The dog food drive

Sorry for the delay on the Dog Food Drive but with a move right around the corner things are a little bit crazy right now to say the least.  We leave tomorrow, but more about that later.  The dog food drive was wonderful; we were able to get food to a family who was very much in need of a helping hand and lots to a the wonderful group at  I.C.A.R.E. dog rescue. 

It was a very windy day and chilly night but the donations came in and I would like to thank everyone who came out to give.  A special thanks to the folks at Wilds Animal Supply on La Paz who let us crash their lot and a extra heart felt thank you to the members of the OC Standard Poodle group for everything they gave.  I would like to make December third, National feed the dogs day.  Who's with me?  If we band together we can help a lot of dogs.

National feed the dogs day can be a coming together of people to help feed mans best friend.  A big event, a small group effort or a single can of food purchased and given to someone in need.

These are some of the folks who donated to Feed the dogs first dog food drive.

Kathie Taylor and Jedi
Irene
Loretta and Libor
Lynn, Sheima and Shasta
Judy Kargel
Teri Azar & Rozy Carter
Audrey Messick
C. Loreno
Jessica Frawley

Thank you all so very much for helping to Feed the dogs.

Quality of life

We've had the discussion many times and sadly more often these days.  Quality of life; just what does that mean?  For us it means our happiness right?  Depending on the person and that persons specific "things" that are important to them in life.  But what about our dogs?  How do know when the quality of life is gone for a dog.  It is a tough call; how bad is bad?  What is important in a dogs life?   I don't know how many times people have said to me "don't you think it's time?"  How do you know when it's time?

For starters, eating is a biggy for me.  If a dog is not eating and they are typically a fabulous eater then it can be a huge sign.  Of course not if they are just sick and stopped eating; I'm talking about the end of life not eating.  Do they enjoy at least a fraction of their day?  Do they really enjoy it?  It truly is a horrible thing that we guardians are most often forced to do; make a decision on life.  But as a dog owner it is our duty and the more care that we give our dogs the longer they live making it more imperative for us to decide.

I always say that I would be very happy if my very old dogs just slept away; I think most dog owners would like this.  No decisions to be made, life just slips away when it is time.  If our dogs were in the wild they would be long gone far before we ever even start considering that it might be time.  Our dogs lives are literally in our hands; and that my friends can be a very sad thing.  Taking the best of care that we can through their short lives is our pride and joy.  Taking it away at the end is one of the most difficult things we will ever be faced with.

I think when you reach a point when the thought crosses your mind, it is our worst nightmare.  We brush it away as a "what am I thinking?" moment.

First Annual Dog Food Drive

First let me say "thank you" to all those folks who came out and dropped off food to our food drive.  It was a big success for a first time event.  Other people also dropped off food early at Wilds Animal supply on La Paz during the week, thank you, thank you.   So many dogs in need, too little food to go around.  If everyone gave just a bag or two, more could be saved.

Full blog later

Wow

December 1st, already?  Wow, where does the time go.  The big countdown is upon us and the hustle bustle is now kicked into over drive, my favorite time of year.  December has come in with a bang here in Southern California, literally.  I awoke to a huge boom and crash in the yard.  The wind started sometime in the night; it is crazy loud.  When the sun comes up I will have to see what crashed but for now it has been challenge enough getting Elsa out.

She's a spooky type, environmentally that is.  Anything out of the ordinary makes her unsettled.  So this weather today is not going to be her thing; it is not the wind per say but more the fall out from the wind.  She really seems to enjoy the wind in her face; her ears flying around.  It's the smells that the wind brings and the stuff everywhere.  This morning I opened the kitchen door and she stuck her head out; it smelled very different.  She turned and looked at me so I head out without a second to lose.  Very important to be chill.

With her head in the air she sniffed and took in all the different scents.  She looked around at all the stuff in the yard; she was spooked for sure.  So we will be heading out in all the bluster for a walk a little later.  I love the wind; always have.  Perhaps it is my Scottish heritage; I love the freshness of it, especially when it carries with it a chill.  I'm sure the yard will be a mess today so I'll have a great deal of clean up after the winds stop.

The only concern that will come from my adult dogs will be Luke worrying about doors slamming today.  I will be making sure that they are all either tightly shut or propped open securely.

Happy December all.  

Baby it's' cold outside - REPOST (crazy busy)

Tilley as a one year old


Okay, it's not really cold but it is cold for California standards.  Yesterday was a high of 60 with blustery winds, it was glorious and I enjoyed every moment.  We are suppose to stay in the 60s except for Wed which will reach the low 70s.  I'm loving it, since moving from Canada to California it has been tough doing Holiday shopping in shorts and flip flops so I'm stoked.  For all of you who live where it actually gets cold and you get snow, this blog is for you.

Photo courtesy of Poodleit


I lived in Ottawa, Canada most of my life, I know cold.  While in Canada we had several dogs, an Airedale Terrier, Jack Russell and Standard Poodles. Both the Airedale and poodles suffered from snowballitis.   The only one who did not suffer from snowballs was Jessie our Jack Russell.  We actually had a melting area in our home at our back door.  A big gated in area with a side heater and carpet where the dogs would come in and drip dry.  I was fine with them coming in once their snowballs melted but hated if they distributed their snowballs around the house.  Do you know how many times I had to change my socks?  So they would come in, melt and then come in the rest of the house.

Photo courtesy of Poodleit



Seen here is a Dachshund in a full suit, I know my little Jessie would have been happy to wear this in the deep snow as she literally disappeared from sight hopping into the deep snowbanks.




I stumbled upon this wonderful site the other day, Poodleit .  I surely don't need them for snow now but could most definitely use them for burrs and other things that like to stick onto poodle coats.  Of course it would have to be cooler weather for them to sport the full coats but for sure nice to keep the burrs off the fur.   My standard poodles are much like giant pieces of walking velcro so anything that keeps the burrs and sticky things off is great.  For those of you with furry legged dogs; these are amazing for the snow.

Photo courtesy of Poodleit


And even if you aren't into the full on snowsuit look, the Splash guards would be excellent to save the hardest hit area.  Snowballitis targets the bottom of the leg first then depending on the amount of time spent playing outdoors and how small the dog is or how deep the snow is will factor in how far it spreads.   I remember many times; pulling apart baseball sized snowballs from my Airedale and poodle.

Just a few breeds that might benefit from this type of weather protection would be:

Bouvier
Doodle
Afghan
Spaniels
Portuguese Water Dogs
Wire haired terriers
Big and small fuzzy mixes
Schnauzers and anyone else with furry legs
Grab a blanket and snuggle up with your favorite pooch, it's cold outside.

A dogs mind

I often hear myself saying "who knows what goes on in that little head of his." This statement is most repeatedly about Luke; my thinker. He is a complicated yet simple guy; most dogs are very simple, simple in the good definition of the term (easy to understand). When you understand dogs; I mean really understand the way they communicate; learn and associate, you can then more readily "get" your dog. I am often called out to solve a strange behavior. A behavior from a dog is in simple terms; a reaction to an action.

Many behaviors can be figured out; dissected until you find the base cause and then other times we just never know why a dog displays a certain behavior. Dogs learn through association: connected, joined, or related to. They don't deal with long explanations; hidden agendas or mind games like humans do. Dog's don't hide behind the truth, they don't lie and they don't attempt to be someone they are not. All of this lends itself to a simpleness; that is as I said earlier, simple if you understand dog.

Take separation anxiety; how many people think that when a dog destroys things in your absence that they are angry and doing all of this destruction to show you? I know that almost everyone I speak to who is dealing with this considers their dog to be displaying their dislike for their owner leaving. Dog's don't do spite: a malicious, usually petty, desire to harm, annoy, frustrate, or humiliate another person; bitter ill will; malice. Dog's react; and if they are upset by the fact that you are leaving they will react in a form that anxiety causes. This often takes the form of pooping or peeing, chewing or trying to come out to find you.

Another example that I love "my dog only comes if I yell COOKIE." Let's take this statement apart in pieces.  What happens when you yell cookies? The dog receives a cookie; correct? So when you call your dog COME; what follows? Usually the dog doesn't listen; there is nothing in it for the dog and you the owner probably get mad. You may voice your feelings or simply give up; hence the dog learns that come is either bad or neutral. It is a much better idea to come when you hear COOKIE. Without knowing it you have tapped into the way to train a reliable recall. ;)

I love to watch canine interactions; the number of these connections are down at my house being that many hours are spent in deep sleep. But when they are awake and communicating it is fascinating. Just yesterday Luke was laying on the bed beside my computer as I typed away. Jessie wanted to lay on the bed as well; both are dominant personality dogs. As she approached Luke froze so slightly it was almost undetectable by the human eye; but very much detectable by the canine eye. She immediately turned her head and backed onto the bed; it made me smile. She defused the situation simply by turning her head and not making a direct approach, simple.

Dogs are constantly learning; and you may be teaching things you don't want to teach your dog. This is often the cause of mysterious behaviors. "Everytime I talk on the phone by dog barks." Hmmm; do you get off the phone and address the situation? Do you speak to your dog immediately? Your dog knows how to get your attention without a doubt. Barking is sometimes caused by our reaction itself. Barking get's attention; when you need attention, bark.

Once you figure it out; it is all very simple yet fascinating.

Elsa

Since we added Elsa to our family many, many people have asked me "why did it take so long?"  Yes I could have walked out and got any puppy, anywhere.  But, adding a puppy to my very aging pack and having it work was going to be tricky.  I have been trying to add a puppy to our pack for several years and got very close several times.

My specifications were that the puppy not be dominant and would listen to her elders.  It had to be a "her" because Sir Luke is King around here; or at least he considers him as such and at the ripe old age of eleven I didn't want to dethrone him.  So it had to be a female and it had to not be a girl with a hidden agenda.  I have gone through many litters, testing and watching for just that gal.  One girl was a very close maybe but in the end showed that she was a bit too big for her britches for this pack.

Another puppy and another breeder was an almost, but the puppy was sold out from under us as we were discussing temperament and such.  Moving on.  Then there was a beautiful puppy that was offered to us but in the end the owner choice to keep her and that has been an amazing match itself.   So after several years and scores of litters we finally found her as you have all seen.  Is it a match made in heaven?  I'll have to ask the gang; but she's about as close to "special order" as we could get.  

Humans

We had the dogs down in the canyon again yesterday; I was of course worrying about running into "stupid," again.  You know that guy that we ran into last time we were down there?  The really intelligent one?  As we pulled up to the entrance I got Luke out first and "stupid" was just coming out.  His dog went to the end of his extension leash and right up to the side of my car as the owner was texting.  He yelled at his dog "hey, no."  Honestly; I pulled Luke back around the car.   Really?

We waited and he finally got the dog into the back of his car; once there he signed for the dog to sit, he also asked the dog to sit I don't know how many times and he never did.  The guy finally closed the back of the truck so we head down to the canyon.  So glad we missed this guy and his untrained dog.  Humans!!!!!

In the afternoon I decided to take the little one (Elsa) over to the strip mall for some socializing.  We met lots of folks; although no one wanted to stop and greet her.  It is nice when people stop to say hi but she also has to learn that not everyone wants to say hi so this was one of "those" outings.  That is until we were getting into the car; a woman beside my vehicle was getting her kids into the car.  She spotted Elsa and wanted to say hi; her kids also climbed out of the back of her suv to say hi.

We had a nice greeting, the woman thought that Elsa was adorable (of course).  Her little girl came over and was apprehensive, holding her arms in the air and shrieking.  Ahhhhhh a giant squeaky toy.  Then the Mother pulled out her training skills from Caesar and showed her little girl just how to do it.  She actually did a Caesar "chiccchhh chicchhhhh" on my dog.  What a funny human thing to do; try to train someone else's puppy.   Even as a trainer; unless asked to train someone's dog I would not do this.  Humans.

Dog food drive

Now that the "official" Thanksgiving day and Black Friday are over I'd like to draw your attention to my first annual Just dogs with Sherri Dog Food Drive.  (Flyer above)   I am very excited for this and really hope that as many of you as possible turn out carrying a can, several cans or a bag or two of dog food.  So many people these days have to place their dogs or hand them over to a rescue or shelter simply because they cannot afford to feed them.  Let's feed as many as possible; at least over the holiday season.

I have already had calls, FB messages and emails from people telling me that this has inspired them to "give."  They have bought and donated food to people, shelters and rescues, and I frankly could not be more excited.  If this is enough to create a thought when you are buying your dog's food to buy two and give one; then this is what it is all about.

I received a call from a woman who was considering that she might have to get rid of one of her dogs.  She asked if she could get food and I was gushing with happiness that the word is getting out.  Please come on by and donate some dog food or if you live far away from me then donate anyway.  It is a rough time for many people; giving even just a little is always appreciated.

I carry sample bags of dog food in my car to give to homeless folks on the street with dogs.  I look forward to seeing many of you next Saturday at the event.  If you are a  member of an organization; perhaps you'd like to take up a collection?  Maybe your company can get together and give even more?  If you live elsewhere, why not start your own dog food drive.   The thought has crossed my mind that perhaps December 3rd will become "Feed the dogs," day across the world.  Why not?

BlackFriday

It is the shopping bonanza day "Black Friday."  Are you out there fighting the crowds for "stuff?"  Not me, at 6:20 am I am nice and snug in bed blogging with a big cup of coffee.  I have no intention of going anywhere near a mall or shop today; tomorrow maybe, I do have Christmas shopping to do.  But for today it will be hanging at home with the family and eating leftovers, one of my favorite things to do.  Isn't making mass quantities of food and having left overs wonderful?  You get to eat really great food and not do any cooking.

This is the time of year when many dogs will be visiting the veterinarians because they ate something that they shouldn't have.  The problem with the Holidays is that many people who typically pour their dog a big bowl of dry dog food feel that sharing the bounty is a festive idea.  That is until they have either a sick dog or a large mess to clean up.  Dogs can eat turkey; let me just get that out of the way.  There is a big rumor going around that turkey is not good for dogs, it's not the turkey itself but the fact that a dog has never eaten it before or that they are given not only turkey but all the trimmings.

Trimmings are not good for dogs and can even make a dog who typically eats turkey sick.  Bread and onions cooked in butter is a recipe for disaster when it comes to our dogs; heck it's not great for us to eat but if it does anything to us, it just gives us an upset stomach.  No trimmings, no crunchy skin, no cranberry sauce, gravy, no stuffing or sweet potato pie, just turkey, plain turkey.  I always give my guys lots of turkey around the Holiday season, and I may be out today looking for the birds now on sale that Thanksgiving is over.   As this Thanksgiving day I made mushroom and asparagus lasagna with homemade pasta so they won't be having any leftovers today; but I sure will.

Just remember when you are filling up your plate with turkey left overs, just the bird for the dogs, and everything in moderation.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope that you all have a wonderful long weekend with your friends and family.

We now have a breath of fresh air; very busy air to be exact in our family.  Elsa has been an astonishing zest booster to our very sedate pack.  She is amazing and I am so very thankful that Vicki allowed us to call her one of our own.  I am thankful for each and every day that I am able to share with my very senior dogs; sadly not everyone is given the chance to cherish their canines into their 15th and 16th years.

I am thankful for you all; for letting me share my life with you and perhaps help you just a smidgen as you go through your day to day alongside your canine.

Have a spectacular weekend everyone.

Reading the signs

The other day I was at the park with just Luke.  He enjoys his time alone with Mom as do I; we were sauntering around the park smelling the roses when across the park I spotted a woman coming my way.  She had with her a very large Akita.  As you know I love all dogs but I also know that some Akitas are fairly dog aggressive; so as she continued my way I was trying to make it clear that I was heading away.  Funny how some humans can be so lacking in sign reading.  I was very obviously moving away from her and her dog but she kept coming.  I finally had to make direct eye contact with her and then turn away in the opposite direction walking abruptly.  She got it.

Then I watched the woman and her dog turn and walk towards another person with dogs.  The guy was walking two pit mixes who were either over excited or not so dog friendly themselves.  As the woman got closer she yelled out to the guy asking if his dogs were friendly.  When someone pauses and then says "sometimes, er usually," that means no.  I could see it all unfolding before my eyes; it was going to get crazy in just a few more steps from the woman with the Akita.

I turned away just for a moment and then I heard it; lots of growling and challenging.  The man held onto his dogs tightly as they hit the end of their leash and the woman tried to calm her Akita.  This was clearly going to be the outcome of the interaction; the man knew it, he just hadn't wanted to voice it in public.  The woman also knew but was trying hard for this not to be how her dog reacts.  The woman could not read the signals of the other dogs; this is something that everyone with dogs should become knowledgeable about.

When I approach a person with a dog; I often veer off of the path and simply move out of the way.  I know Luke very well and know who he will and will not get along with.  It has much to do with the other dogs body language and even though some dogs are very friendly, they can give off the wrong body language because of circumstance.  Leash, proximity to owner and tension etc all play a part in the greeting of strange dogs.  If I ever think that perhaps this greeting is not going to turn out well; I will err on the side of safety and forego the greeting.

As I always say; "quit while you are ahead."

Off leash

I was at the park the other day; we were heading towards the car at the end of our walk.  Looking across the street I saw a black lab laying leashless staring straight ahead. I watched, of course.  Following his line of stare I found his owner walking away with a brown lab; this boy was obviously doing a long down stay.  He was doing really well but as I watched I realized that she was going to release him from far away.  Right in his path was a "people" photographer with clients.  Anyone who knows a lab also understands the whole locomotive concept.

She yelled his release and threw his ball from a chuckit.  Okay, the picture above sort of explains it all.  Doesn't take that much thought to figure out what is going to happen, right?  It happened and everyone was sort of in disbelief; the biggest surprise was from the owner.  "I can't believe he did that; he's never done that before."  He's never gone directly after the ball?  Hmmmmm, strange.

Anyhow this whole train of thought is about being off leash.  As you all know I had a run in the other day with an off leash dog down in the canyon.    I'm not a big fan of off leash if you don't have complete control; that and respect for others.  I never let my guys off leash around people without dogs; it just is not right.  I know that some people are very afraid of dogs and the sight of one off leash can be traumatizing.  Control is an elusive thing from what I see; lots of people let their dogs off leash and have absolutely no control.  It's just plain stupid.

Not only do we need to think about others but we need to think about our dogs.  Is taking the leash off really that important?  Of course there are times when you are in a big field; away from anyone else and it's time to take the leash off, completely agree.  I love off leash runs with my dogs but there is a great deal of thought put into them.  I let Luke off quite a bit at the park but I first do the huge horizon scan; and he is amazing off leash, comes right away.

I don't get people who walk their dogs off leash down the street; I will never get this and think that each time their dog is not hit by a car is another bullet dodged.  So many people walk down the street; their dog sort of by their side trotting along.  What difference would it make if they had a leash on?  It could save their life, that's a big difference.  We have a local yorkie owner who I regularly see at the park; her dog is always running around the street.  And I feel bad for the day it does get hit; drivers cannot see that little thing in the road.  It's not right.

Next time you consider taking the leash off; think about harassing others, the safety of your dog and your degree of control first.

Edible?

Real food.

Yesterday I was out shopping, I had a few bits and pieces to pick up for baking and the holiday season.  I was at Target and as I made my way to the cash I walked by the dog treat isle.  Just as I passed it I put on my brakes, I got my glasses out and decided to read the ingredients on some of the biggies.  Begg'n strips, pup-peroni, Waggin train and the one I've recently seen a big advertising push on Milo's kitchen.  The worst by far is by Purina, Beggin' strips; the following is the list of ingredients.

Ground wheat, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, ground yellow corn, water, sugar, glycerin, soybean meal, meat, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, bacon fat (preserved with BHA), salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), calcium propionate (a preservative), natural and artificial smoke flavors, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6), choline chloride.
O-4005

Just disgusting if you ask me.  I have to say that if Purina does not man up to a major overhaul then it should be placed in the history books with many other companies that were the big ones "back when."  Back when meaning back when it all started; I remember that Purina was one of the very few dog companies.  Many of their products are filled with just that; fillers, crap.  Time to change Purina or move out of the way so that the companies who really care can step up.

But it is not just Purina, all of the treats that were on the shelves there were very substandard.  Another reason why you should frequent the small privately owned pet food stores.  As I read the ingredient lists and viewed all the packaging design meant to draw you in I realized that there are a few "big" words they like to throw around.  One is USA, one of the bags said that the treats are made by a company that is a US company but when I read the very small print it said made in China, disappointing to say the least.   

"Natural" is another word over used and given no meaning once so ever as far as health goes.  Natural stamped all over a bag by no means makes the food something that you should give your dog.  You can go online and read most of the ingredients from treats and foods.  

This is the list of ingredients in the hottest advertised dog treat:  Milo's kitchen - Beef sausage slices.  

Yep, there's beef in there but what else is in there?  Yuck.  FYI, Milo's kitchen is owned by Del Monte.  Interesting.  

Beef, Soy Grits, Sugar, Propylene Glycol, Rice, Salt, Monoglyceride, Garlic Powder, Natural Smoke Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (used as a preservative), Citric Acid, Sodium Erythorbate (for color retention), Sodium Nitrite (for color retention), BHA (used as a preservative), Onion Extract

Dog treats are a huge percentage of what we buy for our dogs.  Whatever you feed your dog, read the labels and if there are ingredients in there that you can not pronounce or know what it is, then move onto something else.

Below is a recent notice from the FDA, taken from the official FDA site. 

FDA Continues to Caution Dog Owners About Chicken Jerky Products

November 18, 2011

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is again cautioning consumers that chicken jerky products for dogs (also sold as chicken tenders, strips or treats) may be associated with illness in dogs. In the last 12 months, FDA has seen an increase in the number of complaints it received of dog illnesses associated with consumption of chicken jerky products imported from China. These complaints have been reported to FDA by dog owners and veterinarians.

FDA issued a cautionary warning regarding chicken jerky products to consumers in September 2007 and a Preliminary Animal Health Notification in December of 2008. After seeing the number of complaints received drop off during the latter part of 2009 and most of 2010, the FDA is once again seeing the number of complaints rise to the levels of concern that prompted release of our earlier warnings.

Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be fed occasionally in small quantities.

FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products: decreased appetite; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.

FDA, in addition to several animal health diagnostic laboratories in the U.S., is working to determine why these products are associated with illness in dogs. FDA’s Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (VLRN) is now available to support these animal health diagnostic laboratories. To date, scientists have not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. FDA continues extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified a contaminant.

The FDA continues to actively investigate the problem and its origin. Many of the illnesses reported may be the result of causes other than eating chicken jerky. Veterinarians and consumers alike should report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their state or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Elsa and Hank very excited about their play date.

Elsa had another play date a few days ago.  It was with a new friend, Hank.  Hank has recently joined a new family and is loving life.  He is a year old boy and so much fun for Elsa to play with.  When we first arrived Elsa heard his large bark coming from inside the house and her tail lowered.  We went around the side to get into the back yard to do our introductions.  It took all of 30 seconds for them to become best of friends.  Elsa is 18 weeks old in these pictures and growing fast.  Enjoy, they sure did.

As usual Elsa has a hard time hiding her feelings.

As confident as Elsa is she is very respectful of her elders.  This you can see with her body posture.

She pretty much loved him.

Hank doesn't mind being attacked and Elsa enjoys being the aggressor.

You can see that undocked tail is always in use.

A little snuggle break.

Just plain fun.

Everyone loves a good head chomp. 

Saturday morning

 One of my favorite covers, real cuties.

Good Saturday morning everyone; the sun is just coming up but I've been up a good long time.  Miss Elsa is an early riser; something I'm going to need to change pretty soon.  Her stomach does most of her thinking so we're going to have to change that as well.  It looks like a beautiful day out there so we'll be headed somewhere, just not sure where yet.

I'm really excited to have connected with Meals on Wheels for my first annual DOG FOOD DRIVE.  I am hoping to get a big turn out; food will help those in need.  The general public who are needing a little helping hand, Meals on Wheels and two local rescue groups.  If you are in the Southern California are a I sure hope to see on Dec 3rd with a bag or can of food to donate.  Word of mouth would be great too; if you are reading this, tell all of your dog friends that I'd love to see them as well.   Mark it on your calendar!!!!!

Yesterday I had a training session with two puppies; they were Cavaliers and I could barely stand how cute they were.  Isn't it funny that no matter how often you've been around puppies they still make you melt.  They were head shakingly adorable and doing their best adorable behaviors.  Lots of kisses, gazing into my eyes, tiny wiggles of happiness and general undeniably irresistible.  Tough job but someone has to do it, right?

It is time to get up and get going on this gorgeous day; hope you and your pooch have a wonderful one.    

Keara and Charlie

Yesterday I had a visit with two of my all time favorite training students.  I've known these guys for years; done a great deal of training with their owner and each of these magnificent dogs.  Keara on the left and Charlie on the right.  I spent a lot of time with these two over the years; first with Keara and then Charlie some years later.  Two more wonderful German Shepherds I have not met in all my years of training and I was so excited to see them after a several year absence.  

I met Keara when she was but a youngster, a 6 month old gorgeous young lady.  Now well into her senior years she is still the wonderful girl, albeit mellowed a bit. 

Charlie; a young three year old and full of the energy of youth.  He truly is a hunk and one of the sweetest boys I know.  At over 100 lbs I had to brace myself for his exuberant greeting, he seemed as happy to see me as I was to see him.  

Keara voiced her joy at seeing me; it sure felt good.  

I met Charlie when he was only weeks old; he was and still is a dog who loves life.  Some of the dogs I've worked with over the years I remember well, others have taught me great lessons, some have sort of just slipped by and a few have made a big impact on my life.  These two most definitely impacted my life living a lasting memory.  

Proofing

Proof:  the act of testing or making trial of anything, test.   Proofing a behavior is very important; I am working on proofing my release right now with Elsa.  This means that I am making sure that she is not releasing too soon or on her own.  She must wait for me to say the release word before she is released for anything.  We are using feeding time for our proofing now as it is a very intensely driven obstacle for her.  I do not want her thinking that the first word out of my mouth when her bowl is down and she is waiting; means that she gets to eat.  So I am throwing all sorts of words and tones at her.

Proofing behaviors means that your dog can perform a certain behavior under any circumstance.  They have learned a behavior and can achieve success under high distraction and in any environment.  Proofing means practice, practice, practice.  Most dogs do not generalize well; which means that when you teach them to sit at home they may not be able to do it anywhere else.   If you want your dog to perform behaviors out in public then you must "proof" them out in public.

When you first teach a dog behaviors; it is best done in a quiet, non distracting area.  That way you can be sure that they are getting a grasp on the task at hand.  Once they have it you can then move to different environments like different rooms, the backyard, front yard etc etc.  As they achieve success you can add new and more difficult environments.  Then once you have gotten a handle on environments you work with distractions; starting with very easy distractions and working up to intense level.

Some dogs generalize more than others; for these dogs you may excel through the proofing stage.  But all dogs have their obstacles; it may take a while to find your dogs tough spots but when you do you will also need to work through them.  So far Elsa has shown that she generalizes quite well but already has a few blocks that we need to get over.  We are working on waiting to get out of the car until I say so; she's having a tough time with this.  I also require that she sits before getting out; I will not have dogs diving out of the car willy nilly.  She has a tough time with stay when she wants out of the car; so we are working very hard on that.

It is very important to know your dog inside and out; understanding them personally helps you to help them to achieve success.

A food drive

Every Holiday season brings with it the thought of others who may not be doing so well, especially in these economic times.   Many folks give generously over the holidays both with food and monetary gifts.  There are food banks all over that collect food, gift cards and money for those who do without.  Our family gives every year, when I grocery shop I buy more than I need and start to fill bags that I keep on my dining room table.  This year as I fill my bags I am also thinking about all the people who have felt the need to turn over their dog due to lack of funds to simply buy them food.

I'm having a food drive.  I am hoping that many of you will join me as I collect dog food donations.  I am contacting several of the local rescues and Meals on wheels to donate the food to directly.  What about the big guys?  As I was driving from the vets with Elsa last night I considered getting in touch with the big guys, the dog food makers and asking for a helping hand in donating food.

I will also be contacting as many of the local pet food stores for a donation as well.  Saturday December 3rd will be the official "first annual Just dogs with Sherri food drive."  I like the sound of that.  Hopefully this will mean that many of the dogs who will go hungry or be turned over to a shelter or rescue will not.  In these economic times many people just need a little help, nothing monumental, just a helping hand.

I will post more details on another blog and all the details on my Facebook group.    Whatever you can give, whoever you can call, text or share with, please feel free to spread the word.   How about in your own town?  Maybe we could make this something really big; "Feed the dogs day?"  If you can give one can, one small bag, a big bag, a bunch of food or a truck full, please do.  Every bite helps towards keeping families together.

More about the drive later.

Sherri

Life's a chang'n

Wow; rough morning for me today, so this blog will be short and sweet as they say.  My rough start to the day is a bad and good one at the same time.  Bad because one of my kids just left, moving to another state; good because she has met someone who makes her very happy, and that in itself makes me happy.  Sitting at my computer with my first coffee of the day I feel strange, life is changing.  Something that I have said for many years is that life is an evolution and it really is; isn't it?

When I look back at my early days, the days that started my life in the whole world of dogs I am happy with my canine evolution.  Life is about moving forward but occasionally we do have to look back to see how far we have come.  Many of us look back and shudder at the things we did or the ideas that we thought were correct.  I have often apologized to my now long gone dogs; telling them that I just didn't know.

Many of my clients over the years have been so upset with the things that they have done with their dogs.  "Sherri I just didn't know," is a phrase that I have often heard.  My response is the same for all; you cannot go back and change things, killing yourself over the past is futile.  Life is about moving on, learning and growing, changing.   Looking at yourself now and yourself 20 years ago, you've changed.  It's all about evolving into the person you will finally be.  Sure we all start out with a base, our core so to speak.  But as we venture through life our evolution commences.

Spending many hours these days out socializing Elsa, it becomes very obvious to me that each and every moment in our lives plays a part in who we are.  How we face life, deal with each issue and handle sorting it all out is who we are.  Hand in paw we go through our lives learning and teaching; becoming a part in the whole picture of a dog and his human.  Man's best friend?  Most definitely.  But are we a dog's best friend?  Through life we most definitely are given the chance to be; whether we take that chance or not is entirely up to us.

Now time for a second cup.  Have a great day.