up terrier to a lagging old lady pretty quickly. Once back home it is meal time and nap time for the rest of the day. Then in the afternoon I took the poodles to the beach; this was a wonderful beach trip; the weather could not have been more perfect for a walk. Although the weather has cooled off I'd like it to be just about 10 degrees colder; so I'd really need to put on a hoodie. Tilley enjoyed her walk immensely as did Luke; but he always likes anything we do. He is such a happy guy and loves going anywhere and doing whatever.

At one point we had to walk over a wooden walkway; this is one thing I have come to know about Tilley, she doesn't like it. There have only been a couple of occasions for us to walk over a bridge or plank type deal and she pretty much freezes. It's funny because Tilley is my rock solid dog; she never startles, she isn't nervous like Luke but she does not like walking over bridges. Even when they are solid and unless you looked you wouldn't realize you were walking on a bridge; she still doesn't like it. Yesterday she completely froze; having Luke with me as well it was going to be difficult to carry her the whole way. I definitely would if I wasn't able to get her moving.

I'm not exactly sure what her fear is; but as she looks over the edge it has to do with that. We walk over lots of weird things but the bridge deal gets her. Maybe she is afraid of heights? Actually now that I think about it; it might be just that. She does not like to go out on the balcony at all. Even when Luke and Jessie are laying out there she is very hesitant to join them. I'm going to have to look into this further. Anyhow this shutdown behavior lets me know that I need to carry some really good treats with me if I think there might be the chance of a bridge anywhere. I think treats would help her to get over it.

Anthropomorphism and leadership

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. Okay; we are all guilty of anthropomorphizing to a degree, although some people take it to scary degrees. Last night I turned the channel to a show where human couples had adopted monkey's as their kids. No the animals were not purchased as pets; they were clearly tiny human substitutes. I watched in amazement as one woman was applying makeup to her little hairy daughter; odd to say the least. As far as dogs are concerned we all put human emotions on them at some time or another as well.

I am not into dressing dogs as humans; but I do believe in dressing for warmth. It was we humans who made the smooth coated and hairless dogs so we better keep them warm. My poodles are at this moment covered in blankets; they got a new haircut about a week ago and it was cold last night. It can be difficult not to place human emotion on our dogs but it simply is not how they work. Dog emotions are a far cry from our emotional roller coaster; they tell it like it is. Dogs don't lie; they don't play games, they don't do revenge or spite and they don't spend quality time on stupid drama. When humans think that dogs are doing some of these listed behaviors it is our mistake, not the dogs.

Dogs are very clear and when a dog is feeling; their emotions are shown in exterior body language. It is sad to see dogs clearly communicating to their guardian who in turn are oblivious to what is going on with their dog. I hate to see dogs being hauled around like a little ornaments; with no regard to the true dog wanting to be a dog. When I hear comments like "oh no she doesn't like to get dirty," or "she loves this sweater" I cringe. The list of of human emotions that some people put on their dog can lead to all sorts of issues between canine and guardian. For one; many people think that rules and regulations are mean. I see dogs who don't listen to their guardian all the time; this is probably one of my biggest irks. Dogs have to listen; yes dogs have their own mind and their own agenda but if I speak they must listen. If you have not taught your dog to listen to you; then you have failed.

Not listening and doing what they are told are entirely different; albeit the same. Not listening is simply a lack of respect and not doing as you as is very "I'll do what I want." It amazes me when people call their dog and they don't even get an acknowledgement; and they are okay with this. "Oh; she is busy right now; she didn't want to go for a walk today," or "she has to be in the mood." No; it's not cute and it could be dangerous. When you add a dog to your family you should learn about dogs; really about dogs. We are the leader; bottom line. If your dog is the leader and believe me there are a lot of leader dogs out there ruling their guardians lives. If you are not a good leader then you have failed your dog.

The term leader is getting a bad wrap these days. With regards to dogs in our home; they need a leader and that must be the human. Being a leader has nothing to do with strength, physical assertion or anger. Leadership is the act or an instance of leading; and when paired with the canine species it is our job to show them how to properly live in our very human world. But to try to mold them into little humans or misconstrue their behavior as human is unjust to them as a species. Dogs display a lot of behaviors that may be unwanted by us; and that is because they are dogs.

It is difficult to not put human emotion onto our dogs; hey I'm guilty. But to try to mold them into little humans or expect them to act like a good little human; well that is where it all goes wrong. Dogs growl, dig, mark, jump, bite, lick and steal. All of which are very unacceptable behaviors for a human; but they aren't are they?