Canine Genetics

This is the last installment of three; they all go together like a puzzle.  So if you have read the two previous days blogs then this is the final one in the trilogy.  There is so much to know about breeding and I for one like to leave it to the pros.  Much has been done wrong in our breeds of today but with good breeders we may be able to rectify some of it.  It is the ones that are pumping puppies out left, right and center who are truly doing the damage.  People breeding dogs with no knowledge of what their dog is passing down to the future.  Sadly it is not good what is passed on which often leads to much heartache in families when their dog becomes ill or worse.

There is so much to say about the genetic makeup of a dog that it is mind boggling; there are many different opinions about how to breed better dogs through genetic manipulation. Although I do not breed dogs; at least not at the moment, I do have an opinion on the subject (you know I always have an opinion). For instance; I have spoken with many breeders who are still on the page that genetic inbreeding is the only way to know what you are getting.

Inbreeding: the mating of closely related individuals, as cousins, sire-daughter and brother-sister which tends to increase the number of individuals that are homozygous for a trait and therefore increases the appearance of recessive traits

Inbreeding is the way it has been done for many years; but it is also the undoing of many breeds and dogs. When you breed dogs within the same small genetic pool you lose genetic diversity and breed vigor. What happens when dogs are inbred is that genetic material is diminished; and it is genetic diversity that keeps a line strong and healthy, if strong and healthy specimens have been used that is. This wonderful article written by the renowned Dr. John Armstrong on Canine Inbreeding and Diversity explains a lot. I feel very honored to have spoken with Dr. Armstrong before his passing; he was a man with great knowledge and an even greater passion for dogs.

I have seen firsthand the results of inbreeding; low birth rate is the first and most obvious result. When I hear of dogs who should normally have 8-12 puppies in the average litter who have only had 2 or 3; it is the first thing I consider. Health and longevity are also hampered by closely line breeding. Zoos have long known the result of inbreeding and most now put many hours into ensuring that only healthy and genetically diverse animals are used for breeding purposes. Some breeders are now doing the same and these are the ones leading the way of the future.

"Mutts are healthier"; how many times have you heard this statement? I know I've heard it dozens of times a year. Of course the statement is not a fact but it does have a basis to its origin. Mutts have a great amount of canine diversity although most mutts or mixed dogs do not have any genetic health tests being done on them so no one really knows what is in the mix. It is not suffice to say that outcrossing is the means to a healthy dog.

Out crossing: the breeding of two animals with little or no similar relatives in their pedigree.

It is through extensive research done by a breeder who looks to find healthy specimens with little genetic similarities when bred together produces better dogs.

Frozen semen; more and more breeders are going the way of frozen semen. I believe it is a wonderful way to save some of the great dogs DNA for use down the road and to create genetic diversity. Many feel that it is just too far; too much human intervention but are dog breeds not all due to human intervention? Yep. If it were not for human intervention there would be dogs; just dogs in general with no specific breeds of any type. So for the sheer reason that we alone have solely had a hand in ruining them, it should be us that tries to fix the problem. One aspect of frozen semen that I really like is that you can often see the results of good breeding first hand. You may indeed use the semen of a dog who is now gone but lived to 17 years of age strong and healthy. Now that is some semen you want to find.

There is also the aspect that it can be shipped pretty much anywhere giving you a better chance of breeding dogs that are not related. This alone is very exciting. Although some breeders are bringing in dogs from other countries to add to their breeding stock which I believe to be very beneficial. Of course all tests must be done and genetic lineage looked at before breeding but it is very exciting as well.

All in all genetics is very fascinating; at least it is for me. Some breeders are doing it all right; some are just looking at this whole genetic diversity thing and there are still some caught in the dark ages with the mindset that line or inbreeding is the only way. Hopefully somewhere along the way they will see the light; if only for the good of our dogs.

Temperament

I'm started now and continue on my 3 part series of Don't even get me started. Todays #2 part focuses on temperament and what should and should not be bred. Very recently I have been focusing on temperament alot; with the consideration of adding another dog to my pack it is of the utmost importance to add the right dog. My pack is a perfect one; it runs smoothly and I am not willing to give that up. That means that a huge amount of work is put into finding lines that I like in regards to temperament.

Temperament: the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits, natural predisposition.

A dog is born with their temperament and that specific temperament will determine how they react to life experiences. That said there is a huge responsibility put onto a breeder and a new guardian with regards to what they offer the dog through early socialization. As most of you know I am a temperament tester; and feel that it is a very important part of raising a litter. Most temperament tests are similar so when I talk to a breeder and hear the numerical results of a test this gives me a good deal of information on a particular puppy.

But the recipe for this puppy is vastly important; what temperaments went into the creation of this temperament. Temperament is passed down from Dam and Sire; not in the form of being identical but if you start with good stuff there is a better chance that the resulting puppies will have good temperaments. Of course there is always the chance that someone might not have a good temperament; that happens with people to. But by taking out any temperament traits that are not desirable in your breeding stock; really helps to ensure great puppies.

Many breeds have been ruined by bad breeders; a bad breeder in this context being someone who bred a dog that should not have been bred. Being a breeder is serious work; you are creating dogs to offer to the general public and you have a big responsibility to offer the best possible puppies that you can. Often so much hope and anticipation is put onto one dog that temperament may be overlooked. Oh you may know that his/her temperament is not the greatest but "oh that head, that movement or that amazing coat," clouds your decision making capabilities.

Of course each breed have different types of temperaments; soft, hard, sharp etc. But if one of your breeding dog exhibits a temperament that you would not unquestionable choose yourself then your next step should be off to the vets with that dog to be altered. If breeders in general took a closer look and only bred amazing temperaments it would indeed cut down on "bad dog" numbers. Some of the breeds with notoriously bad temperaments use to be some of the great ones. But with over breeding and careless breeding too many bad temperaments got into the soup creating now a bad breed instead of a few bad individuals.

Some breeds that I see on a regular basis that need work in the temperament department are:

Boxers

German Shepherds

Border Collies

Australian Shepherds

Cocker spaniels

These are just the ones I see on a regular basis with some really bad temperaments. Some breeds have been bred for specific purposes like herding or guarding. But while focusing on one aspect or trait other parts can be lost and the puppies that end up in a average family home cannot make it. These are the dogs that find themselves passed from one home to another finally ending up in a shelter. Dogs should be bred specifically for all; a dog can happily coexist in the average family home. Yes there are breeds with more specific traits; but even these dogs should have great temperaments.

One of the many great things about dogs is that they can adjust and they do that well. Even a dog who has been dealt with a bad temperament from a lack of good breeding can be turned around with the dedicated work of a new guardian. Temperament is what a dog is born with; temperament is how a dog reacts to life itself. With work the reactions can change and a dog born with a lack of confidence can learn to be confident, an over dominant dog can learn to "fit in" with the right guardian. So although you are who you are so to speak; a dog can change.

Sunday May 22, 2011

Often writing ideas come to me when I'm out on my walks; especially when it is early, the sun just peeking over the trees and air is still. With my walking buddy charging in all directions my thoughts are almost always on dogs and these were my reflections from yesterday. Breeding dogs; I know a lot of breeders and each and every one has their own agenda; why they breed, what they breed, how they breed and their ultimate goal. Unfortunately many do it for the money; some to produce their own line of a breed with the physical and temperamental traits which they desire and then there are the people who are breeding for a better dog for the average family.


 So what about structure; is it important or is it all about vanity? Structure is extremely important; first let's look at the definition of biological structure - mode of organization; construction and arrangement of tissues, parts, or organs. So structure is the important stuff; it does factor in with how they look and move and it can also be what makes or breaks a dog physically. All of my dogs over the years have been structurally sound but one; Clyde. He was a poorly bred dog and was forever injured because of his structure deficits.


Being that I am a dog trainer and photographer I meet alot of dogs. One of the things that I hear on a regular basis is "I think we are going to breed him/her." Many people just love their dog so much that they want a little clone; "oh to have a puppy from Fido would be so great wouldn't it?" As they tell me this; brimming with pride for their pooch they don't expect what is coming next. Out comes my soap box; I climb up, give them all the facts and climb down. My job done; they are left to ponder the whole breeding thing.

Being that our dogs all came from this: the gray wolf, the structure of our dogs should somewhat resemble the same, correct? Our dogs should possess a square structure; moderate chest, straight and strong front and back legs neither turning in nor out, good strong tight feet, a level topline and nice length of muzzle. Hold on a second; that doesn't sound like many of the breeds we have today does it? We humans have taken to manipulating canine structure to suit our fancy and in the process destroyed many a dog.


We now have dogs that are much longer than they are tall, dogs who literally have no muzzle, pocket pooches that break if you look at them sideways and monster dogs who live a fraction of their intended life expectancy. Yes we have reeked havoc with many a dog; can we undo it? I have my doubts. People who have these structurally altered breeds love them; and I'm pretty sure they would not be willing to add length of muzzle or legs to improve the life of the dogs. These dogs who lack structural balance have a rough time of it. This breeds are literally handicapped because of their structural faults. There are lists of ailments with these breeds from back problems, breathing problems and joint problems.


My beef is not just with the breeds who are miles away structurally from once they came. No; there are many dogs being bred who are not sound in the anatomy department but they take a mean photo and perhaps their flaw is only one on an otherwise structurally sound specimen. Should this dog be bred? Well; there is structure and there is workability structure. Is there tail lower than the standard? Perhaps their chest is not quite as deep as the standard calls for; these are minor structural flaws and let's face it dogs are not meant to be little cookie cutter clones. On the other hand sway back, cow hocked, east/west, hip displaysia are all working faults with regards to structure and these dogs should not be bred. A structural fault which interferes with proper movement is a breeding no no in my books.


If a dog has structural faults don't breed it; bottom line. I don't care if it is a mixed breed or purebred; if you breed it there is a good chance it's going to pop up again somewhere down the road. Taking a dog who has structural faults and breeding it to a structurally sound dog is not the way to go. Breed good with good and you will better the chance of creating great. Breeding good with poor can create a crack; which may end up being the one that breaks the foundation of your otherwise structurally sound lines.

Dragging

I love this photo of my daughter, Tilley and Luke.

Inspiration at the park; yep it doesn't take long and I'm inspired.  Yesterday I took the poodles to the park; it is a slow go with Tilley but she made it all the way around.  While we were getting out of the xterra a woman got out of her car with what looked like a Fox Terrier mix.  She immediately headed across the park to the other side; giving herself and her dog some distance.  I got Tilley out first and then Luke and we head in the opposite direction.  It was a gorgeous cool day.

Of course at one point we had to cross paths with this woman, I thought nothing of it.  Her dog looked excited as we got closer and closer.  About 25 feet away from us the woman made an abrupt turn and started walking across the park again.  Fine; maybe her dog had issues with other dogs.  But; she was literally dragging her dog and not looking back.  She kept walking; the dog was on the very end of an extension leash straining to see my guys.  She gave it an almighty yank without so much as a glance backwards.  I shook my head as we continued our lovely walk.

Once again we were approaching the woman and her dog.  This time she started walking away instantly; her pace was abrupt.  Her little dog started to squat to pee and was quickly yanked out of pee position from her very rude owner.  Not one glance back to her dog did this woman make.  Her dog could have easily gotten wrapped up around one of the many trees while she was yanking.  It wasn't a smart behavior from the woman, nor was it safe.  Not only was it unwise to just head off without a look back but the whole scenario spoke volumes.  There was no concern for the dog, no trying to work on a behavior issue, just dragging. 

Lack of supervision is a big problem; it is often when something happens.  Plus while her dog was displaying a great deal of communication; she was missing it on her quest to get away.  Running away never fixes anything; what it does do is instill worse behaviors.  The big thing in this whole situation was the lack of watching; there was no connection between this dog and the human.  No talking; no communicating, nothing.  It was sad and I felt bad that this dog was just being dragged along.  The woman could have used this as a great training moment.  The park is great in that you can really get some great distance yet keep the trigger or distraction in the same area.  I hate to see a disconnect between a dog and their owner.

A wasted moment in time; left to become the past with nothing to bring to the future, sad.  Sherri Regalbuto

Meat

From feeding bowls to the food in the bowl; I thought this would be a good next blog. 

I was on the way home from the gym when it donned on me that I was out of meat.  As you all know I feed my dogs a huge array of foods as well as a wide variety of proteins.  With my girls the job of feeding different foods is an easy one, not so much with Luke.  He is very picky and definitely has his favorites; which are all too often nothing close to what a dog should or normally eats.  So on the way home I popped into the grocers to see what they had.  I always check for deals and sales, and if I find a good one I stock up the freezer.  I love when I have a freezer full of food for the dogs.

I feel the best when I am giving my dogs "REAL" food.  If I have to feed dog food twice in a row I get feeling very guilty.  Usually it's because I've simply run out of the real stuff but sometimes I'm just in a pinch for time as I have been of late.  With home renovations and juggling dogs it's been tough.  So I bought some Stella and Chewies freeze dried raw for those "in a pinch" times.  I feel much better about an occasional dog food if I can switch that up as well.   So I've decided to have a look at  some canned food as well and keep a good supply of that in the cupboard.  So I'll let you know if I find a good one.

With Luke it is imperative to switch things up anyway.  He does not like to eat the same thing more than twice in a row,  of course unless it is shortbread that is.  The best way to get the optimum nutrition into your dog is to switch it up.  Even if that means buying several different bags of dog food.  Eating the same thing day in and day out is not good for any dog or any human at that.  We need lots of sources of nutrients. 

Snacking really helps with the variety factor as well.  I will occasionally give eggs as a snack, not to Luke of course.   He hates eggs.  Any protein that happens to be left over in my fridge is great for a snack, roast, cheese, fish.  My guys like veggies too, they love peppers, mostly the yellow ones but the will eat the red and the green.  They never have problems digesting these and they are a favorite all around.  The girls eat fruit, not Luke so I have to sneak things like that into his food.

Gone are the days when we bought the idea of one food all the time forever and ever.  Dogs, like wolves are opportunists, and they will often eat whatever they can get.  Take Tilley in the morning, she likes if she gets cheese or bacon but if I give her a piece of apple she will take it with her lips pulled back and bring it to her bed.  There she stares at it until she sees that nothing else is coming and then she eats it.  Eating the same thing all the time is simply not a natural to eat.

When I got home from the grocery store I had bags of meat, beef, chicken, pork, liver and giblets.  Soon after I got into the kitchen I had a boy with his nose raised to the counter.  This is the only time that Luke follows me in to see what's cook'n.  I chopped up some raw roast, added peppers, egg shells and cabbage and had three chowing down their breakfast.  They had chicken for dinner and I was feeling great about it. 

Raised or not

It's another controversial subject; there are those who are for and those who are against.  I'm with the "against" side.  Over the years raised bowls have gone in and out of fashion.  The first time I heard anything about raised bowls was more of a; it's just what you do if you have a tall dog.  Anything over 20" I think was considered "raised bowl," material.  There was really no explanation other than the fact that the dog was tall, using a raised bowl was bringing the food up to them.  Mny folks ran out and bought raised bowls.  Mind you that was a very long time ago.  Since then I have heard several reasons why you should but always used my own experience to guide the way for my own dogs.

I always tend to look at the way it is in nature to guide me.  Surely; not all answers are found there but when I look at a pack of wolves eating, it gives me a good idea.  I have always thought that if our dogs want to lay down and eat, they can.  Tilley use to eat laying down when she was young; then she sort of got over it but has now resorted to laying down again.  Luke stands and Jessie stands.  Given bones Tilley immediately lays down, Luke is about 50-50 and Jessie the same, half standing and half laying down. 

I think the moment that sealed the deal for me as far as NEVER using a raised bowl was watching Luke drink.  I have a portable bowl that I take on walks and Luke loves to drink.  If I hold the bowl up off of the ground I can literally hear the air going into him as he drinks.  I am very careful now to keep the bowl on the ground or close to it.  Once the air goes in I can hear it gurgling around in there.

Some of the reasons that have been stated for using a raised bowl are:  neck strain, bloat, ease of eating, save wear and tear on the pasterns (basically ankles.)   Again; I think if they want to lay down they can.  Of course this is my opinion and as I have tried to talk to others about the subject; it is obviously a controversial one.   Everyone needs to do what they feel best for their dog; I choose to feed them without the aid of a raised bowl.  I also like to toss their food around the yard, use it for training and hide it.  If they do eat from a bowl and they often do; it is on the floor.  Like everything having to do with dogs; I have done my research and come up with the best recommendation for my dogs and myself.  Research is essential, everyone should dive in and read up. 

Here are some good articles on the subject; there are many more so have a look around and do what you feel comfortable doing.

Vet Info website on bloat

Great article on bloat

Another controversial article on the subject

Castor Oil and eyes

There is goop and then there is goop; sometimes our dogs get goopy eyes.  Not the regular goopy stuff; sometimes they get more goop that can be caused by dozens of different things but often it is good ole allergies.  Southern California is horrible for allergies; I have them pretty much year round but there are sometimes that a worse.  That is when it seems to hit Luke as well and his eyes get goopy.

I've been using Castor Oil for Luke's eyes for years.  Yes I know what you are thinking; Castor oil?  I thought the same thing when I first read it which was in Dr. Pitcairn's book years ago.  With Luke's slight seasonal allergies he gets the goopy eyes thing.  They do seem to bother him; they seem itchy so I did a lot of research.  I tend to always veer towards a natural solution so when I discovered Castor Oil I though I'd give it a whirl.  Low and behold his eyes were totally cleared up by the next day.  This happens only once or twice a year so I've had the same bottle for all this time and barely made a dent.

When I put the oil in his eyes I use a small syringe.  I put a few drops into the syringe and only one tiny drop in the affected eye.  We call him "Oily eyes," for a day but then it's gone.  The castor oil gives him an oily rim around his eye but other than that nothing.  It doesn't seem to bother him; except of course for the actual application.  But that has nothing to do with getting it placed in the eye and all about "what are you doing to me?" situation.  It doesn't hurt and he has learned to let me do it quickly now.  I just tell him "let Mommy see," and he knows that I need to check something.  Of course he worries, it is his nature to worry. 

For Luke with his seasonal allergies; Castor oil works amazingly.  I'm sold and we never have to use anything harsh on his eyes and my Mr. Oily eyes is all better overnight. 

Two dogs; a bucket of water and a tennis ball

I hadn't planned to have another blog filled with my dogs but this was a very spontaneous albeit amazing shoot that I had yesterday.  The dogs were all asleep in the living room; the sun was out and it was my birthday.  I wanted to something that I love to do; photograph something.  So I got out some strawberries, a huge vase of water and shot away.  Then Luke came out; which in itself changed my whole shoot.  First he came to see what I was doing.

Then he thought he'd have a little drink out of my water bucket.  Once he did that the wheels were set in motion.  I ran and got a tennis ball.

I always play with the dogs in a kiddie pool filled with water; they love to retrieve anything out of it.  But this I thought would make for some great shots, I was right.

After a few bites the ball sunk.  Hmmmmm?  After checking the ball was broken, which again was a nice surprise for the shoot.   Both poodles have learned to go underwater, it is a process which usually is quickly learned.  It is very funny to watch as they learn about breathing vs. not breathing under water.

Tilley is the pro; only her Vestibular gave her a hard time with regards to aim.

Luke gives it a go again; he isn't a huge fan of getting his eyes wet.  It takes a while to get past that.

And he's past, but the ball is very deep down.

He can clearly see it on the outside; now just to get it from the inside.  I thought I'd shoot the mouth in the water shots but as the game progressed it made for great real life shots as Luke tried to figure out how to get the ball out of the deep water.

Tilley shows him how to do it again; as you can see her aim is off but she does get it.  She's not a quitter.  Luke watched Tilley retrieve the ball over and over.  For Tilley there is no figuring it out; you simply get the ball.

Another try while Luke watches.

Luke gives it another go.

Just missed it again.

So, so close.

But Tilley snags it yet again.  Just after this shot Luke gave Tilley a huge growl, he was getting frustrated and took it out on her.  No doubt because she kept getting it.

He just needed to be brave; something that Tilley excels in.  They love this game and everytime Tilley got it out, they both stared at the ball until it was put back into the water and it began again.

Almost.

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toys

Yesterday Luke was in a funk; I wasn't sure what it was, a sore neck, over tired or what.  Late in the morning he got up out of our bed and moved down to the couch in the living room.  It started to pour so our regular walk was cancelled.  While I was on the computer later during the morning I realized that he had not followed me upstairs, weird.  He ate breakfast but was not in a good mood.  So when my husband and I  were out at HomeGoods looking for new rugs I searched the dog toy area.  Like anyone who isn't having a good day; something special is in order.

I chose cats; I got one for Luke and one for Tilley, Jessie no longer acknowledges toys.  Terry cloth stuffed cats with squeakers in them.  $4.99 each, not bad for brand new big sized toys.  My boy just needed a new toy this morning; I new that it would cheer him up.  When we got home I quietly squeaked the toy from behind him; his face lit up and he was so excited.  I gave him and Tilley their toys and they happily chomped them for at least an hour. 

Many people never get their dog toys; they feel that it is a human thing and not necessary for dogs.  But toys for dogs are so important; it doesn't matter what the toy is as long as it is something to play with.  Luke played with his toy; squeaking it which obviously triggers a prey instinct.  The more it squeaks the more he chomps the toy until he rips a tiny hole and the fluff demolition begins.  He rips and tears at it until it lies dead on the floor, empty and lifeless.  It is then that the toy becomes an object of tug-o-war.  It no longer makes noise; it has no more stuffing to be removed so now we pull at it. 

Toys don't have to cost a lot of money; I regularly buy yards of fleece and make my own toys.  I sometimes get sick of the fluff all over the house so I braid great toys for them.  Luke knows when I'm braiding a toy and if it happens to be a toy for someone else, he's not happy about it.  A few pieces of fabric braided together bring so much joy; he can barely contain himself through the braiding process.  He often sits only an inch away from me biting at the toy every so often until I finally tell him to stop, seriously. 

Dogs are dogs and they need prey; for our modern dogs that is often toys.  If they don't have toys unfortunately they will find their own prey and it may be in the form of a water hose, your couch, a few pillows, your favorite shoes or the children's toys but they find some.  Toys are very important, different textures, sounds, shapes and sizes.  The more toys you have the less chance of your stuff becoming toys.  Our dogs need outlets for their dog behaviors and toys are a great substitute for live prey running around to chase or a game of tug with a carcass. 

I shop at the discount stores for our toys; better toys at good prices.  Today it was two cats; next time who knows what.  Even with a basket full of toys; a new toy was in order today.  As I write this blog Luke is laying beside me de-stuffing his new cat and loving every second of it.  :)

A relaxing Saturday

We had, or I should say the dogs had a pretty relaxing day yesterday.  We had our typical walk in the morning; the girls and I meandered around the park while Luke was off with his Dad on the trail.  We met up in the middle and had some treats, then headed home.  Once home everyone had time to chill; cool down although there isn't a whole lot of heating up for the girls.  Anyhow they cooled down and then had a yummy breakfast.  From that point it was R&R time.

We've been renovating the room below; as we chatted about what was to come, colors and decorating the poodles chilled.  Luke actually fell asleep on the one bed I put down there just in case. 

Luke gets comfy

Luke in on the conversation; listening to every word his Dad is saying.

Checking out the carpet I cut for the new wood steps

Nap time again; here Tilley is gazing at her Dad who just sat to the left of her.

Luke wasn't quite ready for another nap; here I'm asking him if he wants me to throw his ball.

A little nibbling.

Listening to Dad again.

Thinking about bringing the ball to Dad so he can throw it again.

Tilley was comfy; ya think?

I get a bow; just because Luke is goofy.

Not happy about all the ruckus in the living room.

Luke decides it's time for a nap now.

And Jessie?  She's been here sleeping the entire time since after breakfast.

All in all a nice day with the pooches; hope yours was great too. 

Drop it

The "drop it" command is probably one of the most important things you can teach your dog. Dogs like to pick up all sorts of things; some eat weird stuff and other love to chew up anything and everything. It is imperative that your dog have a very solid "drop." Unfortunately many dogs resort to the swallow fast option when asked to hand over an object that is in their mouth. These are the one's that need training the most; as there are literally hundreds of dogs that need surgery because of what they swallow down in a panic.

The best as always is to start when you first get your dog; but you can start this at anytime. One of the important things to remember is to never, ever chase your dog down for an item. This is a game and one that most dogs love; dogs will go and find something they know they are not allowed to have so that you will chase them. For the swallowers; it is the chase that makes them swallow. They would rather swallow it down than hand it over.

What you have to teach your dog is that if they hand over an object; you will reward them. Most rewards come in the form of a treat but if your dog is not motivated by food you can use anything; a ball, a pull toy or a squeaky toy etc. You must train this when your dog has things that you can return to them; you need to teach them that you don't want to take their things from them. The object of the game is to teach them that dropping things is a good thing; drop the item, get a treat and get your thing back.

Typically in the beginning of training you need to bribe with a food item while associating the word "drop" with it. When you do enough training with items you can return to them; the couple of times that you cannot return an item do not have as much lasting impact. This should be done several times a day and even once they have a great drop, keep it up every so often to keep it fresh.

Drop can save your dogs life; or at least a trip to the vet, or a bout of vomiting and diarrhea. If they drop something amazing; like a bone or coyote poop make sure to go over the top with praise and a treat if you have it. My guys definitely like coyote poop and if they eat it, sure enough we have a day of throwing up dogs. So if I can catch them before it is swallowed, I'm impressed and very happy.

Make sure that "drop" is one of the things you teach your dog.

This is dog food?

Uno; he stole my heart.  He was so interested in the camera that he kept running straight at me.

Most of us grew up thinking that kibble is what you feed dogs.  Although I clearly remember peeling the string off of a package of Gaines burgers, and like the marketing ploy indicated it was beefy looking.  But was there any beef or anything else in this food that was nutritious for our dogs?   We bounced between canned food and the meaty looking burgers of Gaines for our little toy poodle.  When I think back now I shudder; but it was the line we were all fed; dogs eat dog food.  The idea has stood the test of time; although the quality is being challenged now and thankfully some new companies are stepping up to fill that kibble with real ingredients; ingredients that our dogs can actually use.

Sassy; what a wonderful girl and amazing athlete.

But not everyone grew up feeding "dog food" to their dogs.  This past spring I had the privilege of meeting Olga Esman of Poodleit.com located just outside of Ottawa.   We met through my Facebook group The Standard Poodle and set up a photo shoot when I made a trip back home to Canada.  While I was shooting her gorgeous dog we were chatting when the topic of food came up.  She mentioned remembering the first time she saw "kibble" and how she was shocked that this is what was fed to our dogs.  I thought it would be interesting to delve in a little deeper so we did an e-interview which follows.

Sherri:            Olga, where are you originally from and what did you feed your dogs while living there?

Olga Esman:   I am from Belarus, one of the former USSR republics.  We had a German Shepherd named "Bark" when I was growing up. My Mom cooked for him; oatmeal, buckwheat, and added lots of cooked meat (chicken, beef, chicken gizzards, liver).  We had an constant supply of big cooked beef bones from the kitchen of a local kindergarten - it gave us lots of meat for our Bark. He was very happy healthy active dog.  He also enjoyed cooked fish, big raw bones, blood sausages, some veggies, and pieces of dry bread as treats.

  

Sherri:            When did you first learn about kibble?

Olga Esman:   My first encounter with kibble was in Canada. 

Sherri:            What was your first opinion of processed dog food or kibble?

Olga Esman:   I was shown a big bag stored under the counter, and told that was a food for the dog.  It was a big shock for me - giving something dry and smelly to a dog????  Feeding a dog highly processed substance with questionable complex list of ingredients did not feel good at all.

Sherri:            What do you feed your dogs now and why?

Olga Esman:   The major part of my Poodles diet is raw meat (chicken backs, necks, gizzards, beef meat, beef hearts, tongues, beef bones, lamb bones), They also eat eggs (Sassy loves raw eggs, Uno - cooked), ricotta cheese and yogurt. They also love their cooked meals - thick soup made with old fashion rolled oats with meat, sweet potatoes, some herbs and garlic. They love cooked fish too.  I like to know what exactly goes into my dogs system. I do not even use prepared raw food mixes available at pet stores.  The meat I feed my family (humans and Poodles) comes from local farms, hormone and pesticides free.

Sherri:             What is your opinion on kibble now?

Olga Esman:   The strong "natural" trend in the kibble industry is very pleasing. 

Sherri:             Olga, have you ever tried your guys on kibble of any sort?

Olga Esman:    Yes. Uno was fed kibble until he was 9 months old. It was the Royal Canine. Uno was doing good on it, very healthy, good looking boy, but I was never content with feeding him kibble. The big poisoned kibble scare was a last drop for me.  I switched him to raw feeding "cold turkey" way :) He did great right away.

Some dogs will go through a period of diarrhea while switching from kibble to raw - this is a normal process of detoxification.

Sassy was fed Purina brand kibble before coming to our family. I switched her to raw at 11 weeks of age. It did not go well :( She has diarrhea, and was loosing weight. I put her back on high quality kibble and home cooked food, and did another switch when she was about 8 months old.  She did great the second time around.

Thank you Olga for taking time out of your very busy schedule to give us a look from a different perspective.  

come, Come, COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Step #1

Is your dog one of those that heads for the hills the minute they get the chance?  If their leash happens to come off; they slip their collar or someone carelessly leaves the front door or gate open?  Well, then you have work to do and lots of it.  Some dogs are runners, others trigger by movement, many escape just to have fun and then there are the ones who are just too excited to stop and come back.  Whatever type you have; they need to be trained to come.  Step #1  The way that you train a dog to come is to make the word itself glorious.

Far too often "come" means; the end of game, time to go home, come in because I'm going out etc. etc.  So you first need to think about this whole word "come," thing.  Does your word "come" have a negative connotation?  Think about how you use it; when, where and why?  If you arrive at the conclusion that it is indeed negative; then throw it out the window.  Pick a new one.  You can use any word you like; as long as it is only ever used for good.  And that means good in your dogs eyes; not yours.  i.e. Calling your dog to come when chewing on the couch would be good for you but not for your dog.

My special word for come is "here" but I might even change it up from that with the next one.  It needs to be a word that you can super charge; giving it incomparable positive power.  When you say your word you want your dog to jam on their breaks and head home as fast as they can.  So that means you have to do the charging; unfortunately you cannot just plug it in and expect it to be all charged up.  It is work giving a word such power; you must create the amazing association to it.

Use your word and give delicious treats, use it and feed your dog dinner or breakfast, go for a walk, play ball or frisbee, have a game of tug or invite them into your bed with your word.  In the beginning the treats should be the best, save a certain favorite treat like liver or chicken for use with your word.  Anything that you could think of that your dog would love; use it as a reward for responding to your new and powerful word.

Now get to work.

Don't flood fear

Flooding:  a form of psychotherapy in which the patient receives abrupt and intense, rather than gradual, exposure to a fear-producing situation.

Fear comes in many forms. Fear is a common behavior issue in dogs and I have worked with many different fear based issues; all having different causes and levels. How you approach a solution to a fear based problem must be well thought out and researched. If you dive in; introducing the cause of fear at a 100% level; known as flooding, there is a great chance of more damage. I have a real soft spot for fearful dogs; its tough being in a human world without the benefit of speech.

If we are afraid of a situation, object or environment we can communicate our discomfort to the people around us. This lets everyone know upfront what is going on and why we may be acting in such a manner. For many dogs who are fearful; their guardian may not understand nor be able to help them tolerate or overcome their fear. Tackling fears should never be attempted with archaic methods of training or flooding. Force; both physical and mental only causes more fearful behaviors. Flooding is when someone puts the dog into their worst fear situation at a 100% level.

You must start working with a fear behavior at the lowest level of reaction; meaning you are looking for the point of reaction from the dog and want to move back further from that range. The best example I can explain this with is the very common arachnaphobia of humans, fear of spiders. The first step would probably be to drive by a building where there are known spiders, no spider in site. Getting closer to the building might take weeks or months depending on the level of your fear. But there is no point in trying to move to the next level; a more concentrated submergion if you cannot make it at the last level.

What you are trying to accomplish when working with a fear based behavior is to change the base behavior when around the fearful situation. Meaning that if your dog is unbelievably afraid of men wearing hats and has to this point barked, peed and basically come unglued; we want her to now look at men in hats as a good thing or at least non threatening. So you must take it slow; flooding puts your dog into a state of panic where nothing can be accomplished. You have to convince your dog that men in hats are a great thing and this is done with patience.

Slow and steady wins the race and definitely achieves a higher level of success when working with fear based behaviors. There is no hurry; each success should be a small one. I have broken some fear based behaviors down so small that no person other than the guardian and myself would even notice each step. A small success could be a glance; an ear raise or a change in body posture.

But wheatever your dogs fear; realized that this is very real to your dog. It is a sad way for a dog to live so do your research; hire a professional positive behavior specialist and help your dog to climb out of the fearful way of life they lead.

This and that

I hope that all you Mothers had a great day yesterday; I did.  We took the dogs for their morning run all together; the weather was beautifully cool and overcast.  Little Jessie is a funny little thing when she thinks that she is going for a walk, it is one of her few high moments of the day.  When she sees her harness I can hardly get it onto her as she fights me to get it on.  With her vision impaired, she is struggling to get it on as I am as well but I can see what I'm doing, she cannot.

Once she has her harness on she cries and I have to wait to pick her up until just before we go out because there she struggles as well.  She is so darned excited to get out the door that her little 14 lb body is rigid as she grunts and groans.  Then again once we get to the park she literally throws herself out of the car.  I cannot touch her until it is her time or she just hurls herself out.  So I push Jessie to the back of the SUV, help Luke out; push Jessie to the back of the SUV, lift Tilley out and then grab Jessie's harness tight.  She then proceeds the attempts to hurl herself out of the SUV.  She isn't jumping like a normal dog no; she'll go out head first, rear first, sideways or however she can get out.  This is new with the dementia.

Once out we had such a nice walk; Tilley and Luke both had ball time.  Tilley comes to life with a ball, you'd never think that she was a 14 year old dog.  But today she was favoring her back right leg a bit.  On Saturday night I'd noticed a wound of sorts on her leg; I'm not sure what it is from, could be a sebaceous cyst (Tilley has had many, many of these over the years).  Or it could again be a spider bite but by today it was looking a bit better after cleaning and wrapping it.  I will have a good look this morning to see how it is and we may be off to the vet yet again.

After our walk; we all had a cool down and then they had a nice chicken breakfast.  After that it was nap time for the oldies, that is until dinner time.  Old dogs sleep a lot.

HAPPY MOMMA'S DAY

It's Mothers Day; so first let me say Happy Mother's day to all the Mom's out there.  That means all you Dog Mom's as well.  I spent yesterday after noon at Shoreline Poodles.  I met Suzanne, the breeder last summer along with a wonderful litter.  How lucky am I?  I was invited to celebrate the first birthday of that litter.  As well; several dogs from the previous litter who were celebrating their 2nd were in attendance.  She is very pregnant at the moment; due in two weeks.  This will be her third and final litter.

This is Angie; proud Momma of all the pups in attendance.  How wonderful for a breeder to see all their pups at the age of one and two years old.  Each family shared their stories with the others; it was a wonderful day.   Every dog was very different; their lives all gone in different directions and yet they all came together to celebrate.   This is how you do it; staying connected with the people who have taken home one of your puppies is another step in the "good" breeder standard.  

This gal was celebrating her first birthday; what a cutie.  I met these puppies at the age of 5 weeks and then again at 7 weeks, it was amazing seeing them all grown up.

This very big boy was there to celebrate his 2nd birthday with his younger brothers and sisters.

Just a sweetheart.

Another boy, this guy was celebrating his first.

These gals really came together; sisters but a year apart they were having a blast playing.

Another of the 1st year celebration pups.

Happy Mothers day to all of you wonderful Mothers.  :)

Boggles the mind

I was surfing the net tonight; you know how you start looking for something and several dozen clicks later you are no where near where you started.  I really don't even know how I end up on these sights but you know what they say "inquiring minds want to know."  I do want to know; I want to know the good, the bad and the ugly.  And what I stumbled onto tonight was bad, a puppy broker.  They're out there and you should be aware, very aware.

The one I landed on tonight is called Purebred breeders; and basically they are middlemen.  They claim to inspect all the breeders who's dogs they sell, but I'm not buying it for a second.  This is just like the pet stores who sell the puppy mill dogs and pretend that they would never sell mill dogs.  Let me just say for a moment; no reputable and or ethical breeder would sell puppies through this type of online broker.  Buying a puppy online, sight unseen is very very dangerous.  You have no idea where the puppy is coming from; the health, temperament or the life this cute little puppy's parent are leading, you know nothing.

I went onto the site, chose a dog, filled out the form and it brought me directly to the check out.  Pay by credit card or paypal; it is as easy as that and they ship your puppy to you.  People do this; they put in all their info, pay the crazy amount asked for these dogs and hope that it all works out.  After only a small amount of research on the company I easily found all the complaints and warnings.  Frankly I have to admit that I knew they would be there.

Do not let these sites fool you; they are selling puppies like merchandise.  This my friends is just another arm of the problem, an offshoot of puppy mills.  So many dogs; too many dogs, pumping them as fast as those little females will come into heat, be bred, have pups and do it all over again.  Often there are no middlemen, just the breeder who lists bucket loads of litters available.  To the unsuspecting prospective puppy owner this may seem great.  Look at all the choices; this is how you breed dogs.  The lists state; pups born April 04, April 10, April 18, May 1st and some older pups and adults available.  WHAT??????????????

All the photos of the adult dogs may or may not be behind fences; strictly fence shots is a red flag.  Click and buy is a huge red flag; and handfuls of litters is a huge flag.  Please do not give your money to these people; no matter how cute that little face staring at you on your computer screen is.  These folks want your money; that's it, bottom line.  DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM.  They will use it to further invest in their assembly line puppies.

A great breeder will make it very difficult for you to obtain a puppy; they are and should be suspicious.  You too should be suspicious, ask questions, go and see their home.  If you have any tiny thoughts that there are too many dogs; dogs that are not properly cared for or that this person is strictly doing it for the money with no regard for the dogs, leave.  As for those millers selling puppies online or through brokers; do not fuel their mass production of dogs.

Online puppy sales are big business; don't fall victim and don't help to keep these horrendous people in business.  It is all about supply and demand; let's stop the demand.

Yappy hour at the Ritz-Carlton

Thursday evening I attended a wonderful event that a good friend of mine invited me to.  I hadn't heard of it and after a bit of research; I was very excited to visit the canine function.  Yappy hour at the Ritz-Carlton; sound fancy?  Well it was.  Not your ordinary dog gathering; it was held at the upscale Ritz-Carlton Hotel.  Unfortunately I'd not been before so I parked across the street.  They have valet which I will definitely take advantage of at the next Yappy Hour.

I met my friend and her poodle out front of the Hotel; from there we were directed to follow the paw prints, cute.  It took us on a walk through the grounds and out onto a large grass area over looking the ocean.  The view was spectacular and the grounds, beautiful.  We were met by several people who explained about the event and told us where we could find everything.  There was also a gentleman with a tray of dog cookies which...........................if you can believe Luke loved.  We actually headed back there after a bit for another and Luke wolfed that down as well.  Excellent cookies; Luke says a definite 4 paws up.

There were lots of dogs to meet.

Some came dressed up.

Some even had their own driver.

The event is a fundraiser for the Pet Project Foundation; partial proceeds from the event go directly to help animals.  Wine, cocktails and beer was available for purchase and the featured vineyard was Mutt Lynch Winery.   They also had food available for the humans starting at 4.00 for their delicious tacos that we had.  Cookies for the dogs and flavored water; yes flavored water prepared by one of the chefs at the Ritz was complimentary.  They had bacon, cheese, beef, veggie, chicken and plain available.  I had a sniff of the chicken water and it smelled amazing; and as I was told that it was fit for human consumption I thought about it but went for the orange water instead.  Both Luke and his friend preferred the orange water that was set out for the humans as well, go figure.

Note on the far right, the orange water.  Below Luke and his friend Sally enjoy a glass.  

Mutt Lynch wines

On top of the cookies, flavored water, wine and goodies for the humans they also offered massages.  Both for  humans and the dogs; below this tall, dark and handsome receives his massage.  Tell me he is not loving this?

We got there early and after we arrived it was a steady stream of people and dogs coming in.  I was actually very surprised at the turnout; even as we were leaving there were still folks coming in with their dogs.

Yappy Hours is offered Thursday - May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4, and September 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.   There were a great number of dogs and the only squabble I heard was Luke having words with another male who was intact.  All the dogs were wonderfully behaved and having a great time socializing; as it seemed the humans were as well.  A great event; I will definitely attend next month.  Nice to step out for a glass of wine surrounded by breathtaking scenery and bring your dog to enjoy it as well.   

Human behavior

As per the norm; a quick trip to the park and I have my topic for the next days blog.  Yesterday I had the poodles out together, a little different but Jessie was sound asleep when I was getting them ready and I hated to wake her.  We got to the park and did a ton of sniffing on the way in.  Luke is not use to going snail speed so he spent his time sniffing everything in sight.  I typically take Luke out separately because he can handle and needs more exercise than Tilley but sometimes it's just good for both of them to walk together.  So there we were the three of us at the park.

We had just walked by two absolutely adorable Shih tzu dogs that we regularly see at the park.  The two were tied to a tree while their owner worked out on some very cool outdoor gym equipment.  They seemed very sweet and were silent; obviously a bit intimidated by the bigger dogs but gave a tiny wag.  We were just about to round a corner when I looked back to see a woman who was not the owner of the dogs bending down to pet them.  They were fine with her petting them and jumped about happily.   But then she held her arms out looking like she was planning on picking them up and they both lowered their body posture and moved away.  The woman continued her approach; both arms held out in front of her planning on picking one of the dogs up.

I watched as the owner got up and went over to the dogs.  The other woman who was obviously a stranger to the dogs continued with her quest to pick up a dog.  The dogs were freaking out at this point; the woman was standing up looming over the dogs with her arms out and she had on black gloves.  One of the dogs whipped around as if it had given a nip or snap and the woman stopped her approach.  The owner had never stepped up to stop this situation, she should have.  Seeing that her dogs were quite distressed at the idea of a stranger picking them up she should have stopped it immediately.

Why had this stranger not noticed or understood the clear body language of the dogs?  We are not born with the innate understanding of dog communications but running away is pretty clear even in human terms.  But she chose to ignore the dogs attempts to keep her at bay and continued to pursue the dog.  This type of thing may not seem like a harmful event but it can have fallout behaviors.  It is imperative for an owner to stop this type of thing from happening to their dog.  It is our job to protect our dogs.

No one should EVER pick up someone else's dog.  Everyone should learn how to properly approach and touch a dog.  At the vets on Friday I asked the technician if she could inform the Veterinarian to assume a sideways approach when entering the room so as to not trigger a defense response from Luke.  She said that he typically ignores the dogs when he enters a room; also a great behavior and it worked well for Luke.  Of course there are dogs in this world that would love nothing more than to be picked up and cuddled by whoever, but those are few and far between.

Most dogs have boundaries, much like we do.  A head on approach, standing upright with your arms out is about as bad as it gets, other than all out running straight at a dog.  I know many people who lean right in to kiss dogs on the face or give them a big hug, this is very dangerous.  Dogs deliver a great deal of information with their body and if we read it correctly we will understand what they are saying.  Don't just dive in blindly; read and respect a dogs boundaries.

More on dementia

I am writing a book on Dementia; it will discuss our ups, downs, twists and turns.  The form will resemble that of a journal I guess to help those who may deal with it or have dealt with this horrible disease.  Like Alzheimer, dementia can strike randomly.  We would have never thought that our little tank built, sharp as a whip Jack Russell would have been hit by it.  Once feisty, tenacious and very dominant girl has been transformed into a lost soul.

This is the first dog of ours that has suffered from dementia; although a couple seemed like they had it as they got older but once you see it you know that a little confused is not dementia.  Jessie has very few agendas now; not long ago she was driven by food, movement and dominance.  She still likes her food but comes no where near the gusto of just a few months ago.  Her prey drive is all but gone; there have been a few sparkle moments but they are minute to what was once a very driven little dog.  And the dominance is also but a memory; there have been a few stray attempts but mostly it is gone.

Everything has changed in a matter of months.  Many hours are spent wandering; pacing and searching for something that she cannot find.  There are strange things going on in that little head now; most I cannot even guess at anymore.  She still takes comfort in my arms but can typically be found away from the rest of the family.  This is one common symptom of the disease; preferring to be alone, not a typical dog behavior.

Not only has Jessie been stricken by dementia but her sight, hearing and sense of smell are almost gone.  Her hearing is the worst; she can barely hear a scream and even at that I think it may be the vibration she is feeling and not hearing at all.  She is steadily getting worse; not at a fast rate, more like a snail pace but worse none the less.  It is sad to see a once vibrant force to be reckoned with succumb to this disease that literally sucks the life from a dog.  On her moments of energy it is good to see her come to life about meal time or walk time.  It truly is the little things.