I now have something serious to talk about.

I just got notice that another dog has died from strangulation due to their collar. Sadly this is all too common; so I would like to pass this information, please do the same. Collars look cute and are essential tools when you live with dogs; but please take extra precaution and never leave your dog’s collar on while unattended. Collars or harnesses should only ever be worn when your dog is under your strict supervision. My dogs only wear collars when they go for a walk; as soon as we enter back into our home they come off. I had one of these accidents happen to my dogs and luckily I was there to stop a tragedy.





Many years ago now I had two male standard poodles who loved to rough house. One day while outside one of the boys got their mouth snagged up in the other ones collar. Both were extremely upset; thinking that the other was in some way attacking them, they struggled and screamed. I ran screaming myself; I thought they were indeed in a fight. Once I got close it was obvious what was happening and I was able to calm them long enough to untangle them. Unfortunately not all dogs are as lucky; and you don’t need two or more dogs to have an accident.

Many different scenarios can happen when a dog wears a collar unsupervised. There are many stories of dogs being strangled when they have attempted to jump a fence and didn’t make it. Dog tags can become caught on just about anything even in the safety of a crate. Once caught up a dog quickly goes into panic mode. It is often this fight or flight reaction that causes the damage. All collars can be dangerous; choke type collars are the worst because they tighten and don’t let up but even a regular flat buckle collar can take a dog’s life.

Most people keep identification tags on their dog’s collars; having a collar on gives the guardian a sense of security. Tags are fine on a collar for a walk; but if you want to identify your dog 24x7 have them micro-chipped. All veterinarian offices offer micro-chipping; and it is one of the best ways to ensure your dogs return should they ever become lost. Save your collar/harness use for what they were intended; walks. Take all collars and harnesses off when you are not supervising; it could save your dog’s life. Please tell your friends.

Motion sickness

As I said yesterday I will discuss car sickness and dogs this morning; it is a common problem and an easy fix. Almost all dogs are car sick as youngsters; but if a breeder has made a point of getting their puppies out in a car from a very early stage you may be one of the lucky ones and dodged a bullet. I remember bringing home Jessie; a tiny white bundle of adorable she rode on my daughters lap, my daughter was 9 years old at the time. The kids were all smitten; oooooing and awwwing and trying to pick a name when SPLOSH. Jessie puked on my daughters lap; of course there was a commotion, lots of GROOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSS so we pulled over and cleaned it up. She rode the rest of the way down the country roads on my lap.

All of my dogs have been car sick dogs except for Luke; it is very common. Being someone who gets motion sick myself; I understand completely. And I feel for dogs as they start to drool; long strands of saliva hanging from their mouth, their eyes filled with "I don't feel well." It is a horrible feeling. Some dogs get over it quickly and on their own; others need help and if you don't step in and assist in their rehabilitation the issue can lodge in their brain and cause unnecessary prolonged vomiting in your car. Basically what happens is that your dog starts to relate the horrible feeling of motion sickness to the car.

Tilley was one of these associated vomiting dogs. I noticed very quickly that she would start drooling before we even got into the car. So it was all in her head; I hate this phrase but it was all in her head. So we had to re-associate; and that is what you must do to help your dog get over their car sickness. Just like most behaviors with dogs you need to go slow; baby steps. If your dog is like Tilley and started before even getting in the car you need to start there. I would put Tilley's collar and leash on and head towards the car. We would stop at the car; I'd ask her to sit and give treats, tons of praise and then we calmly walked away. And did it again and again until she was giving me a positive response to approaching the car.

Next we worked on just opening the car door and creating a positive response. It is important to give all the treats and praise while in the "bad" zone. This puts the focus on building positive right at the correct place. When you walk away from the car or get your dog out of the car you are to say nothing. You want to build the association that the car is a great and wonderful place, not getting out or moving away. So from there you move slowly to sitting in the car for treats a praise. Only do this for very short time span and only move onto the next step once you have complete success at the present step.

You then progress to you sitting in the drivers sit and tossing treats back to your dog. Make that a great place by simply chilling, chatting and getting treats. When you have success there you start the car; don't go anywhere as this is a big step and you must ensure a positive association to it here. Your next step is to simply back out your driveway and drive back in; always quit while you're ahead. Don't push it; be happy with small successes. The next step is down your street and back again and from that point in time you build on time.

Make sure not to feed your dog before any of your car sick training. A full stomach is detrimental to your hard work and dogs tend to vomit much quicker on a full stomach. Use special treats that are only given in the wonderful, amazing and glorious car. Of course with all this training there are a few dogs that will remain motion sick; it is sad because it is a horrible feeling, I know only too well.

The phone is ringing!!

My cell phone was ringing; I wasn't in the mood to pick it up nor was I did I feel like getting off of the couch. Luke immediately sat up and stared at me; he knew that I should be moving when he heard my phone. I could tell that he was waiting for me to get up; he continued to stare at me while the ringing lingered from my phone. "I know, I hear it," I said to him. He gave me another glance over his shoulder and put his head down. This makes me realize how perfectly suited dogs are to helping us in our daily lives. Luke has picked up the whole sequence of behaviors when my phone rings.

Dogs are innately tuned into the world around them and the world around us. You may not think that your dog is clued into all the daily cues, oh but they are. How do they know when we are leaving? They not only know that we are leaving the house; they know whether or not they are going with you. Each and every cue (a sensory signal used to identify experiences, facilitate memory, or organize responses) gives them vast amounts of information that would more than likely go unnoticed by we mere humans.

Constantly reading, watching and taking in our subtle body cues; our dogs are masters in the art of communication. So it goes without saying that they are amazing alert dogs. Dogs trained specifically to alert at a trained action. There are diabetic alert dogs, epileptic alert dogs, drug alert dogs and even noise alert dogs. We could never even come close to doing what dogs can do easily.

It is amazing how they know; even when we try not to let them know, they still know. I work very hard at giving no cues sometimes, like bath time. I will go about my day; placing bathtime items throughout the day. And it never fails, they know, somehow they just know. Going into the bathroom each day is about the same each time, but when I am going in before we go for a walk they know. I come out to see three dogs standing there, haven't quite figured out how they pick up on that yet.

Movements so small, so minute that we cannot decifer any difference between two but dogs can. With a breath, a lack of breath, a hesitation in motion or more velocity given to a movement can be all they need. They are truly amazing, on a daily basis, every one of them.

Feeding the hounds

First thing every morning my dogs eat a snack. I do not like to be cast into a feeding time like many people fall into. Dogs can really get set into a routine and I for one am for and against routine. Some dogs need routine, it helps them feel grounded much like some humans. Others like to just wing it, that's me in a nut shell. I drive my whole family crazy because I don't like to make plans, I like to do what I feel like doing at any given moment. As far as feeding my dogs; they are fed twice a day everyday but the time varies.

The most important thing when not feeding them first thing in the morning is to make sure that they have something. I've written before about how we eat breakfast in bed, not always but mostly. Ah............you could say that we have the breakfast in bed routine, and that is one that I really enjoy. Anyhow; when we have breakfast the dogs have their morning snacks but even that is switched up. Sometimes on the floor, sometimes in bed, sometimes we share, other times they get their own doggie snacks. But they get some sort of food and this is to tide them over until breakfast time.

Because I live in Southern California; it is often too hot to walk the dogs even after 8:00 in the morning so I don't feed the dogs before they walk. They have their snack, I go to the gym and then we do some sort of activity. Like I said we switch it up but everyone gets their turn and their exercise for the day. Today it was spending the morning outside with me while I gardened. Tilley was up for lots of retrieving this morning, Luke stayed in bed. But this afternoon he was all over the tennis ball.

Once everyone has had their exercise for the morning; they have chill time, literally. They must cool down before they eat. The reason for this is bloat and stomach torsion. A common scenario is that after a dog is exercised, they drink a ton of water and then eat. The food in the stomach then grows to a far larger amount because of the fluid in the stomach. Typically this is an issue with dog food or kibble but I don't take any chances even when they are eating real food. So we don't eat until we are all cooled down. Once cooled down it is usually real food; how and where that food is delivered varies. Sometimes in a bowl, other times tossed around the yard, fork fed, used for training etc. etc.

Dinner is much the same, different. I have no dogs standing, staring, drilling a whole into my head with their laser beam eyes. I will not be told when it is time to eat; I do the telling and because we do not have a set time, there is no dinner time anxiety. I don't have dogs standing waiting. I will often wait until all the dogs are sound asleep to ring the dinner bell. It's good to keep'm on their toes. ;) Dogs and humans alike.

Dog Friendly?

The advertisement reads “Dog friendly,” but is it really? There is dog friendly and then there is truly dog friendly. Many dog loving owners these days are not willing to leave fido at home alone, so finding a special place that truly accommodates to the canine and their family can be a challenge. Asking questions and getting referrals is your best line of fire but prepare yourself to dig deep. Just because it says dog friendly does not mean that you will be welcomed with open arms as you arrive with your three Great Danes.

I cannot tell you how many places I have called about their policy with regards to being “dog friendly,” only to find out that they are only dog friendly if your dog is less than 10 lbs. Admittedly; stating that you are dog friendly is an advertising ploy so it may take a magnifying glass to read the small print before you will have the real goods on a place. That is unless one of your dog loving friends has told you about a specific place. But if being referred is may not be enough, many places change policy a lot so what you hear from a friend may not be the most relevant information about a fascility.

It is much like finding out that “view” does not mean that your hotel is located on the beach that you will be viewing. Dog friendly can mean many things to many people. It could mean friendly as far as the outdoor patio, or friendly if one is small enough to be in carried around in a bag. Perhaps you have conjured up a wonderful image of yourself and your German Shepherd running down a gorgeous beach together as free as the wind, having the time of your life. But in reality you discover that your dog must be on a leash and that pristine white beach is strictly off limits to canines.

Traveling with your dog can be wonderful; but it can be a whole lot of headache as well. Before you go; call ahead and confirm that a facility will indeed accommodate your dog/dogs. If you plan to visit parks, events or site seeing destinations be sure that you check these for their level of friendliness to the canine specifies as well. It may be a great deal of homework and research but it will pay out tenfold when you have asked all the right questions before arriving. It is always best to ask first rather than finding out that the answer may be no once you get there.

Coexistence

Coexistence:  to exist together or at the same time; to live in peace with each other.  We do our best at coexisting with our canines, some do it better than others.  Of course there are the ones that don't coexist at all, they simply buy a dog and put it outside to live a sad and lonely life.   I'm not talking about these people, in my books they aren't dog people.  I'm talking about dog people, the ones who have dogs living in their home as part of the family............coexisting. 

My whole adult life has been alongside a dog or two or three at a time.  I have tried my best to smoothly integrate all into our home.  For me this means a lot of planning to make our coexistence an easy one, one that has as few hassles as possible.  When we lived in Canada we had a couple of unfenced acres, fabulous but not easy at all.  We built a beautiful run down the side of the house and then discovered that in the frigid winter we had to walk out onto the deck, down the stairs and around the side to let the dogs in an out, not so smart planning.  But my hubby figured it all out and opened up the side rail of the deck and built a nice set of stairs and another fence into the pen.  This was used for the in and outs, not for exercising.  We always took them out in the back forty for big runs.  But this definitely made life simple.

In this house we have put a dog door in, which leads into a fenced yard.  We have beds in every room of the house except the bathrooms.  I bought my car specifically to accomodate my dogs comfortably and I have gates and crates of all sizes in case there is a need to partition.  Like I said I like ease, and a long the way when I find a glitch that is making my or my dogs life a bit of a hassle, well........... we fix it. 

One big fat hassle when living with dogs is carpet, I hate it.  I think it is about one of the worst ever inventions, that is wall to wall.  I love the kind you can pick up and clean or send away to have cleaned thoroughly.  So when we lay our new floor down in the family room it will not be carpet.  Or sure carpet is nice to walk on, nice to lay on and or play on but as for cleanliness?  It's not.  Little creatures can live in it, and when there is an occassional accident, it all goes under the carpet to fester in the underpad.  Yuck.

My dream home would have no wall to wall.  There would be dog beds everywhere, of course the kind that you can remove the cover and wash.  Lots of blankets for the dogs, a place for crates and lots of gates just in case.  There are times when you need to block off areas or keep dogs out, it is nice to have that handy.  I like to have a special cupboard designated as the "dog treat" cupboard.  And a huge storage for leashes, extra blankets, coats and grooming stuff. 

Incorporating the dogs into our lives makes our lives with dogs even more wonderful.  Don't give me fancy; I want simple and dog friendly.  For the dogs and all of us humans too.  :)

Where did everything go?

We are doing a renovation in our family room; every last piece of everything has been removed. We had a water leak which turned to mold so the repairs were needed.   Unfortunately this is the room where the dog door is and the room where Jessie spends most of her days.  Jessie is our little Jack Russell who will be 15 on May 26th and she suffers from Dementia or Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.    Looking back now it started sometime last fall but hit seriously around Christmas 2010.  She's been doing okay; and we have adjusted our routine to best suit her odd needs.

Sadly Jessie also has little vision and little hearing.  So these things together make changes in the house difficult for her.  This has been a biggy; we are working to get it back together as quickly as possible.  The first few days I found her down in the family room, alone and standing in the middle of the room.  Then she followed me down one day as I was working and she wandered around aimlessly.  Not finding anything familiar she started circling.  I picked her up and brought her upstairs where we have put her favorite bed. 

She is adjusting now, it's been about a week and we came home today to find all three dogs sleeping in the living room.  She'd found her favorite bed and was fast asleep there.  Later in the day she moved to a bed upstairs in my room; she likes to sleep there as well.  The big thing that first threw her as far as familiarity recognition being gone was the carpet; the moment she came into the dog door and the carpet was gone you could see her confusion. 

When we get the flooring and major work underway we will have to stop the dogs from going into the room completely.  This will be a very difficult few days; especially for Jessie.  This mean that I will spend more time at home to make sure that all is well.  And I will be taking them all out for longer walks in attempts of tiring them out.  Releasing energy is a great stress reliever for both humans and dogs alike.  It will hopefully create a tired bunch of dogs and a dog tired little Jack Russell.  Tired enough to sleep through all the confusion.

Stuff to ponder

This is not a widely known thing yet; dogs don't need shots every year. The more people I talk to the more I realize that this is not common knowledge. There are so many things that veterinarian offices will push on you that the average person just puts their trust in the vet and says okay. I'm am here to tell you that it is not okay. Let's start with the annuals, the parvo, distemper, rabies etc.

This is Dr. Jean Dodds vaccine protocol and one that I follow.

As far as I am concerned there are far too many booster shots given to dogs. When was the last time you had a booster? That's right, way back when you were a kid. Now don't get me wrong; I'm not bad mouthing vaccines, they are responsible for getting rid of many horrible diseases. But the old saying "more is better" does not apply here; to vaccines. And that sense of urgency you get when the yearly vaccination time comes around, forget about it. There is not a time bomb ticking away and the second that date comes and goes your dog is going to die of a contagious disease.

Titers are a wonderful thing; you can see just how well those vaccines are still working.

And just what happens to a dogs body when they receive too many vaccines? This is a good read.

It is extremely important that very young puppies not be given shots too early. Unfortunately many rescue and shelter groups double up on vaccinations which can cause severe damage days or years later. A dogs body can only handle so many vaccinations at one time and some of the cocktails that they are given are downright dangerous. Please research the subject; there is a wealth of information on the web about over vaccinating.

Okay let's move onto some of the other dangerous things. Flea and parasite treatments or shots.

There are the topical treatments where we put toxic chemicals onto our dogs. These topical treatments are made to stay on; you can barely wash them off so when and if there is a reaction it is nearly impossible to get it off. There are many many stories of this exact thing happening on the net. The warning on the box says to keep children away from it; hmmmmm and yet we put it right onto our dogs skin. That should be a red flag right there.

Then there is the pill, the one that puts the substance right into our dogs digestive system. It is powerful enough to work from the inside out; ever think about that? How toxic a substance has it got to be to kill ticks and fleas on the outer skin? Ivermectin (Ivomec®, Heartgard®)is the most commonly used and comes in the conconction to kill all. This product was originally created for heartworms; a parasite spread via mosquitos. I use to live where there were enough mosquitos in the summer to literally drag you off but here in Southern California I've seen probably 3 in almost 11 years. I do not treat my dogs for heartworm and I do not use flea and tick treatments.

A bath will kill most fleas so regular bathing will keep them in check; yes it is work but keep your dog chemical free is worth it. Got a pool? Let your dogs swim, and kill those buggers. As for ticks, you gotta pick them off. If your dog has been in a tick environment you must check them for ticks and remove them; I do it all the time. I use hemostats pictured above but you can use tweezers or these I have not used this device so don't know if they actually work or not.

Last summer was a bad season for kennel cough; I knew several people who's dog got it at the dogpark. Yes even when a dog has a been vaccinated against it with Bordatella they risk being infected because of the number of strains that can be out there. So for me I would rather steer clear of the dog park in the summer months and forgo the Bordatella shot in lieu of management. I don't walk around bushes in the hot months when ticks are bad and I watch for the first signs of fleas and get bathing. And I run titer tests on my dogs; they have all had numerous bouts of shots and now years later are still getting great immunity results on their titers.

Just something to ponder folks.

Beach boy

This morning I needed a change so Luke and I hopped in the car and headed to the beach.  I wasn't sure what beach I was going to but I was going West.  I decided to hit The Montage, a regular place that we like to walk, good parking, nice paths and beach.  It won't be long and the dogs will not be allowed on the beach again.  Starting the end of May into mid September dogs are no longer permitted on the beaches.  That is except for specific dog beaches.  We can walk around the beach, look at the beach and stand beside it but no dog feet on the beach during the summer months.

I'm not a fan of this rule; obviously but I get it.  Our beaches quickly go from very quiet to unbelievably crowded.  I love the beaches mid winter here in SoCal, sometimes it's just me and the dogs.  Hit the beach in the middle of summer, the tourist season and you'd be lucky to find a 3'x3' spot to sit.  I don't visit them much in the summer.  Today was quiet, lots of spots to park just the way I like it.  We head out for our walk heading to the beach.  Luke is so excited to get going he can barely control himself. 

She was eating a stick that her Dad didn't want her to have.

We first met a guy with his Great Dane, she was beautiful.  As we approached of course I asked if she was friendly, and she was.  Luke has never met a Great Dane before, at least I don't think he had.  He seemed to like her.  We chatted about this wonderful girl as Luke started to dig.  A little mystified as to what Luke was doing she let out a couple of very big barks.  Luke's ears shot back and he stopped digging.  I just know she wanted off leash, they could have had a blast, oh well.  We said our goodbyes and moved on.

Luke loves to walk in the water, and unfortunately he also likes to drink it.  Not a lot, just a few sips but he shouldn't drink any of it.  So I'm constantly watching for the head lowering so that he can sneak a sip.  Plus I always bring bottled water for him so it's not that he is thirsty, he just likes to grab a sip.  We checked out the tide pools, Luke climbed some rocks but when I asked him to go into a cave like rock formation he was too scared.  We watched the birds, Luke loves the ones that run along the waters edge and charges them in hopes of catching one.  Then we just sat and took in the view, which is pretty amazing.

As we head out towards the parking lot we ran into a nice family with a feisty Scottish Terrier and a 7 month old standard poodle pup.  He was as black as coal and cute as a button.  We chatted a bit and then headed for home.  Luke had another drink of water in the car, some snacks and then we were off.  Another very nice day at the beach with my boy.

Thinking positive

Much of my job when I am training with a client is to "pump them up."  In other words; I need to convince them that they CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!  Even when they think that they cannot.  "I can't do it like you, Sherri you make it look so easy."  Do you know how many times I've heard this?   Much of it, if not all of it has to do with state of mind.  If you don't think you can do it, then there is a slim chance that you can.  "Yes you can."  Say it with me people "I can do it, I can train my dog."

I am not a fan of shipping dogs off to be trained; for many reasons.  But for this blog it is because the owner is not working with their own dog.   Throughout the training process an owner or guardian learns, the whole thing is a huge learning curve for dog and owner alike.  The owner gets to see how their dog reacts and how their own behavior factors in their dogs behavior.   Watching behaviors unfold before their owners eyes makes the task of helping them understand it all much easier. 

One of the biggest obstacles in training is the absence of the "CAN DO," attitude.  Understandably it can be intimidating to give it a go in front of a professional trainer.  But it's best to mess up when they are there so that they can walk you through it all, mistakes included.  I love training, I love canine behavior and I LOVE helping owners pull it all together.  It is great when they "get it" when I'm there watching but they must perfect it and feel confident enough to have it work when I'm not there. 

You can do it; anyone can.  I'm not saying it's going to be easy, there may be days when you feel very incompetent with the whole training thing.  But persevere and it will all fall into place.  Some of the best trainers were mere beginners a few years ago.  Everyone has to start somewhere, I did.  There was a day when I loved dogs but that was about all I knew about them, really.  Life is a constant learning curve.  Each and every time I work with a new dog I learn something new.   Interest is a stepping stone, once there is interest the learning starts.  The more you learn the more you want to learn and the interest grows. 

Research is a wonderful thing to help you get over that "I have no idea" hump.  Knowledge is power and power can build confidence.  Before you know it; you start feeling like you can actually do it.  Sure there will be days when you feel a bit in over your head but keep your head up, ask questions and keep moving forward.  It is your dog and you CAN train her. 

I will never forget how one of my clients felt when I first met them.  They were deflated; they'd been told that they were going to ruin their dog.  That is if they didn't leave the dog with this particular trainer.  Feeling horrible about the prospects of ruining their dog, they left the dog.  When they returned they found a shell of the dog they'd left, he had been traumatized somehow, lost weight and had the life sucked out of him.   This is when I got the call, the dog was an adorably sweet Golden Retriever who was amazing at everything we taught him.  After much positive reinforcement work to build his confidence he was more like the dog they had known.  And shame on that trainer for using scare tactics to gain him a new client. 

If a trainer tells you that you should hand over your dog because you are going to ruin her; run.  Grab your dog and head for the hills.  A trainers job is to show you how to do it; make you feel enlightened with the knowledge that they share and more than able to handle the work once the trainer goes home.  So yes; you can do it.

Networking saves lives

Photo from Downey Shelter

I've recently been sent several stories of senior dogs who were dumped.  The amount of surrendered dogs these days is staggering but the worst of the worst is the old ones.  You all know that I have three old dogs; well Luke is still a young'n at 10 1/2.  If ever our dogs needed us it is when they are old.   They need TLC and frankly they more than deserve it.  They require a soft bed, highly nutritious food an understanding and patient guardian and above everything else, love.  I cannot imagine turning a dog in once they have passed their prime.  It truly breaks my heart.

Networking is really making a difference though in the speed that rescues, rehabilitation and placement of dogs is happening.  And it's not just the young ones, the old guys are getting their turn as well.  Sharon Logan; who is one of the founders of Paw Protectors in Huntington Beach California sent this story to me. 

Sharon was contacted about a 19 year old Retriever who had been surrendered, she got to work immediately.  Action was swift as it passed through other rescues and volunteers via networking.  As each person shared more people became aware and all came together with one goal in mind, to save this boy.  The 19 year old retriever was quickly posted by Julie on petconnect.us.    It was very short notice BarkandPurr Alliance Fund offered funds to help transport and put Sharon in touch with Peg from H.A.R.T Animal Rescue.  Saturday night Rescue Paw Protectors agreed to get him out and transport him to Las Vegas Nevada where Peg Steed of H.A.R.T. Animal Rescue would transport him on to St.George Utah which would be his final home.  Saturday night the plan was set, Sharon from Paw Protectors went down to the Downey Shelter right when it opened at 10:00 met by Celeste Charles and pulled the 19 Year old Retriever named Red, Sharon then drove him straight from Downey to Las Vegas 3.5 hours away handed him over to Peg Steed of H.A.R.T.   Along with Kona a 7 Year Old Brindle that was Rescued from Devore 4 hours before his scheduled euth. Peg then drove them to St.George Utah and they now have loving homes. Sunday night Vegas traffic can be horrific; it took Sharon 6.5 hours to get home, but knowing that the 19 year old did not have to spend another night in the Shelter and would not die alone had made it all worth it!


Many, many people were connected in the effort to save "Red" the 19 year old Retriever.  Julie at petconnect.us, many people on FB who networked, shared, and donated funds to get him to safety, Paw Protectors and Celeste Charles who pulled him, Sgt. Torres at the Downey Shelter who was helpful and accomodating, BarkandPurr Alliance Fund who donated for the transport fees and Peg Steed with H.A.R.T Animal Rescue who found forever homes for 2 unwanted Senior Dogs.  People all across the country on FB united to save a 19 year old Retriever.
 
 

And look at him now.

 
When someone passes on some info to you about a dog in need, pass it along.  You never know who will lend a hand.

Obesity in the canine

The couch potato that stays nice and thin

First; how do you know if your dog is overweight?  Feel for ribs, you should be able to feel each rib.  Each rib should feel like it has a neoprene covering, not dough, just a thin layer of neoprene.  If you have to dig to feel them, your dog is fat.  I know, it can be a difficult thing to acknowledge but the sooner you acknowledge it the sooner you can get to work at getting it off. 

There has been a video floating around the net lately of a hugely obese dog.  It is very sad and the people who took this dog in are working to get the weight off.  An obese dog is no laughing matter, it is a serious one indeed.  Although they are attempting to take weight off of the dog; the damage may have already been done.  Having an overweight dog is serious; they run the risk of all sorts of weight related health issues.

It is sad to see a dog waddling around, every breath seems like a challenge.  Too much weight can be the end of normal dog activity.  They can't run and play like the other dogs.  Overweight dogs are at risk from many factors that involve carrying too much weight on their structure.   Jumping can be dangerous as their joints take a toll with extra weight.  Their vital organs suffer from over taxing from their mass and day to day activities can be a huge chore.  Many overweight dogs become arthritic well before their senior years.  Obesity can rob a dog of their young and active years, in fact it can rob years off of their life.

A fat dog is a serious health risk, some of the issues which surround obesity are:


Early arthritis
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Heart problems
Repiratory Disease
Ligament injuries
Kidney disease
Cancer
A shortened life expectancy

The list goes on and on.  Not only is there a high risk of the above listed diseases but the simple fact that weight will interfere with their normal life. 

Dogs do not get fat on their own; humans create fat dogs.  Too much of a good thing is often a bad thing.  Too much food, too many snacks, free feeding, the wrong food or foods and not enough exercise is what it comes down to.  Many dogs eat the proper amount of food, that is for an active dog.  My own Tilley has now at 14 years of age had her food intake cut in half.  She only has a very small walk a day and a couple of tosses of the ball, she doesn't need as much food anymore.  Any extra pound is just something that she has to haul around on her aging frame.

I remember over a year ago when I had to carry Tilley up and down the stairs for about 3 months.  It was a big eye opener, my knees were hurting and I realized that if I gained 44 lbs this is what I would feel like hauling myself up and down the stairs.

Of course there are health reasons why a dog cannot lose weight just like with humans.  That is for another blog.  If you have taken your dog to the veterinarian and they have gotten a clean bill of health other than too much food, then you have work to do. 
But you must take it slow, you have a dog that is not only too heavy but also out of shape.  You cannot turn it around in a day.  Small walks and cutting back food to start.  Work up the distance and intensity as your dog slowly sheds the pounds.  Dogs actually lose weight very quickly when they have a change in activity level and food consumption. 

I know many people feel that they should give lots of goodies to their dog because they love them.  If you really love your dog, take them out for a walk.  Feed them the highest quality food that you can and set a goal for you and your dog.  A sleek body has a much better chance of fighting off health issues.  And you'll have your pooch around for many many more years for it.

Association for Pet Obesity Prevention

Love your dog?  Time to get them into shape.

Change and dealing with it

Every single dog is different, much like humans.  And like humans; each dog deals with information in their own way.  I spent a good part of yesterday demolishing our family room.  We made a ton of noise ripping off two layers of old paneling, drywall and wood.  Jessie came down early on, had a look around, was confused but found her bed and lay down.  Tilley jumped onto the couch and made herself comfortable.  I was working on ripping apart a support beam down to its raw form which was on the other side of the room.  So although the dogs were out of harms way they were subjected to very loud demolition noise.

Both girls lay sleeping; every once in a while when I would make an exceptionally loud noise they would raise their head for a moment and then go back to sleep.  Luke on the other hand was pacing, he couldn't relax and when I would grunt and groan trying to get the dried old wood off he would run to me panting and wagging.  He is the nervous type; and he worries about everything.  Mostly he was worrying about me and all the commotion together.  He was not afraid of any of it but obviously did not like that I was in the middle of the mess.  I asked him to take a seat, to sit and get comfy in one of the leather chairs.  He did so until I grunted or shouted at the stupid wood that was not coming off.  Up he got and over he came to make sure that all was fine.

He stood vigilant in his duty to watch over me.  If I moved to a spot up high he ran to the top of the stairs so that he could see me better.  Luke is much more aware of his environment, he is very flexible as we slowly change it to an upgraded state but he worries during the process.  Tilley takes notice at changed environment but cares little about it.  She is very adaptable, she always has been and basically goes with the flow.  She has stepped as my protector several times over the years when she felt that she was needed but she does not worry needlessly. 

At this point Jessie can only hear the very loud noises or feel their vibrations so the construction does not bother her.  What will bother her is the change, it is very difficult for dogs with little or no sight to deal with change.  Jessie is also dealing with dementia so for several weeks we will be watching her like a hawk.  Just last night we sat in the living room watching tv.  We've never done this before because the tv is in the family room.  But because of the mess it is moved to the living room until we finish.  Tilley and Luke were fine with it, they lay on the couch and watched a movie with us.  But Jessie sat looking at the tv, obviously confused.  She sat for quite a while just staring at it, you could see that she was extremely baffled.  She then got up and went upstairs to one of the dog beds in our room.  No doubt she felt a sense of normalcy there.

Change is good, I think it's good for dogs and humans.  Without change we and they can get too set in doing and dealing with one way of life.  Inevitably change comes, in some form or shape and if you have never dealt with any sort of change before it can be life altering.  This is why it is so very important to change things around, not hugely but enough to be noted as a change.   Dogs who have never had to deal with it have a very hard time doing so.

Once our demolition got truly underway the dogs were removed from the area.  This in itself gave Luke something to worry about, he could no longer watch over me.  But for their own safety they were put in our room with all the blankets, toys, water etc.  And after an hour or so I joined them, having enough of demolition for one day.  

When it doesn't work

You've tried everything, you've called in the professionals, juggled dogs from room to room, become the best leader that you can be and still your two dogs cannot work it out.  I have talked to many people about this issue, there are many reasons why it isn't working but the bottom line is that it isn't working.  So what do you do when you have either bitten off more than you can chew or just plain made the wrong choice of dog to add to your family?  It is heartbreaking and many live a life of juggling.  Juggling dogs from room to room, someone always left out and the gloves are off if you slip up and someone gets out. 

Juggling is not an option that I would choose.  I want all my dogs with me at one time.  If for some reason two of them could not coexist after all the training, behavior modification and work I tried I would place one.  Yes, there would be tears and great sadness but I feel that every dog deserves a great life and one spent behind closed doors awaiting their turn is not that IMHO. 

The good news is that many people can turn it around with strong leadership.  Sometimes the dogs just need to know that there is no option but to get along.  At the first whisper of a growl in my house I will react.  I will never stop growling, it is a very important communication tool.  Chances are that it will be the dog who is not growling who will be stopped and redirected.  Just last night Jessie was acting very strangely, she stood smelling Luke's feet for quite a while.  I knew that he was uncomfortable with the behavior but let it go on for a bit so I could see his reaction.  As most of you regular readers know, Jessie has dementia so she does some weird things now.  When Luke did not growl or display at her I lavished big time praise on him.  This is so important. 

But if you've done everything you can do and it still is not working then it is time to consider placement.  Many dogs will live just fine as a singleton or perhaps with a dog of the opposite sex.  Once a dog fights with a house sibling the problem can grow.  This can lead you to live a life on the edge, never knowing when it will erupt.  In the wild with a pack of wolves there is often disputes like this.  Most end with the lower status wolf having to leave the pack or dead.  We often put so much into making it work that we cannot see that it simply cannot work.  We bare the burden of guilt (a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined), a very human emotion. 

Sometimes things just don't work the way we had planned.  It is essential when adding additional dogs to an existing pack to choose carefully.  Two dominants of the same sex can lead to problems.  Adding a dominant dog to an aging pack can lead to problems.  Taking on more than you can handle can lead to problems.  Whether you are choosing a purebred or mix makes no difference when you add a dog to your pack.  If you have great social, neutral type dogs then it makes your job of choosing much easier.  But if you have dogs with issues be careful. 

I am not saying when the times get tough, dump.  Not at all; I am talking about those who have done everything in your power to make it work and it still is not working.  You owe it to the dog that is not fitting in to help them find their perfect place.  And if that perfect place is not with you then you need to find it.  Many a dog are banished from the family to live a sad a lonely life in a outdoor pen because it isn't working, that is not fair for any dog. 

A dog deserves a happy home, not just a roof over their heads.  They are such a social creature that every one deserves a special human of their own.  Every dog deserves their own home where they fit in, and sometimes it isn't yours.  That can be very difficult to deal with, but we must always do what is best for our dogs.

Off leash-not on the street

Off leash; "when are we going to work off leash?"  Many of my clients have asked me this and then I ask them "what do you mean off leash?"  Often the answer is "so I can walk my dog without a leash," or "I see people walking their dog down the street without a leash, I want to do that."  Hmmmmm.  Off leash work starts right away; as soon as you add your new pup or dog to your family.  Much of our training is done with no collar or leash, but that is when we are in the safety of a home or fenced yard.  Off leash walking down a street is not wise no matter how smart or well trained your dog is. 

                                                                Photo taken by Judy Kargel

I was out with my old ladies this morning, even Tilley rarely gets off leash now.  Her hearing is failing and she cannot hear me enough to run free.  Jessie has never had the freedom of "off leash" except for very isolated areas where she can run for miles and not get hit by a car.  But the last time she was off leash was a very longtime ago now.  Dogs are dogs; obviously right?  And being dogs; they can veer from the norm occasionally.  So even the most trained dogs can slip up from time to time.  And if a slip up occurs in an area with serious dangers, you may regret the decision to take off that safety line. 

What if you are walking down the street and a cat runs across the road?  I had a cat run across the road this morning as I pulled into my driveway.  Luke spotted it right away so when I lifted the back hatch I gave him a very firm "wait."  I grabbed his harness and held tight until we got into the house.  Luke is very well trained but in a moment of elevated prey drive he could easily forget and bolt.  Once your dog is hit by a car it is too late to change your mind, too late to put the leash on just in case. So what I say is the point? 

Yes I work my dogs off leash, Luke that is and in a park setting.  He is very good even with distractions but why would I risk the chance of him being injured?  There is no point, he is going to be walking beside me anyway so why not have a safety line between us?   Working off leash is essential; you don't want to have to have a leash on to control your dog.  But working safely off leash and just off leash wherever are two different things.  I'm not a big leash fan but they are wonderful for keeping dogs safe.

Off leash work is great and it is a terrific feeling having a dog so well trained.  But; never do it on a street, road, lane, path or blvd that has moving vehicles or is even near moving vehicles.  That's just plain common sense, never the less people do it and dogs are injured or worse.   A leash can save a dogs life.

Being away

I hate being away from my dogs, I just hate it. I miss them like crazy and wherever I happen to be when I am away I'm on the hunt for dogs. I feel strange and quickly form a hole that needs feeling from a canine connection. No matter where I am my dog radar is on, I can see them from hundreds of feet away. I am drawn to them like a moth to a fire. Luckily I was given ample dog contact on this most recent trip. I was staying with my parents back home, dogless. No dogs live in their home but I wasn't there long before one arrived. My sister and her family showed up with their Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Ruby. I've photographed her often and she never forgets me.

As soon as Ruby sees me she is heading towards the ground. With squinting eyes, a huge circle wagging tail, and lips pulled back she hits the floor and wriggles around. She is extremely submissive in her greetings with me and she delivers a big dose of canine for me. It was only two dogless days that I had to spend on my trip, thankfully. Over two days I filled up my dog need with Ruby. She is such a sweet dog.

Once Ruby left I had luckily set up a few shoots with family and friends. In all I got to photograph 8 dogs; and one of those 8 was only 12 weeks old. The cutest little Jack Russell mix you've ever seen. I have taken vacations when I've barely seen one dog, those are tough for me. So this one was a breeze although I still miss the closeness of my own dogs that you simply can't get from someone elses dog.

I got home yesterday; I couldn't wait to see them. As I walked through the door Luke was guard barking because of the noise the suitcases made coming in. All it took was one word and he was up off his couch and diving on me. As I've said before Luke likes to face bite and the more excited he is the bigger the bites. Having to compete with the girls for my attention he threw himself at me several times nailing me smack dab in the kisser. He spins and jumps, circle wags and dives at me while the girls push in for their share. The greeting lasted a good 5 minutes at maximum velocity and then it slowly calmed. With two arms arms I fully wrapped up the three for a huge snuggle fest. Two arms are more than enough to surround and hug three dogs, and man does it feel good to be home.

Good Thurday morning

Here are a few shots from my trip

Good morning everyone; bare with me this morning.  I've been away for a week and just got in late lastnight so I didn't get a chance to blog.  Had a fabulous trip back home, shot lots of Canadian dogs while I was there and will try to get more images posted later today. 

I missed my dogs desperately while I was gone but was able to connect with lots of dogs owners and get my fill of canines.  My greeting lastnight was amazing; and I have the bite marks to prove it.  ;)  More later.

Have a great day.

Sherri

Reasoning

When asked if dogs have the ability to reason I am left pondering. Is their amazing ability to survive and thrive in life due to their reasoning ability or is it a more learned ability to survive or simply instinct? When a dog performs an act; a behavior in life such as going to the cookie cupboard; is this an act of reasoning or the  fact that they have learned through life experiences through action and reaction?

Reason - the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.

It truly is a difficult question; dogs are amazing creatures who learn through association. They are much smarter than many give them credit. And I have personally witnessed many canine behaviors that have blown me away. But the question still lies; can they reason?

I'm more apt to answer no; even given many amazing displays of behaviors that have left me wondering how a certain dog could know or display a particular behavior. I still believe that most of the thought process of a canine is related to an action/reaction or some small form that comes to the conclusion.

Some behaviors are very instinctual, they appear from the inner dog and not from a learned experience. These may infact give the illusion of the ability to reason but in actuality stem from years of evolution and not reasoning at all. As hard as I conjure up scenarios that I have witnessed; each one can be related to an experience; action/reaction.

When you contemplate if in fact dogs can reason or not; you do have to factor in the way that we humans reason. We are given facts which we then mull around in our little gray matter to come up with our own variation of conclusion. But our ability to reason is challenged and guided by life experience; correct? Hmmmmm.

So in regards to reasoning I think dogs do not reason in the human sense of reasoning. But; I have no doubt that they think, which to me are two different entities entirely.

Temperament

A dog's temperament is the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits or natural disposition. This is who your dog is; and your dog's core temperament comes down the genetic lines from her ancestors. When you go and see a puppy; you want to make good and sure that Mom and Dad have nice temperaments. That is not to say that somewhere down the line; perhaps a great Grandpa had a strange temperament, that can rear it's head at some point. But at least if you know Mom and Dad have a good temperament there is a good chance that your puppy will as well.


Temperament is #1 on the important list for me; but not for everyone. Many breeders love a certain look or physical attribute and will overlook a not so fabulous temperament to get it. A structurally sound dog is very important but a dog will short legs, a low tail set, crooked teeth or any other small fault can be overlooked by the average guardian. Temperament on the other hand can make or break a dog; it can be the difference between a great dog and a very difficult dog. I don't know how many "poor temperament" dogs I've met that had parents with the identical temperaments. Asking new guardians about the puppy choosing process; the parents etc and they say they couldn't meet Mom or Dad, hmmmmmmmmmm.

Too many dogs are bred who do not possess stellar temperaments. Many dogs that are spill overs from performance lines end up in the average Joe household; and most average Joe's can't deal with a drive level that is off the charts. Many people purchase a puppy from hunting lines; staying away from show lines. Their thinking is that they don't want a poofy show dog; they want a real dog. Well; real is what they get, real drive and an energy level to match that of the energizer bunny combined with an Olympic athlete. These dogs often become bored and highly destructive; had the guardian only known what they were in for.

Some of the greatest temperaments I've seen were in mixed breed dogs. A good temperament is a good temperament and something I love to see in any dog. One of the best I've ever seen was in a huge st. Bernard mix. He had lived on the street for the first part of his life; he was amazing. There is truly nothing like a sound temperament; a dog with a rock solid temperament should be put on a pedestal and bred.

Temperament is core; but a temperament can be altered somewhat. A dog can be taught to be better or worse by environment. I do not believe that a dog who is predisposed to a bad temperament is doomed. Dog behavior can be modified; you may not be able to change the core temperament of a dog but you can alter their reaction to the world around them. Fearful dogs can learn to fear less; dominant aggressive dogs can be changed by an experienced guardian.


Some dogs may seem as though they don't have great temperaments due to the lack of socialization. Given this hand in life a dog may never be all the dog that they could have been if placed into a different environment. So good dogs can go bad and bad dogs can go good if placed in the proper living situation. This is why I believe strongly in temperament testing; it is not the final word at all but it helps to place a puppy in the environment that they will most thrive.


Unless you and others can say AMAZING about your dog's temperament; then please alter them.

Ready..................ACTION

I've had a couple of great shoots this week; these are just a few of the images.  My absolute favorite type of photography is action.  The shots that you would have otherwise never seen.  Missed by our human eye.  After an action shoot I can't wait to get home to see what I've captured.  Often I am hoping that I got the shot that I think that I got.  And sometimes I'm completely surprised by what I captured.  Action shots can be so fast that you cannot catch the small but amazing images with our naked eye.

Action usually means fun.  Being that I shoot dogs, most shots are either running, swimming, jumping, diving, or catching etc.  So for a dog, this means fun.  And tons of fun for me as well.

A dog in motion is a thing of beauty, at least for me.  Of course I love most shots of dogs, sleeping, eating, playing and pretty much everything a dog does.  But if I had to choose............. it is action, a thing of beauty.