Rabies debate

Rabies vaccines; it's a hot topic these days. www.rabieschallengefund.org The Rabies challenge has brought it to the forefront and is digging into the facts. I have always got rabies vaccinations for my dogs but now into their senior years and having health issues I am not willing to compromise their health. With Titers you can reliably test the amount of immunity a dog has to certain diseases.

Great article on Titer testing

With a good titer result; our dogs are still protected but sometimes this isn't enough for the officials. With simple common sense it should be; you can have titers done for humans as well and that seems to be enough for us. Why should be re-vaccinate when the dogs body has enough immunity? They are finding out that over vaccinating is alot more dangerous than once thought.

I have a very inquiring mind; I always want to know more. If I hear about an important issue that I hadn't heard before then I dig in; I want the facts. I listen to what people have to say; take what I think is important and toss the rest. Life is a constant education; to deny facts, to turn away in an "I don't want to know" manner is really useless.

Take the whole Autistic/vaccine debate going on in the human world right now. Many just don't buy it; thankfully many are also digging.

Information on the Rabies challenge

We are only human and humans make mistakes; but to turn away from the facts is a disservice to us and our animals. Before you re-vaccinate; research, research alot.

That space we all need

Any closer would be too close for Luke

I have to talk about space today. My husband and I ate lunch out yesterday at The Corner Bakery; great little place with great food. It was busy of course with all the shoppers out hussle and bussling. We sat down; got our food and were enjoying our lunch until; let's just say a very large guy came a pulled an extra chair, a fifth chair at a four table right beside our table. Normally I wouldn't mind this but the guy was literally up against our table; I mean touching our table. If he leaned back he would have been between my husband and I.

So as we sat there finishing our meal of course it made me think of the space our dogs need. I need alot of space; I do not like when people assume that they can enter into my personal space anymore than dogs do and like us they are all different. Like most people; the better I know you the closer you can get without it bothering me. So let's look at dog space. Last night Tilley had a primo position for sleeping; the other two dogs were wandering around looking for a spot. Everything was fine until they crossed an invisible boundary Tilley had made for herself and then she let them know. With the use of body language dogs make it perfectly clear when you are too close.

Of course some dogs have no personal space boundaries; some have very large boundaries and the boundary can have specifications. A dog may have a larger personal space designated for humans but dogs are welcome. Or it may be that only certain humans are allowed in and only certain dogs. Some dogs may only want humans in their space and not other dogs. Typically a dog let's their pack within a much tighter space than strangers; be they dog or human.

Within a dogs personal space specifications will be regulations; when, why and how you are allowed to enter into it. Humans should not assume just because a dog is friendly that they should enter the space completely. Dogs give signals and they may be so small that if you are not paying attention; you won't see them. Space issues are completely different concerning your own pack members versus strange dogs; the ones that you do not live with. Space is a safety precaution; both for humans and dogs. Space is what makes a fearful dog feel more comfortable and a very dominant dog less challenged.

A good rule to follow is to take it slow and always let a dog approach you; never push an approach. And save the hugs for the dogs you live with; don't hug dogs that are not in your own pack.

I love dogs

I love dogs; big secret eh?  So what is it that we, and I mean we as in those who love them as much as I do, what do we love about dogs?   I love everything about them, sure there are things that are not my favorite things to deal with.  Like looking for the foot covered in poop that got stuck on one of twelve feet; that ran through the house.  Then of course following the lovely poop path and pains takingly cleaning up each spot, that's all fun.  Okay; let's move past my evening lastnight, k?

Dogs are amazing listeners, they rarely talk back.  They don't interupt and will listen to you babble about whatevers on your mind for hours at a time and appear as though they are interested.  They are ready to go for a walk at the drop of a hat.  They'll sit and watch t.v. as long as you want to.  Dogs are very good at keeping you warm on a cold night.  I remember when we lived in Canada, I'd ask Tilley to lay on my spot of the bed everynight as I prepared for bed.  By the time I crawled into bed in the dead of winter my spot was cozy and warm, nice. 

Teaching dogs is a ton of fun, if you do it right that is. It should be fun, otherwise why do it?  I know paternal instinct plays a big part in having dogs, the need to care for others.  Having dogs keeps you humble, we all know that.  Hard to be all that when your dog stuffs his schnoz into your guests crotch eh?  How about when they leap in the air and plant a big muddy one on the neighbor who is dressed to the nines for a dinner party?  Pretty humbling. 

Sitting with dogs is amazing.  Just this morning I wrapped my arms around Luke as he lay sleeping.  I could feel his deep, slow breathing, it was enough to put me into a trance.  Seeing Jessie and Tilley curled up sharing one bed, brings such a huge smile to my face.  It is uplifting, and such a small thing.   A couple of months ago I was at the park with the dogs, I walked down a path to see an elderly gentleman and his dog who was also elderly.  They sat in silence, obviously enjoying the simple pleasure of each other's company.   Although they were saying nothing, doing nothing, it was quite a moving scene.   Seeing dogs run in the park is wonderful, I take as much enjoyment as I'm sure they do out of it.

I often think "what if I didn't have dogs?"  The house would be a lot cleaner, the lawn would be perfectly green, I'd have a ton more money, time and nice clothing.  And.................I can't even imagine it.  As I glance down at the food smudge on my pants and the tiny white hairs that speckle my shirt, I smile.  It doesn't take much to enjoy each other but when you try to explain it, it may seem an impossible task.  Just what is it that we love about dogs?  If you really think about sharing your life with the canine species, it is hard to find something that isn't incredibly, unbelievably amazing about a dog.

NILF

Many people offer up the NILF advice, but does it work and what the heck is it?  NILF - Nothing in life for free.  The concept is simple, the implementation is often much more difficult. Basically NILF means that your dog is not going to make any decisions concerning you. Does your dog stare longingly at a cookie jar and you quickly jump up and reward them? Do you pet your dog when they demandingly nudge your arm? Are you quick to respond to your dog’s demands to throw the ball once it is dropped at your feet? If your answers are yes, yes, and yes then things are going to change.


When a dog demands a behavior; whether it is a well meaning demand or an aggressive immediate demand; the result is the same if you comply. Your dog is running the show and this can quickly become your life, in the hands or should I say paws of your dog? Dogs are either leaders or followers; you don't want your dog as the boss of the house, no matter how cute they are. If you fail to be your dog’s leader then you become a follower and your dog makes the rules.

Often I will watch a dog and guardian interact as the dog slowly manipulates the guardian. When I see this behavior and enlighten the guardian they are typically shocked to find out what is going on. They hadn’t realized that they were acting as their dog’s servant. Giving your dog control of the decisions can turn bad very quickly. So how do you take back control of your life?

Simply by making and enforcing rules in your home. You will not give your dog affection when they are nudging for it; you will pet your dog when you decide to pet your dog. Your dog will eat when you decide, go out when you say so, play ball when you decide it is time to play and receive a cookie when you say so. By implementing these simple rules you take the lead; you can be the boss of your own life once again.
No more handing out food for free; your dog has to work for food. A simple sit for a meal is easy but a rule nonetheless. They want to play ball? They will have to wait until you are in the mood and initiate a game. Pack members who are not the leader; do not make any rules. You would never see a lower pack member demand attention from an Alpha Wolf. If and when the Alpha wolf feels like giving attention, that is when the lower pack members receive their attention and not before.

Making the rules takes only one thing away from your dog; and that is control. They will still receive attention, treats, playing, walking and mealtime but when you say; not when they demand them from you. The one thing to be aware of is that implementing NILF on a dog that is accustom to getting what they demand typically results in the behavior becoming worse before it gets better.

When a simple stare at the cookie cupboard usually resulted in a cookie; now all of a sudden it does not. This may cause your dog to stare longer and even start to bark. But hold strong and do not give in; it will soon start to diminish. And any attention can be good for a dog, even bad attention will be taken as attention; so ignoring is on the menu for most demanding attention seeking behaviors.

A behavior that is not rewarded in ANY way will soon disappear.  A behavior that results in a reinforcement, being food, praise, a ball will be offered again.  This will be turning around before you know it. 

Happy Friday  ;)

I'm heading out the door

I just got back from a walk at the park, it's beautifully chilly out.  I took Luke with me and it is a great time for me to think about what I'm going to blog about while he marks every tree in the park.  I talk, he listens, he pees and I think.   As we were strolling around the park I thought about what dogs need to know, I mean obedience wise.  I often do photo shoots with dogs that know nothing as far as obedience is concerned.  Of course as a trainer I've met lots of dogs with no formal training, that is until they met me. 

I think it's sad if s dog has no training, this really limits your communication ability and guidance.  A biggy is the photo shoot "can he sit there?"  "I can try," is usually what I hear.  "Does he know how to sit?"  And no sooner is it out of my mouth when the owner is applying pressure to their dogs hind end in attempts to sit their dog.  This is when I say "let's just let him decide what he wants to do."  And I mean it, I'm not being sarcastic.  The dog will do what he wants and I will get the shot. 

It makes life a whole lot simpler if you just teach your dog a few verbal cue.  A verbal cue is the command, sit or down for instance.   But training takes time, consistency, patience, perseverance and understanding.  Ya got all that?  Dogs are really quick learners and once you get the basic idea of teaching a behavior, it is pretty easy to educate your dog.  I like being able to ask my dogs to do things and have them understand what I want.  Doing everything by physical touch is tough, many dogs become over stimulated by touch.  Being pushed and shoved around works against you and your dog. 

For starters, I think every dog should first know their name.  You'd be surprised how many don't.  Then to come when called, sit, down, stay and no bolting out open doors.  So that is the bare minimum that I like to see.  Of course the sky is the limit and it's not all verbal cues that they learn.  Dogs can learn hand signals, body signals and linked behaviors.  They are pretty amazing actually.  But like I said it takes commitment; if you give that commitment you will open up a whole world of communicating and canine behavior. 

The more you learn about teaching your dog the easier it is to understand canine behavior.  You will get to know your dog on a far deeper level once you've unlocked the secret "learning" key.  Training is never a waste and done in a fun and positive way it can only be a win win situation.  Canine minds are a true wonder, watching how quickly they can learn a new behavior is truly amazing.  Start today; teach your dog something.  And if you're like me, you'll love every second of it. 

The comforts of home

I was out shopping yesterday afternoon, not long, only about an hour and a half.  If I have to be out all afternoon running around I will often plan my trips around stopping at home when I can.  So I popped in to drop off a few items and check on the dogs.  They were so adorable, all three sound asleep on the couch.  I soon heard the tell tale thumping of Luke's circle tail.  The wag he reserves for his family at very happy times, this was one.  I walked around to see him flopping around like a fish, we snuggled and kissed.

Jessie then sat up "something going on?"  She looked around and lay her head down again, her hearing is nearly non existence.  I walked over and gently touched her so as not to startle her too much.  She started crying, this is what she does when she is very happy.  We had a quick snuggle and she went back to sleep.  No one was excited enough to get off the couch.   This fact makes me really happy, knowing that all my old dogs are so comfortable at home.

I glanced over to Tilley thinking that she would be awaiting my greeting next, nope.  She was sound asleep and snoring with her head stuffed down into the couch cushion.  I had to smile, she was so comfortable and looked it.  I quietly ran upstairs and got my camera thinking that she'd have moved by the time I got back down, nope.  She was still stuffed and snoring.  I quickly snapped away and she never budged, it wasn't for another hour that she would raise her head out of the corner.

I love knowing that they are all hanging out.  They are not the touchy feely type of dogs with each other but they do enjoy being in the same room.  And I find now with Jessie loses her hearing and sight that she seeks Tilley out often to lay with.  This is whats it's all about, creature comforts and my creatures deserve as much comfort as I do.  All dogs do, it makes me sad to think of dogs laying on a cold concrete surface.  If you have  any extra blankets, consider donating to a shelter or rescue group.  Even an old blanket can make a huge difference.  

Pet's eye view

I recently stumbled across a cool little gadget.  Being that I am a photographer of dogs, this totally peeked my interest.  The Pet's eye view camera, a camera that hooks onto your dogs collar and takes pictures on their voyage.  It holds a total of 40 shots and will take pictures either every 1 or 5 min., depending on what you set it on.  I chose the 1min. setting for the trial shoots. 

I have to say I was skeptical, even my phone takes horrible images so I didn't hold out much hope for quality.  But I have to say I was surprised, not amazing quality but fully recognizable images.  It is very easy to use, not too many moving parts.  I hooked Jessie up first and immediately noticed the flaw with her.  She walks with her head down, constantly sniffing so I figured her chin was what was going to be photographed.  But it took her chin and other things.  And it did make me realize just how short that little munchkin is. 

Side muzzle shot

Our park

Some of the images were just too blurry to recognize.  She may have turned quickly just when it was shooting so these are a few of the best shots.  And as you can see, she's very short. 

Then I had my husband hook up Luke and go for their jog and we pretty much got the same results.  Pretty good shots unless he was moving too quickly. 

                                                      A blurry shot, movement in the car

                                             Blurry chin shot

                                           The trail

                                              Trail with railing

                                             Car ride home with Dad

So then the little camera was hooked up to Miss Tilley at home.  These are a few pics that she took while lounging around the house. 

She took a shot of Luke

Me

And Luke again, hmmmm she's looking at Luke a lot. 

So I figured that this would be the best way to test and review this product.  Let the dogs do their thing and show you what they got.  It is fun to use and then look at the images.  I had fun seeing how they see things.  It runs a little under 50.00 and is definitely fun to play with.  

The only down side is that it must be plugged into the computer all the time because if the charge runs out, that's it.  It also only holds 40 images which must be deleted each time before using.  It would make a great gift for a dog lover who has it all.  

The family jewels

Nuts, jewels, balls or testes, no matter what you want to call them we really don't see them around these days. It is customary in North America to have our dogs neutered; it cuts down on unwanted pregnancies and disease. Since neutering has become a more popular decision and shelters have implemented their spay/neuter policy; there has been a significant decrease in unwanted dogs. But like anything in society; it is not done across the board and the biggest problem regarding unwanted dogs are the puppy millers.

Show dogs; dogs that are shown in the conformation ring cannot be spayed or neutered. They must remain intact; unless they are in the veterans class. After all what is the point of showing and obtaining a championship title if you are not going to pass on those genes? So at dog shows you will see lots of balls; also in performance areas.  Dogs that excel in work or sport are often kept intact so that they too can pass on their wonderful talent genes.

On a walk the other day a family walked by with a pitbull; it seemed to be having some issues with regards to my dogs so I watched. As I turned around to see that they were on their way I noticed balls; what? I found this strange and wondered why this dog was intact. It did not look like a show dog; so why would this dog be intact? After discussing this topic with many families; not everyone is okay with neutering. When it comes to neutering a male, many men take issue. One client of mine that I spoke to about neutering did not want it done.  But once I informed him of the implants available he was very interested in the fact that he could purchase falsies for his boy. That's correct, they make fake ones.

This is one company that produces the artificial testicles called Neuticles. Yep; Fido goes in for surgery and comes out still intact but falsely. Will fake testes convince more people to neuter; I think so. And that is a good thing. Neutering a dog not only stops unwanted pregnancies and testicular disease but can help in some behavior issues as well. It is not a cure for aggression or dominance but can definitely help.

Neutering only lowers testosterone levels in a dog; it does not get rid of it. And although it may assist in lowering marking tendencies it will not cure other behavior problems. Behavior issues are always best dealt with modification procedures. Many consider neutering when their male starts to mature. They start to display male qualities that are not always desirable; and the owners thinking that neutering will stop all this take them in for surgery. Often they are dismayed by the end result as it seems to have made no change. Behavior problems need addressing and working with a dog will fix problems.

As with all surgeries there is risk. The older a dog is the higher the risk of being under anesthetic. There is also risk that the dogs body will not accept sutures; which is what happened to my girl Tilley. This can be a long and drawn out problem that may or may not require another surgery. This article explains some of the downfalls of spaying and neutering. Early spay/neutering considerations for the canine athlete.

It seems to be an issue with the boys. I remember as a teenager hearing my guy friends razz their buddies that their now neutered dog was an "it." This never seemed to happen to the females who got spayed. Neutering a dog in no way creates a less masculine dog; it may take a bit of wind out of an overly inflated sails but it's not going to make your dog a sissy.

Like I always recommend; do your research before you take the plunge.  Read everything you can on the subject and be informed.

A dog show

I hit a dog show Friday, I don't go to many but this was nice and close and a great locale.  The show was held by the Shoreline Dog Fanciers association of Orange County.  I spent most of my teenage years at dog shows, many weekends I'd be gone with friends to a show.  I handled a lot of dogs and I loved it.  I took handling classes from the best of the best in Canada, Martha Covington Thorne, author of Handling your own dog.  I have a copy nicely stashed away that I will keep forever.  I took Matha's handling class and after one very memorable Junior Handling competition Martha grabbed a hold of me.  She took me aside and told me to never give it up, the dog show world needed good handlers.  I will never forget that, and although I did give up handling I will never give up dogs.  ;)

So, it's been a while since I was at a show.  The last one I did go to was about a year and a half ago, the big Eukanuba Longbeach show.  And it was big, huge, crowded and congested and I didn't stay long.  Fridays show was great, it was held at the OC Fairgrounds and was sort of an indoor/outdoor deal.  There was lots of space and it wasn't spread out too far that going from ring to ring was a big hike.  I was there simply to watch, see lots of dogs, meet some new breeders and shoot.  I got all accomplished.

Showing is a huge commitment in time, whether it is in the conformation ring, obedience, rally, agility, flyball or any other event for dogs.  It can be weekend after weekend, living out of a motel or an RV if you're lucky enough to have one.  There is a lot of waiting, that's the part that I cannot stand, the waiting.  You get use to it and you make a lot of friends so all of the above activities are social gatherings.  It is surprising how well behaved all the dogs are.  They've grown up around hoards of other dogs, so they are well use to it.  It is surely a great socializing opportunity.

As well as dogs there are always vendors, lot's and lot's of vendors.  I wandered around looking for any "new" and amazing things that I didn't already know about.  Nothing spectacular caught my eye this time but I did see some pretty elaborate dog beds and lots of bling for dogs and their humans.  As always I enjoy seeing all the dogs, many breeds you just don't see on a day to day basis.  And you certainly don't see dogs groomed like the coated breeds in the conformation rings, especially my breed. 

I watched the owners of the rally dogs recieving their ribbons and scores for the day.  Everyone was smiling, even the very lowest scoring teams.  That says something about a show, smiles.  So as I left the building and head out to my car across the parking lot I thought to myself, "nice show."

A stimulating environment

Environmental stimuli are everywhere; they are everything in the environment that surrounds us, anything that we perceive.

Perceive: to become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses.

So basically; if your dog is aware of their surroundings then everything has an impact on their brain. Some dogs are much more aware than others; some sort of go through life whistling and wagging, perhaps not taking much in as far as sensory information goes. Then there are the average guys who notice material objects and actions going on around; they take in the information, process it and act accordingly. Accordingly meaning that it will be in accordance to their life experience; how much environmental stimulus they have been subjected to.

Then there are the dogs that don't miss a thing; these are the guys that can be more challenging. They see things that other dogs may pass by. This is all very interesting but the big factor in the level of perception is the end result which is action or reaction. How a dog reacts to stimulus is what we are given as feedback. This is our heads up so to speak. Nothing in life is truly scarey unless you perceive it to be so. Same goes for everything else; this is where fears, likes, dislikes and phobias come from; a basic perception.

So a stimulus is pretty much anything that our dog can hear or see; auditory or visual. Dogs who already have a perception of a certain stimuli can be reprogrammed to change their perception. This is done using counter conditioning which is done by creating a new association to a stimulus. And generally counter conditioning is done slowly to achieve the best results. Flooding is not recommended for canines as it can have negative results.

So by systematically breaking down a reaction by the introduction of a new associated response you can achieve great results. Everything is done by positive application; there is no anger or lack of patience involved. Because both; a lack of patience and growing anger lead to a crack in the building blocks you are stacking towards a new goal. No success can go unrewarded; each and every miniscule step forward is a success and needs to be marked with reward.

Dogs are so much more complicated than many think. Ah; canine psychology, I could go on forever but I must make dinner for the hounds. ;)

Turkey debate

Recently there has been a lot of talk about how dogs should not eat turkey, I even heard it at the vets the other day.  Curious, I did a great deal of looking around.  What I have discovered is that the problem is not the turkey but the trimmings so to speak.  Often the dogs that have issues are the ones that have a regular diet of commercial dog food, who's owner decides to give them a treat for the Holidays.  Well, turkey with gravy and maybe some skin is enough to send anyone who eats dry food all the time into an intestinal war zone.  Dogs can eat turkey.  If you regularly feed them dry dog food, leave it at a few pieces of just the white meat.  My guys will eat it all because they are accustom to a widely varied diet of cooked and raw.  

Having got two turkeys at the grocery store yesterday for a quarter of the regular price; I cooked them both today. I barbequed up the liver early this morning and got the turkeys into the oven. The dogs had liver this morning and a huge turkey dinner tonight.

After cooling the turkey I picked the meat off both and prepared their dinner. They had brown basmati rice, yellow pepper, chopped dried cranberries, turkey and liver, ground egg shell and probiotic powder. As you can see from the image above; they were more than anxiously awaiting their turkey dinner.

I was surprised and very happy to see Luke so into turkey. Often I will give Luke and the girls an appetizer to get (Luke) them prepared for dinner. Often if Luke has a few bites before dinner he will actually eat better. He ate all of his dinner but a few pieces of pepper and a tiny bit of rice.

The big secret with Luke is to mix well; the easier it is to pick out pieces the less chance Luke will eat it all.

Recently I was also asked about Mayonaise for dogs; someone with a sick dogs just needs them to eat. Just like several weeks ago when Luke wouldn't eat anything; I tried everything. Like us when we are sick; whatever goes down, works. Mayo is fine; you have to watch the fat content, fat is the worst culprit for diarrhea so take care when giving high fat foods. Consider where you will be the day after. ;)

Turkey eating myth

Great Old English Sheepdog site

Canine interactions

We are just back, Luke and I.  We  had a wonderful walk this morning, it was chilly and only two other dogs and their people were there.  That meant ball fun for Luke.  We did a full round of the park then he got lots of ball tosses or kicks I should say.  I have a shoulder injury so I have to kick the ball.  He doesn't care, nor does Tilley.  After that we did another round of the park where we came across a female Springer Spaniel and her Dad.  I always rely on my daily outtings to inspire my blogs and this morning didn't let me down. 


The first time around the park we just gave them some space as I could see that she was not wanting to meet Luke.  The next time I asked if she was friendly.  The gentleman said "maybe."  Hmmmmm, maybe.  Luke really wanted to meet her so I took my time and read all the signals.  The man told me that she was shy, I told him shy was fine.  She gave off all signals of having a large personal space.  I told him that Luke was very friendly and not shy at all.  He demonstrated this by pouncing over to the Springer girl which made her bolt away.  Luke was clearly friendly in an in your face sort of way.  "Hey, my names Luke, this is my Mom Sherri, we're on a walk, wanna play?"  She gave him a hmpf look out of the corner of her eye.  But she gave me a tiny wag. 

I bent down while holding Luke's harness so that she could say hi to me without being bombarded by Luke.  No sooner had I opened my mouth to say hi, when Luke smacked me in the face with a big kiss.  "This is MY Mom, right MOM?"  As friendly as he is, he wanted it very clear that I belonged to him.  What a guy.  After he established this with a big face kiss, he looked at her.  She immediately showed him her full set of pearly whites and snapped them at him.  His ears went back and we moved away.  The man was a bit upset so I told him that it was nothing and not to worry.  She was discussing space with Luke and he clearly understood.  He was still wagging, he seemed a bit smitten with her.  We said our good-byes and went on our way.

We wandered around the park for a little while longer enjoying the nip in the air, zig zagging back and forth across the fields.  We did a pile of glorious recalls, where Luke came bounding seemingly in slow motion into my arms.  This followed with some major snuggle action.  We worked on obedience which Luke was in the mood for, we did heeling, direction changes, finishes, stays and recalls with interuptions.  All in all a wonderful morning, and walk.

Bark matters

Bark matters, yep a barking dog can be a wonderful thing.  I know, I know, I'm typically talking about how to stop barking, but that is annoying barking and all together different than good barking.  Last night I was wandering around flipping all the Christmas lights on when I had a knock at the door.  Thinking it was my son I swung open the door, only to be very dissappointed that it was a sales guy.  He was in his early 20s and standing very far from the door, which I like.  He rambled about doing renovations to the house when Jessie let out one of her almighty scream barks.  He took a very large step back, and I was pretty impressed.

Then Tilley heard that there was a stranger and not Brad at the door.  She did her best impression of a Grizzly bear and the guy said "okay good, see ya."  There was no lingering, no convincing............presto, he was gone.  Nice!!!!!!!!  When Tilley did bark I sort of laughed under my breath as she has a very muffled old dog bark now.  But in her day she had the biggest bark out of all the dogs I've had.  I remember hearing her bark for the first time as a puppy and I was shocked.  Luke didn't bark last night, we're working on the barking at the new puppy next door issue so he was being on his best behavior.  But he was there as back up if need be.

Most people have no idea where a bark is coming from behind a door.  Barks can be very deceiving, big barks can come from small dogs and vice versa.  This guy was not taking any chances and "quit while he was ahead."  :)  Unless you can see a dog it is very hard to know what the dog is really like.  Most dogs will bark at a doorbell or knock.  Some are just letting you know there is someone there while others may be the security system. 

A little known fact about Standard poodles is that they are serious guard dogs.  As many of you know I started my whole life in dogs with Doberman Pinchers, so I know guarding type dogs.  When I tell people I have poodles they may conjure up a fluffy white little thing sitting on a pillow eating bonbons.  When they come face to face as a stranger in my house, things are very different.  Even my Miss Princess Tilley get's very protective of her home and family.  And Jessie?  she's just born tough.  You don't mess with Jessie. 

So yes, I like when my dogs bark.  A couple of barks, I will thank them and let them know that I'll take it from there.  I am the Top Dog and I will assess the situation at the door and they all know this.  How many times have I watched movies where there is an intruder as I scream "this wouldn't happen if they had a dog."  True in most cases.   I never doubt for a second who's got my back.

New issue

I'm having an issue, it's a very new one so I'm not quite sure if it is yet to be cast in stone.  But as someone who needs a solid 8 hours of sleep, it is not a good issue.  The issue is with Jessie, this past weekend she woke me each morning at around the 4 o'clock hour.  She is accustom to getting up around 5 a.m. which is when we normally get up.  Five o'clock is more than early enough for me I have to admit.  I once heard a saying at a huge convention, the speaker said to the audience "how would you like to be able to sleep until you're done?"  I thought about it for a long while, pondering this idea.  YES, we should sleep until we are done shouldn't we? 

Anyhow back to my issue, I was awakened by Jessie again last night with a tap, tap, tap on her crate door.  You see Jessie sleeps in her crate, she has for years.  There were many years when she slept on our bed, tucked under the covers but after several incidents of getting off the bed, crapping and getting back on the bed without batting an eyelash she was crate bound.  My other two dogs will alert us that they need out, not Jessie.  She simply goes to the other side of the room, far enough for her and relieves herself.  Never, ever during the day, just at night when the option of going out in the cold is not one she would choose for herself.  She loves her crate and goes in by herself at night and often during the day.

So, she has taken to getting up very, VERY early.  Last night she was restless, flopping around her crate making just enough noise to stop me from slipping into a deep sleep.  I'm exhausted, and Jessie?  Jessie is snoring on my bed and will be snoring all day long I would presume.  I on the other hand have a very busy and full day ahead of me.  As I type away I am feeling very much like sliding into that bottomless sleep that eluded me all night, I could easily go there now.  But alas I cannot, I have things to do while the little old lady's agenda for the day is which bed to sleep on.  Hmmmm; a dog's life.

Acting the part

Act the way you want your dog to act.  That's right.  I was thinking about the importance of our behavior with our dogs the other day as I moved in to do Luke's nails.  He is a nervous ninny type, very suspicious and needs to know exactly what I am doing all the time.  He was laying out on the big lounge and I thought it was a good place to do his nails.  Problem was that he has never had them done there before, an issue for Luke.  So I calmly picked up the dremel and walked non-chalant like over to him and sat beside him.  He sniffed the nail tool, sniffed me, sniffed the air and then relaxed.   I ask him for his feet and he obliged, he sniffed me again looking for a reading of mood.  Finding a calm Mom he thought this might just be okay.

A week ago in a shuffle at the door, it was a big hub bub before a walk.  We had decided to take all three, Jessie was literally under everyone.  Luke was knocking into everyone like the whirlwind he is and I accidentally stepped on him.  I got the immediately eyeball,  his whole body in a submissive state he looked at me as if to say "why?"  He again is sniffing me, and with no anger reading I roughed him up a bit and all was forgotten.   I don't make a big fuss, if I did he'd think that something was up.  It is all how we act. 

Our dogs are always watching us, reading us, and looking for signals.  Of course there are dogs who watch more closely, like Luke, he doesn't miss a thing, ever.  But all dogs watch and read.  When you think about it, this is how they communicate with each other so it is the same way that they communicate with us.  When you watch dogs interact they throw signals fast and furious, so many that it is hard to keep up with everything that they are saying. 

This is why our dogs often lunge and bark at other dogs and we have no idea why.  They've probably had a lot to say before we even notice, sometimes it's not such a great conversation and both dogs can erupt.  So when we interact with our dogs we must be very aware of our own actions.  Are we being calm, solid and reliable in our communications?  Or do we fly off the handle, yelling, stomping or sending mixed signals?  Yep.  We humans are a strange bunch for sure.



I often experiment at home, I will change my posture, send signals both large and minute to see who's paying attention.   Typically they are all paying very close attention and know exactly what I am doing.  So when Luke started barking regularly in the yard because the neighbors got a new puppy I knew I had to stop it before it got worse.  If I yelled at him, he looked at me then barked more.  So I calmly but very seriously went out with a big posture, thanked him for telling me there was something out there, then told him to stop and go inside.  All was quiet for a long while and the next time I simply had to look at him and he came in and got a very big "you are the best boy."

If there is a situation where a dog might be fearful, our actions are the most important.  In a pack of wolves, it is the adult mature members who will be teaching the younger dogs.  The young ones will watch how the adults react to certain situations and learn how they should react.  When to be scared and run, when to very "whatever" about something and when to be slightly concerned and keep an eye out is all learned by watching.

So when something is going on, somethings up or something needs to be done remember that there are learning eyes on you watching your reaction, being educated on how they should act.

Restaurant Etiquette

Restaurant etiquette 101, that's right.  On Thursday I was out to lunch (ha ha) with my daughter down in San Diego.  We were at Corner Bakery, a great place with yummy sandwiches.  Anyhow we were sitting outside in the patio area, it was a glorious day.  As we sat to enjoy our meal I immediately noticed the tiniest of munchkins, a very small yorkie who was sporting an adorable moss green t-shirt and matching harness.  He was very cute but not well behaved in the least.  He was being a dog, his owner was being rude. 

The first error on the owners part was that she had her pocket pooch on an extension leash.  Ahhhhh, and........................she was letting him run to the very end.  In between all the table legs and nearly taking down several waiters as they tried to pass by his table.  He was barking his head off and................she was smiling.  Okay, as you know I am like you a huge dog lover so he wasn't annoying me but I was thinking about how much he must be annoying some of the other people who were trying to enjoy their lunch.  Even though the little monster was not bothering me, his Mom sure was.  All I could think was how rude she was being by not considering the others at the restaurant.

If you do bring your dog to enjoy a meal with you at a restaurant, be sure that they are well mannered.  I think our dogs should join us most definitely but not if they are going to bother others.  They should know how to sit or lay down by your side and stay there.  I highly recommend bringing a small mat or rolled pad for them to lay on.  Most patios are concrete, not comfortable to lay on for any dog.  As well as adding comfort while they join you, a mat gives them a clear place that you would like them to stay.  I've often brought my guys to restaurants and I always bring one of my many rolled quilted pads for them, it works great. 

If you were at a restaurant trying to enjoy a meal, would you enjoy me running around your table?  Add with that some shrieking, not so much eh?  It is very distracting as well, I was having a hardtime concentrating on what I was saying.  I did smile knowing that I had yet another topic to blog about though.  Like anything where we want our dogs to be allowed to join us, it takes one to ruin it for the rest of us.  As small as this little cutie was, it was still enough to bother people and it's not proper restaurant etiquette for anyone, human or dog.

Step away from the cell phone

                                                              Luke, Jordi & Ellie on a canyon walk

Walking at my snail pace I hear the sound of Tilley's feet catch up every so often.  She starts to pant easily now and staggers off the path now and again.  I am very aware of the sounds of my girls, we are on our morning walk while it's beautifully chilly out.  I glance across the field to see a regular, and like always she's on her phone.  An hour earlier I was at another park with Luke, he was being very googly.  Lot's of eye contact and sticking close.  We chat a lot, well, I guess I chat a lot and Luke listens.  It's generic chit chat, we talk about the weather, the other dogs at the park and life in general.  We are doing our morning walk.  Again, I glance across the park and there is another regular, and she is on her phone.

There's a guy we see often too, he's always on his phone.  Okay, I'm just going to say it "step away from the cell phone."  Leave it in your pocket.  As I watch the owners who are walking their dog while on the phone I realize that they are not on a walk with their dog, they are actually involved in a conversation and their dog just happens to be attached to their hand.  Are you present on your walks?  I sometimes have my phone on me, normally I leave it in the car.  But of course it depends on the park and how far we are going.  If I get a call I might answer, probably not unless it's one of my kids.  I'm on a walk, with my dogs.

My poodles and I at the beach

Walks are one of the most enjoyable parts of the day, you should enjoy them.  I mean the walking with your dog part, not just putting in your time doing your duty.  Walks should be interactive.  I talk to my dogs the whole time we are walking, not so much Jessie because she can't hear me anymore unless I scream at her.  I listen and I watch, and now when I walk the girls I crawl at a snail pace.  As I've said before it took some getting use to but I love it now.  I am blessed to have my dogs still with me in these very senior years, I'm enjoying every second of them.  And that goes for our walks.

Walking is such a great bonding time, it is a time you take your dog out just so that they can have fun.  Although it is primarily for them, we take just as much as they do from a walk.  We can see how our dogs are dealing with some issues, how they are feeling emotionally and physically and work on training.  What a time set aside for just the two of you, or more of course.  So put down that phone, get involved in walking your dog.  Take time to smell the roses so to speak.  Or at least to watch your dog read their peemail.

My daughter and Luke

It's all about the connection, and I don't mean with Verizon. 

Jump, jump, jump, jump...............HELLO

Ah..............the canine greeting, not so joyous for many.  Countless owners deal with the onslaught of an over exhuberant pooch greeting on a daily basis.  After being hit repeatedly everytime you walk in the door, many learn to live with it.  But when it comes to guests, it is not dealt with in the same "oh well," manner.  Do you have a leaping, projectile greeting dog?  If so there are a few steps that you can take that will assist in keeping their four on the floor. 

The first thing to remember is that kneeing a dog in the chest is not the way to stop them from jumping.  Kneeing is really a mean thing to do and a waste of time.  That and pushing them off of you each time they jump, this action can actually encourage jumping.  If you have a boisterous type, then each time you touch them it is enough of a reward for jumping.  It can become a game, they jump, you push, they boing back for another jump and it continues.

If you have a dog that is already conditioned to jump, you must take babysteps to non jumping.  The first thing you will reward are the short moments of non jumping.  The best way to reward with food is to drop it on the floor.  Use food that makes noise when dropped and try to pick a hard surface.  Drop magically, like the treats are appearing on the floor on their own.  When you drop the food on the floor instead of handing the food to your dog you stop the need to jump up for food.  After a while your dog will stand back and wait for the dropped treat, it is truly amazing how it works.   You also need to make yourself very boring and non inviting.  If your dog does jump up, simply withdraw.  Turn your body away and become like a tree, offer no attention.  Wait for them to get off and drop the food.

Once you have your dog primed for the food drop, you can continue with this working towards longer non jumping for a food drop.  Or you can add a sit, then only dropping food if they sit.  Once you start asking for longer sits before rewarding you can then move onto hand delivery of treats.  You can also teach a "place" exercise, this works amazing as it gives the dog a job to do.  When you come in they must run to a certain spot or bed and wait for their treat. 

For those dogs who are over the top crazy jumpers, they are typically wound by the whole process of yelling and pushing them down.  These guys need the withdrawal routine even more.  Dogs need alternatives, you cannot just say "don't jump."  If you say keep four on the floor and I will reward you, or sit and I will reward you then they have an alternative. 

Also, make homecoming a non issue.  This is probably the biggest thing that we do to fuel jumping, you walk in the door and throw a party for your dog.  Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Mom and Dad are home.  Spin, jump, bark, dive and catapolt at you.  Sound familiar?  So, in the door and past the dog without a word.  When they calm, then you can say hi.  Even if it is 20 minutes from when you walked through the door.

Like many behavior issues, the best attack is for you to remain calm and in control.  Hands off, mouth shut and wait, wait for that split second that they stop leaping on you and drop the goods.  It works. 

The Christmas Tree

                      
The day is drawing near, for many it is the dreaded day of putting up the tree.  Although some of you may  already have your tree up already.  Trees are being erected only to be torn down or dismantled by the canine helper in the house.  I know that many of you will only put decorations from out of reach and up, others have gates around the tree or forgo the whole tree thing completely.  Don't despair, you are not alone.  There is a way around this and you can have your beautiful tree with decorations from top to bottom.  It is work, nothing is free but it's worth every second and no training is ever a waste.

So basically what you are going to do is to do a giant "leave it."  "See this tree, decorations, water under the tree and the skirt?"  "You can't touch any of it."  Bottom line.  It really helps if you keep your pooch around for the decorating, this gives you a chance to start right from the beginning.  As you pull out the decs, put the tree up etc. no touching!!!!!!  Tell them to "leave it" and mean it.  If they back off in the least, reward them.  The biggy is rewarding them for not touching the tree.  This can take the form of food treats or their own toys and stuff to play with. 

A new toy can help to keep a pooch's mind where it should be.

I cannot say how extremely important it is to reward them for not touching the tree.  Perhaps put a bed in the room with the tree and have them go there and play with some toys.  You can use a down stay as well as the "leave it."  Don't just reward them everytime you have to shoosh them away, best to reward a good behavior rather than a corrected behavior.  In other words, catch them doing it right.  Don't be cheap, treat them like crazy, it is a big deal that they are not single pawedly destroying your tree.  Afterall; why shouldn't they wreck the tree?  You need to give them a reason not to, because wrecking the tree would actually be a great deal of fun for them. 

I would highly recommend not chancing leaving them alone with the tree until you are 99% sort of sure.  With dogs there is never a true 100% sure.  After years of living with dogs you learn to never say "totally" or "100%."  By allowing your dog to spend time near the tree you take away the mystic of it all.  If you keep them away from it entirely in hopes of saving your beautiful tree and decorations, then there is a better chance that if they get to it, it won't last long.

Go ahead and put up that tree, dogs and Christmas trees can co-exist nicely, really.

The Big Dog, YOU!!!

I wanted to discuss "issues" today.  Many people I talk to have issues with two of their dogs, disagreements, spats and all out fights.  Others have a "tough" dog at home but would love to add a second and really don't know how to go about doing it right.  The most important thing about living with dogs is guidance and leadership.  Now; when I say leadership in no way do I mean physical leadership.  I am a very strong leader and never slap, hit or alpha roll my dogs.  I have strict rules, the dogs must abide by them, simple really.

So what exactly does being a leader entail?   If you are dealing with soft type dogs, meaning that they don't challenge you or anyone else.  They are easy and never do anything that would be considered rude even in the world of dogs then leadership is very easy.  Tilley is much like this, I call her my Lassie in Poodle clothing.  She would never step out of line or push.  Now, if your dog is more typical or dominant in personality then you need to have more structured rules and enforce them. 

Enforcing is another one of those very important things.  If you have rules but never enforce them, then you may as well forget about the rules.  The common heard phrase "rules are made to be broken," does not pertain to dogs.  Besides I'm pretty sure that phrase is strictly a teenager thing, I know I heard it many times when my kids were in their teens.  So; the rule is:  if you do not intend to enforce, don't ask.  It is much better to not ask then ask and let slide. 

If you have a couple of dominant type dogs then you have a lot of work to do.  You have to keep on top of them at all times.  You need to make up rules simply so that there is a great degree of structure within your home.   This doesn't mean that you have to be on guard at all times, just on your toes.  You will be enforcing the no nonsense rule, this is an important one.  With dominant dogs nonsense can lead to trouble.  Once dogs start fighting things can snowball quickly, sometimes out of control. 

There are times when it is not going to work, two very head strong dogs who are both struggling for top dog status with a history of physical violence may not be able to turn it around.   It is sad but there are times when placing one of the dogs is the safest and best thing for all concerned.  I know many people who live a life of rotation, dogs in different rooms of the house, but it's not a great option.  Of course many of the situations can be turned around with structure, rules, enforcing and training. 

We just had a great example of a pushy dominant dog just a few minutes ago.  My husband and I were play fighting when Luke decided to tell us to stop.   He dove onto the couch growling his toughest growl, not directed at anyone in particular, he was pushing his weight around.  This is when timing is everything, he was kicked off almost before he even landed on the couch.  Statement made.  He is now lying on the floor with his head down very moopy, he got the message.   He doesn't try it often but every once in a while he gives it a go.  This whole situation could have been directed to another dog or dogs and the same feedback would have been appropriate. 

Many folks are not the leader type, that's fine in our human world.  But when you have a dog you must be the leader:  a guiding or directing head.  If you allow your dog to be the leader, your life will be drastically different, and not in a good way.  So if you are looking to add to the family and have a pushy type, look for a mellow dog that won't push back.  If you have two hard headed canines at home; pull on your "top dog" outift and play the part.