RAW Rib day

These are RAW bones; NEVER, EVER give cooked bones to your dog. (thanks Dale ;))
Yesterday was bone day again; although I woke up to the rain thinking that bone day would be cancelled. Luckily the rain stopped and the sun peeked out just long enough for the hounds to have a good chew. At our house bones means supervision; the easiest way to fight is to allow a free for all with high value items so that means either yard duty or kitchen puttering for me while the dogs chew. Typically I buy the big leg bones for them; they work wonderfully and everyone enjoys them but this time I bought ribs. I was hoping that with the smaller size that they might reach the far back teeth on Jessie.

I was in luck on Monday when I got to the grocers; ribs were on sale. So I bought a pack of two racks for something like 8.00; that's a lot of chews. And being that they are actually for humans consumption; they had lots of meat on them which is again really great for the dogs teeth as they try to pull it off the bone. First I took the ribs and cut them into individual pieces; I left them then on the counter to warm up from being in the fridge. There was a lot of canine mingling going on the kitchen; they know what's up.

Jessie got the largest rib; strange being that she is the smallest but she tends to try to swallow everything and a rib is not something I wanted her to swallow. She is placed in the far corner on a towel; I give her a towel hoping that she will lay down and chew, this usually results in better back teeth cleaning. She didn't lay down though; she prefers to stand and chew.

Next is Tilley; even Miss crooked was very excited for bone day. I gave her a towel to lay on as well but she opted for the lawn, even though it was still wet from the rain. She always lies on the lawn with her bones and so her bone is always covered in grass; mmmmmmmm. Luke get's his last and he is chomping at the bit; aside from shortbread this is probably his favorite. So he took up Tilley's towel and commenced.

It does not take long for all the meat to be gone and these had a lot of meat on them. Soon everyone was chewing on the bone; they had a good hour long chew as I wandered amongst the pack shooting chew images. I'm often asked about all the details of bones so I thought pictures would show how it all comes down. Tilley displays the best chew form for teeth cleaning; Luke second and Jessie last. Jessie tends to be a nibbler so I grabbed her bone and held it so that she could have a good chew; she was not impressed and stopped chewing until I told her knock it off and just chew.

Halfway through the chew I do the swap routine. I never want anyone thinking that they are missing out on something better than what they have. You know "the grass is always greener thing?" So I start with Tilley who is my least posessive dog and I grab her bone, give it to Jessie. As I'm giving Jessie, Tilley's bone I grab hers and swap out Luke's then give Luke's to Tilley. Everyone is very happy to have a new bone and it helps in the whole "we share," aspect. As well if someone is chewing a bone a certain it helps to give them a different bone which will perhaps hit some new teeth.

After an hour and a half Luke was done; he simply came in the kitchen and found me. So I decided to give him a hard chew as well; Luke loves it when you hold a bone for him, it gives him the opportunity to chew like he otherwise cannot. He puts his hold heart into it when you are holding the bone and those back teeth get a great work out. The only caution for holding the bone is DO NOT get your fingers in there. When they are chewing with this much gusto that sheer crushing power is pretty awesome and scary.

So now everyone has much cleaner teeth and fresher breath. Next week we will do it again; Jessie's still need a bit of work. Enjoy the chew images and your day!!!!

The scoop on poop

As a dog person I'm sure the subject of poop is a regular one with you and your friends. It is for me and the people I hang with; not so much in this house. But if you are the one picking up you tend to pay more attention to the solidity of the matter. Hey; if you are trying to pick the stuff up, there is indeed good and bad texture. And we have all known a time or two when we are watching; watching very closely for a certain item that we suspect may have been consumed to make a reappearance. If you have a puppy or adolescent at the moment; that time may have come more often in these early months.

It is as the saying goes "you are what you eat" and so are our dogs. What goes in must come out so keeping a close eye on the subject at hand let's you know that things are running smoothly so to speak. And speaking of smoothly; we all deal with the pick up issue; some guardians are steadfast in their obligatory status, some avoid and some simply pick it up and can't think about it, I know a few of these. For these "can't think about it types" it's okay to pick up the substance; but you must be quick and not hesitate for a moment, thinking about what you are doing for a split second and things could go very bad, very quickly.

Consistency is a big issue; those diehard low quality kibble feeders rely on the solid dry mass. The easy pick up, no residue, no mush to try to scoop, just a dry solid mass, nice. When you feed a more real diet you get more variation and it is definitely not a solid rock hard pebble texture. There is much more work in picking up after these guys and yes there is residue. And if you have a fussy pants like my Luke; there is no telling what's going to go in day by day so you never know what's going to come out.

I have a iron stomach; nothing bothers me, I'm not a gagger so when I pick up I just do it. But when I am out on my walks I inevitably see someone who is "not a pick up" type. Nothing makes me more angry than someone attempting to not notice their dog taking a crap. As I walk through the park and see the ones that didn't get picked up; I immediately notice the age of it and if it's fresh I do the culprit scan. Oh yes; I have been known many times to ask someone who is trying not to notice there dog dumping in the park "you're going to pick that up right?" It takes only a couple of these people to ruin it for all of the other dog people who do pick up after their dog. I mean honestly; man up and get the job done, or let your dog crap at your house and leave it sitting there to fester in the sun.

Now location is a factor when picking up poop as well. Many dogs are very specific about where they go; of course there are just as many that are happy to dump right in front of you. My boys have always preferred to go on top of tiny seedling trees; small bushes or weeds, this of course makes our job of retrieving the mass a bit more adventurous. When off leash many dogs like to eliminate on the perimeter; very nice, clean but often hard to locate after the fact.

Then you have the travelers; I have one of those as well. There is no telling how far she will travel while in the process of pooping. So when you pick up you follow the trail until it looks like the trail has probably ended. Not a fan of travelers. Hunch positioning is also a factor but this factors more on the after wiping than the picking up. Luke is probably my best hunch ever; the idea of the possibility of remnants remaining on him is simply mortifying so when he hunches there is all but one place for it to fall and that is down. All my guys are great hunchers and I am rarely required to do the after wipe except on the rare chocolate pudding days. And don't tell me you don't know what I mean.

Have a great day all you dedicated dog people ;)

Just dogs

Just Dogs; I've heard the phrase "he's just a dog often," it makes me shudder so why then did I choose Just Dogs as my company name? When I started in photography; I wasn't focused (pardon the pun) I loved to shoot just about anything, especially if it was moving. Just yesterday I dug out a DVD of Capistrano Valley H.S. Varsity football that I made. It made me smile; those were the days, after a shoot I couldn't wait to get home and view the images. Guys flying in the air; determination written on their face, I loved it. And during this time I actually learned a bit about football; and I mean a bit.

Those beginning years I shot sports, flowers, landscapes, people, kids...........you name it. But there came a time when I was being spread too thin; with training, writing, photography, taking care of my own dogs etc. So I had to make a decision and it was an easy one "Just Dogs." This is where my name came from; it was a simple one Dogs and only dogs was what it would be and it is an all encompassing title. As is what I do; from photographing them, training them, cooking for, writing about, grooming, it's all dogs.

But even though my focus is dogs I do love to photograph dogs and their people; capturing that connection that these two species have together. When there is a true connection; human/canine the images are intense. So even though I say Just dogs; I will shoot humans, but only if they are in the company of a dog.

I have a new section on my website that I will be filling up today; these are just the few that have made it on there so far.

Dogs and their people

The brain; a funny thing

Tilley shown here making it look easy.


Funny how the brain works; psychology is fascinating and it relates to many actions reactions exhibited by a dog. Today I had an excellent example of this and it was of course the inspiration for my blog this morning. I took the girls to a High School to have a walk; we typically walk the perimeter of the parking lots and then make our way around the school; so many new smells. It was beautiful out this morning; a cool breeze, the birds were chirping making it sound very much like spring had sprung and it was quiet; there was no one around.

We finished two parking lots and made our way to the steps; I hadn't thought about the steps. As we approached them my brain went into overdrive; Tilley did not have a negative association with these stairs, she had tripped down the ones at home and now was apprehensive about even trying. I knew that if there was any way that Tilley was going down these stairs it had to be before she had a chance to think about it. I picked up my speed; slipped a my hand gently into her collar and we did it. It was as simple as that; although I was astonished I didn't display that until the very bottom. It was a little difficult as Tilley goes left; and if her head is down she goes left even more. So with a gentle right guidance she just did it.

Once we hit the bottom we had a celebration; she loves it. With each obstacle conquered her confidence grows. We finished our walk around the school and made our way to the steps again; it was up this time. She baulked a bit and I just told her "let's go," and she did. I again gave her the right side support she needed and up we went and made our way to the car. One small step for k9s; one monumental step for Tilley.

Once home we tackled the steps there; she has a problem with the steps at home, they have a negative association. So I figured we'd hit them immediately to keep the positive momentum going. It worked; she made her way downstairs which she had yet to even attempt. It wasn't pretty; she basically slid down the wall on the left side, luckily there is a wall on the left side for her. We will be working on stairs alot this week building up the muscles that she needs to do the stairs, these muscles have atrofied over the past weeks so we have work to do.

Just not that into food

Good morning; it's really stormy out today, nice. Today's blog will be a slight bit less intense as yesterday. I'm going to talk about the rare occurrence when a dog is just not that into food. My inspiration for the this blog came only moments ago; we are eating our breakfast in bed, normal and the dogs are joining us, typical. Luke usually is not that interested in anything unless it is buttered toast. On the other hand the girls are both ready to pull up their pants legs and jump into the trough.

Luke is in his regular spot; head facing away from us at the end of the bed. When offered a piece of toast he made a lame attempt at getting up and decided it was too much work. For most dogs there is never too much work to get food; but Luke just went back to sleep. So Luke is not that into food; never has been, never will be. And it is because of this lack of interest in food that he is a mere 45 pounds (very skinny).

Although Luke is not a chow hound he does love some foods; but they must come at the correct time. He likes shortbread but only if it comes on a tray at tea time (when we are having tea). He likes most of our dinners; he loves food with flavor but he loves it more if Dad is handing it to him from the table even when he knows that he shouldn't. If you put it in his bowl after our dinner for him; not so much. What a funny dog he is; this can certainly try ones patience.

But what I have found is that if I trigger Luke's prey drive; if I throw his food he is much more likely to eat. Being direct descendants of the wolf; having your food placed right in front of you is not normal. For most dogs they have evolved their eating strategy to coming into the kitchen, it's that easy. But for dogs like Luke; he can't just come in and eat, it's not normal for him. I'm lucky actually because right outside of our kitchen is a very large concrete patio so when Luke is in his "not eating mood," I toss his food. That's correct, right out the door and if once doesn't do it I pick it up and throw it across the yard. He loves this game and it gets him to work for his food. After a few morsels are sent flying around the yard he is usually ready to eat what he hunted and brought down and it is right in his bowl.

Yes; strange but true ;)

The warning signs

I am always surfing the web; I like to see who is having puppies and who are some up and coming GREAT breeders. While I am on my quest to find the "good" ones I inevitably come across the bad. And when I talk about the bad breeders; there is no one "bad breeder" mold. Of course there are the big ones; the millers, the ones who are the focus of many tv investigations. I've talked about this often but it seems you can never say enough; if I reach just one new reader each time I read I will be happy.

I remember a while back having a heated conversation with a group of dog people. I had called a certain breeder; a miller, in my opinion they fit all the criteria. And that is my criteria. I caught a lot of heat for tagging this breeder as a miller; no I don't care, I call it like I see it. It is a huge facility; dogs are bred in cages, whelped in cages, puppies are raised in cages and then shipped to you. You can pick your puppy from an image on the puppy page then pay with paypal THIS IS A WARNING SIGN.

This is one of the major contributors of pet overpopulation. The big assembly line breeders are pumping out puppies by the bucket full. Just the other day I ended up on another breeder site; I was appauled at what I found. This couple had decided to go into the dog breeding business; they had no idea of what they were doing which was obvious by the lack of health testing and knowledge on their website. Another I visited just yesterday had puppies available from litters that arrived Nov 16, Nov 17, Nov 23, Dec 12 and it just kept going. THIS IS A WARNING SIGN!!!!!!!

The economy is bad right now; and many of these big bad breeders are still pumping them out. And they are running clearance sales; yep puppies half price "today only." THIS IS A WARNING SIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think any of these puppies had early stimulation or socialization? Think any of them have been snuggled and loved by the people who are pumping them out? Think again. This is business and only business; there is no heart in what they are doing; money is what drives these businesses and it is a sad business indeed.

There is a saying that has been around for years; there is no money in breeding dogs. I agree; if this statement is coming from what I would consider to be a good, ethical breeder. They spend money on health testing, over the top nutrition and medical care, temperament testing etc. Sure they are paid for their pups as they should be; there is a lot of hard work that goes into breeding and raising great puppies for you, the future puppy buyer. But those who pump out puppies; the people who breed their dogs at every season, sell their puppies online, have 10 or more breeding bitches at a time, supply the pet stores and sell to anyone who has the money; these breeders make money. They make money because it is a business; a cold hearted business.

Where do dogs belong? I can tell you that they do not belong in a cage; they do not belong in a breeding facility (if you prefer that term). But to me; not all millers are filthy facilities, many are clean, efficiently run businesses. But dogs ARE NOT a business. They are living, breathing creatures who deserve a whole lot better from the humans they have ended up with. It breaks my heart when I see how these dogs are treated; no one cares about them, the only care they get is to make sure they continue to pump out the goods.

And the puppies that these people are pumping out are not healthy and happy; these people don't spend their cash on making sure that you; the future puppy owner gets a healthy happy product. Oh it will be cute; on that you can be sure, they know how this business works. Although one site I was on didn't even take the time to wash the mud off the puppies for their "look how cute we are" pictures.

So when you stumble upon a website; one with adorable puppies set up in the cutest of poses. They probably have a teddy bear or flowers beside them; and they've even been given a name. When you scroll down and see puppy after puppy; when all you need to do is to email these people, go to the paypal page and purchase your puppy DON'T DO IT. If you give these people your money; you are helping to keep these people in business. The Mom and Dad who linger; the dogs left in cages with no one to hug them, no one to walk them, no one to climb into bed with; there is none of that for the ones left behind in the cages. When they fall ill; there is no one to care for them, no one to lay their head on until they get well again. They are often dumped, discarded or worse. Afterall they are no longer useful; they have no money making abilities once they are ill.

And after their puppy producing days are done; then what? Do they spend their golden years on a fluffy bed by a fire, cared for by their loving guardian? No; they too are cast aside; often dumped at a shelter. But if they are one of the lucky ones; they will be adopted by a loving family who will then give them the life that they deserve but have never known. It is truly mind boggling how many of these places there are; do your research.

Please pass this on to anyone who loves dogs; perhaps it will make it's way to one, just one who doesn't already know this. If you are that one; find a breeder who has a litter of puppies in their bedroom or living room. A breeder who has all the health testing done so that you; the next generation gets a healthy happy puppy. If you've found a good breeder; it should be difficult to get one of their puppies, they only want the best for their dogs and puppies. And that puppy has received everything that they deserve; including a healthy and very happy Mom.

Dogs deserve our best; you can make a difference.

The heart of a k9

A true heart; that is what dwells inside of a canine. Sure they are all different but they all have heart; whether it shows through drive to work, to keep going when we as humans would give up or to just be there for us when we need them, dogs have heart. As I watch my girl Tilley struggle to stay upright; she often turns to me for reassurance. Surely after three weeks of living in a body where your body has you off your level is trying and discouraging; but she keeps plodding along.

There are dog stories galore of individuals who just never gave up. Dogs who have been done wrong by humans over and over but yet they still trust a different type of human, one who holds the heart of a canine in their heart. The dogs who live to protect and serve; they never falter in their work. The strays that wander into our heart and home who give us undying love and devotion or the who lays still so that the sick or elderly can simply enjoy their company.

Many of you receive my monthly Newsletter. Along with the educational material in my Newsletter I would like to add stories from the heart; the canine heart that is. I know they are out there; I've heard so many now that they are all intertwined. There is nothing like The Heart of a Canine; tell me about your canine or one that you know or met briefly in passing, I'd love to hear it.

The nose knows

I have a poodle walk to attend this morning; it'll just be Luke and I. I have no choice but to leave Tilley at home; as heartbreaking as it is to leave her, coming home is worse. The last time that I left her at home for a poodle walk was months ago when it was going to be too long for her. On our arrival her nose went into overdrive; I know she smelled each and every dog that Luke had interactions with and she probably knew exactly where we had been as well. This is the part that kills me; the fact that she will know where and who we were with but why she wasn't with us is what she doesn't understand.

The dogs nose is an amazing apparatus; they have the ability to smell things that we could never even think of and it is all in how their nose is put together. The nose is made up of soft tissue, bones and nerves. Dog nostrils are constructed so that they can scent with an inhale of their frontal nostrils and their exhale leaves out the flexible side nostril section. This ensures that the item in which the dog is scenting is not disturbed. Once a scent is inside the nose it goes through a complicated process before making it's way to the brain. This is a great article on the subject of the nose.

My own dogs have solved several mysteries over the years. Things that were really causing me to be concerned were figured out by their scent ability and my ability to read their body language. I always wish I had the ability to scent like a dog but alas I nor you can. So we leave it to the professionals; our dogs. It is very important for our dogs to smell; scenting different things in a day is good for them. If you have habit of going on the same walk everyday; switch it up. Their nose needs new smells all the time; it's good for their brain.

So when you go out for your walk; be assured that your dog is getting a whole lot more out of the daily trek than just simply exercise.

About the cash

I know many people are confused about deposits when first talking to a breeder about getting a puppy. I am often contacted by people who ask "is this normal?" So I thought I'd discuss the whole deposit money part of getting a puppy from a reputible breeder.

The deposit

All breeders are different; even within the same breed and the ethical group you will find that they are all different. So deposits can be very different both in price and in the return policy. A deposit is just that; you are saying that you want a puppy from this breeder so you are basically putting your name down for one to ensure that you get one. Now if the breeding has not taken place yet; a breeder may still take deposits. Some breeders wait for the puppies to arrive before taking depositis. So if you have put money down on an expected litter; there may not be enough puppies to go around so what then? What some breeders will do then is to hold your deposit money for the next litter or give it back to you if you don't want to wait.

Most breeder state that a deposit is non-refundable; meaning if you put your money down for a pup and change your mind then you loose your money. Many breeders will not bend here and no matter what reason you come up with; you've lost your money. A deposit is a good thing; otherwise a breeder would never be sure than potential puppy buyers are serious. This also makes sure that the puppy buyers have seriously considered getting this puppy; heck they have to hand over cash so most think first.

Now in my opinion putting the word non-refundable in a contract is important. The breeder can be pretty sure that these puppy buyers have thought long and hard about getting a puppy then. But I too believe that things change and people change their mind. If it was up to me I would be very flexible in my deposit returns or non returns; but I would probably return most. I don't want someone's money when they are getting nothing; and you most definitely do not want to hand over a puppy that someone has changed their mind about.

I was recently in the same boat; I was looking at many puppies. And my situation was a bit different; I was looking for something very specific which I realized after much time and effort was just not going to happen. I placed a deposit on several puppies; or at least on a litter. When I did get a chance to look at the puppies and decided that none were what I was looking for my deposit was returned. I was very lucky.

It's called life; things happen in life and if a breeder has cast in stone that no deposit shall ever be returned then shame on them. Yes they have put their heart and sole into their dogs; breeding and caring for a litter but do they really want someone's money when they are not getting anything in return? Do they want to give a puppy over to potential puppy buyers who may have changed their mind but don't want to loose their deposit? Who knows where that puppy will end up?

Deposits can run from 100.00 to 2500.00. Recently I emailed a breeder about a litter; the deposit was 2500.00 and was completely non refundable. The money was kept litter after litter until you got the puppy you were looking for; can you say ripoff? I would expect you to pay between 100-500 for a reasonable deposit. It can be placed on an anticipated breeding; an awaited litter or a litter that is already on the ground. But think long and hard before handing over a deposit; because you might not get it back.

And for the breeders out there; as I said earlier, do you really want to keep someone's deposit who has simply changed their mind? This could lead them to taking the puppy; and once that is done you have lost all control. You may never know where that puppy ended up. Or what about a family who got wrapped up in the excitment of a new puppy but a couple weeks down the road they realized that now was not the right time; do you really want to keep their money?

As the saying goes *%it happens; and the most important thing is that puppies go to people who really really want them, no matter what the cost.

Monday Monday

Good morning; seems like I missed blogging yesterday but I was trying to finish up my Newsletter that goes out today so if anyone is interested just email me at sherri@justdogswithsherri.com and put Newsletter in the subject line.

Time to train; when is it really time to train your dog. Well right now is a good time and you should never wait for a rainy day; especially here in Southern California. In the old days it was recommended that you wait until a dog was at least 6 months old before training. Now when I think back; can you imagine? Six months of wasted time? The reasoning behind the 6 months was so that your dog could withstand collar corrections. It makes me shudder now just thinking about waiting until their neck can handle it.

Well today is a new day and you can start training and educating your puppy as soon as you get them. In fact puppies can learn behaviors way before you get them in your home at 8-12 weeks. I've taught a 6 week old puppy to sit and down easily and I'm sure they can probably as soon as they are physically capable of controlling their body. By starting right from the beginning it is easy to implement manners by just making it "the way it is." Of course puppies will be puppies but they don't have to be obnoxious all the time; only some of the time.

There is nothing like a little puppy showing just how amazing they are by easily doing what is asked of them. By the use of patience, kindness, understanding, reward and praise you can go along way. The enthusiasm in a puppy is inspiring and when they sit or go to their place with a "I did it" face on; you can help but smile when you see how amazing they truly are. The connection between canine and human is more than a leash and collar.

Do it; don't think about it.

This morning I was bringing breakfast upstairs; I was planning on bringing it up and then going to get Tilley next. Low and behold she followed me quickly upstairs; this gave me pause. Wow; no hesitation, no coaxing, no cheering her on to take that first step. Tilley just came up the stairs but how when I typically have to give a three minute speech about going up the stairs did she just run up the stairs no problem? She wasn't thinking; she was simply following the food.

How many times has someone asked you for direction and you stand there dumbfounded? I know I do it a lot; I can get to where they are asking no problem but when I have to think about how I get there it seems so much more difficult. Just do it; this is the famous slogan of the huge NIKE conglomerate but it is very fitting for this subject. Ah; the brain, a wonderfully intense and mystical thing it is. Often a dog gets caught up in a "thinking about it" scenario; much like we humans do. It can be difficult but if you can get them out of the "thinking" zone and get them into the doing zone you can help them alot.

Many dogs with fear issues need to be assisted past the "thinking" part. Great food is often the trick; but it has to be good enough food that they stop thinking about what they are afraid of. Tilley did that this morning and it was a process; she followed me out of the kitchen and up the stairs without thinking about it. Had I stopped at the bottom of the stairs; more than likely she would have entered into the thinking zone. Momentum is needed when you want to skip past the thinking zone; you must keep going while you can and don't stop.

This also works well with dogs who have issues walking past other dogs. Many trainers will recommend having your dog sit; not a good idea at all. This tells your dog a couple of things; 1. That there is an issue, 2. Gives them time to "think" about it, and 3. That you believe this to be an issue. So instead; bringing out the big guns with regards to food treats overrides the thinking part and keeping moving gets rid of even the slightest consideration of there being an issue.

So; just do it. Questions?

Friday woot woot

Okay; I'm blogging late this morning, thought I'd get a walk in and see if anything inspired me to write about. Not much exciting happened; a couple of labs, a couple of little yappers but nothing to write home about. So I'll talk about Tilley and the fact that she has turned a corner; I believe. Tilley was stricten with Idiopathic Vestibular disease on the 11th of January. It has been a slow and arduous recovery and hopefully she will continue to recover.

Yesterday was the corner turning moment; she walked out the dog door on her own and made her way up the outside steps to the kitchen door where I was making dinner. Huge. Then lastnight as we were watching television she got up; went out the dog door and I followed her (out the regular door). She sniffed around a bit and went back in. It was obvious that she just wanted to do it because she could.

Today she had a tiny sprint outside and then back in again after her first trip out this morning. She had a spring in her step and I actually had to stop her before she went flying into the wall. She is still super wobbly and unstable on her feet but she is really, really happy. Could be the personal cheer person she has for any tiny success she has. I know she sure loves to hear me cheer her on and it get's that old tail wagging.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Strange behavior

Along with the golden that was being yanked on the other day; we also saw a yellow lab that was exhibiting strange behavior. It was obvious that the owner didn't trust what her dog was going to do as we approached. I don't trust Jessie either so I just keep her at my side; typically stepping off the path to add some needed space and we continue our walk. I know that my dog is securely on the end of her leash; and she was involved with a serious smelling session at the lamp post as they were walking by anyway.

I watched the dog very closely as they walked by some other dogs. The dog seemed to be holding back; not quite shutting down but almost and at the final moment when the other dog passed he lunged out and was quickly moved to shutdown. I watched this sequence again as they passed a small dog; he was holding back, his body was showing signs of fear by his slunk down body posture and his darting eyes. Of course this interesting behavior had 100% of my attention and a question mark associated with it as well. Why was this dog lunging at the last possible moment but yet holding back well in advance of the passing?

As they approached and walked by us it was all too clear; the pinch collar. You know the collars that look like they have spikes on them? Spikes that face the inside of the collar and dig into the dogs neck. This dog had a clear association to the collar; running out to the end of your leash=pain. So he was restraining himself until he could no longer; and at the final moment just had to lunge. Unfortunately this is fallout behavior from the collar; the guardian probably has no idea.

The pinch collar is a better collar than a choke or slip collar in regards to damaging a dogs trachea but because it induces pain; causing pain results in behaviors that can be worse than a dog that pulls. What the dogs gets from the pain which is inflicted when they dart to the end of the leash or when they are yanked on by their owner is pain associated to whatever happens to be happening at that time the pain is inflicted. Typically it is another dog; so when other dogs approach the dog receives pain. Think about that for a moment; not a good association is it? The dog receiving the pain is now thinking that the cause of the pain is the other dogs; hence the lunging behavior is now accompanied with a whole new slew of unwanted behaviors.

Pain is never the answer to fix a problem. Pain introduces more problems by simply being.

COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My inspiration for this blog came yesterday on my early morning walk with Jessie. As often happens; just seeing others interact with their dog sparks a thought for my blog. All I saw yesterday morning were goldens and yellow labs; this is about a juvenille golden walking with her Mom and Dad. She was at the end of her very long leash doing her business (it was not an extension leash). Once she was done Mom cleaned up the mess and Dad decided to use this time to work on the "come" exercise.

Being that she was on a regular long leash; allowed me to see more of what was going on. I was at quite a distance but watched intently as Dad yanked and pulled on is uncooperative youngster. The man was growing more angry by the minute and yanking harder and harder on the leash; reeling his dog in like a bass. Now if you are a regular reader of my blogs you already know that dogs learn through association. What do you think the association to being yanked on is? Negative.

Humans would get the whole "if you come to me I won't yank on you." But dogs associate the yanking to anger which in turn keeps them away from you. Now had this gentleman started training at home; creating a very positive association to come he could have pulled this out at the park. By lavishing gobbs of affection and really yummy treats for your dog coming to you; you up the chance of it happening again and again.

Hey; put a chocolate truffle in front of me and I'll jump through hoops for ya.

;)

So much is said

So much is said between dogs; if you really sit and watch carefully it is quite amazing. Yesterday I was playing with my new camera; of course my dogs were my subject once again. While I was shooting I was also paying very close attention to what Tilley was doing. And to my surprise she picked up a toy, brought it to the grass and started playing with it. Playing was just mouthing the toy but it was playing and she was in a great mood. This started a whole sequence of behavior from everyone. Once Tilley was done with the toy (or not) Luke grabbed it and started tearing around like a crazy dog; which in turn kicked Jessie's "I'm the boss" into gear. The pictures above are a few from the shoot.

First; is Luke proud as a peacock that he has the toy. Then Jessie is about to discipline him for being a fat head. They had a few words (too cute) and then Luke settled to destroy the toy. Once that was all done they all lay on the double lounge. This is Luke's regular spot so he was a bit put out that Tilley was on it; she is rarely on this lounge, not her thing. But once they were all on the lounge together I thought some family portraits were in order. Tilley was tired from her playing; Jessie was freezing, afterall the sun was setting here in SoCal. And Luke was filled with attitude about the whole thing.

What a pack; full of differences and fun.

Time to get back at it

Okay; the holiday season is over, Tilley is recovering albeit very slowly, the rains have stopped and I'm back in town so time to get back at it. I have alot on the go at the moment; private photo shoots, stock photo shoots, book shoots and getting all the books together and out. Today will be spent scheduling and organizing; not my favorite part of shooting dogs by a long shot but something that needs to be done.

Tilley will go out today for a walk; or sort of walk. She needs to get moving and it is hard to get her to move much at home other than from one bed to another. She is at this point happy and eating very well; infact she is sniffing around to find whatever she can scrounge up which is good to see. She is still far more unstable than I thought she would or should be at this point but factoring in that she is nearly 13 years of age may play a huge role in speed of recovery.

The sun is out this morning and the week is to hover around the mid 60s, nice. I will take advantage of the cooler weather and enjoy it as long as it hangs around. Luke has his day off today; he had lots of exercise with Dad over the weekend. So it will be a small jet around the park for Jessie and a very small stagger for Till. Today is a good day; so first to the gym and then on with the rest. Have a great week everyone.

Where are all the dogs

Wow what a difference a day makes. Yesterday morning I woke up with the sunrise and 75 degree temps in Mexico. This morning it is a chilly 37 degrees here in Southern California. I spent the last four days in Mexico; it was beautiful, simply breathtaking but there were very few dogs. As I stood one morning taking in the sunrise I did notice a woman on the beach with her two schnauzers. And while we took in the town; the very small town of San Jose we noticed a few chihuahua's around. Most were chi mixes but still were small; white, beige or light golden in color. I saw no other dogs while driving through the area. I'm sure that most of the hotels do not welcome dogs but there were a few facilities that looked more like "condo" types where the dogs were coming from.

I know that there are many dogs in Mexico; just not in the outlying areas. In fact there is a huge Mexican Kennel club; but I have never attended a mexican dog show. The two official Mexican breeds are the chihuahua and the Xoloitzcuintle. I have had the pleasure of meeting several xolo's and did a wonderful shoot with them. They have no coat except for a few hairs here and there and many sport a tuft of red hair between their ears. Although you will probably never see one here in North America they are very popular in Mexico.

So this morning as I type this surrounded by my three; I'm happy.

Tiny old dogs

We met a very old dog the other night in Mexico. We were shopping in a small town in a little shop where I had seen some shoes I liked. As I tried on shoes my husband asked the owner of the shop if the little dog in the corner was his. That's when we got the details of this little dirty old chihuahua curled up in the corner. The little girl was 18 years old; she now had no teeth and spent her days in the shop. She was adorable; and barely raised her head when my husband bent down to touch her tiny head. She gave him a brief "hi" and lowered her head down again and fell back into a deep sleep.

As I watched her crooked lumpy body in the corner laying on the hard concrete floor I couldn't think of anything but the fact that she needed a bed. As my dogs are well into their senior years we have made it very comfortable for them. Each dog gets a new bed as theirs becomes too flat and they all have blankets that keep them warm at night. He told me that each day he cooks beef or chicken for her; having no teeth he cut it into tiny pieces.

As I wandered around the store; occasionally glancing at the old lady in the corner I wondered about her life. What had her life consisted of; it looked like she had had puppies, maybe several litters. But looking at her now she was obviously comfortable and at home here. Dogs and people just belong together.

Missing dogs

Have you ever been somewhere amazing; I mean really amazing, and you just know it would even be more amazing if you had your dog by your side? It is really tough leaving our dogs at home and there are alot of places that our dogs are not welcome. Thankfully more and more place are becoming dog friendly as our dogs become more important in our life. Not all facilities are in on this but the really great ones looking for your business are.

When I am away without my dogs I'm always scanning; scanning for a hound to talk to. Pretty much anyone will do; I just need a dog fix. We have been approached by many people in California who when they see our dogs confess how much they miss their own who are back home.

There are quite a few sites that share this "dog friendly" info with you.


Dogfriendly.com is probably the biggest. But most Countries, States, Regions and Provinces have their own local sites.

If you've ever been to a facililty that boasts that they are dog friendly; be sure to give a review somewhere so that other canine guardians will get the news.

Have a great day; see ya tomorrow.

Up and at it

I'm up early; couldn't sleep. I lay in bed for a while listening to the sounds of my dogs; even when they are sleeping they make quite a bit of noise. Of course they don't make as much sound as some breeds; namely the brachycephalic breeds. This group of breeds includes the flat faced dogs; the pugs, boxers, bulldogs, bostons, frenchies etc. Although these breeds are adorable; then do suffer from respiratory problems that dogs with full length muzzles do not.

These breeds are the direct result of human maniupulation; afterall dogs were not meant to have no face. With the lack of muzzle comes protuding eyes and other structural issues of the face. Looking at how the physiological make of the head structure of these breeds leads one to think "what were they thinking?" But there are a few breeders out there now giving these breeds more face. They will still be the wonderful breeds that they are of today; just with less physical issues to deal with.

So if you love one of these flat face breeds but would like to support the idea of a dog with a bit more muzzle; you'll need to do your research. The breeders are out there; it just might be a little difficult to find them. Worth the effort though.