Sofa; yes or no?

The big debate; "should I let my dogs on the sofa?" And the answer is yes and no depending on your dog. This is one of the most common questions and one that can make or break your relationship with your dog. My rule of thumb about couchdom is "when I say so," meaning that only when and if I say you can come up, you can come up. But we have a slightly different rule in our home and it is all due to Luke.

Luke is a digger, a fluffer of comfyness. About 70% of the time he fluffs madly and then makes his ritual 12 spins before laying down. Now I don't know about you but I'm not real keen on having him fluff my leather or fabric furniture. He has ruined I don't know how many dog beds which then are flipped over until he ruins the otherside. So my rule is only because of this digging fool and really has nothing to do with the whole "dogs on the couch." They use to be on the couch until his digging got worse and we got new furniture and before that it was always "only when I say so."

Many dogs will growl or posture if you try to move them off the couch, afterall they are sitting in your spot which is the ultimate position. But they think you are trying to take their spot. That is when things have to change drastically, and off they go. Dogs like this should never be allowed on the furniture, and that is specifically so you can take back your status  "leader of the pack." If you allow your dog to have the best seat and not be moved because everyone is afraid of the snarling canine then guess who really is the boss?

It's all about manners, manners, manners. So if your dog get's off when you ask and has no guarding of the spot or status seeking behavior over the couch then simply implement the "ask first" rule. This means that they must wait to be asked before getting up onto the sofa.  They may ask to get up but they must wait for your reply.  Ask?  How the heck do they ask you ask?  They sit looking at the couch, you, the couch, you, waiting ever so patiently for the word.  That magical word that says "yes you can get on the couch now."  My word is okay, it is and has been my release word since I was 13 years old and that's a longtime ago. 

The rule works for just about any dog and it stops your guests from dealing with a 100 lap dog when they visit. 

Dog doors

I was on my balcony with Luke photographing a strawberry.  He decided to go downstairs and outside to watch me from below.  He then started barking at me because he wanted to come up again.

How on earth did I ever live without a dog door.  I wanted one for as long as I can remember but back in Canada we really couldn't figure out where to put it and here in Southern California, well it just took us a while.  So I finally have one, got it several years ago and I cannot imagine life without it.  Truly I cannot.  Letting the dogs in and out use to be something that was constantly on my mind.  Before I went out, as soon as I got home everyone had to go out together and they had to go. 

Tilley heard the commotion and went out to see what was up.  I originally put the sticker on the flap to help the dogs see where to push.  Jessie was target trained so it was very helpful to assist them in locating the spot to push.  Before the sticker they were pushing everywhere to get in the door.

They had a few words and she figured out that he was just being, well..............Luke.

Back in she goes.

I never wanted to be away for too too long, my dogs had to go.  And heaven forbid if someone had an upset stomach, not good.  The door we put in is like a panel that just fits right into the patio door and then the door closes up to it.  I researched forever before deciding on it and I love it.  Ordering the right fit was a bit tough because we have tall and short dogs.  If your dog is short you must lower the opening, tall you have to raise it.  So we have a larger opening to accomodate both a little Jack Russell and Standard poodles.

Luke decided that he too was done with the nonsense and came in and up to the balcony again.

I never worry about letting the dogs out; although we always do the before bed trip outside.  But in the morning I go to the gym, make sure the dog door is open and if someone has to go, they go.  Even Jessie with her Dementia still uses the dog door all the time.  I close it at night because we don't want critters using it to come into the warm house but other than at night, it's open.

Then Jessie came in as well, she'd been out to see what was going on as well.  So there you see my inspiration for todays blog.  :)

The girls caught onto using it fast, Tilley had it down in minutes.  Jessie took a little bit longer because she has to push harder to open it.  And Luke; well he uses it all the time now but I never thought he would.  It was month and months and months of work to get him to push it on his own.  First we worked on him coming in and out with it being held open.  Luke is not a dog that offers behaviors, he is not brave to try something new so he would just stand outside and bark.  I raised the edge enough that he only had to push it when he was almost in.  He had to get use to the feel of the door on him as well, so once he was okay with that I opened the door less and less until finally one day he came in on his own.  From that moment I would not open the door again.

He did a lot of standing outside and barking.  He would watch the girls come in and out.  And he would even try to scoot in on their opening but he got stuck a couple times and set him back in his training.  We stepped back a bit, opened it for him a few times and then we were back to him opening the door.  He was hesitant to go through on his own for a longtime, but he finally conquered it.  I had my doubts, I did not think that he would use it but he does.  Oh he stills like if someone will open it for him and he tries the barking deal but I just yell at him to come in and he does.

Life without a dog door?  I can't imagine.

Bumps and lumps

As our dogs age they tend to have more lumps and bumps on them.  Even if they are not seniors, dogs can get lumps that may need to be looked at.  It is very important to look at your dogs very closely and sometimes looking just may not be good enough.  If you have a very full, dense coated breed it can be difficult to see what's going on under that coat.  So touch is very important.  When it is time for a shave for my guys I am happy to get the big thick coat off and have a good look see. 

But even when they have a full winter coat I often optimize the use of my forced air dryer to it's fullest.  Not only is it a great device to dry my dogs but it blows their coat completely open allowing me to see inside.  I have found several lesions and marks that needed looking into by using my dryer.  When it is nail time I make it a habit to feel toes, spread them out, get my finger in there to see if there might be any thorns or such.  I have found several things in there that needed removing and that the dogs weren't working to get out.  Sometimes they are fussing to pick something out of their coat or foot that let's me know but often they give you no signals that there may be a problem.

With my poodles, ear hair is an issue and needs to be addressed regularly.  Many other breeds have hair in the ear issues as well and need attending.  Sometimes waiting for the groomer visits are not enough, and sometimes groomers take too much out of an ear leaving them open for infection.  Get a flashlight out and have a good look in there, no it's not a glamorous job but it needs doing.  Even if you have a smooth coated breed you should have a look in your dogs ears now and again.  They can build up gunk without hair that needs cleaning out too.

How about their teeth, how's the old pearly whites looking?  And breath, how's your dog's breath?  That is a big heads up to mouth problems or worse if they have very bad breath.  Even old dogs should not have bad breath if their teeth are good and they are healthy.  It's won't smell like roses but it shouldn't knock you over either. 

Do the visual check on a weekly basis.  How's your dog walking?  Any limp?  Favoring?  Are they panting more than normal?  Do they seem to be sleeping well?  Very small changes in the norm can be a sign of a problem and there is no one who should know your dog better than you do, that is if you are paying attention.   There are also seeing and hearing tests that should be done regularly as your dog ages.  It is easy to see if they hear or see well, but you must test it.  Dogs are very good at manouvering around a familiar surrounding so you must test them to be sure.  Calling out when they aren't looking or are in another room, dropping food on the floor and throwing toys for them is an easy way to tell how well they can see or hear.

Along with all the regular stuff that we do for our dogs, general maintenance is very important.  Keeping on top of things before they get out of hand is always a good idea, even with our dogs. 

Rainy days and celebrity mistakes

Wow; it's rainy here in Southern California.  Yesterday I spent the afternoon curled up on the couch by the fire with the dogs sleeping sound.  We were lucky to get out nice and early for a walk, before the rains came.  We took all three dogs out together in the morning and head over to one of our favorite parks.  It was glorious, no one else was there so that meant "off leash."  Tilley was in an amazingly great mood and ran like the wind, well a crooked slow wind but she ran and was so happy to be running.  Like I always say, it is the simple things in life that are the really good things.  Luke and my hubby took off and did a bit of a run and we did our slow walk.  Tilley was out front looking for her Dad, she was actually pulling me.  And when he finally came up from the path from down below us I let her off and she flew to him and into his arms.

We let them have a run around being that not another soul was out in the windy weather.  Once we got home everyone had a nice chicken breakfast and that's about it for the day for them.  The rains came and we hit the couch, pulled out the blankets and turned on the fire.  As I lay surrounded by the dogs on the couch I was reading some dog stuff on Facebook.  The news of Whoopi Goldberg stating on "The View" that she thought she should be allowed to buy a dog from a pet store was abound.  It seemed as though there were two sides, one against what she said and one defending her from the attackers. 

It always surprises me when people jump to defend what a celebrity says.  I read the posts on Whoopi Goldberg's FB, and I added my own.  It is sad when people go on full attack, they themselves become abusive and that is when people stop listening.  And it is sad as well when celebrities make statements before educating themselves.  They wield a lot of power and a few wrong words can go very wrong.  Standing behind the stores that sell puppies is horrific.  We all know that only millers supply pet stores with dogs and that the dogs left behind, the breeder dogs lead a heart wrenching horrendous life. 

What sort of person supports those who abuse animals in a mill?  There are only two types who support these money making operations, the uneducated and those like the millers themselves, people who care nothing for the animals and only the bottom line.  And, at this point I think going with the "I had no idea," line is a little hard to believe.  Don't you think that Miss Goldberg may have seen the Oprah show on Puppy Mills?  If not then she needs to read up more on what is going on in the world. 

If she is shocked at the backlash? well that's stupid.  Say something stupid like; you should be allowed to buy a puppy from a pet store if you want to on TV and it's going to come back at you.  It saddens me to think that the words of a celebrity can undo so much good.  So many are fighting to end the suffering of Puppy mill dogs, to end the sale of puppies in pet stores.  And one celebrities says that we should have the right?  NO; no one has the right to treat animals the way that millers treat them, NO ONE.  And no Miss Goldberg you should not have the right to purchase one if you want, you should educate yourself and see all the suffering.  There are no rights involved for the animals who are doomed to live out their life at a puppy mill, very sad indeed. 

Free feeding

Free feeding - don't. Plain and simple; just don't do it and here's why. First and foremost can you imagine having a big old pile of food on your counter all day, all night there for your every whim. It may be cool for a day or two but you would grow sick of looking at it and if you are like any normal human you would have eaten way too much of it. Now just looking at it makes you feel sick; so if this is your only food source you will probably pick at it, but the gusto is long gone. Dogs who are free fed are usually poor eaters.

Now, not all dogs grow sick of eating and those who still enjoy eating and have a bowl of food that is always full risk the chance of becoming obese. Fat dogs are fat through no fault of their own; nope it is the humans who create fat dogs. Just picture your dog while you are at work all day. They are probably bored; what do you do when you are bored? I often eat; yes it is a bad habit but dogs will do the same, again increasing their risk of gaining extra pounds.

Leaving food out all day and night is not healthy; food goes bad. And the better the quality the faster it goes bad. If your dog is not cleaning their bowl everyday and receiving new fresh food then how do you know that the kibbles on the bottom haven't been there for a really longtime? Eeeewwwww.  When a dog is constantly nibbling it is very difficult to know when they are going to need to relieve themselves. For puppies this makes housetraining extremely difficult and making sure that your dog goes before you go off to work in the morning can be very difficult.

Free feeding has no benefit except that I guess it seems like the quickest and easiest way to do a job that must be done.  Just keep filling the bowl that is sitting on the floor, day in and day out.  There are other reasons not to leave a bowl of food on the floor as well.  You have no control of food in your house.  Being the controller of the food is a big deal and a good deal.  It makes you, well the food holder and that position is one of power.  Not that I'm power hungry but it can give you a chance to work on some issues. 
 
 

 

There are times when I don't even feed out of a bowl at all.  Even though my dogs typically eat something different at every meal, I often will chuck food around the yard, use it for obedience purposes or just plain behavior training.  Having your dog sit and wait for their portion of food without fighting with the other dogs is a highly desirable behavior.  Even if you only have one dog, could you sit nice and quiet while fork feeding your dog some steak?  Most people would say NO.  Manners is so very important and to miss out on the use of meal time to work on them you are really losing out. 
 
Think about that bowl of dry corn chips on the counter, there for your nutrition for the rest of your life.  Then consider spicing it up and take back feeding time as your own.  You bought the food, control it.

Get your walk on

  Walking the dog; yep pretty much everyone does it right?  Well I wish that everyone did it but sadly many people simply don't.  Lot's of dogs live day in and day out in their house and backyard, that's it, that's all.  Sad.   Every dog should get out at least 3-5 times a week for a great walk.  I say 3-5 times a week because even my own old girls don't need a walk everyday.  Sometimes everyday is too much for Tilley at 14 years of age and suffering from Vestibular disease.  Often we just visit a park and sit, the getting out is important.

So, there are two types of walks we take with our dogs.  One is the on leash walk, very important, good mental stimulus, time for training, learning to walk nicely on leash.  Then there is the exercise walk, off leash, ripping and tearing around for the sheer joy of stretching your legs.  Exercise is very important for dogs, even if they get two nice on leash walks, dogs have to get off leash to make it really count.  That is; unless you are a runner or use a bicycle hookup or something like that. 

Dogs who are never given the chance to run are really lacking in the muscle department. Running in an open field or at a park going in circles, deeking and diving, going after a ball etc uses different muscles than the just walking muscles. Dogs who are more muscled will fair better as they start to age and lose muscle due to the aging process.   So using those muscles will help protect joints and keep everything nice and limber. 



The old saying "a tired dog is a good dog," is very true, to a point.   Sometimes a dog is too tired, maybe had too much stimulation or exercise so more is not always better when talking about exercising our canines.  With all of the dog parks popping up many people pull up to the park, let the dogs go and sit and chat for hours at a time.  A single hour at the dog park is a very long time to socialize and exercise for a dog.  They can become over stimulated and exhausted.  So short and sweet is the key to power exercising at the park.  If the park is filled with powerhouse runners then let your pooch get out their ya ya's and then head for home. 

If you are hiking in the woods then longer will work.  It really depends on the workout that your dog is receiving as far as length of time.  You must factor in other dogs, size, velocity, stimulus etc. etc.  Sometimes our dogs get too much of a good thing and need more and more to become a tired dog.  Think about marathon runners, when they started out they were probably exhausted by a mile or two but after a year or more of running they never tire.  We want tired dogs at the end of the day.  A dog who settles in the evening,  maybe watches some tv and then has a nice sound sleep. 

The more controlled walk, the on leash walk is just as essential.  Dogs who are only ever off leash and allowed to run wild have a very hard time dealing with the structure of a walk.  Way back when Luke was young we had a field that we frequented to allow the dogs off leash.  When we would get to this field Luke was very unruly and was not interested in listening.  This field meant fun to him, it had nothing to do with behaving properly or structure.  So we turned that around in a hurry.  We would get to the park and go through our obedience.  I would regularly practice long down stays, with each dog while the other participated in ball or frisbee.  This was amazing training and perfected "you only go crazy when I say you can go crazy," idea. 

Variety is the spice of life; I tend to become bored quickly so like to switch it up a lot.  Sometimes a leash walk at the beach is far more exhausting from all the sights, sounds and smells than an off leash run at a familiar park.  And then there are other times when a good ole run is all that is going to do it for a particular day.  There is nothing better in life than watching a dog run for the sheer joy of running.  In my life with my dogs running is very short and sweet, a big burst and then walking.  But when they were young, what joy they took in running.  Ears flying, tongue flying and hearts soaring. 

So get your walk on. 

Evolution in the making

"My dogs are like humans."  "My dog is really a little person."  How many times have I heard these phrases?  Many, many and lots of other similar ones.  So where does this sense of humaness stem from?  Is it the fact that dogs are becoming a more increasingly important part of our lives?  The marketing ploy of the dog industry to give us more human type products for our dogs?  Or is it the simple fact that evolution is playing out before our eyes?   We all know that our dogs descended from the wolf, what wolves and from where is still being researched further.  I often sit and marvel that these "dogs" sitting by our side, live so easily in our human world.

After my visit to the Wolf Center in January I found it difficult not to compare. As I sat beside Luke, he did a huge yawn only an inch from my face.  This action alone starts the ponder process.  To be this close, this connected to another species is truly remarkable.  The bonding process immense, the sense of trust a little amazing.  And the trust runs both ways, I feel no sense of dread as his huge mouth opens only an inch from my face.  He trusts me even though he is a very nervous type dog, we have grown to trust one another. 


But are they becoming more human?  No.  I am very happy to say that they are and will remain to be dogs.  I am not happy when I see people treating dogs as humans, little four legged furry people.  Dogs have needs that we do not have.  I have no sense of need to run down a rabbit in the park, but my dogs do.  I also have no strong sensation to roll in things that smell really foul, which I'm sure the people who live with me are happy about. 

What I really think is happening is that we are perhaps seeing dogs as a very important part in our life.  As each person who lives with a dog is evolved themselves into a true dog person, everything changes.  We spend more time with our dogs, we talk to our dogs and we are more active participants in their lives.  All of these create a smoother coexistence, this is the evolution of our relationship.  Our dogs made their initial evolution from the wolf but there it rests.  The biggest evolution has been our own and how we see dogs in our lives. 

There are many people who will never evolve, remaining in the dark ages when a dog was just a dog.  To them a dog is an object and not something that you would purposely cater to with any concern.  I remember hearing people say "are you kidding, the floor isn't good enough?" when I told them that my dogs had their own bed.  I also know many people who would never consider nutrition when talking about "the dog," in their home.  Many people dogs belong tied in the backyard, there to lead a sad and lonely life tied to a dog house. 

Hopefully as more and more people evolve there will be a domino effect.  Sometimes you just need to help spread the word by telling people your story.  I am proud that I care for my dogs the way that they need to be cared for, and you should be too. 
As far as I'm concerned dogs are just perfect the way they are, it is we humans that need the work.  :)

Perfection

Ah gotcha didn't I, you thought I was going to boast about a perfect speciman and you wanted to know who and what that was. Well, I'm here to tell you that the perfect dog does not exist; nor does the perfect human for that matter. Each dog is an individual and with that comes personality traits, temperament good, bad quirks and all. My dogs all have something, every dog I've ever met had something.

Some of the biggest surprises with regards to perfection are from the dogs who seem to be almost perfect. The amazing statuesque Great Dane I met on a beach, terrified by my camera. The adorable little white poodle who loved nothing more than to sit in your lap, just don't touch his food. The big tough German Shepherd who would scare anyone by her appearance, big chicken at heart. Or even my seemingly perfect Tilley has obsessive compulsive disorder. So I am very sorry to give you this news but there is no perfect dog and if you are looking for one? You'll be searching into eternity.

But with all their quirks and strange behaviors they are all wonderful. Sure some are more work than others, some you actually need a professionals help to change some of the worst behaviors and some are what they are. You can always work with odd behaviors but there are some behaviors that run very deep, and will not change. What we really work to change in dogs is more how they react to things. We try to reassociate for them; change how they feel about a certain situation.

Say you have a dog that is afraid of garbage cans on the street. Why? who knows but you can help them with this issue by changing how they feel about garbage cans on the street. By using baby steps and something they love, whether it be a ball or liver and slowly teach them that when garbage cans are out they get to play catch or eat liver and that's the only time. All of a sudden your dog will be looking for those cans to be there.

My Luke is one of the quirkiest dogs I've ever met, he is a true nervous ninny and for all of his weird behaviors I love him even more; because he is my Luke and that is who he is.

Pool party anyone?

I head out to a shoot yesterday and as I drove down the freeway I saw this huge mass of fog rolling in.  Noooooooo; not for my shoot.  But as I got closer to my destination I was leaving the fog hanging over the beach and the sun was winning the battle.  When I got to my shoot I met the owner and talked about her dogs.  She told me about her amazing Goldens, and how they loved nothing more than to swim.  Infact she said that she had a hardtime keeping them out of the water.  I could feel my excitement rising, I love nothing more than shooting dogs having fun in the water.  And especially if they are going to dive into the water. 

"So can they swim today?"  "Would that be okay?"  And she said "sure they can swim."  Yes.  I'm sure I was smiling bigtime.  When you get the chance to see dogs having fun, or enjoying themselves so purely, it just makes you feel great. 

For those of you in the colder climates, hopefully this will bring you feeling that there is indeed light at the end of your winter tunnel.  This too will be your weather very soon.  Please enjoy the images, I sure enjoyed taking them. 

Keeping out of the splash zone and shake zone are two important parts of shooting diving, swimming, splashing dogs.  I've shot many splash events now and have gotten into the habit of pulling the camera just as the splash is at it's fullest to save the lense.  Of course you always have to watch out for running dogs when you are crouched down shooting.   But it is one of my favorite things to do. 

The last straggler

What would you think if you visited a breeder and they had one puppy left for you to take or not. Chances are you would wonder "what's wrong with this one?" Most people would; it is in our nature to dwell on what we missed out on. "Why did no one want this puppy?" The first thing you have to find out is how a breeder places puppies; do they let every family come in and choose their very own puppy from the whole litter? Does the breeder assess their own puppies and give their prospective puppy guardians a choice of a couple that would best suit their home? Or do they choose and place each puppy specifically to the correct guardian?

"Pick of litter;" is a misleading term for the general public. When I was very involved in conformation showing and handling this was the big thing; "I got pick of litter." What it meant back then and in that context was that this specific dog was deemed to be the best conformational specimen representing the breed standard. And still today if you are getting a puppy from someone who is showing in conformation then there is normally at least one or two chosen from a litter for that and they are chosen first from the litter. But what about if you just want a pet? Normally the rest are up for grabs as pets unless some of the guardians have specific requirements in mind.

Some people may want a dog who will be a future agility star; they are going to need a puppy who is active, listens well and is extremely structurally sound. Another person may really want to have a therapy dog; then their choice must be in the puppy who is calm and most interested in being with people. And then there are the less stringent requirements like a family with 5 boys; a family who has 4 dogs already or a family who has never had a dog before. A good breeder can choose the right puppy for these families as well. And then there may be one puppy left; why has this puppy not been placed yet?

The last puppy left means that this specific puppy's family has not come yet. This puppy may need a special family; maybe with all the other families the breeder felt that this puppy needed someone different; special. Or maybe when families visited the litter this puppy was the most quiet; not an in your face kind of guy. Often the quiet ones are the ones who are left; people overlook them because they tend to sit at the back and watch. So don't let the "last puppy" scenario freak you out; this could be the pick of the litter and has been waiting for you all along.

Get your play on

The other day while I was at the park, the one that I shot the three legged dogs at I met a bunch of dog folks.  They were mulling around a beautiful grassy area and their dogs were having a blast.  I always ask before I shoot so I approached and was given the okay to shoot.  Two of the dogs were having the best of time and the contrasting color and types was even more fun to watch.  One was a beautiful standard poodle named Star, the other an adorable young black labrador girl named Ella.

Ella ducking as she sees the inevitable tackle coming.

I love shooting dogs having fun, and these two were in the thick of it.  The game was fast and furious and so much of it is missed by our mere naked eye.  Having been able to stop the action, you can read  more into what is going on.  These two ran so hard that you couldn't take your eyes off of them, literally.  When dogs start playing and running like this it is of the utmost importance to watch what is going on.  They can slam into you without ever seeing you.  I have several friends who have had dislocated knees because of running, playing dogs.

This may appear scary but it is all in fun.  Note the dogs tongue to the left?  Relaxed and showing no concern.  Seeing the entirety of Stars body makes it very clear that this is all just fun. 

I use to have these teeth flying in my house all the time when all three dogs would play fight hard. I don't see it anymore with the old girls.  Tilley and Jessie use to lay on a big bed, both with teeth displayed exactly like the image above just chomping each others teeth.  The clanging of the teeth made me think that someone was going to lose a tooth, but they never did.  It is all fun, and very important to know what is fun and what is not.  So this big display of teeth alone does not mean an aggression, you must look at the whole body of the dog.   I have seen humans react very badly to dog communications.  Dog's cannot speak so they must use body language.  To stop them from using their means of communication opens up a whole box of problems.

This one is a mere seconds later.  Again notice Ella's relaxed face, dogs read dogs very well.  Often it is the humans who see problems when there are none. 

Here Ella goes in for the face bite.  Note the relaxed position of Star's mouth and ears.  This shows that he is relaxed and has no concern about the face bite, knowing it is all play.

So with my camera in hand I shoot the fun and deek out of the way as they speed by just missing my knees, one chasing the other.  First Star chasing Ella, then Ella chasing Star.  And like children there comes a time to say enough.   I could have watched all day and when the owners said that it was time to stop, I think that I was more disappointed than anyone. 

Is there anything better than dogs having fun?  Well other than watching them have fun.

Tilley

Today's blog is all about Tilley, yep Kalchan's Time for Tilley.  It is her 14th birthday and one that we are celebrating bigtime because I wasn't sure that we were going to have a 14th.  But let's start way back in the very beginning.  Tilley was born on March 13, 1997 in Manilla, Ontario, Canada.  I first met her when she was only 3 weeks old.  I was only allowed a quick peek through the crack of an open door as she nursed with her brothers and sisters.  Manilla was a four hour drive, I'd made it to meet Tilley's family.  And I met a lot of them that day, Tilley's Grandmother, her aunt, uncle and a sister from a previous litter.  I was impressed with every single one of them and hit it off with the breeder.  It was on that day that I decided to add one of these little black guinea pig looking puppies to our home.

It seemed forever, I had to wait four more weeks before I could go and pick her out.  But the weeks passed and I was soon off to Manilla again.  The drive is beautiful with scenic lakes scattered almost the whole way there.  Once there it was nearly impossible to visually see a difference in the puppies, they were all various shades of black.  So with much decision making and the help of Tilley's breeder she was chosen.

Tilley came to join our family in May 1997.  Tilley has had an amazing life and she is one fabulous dog.  I call her our Lassie in poodle clothing as she is pretty much as perfect as they come.  Tilley was a water dog right off and loved nothing more than diving off the end of a dock to retrieve whatever happened to be thrown in.  Soon she was learning and excelling at diving underwater and pulling up whatever she could find down under.  She was my star obedience demonstrator for all of my group obedience classes and helped with any aggressive or fearful dogs in the class.  Tilley has  always been a very neutral dog which is very non threatening.  She once helped a little girl begin to conquer her fear of dogs.

Tilley started into Frisbee in her prime and was soon an airborne flying disc dog.  She has chase drive off the charts and it shows in her drive to retrieve.  Yet she turns it off quickly and easily and is just as happy in your lap on the couch.  Tilley has appeared on Pet Star twice and if you watch reruns on tv you are bound to see her sooner or later.  She has been the rock in our pack for 14 years.

After being stricken with Vestibular disease early in January 2010 she showed what a fighter is.  She got through the worst of it and has thrived now over a year in a crooked world.  She now retrieves her ball again, runs and generally loves life.  We had another set back in the spring, she was completely paralyzed in the front and could not even stand.  With her on the examining table at the veterinarians he explained that with this severe level of paralysis she had a 50-50 chance of recovering.   I took a bottle of prednisone, carried her back to the car and lay her down.  I told her through a heavy stream of tears that it was now all up to her.  I would help her by carrying her from point A to point B but she had to fight.   And fight she did, she was up on her feet, not steady but on her feet the next day.  And as they say "the rest is history."

So here we are today, March 13th 2011 and my girl is 14 years old.  Tilley is spending the day or at least an hour at the beach.  We will take our time walking there and bring a blanket for her to sit and take in the scene.  No doubt she will want to be up and playing in the water, and being that it is her birthday we will indulge her a small bit.  Happy Birthday my old girl.

Three legs

I headed out early yesterday.  With news of a Tsunami on it's way I wanted to see if I could get some photographs.  I considered that we might not get anything more than our normal waves but being that I was headed to the beach, that's never a waste of time.  The traffic was really light, "was it that I was just early?"    I arrived in Laguna Beach  at 8:30, I had heard it was to arrive at 8:30 am.  I got my camera and other gear and headed towards the beach.  As I walked down the path along the cliffs up above the ocean it looked pretty normal to me, except that there were a lot of people looking at the ocean with cameras. 

Well; we got nothing, even less waves than when I usually go down to shoot waves.  But on the way down I did spot these guys above.  Two gorgeous dogs, a Doberman and a Shepherd that were walking strange.  They were heading straight towards me when it hit me, they both were missing a leg.  I had to stop and ask.   Both dogs were rescues and both had three legs for different reasons.   The Doberman named Lefty, was born with a defective left front leg which was useless and amputated.  The other dog who's name I cannot remember so...... Dad of these dogs, if you are reading this please email me his name.  Anyhow, this gorgeous buff looking boy had his legged injured by a car backing over him.  It was purely an accident, but he had to have his leg was removed.

I talked to these handsome boy's Dad about the problems of having only three legs.   I asked what the biggest issue to deal with is.  "Their energy," he told me.  They are ages 3 and 4 and very much normal energetic rambunctious boys.  They can run like the wind and only a whippet can outrun the Shepherd.  The Doberman easily clears a four foot fence, amazing right?  Both of these boys were so sweet (I even got a kiss from Lefty) and seemed to be managing just fine.  Their Dad obviously has done an amazing job with them.  They were both extremely muscular, something very important if you have to hop around on three legs.

He had  adopted Lefty the Doberman first after having many Dobermans in his life.  We discussed how wonderful the breed is and how we both really liked this breed.  After having Lefty in his life he heard about the Shepherd and thought that they might be a perfect match.  "A fair fight," as he put it.  And it makes good sense I think. 

This gorgeous boy is also a three legger.  I photographed him a while back for my Rescue Greyhound book.  And he too was as sweet as they come.

I was thoroughly impressed and thought that my meeting with these boys and their Dad was way better than any big waves.  It made my day and the trip to the beach very worthwhile.

On a happy note - things that make me smile

Okay; admittedly I've been a bit down on mankind lately.  So; today's blog is upbeat, about all the good many of we humans do for our dogs and dogs in general.  Over the years I've met a lot of dog folks, between training, shooting and chatting about dogs in general there have been many.   And there are folks who I've seen but never had the chance to meet who are wonderful dog people.  Take the old gentleman I saw one day when I hit the park at an off hour.  An elderly man was very slowly getting out of his car, I watched but gave little notice.   On our trip back around the park I was startled as we came across a bridge and walked by a very long ornamental grass area.  There behind the grass sat the man in a wheel chair and beside him sat a very senior dog.  A huge smile crossed my face; "how wonderful."  They were simply sitting, enjoying one another.

All the regulars that I see on my daily outtings, they never miss a day.  The folks that make a point to fill their dogs daily lives with walks and companionship.  The people who pencil in the trip to the dog park just so that their dog can meet up with their friends and have some fun.  All the wonderful humans who attend the dog walks around the world just to raise funds for the dogs in need.

Then there are the wonderful companies, the ones who give a portion of all their profits to the dogs.  Amazing.  The rescuers, and sadly there are too many to name but you know who you are.  You inspire me, you give me hope that maybe there will be a day when people always treat animals the way that they should be treated.  How about the folks who foster the rescued dogs, that has got to be one of the most difficult tasks involving rescue.  Sometimes your foster just doesn't make it, heartbreaking.  Often they do make it and thrive, only to move onto to love someone else.  Yes this is the goal but tremendously difficult to the human who has a piece taken out of the heart with each foster that leaves their home. 

For the folks who do the little things; like saying thank you to your dog.  This may seem like nothing but the whole psychology around is right.   People around the world who welcome their dog into their home as a true member of the family, that makes me smile.   When I see little things like people having conversations with their dogs.  When I see people gaze at their dog and the dog gazes back, that makes me smile.  And when I see people and dogs in a pile asleep, that really makes me smile.  Humans aren't all bad, in fact most of us are pretty darn good.  We can tend to focus on the bad, but this one is for all the good dog folks out there.  Thank you to you all for being so great.

Oh, and to the gentleman who stopped me in the parking lot today to tell me how great my truck was, that really made me smile.  :)

Where has our compassion gone?

Is it just me or is it the fact that our modern technology has opened a door of information to us that we just see more?  I'm sure that not a week goes by that I don't get an email, call or Facebook about an old dog being turned into a shelter by their owner.  These out of all the "dumped" stories have got to be the saddest.  I just don't get it.  A family has a relationship with a dog for it's entire life and as it draws to the end, when they need support, tlc, compassion and patience it is all taken away.  It breaks my heart each and everytime I read one of these stories.  As you know I have a houseful of old dogs and as I look at them curled up in their favorite spot, warming their body in a beam of sunshine, I can't imagine what it would be like for them to be dumped into a cold concrete cage to live out the rest of their days.  Where has our compassion gone?

"I just can't do this."  Is this the reason?  Is it too much work to care for an aging canine?  Well folks, life with dogs is rarely glamorous.  Oh sure there are the ones you see on t.v. the starletts carrying around their glammed up pocket pooches in their designer bags that live in a fantasy world.  But if you are a regular type person with a dog, it can get messy.  Messy is an understatement sometimes.

All I want for my old dogs is for them to be as comfortable as I can make them.  I want to make sure that they get the best of food, love, care and above all patience and understanding.    Heck, we are all heading in the same direction.  Sadly they will beat us to the finish line but while they are here they give us their all.  Do people love their dog all their young life and then all of a sudden do a 180 and not like their dog anymore?  I think not, I think anyone who surrenders a senior dog to a shelter or rescue for that matter, never had compassion for their animal.  And I say here for all to see, shame on you.  I am appauled that humans do this and think it is thoroughly disgusting. 

It is a sad situation for all involved.  The human surrenderer undertakes a deed that is heartless and cruel.  The facility feels helpless knowing that a senior dog has little chance to leave and find a forever home.  And the dog itself, just imagine the confusion.  Many old dogs have little hearing or sight, a change can be catastrophic to their well being.  The life they have always known, gone in a flash and they are left alone, all alone to face their final days.  I'm sure that many slip away in despair, their last days spent waiting for the return of their family that never comes.  It is a heartless act.

What does it say about our race?  It doesn't look good from where I'm sitting.  We have put so much emphasis on unimportant things that many of us have become caught up in it all and have lost the way, lost any speck of compassion that we may have had.   What sort of example is this for our children?  A horrible lack of respect for life, a compassionaless act.   Life is important, any stage of life, not just the cute young part of it.

With all the people letting down humanity itself, there is hope.  There are those who are stepping up and giving these old dogs the respect that they deserve.  And for many it may be the only love and real care that they have ever known.   I applaud anyone who takes in an old dog, those who restore an old dogs dignity.  It is true, old dogs can be stinky and a lot more work than when they were in their prime.  But the care given to an old dog should come from the heart, it is not a duty but a gift we are given when we live with a dog all of our life, the gift of giving.  A time for us to give back.

Good morning

Yesterday morning I awoke to the feeling of someone pushing on my back.  That someone was a dog so I thought that it was Jessie.  Since her dementia has gotten worse my son gets up in the morning, let's her out and then puts her into our bed.  I thought it was funny that I hadn't noticed him bring her in and that she was already asleep.  She is typically restless and takes forever to settle.  I reached my arm around to feel for sure and it was a big curly body snuggled up tightly to me.  It was Luke, this was also odd because he almost always is at the bottom of my husbands feet.  But for whatever reason, he had snuggled up nice and close, what a way to wake up. 

It was then that I heard my son come in to put Jessie on the bed.  He normally puts her over beside me but that spot was taken.  I asked him to just put her on the floor, she could snuggle up with Tilley.  He did and left to have his very early breakfast.  I tried to drift off again but listening to Jessie pace around the room sort of restricts sleep.  I listened to her go down to the kitchen where my son chatted with her.  Everyone always asks Jessie what's she's doing these days and frankly I don't think she knows too often.  She must have had an almighty drink of water because I then heard the family slosh sound, nice.  Then I heard another slosh closer to our room and she came in.

"Jessie puked," my husband exclaimed, "yep."  She does this when she drinks too much and then takes off running, she has always done it.  And of course she regularly does it in the morning as you are waking up.  I lay there thinking that I should really get up and clean up the water, that's what it is just slimy water.  But I heard my husband get up, gag, say a few choice words under his breath, gag again and then crawl back into bed.  I always laugh when he gags, I never gag so I find it really funny when big tough guys gag over a bit of puke.  This morning I just smiled knowing how much he hates it yet he got up and cleaned it up.

I got up and made some breakfast for us, all 5 of us.  We always have breakfast in bed with the dogs to start off the day.  And I have to say that it is one of my favorite times of the day.  Everyone eats, and only Jessie is running around hunting for scraps.  Both Tilley and Luke remain in their comfy spot waiting for their food to be tossed to them.  I'm a really good aim now, I use to be a horrible aim and never got it where I had intended.  But with much practice Tilley rarely has to even bend for her food.  This is the life, the true meaning of a dogs life right?

Time to get up and I head to the kitchen.  The puke spot downstairs was saved for me to clean.  And of course she hit the living room carpet.    No gagging, I just cleaned it up.  I then go and get Jessie's blanket out of her crate.  She pees on it every night now, since her dementia that is.  We've tried diapers but she won't keep them on.  So that goes in the wash as well.

Then it was off to the gym for me while the three oldies sleep.  Both Jessie and Tilley were curled up on the giant dog bed set up in front of the patio door in my room and Luke was wrapped into a cocoon with the down comforter still in the spot I'd first noticed him in this morning. 

I'm not gone long, maybe 45 minutes.  When I return both poodles are where I left them.  Jessie has no doubt been in and out several dozen times but is now asleep on the bed big enough for 5 large dogs.  A little old nugget curled up in a very deep sleep. 

It  doesn't always run like clock work.  Some mornings are more hectic than others, but it's my morning and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A dog's life

A dog's life; this phrase is meant as "the good life."   A dog's life is a short one, some shorter than others.  They come into our life as a puppy, a cute, wriggly little addition to the family.  But then they can drive us mad with their puppy antics.  Some of the regular puppy antics torment us leading to the inevitable "never again, no more puppies."  From puppyhood, through adulthood and into senior years our dogs are teaching.  Every step of a shared life with our dog is a learning one. 

 

I feel very strongly that every dog that we share our life with changes us, opens our eyes so that we may see things we may have never seen before.  Take people who have never had a dog before, never wanted one, never got the whole dog thing.  If by chance they end up with a dog they are changed forever, never to be the same pre-dog person again.  Dogs are constantly affording us lessons on life and what is important.  Patience, understanding, flexibility, caring and so much more. 

How many people have not had their patience tried by a puppy?  I have.  I think patience is one of the most important things you can learn in life.  Life sometimes is just too hectic, too rushed, too busy.  Our dogs teach us to just chill, relax, don't stress about the small stuff.  Looking through the eyes of a canine we get to see the world from a completely different aspect.  We see the world one way, dogs look at it from a different direction.

Yesterday I had to use my baby gate; I don't use it often now but I'm glad I kept it all these years.  I had a guy here working and I was on my computer with the dogs in my room.  It was important that I hear the guy if he called me so the baby gate was used.  For me it was a good option, it served the purpose, not for Luke.  He was a complete stress monkey, he stressed so much about the gate that I thought he might just have a seizure.  So instead of removing the gate I altered my behavior, I got as chill as I possibly could.  We walked around, near the gate, looked at the gate and generally didn't give a hoot about the gate.  It worked, he stopped stressing and just looked at it occassionally.  Luke has taught me this, it is essential I alter my own behavior for him. 

Having a new puppy can turn our lives .upside down, but we must make many adjustments.  The prime goal is to teach our little ones how to assimilate smoothly into our human world.  This while meeting their canine requirements.  When our dogs are in their prime we need to alter our routine to accomodate their need for stimulation, both mental and physical.  We take great comfort from hanging out with our dog when they have passed the puppy stage. We beam with pride as they display their good behaviors while out in public.  And we take great joy in watching them enjoy life.  It is the little things in life that dogs take joy from, this is a huge lesson for us. 

Do our dogs care if we drive an old beater truck vs. a big shiny new SUV?  No.  Do they care if we are size 4 or 24?  NO.  Does it bother them if we stay in our pajamas all day and snuggle in front of the fire?  Heck no, they love it.  Dogs take great joy from sitting, walking, running, watching, swimming or sleeping beside us.  There favorite thing to share with us?  Our time.  And it is time that we must give to make our time more enjoyable.  When we take on the role of canine guardian we have work to do.  It starts from day one and continues for the entirety of our dogs life.

Sharing time with a dog is life altering, if you allow it to be and let them in your heart.  Once inside they surely can mess with your head and your heart.  What they give us in life lessons creates a better us for the next dogs in our lives.

Third eye lid

Luke is very awake here, no third eyelid in sight.

Third eye lid?  What the heck?  Many people have no idea that dogs have additional eyelids.   The haw or nictating membrane is found in the inner lower corner of the eye.  All dogs have them, some are more visible than others.   Often the droopy eyed breeds have much more obvious third eyelids.  The third eyelid is a protection lid.  You will see it appear as your dog starts to fall asleep.  Some dogs will even sleep with their eyes open, giving them a very creepy appearance as the third eyelid covers over the eyeball.  Tilley is an open eye sleeper.

Getting sleepy, third eyelid will be coming up soon.

Here you can see the lid making an appearance.  It is almost covering Luke's entire eye.  You can only see the very top of his eyeball which is not covered. 

Here the lid is covering the eyeball almost completely.  Luke's is very translucent giving him a creepy look as his eyeball rolls back when he falls asleep. 

The third eyelid is also used to protect the eyeball in case of injury.  It will cover over the ball and protect it from further damage.  If your dogs third eyelid goes up and doesn't come down, then they may have an eye injury or a painful eyeball.  Unfortunately the third eyelid can be damaged itself and there are many issues surrounding the third lid.  Cherry eye is probably the most common third eyelid issue.

Problems with the third eyelid

Dogs that have very prominent third eyelids can have a sleepy sort of look.  The lid itself can sit up quite high on the eyeball making it much more obvious.  If the lid is a light color it can be even more obvious.  Many people panic when they first notice the eyelid and believe something to be severly wrong with their dog.  

The lid can come up for many reasons, sleep, injury, pain and even fever.  So if you've never noticed it, watch your dog as they fall asleep.  As with everything they are all different so it may be barely visible or very visible, but it's there.

What is your leash saying?

Today I took the girls out for their snail paced walk, we had a great walk.  Tilley ran after her ball and Jessie sniffed, that's what she does.  After our walk we headed home so that I could get Luke and head out for our faster walk.  We went somewhere different today, I was needing some quiet time so I took us to the quiet path.  As I pulled up I could see a lady with her very tiny chihuahua, he was watching my car.  No doubt he wanted to see who was going to be getting out of the car.  Luke hopped out and immediately marked the place as his.

We started our walk and the little guy ahead of us waited.  He really wanted to see Luke, his owner was trying to get him to walk.  He was having nothing to do with it and headed towards us.  His tail was up, he was looking at Luke sideways so I was ready for a yank.  This dog was probably all of 5 lbs and Luke
tends to be a clod at times.  Seeing that the little guy seemed quite confident I let the leash loose but was still ready to yank Luke out of the tiny situation if I had to.  If I keep the leash tight, Luke becomes leash aggressive.  Not always in a big way but it amps him up.  So with the leash loose and me ready to pull him out they had a wonderful hello.  Both were wagging, both were quite dominant but no one was pushing the macho thing.

When I think that we should exit I call to Luke and have him follow my verbal cue.  If I pull on his leash he will again become agitated and is likely to get into it on the way out.  Often when we have sort of an iffy meeting, pulling on the leash is all that it takes to take it from just okay to bad.  When you tighten up on your leash it immediately sends a message "something is up."  Being that Luke is a reactive dog, every one of his behaviors is bigger than normal.  Although this can be a challenge to deal with it also gives me a big insight into dog behavior.  Things that Luke displays are all normal, just much more difficult to read in a non reactive dog. 

If you do need to shorten up on your leash, move up closer to your dog so that they don't feel the shortening process.  For Luke it is a cue immediately, so I've learned to be very stealth about the process of leash reining in.   Along with reining in you must create a positive association to greeting other dogs.  If you get all uptight, reining in and/or yanking the leash it sends a huge negative sign to your dog.  So just chill, loosen up but always be ready.

Don't sweat the small stuff

Switching from the ease of dog food to preparing your dogs food can be intimidating but it doesn't have to be. One of the most important factors in good nutrition both with our own and our dogs is variety. By feeding a variety of foods you have a better chance at complete nutrition. Sure there is a lot of things to learn about it; and if you really want to do it at an optimum level then get researching.


I think the best thing to think about is how you eat yourself. There are few of us that eat a completely balanced meal everyday. Sure we know what we should eat but do we all the time? Nope. In fact many people live on very poor quality food and so do many dogs who get the poor quality dog food. But when you've seen what good nutrition can do first hand there is really no going back.

I have been able to cut down Luke's seizures to almost non existent. And little Jessie grew all her hair back that she had lost over the years. My guys are 10.5, 14 next week and almost 15 and are amazingly healthy. I started out feeding real food with very little knowledge of what their diet should consist of ideally. But even the small change from dog to real made a huge impact. It is amazing what nutrition can do. 

I understand that there are many people who love the convenience of dog food.  I feed my guys dog food every so often, sometimes I run out of real, I might be just plain lazy one day and I want them to be able to eat dog food in case.   Just make sure that you are feeding the best food that you can get.  What grade would your dog food score, I'm sure many of you would be very surprised to find out.  Here is a great website that rates most of the dog food brands. 

Dog Food Analysis

The old saying "you are what you eat," is very true.