Routine

Surrounded by my dogs early morning while I type away in bed is one of my greatest moments.  We had a good night and Jessie is resting on my feet.  Its been a couple of very rough weeks with this Dementia; and working into a routine that works has been difficult.  Hopefully we have found the right combination to have a bit more smooth sailing for a while.

Routine can be a good thing or a bad thing.  It all depends on who is involved.  Some dogs thrive on routine, they know what to expect and like things as they should be.  Fall slightly out of the norm and they become nervous or anxious.  Others may become so set in their ways that they keep you on a time clock.  While other dogs can become painfully bored with routine and need a more scattered, random type life.  I like loose routine, switching things up every so often is a good thing.  Even for those type of dogs who seem to need routine, change can be a good thing.

I've seen dogs who become aggressive if they are not fed on time; hmmm like some men I know.  Others who expect a walk at 8:00 am every morning and if you happen to be busy, they will pester you and drive you mad. So you need a happy medium; casual routine.  When you add change, something different, a new twist to a routine day it helps your dog deal with more change.  I like change, I don't like to walk in the same park everyday or at the same time even.  If I happen to do something on a regular basis it's usually due to traffic, weather or convenience. 

But some routines like sleeping through the night are good routines.  This is the problem we are in right now.  Many puppies like to convince their new owners that they just can't sleep through the night.  You can spin into an awful routine of getting up with them every night, not good.  Often a behavior is hard to get rid of once it is set so keep your eyes open for new undesirable behaviors forming.  Unfortunately our non sleeping issue is due to Dementia and finding the right medication so that Jessie can sleep through the night is where we are at.

  Eating is a biggy; I have never had a routine feeding time.  Sometimes the dogs eat before me, other times after.  Exercise factors in when I feed my dogs; much more so than a time clock.  I do not want my dogs barking at me because it is past their feeding time.  And feeding itself can be routine or not, sometimes I just take a bowl full of food outside and toss it.  They actually love this and I feel that I am able to tap their inner canine when I feed this way.  Many times when Luke won't eat I'll toss his food, it triggers the prey drive in him and he will chase his food down and eat it. 

But even more than routine or no routine; a dog needs leadership.  If your dog is accustom to following your lead; then routine or no routine won't have such a huge impact.  But switch it up, too much routine for anyone makes for a boring life.

A dog

Just pondering; A dog is.

Canis lupus familiaris – our dog. History has put us together; kindred hearts keep us there. The dog has the unique opportunity to educate humans; not all humans will open up to this exclusive event; this loss is theirs alone. But for those who are willing; those who allow another species to participate in their constant evolution, these are the humans who will be forever changed. The culmination of canine and human creates a more compassionate human when the human truly connects with the dog concerned.

The canine life starts quickly; at the early age of 8-12 weeks they are whisked away from their litter and placed into a new and strange environment. There is a lot of pressure on us as guardians to get it right; it’s not always easy but we find a way to make it work. Those tiny minds come to us looking for guidance, leadership, trust, companionship and patience. It often boggles my mind as I work with a new puppy; just how much that fresh new mind can absorb. We take an animal of an entirely different species and we mold it to fit into our human world; pretty amazing when you think about it. They quickly learn life lessons; how to reside in a home, how to get along with humans and how to basically behave appropriately in a human world. I will often sit back and think to myself as I am working with a new puppy “man this dog has only be alive for 2 months or 3 months.” How can such a young creature learn so much in such a short time frame?

Dogs pretty much fit it anywhere they are needed or wanted. You have the high performance competitors; the therapy dogs that have guardians who want to help others and people who cannot see who rely on a canine. There are dogs work long hard days keeping other animals in line for their guardians, dogs who fight alongside with police and military personnel, dogs that help people with their day to day life. Whether it is a seizure alert dog, a hearing dog, a Seeing Eye dog or a service dog; they are always there to help.

We go back along way with our dogs. Since the very beginning of man and dog, man has been manipulating the genetic make-up of the Canis lupus familiaris to better suit their needs. Breeding specific dogs in the beginning to enhance certain behavior traits, dogs that showed superior hunting abilities, dogs that were more human friendly etc. But the manipulation quickly changed to one of exterior as well as interior; and there arose the different “breeds” fledge. Many of today’s biggest fans are on a constant quest to find perfection. Humans delve in the mystery of the visually perfect canine; the never ending manipulation of genetic DNA; trying to perfect perfection itself. Many are now at a point of repair.

From the humble beginnings; our dogs are the direct ancestor of the gray wolf. Very few resemble the
amazingly beautiful wolf now; all but a few have been transformed and mutated into dogs that have no similar appearance to the wolf from where they once came. Desirable traits were pulled and these dogs bred to create more suitable dogs to live with. With different classes of humans came the vast varieties of desirable canine traits both behavioral and aesthetically. And so with human intervention we are left with some dogs that are smaller than cats; dogs that have pushed in faces who have respiratory problems, dogs with so many wrinkles that they have skin health issues, long dogs with back problems, stout dogs who can barely move, huge dogs with short life spans and dogs who can barely reproduce themselves.

It is sad to see the state of some breeds now; perhaps we should look to the ancestor of our canines for guidance.

Bath time

Ah dirty dogs, I love a good ole dirty dog.  Not dirty as in it's been way too long since they've had a bath.  A dirty dog as in they've been out playing in the dirt.  Dogs love to get good and dirty don't they?  I love nothing more than a dog with a full face of sand or dirt happily digging up a storm.  Of course not everyone appreciates a dirty dog; especially Mom or Dad when it's bath time.

"Don't sweat the small stuff."  I love that saying, it is so true.  Having fun far out weighs a dirty dog and the requirement for a bath once you get home.  Of course there is some dirt that once dry; will simply brush away.  I love that dirt.  Just recently Luke was out with my husband (top photo) on a run.  With the recent downpours of rain there was a great deal of mud.  Unfortunately there had been accompanying winds that had blown leaves onto the mud.  Luke didn't see the mud when he took the slope at top speed.  In a flash he was down for the count.  It was worse than the image portrays, it was black gunk mud.  I laughed when we met up in the field later, knowing full well that my thought of maybe bathing the dogs in the afternoon was now cast in stone.

In her younger years Jessie would dig until she just about dropped.  Her mouth so chuck full of dirt from shoveling along with her little digging feet that she could barely close her mouth.  She often resembled a small pig on the ride home.  And as the saying goes "she was as happy as a pig in s*%t."  I know that many of you are now dealing with snow instead of mud but just wait, spring is just around the corner and the mud will all be revealed.  Then it's bath time, with the happiness of a dirty dog, there is equal happiness seeing the dirt wash down the drain.  Those little eyes peeking out from beneath the water and suds, there lies a clean dog under there. 

The beach is a great place to see dirty dogs.  All those noses stuffed full of sand.  You can see the sand filling every little nook and cranny as your dog charges through the toe spreading sand, glorious.  Sand is one of those dirts that just lingers.  When you think you've got it all, there is always more hidden in secret compartments.  Even after a vigorous bath it can still hideout.

But when the inevitable bath comes; I often think how wonderful it must feel to for a dog.  A 20 minute long massage with warm water running over you, not bad I'd say.  Once the initial "oh no a bath," passes I think some dogs quite enjoy a bath.  Although I'm sure that they would never admit it.  

So go ahead, throw caution to the wind and let them get good and dirty.  It washes off.   

Puppies puppies

It seems that puppy season has begun early this year.  Being that I am very involved with dogs there is never a shortage of puppies around.  Many people I talk to either know of someone who just got a puppy, they are getting a puppy or just got a puppy or they are having or have a litter.  And my puppy pains are stirring.  How wonderful is it to get a new puppy, a new little life to mold and guide, fresh and ready to take on the world?

Finding a puppy and choosing a puppy can be a daunting task.  Admittedly I find it very difficult; the more you know about what to look for the harder it is.  Acquiring a puppy should not be done on a whim; open the paper, go see the puppies and bring one home.  If you have thought and thought and consider if you really want a puppy, done your homework to figure out what type of puppy you want then you go.  If you find one right away then you are lucky.

No matter if you are getting a mix or not you want to know what type of temperament your puppy is starting off with.  You may be getting a dog from a shelter, a resue group or a breeder but you still want to know the temperament.  I have done alot of testing over the years and there have only been a few puppies who have raised red flags with me.  Many of them have issues, some issues need an experienced dog person to deal with and some are just basis issues most can work through.

A litter of puppies can be vastly different, you can have everything from a very fearful pup, middle of the road guys all the way to very dominant and even aggressive.  What if you go in, look at the pups and pick the one with the adorable white feet?  What if that puppy is very touch sensitive, reacts to touch in a negative fasion and is extremely aggressive in resource guarding.  Are you ready to tackle these behaviors?  If you have small children then this would totally be the wrong dog for you.

Although many people think that temperament testing is useless and consider environment to play a larger role in how a dog turns out, I believe it is very important.  By understanding how a puppy reacts to different things in life that will be thrown at them you can better decide on what puppy should go to what type of home.  There are litters that are all great and anyone could take anyone of the puppies home.  But most have big differences and you cannot see these differences if the puppies are never pulled out alone and tested.  They will react entirely different within the pack than out.

Environment, socializing, training and basic life lessons play a huge part in how a dog develops.  Each and every dog I have ever had came with some sort of issue, mostly easy but sometimes there were issues that were alot of work.  You should know what issues may arise and decide if you are willing and capable of dealing with those.  There will be issues that arise throughout your dogs life that cannot have been foreseen but at least you can have a general idea of who your puppy is if they are tested.

It is the inside of the puppy that you want to look at, not the outside.

Vestibular- a whole year

I cannot believe a year has gone by already; although it does seem like forever ago.  For some reason this disease has put a great deal of distance between the onset and now for me, weird.  My husband feels that it was yesterday that she was struck.  Odd how time passes differently for everyone.  Anyhow, Miss Tilley has made it through a year of tilting, imbalance and basically a world that is no longer on an even keel for her.  She was struck with Vestibular disease January 11, 2010, a year ago.  Boy has she come a long way since that horrible night. 

January 10, 2010 had been a great one.  We took the poodles to the beach; both Luke and Tilley ran and played on the beach like young dogs.   In the blink of an eye it all changed, the morning of January 11, 2010.

So here we are a year later; and I have to tell you that she is doing amazingly.  The residuals of the disease have given her a permanent head tilt, but she can run and even catch a ball now.  She must be very careful when she lowers her head to pick it up her ball as this motion causes her to tumble over often.  And I believe she is off balance in general.  She seems to tip over if she is not looking forward.  She has a very hard time going downstairs but she does it, again the lowering of her head is a difficult behavior.  She has a slight right eye droop that most would not notice and because of her head tilt she has a natural tendency to turn left.    Turning right takes some work but she manages with some effort.

This female wolf  is behind a double fence for her protection from the younger wolves.  15 years of age is a very old Wolf.

As I said in my blog yesterday, there was a wolf at the California Wolf Center with Vestibular disease.  I was fascinated by this and reminded that wolves and dogs share 99.98% genetic make-up.  What dogs get; wolves can get.  I just never considered a wolf getting vestibular disease.  But Bonnie told me while we were discussing the crooked wolf that it is rare because a wolf's life expectancy in the wild is only around 5-7 years.  This girl that had struct with Vestibular at the center was 15, she had far out lived her wild relatives. 

Vestibular disease is awful in the beginning but it is not a death sentence.  A dog stricken with this disease will need around the clock care in the first few days.  Then things start to change and as everyday passes you see a tiny improvement.  Some days may be worse than others but you get through it and so do they.  Each dog is different and each case different.  Some dogs are hit hard with the disease, I feel that Tilley was lucky as were we.

I think that it is very important to share this information, it could someday save a life.  Since Tilley has been hit with Vestibular I have heard of several dogs being euthanized at the onset.  It is a horrible thing to watch but the worst of it over in a couple of days.   I wrote this blog at the end of the fifth day after the onset. 

These two videos show what Tilley looked like in the beginning. 

But look at her now!!!!!!!!!

California Wolf Center

This morning I would like to share my recent trip to the California Wolf Center with all of you.   This trip was my Christmas present.  I am admittedly not the easiest person to buy for and I have to say that my husband did amazingly getting me this.  I have been very excited from the moment I got it the information to take this trip.  It was a bit dampened by my old girls recent health issues but as my blog stated yesterday we made arrangements for their care by my son.  So we left on Friday morning and returned Saturday at noon.

The trip was glorious, not only because of the fact that we got to visit the wolves but the scenery is spectacular.  A very welcome break to the hustle bustle of Southern California.  The weather could not have been more perfect, nice and cold.   The Wolf Center is a mere 4 miles approx. outside of Julian, CA.  The drive from Julian to the Wolf Center is beautiful and with all of our recent rain, green.  As you pull in off the main road you start your trek on a dirt road (love it) and again with all the rain, a very mucky dirt road.  We were luckily in a big four wheel drive SUV, wish I'd taken my xterra though, it would have been a great off road drive.  Anyhow, we were met at the locked gate by Bonnie who is the Animal Care and Facilities Manager. 

Another quick trip down the road and you are at the facility.  We started immediately, I got my two cameras ready and couldn't wait.  My husband had hoped to get me inside the enclosures but at this time of year, mating season is just around the corner.  Because of this, inside visits are not available right now.  So instead of waiting we decided on the outside visit and could go back if we liked it, which I will be doing. 

The first enclosure we saw was the Alaskan Gray wolves.  When we walked up two of males in the enclosure  scooted away to the back and the one and only female in the enclosure stayed and allowed me to get fairly close for some beautiful images.  She was very relaxed as you can see. 

We went around the back to see if we could get some photos of the boys but they were being elusive.   During all our viewing Bonnie filled us in on the wolves, who they were, how long they'd been there, who was who in the hierarchy and all the behaviors that they display.  I was fascinated by their behavior, they are a very easy read and display very similarly to our dogs.  We left that enclosure and headed over to the Mexican Wolves. 

These guys were very hard to photograph as they were extremely skittish.  They basically did drive by viewings of us and I tried my best to move as little as possible or they were gone in a flash.  Wolves in general are extremely suspicious of anything new, be it a person or object.  So shooting as calmly as I could possibly accomplish I got a few shots.   Mexican wolves are an endangered species, these wolves are housed here for re release in hopes of re-populating the species.

This male had been eating before we got there.

Checking us out.

This ball was placed into the enclosure and covered with food to entice play.  First it was licked by the female and then marked by all of the males one after another. 

After our visit with the Mexican Wolves we then moved back to the Alaskan Grays in hopes of seeing "the boys."  We were not dissapointed.   They were up close and personal.  This pack of four boys has actually divided themselves and their enclosure into two separate areas and packs.  The area up front where I shot most of the images is a neutral territory but up at the back had been divided.  They did this themselves as Bonnie explained to us and seem to stay clear of each others sides.  The one female goes where she wants. 

As I stood and watched the communications going on between the males it was clear that something was going on.  It was not long before a dispute errupted, it was very loud and impressive but no one got hurt.  Wolves are hardwired so that they do not hurt one another, this is instinctive.  There is a lot of noise and posturing but that is where it usually ends.  There is a rare occasion when it goes further than this.  Once the dispute was over, the posturing continued for quite a while. 

We had booked the private tour, I enjoyed having our guide to ourselves.  This enabled me to ask the zillion behavior questions that I had.  Hearing how passionate Bonnie was about the wolves along with the wealth of knowledge she was able to share with us made the trip.  

By the end of the tour the boys had settled down and come once again into the common grounds.  I was cold, my hands were freezing but it was fabulous.  I could have stayed for several more hours just to watch the subtle inner communications within the pack. 

There was also a very old girl that was housed within the enclosure.  A 15 year old female Alaskan Gray with Vestibular Disease, she had a tilt just like my girl Tilley.  I will discuss her, Tilley and Vestibular disease in tomorrows blog as it will the year Anniversary from when Tilley was struck with this disease.  

If you are in the area; I would definitely recommend a trip to the California Wolf Center.  This is a wonderful place for anyone to learn about this amazingly beautiful species that is very misunderstood.  The wolf is a  much needed predator, they will all but disappear without  human intervention.  It was we humans who detroyed their vast populations and it is now up to us to fix it.  

Visit them on Facebook as well:   California Wolf Center

Being away

Okay; I was only gone 25 1/2 hours but I still miss my dogs like crazy.  Being that two are very, very old and have "issues" going on right now I hate to go at all.  But this was my Christmas present; a trip to the California Wolf Center up in Julian, CA.  (More on that in tomorrows blog)  So we decided to head up late morning and come back the following morning early.  My son was here to care for the dogs but I still worry.  It comes with the territory, if I'm not worrying about one of my kids, I'm worrying about my dogs. 

I find that when I am away I am drawn mystically seemingly by a canine magnet to any dog in the near vicinity.  This morning I strolled the streets enjoying the very cool air when I came across an SUV with a Labradoodle, Irish Wolfhound and a Jack Russell.  It really resembled my pack and everyone was wagging at me.  I know better than to touch a dog in a car so I gave them some space but chatted up a storm.  I wished I'd grabbed my camera before I left the room, but I hadn't so I moved along after we finished chatting. 

The day before we had seen the cutest little dog sitting patiently as her owner waited for the next ride.  She was a horse carriage driver and she had her tiny companion in the passenger seat.  This time I did have my camera and capture the little patient pouch.  She seemed to be enjoying her sit in the sun with her owner and she was cute as a button. 

Before that we had seen two beautiful pitbulls leaving a very dog friendly restaurant.  The dogs were happily coming down the stairs after a nice meal with the folks.  I immediately thought of my guys.............ahhhh I miss them.  I think how they would enjoy the cool air, a walk in the woods, well maybe just Luke now but even just sitting in the woods, I can't get them off my mind.  I made several calls home to check in, everyone was fine. 

By this morning I was more than ready to head home and see my dogs.  Even though I do miss them it is good to get away sometimes.  Especially now with all the extra care around the clock, a day of rest is good for everyone.  That said the minute I open the door and see a leaping crazy poodle, I'm very happy to be home.   I wander around looking for the two old ladies.  Jessie is curled up and hasn't heard us yet, so I gently place my hand on her as she looks up.  I'm not sure if she knew we were gone but she was happy to see me.  Tilley was sound asleep in bed with my son, she was very happy to see us but not so anxious to leave her cozy spot.  It's good to know that when we are away, they are safe and sound in their own home.

Sleeping with dogs

Good Saturday morning; all of my three dogs are sleeping on the bed with me, I like it this way. They don't actually sleep on the bed; they typically join us in the morning when we have our coffee and then when I blog. It is a special time for them and for us. But some dogs should never be on the bed. Beds and sofas hold much controversy; should they or shouldn't they be allowed up? For me there are strict rules about the subject and regulations that need to be set in place.

First; all dogs should ask to come onto the your bed or the couch. And by asking I mean looking and you and waiting the "okay" before coming up.

It should be easy to ask them to get off; no complaining. Any growling, laser beam glares, lip curls or posturing is an automatic ticket to the floor. Many people tell me that their dog growls if they move them around in bed. This is a clear sign as to who your dog thinks is the boss; they are.

If they are not allowed on for some reason on a particular day they should be comfortable laying on their bed on the floor.

Dogs can become very stuck in their ways; like us they are all different. Some do great with routine; others become obsessive about routine. The ability to be flexible is a good trait; both for us and our dogs. If your comes unglued by the simple fact that they cannot lay right beside you; then time to switch it up.

It is fairly simple to link a positive association to "getting off" the bed or couch by rewarding your dog with high value treats for doing so. If you just tell them to get off and shove them off you may end up causing a physical display or challenge. So even though getting off the couch or bed is not the optimum behavior in your dogs eyes; it can be made into an okay thing with a "thank you" tidbit.

So beds and couches are fine; but there must be rules and the rules should essential be your rules, not your dogs. ;)

So..............what are we doing?

With their stomachs full they watch for signs of my location destination. Luke is my closest watcher, he actually watches my feet to see which direction they are headed. Being that the dogs just ate, that means that we are doing a whole lot of nothing, or at least they are doing nothing. This is part of the bloat and gastric torsion regiment we set in years ago. So I always plan to do my "without the dogs" stuff after breakfast. Before breakfast is their walk time, very early, then they have their cool down and then breakfast.

It doesn't matter what you are doing, your dog wants to do it with you. This is something you need to consider when getting a dog. If you are a jogging type then you'll need a dog that can keep up. If you love nothing more than to watch movies 24/7 then you'll need a sound couch potato type. Of course even couch potatoes need mental and physical exercise but they are happy with the spare time being spent on the couch.

First thing on the weekday mornings in our house is iffy for the dogs. They loosely watch the comings and goings. It could mean a walk, although more than likely it means waiting for me to get back from the gym first. They know this and only keep one eye open just in case. Sometimes I forgo the gym just so that they get first dibbs, they love when I throw them a surprise, it's good for them. Then there are times when I choose to garden first thing in the morning and the troops fall in to place outside with me.

When we lived back in Canada I often skated on a huge naturally ocurring skating rink that formed in the field behind us. It was pretty much as big as we wanted to shovel. The dogs that we had at the time loved it, we skated and they ran the snow banks beside us. They obtained enormous amounts of exercise running through the deep snow after us. And our time together was wonderful. After our skate we'd all pile back into the house full of snow, the dogs did their drip dry first and then joined us inside for a movie.

Of course weather factors in a lot when considering bringing the dog. Sometimes there are places that are just too hot or too cold for the dog or there may be somewhere that you are going that is not dog friendly so it may be best to leave them back in the safety of your home. The more outtings that you offer your dog the easier it is for them to adapt to new surroundings and situations. A dog friendly world is one where dogs are much better behaved.

Although my guys love their walks and outtings they love nothing more than times when the whole family is home and we are watching t.v. or a movie. Luke's favorite place in the world is where we are sitting stationary and he can lay down and chill knowing we are not going anywhere. Being out on adventures is great fun but there truly is no better place than HOME SWEET HOME with the hounds. :)

Seeing is believing

                                              This OES's owner takes care of the hair problem nicely.


Its thursday and I want to talk about eyes.   Sight is very important for a dog; they rely on much of their communications by visuals.  Of course there are dogs who cannot see because they were either born blind, had a genetic disorder or accident and they adjust, most do very nicely indeed.  BUT, unfortunately there are dogs who cannot see simply because they have hair in their eyes. I'm an eye fanatic; for me a dog must have a clear range of vision and if that means that they get an eye trim then that is what must happen.

                                              This little guy is cute but he can't see properly
.

We have a regular OES (Old English Sheepdog) at our park; he is very cute and when I first met the dog I could see his eyes, which meant he could see. Well he is now sporting the more traditional blind style that the breed is known for. I remember as a youngster; I was speaking to someone who had OES's. I asked if they could see; "yes, they can totally see." And I was left to ponder how this special breed could see through a wall of hair. It is a huge misconception that these very special dogs can see just fine through all of that hair.  They can't.

No dog can see through a ton of hair. For those of you who have long hair like me; you know how annoying it is when your hair is in your face, right? Imagine not only a couple of strands but a whole whack of hair right over your eyes; it must drive one crazy. So I'm a fan of the snip and see; yep, cutting the hair around the eyes so that your dog can see. There are many breeds and mixes that need the eye trim; mine is one of them. And when they are carrying a bit more coat an eye trim is always in order.

If one of my training clients is having difficulty seeing; I recommend the trim. I show the owner how to tell what needs to be clipped. Hold your dogs muzzle in the palm of your hand; move down to eye level with your dog. Sitting face to face, look down their muzzle and into their eyes checking for hair obstacles. Often the top of the muzzle needs trimming as well as the area directly around the eye. I remember one canine client who simply could not catch; as much as the owner worked on it, it just was not happening. As I watched the non progress I realized that the dog could not see because of a mass of hair on the top of her muzzle. We did a quick utility clip and presto; like magic she was catching in moments.

Absolutely adorable, and he can see.

Often behavior issues can stem from a lack of being able to see. Dogs can become fearful or aggressive if they are unable to view the world as they should be able to. Hair in a dog's eyes is a big issue with me; I don't care what breed or mix you have, cut it. If you show your dog and they must keep their blinding locks then pin it up or tack it down but make sure that your dog can see.

And to put an end to the urban legend that dogs can see through a thick wall of hair?  Well they can't.

Gentle Giants

Over the years I've had the chance to handle, train and photograph some giant breeds.  There is no criteria to make the "giant" category but more a list of who should be on it.  Of course the tallest breed is the Irish Wolfhound, a sweet and wonderful breed that I love.  Their grayish wirey coat with scruffy eyebrows gives them a character all their own.  They are quite a gentle breed, quiet and calm normally.  I have photographed several, one shoot took place at the beach where this tall gal ran into the beach bully.  The bully thought twice when he got close up.  I love this image, the face on the bully says it all.  "Oooops, sorry madame." 

Some of the dogs that fit the giant category are:

Irish Wolfhound
Great Dane
Kangal Dog
Scottish Deerhound
Newfoundland
English Mastiff
Saint Bernard
Great Pyrenees
Neapolitan Mastiff
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Leonberger
Caucasian Shepherd Dog
Borzoi
Kuvasz
Anatolian Shepherd
Tibetan Mastiff

The lifespan of the giant breeds is often very short.  There is no one pinpointed reason why larger dogs live shortened lives but the fact that their body carries around so much and functions  harder just on a regular basis is commonly the sad truth.  Their bodies suffer from far more wear and tear than the smaller versions.  Their organs must work harder to keep them going and thus wear out earlier. 

The tallest dog at the moment is Giant George, a 43" blue male Great Dane.  The heaviest dog which was last recorded as Kell, but before her was Hercules, both are English Mastiffs.  Sadly this record can be altered simply by over feeding a dog so I believe it should only be done on dogs that are deemed fit.  But the fact remains, the larger the dog the shorter the lifespan, sad.  Of course this is not an absolute, there are many big whoppers who are well into their teens, it is just the general average. 

I have worked with Great danes much smaller than the giant versions who were 10-12 years of age and doing wonderfully.  Breeding for bigger and bigger sized dogs only harms the dogs we love as does breeding tiny little tea cup sized dogs.  I think if people who breed these dogs focused on health and longeivity more than height the dogs could have their life expectancy extended, which would be a great thing.  Of course not everyone is breeding for size, those are few and far between thankfully and many giant breeds are living much longer than they ever use to.

Most of the real giant breeds have wonderful temperaments, this has be accomplished by years of dedicated work on improving temperament.  No one wants to deal with a 250 lb aggressive dog right?  And many of the giant breeds decended from fighting dogs used as guards or hunting.  So cleaning up the temperament was imperative to live in todays society and they have accomplished that. 

Feeding giant breeds has changed as well.  Way back people simply pumped extra calcium and protein into these guys as they were growing.  People figured that they had so much growing to do that they best supply them with lots of stuff to grow on.  This caused much damage as they grew at disproportionate stages.  There is much information about feeding giant breeds now and this is one source I have found.  The Great Dane Lady.

Each giant breed has their own list of genetic problems which can typically be found on the National Breed site club pages.  It is worth while to do some research so that you know what type of issues may arise down the road.  I love giant breeds, they stand statuesque and regal, canine art.  But like other breeds, they have their own set of issues that you should know about.  If you are considering a giant breed, educate yourself on the size specific issues.

Some of my favorite shots from 2010

Looking back over the past year at my many, many canine photos there have been a few that stand out for me.  Photography and art in general is a very personal.  What you dislike, someone else may love.  What you might love to put on your wall, another may consider it a shoulder shrugging piece.  I pretty much love all images of dogs, no matter what breed or mix it is.  What I look for in my favorites is something that stirs emotion, any emotion. 

These are a few of my favorite, that were close at hand.  I have many more but you might be all day looking at them.  Happy 2011 everyone. 

Coyotes

I was abruptly awake, laying there wondering what had waken me.  My husband asked "did you hear that?"  Then I heard it off in the distance, perhaps a block away on the next street down from us, a coyote.  There is no mistaking the high pitched yelping of a coyote in the cold night air.  The sound travels, sending shivers down your spine, only because I know what they are here for.  It was loud and clear in our room as I lay concentrating on the audible sounds as was Luke.  He sat up, his ears raised, listening intently.  It is very clear that this was not the sound of any dog. 

The first thing I thought was "thank goodness we have not given Jessie access to the dog door at night."  Coyotes are common in these areas, I've seen them often.  We've even seen them  midday in the middle of the road and they don't seemed highly bothered by the humans around.  When we first moved to Southern California we were told about the coyotes and that they could easily jump a 6 foot fence.  From that day on Jessie has never been allowed out on her own.  Coyotes regularly eat cats and they also eat dogs when they can get them.  It is typically the small dogs but they will take a larger weaker dog if they are in a pack, scary.

I know of many cats that simply went missing; never to be seen again.  Most people in the area keep their cats inside.  I worry about puppies left outside, when they are young or small they are vulnerable to attack.  Coyotes surely know the where abouts of young, old or sick dogs that they might take.   Walking through the park with the dogs I often come across remains, mostly rabbits but not always.  Leaving small, old or young dogs out overnight is risking the life of your dog.  Aside from coyotes no dog should be sleeping outside, they all deserve to be inside with the family.

Coyotes have lived here a longtime, it is their right and we have to modify our lives to coexist.  It is as simple as that and if you are very cautious about your dogs safety we can all live happily together.  I was told by a woman one day as we chatted about our similar looking Jack Russells that she'd had a tug of war with her little dog and a coyote.  She was at the park, her dog was on an extension leash and as the dog went over a hill the coyote was waiting on the otherside.  It was only because of the fact that she had a leash on her dog that she got it back, but the coyote had not given up easily.  They'd struggled back and forth but the woman was not letting the coyote take her dog.  It finally dropped it and ran off.  Another couple I knew had their very old Brittany Spaniel sleeping outdoors at night, a pack of coyotes entered their yard and took her.  This is horrifically sad and avoidable. 

Several years ago I was doing a photo shoot with a couple of gorgeous Kuvasz.  I was looking for a very intense look that these dogs can possess.  They are a natural guarding breed often used to keep coyotes and wolves away from their flocks.  During the shoot we worked hard to obtain this "look," when suddenly a coyote showed up at the field.  The intense expression on their faces showed that they knew this was not just a dog in the field.  It was amazing and I was able to get the "look" shot which made the cover of Dog World magazine.  It was a very cool moment.

As I lay there listening to the coyote communicating to others I thought "pretty impressive that there are wild coyotes here in Southern California."  Pretty cool indeed. 

Spoiled

I was in a discount store the other day; of course I was in the dog section checking out the goods for my dogs.  Beside me was a woman with a handful of dog stuff, a jacket, a few toys etc.  As I rummaged through everything I overheard a discussion that is quite common.  First the kids arrived to see what Mom was getting for the dog.  Perhaps they had a new dog at home?  Not sure, but they for sure had someone that was very special and needing a new coat and some toys.  The daughter asked if she could get a few different items for the dog which Mom said "no" on.  I had a really cool coat (which unfortunately they didn't have Tilley's size) in my hand when Dad showed up on the scene. 

Everything changed in an instant, what had been excitement and fun soon turned into a convincing job.  "Why do we have to spoil the dog?"  This was all he had to offer.  I hate that word "spoil," it has such a negative connotation to it, doesn't it?  He repeated it again "why do we have to spoil the dog?"  No answer came, Mom and the kids continued their search for a new coat and toys for "the dog."

Spoiled:    to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc

And this is exactly what it means to me; over indulgence.  Now that can mean either too much behavior indulgence or indulgence in the form of treats.  Either way the result is not good, spoiled is not a good thing.  Most times when I hear the word "spoiled" when referring to a dog it means "much loved."  Most dogs who are taken care of, loved, and have a great family are often called spoiled?  Is a dog who has a comfortable place to lay, two healthy meals a day and a loving family spoiled?  Not in my books, they are cared for properly.  

Many people throw the word "spoiled" around loosely.  But if you asked them what they really mean by their label of a spoiled dog it would probably not be a negative.  I have met spoiled dogs; those who have been unruly, untrained and badly mannered brought on simply by being overindulged by their guardians.  But when I see a dog wrapped in a blanket on a cold night, sleeping on top of a comfy bed or wearing a new coat to keep them warm, "spoiled" never comes to mind.  A dog that has an amazing nutritional diet, healthy snacks and clean water I never think "what a spoiled dog."  On the contrary, I think "what a great canine guardian." 

For me "spoiled" means getting things that you don't deserve.  Don't all of our dogs deserve to be taken care of to the best of our ability?  I think so.  Let's trash this out dated "spoiled" word. 

Happy New Year

Here we are 2011 already, seems impossible.  I want to wish all of you the best year, happiness, health and success.   I am hoping that this year will see a drop in the number of homeless pets, an end to Puppy mills, and more focus put the way that we humans treat dogs and animals in general.   If we all give just a little, imagine the good that can be done.  It takes but one to start change.

Happy New Year all.  Hugs to all the dogs out there.

Stanley is in the parade

I wanted to write about Stanley today; a Chesapeake Bay Retriever that I met many years ago.  When I first met Stanley it was in the San Diego area at the beach for a shoot.  I met his Dad, Craig as well and as usual the shoot was a lot of fun.   We were also joined by another woman who had two Chesapeakes there as well.  All that the dogs had to do was play in the water while I shot away.  Right off it was obvious that Stanley was a natural water dog.  He had the drive and natural intensity of the breed.  The humans chatted about the dogs, both Stanley and one of the other dogs were rescues.  Stanley had only been with Craig a matter of months when I met him but they already had an amazing bond.

The shots turned out great, how could they not when the dogs were in their zone?  What a great turn of events; Stanley had been dumped only months before a few blocks from Kern County Animal Control on Christmas Eve.  He roamed the streets for several days before he was picked up and then moved to a rescue group in San Diego.  It was there that Craig fostered and later adopted Stanley and as they say the rest is history.  Since that fateful day Craig and Stanley have come together as an awesome water team participating in Dock Diving and Surfing.

 Bakersfield news all about Stanley

 Stanley's story is yet another sad one with a very happy ending.  Stanley will be on top of the Natural Balance float at the Rosebowl parade so keep an eye out for him.  He'll be the dark brown stud muffin on top.  How's that for mov'n on up?  Pretty great I'd say.  From his past life of a lonely dog left to his own in a backyard to riding atop a float at the Rosebowl parade with his Dad.  That's a very happy ending.  Way to go Craig and Stanley

Signals

I remember way back in the beginning, standing on the sidelines watching a guy work his dogs in the obedience ring.  He was way up there as far as levels go and there was no speaking going on.  "Cool," I thought to myself, "how cool is that?"  He went through his paces, silently motioning to his dog.  His dog understood everything and it was poetry in motion.  I was spellbound.  Little did I know it at the time, but teaching a dog hand signals is very easy.  The part that is not so easy is attention; of course your dog must be watching you to "get" the signals right?

Watching is the key and one that dogs are far more equipped than us to perform.  It's what they do, how they communicate is through body language and to communicate in this way one must watch.  We humans do a lot of babbling, often we aren't even looking at one another when we speak.  But dogs are always watching us, I love watching dogs watch humans.  The other day I was walking behind a woman st the park with three toy poodles, they were adorable.  One of the dogs was constantly seeking eye contact which she was not getting.  Her owner was busy talking to a friend but the little one never gave up and as they left the park she was still trying to connect with her owner.

Teaching hand signals is most easily done by luring.  Ever see the Frisbee dogs, how everytime they are about to get a toss they run around their owner with a simple sweep of their owners hand?  A Frisbee in the hand motioning around your back and then quickly throwing as the dog comes around accomplishes this.  A sit is taught almost immediately by luring food from the dogs nose up over their head.  They quickly respond to this hand motion by sitting.  Same with down, as the dog is in a sit lure your dog to the floor by bringing the food from above their head to the floor.  This hand motion soon becomes the signal to "down."

Sometimes a behavior has a very common hand signal, sit is a swoop, down a motioning downward, stay the all familiar hand out in front.  But what if you want to teach something that doesn't have a hand signal?  Consider how you are going to teach the dog the particular behavior, what hand motion will coincide with it nicely?  Will you remember the hand signal?  Is it different enough from other signals so your dog will not become confused?  Choose your signal and cast it in stone.

Now many people say that there dog will only do behaviors if they have food in their hand.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard this.  The big secret to get rid of that annoying food prerequisite is to get rid of the food.  After several luring repetitions our dogs recognize a hand signal, take the food out of the signal hand and continue to signal exactly the same way.  Put the food in your other hand behind your back, or on a shelf beside you .  Deliver the food reward with your other hand, not the signal hand.  So even though you have not lured your dog with food they will still follow the hand signal because they got the reward.  Then you ween off the treats intermittently. 

Teaching hand signals helps to keep your dog constantly watching you.  If they aren't watching they might miss something.  It is helpful when your dog grows old and possibly loses their amazing hearing.  I have always used hand signals with my older dogs.  It's also very impressive, stand proud, you spent a great deal of time teaching your dog and it shows.

Dementia

At first you see the symptoms as just that of an old dog.  Then they start to get really strange, so strange you start to wonder "what the heck is going on?"  I've had a lot of old dogs and although they all have slowed down, become frail or just plain wobbly they have not seemed off in the head to put it nicely.   If you are a longtime reader then you know that Jessie had started out with an odd behavior of standing at the back door.  I thought she had somehow associated this with feeding, now I am thinking that it may have been the beginning.  She has now since moved her door standing to the other side of the house, upstairs in the hallway.

Dementia is in the house.

Dementia:  severe impairment or loss of intellectual capacity and personality integration, due to the loss of or damage to neurons in the brain.

After researching dementia; I have come to discover that she has many of the symptoms. Dementia is common in old dogs but not all old dogs get it.  Jessie is the first of all our old dogs to have it.  We visited the vets today to make sure that we were not dealling with anything else.  She now also has a grade 2 level heart murmur which she did not have before and I will get the results of a urine analysis tomorrow.  But we are pretty sure it's just dementia. 

There is not much to do about this and it sucks bigtime.  During the day she is pretty much in a coma from being awake the entire night.  She is now peeing in the house at night.  The dementia causes her anxiety at night, and this may lead to the peeing.  I'm heading out in a moment to pick up some potty pads, a first.  We have gone over the whole nighttime scenario again and again.  We had her in our room lastnight just to see if she could settle out of her crate, no.  She got me up at 11:30, I let her out and went back to bed, she paced and paced and paced.  She scratched, flapped her ears, paced at the patio door and paced some more.  With a fear of no sleep for anyone I took her down to the kitchen, let her out again and got a bed set up for her. 

I watched her for a while as she paced around the kitchen seeming like she was on a mission but wasn't sure what the agenda was.  "Someone has to get some sleep," I said as I turned out the light.  She never settled and when my son got up at 4:30 he said she was pacing and howling.  This is the toughest thing I've dealt with, everything else we've been through with the dogs just needs nursing and tlc.  There is not much to do for this dementia but we are going to try drugs to help her relax at night.

The vet has given me Clomipramine, typically used for separation in dogs but also dementia.  She got hers in cottage cheese this evening and has been tucked in.  Hopefully she will have a good night sleep and this will all work itself out.  I can only hope for a good night sleep for all.

Hachi

I watched Hachi (A dog's tale) last night, I've been wanting to see it for a longtime and finally it arrived today (Netflix)  So after dinner we all headed down to the family room, Luke of course was out in front.  He did his regular happiness spin and settled down in front of the coffee table facing the tv.  Then before the movie started he decided to take up the end of the sofa on one of the cushions.  My husband moved the candles so that Luke could see the tv, I'm not joking he does watch t.v. and he did watch the entire movie.

The movie was much better than I had anticipated.  Richard Gere stumbles upon the adorable puppy at a train station.  With no one in site to claim the puppy he brings it home to a wife who is none too happy to see it.  She (Joan Allen) plays the cold hearted role demanding that they place the dog, in the beginning.  Of course she quickly see's the special relationship between Gere and Hachi and allows the dog to stay.  It is a heartwarming story based on a true story that unfolded in Japan 1924.  Hachi was apparently an Akita and has a place of prominence on an Akita Club site.

The Akita is not a dog for everyone, they are a very large, strong and intense breed.  The Akita can be dog aggressive as it was originally bred to fight.  But with the dedication of many great breeders they are becoming a more social breed.  They have a natural guarding instinct and need a great deal of socializing from early on.  I had the chance to photograph some beautiful Akitas several years back and they could not have been better behaved and friendly, big but very friendly.   Akitas are wonderful dogs in the right home with an educated owner, they are not for everyone.

No matter what dog you get, whether it be a mix or purebred there should be much thought, research and consideration into the decision.  Don't run out and buy the cutie from the movie, no dog is like the movies.

I would definitely recommend the movie Hachi, it was really good and of course, about a dog.

Opening presents

Luke's pupils are dilated here, he's in the zone.  And being given the go ahead to tear he has become over-stimulated and quickly moves onto the next where he is then stopped in his tracks.  If you don't want your dog to enter "the zone," you don't allow this level of excitement.

This one is actually his and at the end of the gift opening.  This was a good opening.

Ah presents; who doesn't love presents?  Well Luke adores new presents and considers every package that comes into the house a possible gift for him.  The gift monster was man-made, a creation of allowing a behavior to grow.  "Oh look how cute."  Last Christmas it became quite obvious that the behavior had to be placed under control.  But I mean honestly, how cute is it that he wants to open every gift?  And combating everyone in the room that thinks he is the cutest thing ever is not an easy quest.

Here there is a lull in the gift opening, look at that innocent face.

So we tackle the problem head on; a firm "leave it," is used to let him know what he is and is not allowed to rip open.  As long as the person who is doing the unwrapping cooperates then everything goes to plan.  Luke walks away and lays down knowing that this is not for him.  Several times he went over to the gifts to find one for himself which again was adorable because it was his but not so cute if he had wrecked someone elses gift.

The process of changing a behavior must be done with consistency and the more over stimulated a dog becomes while doing it the more you must stick to your guns.  Luke needed several very serious "leave it's," from Mom.  This let him know that we were not kidding about the destruction.  We then had a dog that was under control, sure he still wanted to rip into every gift, opening it to display the goods inside.  He wanted to see what was inside but he didn't.  He waited for the "okay" from the owner of the gift and then went to town if he was given permission.

What a good boy; "As good as gold and better."