Studio photography

I've often toyed with the idea of moving into a studio with my photography.  The people and dogs coming to me?  That's a great idea, that would make my shoots a breeze?  My shoot days consist of quite a bit of driving; hauling my camera bag and other equipment which weighs a ton into my xterra, my poor back and shoulders.  I face the wonderful Southern California traffic; drive turtle speed down the destination road trying to locate the particular house and then hoist my equipment once again.  In the house I do my canine greeting first, as the dog is normally the first one in my face, unless of course they are the shy type, then I really have my work cut out for me.   I say hi to the owner and get back on the floor to get to  know my subject a little bit more.

Once I feel that I know who I'm shooting we move onto the a tour of the house, yard or park as I scan for those perfect spots to shoot.  The entire time I'm asking what my model likes to do, where is their favorite chair, do they know how to stay?  These are all important, I want to get a good shot, one that best portrays the dog as their owner knows them.  Once I find a few great spots to shoot I set up my camera.  My camera bag is a backpack type, being that many of my shoots are at the beach or a park, wheels wouldn't work so well.  So, my camera is set up and we are set to shoot.

Depending on how the dog feels about being starred at by a giant black eye let's me know if I need to switch to my big zoom lens or not.  Many dogs are not comfortable with me all up in their face which means I won't be getting a great shot until I move away.  So I switch out the lens and start again.  The dog starts to relax but keeps an eye on me, I start to get some great shots.  Then I start my happy talk; we're just warming up (oh at this point the owner is usually laughing at me.)  But the important thing is that the dog is happy and relax, I'm shooting away.

My shoots are easy, fun and relaxed, the way that they should be.  The dog is asked to lay on their favorite sofa, bed and owners bed for the shoot.  Then asked to go out and play a bit, perhaps roll around in the shade, sounds rough eh?  All this in an attempt to get "the shot."  For me the shot may not be what the owner thinks "the shot" is so there are literally hundreds taken. 

But it never fails, it is almost always one of the last shots that is "the" shot.  It makes sense, we've spent at least an hour together and the dog is nice and relaxed with my presence.  If we are in a park surrounding, the dogs ya ya's are just about gone.  Many times it's been the very last shot, although sometimes it is the very first, right out of the shoot shot that is "the" one. 

I was recently looking at some shots of dogs in a studio, imagine how easy it would be, dog on the table, camera on a tripod.  But the dogs face was not relaxed, the dog was not relaxed, the dog was not going to offer "the shot."  I'll stick to dealing with the traffic, hauling my equipment, crawling around yards, dirt, sand, parks and homes and keep doting on my models.  After all it is all about them.  It's my job to get the shot, and I love it.

"He's friendly, look he's wagging his tail."

In my peripheral vision I see blanket movement, I glance over to witness more motion, it is Luke's tail, he is dreaming.  Whatever he is dreaming about he is wagging, but a wagging tail does not always mean happy or a good thing.   I remember several years ago when I was out walking on a beach alone when a stray dog came out charging.  It stopped about 20 feet away barking menacingly, growling and wagging just the very tip of his tail which was curled well over his back.  Hmmm, charming.

I have to admit I love a dog that is a real wagger.  That said, there is a reason why I like a wagging tail, and that is because it makes reading the dog much easier.  Reading a dog is a whole package process but the tail is a huge part, if they use their tail a lot.  Some dogs like my Tilley girl are not big waggers and if she is not super happy then it just sort of hangs there and doesn't say much.  And tails can have a lot to say.

When you read a tail there are many things to watch for, position, speed, tension and the rest of the body.  For some dogs like my Luke, they hold their tail naturally high.  He is a fairly dominant but friendly boy, the only time it freezes in its upright position is when he is making a point.  It is essential to look at the tension of a wag.  The tail could be wagging loosely like a flag in the breeze or very taught and fast.  Loose is good; the more relaxed a dog is the more flag like their tail will be.

This is one of the reasons that I am very against docking tails.  Dogs communicate hugely with each other with their tail and to chop it off handicaps them to a degree.  The following link is to an article written with regard to research done in British Columbia, Canada on length of tail and intra-species communications.  It is a long read but extremely interesting.

Behavior response to different tail lengths

A wagging tail can be very deceptive, first decipher what the tail is saying, then look at the rest of the communication being delivered via the entire body.  Many people have been bitten to their shock by a dog wagging their tail.

Trust

As I reach down for my little one, a towel draped across my arm I see the telltale signs of stress in my boy's eyes.  He's not the one I'm reaching for, no I'm reaching for Jessie but Luke knows where we are going and is stressing that he is next in line.  He honestly never misses a beat.  No, he does not enjoy a bath time, at least not at the beginning although he does seem to realize just how wonderful a warm water massage is by mid scrub.

As I call the dogs outside, I have a flashlight in hand and the concern starts.  "Oh, oh, Mom's doing something to us."  Although they are slightly concerned as to what it might be that I will be doing, one by one they come and lay by my side and await the procedure.  They trust me immensely, I have never, ever given them cause to not trust me.  Even my nervous Luke with his heavy breathing stress will lay quiet and let me "see."  I have taught him that "see" means I must look at something on his body.  This, so that he is never left not knowing what is going on.

Trust is huge with dogs, and this is why you must be trust worthy from the get go.  Boy, let one thing happen and a dog does not forget easily.  Sure over time an incident may fade but it can take forever to undo something that accidentally was ingrained.   I have never had to be quite as careful with any other of my dogs as far as my actions as I am with Luke.  You see Luke is a watcher and worrier, while my girls are both extremely intelligent, Luke just seems to have an extra something, like perception.  He reads me like a book and the slightest wrong body posture can send him into a state of unnecessary worry.

Building trust can take some time, of course there are dogs like people who trust everyone and every approach.  Repetition of the positive is the only way to build trust, and the more nervous a dog is the longer it takes.  If a dog has had a past of broken trust as many true rescue dogs have it may take years to regain a real solid trust.  Dogs in general are much more trusting than we humans aren't they?  They put their complete trust in us to take care of them to the best of our ability, and that doesn't always pan out for them but yet they are willing to try again.

But even dogs who have been betrayed by a human in the worst way possible, abandonment, abuse or malice can and do trust again.

Luke came to us as a young puppy; he is a naturally nervous dog.  As I pull him down to me so that I can  give him his weekly physical, teeth scraping or ear cleaning I explain to him what I am planning.  His nervous breathing slows, our eyes meet and we have an understanding.  I feel his body relax as he puts his complete faith in the fact that he trusts me unconditionally.  That my fellow dog lovers, is what it is all about.

Revisiting conventional vs. positive reinforcement

Some topics need revisiting over and over again.  This of course stems from the fact that I see the behavior repeated again and again when I am out with my dogs.  Today I was dropping my hubby off at  his car, we had met up at the park, he runs Luke and I do the old lady saunter.  As I pulled up to the curb I saw a woman walking three dogs, I see her often.  Her dogs were going off on a couple of other dogs that were walking past, she reached out the back and kicked one (Caesar style.)  My husband asked if I'd seen it and then asked why would she do that?  We then got into a big discussion; conventional vs. positive. 

First another quick story, I was shopping for furniture one day with my daughter and after spotting several items that I wanted I gave the sales lady who asked for my number one of my business cards. She thought it was cool that I was a dog photographer and told me about her young female labrador. She said that she was in the throws of finding a trainer and that she had attended a private class with one trainer already and wasn't sure she wanted to return. She told me about the trainer yanking on her dogs collar and becoming so aggressive with her young labrador that the young and very intimidated dog had squatted and urinated during the class.

She asked me if this was normal and I know she noticed me cringing as she finished her question. By the look on her face she knew my answer before I opened my mouth. My heart truly hurts when I hear stories like this, imagine the poor little lab in the hands of this brute? A client of mine several years back was told that she and her husband were going to ruin their dog which was a beautiful and gentle Golden retriever puppy. They were talked into leaving the dog for training and were not allowed to visit. When they did come to pick up their dog they found and underweight, emotionless shell of what they use to know as their bouncy and happy go lucky golden puppy, that's when I got the call.

I've been a dog trainer for a longtime. I was training dogs at the age of 13.  But way, way back then there was only conventional training. When I say conventional I mean the type with a choke collar, if the dog does not do what you ask you give them a quick yank on the leash to smarten them up. And the longer the disobedience goes on the harsher the yanks get which brews anger in the "trainer."

Amazingly enough to me there are still conventional trainers out there. With all the information written in magazines, newspapers and the internet about Positive inforcement training there are still the old collar yanking ones not willing to change their ways. I was introduced to positive reinforcement training  over 15 years ago. When I found out about it I felt like "why didin't I know about this sooner?" For the longest time I felt so guilty about the things I had done in the past but I finally had to let it go.

The years of conventional training I now look back on give me a better understanding of why I hate it and why I train the way I do. I am not a person who only knows one way, no I have been there and understand the difference big time. I think the biggest difference in conventional and positive is the emotion it creates. I remember being in the old classes where anyone who's dog was not performing properly slowly became angry at their dog. I watch people who rely on collar yanking now and see the anger in their reaction to non compliance.

This is where the conversation with my husband went, anger.  You could see the anger in the woman as kicked her dog and yanked it around trying to stop it from misbehaving.  It is far more than one way or the other; both methods of training come from a core idea and from that idea a person evolves.  

Positive reinforcement takes more patience and definitely a whole lot more thinking. I had a trainer friend of mine who was just learning about positive reinforcement tell me that she loved the way I thought things through when we were discussing a behavior issue. No two dogs are exactly alike and many times I would get a strange and new reaction behavior from a clients dog. I would then say "hold on, I need to figure this out." Why was this dog acting this way to a common behavior that I used on a regular basis, what was the difference here?

Dogs can do strange things and if you watch long enough and hear the guardian's explanation of background behavior it can almost always be explained. Not that the explanation always helps, sometimes you just need to move on from the cause to the solution. Often a behavior can be quickly solved by one tiny step from a guardian. I love dog behavior, I could honestly watch canines interact with other canines or with people for hours. I love the new guardians who have opted for using positive reinforcement, it has created a whole new breed of caregivers. Far from the yank and choke when a dog misbehaves, positive trainers search for way to optimize the possibility of good behavior repetition.  And that my friends is great news for all dogs.

Consider this

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.

Not house trained

UTD on all shots; likes other dogs, cats and kids, may or may not be house trained.  Ooooh; that one might just sink the deal right?  Many second hand dogs are not house trained, there are several reasons why they may not be house trained yet.

1.  The first owners never bothered to train the dog.
2.  The dog lived in a cage, they just eliminated in their cage.
3.  Some dogs regress when they are placed into a new home.
4.  Often dominant dogs mark new areas, they may have been house trained in their first home but now everything needs marking.

So whatever the reason is that the dog you are interested in is not house trained, there is good news.  House training is not one of the difficult issues.  Some catch on quicker than others but most can be trained up with some serious structure, consistency, patience, praise and reward.

First line of defense is supervision, I'm a supervision nut.  If you don't have your eyes on your dog, how do you know what they are doing?  And how can you educate them if you don't know where and what they are doing?  You can't, bottom line.  So basically you are going back to kindergarten, you have to start back at the very beginning.  Even if you have acquired an adult dog you must consider the fact that they do not know that they should not eliminate in your house.

So, this means that you must supervise your dog at all times.  If you do not have your eyes on your dog then they need to be in an expen, crate, small room where they will not pee or poop or leashed to you as you move about.  The important thing to get started is lowering the chance of an accident in the from the get go.  The more positive reinforcement you get under your belt before you have to deliver a negative the better.  You are going to go back to treating your dog for going outside, it is a huge deal if they go outside, that is one less stain on the carpet.  Make sure that they get the treat as soon as they are done, don't wait to come in the house to treat them.  You go out and wait until they finish.

With all of this supervision you will see if they are going to go in the house; when they do let natural reaction lead the way.  We naturally yell NOOOOOOOOOOO when we see a dog peeing or pooping on the floor, keep it short and intense.  You deliver the message and then stop, calmly take the dog outside and wait for them to finish out there.  No grudges, no prolong nagging, an initial AHHHH and that's it.  You do not want to scare your dog but you do want get your message across, it is not acceptable to go to the bathroom in the house.   With many repetitive treat deliveries for going outside the house training will be well under way.  But you must keep it up, do not think you are out of the woods too soon.  Best to keep treating for going outside, it's much preferable over cleaning the carpet, no?

If you fail in supervising and your dog goes in the house; smack yourself in the head, you failed.   Calmly put your dog outside and clean up the mess.  Every time you don't supervise, you miss your chance to educate, you failed not your dog.

Veterans Day

   photo:   Alan Poizner for the New York Post 

Veterans Day - we honor the past and present of those who have, do and will fight for all of us.  This is there day,  we honor you all.  Where there are great humans, great dogs are not far away.

Dogs and veterans:

Dogs for veterans

A tribute to the dogs of the military

Dogs of war deserve a memorial (National Geographic)

US War Dogs

Dogs helping Veterans

The hunter

I have often written about Luke's lack of desire to eat; it is at times frustrating and not something I look forward to in any of my future dogs. Feeding a dog who eats well is a joy as is feeding a big strong growing boy. I like feeding people and dogs who like to eat; I guess I fall into the Mom category for enjoying to feed for sure. But Luke has given me pause to think about the whole "I don't want to eat" issue. What is it in Luke that makes him like this?

There are times I have put raw meat in his dish and he walks away. He won't look to see what's in the bowl and he turns and leaves the room.  What I am finding and you will no doubt be laughing when you read this is that if I take his food and entice him with it; he will eat. So this leaves me to ponder. Lately I have been making him work for his food; taking a piece of meat and keeping it at a distance, winging it around like the proverbial airplane so to speak. Mmmmmmmm look at this, looks good eh? Giving him a little nibble but making him really want it by keeping it away for a bit*. This is really working, the more I keep it away the more he wants it. When I do give it to him he must pull it away from me which seems to trigger his prey drive, interesting.

So is Luke's low level food desire a problem caused by humans? Caused by the simple fact that we have over the years made eating out of a bowl the way we feed our dogs? Eating out of a bowl is a very unnatural thing for a dog; normal now after years of being fed in a bowl but genetically it is radically different from hunting down and ripping into their meal like a wolf would. Luke seems to eat just fine if his prey drive is tapped into.  For us it is quite normal to sit down at the table and eat our food very civilized like; for dogs not so much.

Luke is a different dog; he is like the "big book of dogs" for me and has taught me much over the years. He is reactive and very instinctive although many onlookers would think not so. There is clearly a wolf very near the surface of his poodle exterior. More often than not we humanize our dogs; I try very hard not to do this myself but as a human it happens and luckily for us many of our dogs have adjusted to our weird and strange human ways.

But we can help those dogs who have grown bored with bowl eating.  This morning I took their food outside, they were out there drying in the sun from their baths.  So I tossed their food around the yard.  The girls start eating immediately, I had to work harder for him.  He started to get charged up running after the flying food but it still took several more tosses to get him to pick up the first piece.  Once he downs the first piece the rest comes much easier.  So no bowl this morning, it was the backyard food toss feeding.  

Life is an evolution for all involved.

*For many dogs; keeping their food away will trigger a guarding behavior. I can barely get Luke to eat let alone guard his food; so I can use this to entice eating. I do not recommend using this for the average dog guardian.

Shooting Courage, looking good my man

Courage's story from OC Register

Monday morning and I wake to the sound of rain, again?  On any other day I'd be more than happy to hear the sounds of rain hitting my tool shed at the side of the house, but not this morning.  I've got an outdoor shoot that I cannot change; so it could be a duck and dive type of shoot.  Cameras and rain do not coexist happily, not unless you have one of those swanky rain coats for your camera which being that I live in Southern California do not have.  So I decided to put my faith in the weather man, he said it was going to end early.

About an hour before my shoot the rain stopped, yep the guy got it right today, thankfully.  I was going to see Courage again, we had another shoot set up and I was so excited to see him.  His owner told me that he had gained a few more pounds and was looking great, I couldn't wait to see him again.  The shoot was set up at one of my favorite parks, lots of open space and great scenery.  As I drove to the park I noticed that the sky was filled with beautiful clouds, fabulous.  We typically have glorious blue skies which look gorgeous but don't have the same effect as clouds, I love clouds.  So blue skies; clouds and a very happy and handsome boy to photograph, nice.

Courage looked amazing; he was happy, having fun and loving his life from my point of view.  He is intensely bonded with his new Mom, there's is a special connection no doubt.  After everything he'd gone through he's beams health and happiness.  Amazing what a little love, food and care can do.  This is definitely a happy ending to a very sad story. 

Looking for a gift for that hard to buy for person? give a gift that keeps on giving.  Help other like Courage by buying and giving Courage's calendar.  100% of the proceeds to to gsroc.org

Dog talk

She lashed out and Luke did not appreciate it.  We had the gang at the park today; chill'n in the shade it was a glorious day.  We'd had our exercise and were now just hanging out with the pack.  The girls were laying down and Luke was up watching everything that was going on.  He's so nosey; nothing gets past him.  A nice woman walked up and commented on how well behaved our dogs were, I thanked her and agreed.  :)  The woman had a Dalmatian mix with her, we chit chatted about the ages etc.  Her dog was the same age as Luke; but a female.  Her dog was dragging her our way; I asked loudly "friendly?"  She said yes and continued our way.  Luke went and greeted her; I gave her fair warning not to come close to Jessie.

Luke and this furry looking Dalmatian were saying hi when she lashed out at Luke.  Not one to take a lashing lying down he lashed back.  It was over in less than a second; Luke stood his ground and was obviously ticked off.  I'd not seen any warning signs; she had approached Luke, not the other way around.  He really hadn't cared to meet her but gave a cordial "hey, how's it goin?" 

Of course we both pulled back our dogs; something had gone awry.  Luke gave her a long and dirty look, checked on his pack and moved on.  I shrugged; hmmmm.  Then the woman told us the dog was deaf; she said this had started to happen now that she was older.  But in all honesty I think that this was common behavior from this particular dog.  You can tell a great deal from the owners reaction.  She hadn't seemed surprised by her girls outburst, that's the first clue. 

Luke's reaction growls were instant; the two dog's displays had overlapped in time.  Dog's communicate so quickly, that we mere humans lack in our response time.  But this lash had been just that, bluster for no apparent reason other than to let Luke know that she was indeed his superior.  It was much like Jessie's bluster lashes.  Luke didn't appreciate it and he let her know.  Dog's talk; it could have easily been Luke who had lashed out for some reason, but today he hadn't felt the need.  To take it for anymore than a communication is our human response to a canine communication, we like to humanize it.   "Did you see that dog attack my dog?" 

It all depends on how much or what a dog has to say.  She obviously read that Luke was a very dominant dog and felt as though she had to knock him down a few notches.  Girls sometimes just like to bash the boys a  bit.  :)

I'm getting out the clicker

I'm going to dust off my clicker and see if it stills weilds the power that it once did.  Clicker training hit the dog training world and has probably made the biggest change in how we think and communicate with our dogs.  Karen Pryor who is the guru of the clicker trainer started it all with her book, the revised edition of Don't shoot the dog.  This is the book that I send people to when they want to know more about positive reinforcement training.  It gives you the basics of clicker training; how it works, why it works and how to implement it in your life with your dog.

Jessie is a clicker dog, she excelled in clicker training.  It has been several years since I pulled out my clicker; but I'm going to dig it out again.  After Jessie I replaced my clicker with a verbal marker making it easier to mark a behavior on the fly when I didn't have a clicker on me.  But because Jessie is quickly loosing her sight and her hearing I thought that it might help.  The clicker gives off a very intense sound, one that I think she just might be able to hear.  I find myself yelling all the time now, enough so that the nerves of everyone around are getting shattered. 

Communication has come down to touch, Jessie is continually startled even when she sees my approach but this has become my only reliable means of communication.  The clicker will give off a good amount of vibration which I'm hoping will help in communications.  So I will get out my clicker; wrap the bungee cord around my wrist and hope that she hears the sharp snap of the clicker metal.  If she does, I will be ecstatic to once again have the ability to communicate more easily with her and that clicker will be a new addition to my ensemble. 

I'll let you know how it goes.  Here's to clicking.

Toys, toys, toys

I've been out shopping; with the holidays around the corner it is toy time.  I don't buy a whole lot of toys as my guys have 2 baskets full and I make toys for them often.  But; this time of year brings the gift of giving with it and that goes for the hounds.  I hit my local HomeGoods today to scoop up what I could of the good toys.  I love shopping for toys; there are so many different types.  Today I literally got an armful; my own guys are already done for Christmas now, nice.  They love getting new toys; the short joy of a new toy is worth every cent spent on the squishy little things. 

I also love nothing more than finding new toys.  I picked up a very cool Organic toy from Simply Fido  for a special pooch and two interesting Jeep dog toys I've been eyeing for months now.   I also got all three of my guys their Christmas presents.  I looked through a lot of toys and as soon as my eyes landed on the long green guy, sold.  Luke loves these long dog toys; I've never seen one this big, it's probably 2 1/2 feet long, he is going to go crazy.  Tilley gets the fuzzy green and red ring toy with a squeaker in each ring and Jessie gets the reindeer candy cane. 

It is important to consider a dogs physioloy and preferences when you get a toy for them.  Jessie has a small mouth and although she has quite the chomper, I like to get her easily squeakable toys.  This candy cane is just the ticket.  All the dogs I'll be buying for other than my own this year are so far small, which means they have to be able to get their mouth around the toy to squeak it.  There are a few things that I really don't like in toys; one is rope toys.  I've seen too many dogs consume string that inevitably comes off the rope.  Next I don't like toys that have any moving parts; never a good idea as they can come off.  And lastly they have to be soft, that is if they are th stuffed type toy.  I picked one up today that had a voice box type thing in it, not a great idea.

Frivolous spending?  Not on your life; the more toys a dog has the less chance that they will be wrecking your stuff.  Toys should be different; lots of shapes, textures and sounds.  My guys have two toy baskets; one upstairs and one down.  They use their toys all the time and are regularly strewn around the house.  Christmas morning we all look forward to the dogs recieving their presents with great anticipation.  I will have my camera ready and shoot the glory for all to see. 

Now go toy shopping.

Seizures

We just finished a seizure.  I was feeding the dogs their dinner; Jessie was done and gone to her bed, Tilley was licking out the last morsels in the bottom of her bowl and Luke was only mid-way.  He suddenly stopped eating and gave me that look.  I asked him to finish his dinner and he started to shake, I knew we had little time to go get comfortable.  I dropped the dishes and ran into the living room, he barely made it around the corner and it hit.   I wrapped my arms around Luke and gently let him fall to the ground.

The seizures are almost always the same.  It starts out slow, he is a little stiff but still with me.  Next comes the intermission, a short span between the two phases of seizing.  He relaxes but remains on the floor and within a minute he is gone, his eyes roll back and his body stiffens like a board.  This is the toughest part, I have to watch out for his legs; holding his front ones and keeping his back legs from gouging me.  All this while assuring that he does not injured himself.  Seeing this phase of the seizure is very disturbing, you do get use to it and just deal.

After his seizure stops he takes quite a while to come around, as soon as the panting starts I know he is coming out of it.  His eyes refocus and he sits up, always trying to get to his feet too soon.  Then for an hour afterwards he is stuck to me like glue, I usually turn the tv on and we get comfy on the sofa.  Tonight I'm blogging as he sleeps beside me.

Luke is epileptic, he hasn't had a seizure for sometime before tonight. He started seizuring at the age of 3.5, the normal onset age is between 3 and 5 years of age. We have been able to pinpoint his seizures to stress or chemicals pretty much. Stress can play a large role in many dogs that have seizures. That said; stress is dealt with differently by each dog, so how much stress is too much stress is very individual. Luke is a stress monkey so it doesn't take too much to push him over the edge.

Toxins also can play a big part in seizures and epilepsy. We keep all lawn fertilizer, weed killer type things off of our lawn. And I do not use harsh chemicals in our home; I opt for Baking soda and Vinegar or micro fiber cloths. All dogs with epilepsy are different so it is up to us and with the help of our vet to figure out the best approach as far as treatment. We have opted to go the natural way; with feeding real food and using management in the stress department. Luke has Grand Mal seizures (they are very bad) which are difficult to experience with him but they are luckily far apart. He may go as long as 6 months or more before having another.

Drugs used for epilepsy have side effects just like any other chemical drug. So do your research, know what you are giving your dog and make the best choice that you feel is right for your dog.

Dog breeds that are more prone to epilepsy are the Keeshond, Tervueren, Cocker Spaniel, Poodle, Collie, German Shepherd, Irish Setter, Golden Retriever, Dachshund, Labrador Retriever, Saint Bernard, Miniature Schnauzer, Siberian Husky, and Wire-haired Terrier.

Canine epilepsy network

Canine epilepsy resource

EPI Guardian Angels

Let me hear ya say YEAH

Silence is not always golden; sometimes it is the key to confusion.  This morning I was at the park; there was a woman walking behind me with her dog, she was training.  The odd thing about this team in training was it was eerily quiet.  If I was a dog my ears would have been turned back behind me as I attempted to hear even the slightest of sounds, nothing.  This got me to thinking; just yesterday I was making some of the most ridiculous sounds you will hear.  I was shooting a young dog and trying to get his attention.  I'm not shy about getting the shot or in training; getting my message across. 

As I loaded the girls into the xterra; the woman came by us again.  I watch intently with my listening fine tuned to this team; still nothing.  Okay; I don't know this woman, perhaps she couldn't talk but I doubt it.  I felt like yelling to her "I'm blogging about you tomorrow."    Even if you have no voice; there are still ways to communicate feedback. 

Feedback, feedback, feedback; I cannot say enough about FEEDBACK. 

Feedback:  evaluative information derived from such a reaction or response.

If your dog does something that you like; how do they know that you like it?  You have to tell them; and you can tell them in many ways.  The easiest form of feedback is sound; that is if you are dealing with a hearing dog.  Sound; and the best sound has a positive association, reward.  In training or simple educating; marking a behavior is all about timing.  If you strictly use food and remain silent it is very difficult to mark the correct behavior.  You may accidentally mark the wrong behavior and then end up with a behavior that you have to try to eliminate.  

Most of my training clients have had a good laugh or two on my account.  Oh; they are laughing at me, not with me and I am full aware of this.  "Throw a party;" yes, let your dog know how happy you are that they just peed on the grass and not the carpet.  "My neighbors will think I'm nuts;" is what I typically get in response.  Perhaps; but who cares, their time will come to do something embarrassing right?   Along with marking behaviors with a "yes" or "good dog;" some dogs need inspiration along the way.  Sometimes cheering them on in the form of whooooooop whooooop can put a spring in the step of a sluggish or non inspired dog.  You know; "put your hands up in the air," type of whoooooop whooooop.  I know you are laughing now too.  ;)

Okay; now that I've got you raise'n the roof, some dogs are very sound sensitive and you may need to tone it down.  Mellow feedback works just as well; in fact it works better on those whirlwind types.  If you throw a high strung sound sensitive dog a whoooop whooooooop; they may just spin out of control.  So; like I always say, each dog is different so what works for one may not work for the next.  Know your dog; know what works and what makes matters worse.  But whatever you do; don't expect your dog to read your mind, speak up. 

COME

Long ago when I was first training and working with dogs I learned the recall. Recall is basically the word for calling your dog. I learned the absolute worst way to get your dog to come to you; when I was but a young'n, 13 years of age.  The way I was taught was by anger and brut force. This was 35 years ago and some trainers still use these caveman ways of training. Looking back it is no wonder people deal with the behaviors that go along with this type of training. We would put our dog on the end of a long leash; put them in a stay and walk away. Then turn around and face your dog and call them, encouraging them all the way. But, if they didn't come we were to yank them in; reeling them in seriously and forceful. Ya, that really made them want to come in to us.  Any intelligent dog would be heading for the hills at this moment.

I honestly don't know what people were thinking back then; I know I didn't know enough to know any better.  I; like the other people in my class were listening to our teacher who we thought knew what she was doing. The harder we yanked the harder our dogs tried to stay away from us. Why on earth would a dog willingly walk into an attack situation? They wouldn't, it makes perfect sense to stay away and the association to the word "come" became a bad one.

Okay; enough looking back lets go forward. My dogs all come nicely even Luke and I have never yanked, hit or even grabbed them to do it. I teach all my dogs several verbal cues for coming to me. All mean to come to me; some just mean to come around me, while others mean to come and sit in front of me.  All the dogs know what these words mean and if they do not listen to them or come when told to; there is "or else."  Now you might be wondering what my "or else" is.   I know alot of people who know me and know my training methods can't wait to hear what my "or else" is. I'm such a positive trainer, what if my dogs don't come what do I do?

First your dog must know what "come" means.  In all fairness you can't enforce something if they don't understand it. Enforcing unknown commands is just  training at its worst. If my dogs do not come to me I go after them; I use my body language and they know I'm mad. I walk very upright and right at them, there cannot be any mistaking what I am saying. Depending on the dog that I am communicating with at the time is the degree of anger in my body. If you use too much for your dog may just turn around and run and that does you no good at all. So you have to be careful with your "or else". What you want to tell your dog is that if you do not come when I call you, I'm coming to get you. And you must teach them the difference between not coming and coming. There must be a clear difference, its great when you do come you get hugs and kisses and lots of praise and often a goody.

Training for a recall should start right away, once you have taught your dog their name the next most important thing is to come. You start in your home by calling and rewarding. Its as simple as that. My word come means to come near me, they don't have to come and sit unless I give the sit command as well. They rarely get a treat now but they do have to come. In the very beginning of the "come" training; the dogs get a treat and a party each time they come.  My guys are all well into their senior years and are expected to come when called; although I still try to instill a positive association with it. 

I also whistle which means the same thing and they all come to it; they really seem to like that one. My serious word is "here" and that means you better get to me right away and sit. For my Jack Russell it often means a treat because she has such a movement trigger that I have to compete with that high level drive. My poodles get a treat very rarely and just know that not coming has consequences at this point.
Once your dog starts to understand what come means you need to start getting some distance between you and your dog. Going outside while your dog is inside and calling them. The most important thing in training a recall is to NEVER associate a negative to your word. Dogs are highly intelligent and if there is something bad about coming, they're not coming. Coming should always be a good thing. So watch how you use your word, be very careful when you use it and if you need to do something like put your dog in a crate or leave a park use another word like "we're leaving" or "kennel" but don't tarnish your "come" word.

As I watch people train and see some of their mistakes some of the biggest are not enforcing.  Dogs learn that you don't mean a thing you say if you don't enforce so they do what they want basically. This is where you can make or break your training. My boy Luke likes to push and often will see how not coming works for him. I will call and see him give me that sideways "I'm too busy to come" look. One harsh sound from me to let him know that I'm not allowing his "not coming" and he is on his way.

Then he gets the snuggies he loves and I love!

Closing the gap on communication

Closing the gap; the gap that can be as vast as the Grand Canyon, small or non existent.  Communicating with one another can be difficult enough; communicating with another species can seem insurmountable.  Learning how to communicate best with your dog and understand how they communicate takes some work.  Naturally we see things in our human perspective.  We take a behavior that we see and make it human or anthropomorphize.   It can be very difficult to not see canine behaviors as human and as such interpret them in our human way.

Dogs are very clear cut with their communications; but like us some are better at it than others.  Some wear their emotions on their sleeves while others keep them more hidden.  This is where experience or simply knowing your dog comes into play.  Often I will see a behavior that is quite obvious although an owner may misinterpret it.  Before I offer the canine interpretation I ask a lot of questions; is this a normal reaction for this dog?  Is this a similar level of reaction for this dog?  etc.  Then I will enlighten the owner and typically they see much clearer once their human emotion is swept away from muddling up the message.

Dogs deal in black and white; so the clearer you make your communications the better they will understand them.  Too much talk, too much movement and things can get lost in translation.  This is why many positive trainers opt to use a clicker.  The clicker is a clear marker; the clicker sound means "I like this behavior."  Timing is essential when marking desirable behaviors; and it is just as important for marking undesirable behaviors.  Clear, uncluttered and simple; this is how dogs communicate.  Although their messages are quite clear; that does not mean that they are not extremely complicated.  Being that there is an exceeding difference between dogs; some are an easy read, some take some work.

Signals can be a clear as day but if you are not watching; you're not going to see them.  And if you are only watching for the big ones; you may miss the small messages that can hold a great deal of information within them.  Communicating is extremely important for training, interactions and basically day to day life with your dog.  Your dog is constantly communicating with you; heck by the time you get out of bed in the morning they've probably informed you of a wealth of information.

Have a look; it is much clearer than you may think.  They have a lot to say to us.

Ya gotta laugh

Sometimes things happen with dogs when you just have to laugh or you might just barf.  And there are times when you just have to share.  Yesterday I was sitting enjoying some R&R in my living room; my husband and I were discussing the day when he told me this story.  At the time I was eating popcorn and nearly choked I got laughing so hard.  First he calmly stated "oh I forgot to tell you what happened today."

First the ground work.  Luke and his Dad go for a big hike every weekend; they have a few spots but one regular one.  They were on their regular walk when Luke had to do his business and it was a bad one, grass.  We all know what happens when dogs eat too much grass as it exits.  Well; Luke had a hanger and my husband had but one bag with him.  I was already laughing just hearing this; my hubby is not the strong stomach type.  Continuing on; he had to do the large leaf search (I've done it many times) and finally found one which he did the best he could with while trying not to get any on him.  After his near death experience they continued on their walk.

I was in the shower when they got home and I all heard was "he needs his butt wiped."  This is typically my job; doesn't bother me in the least.  Luke got his rear end cleaned up to my amazement.  After that; we did our regular morning routine, breakfast, brushing etc.  Then  my husband had to go grab something out of his car and as soon as he opened the door it hit him.  "Smells like crap," looking around his very nice white Yukon with light beige leather interior he quickly found the cause.  I was laughing really hard at this moment; and yelled out what he saw before he could even tell me, I knew it was coming I just didn't know when it would happen.  Luke sits on the back seat; but not regular like, he sort of stands facing forwards and sits only halfway with his butt pushed up against the back of the seat.  You just know what happened right?

There were two big smears on the back of his seat.  Okay; this is the choking part, I nearly choked on my popcorn as the tears flowed down my cheeks.  He had to laugh at this point; as he told me how he had to clean it up and even after spraying it and leaving the windows open for hours "that stuff lingers."  I laughed and laughed I pictured the whole story playing out.

They keep you humble; and my husband agrees.  Now go hug your dog.  ;)

The Holidays are just around the corner

I was recently sent a book which I offered to read and review; so here it is.  First I'll let you all in on a little secret about me; Sherri.  I'm a Christmas maniac; it is by far my favorite time of year.  Our house gets the full on decking of the halls; being that we are now in Southern California it takes that much more to seem like Christmas.   So when I heard about this new book which happens to be about Christmas; I was all over it.    That and the fact that the heros of the day; are a pack of poodles.  So Christmas and poodles?  It's gotta be good.  This new book is called Flying Poodles; A Christmas Story.,  written by Karen Morss and illustrated by Ginger Nielson.  The book can be purchased on the link above.

Itune app  for Flying poodles; A Christmas Story

I know that you don't all have poodles but if you love the Night Before Christmas story and you love dogs you have to love this.  The story was inspired by the team of standard poodles that ran the Iditarod; yes truly they did and the book is done sort of like the Night Before Christmas story.  Flying Poodles is imaginative with some very cute twists.  The illustrations are much like those from back in the good ole' days of Christmas story books.   I loved it and Flying Poodles will hold a primo spot on the shelf for the day that I have Grandchildren to read Christmas stories to.  For now it will be read to me and the dogs.  ;)

No matter who your four legged snuggle friend is for the Holiday Season; you'll both love this new canine Holiday edition.

In the blink of an eye

Your new puppy lays there quietly sleeping in your arms; you waited so long for this moment.

Bleary eyed you make your way to the crate; the source of the yelping to be let out.............again.

Patience?   It's been growing thin these days, hard when your 3rd pair of shoes have lost the puppy war this week.

Where is that puppy?

You suddenly realize; it's been a while since you've had to clean up a mess in the house.

You stand dumbfounded as your 10 month old comes when called.

Full grown; finally, now you are missing your tiny puppy.

Your indescribable and unbreakable bond is cast in stone.

What a great adult your dog has become; a well adjusted member of the canine society.

In their prime; fit, athletic and ready to take on the world.

Your constant shadow.

Six; is a great age.

As your vet offers you the "Senior" package; you recoil in disbelief.

The sun catches the glimmering grey on their muzzle; something you hadn't noticed before.

The dim light in the evening reveals the tell-tale cloudiness; not there the last time you looked.

Runs distance is shortened; rocketing air leaps for the Frisbee are now grounded.

Runs  become walks.

Naps are now an afternoon event.

Food carelessly dropped on the kitchen floor is there to see another day.

Where once a whisper could be heard; now a bellow is barely audible.

Your guardian has become your guarded treasure.

**The steps from puppy to old dog are short ones; enjoy each stage, each moment as they are far too brief  indeed.

A dog should not be measured by their exterior

Funny how some people dress up little dogs; haul them around in little bags and treat them like little dolls.  I actually feel very sorry for these dogs who don't get to be dogs.  A tiny yorkie or Chihuahua is no less a dog than a German Shepherd or an Alaskan Malamute.  One of my all time favorite clients was a chihuahua named Chili; she had one of the biggest personalities stuffed into one of the smallest little bodies.   She was no slouch; Chili was the boss of a very busy and happening pack and it was clear as soon as I met them that she was indeed "top dog."

When I was a child; we had a toy poodle, his name was Strawberry (yes I know.)  He was all of 7 lbs at his heaviest but he was one tough cookie.  Many small dogs are tough; they have to be in a big dog world.  He often had big dogs running for the hills as he came out swinging.  Jessie is much like this; she has put many a big dog in their place.  She oozes confidence; scary to many dogs no matter what size.  I love to see small dogs hiking, swimming, playing frisbee (with tiny frisbees) and anything else that mid to large size dogs get to do. 

Of course there are some things to be aware of with small dogs but they are still just dogs.  They love to rough and tumble; love to sleep with you, go in the car and play at the park just like all the other dogs.  You have to be more concerned about safety with a small dog; afterall they are small.  But what's inside is a dog; the heart of a canine and they should be treated as such.  To treat them like little tiny people is simply unfair.  And the big guys; some of them are not nearly as tough as the small guys.  Sure there are big tough big guys and not so tough big guys; just like the small ones. 

A dog is a dog is a dog; they come in all shapes and sizes but they are all dogs inside.  My breed is one of the worst hit for exterior perception; of course those folks that dye their poodle's hair pink doesn't help the powder puff idea.   Poodles are a very utility breed; but many people just consider them to be beauty parlor dogs.  This is sad as well; poodles love to play in the dirt, dig, swim, jump and retrieve just as much as any other dog.   I remember a guy shocked to hear that my girl Tilley was a frisbee dog.  "Poodles can jump?" he asked as I rolled my eyes and walked past.  Geesh!!!!

A tiny munchkin dog does not belong in your arms 24/7, a giant breed wants to sit on your lap, a Whippet might love to go for a swim and a Bassett might just want to go for a run.   Break out of that "breed" exterior shell or size mold; and let your dog be a dog.