Dogs don't lie

Elsa clearly saying "I really want to play with you but I'm a bit apprehensive of your buffness."  This was a young 9 month old Golden who was indeed very  burly and confident for his age.  Elsa was almost 6 mos in this photo.

As I stood bleary eyed this morning, watching the dogs; it was not yet 5 am.  It was still dark so I threw on the outside light.  Just as I did I caught Elsa in full zoom; she had spotted my son and that was enough to send her into an excited frenzy.  She zoomed at least three full times around growling at both Luke and my son on the way by.  Finally she jammed on her brakes and they all came in for breakfast snacks.  What a happy, happy dog she is; she truly is a cup half full kind of gal.  This lead me to thinking about how dogs are what they are, no BS.

Dogs don't lie; they just don't.  Dogs don't tell you how much they like you and then stab you in the back.  They do not lead you along in hopes of a happy ending and then throw in the bad news twist.  Dogs simply don't tell you one thing and do another; if dogs don't like you then you are going to know it.  If they feel neutral about you then they'll tell you that as well.  Dogs tell it like it is; honest, reliable, forthright and true.

How many videos are out there in cyber land of seemingly friendly dogs being pet by a human when they suddenly lunge up and bite the human in the face?  How strange the humans think; they were being friendly one minute and the next moment they snapped.  WRONG.  If the human was watching and reading the dog they would have clearly seem that the dog was not happy and friendly one minute and then a mad dog the next.  The dog was very clear right from the start; it was the human who got the messages crossed, as humans do.

Over the years my dogs have given me very clear signals when they do not like someone.  I listen carefully when they give me this type of information.  On three particular occasions they have been very astute with their readings and the people they did not like were people that I did not even want in my house.  Dogs are beyond amazing at sharing their feelings.  Of course each dog is different but they all speak the same language.  If you understand dog behavior then you can read them all; some are an easier read than others.  Many dogs are free and open with their communications while others are a bit tougher to pull out.

A dog's language is subtle so subtle that most of their communications are missed by the human eye.   This is one reason that I love action and candid photography so much.  Being a huge fan of watching canine behavior; a posed photo holds no appeal to me.  It offers nothing as far as emotion.  But shoot an interaction, a spontaneous moment or split second and it can hold so much.

Sometimes when we are at the park or beach and my dogs are interacting with other canines, I will call Luke away from another dog.  More often than not it is a dominant male that has in a matter of seconds already sent Luke several threatening signals; which knowing my boy like I do will not be tolerated.  I step in before there can be any further communications.  I redirect Luke and we move on.

I remember years ago; I was telling a woman about how my dogs tell me things.  She had a bunch of dogs of her own but had never tapped into the whole communication thing.  It was perhaps because all of her dogs lived outdoors, out of the house, away from the family.  I was really surprised when I heard that they were all yorkie type dogs.  Who has a pile of small dogs like this living outside?  No dog, no matter what size should live away from the family, outside.  Okay, anyway.  She wanted to know how I knew what my dogs were saying.  I explained that I knew my dogs inside and out.  I knew their personalities so well that the slightest eyebrow raise could give me notice of something wrong.  Having her dogs outside meant that she had no connection to them once so ever.  There was no way she could know about her dogs as she should.

When a dog gives us a communication; it is up to us to deal with that communication.  Perhaps a dog tell us that they are really not comfortable with people coming and petting them.  They have told us this by their body language; so once we receive this information we then need to adjust our own behavior to assist theirs.  Too many people see shy or fearful behavior as a flaw and try to force the issue.  They have seen the signs but force the issue; which is actually ignoring our dogs clear communication.  They have told us that they feel uncomfortable and yet we humans try to mask that by force; this almost always backfires and we wonder why?  Dogs are so much clearer and honest about what they say.

It truly is sad to me when people miss out on all the communications they could be having with their dog/dogs.
Dogs speak the truth; they will not tell you one thing and do another.  Watch and listen, there is no other way to no other way to understand what your dog is telling you.

behavior - love it

Last night we were watching a movie; and of course Luke was snuggled on the couch with us.  Elsa was still wandering around having just eaten; she does her customary snorfling for crumbs.  Luke decided that he wanted to chew so he got off the couch and went and got one of the many chew toys we have.  When he decides to chew he chews hard, it was only a second before Elsa realized what Luke was doing; her job as reigning puppy is to take anything that Luke has so she went to work.  I was coming in and out of the family room at that point and Luke's teeth caught my eye.  He was showing Elsa his pearly whites as big as he possibly could; it is rare that I see this big of a display, but he was trying to convey his message.

Being the effervescent puppy that she is; she tends to brush things off from Luke until he is really serious.  Thinking he was only kidding she pushed it.  I put down what I was carrying and went and sat on the chair beside the couch to get a good vantage point.  Elsa was nosing in and Luke froze; even with the full display of his teeth she was still going to try.  His froze threw her, this move meant that he was more serious.  In all fairness Luke does do a lot of displaying which is usually bluff when directed at Elsa and she knows it.

When she really really wants something from him and he is saying no she grovels.  She lowers her body posture, closes her eyes to a squint and licks Luke's mouth, even when he is displaying all of his teeth at her.  Of course this typically works great and Luke is distracted by her cuteness long enough for her to steal the toy.  These girls are smart I tell you.  He is then left looking like he cannot believe that she got him yet again.  But last night was different; he obviously wanted to make a point.  He was on the couch, she was not.  He had the toy and she did not, bottom line.

So after he froze she pushed every so cautiously inward; he gave an abrupt bark and face bite at the same time which startled me and Elsa.  He wasn't kidding and she was shocked, really shocked.  I then moved over and sat beside Luke to get a better view point, I love behavior as you all know.  So there sat Elsa not knowing how to go about getting this chew; Luke really wanted it or at least wanted her to know that she was not having it.  She then moved close to me and pushed her head in between myself and my arm to get a peek at the toy.  This was very smart, she was now very close to the toy but wrapped in the safety of me, Luke would never growl at Mom.  She pushed and I held her from touching the toy so she pulled her head out and sat staring at Luke and he at her.  She dove in my arm again to see if she could steal it that way, I didn't let her.

Then she had a tantrum; she sat right in front of Luke and barked.  Her barking resembles the sound coming from a chimpanzee when she throws a fit, it is very annoying.    Luke wasn't even phased by this immature display of emotion.  He continued to chew, loud and hard.  When she could stand it no more she tried again; she put her front feet up on the couch and moved in.   You could see that he was softening; maybe he was done with his lesson for the day and he let her lick his mouth but when she reached for the toy he stopped her there.  But it wasn't long after that Luke all of a sudden pulled his head away from the toy and let her have it.  It was very obvious that he no longer cared and let her snatch it away.  Of course the fun was now over and realizing this Elsa brought the toy and pushed it onto his head.

She dropped the toy that she had so badly desired right between his feet and licked his mouth.  She'd finally got it and now gave it back to Luke.  Luke took it and then she started her stealing behavior all over again.  This lead to an all out brawl; Luke got off the couch and they moved into the living room for a wrestling match.  She knows how to push his buttons and he is loving it.  

Yanking

Today's blog is sort of like a continuation from a few days ago (Head's up).  I was driving home from the grocery store where I had purchased some chicken and pork for my dogs.  As I drove down the street I noticed a woman with a young Golden; the dog was probably around 7 months old judging from it's lean build.  The owner was frustrated, I could see that right away.  The dog was pulling and as she crossed the road she was quite obvious that people were watching.  She tugged and tugged to no avail.  The youngster kept pulling.  It was difficult to see how the dog was connected; I strained to see the collar under the hair and finally saw that it was a soft choke that was all in one with the leash, sort of rope material.

The woman was clearly not enjoying herself; funny how common it is to see a yank trainer growing angry because of the lack of results from the yanking.  I watched her cross the street and go down to the right.  She left my range of vision so I watched her in my side mirror.  With her frustration at it's peek she stopped and pulled the choke up around the back of her dogs ears; right in the soft spot.  This soft spot is where many trainers; including ones who are on television tell you to put the collar.  This spot is one place that a collar should never sit.  It lacks the large muscles that surround the neck further down towards the shoulders.  I hate to see when people pop it up to this spot; especially when delivering strong yanks.

Dogs being dogs they quickly become accustom to yanks.  Most get so use to receiving them that the owner soon has to resort to stronger and stronger yanks.  This yanking motion can be very dangerous causing serious damage to the dogs neck,   I have written many times about how anger seems to be connected to yank training or conventional choke collar training.  Typically the level of anger grows at an exponential rate when in public.  "People are watching" is a common concern from many owners; oddly enough the concern of people seeing them yank away on their dog's neck is not a concern.

If someone who does not understand dog behavior has only received a training education from a conventional trainer then it makes a great deal of sense that they don't see anything wrong with yanking away.

Please don't yank on your dogs neck.  

Bullies

Waiting patiently for me to pack up the car.

Bullies:  a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people (or dogs).

In our human world bullies have recently come into the scrutiny in the public eye.  Bullies are no longer tolerated; not for any reason, as it should be.  What is the motivation of a bully?  To belittle.

Yesterday I took my two to the beach; Elsa seemed to be overflowing with energy so she needed some big time running.  I packed up the car, got the leashes ready, made sure I had treats, poop bags and an extra ball for the chuck-it and we head out.  The crying began as we pulled into the park where the beach is, they both love the beach but Luke is my vocalizer.  Once out of the car they can barely contain themselves as we head through the path that leads to the beach.  I had to make a few stops just to get some focus; they were that excited.  As we come through the path to the beach opening they both do a speed scan to see who's at the beach.  Only two dogs stood right in the middle playing; leashes off and so were my two poodles as they sprinted that way.

They were there in 2 seconds, it took me a bit longer.  They were all in full play by the time I got to the other folks on the beach.  There was a male yellow Labrador who was Elsa's age and a one year old Italian Spinone .  The lab and Elsa hit it off right away but once the ball came out Elsa was all over it.  It is tough to find a dog that can beat her to the ball with speed.  The boys chased after Elsa as she chased after the ball.  Luke did his normal routine and went to socialize with all the people and dogs down the beach.  He is quite the social greeter, when he sees a new dog coming to the beach he goes to say hi and welcome.  Very cute.

After a good while of great play a herd of Labradors joined the scene.  These were older labs, you could tell by their girth.  They were all mature except one who looked mature but acted not.  A year old brown male Labrador who was a little wound with too much energy.  He ran around fine for a bit; checking on all the different dogs and going after his ball when he decided to do some pushing.  The Lab pup that Elsa had been playing with seemed to be his target.  The two started playing but it got very rough really quickly.  The younger dog was still having fun but you could see concern creeping in.

I'm pretty vocal at the park and when I see things that need attending to I usually make some noise.  By noise I mean AHHHHHHH which comes out naturally and usually draws some attention from owners.  These labs were with a pet sitter/walker, not their owner.  The sitter and the owner of the lab pup were talking.  The young labs Mom was obviously concerned as was I about the degree of roughness that was being delivered to the youngster.  He was bowled over and pinned several times, grabbed by the neck very hard and thrown to the ground.  I made quite a bit of noise then, this was just too much.   "He does that," is what I heard the sitter say.

The problem with allowing this type of bullying is the fallout that comes with it.  With no human intervention to stop the bully the young dog is left to defend himself.  He is learning that you must be aggressive and the bully is learning to continue being a bully.  This older Labrador was unrelenting, he was not giving the pup a chance to even get to his feet and he was very aggressive in his play.  He was not being vicious but was most definitely aggressive; too aggressive and should have been told that this was not acceptable.  The longer a bully is allowed to be a bully the harder it is to stop.  The two swirling Labs ended up in the water with the bully pinning the young dog under.  This is when the owner of the pup had enough.  The pup stood up and was now getting seriously mad, as he should have.

Elsa ran by with her ball and caught the eye of the bully.  He decided to chase her; of course there was no way he was catching her and they ran for a longtime.  When they did stop I was on top of it; there was no way I was allowing this bully to bully my girl.  He stared at her for a bit and I physically stepped in between the two.  He thought for a few moments and then looked around  finding  his previous target again.  It was obvious that he saw this young male as a threat and was making a very clear message (I'm the king of the beach) by beating the crap out of him.  Not okay.

We discussed the danger of collars as this bully was grabbing and twisting the collar of the young lab.  While this was all happening Luke stayed out of it which is highly unusual for him.  He usually likes to be in the middle of it all when dogs are being too rowdy.  Perhaps age and wisdom kept him out of it, smart boy.  Elsa seemed done with the bully after being chased and had no desire to interact with him further.  The young lab who was the target was completely done being pummeled and tried to stay clear of the dog.

It is not okay to allow bullying; not even if it is a big friendly Labrador.  A lab can be a tough dog to shake, they are built low and heavy much like a tank; just try to get one of those off of you.  This blog is not directed at one particular breed; any dog can be a bully and it is up to the person caring for that dog to NOT allow it.  It is no fun for the dog or dogs being bullied and will most definitely cause fallout behaviors from it.  Play is great, even rough play is great but bullying is different and this was bullying.  Because it was directed at this one particular dog made this a "guy" thing.  But a bully can be a bully in general and a very unwelcome dog at the park or beach.

Stopping it is quite easy, you just don't allow it.  When a dog starts bullying the owner must step in.  If the dog does not stop and continues then a clear message must be delivered by leaving abruptly.  Like any canine related behavior; stopping it before it takes hold is very important.  Once a bully is in their full bully mode it can be difficult to stop; just like it would be hard to stop a charging bull.  Knowing that you have a bully and admitting that you have a bully is the first step.  It is nothing to be ashamed of; it is simply a fact, it is what it is as they say.

Bullying is not okay, not in our human world or the canine world.

Heads up

I was driving down a small street the other day; we were moving slowly, slow enough to watch a woman who was walking her elderly labrador.  As I watched I was left shaking my head; first the dog had a pinch collar on which saddened me.  The dog had to be at least 12 years old and each time the collar was yanked on she looked up to her owner who was oblivious to the dog on the end of the leash.  The owner continued to walk and each time the dog attempted to stop and smell the roses she continued; yanking the dogs neck.  I shook my head, saying to myself "poor old girl."

This is a common situation that I see while out walking my own dogs.  Many people tend to walk their dog with the attitude that the dog is attached, nothing else required.  I believe that in all fairness we should give our dogs a "heads up."  We are turning, we are stopping or let's go, we are walking.  I also do training with my dogs so that they know when we are moving, we are moving.  Dogs sniff and smell, fact.  That said they need to learn when it is not appropriate to be wandering off sniffing everything laid out in front of them.

Direction training; why not?  I have taught all of my clients not to simply yank.  I use several terms in my training and with my own dogs.  TURN, means that I am going to turn into you so watch out; the dogs learn to stop, slow down or just pull back so that I don't trip.  THIS WAY, means that I am changing direction.  It could be any direction so pay attention.  LET'S GO, this is pretty self explanatory.  It means we are on the move so stop lolly gagging and get a move on.  WAIT, this is a very casual meaning of the verbal cue STAY. It means to hold on, wait in the general vicinity until I offer a LET'S GO.

All of these are very useful as well as the other regular cue that I teach.  Why not tell your dog what you are doing instead of simply yanking on them?  Sure there are times when a yank will happen; when a dog dives into the bushes after a very enticing smell, things happen as they say.  THIS WAY is probably one of my most used verbal cues; even Elsa has it down already.  It is good for when you are walking on leash and doing direction changes as well as when the dogs are off leash.  When I shout it out when the dogs are off leash they look up to see where I'm going and follow.

Teaching the TURN cue is fairly simply taught by having your dog on leash, with them walking beside you say clearly TURN and turn into them.  It can be a little abrupt for some of the more meek types but by using treats as soon as you turn you take that negative effect away.  It has only ever taken a couple of repetitions to see a dog holding themselves back when they hear TURN.

THIS WAY is a little easier; using THIS WAY you immediately change direction and reward your dog for following.  With any of the directional cues you start easy and work up to a good jog with your cues.  Using cues also helps to stay connected and not be on one of those walks that I see far too often; owner walking along, perhaps on a cell phone and the dog just hanging around on the end of the leash.  Come on............get involved and stay connected with your dog.

Get a grip

We've got squirrels, lots and lots of squirrels.  We have so many that they are driving the dogs and myself crazy. Poodles have drive; each individual varies but mine have a bucket load full.  The Standard Poodle was the original water retriever so the drive to chase it high.  Elsa's drive is higher than Luke's; he can sit quietly watching a squirrel for hours, standing like a statue with his tail only slightly vibrating and his nose dripping.  You might occasionally hear a tiny whimper but unless they run for the glass he is very statuesque.

Elsa on the other hand comes unglued; she has taken to using the back of the couch as her runway and shrieks a good amount of the time that she is in pursuit.  The good thing about poodles is that they have an off switch; even if they are in a highly stimulated zone I can talk them down by simply asking them to "stop" or "get off the couch."  If I am previously occupied by writing or working on photos then it will continue, escalating to the crazy zone.  Before we moved to CT my dogs had never seen a squirrel in a tree; they only knew that squirrels lived in the rocks at the marina and loved to stalk them there.

We have big families of the grey ones here and depending on the day there can be one or twelve running around.  When they really get going with their squirrel squabbles it is the toughest on the dogs.  They race up trees fighting the whole way, going round and round until one gives in.  There is a tree only about 5 feet from the living room window, a perfect spot to squirrel watch from the back of the couch and this is where I often find Elsa.

The secret to getting a grip on this wild and often out of control chase drive is to nip in the bud.  Much like any other behavior, once it starts and is at full throttle it is much more difficult to diffuse.  So if I foresee a squirrel chase getting out of control I need to stop it before it gets to that point.  Elsa often charges up and down the stairs after the squirrels; she runs down to the front to watch them and when they get out of sight she charges upstairs to the back of the couch.  Getting a grip on these instinctive driven behaviors are tough to crack once they are full on.

Any environmental stimulus that can rev a dog into a frenzy needs to be dealt with.  The dog or dogs who get themselves wound by the squirrel or whatever it may be needs to learn to get a grip.  Luke has got things pretty much under control; I simply don't allow the craziness.  Every once in a while Elsa will push Luke past his limit with her charging around the house, but knowing that it is now becoming a daily issue I am addressing it much sooner so that it does not get to that "crazed" point.

There is lots of training to do, new things to learn and teaching "how to get a grip."

Signs of intelligence

I met a woman yesterday while out on a walk with my dogs.  She stopped me to talk and admire the dogs; turned out that she too had a standard poodle at home so of course we chatted a bit.  Her dog was a little more than 10 years and so was considering adding another; she was very interested in Elsa and Luke's relationship.  During our conversation she asked about their intelligence and the difference between them.  All dogs are intelligent; that said some are more so than others, just like in people.  Who is the most intelligent?  Not an easy answer.

Having had standard poodles for 30 years; high intelligence is a given.  Each dog has been extremely different; they have all had very individual personalities and learning capabilities.  My boy Clyde who was the canine man in my life before Luke was probably my least driven.  He was intelligent but in his own way; he was what I categorize as a "porch dog."  He was mellow and wonderful but without much agenda.  Does that mean that his intelligence was lower on the smarts scale?  No.  Just different.

When they do intelligence tests with dogs it is often to see what a dog can figure out.   A dog with a chill type  personality may display no drive to figure out a test put before them; this shows no less intelligence.  Perhaps they are more intelligent by waiting until the humans figure it out.  Intelligence is such a huge topic, complicated by questions leading to more questions.  In my own dogs over the years I have seen such a variance in learning and display.  To be a good trainer you must adapt to each dog as an individual and not look at dog as just that; a dog like any other.

I have worked with tiny little mixed breeds who amazed me by their intelligence.  Some of the most intelligent dogs I have met have been breeds who are not the "obedience" type.  Intelligence and willingness to do repetitive work for humans are two completely different things.  Most of the higher intelligence dogs have a problem with repetition from my experience.  Once they have figured out and completed a desired behavior; repeating it over and over again seems monotonous and mundane.  That said there are amazing dogs who thrive with repetition; take the Border Collie, highly intelligent with drive that shoots off the charts.  It is the drive that keeps them in perpetual motion; continuing to repeat a job over and over again.

To truly understand a dogs intelligence; one must watch and be most highly aware of a  dogs individual behavior.  We  lowly humans often miss many canine behaviors so the degree of their intelligence recognition is absent.   My two now, Luke and Elsa are both extremely intelligent; perhaps two of the smartest dogs I have lived with.  I know them inside and out and watch daily as their intelligence plays out.  Luke is a reactive dog and because of this is an easy read; if you know what you are seeing that is.  He has taught me the most of any dog I have ever worked with.  He has always been able to learn what I ask of him and more, but.  Recently we moved to a new home, it has a huge two story entrance where the dogs can look over a rail to the front door.  Luke has yet to put the visual range of looking over the rail together with the getting to the front door by going down a set of stairs only 8 feet away.

Elsa on the other hand will run to the rail, look over and then charge down the stairs to greet the visitor while Luke stands looking over the rail crying.  Because our voice comes from over the rail he is having difficultly leaving the close proximity cue; moving away to finally come closer once again.  Elsa got it all in a heart beat.  At almost 7 months old Elsa is what I commonly categorize a dog with her degree of intelligence as scary smart.  Given to someone who has no idea of such a high degree of intelligence; Elsa would soon be running the household.  She is amazingly astute at seeing, taking note and storing in her memory bank.  Elsa is one of those dogs that people talk about being smarter than their owner.  (not than me of course  ;))

Watching her as she thinks and processes information is pretty amazing.  She has outsmarted Luke several times but only for a couple of repetitions and then he figures her out.  Dogs are amazing, they are all so intelligent but we must factor in drive and motivation with it as well to make it all a complete.  No two are alike which is another wonderful thing about dogs.  Watch and learn.

The Beach

Playing ball at the beach is the best.

As I wrote in yesterday's blog we hit the beach.  I was hoping that it was going to be quiet due to the game being on and all the partying but I also forgot that we are now on Eastern time and the game didn't start until after 6.  So it was crowded with everyone trying to get their dog's yaya's out before the game.  We had a great time, Luke was being Mr. Social and head down the beach as soon as we got there to see who all was in attendance.  Elsa stayed closer skipping from socializing to chasing her ball, but the ball won out most times as she loves just about nothing better than retrieving.

We were not there long, like my main moto in life says "quit while you're ahead," and we did.  You don't need to be at the park for hours to get in a good work out; it's pretty much concentrated fun and exercise.  So after about a half hour, everything had gone well so we left on a positive.  Enjoy the pics.

Or retrieving 

Meeting all the other dogs is great for everyone.  This newcomer, the little lab pup in the middle could barely get himself small enough.  Feeling very insecure but loving every second he went to visit everyone.

Putting on the brakes mid run when he heard some commotion that he needed to check on.

Elsa was lucky that this little labrador lady didn't mind having her ball stolen.  

The wet sand is the best for running really fast.

Sometimes the ball is forgotten when you see a new friend.

Run and retrieve

Most dogs love the game of keep away, no matter if they are the chaser or chasee.

Met this guy just before we left; he was the most fabulous Bulldog.  I adore bulldogs, he came running a full speed and into my lap almost sending me backwards with my camera.  He thought that was pretty funny and jumped around snorting at me.  They are honestly the most fun to watch.  He went after the ball when it was thrown for Luke had fun just running with the big dogs, knowing full well he couldn't get it with those little legs.    Another great day at the beach.

Sunday light

Yesterday's blog was a pretty heavy one so I decided that I'd keep it light this morning.  The sun is not up yet here in CT but Elsa's been out and I'm enjoying a hot cup of java with both dogs snuggled in bed.  It's been a while but Elsa has now learned about just going back to sleep when on our bed.  It use to be such an exciting event; the mere fact that she got to join Luke up on his throne that she couldn't settle.  But watching Luke as he remains in dreamland has helped her; she now soaks up the relaxation and calm in the wee hours of the morning.

I'm thinking the beach today, as you all know from yesterdays blog I'll be staying out of the woods from now on.  With the Super Bowl happening I'm thinking that the beach may be more quiet.  I will also be bringing my camera today which I'm always excited about.  Most times when I am out with the two dogs on my own I don't bring my camera if they are going to be off leash.  It is so important to watch them closely and it can be difficult to be vigilant while shooting.  So with hubby in tow I will have my camera with the extra set of eyes there to watch Elsa's where a bouts.

I hope you all have a great Sunday; enjoy the day out and about with your dog early then snuggle up to watch the game.  I would love to receive pics of everyone enjoying the game with the dog/dogs.  Send them to me either on my Facebook or at Sherri@justdogswithsherri.com   I will post all the images that I receive on a blog this week.  

Stay tuned for beach shots tomorrow.  

Ticks

I had a thoroughly disgusting run in with ticks last weekend and I am now waging war on the horrid creatures.  I have always known about ticks and taken several off of my dogs over the years but last weekend was a first.  Not only did they have ticks; they had lots and lots of ticks.  We just moved to CT where people confirmed "yep there are ticks."  But we were also told that we didn't have to worry at this time of year; so I was leaving my worrying for later on.  We were walking in a beautiful park that is right near our house; this was our third trip to this specific park.

The first time through the park we didn't seem to pick up anything; we had stayed mostly on the paved paths because we'd never been there but did see that there were natural paths through the entire park.  The next visit was glorious and covered with snow so of course I didn't worry about ticks.  Our visit last weekend was through one of those forest paths; it was quiet and beautiful.  We had only let the dogs off leash for a short time as it is very hilly and difficult to see who is around the corner.  Once we were done we hopped in the car and went home.

At home both my husband and I noticed two very tiny black dots on the top of Luke's neck; and at the same time we both said "better check that those aren't ticks."  Oh yes they were ticks.  I hate ticks, I mean really really hate.  I can deal with spiders, mice, lizards and even snakes, but not ticks, I despise the little parasitic things.  Even though they are very tiny they carry a great deal of danger with them.  Not only is there the risk of contacting Lyme's disease but lots of other diseases as well.

So after discovering that those specks were indeed ticks, the freaking began.  I don't get hysterical, it's more a  calm smoldering rage.  I took both dogs down to the grooming area and commenced to brush.  Over 15 ticks in all is what I found on the two dogs.  FIFTEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found the most on Elsa and they were already a good way down her coat.  I immediately put Frontline plus on Elsa but not Luke.  Luke is epileptic and the application alone could kill him.  I went over him with a fine tooth comb hoping I'd gotten them all.  Of course for days afterwards I've been scratching my own head with a major case of heebie jeebies.  Honestly, they should all just die; I see no good use for these vial creatures.

So several days later I have found an embedded tick in Luke's neck while grooming him.  I immediately pulled it out; treated his wound with neosporine and took the tick to the Greenwich Health Center where they will test ticks for Lyme and other diseases.  I have to wait until next week to see if it indeed was carrying Lyme.  The guy in the white coat told me that it did look like a female deer tick but we need to see what the test says about Lyme.  If it was infected then Luke will be treated with Doxycycline for approx. 30 days.  Depending on where you are and your vet the treatment may be different.  But it is treated with antibiotics for an extended period of time.

Catching it early is very important although sometimes you just cannot; you may not have ever known that a tick was even on your dog.  It may have latched on, ate for the full extension of their visit and dropped off leaving your dog.  Then the disease sets in and you may or may not notice the signs until they become more prevalent.  At this point it may be too far along to stop some chronic illnesses that your dog will suffer.

So you know, you or your dog cannot contact Lyme disease from another dog or human.  You must indeed be bitten by the infected bug itself.  After researching the subject of ticks the cause is a shift in the wildlife populations.  What the answer is to make it right is up for debate.  We have nearly rid the land of the large predators that prey on deer and used up much of the land in the forest where the deer use to live.  Now they must come into the lands where we live looking for food.  One thing is for sure, I say we band  together and eradicate ticks; they surely are waging a war against us and our dogs.

Ticks in Canada

University of Guelph information

Canadian Lyme disease foundation

Center for disease control and prevention

American Lyme disease foundation

Lime disease in dogs - CT Humane Society

A glimmer of concern

Over the years I have taught a great many dog owners about puppies and their level of concern.  "She doesn't even care if I get mad," or "she's just not getting it."  Puppies are carefree, happy go lucky, frolicking bunch in perpetual motion.  There are overly sensitive puppies or puppies with behavior issues who are not like this but I'm talking about the skipping, daisy picking, head to the wind with ears flapping types (like Elsa).  How do you portray a message to these types?  It's not easy, even when you deliver a message in anger they often wag and hop away leaving you even more angry.

It takes time and patience but it almost always happens.  I'm seeing it happen now; a glimmer of concern and I have to admit that I am loving it.  Elsa is an amazing puppy, she is confident, highly intelligent, very energetic and constantly on the move.  Now at almost 7 months old she is just starting to care so to speak.  Up until now if I got angry at her she would sort of look at me and shrug her shoulders as if to say "whatever," and be on her way.  As far as rewarding her with praise it was the same thing; she is far too busy to consider a pat on the chest as enough "pay" for doing something and again she was on her way.

This is very typical for puppies; and like I said there are of course those who are easy right from the start, like my Tilley.  So getting through to a puppy can be frustrating at best.  As far as error messages or feedback goes, it must be consistent; allowing a behavior because it doesn't seem to be sinking in can be a fatal error.  You are the leader, you must lead.

Connection is a huge factor; the act of bonding with your dog is ever important.  Once the "connection" begins it all becomes easier; that "whatever" attitude slowly turns to "oh no Mom is mad."   A bond is something that is continually growing; the more time you put in the more you will get out.  Bonding is give and take and once the puppy starts to give it is pretty amazing.  From there we all know what a connected relationship with a dog is like; there is nothing else like it.

In the reward aspect of all of this, food or high value item works with puppies.  You want to get a message across when you like a behavior?  Where's the money?  How many times do you think a puppy will come to you for a pat on the head, maybe two times.  Give them a piece of yummy food when they come and they will come forever.  There are puppies who are not food motivated and for those you must search for their item of motivation; perhaps a tennis ball, frisbee, tug toy or chew.

Once the glimmer begins it will continually grow as you work on your relationship.  The quiet moments where there are no distractions is when you can get some really great bonding in.  Just this morning I hauled the not so small Elsa onto my lap as everyone was starting their day.  We had a minute of snuggling and whisper discussion about the day ahead; it may seem small but it is some of the fuel that builds a lasting and caring relationship.

Excuse me Miss

Sitting in my xterra with my two poodles in the back; we were waiting for my son to come out of the CVS.  As usual I was having a discussion with my dogs about the weather, Luke's bath and ticks (blog on ticks later this week.) As I sat waiting I noticed a man speaking to I'm assuming his wife in a van parked behind me.  I had noticed her as soon as I came out of the store; of course because there was a dog in the van with her.  The two kept looking at my car; were they simply admiring Luke and Elsa in the back?  I mean, after all look how cute they are?  (just kidding)  Then the man took his hat off and headed our way.  As he got closer I figured he had a question about my guys.

He came up to my window and said "Excuse me Miss; I see that you work with dogs.  You don't happen to be a trainer are you?"  "Uhhh; yes in fact I am," I said.  Then he got right into it; he had a question and asked away. He had a dog, the one in the car that I had seen.  It was apparently a yorkie, it was a whopper of a yorkie.  The man continued with his story telling me that the dog was a rescue and had become very dog aggressive.  He had taken him to doggie daycare when he first got him and that is where things had changed.  He explained that he now goes ballistic at the mere thought of another dog walking by and had on several occasions lunged and latched onto other dogs.  "How do correct this behavior," he asked.  Wow.

Thinking I had about 2 min. to talk to this gentleman I tried to come up with the most important facts about dogs and aggression.  While I was doing my best to help the man I was also thinking that many people think that there are quick fixes for behaviors.  Of course depending on a behavior, how ingrained a behavior is and the owner of the dog will factor in on how long it will take to get rid of a behavior.  The slower you go the better your prognosis of success as far as I'm concerned.  Never taking the next step to a more difficult level before 100% completion with the task at hand.

Breaking behaviors down into baby sized steps is the way to go; both as far as your starting point and your work table.  You don't try to stop a full on aggressive display 5 min. into it, you work with it before it actually comes into view.  That first glimpse, before the dog tenses up; you get in there are get started before they get started.  No matter what behavior you are trying to teach; it is all about patience, positive reinforcement and goal.  You must have an idea of what you are working towards; if you have no idea then how the heck can you effectively teach your dog how to get there?

So with my son back in the xterra I tried to sum up the best "quick" advice I could give him; told him to be patient as it could be months of work to get where he wanted to be.  I wished him good luck and we head off.  When I had been giving the man some pointers I mentioned positive reinforcement; this obviously hit a cord with him as he smiled.  I knew then that he had been researching the cure for a while and had discovered that there were other ways other than just yanking on the collar; which in fact does absolutely nothing but damage a dogs neck.  "Ah yes positive reinforcement" he said, shadowing my statement.  This made me smile.

Changes

Our pack has changed; the inner workings of each and every pack are fascinating.  Small and large happenings can have a drastic impact on the day to day activities within a family of dogs.  As you all know we have lost two members in a very close time span; an almost unbearable event for the humans but how do our canine pack members deal?  The passing of our little Jessie was most definitely noted; all three remaining dogs searched quietly for the tiny pack member.  I could see them looking around corners and sniffing items that she might be behind.  But due to Jessie being hit with dementia over a year ago her absence had already started back in the beginning of 2011.  Physical and mental health plays a roll in a pack as well.

Jessie had been a force to be reckoned with; an ever presence very alpha bitch.  No one messed with her; they learned quickly who the canine boss was and what you were allowed and not allowed to do.  She was an amazing leader; she was calm and only jumped to action if things got out of control.  Having a small dog with so much presence, so much "big dog" attitude is fun just to watch.  The pack was multi-dimensional and I loved every second with them all.  But nothing ever stays the same.

I was at the beach yesterday with Luke and Elsa; it is strange for me to have only two.  One thing that has been interesting during these last weeks is the degree of interest in my packs shift.  When I talk to other dog folks they are very curious to hear how things have changed.  I realized that people want to learn about the passing of an old and the addition of a new; it can be a scary unknown if you've never dealt with either.  Anytime someone is added or taken away things can change drastically.

For us it has been a big change and that includes Luke.  Elsa has been dealt a softer blow by virtue of her age alone; she is resilient like most youngn's and can move on and adapt quickly and easily.  She most definitely noted the absence of Tilley; she had very much been like a Mother/mentor figure for her.  They were physically close; Elsa is a very touchy feely type and often chose to lay touching Tilley.  She had also taken to caring for Tilley; she cleaned her eyes, face and ears on a daily basis, their connection was undeniable.  But Elsa is fine and showing no negative signs of the loss.  I feel ever grateful that Elsa was able to share so many months with such an amazing roll model.

As for Luke; he is not doing as well as I had thought he would.  I assure you that he is okay and will be fine but he is displaying much more fallout than I had anticipated.  Having spent his entire life with both Jessie and Tilley it goes without saying that he is feeling the loss.  For at least a week after Tilley's passing he seemed okay; I did not see any signs that he was not dealing well.  It took a little over a week for him to realize that she was indeed gone.  Did he think she was just away?  Did he not notice right away due to the upheaval in his life with the move?  For whatever reason it took some time to sink in; then he displayed some seriously heartbreaking behaviors.

Luke has always been my shadow, from the moment he joined us we have basically been joined at the hip.  But he has also always been completely fine with me going out; I work hard at making them really okay with my absence.  So when we returned from dinner one night to hear Luke cry barking all the way from the car we were upset.  I thought that perhaps it was just due to the fact that we had gone out at night, a first here in the new house.  But the following day when I returned from the gym it was the same.  He was also displaying some nervous energy in regards to his following; it had become more clingy, less relaxed.  So the next time I went to leave the house I really noted his need for eye contact; his insecurity about my proximity to him.

It has been a tough time; I like to take my dogs out for one on one, especially the new ones.  But with the monumental events in our life it has been difficult most recently.  Imagine when Luke is feeling so insecure about the loss and move; taking Elsa out and leaving him behind, it is not an option.  So they have tagged along with me for a good week.  Then it was time to work on being at home; together but home.  So I have been going to the gym with no problems.  I leave the television on which has been a huge help; it typically is for any anxious or nervous dog.

I have yet to take Elsa out on her own since Tilley's passing; but we will get back to that.  She has had a huge amount of one on one time before our move and will again; but trying to deal with so many factors in an equation is tricky.  You must balance out the positive and negative; too much either way can lead to more behavior issues.  I am trying very hard to keep physical touch as it was, too much can make it even more difficult to deal with absence.   Even when we humans need more hugs than normal it is the dogs we must consider.  Lavishing hugs, kisses and snuggles feels good for everyone at the time but can lead to an almost unbearable void in your absence.

As we all know, dogs share far too little of our lives with us.  They pass through quickly, leaving a huge imprint on our heart.  Change is a fact of life; how we deal with that change will hugely impact how our dogs manage to deal with it all.  We must always be aware that change not only impacts humans but also our canine family and as such we must help them adjust.

Changes

Our pack has changed; the inner workings of each and every pack are fascinating.  Small and large happenings can have a drastic impact on the day to day activities within a family of dogs.  As you all know we have lost two members in a very close time span; an almost unbearable event for the humans but how do our canine pack members deal?  The passing of our little Jessie was most definitely noted; all three remaining dogs searched quietly for the tiny pack member.  I could see them looking around corners and sniffing items that she might be behind.  But due to Jessie being hit with dementia over a year ago her absence had already started back in the beginning of 2011.  Physical and mental health plays a roll in a pack as well.

Jessie had been a force to be reckoned with; an ever presence very alpha bitch.  No one messed with her; they learned quickly who the canine boss was and what you were allowed and not allowed to do.  She was an amazing leader; she was calm and only jumped to action if things got out of control.  Having a small dog with so much presence, so much "big dog" attitude is fun just to watch.  The pack was multi-dimensional and I loved every second with them all.  But nothing ever stays the same.

I was at the beach yesterday with Luke and Elsa; it is strange for me to have only two.  One thing that has been interesting during these last weeks is the degree of interest in my packs shift.  When I talk to other dog folks they are very curious to hear how things have changed.  I realized that people want to learn about the passing of an old and the addition of a new; it can be a scary unknown if you've never dealt with either.  Anytime someone is added or taken away things can change drastically.

For us it has been a big change and that includes Luke.  Elsa has been dealt a softer blow by virtue of her age alone; she is resilient like most youngn's and can move on and adapt quickly and easily.  She most definitely noted the absence of Tilley; she had very much been like a Mother/mentor figure for her.  They were physically close; Elsa is a very touchy feely type and often chose to lay touching Tilley.  She had also taken to caring for Tilley; she cleaned her eyes, face and ears on a daily basis, their connection was undeniable.  But Elsa is fine and showing no negative signs of the loss.  I feel ever grateful that Elsa was able to share so many months with such an amazing roll model.

As for Luke; he is not doing as well as I had thought he would.  I assure you that he is okay and will be fine but he is displaying much more fallout than I had anticipated.  Having spent his entire life with both Jessie and Tilley it goes without saying that he is feeling the loss.  For at least a week after Tilley's passing he seemed okay; I did not see any signs that he was not dealing well.  It took a little over a week for him to realize that she was indeed gone.  Did he think she was just away?  Did he not notice right away due to the upheaval in his life with the move?  For whatever reason it took some time to sink in; then he displayed some seriously heartbreaking behaviors.

Luke has always been my shadow, from the moment he joined us we have basically been joined at the hip.  But he has also always been completely fine with me going out; I work hard at making them really okay with my absence.  So when we returned from dinner one night to hear Luke cry barking all the way from the car we were upset.  I thought that perhaps it was just due to the fact that we had gone out at night, a first here in the new house.  But the following day when I returned from the gym it was the same.  He was also displaying some nervous energy in regards to his following; it had become more clingy, less relaxed.  So the next time I went to leave the house I really noted his need for eye contact; his insecurity about my proximity to him.

It has been a tough time; I like to take my dogs out for one on one, especially the new ones.  But with the monumental events in our life it has been difficult most recently.  Imagine when Luke is feeling so insecure about the loss and move; taking Elsa out and leaving him behind, it is not an option.  So they have tagged along with me for a good week.  Then it was time to work on being at home; together but home.  So I have been going to the gym with no problems.  I leave the television on which has been a huge help; it typically is for any anxious or nervous dog.

I have yet to take Elsa out on her own since Tilley's passing; but we will get back to that.  She has had a huge amount of one on one time before our move and will again; but trying to deal with so many factors in an equation is tricky.  You must balance out the positive and negative; too much either way can lead to more behavior issues.  I am trying very hard to keep physical touch as it was, too much can make it even more difficult to deal with absence.   Even when we humans need more hugs than normal it is the dogs we must consider.  Lavishing hugs, kisses and snuggles feels good for everyone at the time but can lead to an almost unbearable void in your absence.  

As we all know, dogs share far too little of our lives with us.  They pass through quickly, leaving a huge imprint on our heart.  Change is a fact of life; how we deal with that change will hugely impact how our dogs manage to deal with it all.  We must always be aware that change not only impacts humans but also our canine family and as such we must help them adjust.

Error marker

Correction:  punishment intended to reform, improve or rehabilitate, chastisement, reproof.

I try very hard not to use the term correction; in the most common understanding of the term it is a word associated to stopping a behavior.  Most of us learned that term correction was used to replace a collar yank, a choke collar "correction."  Being that the term itself has such a negative association I try very hard not to use it.  This is made easier by the fact that I do not give collar corrections to my own or others dogs who I am working with.

The only time I find myself using the term is when I see a "self correction."  I should start using the term "self error marker."  I love when this happens; a natural reaction is caused by an action performed by your dog without your interference.  This typically leaves a lasting impression; a lesson well learned so to speak.  A "self error marker," can happen at anytime and with any behavior.  The similarity to them all is that the marker is caused by some sort of behavior.

Yesterday we had perfect example of a "self error marker," happen.  Elsa was getting a tad out of control; she was getting over tired which is usually when she gets into trouble.  She was harassing Luke and after much ignoring of my redirection she chose to make one last dive at him at the exact same time as he decided to get off of the couch.  There was no anger intended by either; it was all circumstance.  As Elsa made a leap to pounce upon Luke he was in mid motion of getting off the couch and she crashed.  Elsa crashed to the floor; I watched it all unfold and watched her reaction to this "self error marker."  She made the smallest yipe; shook her head, stood looking at Luke at this time had finished his decent from the couch and was very nonchalantly looking at her.  I could tell that she thought that he was very serious, he had meant business this time.  She did a few double takes in Luke's direction and headed towards Mom for some reassurance.

This type of situation is actually highly desirable; a lesson given and learned without us, the owner having to be the bad guy.  I was nowhere near where it all came down and sat watching across the room so there was no negative association on me.  Once done Luke walk away calmly so Elsa was simply left with a "guess I pushed him a bit far lesson."

I remember a lesson that happened to a wild and crazy dog several years back.  It was just a dog in the park but the timing and delivery of the lesson was amazingly perfect.  It was a young male yellow lab who had spotted Luke from across the park and headed our way.  The owner was yelling and yelling for the dog to come back; the dog had no intention of going back.  I could see that the dog was only excited and not aggressive so I watched; there was actually little else to do.  It charged full speed, straight at Luke and was suddenly and instantly stopped and propelled up and backwards onto his back.  He his a soccer net that was right in his path; and being that he was so excited to get to Luke he had not seen it.  This was about as good as it gets.  He too stood up; shook it off, had a quick look around, looked at Luke and high tailed it back to his owner.  From the impact of that life lesson I believe it was probably the last time he charged off from his owner.

I have witnessed many, many "self error markers," over the years of training and they have always been a very welcome assistance to our normal training.  It's called life and sometimes life deals you lessons that you need to pay attention to.  

Getting through it

If you haven't already heard, I'm writing a book; I'm actually writing several, but this book is about my trip across the Country with my son and four dogs.  Getting through it has been difficult, it's like reliving it all over again.  But I will plod my way through and hopefully come out at the end less overwhelmed than I was after the real thing.  Below is an snippet from the book; these two paragraphs take place on the morning of our second day.  

Getting my book done is filling my days right now; I feel the need to get it done before I forget some of the key factors of it all.

*******************************

Leaving Flagstaff, AZ

As we left the meteor area driving once again through the middle of nowhere I really wanted to stop and let the dogs rip.   Looking out over the vast empty fields scattered sporadically with cattle I realized that this might be a no, no.  There were no fences anywhere so someone had to be keeping their eye on these cows.  We drove past many fields that were free of cattle and for as far as the naked eye could see there were no cows around.  I chose a spot that seemed to be perfect; we stopped and decided to let Luke and Elsa out for a tear.   The ground was frozen solid which was a very good thing as I realized that dirt beneath our feet was scattered with huge cow pies.  I wanted to let the dogs rip and rip is what they did.  So glad to be off leash in an open field it did my heart as much good as their bodies to see them soar. 

I knew it was too good to be true; within moments an SUV could be seen coming from the “meteor compound.”   The dog police (actually the cattle guard) were even out here in the middle of nowhere.  The SUV stopped short of my xterra and the woman in uniform got out.  She appeared as an ominous figure which freaked Elsa out so performing her best tough guy act she ran to protect her family.  I shouted before the Cattle Guard could say anything “guess you want us to leave?”  “Not allowed on this land, it’s privately owned.”  “The cattle ranchers own it, it’s private land.”  Heading back to the suv shaking my head I stated “yep we’re leaving, just wanted to let my dogs stretch their legs.”  I got the dogs into the xterra and climbed in myself leaving her talking to herself.  Not one other car had come down this road; there were miles and miles of cow free fields, really?

******************************************

It was a truly epic journey and I will do my best to share the adventure on paper with you all.  Stay tuned.  

Through my lens

Killer wolves??????????????????????????????????????

Last year at this time I had visited the California Wolf Center.  It was amazing and I got some wonderful photographs.  When we visited we were the only ones there; we had a private tour so I was able to ask away.  Of course I had a million questions; I wanted to know the truth to so many myths thrown around about wolf/dog behaviors.  I'm writing about wolves this morning because there is a new movie out; The Grey.  (The advertising before the teaser is Science Diet; one of the worst foods out there that I in no way support.)

I have not seen this movie "The Grey" and am not sure that I want to.  Liam Neeson is easily one of my favorite actors; if a movie features him then I'm likely going to see it.  But; this movie could be very detrimental to wolves, fallout hysteria.  I am a fan of The California Wolf Center on Facebook and this morning they posted an article from Global Animal Magazine; titled "The Grey:" - A Bad Fairy Tale About Wolves.  It is a good read; I had no idea that the numbers of wolves had risen, this is great news but the movie may be the undoing to a rise in numbers.

More than likely I would have seen the movie because of the leading man; even though when I saw the trailer on television I had my doubts immediately.  Everything looks great on the trailer, the actor, the scenery, the crash...............all but the pack of wolves out to kill everyone.   Once I read the opinion of director Joe Carnahan on wolves I will definitely not see the movie.  It is amazing that a movie can affect people but it will most definitely be fuel for those who would see harm come to wolves.  They could have easily substituted the wolves in the movie for some scary snow monster; I would have gone to see that for sure.

As I sit here in bed writing I am constantly aware of my own two dogs cozy and safe on my bed dreaming away.  When you love dogs; how can you not love wolves?  Our dogs have us to protect them; who is going to protect the wolves?  US.   Sadly I believe that this movie was a very bad selection for Liam Neeson; there will be fallout most definitely but after reading about the opinions of someone like the director I ask you to think twice before funding someone like this.

Killer wolves??????????????????????????????????????

Last year at this time I had visited the California Wolf Center.  It was amazing and I got some wonderful photographs.  When we visited we were the only ones there; we had a private tour so I was able to ask away.  Of course I had a million questions; I wanted to know the truth to so many myths thrown around about wolf/dog behaviors.  I'm writing about wolves this morning because there is a new movie out; The Grey.  (The advertising before the teaser is Science Diet; one of the worst foods out there that I know no way support.)

I have not seen this movie "The Grey" and am not sure that I want to.  Liam Neeson is easily one of my favorite actors; if a movie features him then I'm likely going to see it.  But; this movie could be very detrimental to wolves, fallout hysteria.  I am a fan of The California Wolf Center on Facebook and this morning they posted an article from Global Animal Magazine; titled "The Grey:" - A Bad Fairy Tale About Wolves.  It is a good read; I had no idea that the numbers of wolves had risen, this is great news but the movie may be the undoing to a rise in numbers.

More than likely I would have seen the movie because of the leading man; even though when I saw the trailer on television I had my doubts immediately.  Everything looks great on the trailer, the actor, the scenery, the crash...............all but the pack of wolves out to kill everyone.   Once I read the opinion of director Joe Carnahan on wolves I will definitely not see the movie.  It is amazing that a movie can affect people but it will most definitely be fuel for those who would see harm come to wolves.  They could have easily substituted the wolves in the movie for some scary snow monster; I would have gone to see that for sure.

As I sit here in bed writing I am constantly aware of my own two dogs cozy and safe on my bed dreaming away.  When you love dogs; how can you not love wolves?  Our dogs have us to protect them; who is going to protect the wolves?  US.   Sadly I believe that this movie was a very bad selection for Liam Neeson; there will be fallout most definitely but after reading about the opinions of someone like the director I ask you to think twice before funding someone like this.

strangers

Stranger = a person with whom you have no personal acquaintance.  A newcomer.

A stranger is a stranger for our dogs and as such are given the stranger treatment.  That treatment will vary vastly depending on the dog.  Many dogs treat strangers as if they are long lost family members; others are cordial but that's as far as it goes and then there are dogs who treat strangers as strangers.  We drill the message "don't talk to strangers," into our children's heads as youngsters; teaching them that you don't talk to people who you do not know.  But with our dogs we expect them to welcome strangers with open arms or legs as it is.  What's the deal?

We all want friendly dogs; we want everyone to think that our dogs are just the best dogs right?  Even the best of dogs reserve the right to pass judgement on those who they do not know.  In the beginning, way back when our dogs lived in wolf packs there was no such thing as a good stranger.  Strangers meant something bad; an invading member of rival pack perhaps or a wolf out for no good.  There were  no friendly strangers and all were dealt with by a fiercely united pack.

So what if you have a dog that is not so friendly with strangers?  You help them first to realize that strangers are not a bad thing.  Do not have strangers approach your dog if they don't want to be approached; this is the first step for your dog to realize that strangers are not out for them.  No eye contact, touching or talking to your dog.  Once your dog sees that strangers are not solely interested in them; things start to lighten up.  From there you can move to strangers come bearing gifts.  Still no eye contact, just treats offered from an open hand that is not reaching out.

When you meet a dog or enter into someone's home that has a dog you should remain neutral.  The dog will react how they will react and it is this that you need to gauge your greeting.  As much as I love dogs I do not greet dogs when I enter a home either for a shoot or training.  I watch the dog without looking at them and adjust my behavior accordingly.  Even dogs that are of guarding or aggressive nature will adjust their behavior to more appropriate if you are neutral.

One of the biggest mistakes that humans make when they meet dogs is to pet them; often even lavishing attention on them.  Depending on who is on the receiving end of this attention can send a situation in a very wrong direction.  Luke use to be a very competitive guy; he loved to intimidate when at all possible.  When someone came into our home and started petting immediately; he took that as a sign of weakness.  After all these strangers were paying Luke (the king) lavish attention, and they didn't even know him.  This to a dog means that they are conceding his status over them.  Once these lowly newcomers then attempted to take matters into their own hands by walking into our house; Luke found it necessary to remind them who he was and who's house this was.  The people were always shocked  "I was just petting him," they would state with a puzzled face searching for answers.  Ah yes; the human who does not understand canine.

Watch your dog interacting with strangers; their behavior will give you all the clues as far as what needs working on.   It may be a fear based behavior which typically escalates only when the human persists in a greeting.  There are dogs who will never be interested in meeting strangers; that is fine as well, they are good with their pack and don't need anyone else in their life.  Listen and watch; our dogs really do give us all we need as far as the information that we need.