How they eat

Although many people attempt to form our dogs into little people; they are not human and our nutritional needs are very different. The way we eat is different and the way we digest is very different. First off the dogs teeth are entirely distinct from the teeth in our mouth. Our teeth are meant for grinding our food; a dog's teeth are meant for tearing, crushing and pushing food back down into the esophagus; from there it goes down into the stomach where the process begins. Our process begins as soon as the food is in our mouth; through the chewing process we breakdown our food and our saliva starts to predigest. Dogs don't have predigesting saliva.

A dogs mouth is made to get the food down; their bottom jaw is formed making it impossible to grind back and forth like a cow. So when our dogs seem like pigs and swallow things down whole, this is because it is how they work. Typically a dog will crunch their food into bite sized pieces that they can swallow down. Other times when they are far too exhuberant they may attempt to swallow down a piece of food that is much too big. This is common practice with my Jack Russell. Dogs may choke for a bit until it goes down or throw it up and give it another go.

Once the food goes into their stomach there is a recognition of food to be digested and a dogs pH level drops down to as low as 1 becoming highly acidic; so acidic in fact that it would literally burn a whole in our skin if we were to touch it. There the digestive enzymes get to work breaking down the food into molecules that the body can use. Once the stomach has digested most of the bulk food it is passed down to the small intestine where the liver and pancreas produce more enzymes for further digestion. From there it enters the large intestine and you know where it goes from there.

Dogs are not meant to eat the way we eat; they have entirely different food requirements and luckily there are a few good dog food companies out there that are heading towards that goal. But as with anything else in our consumer driven world there are far too many just trying to make a buck and are not concerned with our dogs at all. Do your research before you grab a bag of dogfood and if you can buy it at the big box store or the grocery store, you probably shouldn't be buying it.

Check out your local private pet store (of course the ones that do not sell puppies or kittens) to see what they carry.  Many of the small family owned stores carry the good stuff.  And if they are really good they will have several freezers filled with frozen raw, bones and prepared cooked food available for purchase.  You can feed your dog complete balanced diets of raw food that has been frozen, simply thaw and feed.  It is a great alternative to bagged dry or canned.

Variety is the best way to ensure balanced nutrition.

Sleeping buddies

I was discussing Luke and his sleeping habits with my son and husband yesterday.   We all agreed that he's about the best sleeping buddy that there is.  Luke loves nothing more than joining someone on the couch or their bed for a nap.  As soon as my son gets home from work; he grabs a bite to eat, calls Luke and they head down to the giant leather sofa for a nap.  I love when I pass the room and see the two crashed out together enjoying some down time.

During our discussion about sleeping with dogs my husband commented on Luke's deep breathing.  Every once in a while when my hubby wakes up in the middle of the night; he said that he enjoys listening to the sounds of the dogs sleeping.  Tilley is typically snoring while Luke is slowly breathing, each breath methodical  which lulls the listener into the melody of sleep itself.  If they aren't making sleeping sounds of some sort they are twitching.  I've written many times about how quickly Luke slips into a twitching sleep.  Just the other night I was watching a movie with Luke fast asleep across my legs.  He and I were having a conversation, at the end of our discussion he puts his head down and was twitching literally within two minutes.

Luke is a couch potato; he has his spot during the day and he loves it.  From his spot on the sofa he has a good vantage point to pretty much anything going on in the house or backyard.  It is near the front door so he is very much aware of all the comings and goings as well.  Just looking at him all snuggled up on the couch makes you want to take a nap and I often go and lie down with him for a while just to enjoy doing nothing.

Watching our dogs as they drift off into a deep and peaceful sleep brings with it a sense of happiness to those watching.  Seeing that my dogs are so relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings that they can slip into a worry free sleep makes me happy.  Seeing Tilley upside down on one end of the couch, Luke next to her and then my son fast asleep on the other end, well it just doesn't get much better.

Luke is a staple on our bed at night now; the girls can no longer be up there as it would be dangerous if they tried to get off when we were asleep.  So it is only Luke that is on the bed during the sleeping hours; he has his own spot there as well.  He does not fuss around much, maybe only once a night he'll get up and turn around but mostly he's out.  He loves his sleeping time; we have a bunch of sleep lovers at our house.  None of the dogs are too anxious to see morning come or the time when they have to get up.

Sleeping well is very important; and that is made easy when you have a canine sleeping buddy at your side.

Not cool

This is not the dog that freaked out on me; just a dog at a dog park.  

Yesterday I was at a dog park; I was there to shoot specific dogs.  The owner of the two dogs and I arrived at almost the same moment so there was no waste of time, I got to it right away.  The dogs were wonderful; there was a male and a female Bloodhound and they were excellently behaved, wonderful to shoot and just all round great dogs.  You don't see Bloodhounds around very often so of course they drew quite a bit of attention.  But it wasn't the Bloodhounds that drew the attention of one dog; no that was me.

Not cool, not cool at all.  There were dogs of every shape and size at the park; it was a busy day I'd have to say.  But one medium sized black dog instantly took a disliking to me.  I was over sort of under the bushes getting some great shots when I heard a dog barking very close.  I turned around to see that it was indeed barking at me.  I am very accustom to dogs being wary of my camera; it's really big and with the flash on and me holding it I can't imagine what they think that it might be.

I turned to assess the situation of this barking dog; he was pretty upset.  He was displaying aggression but it was caused by fear.  But fear does not mean that a dog will not bite.  He was keeping a good distance away from me but obviously saw me as some sort of threat.  I turned sideways and loosened by stance; this did nothing.  He continued to bark menacing at me.  All this time his owners kept saying "silly its just a camera."   So I waited to see if they were planning on moving away but they were not so I sat down at the picnic table hoping that this would calm the savage beast, nope.  He was not letting this go.

So this guy had a real hate on for me.  After I sat at the table he came up and sniffed me and then darted back and started all over again.  The owners pulled him away; again explaining that it was just a camera and left it at that.  Cool................... not.  I stood up and he came running at me; he was obviously not confident about the whole situation but not at all above giving me a good nip.  Being bit was not on my agenda for the day so I gave the owners a "really?" look.  They decided to move away but oh no their dog did not.  He came charging back giving all me of the ferocity he could muster up.

This was one of those dogs that was not going to come around.  Even when I removed my camera and distanced myself from it he was keeping his "freaked out" zone going.  No matter what I did there was not going to be a change in this dog; of course unless I had the time to sit down with treats, without my camera and be patient.  I wasn't there to desensitize this dog; I was there to shoot.  Luckily a few moments later a new big and boisterous dog came in drawing all the attention towards him.  I took this span on non assault time to make my quiet disappearing act to the other side of the park.

This was an unusual case, I was in a dog park so the whole situation was weird and dealing with it weird as well.  I remained calm which is the first and most important thing to do.  Of course having treats would have definitely helped but not in a dog park.  The owners should have definitely stepped in and removed their dog; his behavior was completely unacceptable.  This was obviously not the first time it had happened; my camera can make dogs wary but freaked out to that degree?  Unlikely a first time thing.

Confronting him could have definitely worked; he lacked confidence and it probably would have been enough to send him packing.  But, again I was at a dog park so things could have backfired as well.  It was up to the owners in this situation and they didn't step up to the plate, they let their dog down by not leading.   They let their dog run around threatening a stranger and gave him no feedback.  He thought that he was taking care of a threat and they let him, not cool.  Allowing a dog to control a situation is never a good idea and it could just lead both owner and dog into serious trouble.  If the dog had bitten me; it would have been very serious. Unacceptable behavior is just that; unacceptable.

Changing the laws

As I read more and more about Puppy Mill raids and see all the dogs who are left to be rescued; sick and suffering mentally it really has me wondering why this is taking so long.  Why are there still Pet Stores who sell puppies?  Why are there still countless numbers of Puppy Mills who supply the shops that sell them and the online shops who sell them.  Recently I've seen a couple of new Mills who've opened up; and they are proud of it.  No hiding behind the "small family breeder" guise.  They have pictures of their sprawling facility; room for hundreds of dogs.  (cringing)

Mass production of dogs is simply the root of the problem.  Too many dogs being bred for profit with no concern for mental or physical health.  Pumped out factory style and shipped off to all the people shopping at the malls.  There are still people who go into these shops knowing full well where the puppies come from and hand over their hard earned money.  Yet it is the same people who complain when their dog is deathly ill or worse.

People who mass produce puppies do not care about the animals; and that my friends is the bottom line.  No puppies at the pet store are born and raised in a wonderful home with folk who love them, no.  Many Mills boastfully display their facility; a farm like set up with cages galore, rows upon rows of breeders and their offspring.  Not all Millers are filthy, disgusting, ram  shackled back buildings in disrepair.  Oh there are lots like that; we've all seen them online and television.  But there are some who are newly set up; farm style and clean.  Clean is where they think that they are different but there are still Millers, just clean Millers.  What they don't show you is the lack of human contact; individual care, the kind of connection that each and every dog deserves.

But do not be fooled not all Millers sell their goods through shops; many go the online route.  I know way too many people who bought their dogs online; they chose a puppy from a picture, paid via pay pal and their dog was sent to them.  Who knows what goes on behind these wonderfully depicted images of puppies propped up beside flowers?

With all of these facts; with it all out there now for all to see why I ask is it taking so long to stop it?  It is the core cause of the problem......................too many unwanted dogs.   We need to get a whole lot louder about these sorry excuses of humans and shut them all down.  It is disgusting and cruel; what part of that should be allowed to continue I ask?  For the big guys up there, the ones making the laws; it is time to put an end to it all.  

Ask before touching

It should be mandatory; required reading of a written protocol on how to approach and interact with dogs that you do not live with. There is infact much information on the subject but unfortunately most of the general public do not read it; nor would they adhere to the knowledge once found. When speaking about strange dogs; meaning dogs that you do not live with, this fact alone is the most important to consider. Dogs allow a great deal more touchy feely from their pack members (those humans who live with the dog). In this blog I am strictly speaking about interactions with dogs that you do not live with.

When you approach a dog; you should remain neutral and non threatening. I am often called out on submissive peeing, displays of aggression or general fear behavior. When we sit down and start the discussion about these unwanted behaviors it is often with strangers. Strangers are strangers; people who the dog does not live with. There are degrees of strangers; some are placed in the friends category, some are acquaintances and then there are the real strangers. It is the dog who will display the differences towards these humans; the humans should stick to the protocol. Once in (the dog's circle); the dog will then set down the rules of what is wanted or unwanted. The humans cannot make advances without first considering the dogs wishes. And those wishes can be clearly seen in body language.

Let's face it; for many humans, dog language is completely foreign. They don't watch it and even if they did they cannot deceifer it. My basic protocl is as follows.

- Do not engage with a dog when you first approach. Volumes of information will be received (if you are watching) simply by your approach.

- Let the dog sniff you; watch the interaction closely but do not give direct eye contact.

- If the dog seems comfortable with your presence then a touch under the head or neck is where to start. After that there is no need of any further touching.

- If the dog backs away then leave it at that; do not approach the dog. The dog who moves away is not comfortable with your presence and surely does not want you closer.

- Never hug a strange dog. If you have made it into the friend category, then you are more than likely going to be accepted for a greater degree of touch, but don't push it.

- Never, ever pick up a strange dog. I have only once ever picked up a strange dog and that was because I was protecting this particular dog from a very large aggressive dog. Even though it was for a very specific reason and in an emergency; it was still not at all appreciated from the little dog and as a result I was given alot of dirty looks after it.

Usually even very fearful dogs can tolerate presence if there is no eye contact.
Just the other day I had an amazing example of proper and improper approach to a strange dog. I met someone with a large breed dog; I approached making an imaginary semi-circle, not a direct line. As I got closer I sort of walked up to the side of them without looking at the dog. Later a man approached the same dog; he made direct eye contact and was coming straight at the dog. What happened next was textbook; the dog growled, it was very low and deep, but clear. The dog meant no harm, he was not being aggressive; he was simply stating "that's far enough, I don't know you." The dog then moved away.

The back-off or move away are clear messages of a dog's comfort level. This is often where it all goes wrong and it is no way the dogs fault. It is completely a human blunder; our nature is to convince, right? "It's okay; I won't hurt you" as we get even closer. Or the people who will not be swayed in their belief that all dogs love them. Typically these are the people who are growled at or bitten; the ones that push. Dogs are not humans, they cannot be persuaded that they want to meet you in an up close and personal type manner.

Another great example is from a dog that I'd been working with. This dog was a large scent hound type; he was a rescue and not long in his new home and a bit sketchy about my presence. We had worked together for probably 3 weeks before the incident. On this day I walked into the home; we had a very casual greeting, nothing direct. I sat down in a chair to talk to the owner when the dog felt sure enough to come and smell me.  The fact that I was sitting in a chair made me less threatening and I was directing my attention to the owner, not the dog. But because I was in a chair I was lower when he approached and he smelled the side of my face; that's close. I talked to him as he continued to check me out at close range when I turned to say something to him. Everything changed in a instant; by the turning of my head ever so slightly I was now looking at him. His ears went up; his pupils dilated and all the skin around his mouth moved forward just before he gave a huge warning bark right in my face. Instantly I turned my head in a calm manner and completely defused the situation.

Dogs say so much before ever needing to vocalize. In our human world many are accused of not listening; in the dog world you must watch first and listen second.

Luke's birthday

August 16th; today is Luke's 11th birthday and I honestly cannot believe that it has been 11 years.  I remember meeting Luke for the very first time like it was only yesterday.

Luke has been the inspiration for much of my photography.  He has grown to accept himself as a Super model.  

Luke joined us almost 11 years ago when he was just 12 weeks old.  I met him when he was only 7 weeks old; and little did I know that my life would be forever changed that day.  I was not looking for a puppy on that fateful visit; I was in the process of acquiring another puppy from across the country at the time.  Once our eyes met; that was it, I was a gonner.  I could not get that little blonde boy off my mind or out of my heart.  The mere idea that he might spend his life with someone else was unbearable.  

Five weeks later I made the call fully expecting him to have already found his forever home.  But he was still there; waiting for me.  We wasted no time once the decision was made and the rest is history.  Luke was a challenge from the start; he is a reactive dog and even with all my years of training he taught me more than any other dog in my life.  A gentle hand, patience, understanding and some thinking outside of the box was all that was required.  He taught me all this and more; making me who I am today.  

I cannot imagine if I'd made other plans on that day we first met; what if I'd gone shopping instead?  Doubtful; I truly believe that we were meant to meet and we were most certainly meant to share our lives with him.  He has brought so much joy into our lives with the special individual connection that he has with each and every member of our family.  

Luke has a zest for life and is happy most of the time.  He is hugely demonstrative with his emotions and not shy to share them with those that he loves.  At the age of 3, Luke was diagnosed with Epilepsy so with that he has taught us much as well.  If he is going to have a seizure he finds one of his family members; let's them know and we hold him until it passes.   Other than this one health issue he is doing amazing for an eleven year old.

The birthday boy; contemplating life or very possibly watching bugs.

He is ever the sporty guy; ready to go wherever and do whatever.

He definitely has the most expressive eyes I've come across.

Mr. Curious; always wants to know where I am and what I'm doing.

A true water retriever.

Luke will never pass on a chance to play a game, never.

Sometimes it's just too sunny in sunny California for a blonde boy.

Luke has one agenda for lizards.

Dead.

Under the definition of competitive in the dictionary is a picture of Luke.

But he does have a softer side and sometimes the pool is just too slippery to walk in.

The happy face of my beach boy.

Luke is always up for a race; especially with Dad.

The camera follows him pretty much everywhere. 

He adores snuggles from Mom.

So today we celebrate a big 11th birthday with our very special boy.  How could anyone not adore this face??????????  Happy 11th big boy.

Visiting Ocean Beach

Of course you want to bring this little face with you.  I was down in Ocean beach, CA yesterday visiting my daughter and have to comment on how dog friendly it is.  Not only are there dogs everywhere but the whole atmosphere is friendly.  There are places where you can take your dogs and you see a few here and there but here they are everywhere.  The casual feel gives off the sense that dogs are more than welcome here, they are a part of the whole scene.

We ate at a Restaurant called Shades which is ocean side.  The dogs had to remain outside of the patio (lots of noses looking to come in) at this restaurant but another restaurant just a stones throw away allowed dogs inside their patio right at your table.  When we finished up and were headed to the pier I noticed a young couple with two Mastiff pups.  They were tucked away nicely under the table; obviously something they were already accustom to.  Nice.

There were dogs everywhere and because so many of these dogs are so well socialized just about all the dogs were very well behaved.  When society opens up to "DOGS WELCOME" everyone wins.  The owners get to spend more time with their dogs; the dogs get to spend more time out in the world learning to behave properly.  A win, win.

  

Even though there are dogs literally everywhere here it there seemed to be a big draw to all from those without.  Everyone stopped to talk to the dog in the second photo, the one left outside of the patio.  I stopped to talk to the little one in the first photo and as I moved on others took my place.  It is so refreshing seeing a community which is this dog friendly.  Many other communities could take a lesson or two from Ocean Beach, CA regarding "dog friendly."

The menu

What's for dinner?  A common statement, and one that I ask myself often when thinking about my dogs.  My dogs eat a huge variety of food; everything from raw meat to dry dog food.   In the last couple of days they've had cooked chicken, raw pork, cooked salmon dinner that I had prepared and was in the freezer, dog food, raw beef and sardines.

The girls will pretty much eat everything; it is a wonderful thing when dogs are not picky.  Luke on the other hand is fussy, complicated fussy.  His preference for food is our food; food that has been prepared for our palate.  Although one of his favorite foods is raw; beef or pork he doesn't care.  Because of Luke's highly challenging eating habits I also like to keep good treats on hand to add some much needed calories here and there.  I make my own cookies for him and he LOVES them.  (The recipe was posted several times on my FB group)  He has never turned them down so far.

Taking the leap from feeding dog food to real food can be a scary one.  Even once you've made the switch it can be a stressful time if you are worried about making sure that you get it all right.  Feeding our dogs is actually pretty easy.  Just think how wolves in the wild eat; no grocery store, no supplements, no balancing act.   I always discuss the fact that we don't give our own diet a second thought most of the time with new "real feeders."  Just considering that fact alone takes a bit of stress away.

Variety is the best way to go both for our own diet and our dogs.  Dogs need to eat a far larger portion of quality animal protein than we do and don't need near as much fruit and veggies.  Once you get the basic portions down it gets easier and easier.  Plus once you feel more comfortable with a big variety of foods to feed your dog the worry fades away.

I am learning new things about how to best feed dogs all the time.  All dogs are different so it doesn't always work for everyone in the pack but once you learn what all the dogs in your home or your just one dog does best on it's easy to rotate.  If you do feed dog food; buy the best you can afford.  Don't go with the ones who can afford to advertise the most on television, get the good stuff, the really good stuff.

I highly recommend the following book; Raw and Natural nutrition for dogs by Lew Olson.  It is my "go to," with feeding questions.

Subjective

Photography is subjective; very much so.  Last weekend I visited the OC Fair (Orange County Fair) to enter some cupcakes that I'd made and to check out the photography.  I had entered several of my photos; two dog and one non dog.  As a photographer; I love a great variety of photography.  Anything that catches my eye pretty much; both with regards to shooting and viewing.  The photography competition at the fair is pretty amazing in it's display of talented folks.  The youth category is simply awe inspiring as was much of what had been entered.

The one thing that was very clear was that photography is a very personal thing.  Many of the big winning photos left me standing saying "really?"  While others that had won nothing, no ribbons; were to me amazing works of art.  So the beauty of photography is very much in the eye of the beholder.  One of my photos won a second prize; a lizard beat us for first place.  This is one of my favorite photos; it is one of those shots that let you see something you never have seen had time not been stopped.

Catching snowballs

This is probably my most favorite type of photography, action.  Although a close second is "connection" the connection between canine and human.  Within this category is the connection that is candid not posed, that rises to the top for me.

Even with just a human hand in the image there is such an unspoken connection.

Often these wonderful connection shots are taken "off the clock," between shoots of the dog.  And for me they are some of the most endearing.  Typically it is all said with body language; many times no physical contact, no "this is my dog," although it is very clear that the connection is strong.

This shot was taken while the owner tried to get some distance between herself and the dog.  It clearly was not what the dog had in mind as she shadowed her owners every move.  And this too is a favorite of mine.  

The above shot was taken at a local dog walk.  I walked up and a connection was underway; the draw between the two is so strong you can practically feel it.  Amazing.  For this shot I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Photos that spark emotion are great photos; but like all things artistic that spark may be a very personal one.  As I walked through the isles and isles of amazing photos at the fair I felt that it was unfair that so many had been left, overlooked I thought.  While the boring shots that didn't even create a flicker of a spark for me had won a prize, funny.  Just like I always say; every dog is different, as is every human.  

Association

Association:  the connection or relation of ideas, feelings, sensations, etc.; correlation of elements of perception, reasoning, or the like.


I want to discuss association; I've written several articles and blogs on the subject but I feel that this is one subject that just cannot be talked about enough. 


Dogs learn through association - fact.


What does that mean exactly?  Association is the pairing of an action to a reaction.  ie:  You go to the cupboard; the leash cupboard and open the door = this means more than likely you are going for a walk. 


- you pull on your dog walking sweats instead of your work clothes = walk. 


- walking by another dog at the park = pain due to prong collar (more down further)


So what does this all equate to?  The equation is how a dog learns; through association.  Luke knows that when he hears a zipper noise from my walking pouch that it reliably means the delivery of treats.   Just as a slamming door sends him into a state of fear because he associates it with having a seizure.  


The other day I read an article about a dog bite.  A woman had been caring for a foster German Shepherd that had bitten her badly.  I don't know what had been accounted about the situation before the article I read but this article contained an email clarifying the events from the Foster Mom of the said "biter."   There had been some "issues" with the foster and her own male GSD before the event.  On that said day of the bite she let her foster out in the backyard with her two dogs.  The foster went over to her male and she immediately "corrected" (I hate that term, it should be yanked on him) the foster dog.  Meaning she gave him an almightly yank on his prong collar causing him to yelp.  After this she tried to roll him; alpha roll.  He was having none of it and sank his teeth into her arm.  18 stitches later she is rethinking the prong collar and conventional alpha type training.


The prong collar is a controversial subject; many feel that it is the lesser of two evils.  The two evils being a choke and the prong.  Yes the prong eliminates the "choking" aspect of the collar but it inflicts pain.  Yes it does and I don't care what anyone says otherwise; how else does it work if it does not inflict pain, tell me? 


The big problem with prongs; other than the fact that you inflict pain each time you yank on it is the fallout behaviors of the pain.  Think now for a moment about association.  Thinking.......................    So when your dog lunges at another dog and you yank on the prong collar; what association is caused?  That's right!!!!!!!!!!  Pain caused by the other dogs presence.  Hmmmmmmmm not good.  So when we are trying to stop our dog from going after other dogs we are actually teaching them that other dogs anywhere near us are really, really bad news. 


Most behavior "issues" can be linked to some sort of negative association, whether we planned it or not.  Often we can figure out the association but sometimes you never figure it out and simply deal with what you have, fallout.  So the next time your dog starts to act up; take a step back and dissect the behavior.  It could very well be fallout from a mis-association. 

Sniffing

Ahhh; that lovable nose

Sniffing, our dogs are big sniffers. Some dogs are super sniffers; those who have been bred for years to use their nose for a purpose. Breeds like the bloodhound; which happens to be the best sniffer in the canine world. Here is a link to a great article on the scent ability of the bloodhound 

All dogs sniff, you can watch them on a daily basis even within your own home. If you keep a close eye on the nose you'll see it twitching back and forth. I am continually amazed how my dogs can walk out to the backyard and know immediately that there is a critter close by. They pace back and forth, noses in the air as they follow the scent trail. I love watching them when they are in full pursuit.

Some dogs rely more on their vision than scent but that does not mean that they aren't just as good at scenting. My Jack Russell was a great scent dog but when she is pushed and excited she would opt to use her vision before her nose, she doesn't use much of anything now.   My poodles on the other hand are much more prone to sniff first and look second. Infact my boy Luke sniffs out spiders; yes he is the great spider hunter of the West. I thought it was pure coincidence the first time it happened but time and time again I would see him frozen in stance; head down and staring. It was always a spider. He has even dug  under the coffee table or couch; much to our dismay relentless until we uncover the little devil. When trying to stop him doesn't work; we finally give in and move the furniture to find the little spider culprit. It is always there.

Just last night as we were watching our movie; an intense one at that, one you have to pay attention to (Inception) Luke sniffed a spider.  His behavior is markedly different than any of his other behaviors.  His giant ears go up and he stares intently at the spider or it's location.  It was on the floor right below him; he smelled it out, from the couch he could not have seen it crawling by.  I got my shoe and swapped away; Luke sniffed the spider carcass and hopped back up onto the couch feeling that his job was done.  I don't know why he ever started this but he is very reliable at it.  

Yesterday I took my little Jessie on a nice walk down a really great trail with a creek. It takes us forever to get any distance at all and my power walking idea does not happen until she gets her smelling done with. Smelling is very important for dogs and those guardians who hate dealing with it need to understand how important that it is. Like I said Jessie will often opt for vision before scent but not when she is out alone on a trail. She will find a spot and smell each blade of grass, each side of one particular leaf and then like clockwork; pee on it.

Have you ever noticed your dog walking along when they stop dead in their tracks? Their head goes up and their nose twitches madly until they find the source of smell. My dogs often press their nose firmly over a hole on the ground and immediately know if there is an occupant in it or not. Many times when I am opening a new package of meat I wait to see how long the smell takes to get to my dogs who are in the other room.  It is only seconds before they all wander in with twitching noses to see what's cooking.

A good session of sniffing out in a new environment is just as important as a physical run for dogs. Imagine all the informaiton that their brain is processing when they are surrounded by new smells. I am often asked about the sniffing; "my dogs sniffs like crazy, how do I stop it?" You don't. What you do want to do is control it. I always tell people that they should allow their dog to sniff on the way out and if they want to get some serious walking in; then do that on the way back on a walk.

Now that doesn't mean that you have to do it everytime you go outside nor does it mean that you must stand waiting for your dogs sniffing completion for 20 min. My JRT could stay at one spot for up to 1/2 hour; I'm sure of it. So after she has a good whiff of a section I ask her to come along to the next one so that we can move a bit. And yesterday I had predecided that it was her walk on the way out, mine on the way back.

Being so close to the ground probably has something to do with it. My poodles like to sniff but if I'm walking they are with me, only occassionally reaching down if something really great catches their nose. Sniffing is what they do and what they were meant to do so take your dog to new places, not the same ole walk everyday. They'll have a blast sniffing all of the new scents out there; and you'll be working their brain.

What are you saying?

 For almost 15 years I've been teaching people to train their dogs; but I've been watching people train their dogs for over 35 years.  I started training at the age of 13; watching people do it right and do it wrong.  Seeing frustration level grow between both human and canine I can usually put a finger on the problem.  I remember sitting in on several obedience classes in the past; I watched the trainer put the teams through their paces and cringed at a lot of what I saw, miscommunication.

As humans we tend to flap around a lot we move our body parts here and there.  If you've ever watched a human and dog team work where it looks like there are no commands being given you will understand how must wasted signs we give.  Dogs learn the tiniest of signals; it is truly amazing.  Each fraction of a body movement can be used as a cue for a behavior.

Let's take down for example, typically a hand motion over the dogs head height then going down to the ground.  Add into that a leaning forward, head tilt and over exaggerated arm motion from the human.  The dog becomes accustom to having all of these put together equaling the cue for "down."  So when you simply stand offering no other cues except for the hand signal they sit looking at you like "what?"  You think they are defying you when in fact you are not giving them the normal cues.

Paying attention to your entire body can be difficult on your own and is usually helped along by having someone else watch.  I remember watching a "stay" exercise at another trainers class.  One dog and human team was having a really difficult time of it.  The dog was brought to the other side of the class; given the stay signal and the owner walked to the other side of the class.  This is where it fell apart; the owner kept waving her arms around talking to the dog, you could clearly see the confusion in the dogs face.  Being that it was not my class I had to keep my mouth shut but offered a few pointers after class.

One signal means just that, no body lean, head tilt, mouth motion, leg bend or arm wave added to it.  Check yourself, when you are speaking to your dog with your body are you being clear?

Care; real care

Today's blog is sort of a continuation of a previous blog, the one linked below.  So if you haven't read that one you might want to do that now before moving on.

Looking for a great vet

Tilley has not been herself since the visit to the facility in the above blog.  A couple of days after our visit we got a call from another vet from the same facility who gave us the blood work results.  Nothing out of the ordinary, WBC (white blood count) a bit high but nothing to be concerned about.  Great, Tilley's healthy, right?  Hmmmm.

So; three weeks after our visit I get an email from the original Veterinarian that I saw with Tilley asking me to not return, that's right.  Never in my life have I been asked not to return anywhere let alone a veterinarian facility.  The reason seemed to be the protocol; of course!!!! I'd asked too many questions, pushed the envelope by asking to hold my own dog and be present for a blood draw, what was I thinking?  (yes sarcasm)   What I was thinking was that this was a new vet; this was my dog and I was not about to hand her over to any strangers.  I've been through this many times; asking vets if I can stay, if I can hold etc etc.  But once they realized that I was more than capable and was not going to faint at the sight of blood or worse they obliged and even put it in my file.  "Owner stays with dogs."

Can you even imagine being asked not to return to a vet?  I'd not even been given a phone call; it was in the form of an email.  Ah yes a paper trail, more protocol.  I had not yelled, pulled a fit, nothing.  I had simply asked some in-depth questions about procedure and asked to be with my dog, not a great deal to ask.  So my insistence to be with my dog got me and my dogs ousted.  Protocol over care, not a warm and fuzzy caring feeling about a vet that makes this choice.  There was no care about my dog and her health; just that I had pushed their protocol buttons.    The only good thing about the email that came from Alicia Pet Care was that they had sent the blood and urine analysis results along with it.

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE JAMES HERRIOTS IN THE WORLD?

Today Tilley was exhibiting very clear bladder infection symptoms.  She'd peed fifty times within and hour; so I had to find a vet.  I found one close to me and they squeezed me in after telling them that Tilley was panting in pain.  If you've ever had a bladder infection you undoubtedly understand.  I brought along her blood and urine analysis from the other vet just in case.  When we arrived we had a small wait and were seen.  Tilley was weighed and had her temperature taken which was 101.9, good.

As soon as the vet came in and met Tilley he got to the blood results of the panel.  He quickly circled the results which were marked (HIGH) and explained each one.  He said that this was definitely a worry and that something was going on with her.  The other vet had dismissed the results as a bit of stress and had only mentioned one of the FIVE (HIGH) results as being slightly elevated and nothing to worry about.  All I could think was thank goodness I was forced to go somewhere else.

Just as I am always explaining that each and every dog is an individual; so too are the owners attached to those dogs.  There are many people who walk into a vet and simply hand over their dog; they want nothing to do with maintenance or upkeep.  I understand that and it is wonderful that these people can just turn their dogs over to be cared for.  But that is not me; I am about as hands on as you get, I do everything and nothing makes me queezy  or grossed out.  I am very interested in it all and if I don't know something about an illness that one of my own dogs or a friends dog has, I dive into a ton of research to find out.

This whole experience has left me very bitter; mostly because there was a lack of caring for my dog, Tilley.  She doesn't deserve the whole "Corporate America" routine; no she deserves the care and concern from a veterinarian who became a vet to help animals.   Another life lesson I could have done without but each and everyone has had a part in making me who I am today and I am my dog's Mom.

I want that one

"I want that one, the one with the half and half colored face."  Yep; that old awwwwwwwwwwww factor that gets so many of we humans into trouble.  Being that it seems to be puppy season at the moment; I don't know how many people I know with litters, new puppies, expectant puppy owners and lots of puppies filling up the rescue but that awwwww factor has come up again because of it.  It is that tweak that gets you when you see an adorable puppy or when you look into the yes of the one that seems to want you as much as you want them.  But is love at first sight the way to go?

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As many of you know, temperament testing is one of the services that I offer as a long time dog trainer and behavior specialist.  I test puppies at the age of 7 weeks to see where they would best flourish and with who in their new home.  Temperament testing has nothing to do with breed or mix and can be done on all puppies.  I know many rescue groups who do temperament testing which is really great; it can only help to match dog and owner.  Of course there are lots of breeders who don't temperament test and that is fine as long as they are placing puppies in the homes of the family who best suits their temperament type.

There are also breeders who place puppies by allowing owners to spend time with the puppies and choose who they like.  This of course can work but it can also go very wrong.  Puppies can be sleepy, they have different moods and act very different than they do with their litter mates than all on their own.  The most pushy pants in the litter might be the most meek and fearful once taken away from her gang.  Brought into a strange environment with only a stranger to interact with tells you a great deal of information about each puppy as an individual.

Choosing puppies before the age of 7 weeks whether they are being temperament tested or not is also not a good idea.  Many people pick their puppy out strictly from looks and have absolutely no idea about the temperament of that dog.  It could be the worst choice out of the litter for their particular family.  Often a litter is very similar so then a breeder allows the prospective puppy owner to choose out of several dogs.  Although not all litters are similar and I have tested a few litters who had puppies from each end of the spectrum.  Put a pushy head strong puppy with an inexperienced family with young children and you can have a recipe for disaster.  Just like putting a meek and cautious puppy into a home that expects a high performance active and outgoing dogs; bad combination.

Taking puppies out of their "comfort zone" and putting them through several tests to see how they deal is very helpful.  I've been lucky to see some of the dogs that I tested at seven weeks of age after they were all grown up.  They were the dogs that I thought they were when I tested them.  That said of course environment has a huge part to play on a how a puppy turns out.  Experience of owners, time spent on training and behavior modification, socializing and living within the family all factor in on the end result, your dog.

Puppies can be secured by a deposit; not a particular puppy, just a puppy at a very young age.  Then once they are tested or at least 6-7 weeks old a breeder or foster can evaluate and place puppies accordingly.

Why not give each puppy the best chance to succeed in their new home?  Doing anything less just doesn't make sense.

Sunday morning

I fell asleep last night to the sounds of Tilley snoring; she'd drifted off to a very deep sleep quickly, old dogs can certainly sleep.   Luke was on the end of the bed as usual twitching away in his dreams; I've never met a dog who dreams as much as Luke.  He is fully awake and the next moment deep in sleep chasing down some prey.  Last night was a great sleep night; the breeze coming in and no one stirred, except for this morning.

The door burst open as a speeding Jack Russell bolted through it and into the room; we're not sleeping anymore.  It was Jessie's typical morning routine; out for a first pee then charge back into the house like a Tasmanian devil.  Luke, Tilley and I all were rudely awaken by her crazed flying around the room with treat anticipation.  She is awaiting the ritualistic morning treat and she is not into passively waiting.  I groggily get up and grab the cheerio bag, multigrain  cheerios that is and toss a handful around the room.  This action stops her charging as she re-directs her attention immediately to the task at hand; snorfling the food off the floor.

I gave Tilley and handful of cheerios as well; she loves them.  It is amazing that after this many years she still likes these plain little o's.  Cheerios are what I start my puppies out on as training treats for the simple things.  There was a big span of time when there were no cheerios but I've discovered that it's a great thing to chuck on the floor for Jessie in the morning.  Luke will have none of it; he doesn't eat cheerios, after all he is a lover of good food and these little rings of nothing are just that, nothing to him.

Then Dad arrives with breakfast, yes breakfast in bed.  Sausages and cheese; now Luke is awake.  I toss him a couple of pieces of cheese at the end of the bed and being that I am not a good aim they fall about a foot from his face.  He's not affording any energy to stretching out for a piece of cheese.  Then I toss him a sausage; oh yes, he'll stretch for sausage.  But as I toss another piece to him it lands about 1.5 feet; too much energy needed for that stretch and he waits for Dad to get it.

Tilley, Jessie and Luke all have their share of sausage and cheese and now its back to sleep time.  Soon we'll be back from the gym and it will be walk time; or for Tilley and Jessie I should say crawl time.  After our morning walk we will have a house filled with the sounds of silence; three old dogs snoring their day away.  Nice.

Leash aggression - again

Leash aggression is probably one of the most common behavior issues.  Yesterday my husband came home and said "Luke went after a dog today."  He'd been on leash at the time and a guy with a very unruly lab came over to say hi.  Unfortunately the dog was dragging the guy over to Luke; you know the out of control type?  The dog was pulling and panting, straight at Luke.   The straight part was the dogs first mistake, rude, rude, rude.  Some dogs just have no manners and to display over enthusiasm along with a straight approach is just asking to be disciplined.

Luke is a very mature dog; and because of this has little patience for nonsense, much like most very mature dogs.    He gets along very well with most dogs but if he sees that a dog is going to need some fine tuning he is up for the job.  There was a lot of noise and the guy realized that he should probably pull his dog away.  There was no contact just noise as Luke tried to school this hooligan.  I love labs, they are wonderful dogs but they do tend to be a breed that doesn't much care if someone disciplines them.  That is good and bad; bad because they can get into quite a bit more trouble because they aren't phased by discipline and don't listen, and good because they aren't traumatized by it.

How many times has your dog gone off on another dog for no reason?  No reason that we can see but for your dog there was a reason.  When we leash our dogs we immediately take away their freedom of speech so to speak.  We humans tend to tighten up on a leash when we see another dog coming.  This alone can start the ball rolling.  Pulling the dog in close may kick the guarding mode into gear as well as cause anxiety due to loss of mobility.  Many times we pull back on our dog which creates a dominant posture on our dog even when they may not be trying to display dominance.  It can all be a misunderstanding; one that can be avoided by space and calm.

Space gives us the ability to NOT tense up on the leash and calm gives off a "we don't care about other dogs," vibe to our dogs.  If your dog is pretty reliable in displaying leash aggression, then give yourself more space between you and the other dog and owner.  Keep upbeat and happy, don't go into panic mode.  Much of the leash aggression problems that are out there are caused by the owner doing everything wrong.

One very important factor in leash aggression is to know that your dog is safely secure on their leash.  If you are afraid that perhaps your dog will slip their collar then fix it now.  Get a collar or better a harness, that your dog will not be able to get out of.  Once you know that your dog is not going anywhere; that itself can be a huge relief.  Get a pile of yummy treats to bring on walks with you and treat like crazy for good behavior.  Even if you are 100 feet or more away from another dog and your dog does not display, treat, treat, treat.

Even with all the work, all the training and behavior modification there may still be times when it happens.  Dogs are not robots, they have emotions and they display them.  You are not alone, most dogs display leash aggression at some point.  It does not mean that you have an aggressive dog; it could mean that you are giving off bad messages which is causing the problem.  Or it could mean that a rude dog has approached your dog or simply that your dog did like what another dog had to say.

Space and calm will conquer.

Momma Bear

As I lay in bed this morning I can hear the tell tale sounds of footsteps behind my back fence.  My husband was up first and let Jessie out; she is doing her run around and the sound of her ID tag is obviously stirring some interest from behind.  The dog who is behind my fence is one of the boxer girls that went after Luke about a year ago.  Not friendly in the least.  My protective Mother instinct is kicked into gear and I listen.  The dogs have never cover over the fence, yet.

Protective instinct is strong in many of us and I for one am like a Mother Grizzly should you happen to cross one of my family members and that includes my dogs.  When my guys were all young I was protective, always watching to see who was coming but now I'm on overdrive.  One wrong bump could be all that it takes to break a leg or worse.

We have had several incidents over the years that sort of make you very cautious.  A charging and or raging dog is no fun for anyone and we've had to deal with a few.  The first was a dog that ran out of an open garage door as we walked by; it latched onto my Airedale and shook her like a rag doll.  Another was a dog who continually charged us coming out of her garage door as we walked by; this dog was eventually euthanized due to biting several people.  There was the dog that went after Tilley just a few weeks ago.  A 4 month old puppy that went charged after Jessie; it was twice her size and grabbed hold of her neck and wouldn't let go.  There have been others but these are the few that come to mind earlier this morning.

All it takes is one incident like any of these to pop you into protection mode.  It is always good to be aware of your surroundings; including when you are out with your dog.  You can much better deal with an issue when you know it's coming versus being startled by it.  It's our job to protect our dogs; I take my job seriously so the sounds of our not friendly neighbor taking interest in Jessie's tags has me up and at it and out to check on the perimeter.

Splashing around

Bombs away; "just toss'm in, they know how to swim." Many people figure that dogs are natural born swimmers; but that is not always the case and how you approach swimming and the water can make or break a great swimmer. I remember an incident years and years ago; a guy who had just added an adorable 6 week old Airedale puppy to his family tossed her off a raft. She immediately sunk and then came up splashing and panicking. He had to eventually scoop her up to save her and when she got her paws on the sand she ran for the hills. I can't say that I blame her; what an idiotic thing to do, honestly.

Most dogs of course can swim; but many need help. They are by far much better than us at adapting quickly but if they are not introduced to swimming at a young age and in a gentle manner; things can go very wrong. I have made numerous attempts at teaching Luke to swim; not an easy task. He is a very nervous type so he tightens up and stresses. Unfortunately we don't have a lake here to practice in; we only have the southern California coast which has fairly big and ominous waves. These waves will pick you up and toss you upside down so teaching a dog to swim in them is out of the question; unless they are fearless, a lab or golden.

I've seen many dogs charge into the water without ever being in it before. They dive in head first; spit and sputter and eventually get it. while nearly drowning in the process. But they find their way and become official water dogs. But for a great majority of dogs; they need our assistance, water can be very confusing. Walking in the water is great; lots of dogs love it. But take the ground away and they panic; they reach down hoping to catch a toe on a piece of ground beneath them. As they reach further and further down they become vertical; not a great position to swim in. Then comes the frantic splashing; of course they will panic, they're sinking.

Turns out that I eventually ended up with that Airedale who was tossed into the water at 6 weeks of age. And I had to teach her to swim; being an Airedale she was a natural water dog but had no idea how to swim. She never found her way on her own and would simply sink as she was reaching for the ground. You must take great care when you are around any dog in the water; even the best of swimmers will try to use you as a floatation device at times and you can get injured as they attempt to climb you. So; in water deep enough to swim in you must hold up their rear end; it is not an easy task. With my Airedale gal I simply held her tail; she was very buoyant so this was all it took to keep her afloat. Their legs are naturally swimming so once they start to propel themselves; they pretty much take over. The trick is to create a calm atmosphere; otherwise they cannot even think. Mandy (the Airedale) actually turned into one of the most amazing swimmers I've ever met. She would go into the water and come back in an hour; she loved it and would dive deep under the water to pull out boulder sized rocks, she was an amazing dog.

Other dogs need a bit more; a lift from beneath, something to stop them from sinking in the rear. Often just barely holding them under the chest and lightly moving them about to get them moving on their own. Many people use life vests for dogs. This of course is a great thing to use when on boats with your dog and a must for many of the shorter legged dogs. But using it to teach swimming can be both good and bad. If you use it for just the introduction it may be good; a few days of floating and then take it off. Unfortunately many dogs will end up back at square one once you take it off. You have given them a false sense of swimming and now they think it is easy peasy when the realization "sinks" in.

Tilley had the luxury of learning to swim in lakes; she did it herself mostly. A couple of helping lifts and she was on her way. She loves to swim; dive and go under. My son and I use to get out our masks and watch Tilley go under water for her toys that had sunk to the bottom of the pool. How I wish I had an underwater camera back then. Watching her teach herself to hold her breath was amazing. Luke has done the same; albeit from the safety of land. He puts his head underwater to get his toys from his kiddie pool. It took him a couple of tries before realizing that you cannot smell the toys under the water. Watching the process of the breath holding is amazing; it is done fairly quickly. From water up the nose to whole head submersion in a matter of minutes.

Be safe around water; dogs do drown.  If you have a dog that has shorter legs take extra precautions.  Many cannot swim at all and simply sink.  Pools are very dangerous with dogs; even the best swimmer can drown if they cannot get out of the pool.  Teach your dog how to exit the pool "in case" there should ever be a need.  And always supervise swimming activities. 

Patience is the best line of attack for teaching your dog to swim; make it fun. Never push; pushing causes all sorts of issues; one is pushing back.  The harder you push the harder your dog pushes back. You want your dog to trust you; trust is all important with dogs. And if they simply are not interested after all your fun attempts to get them into the water; maybe they'll love Frisbee, flyball, agility or going for a bike ride.

Toxic molds

Mold is not just mold.

A vast array of molds pop up and grow on all types of foods.  Some of the molds are harmless but a few can be toxic called tremorgenic mycotoxins which if eaten can cause serious to life threatening health issues.  You cannot discern whether or not a mold is toxic or not so the safest bet is to toss it.  I remember joining a canine food co-op a while back and after hearing what everyone was feeding their dogs, I made a rapid exit. Some of the folks were feeding moldy, processed, nitrate filled and high fat content food.  Sure it was free but should it have been fed to their dogs?  There are things that I'll never eat but my dogs will and love.  Items like  sinew, cartilage, sardines and other animal parts that I will never eat, but are really great to feed dogs.   But garbage is garbage and should not be fed to dogs.

Tremorgenic mycotoxin poisoning symptoms start with mild tremors and may increase with time to convulsions.  In severe cases it can lead to death; so time is of the essence.  There is no safe way to treat this at home; even inducing vomiting is risky as the dog may in fact aspirate vomit causing aspiration pneumonia which is a common secondary cause of death related to tremorgenic mycotoxin poisoning. 

Compost eating is a common cause of tremorgenic mycotoxin poisoning.   We all know that many dogs are garbage hounds and a bit of mold will not deter them from eating a perfectly good (in their mind) piece of food.  Compost bins need to be kept secure with no way for a dog to get in and eat the contents. 


Of course this is not only a compost issue; it can be garbage from anywhere so cans are off limits as well.  Unfortunately dogs tend to be much smarter than the humans in the this department; simply waiting until no one is around.  So if your dog is outsmarting you with regards to the garbage can you need to make sure that they absolutely cannot get into it.  One moldy piece of food could be all that it takes for serious health issues to set in.  

Several articles on the subject below: 

Molly's compost binge

Beauregard's tremors


Compost poisoning

Lack of diagnosis to the root cause of tremors and seizures is common; so too are Tremorgenic mycotoxin bacteria.  How many dogs have eaten these bacteria; had tremors, a seizure and died?  

Toxic algae

There is nothing better than finding a spot where you and your dog/dogs can spend the afternoon swimming.  Away from all the crowds you know of a place where there is a great little pond.  But that pond may hold a toxic substance dangers to humans but more so for your dog.

I remember several years back hearing of a couple of canine deaths caused by algae.  Being that it is mid summer and the temperatures are rising I felt that I should give everyone a heads up.  We use to run our dogs in a creek not too far from our house.  It would go from deep and raging for months after the rainy season to a mere trickle at dryer times.  After hearing about the algae deaths we stopped allowing them to run in the water all together.

Not all algae is bad but the blue green type can become toxic in the warmer weather.  As the water levels drop and the temperatures rise a toxic potion can result.  Many people who commonly swim their dogs in fresh water need to be aware of the dangers.   Not all blue green algae is blue or green, it can be shades of brown, red or orange as well.  Sitting water or stagnant ponds are the worst.  Below are several articles on the subject; please take care.  

Pet connection

VT Vet

Algae

The news guard