Have a great Sunday; see you all tomorrow morning.
Sunday
Have a great Sunday; see you all tomorrow morning.
Have a great Sunday; see you all tomorrow morning.
Take your dog
With all of this crazy weather lately I been thinking about how so many dogs are left behind in emergency situations. Take Katrina; how many dogs were left behind to fend for themselves? In Southern California's big fires there were many dogs were left behind. There are always stories of people running for the hills without their dog; I simply don't get it. I understand when there are times when it is every man for themselves; things are unfolding too quickly to gather anything but yourself. But there are times when the whole family gets together and heads out as one but without the dog.
Everyone should have a plan; in an emergency, take your dog. Never, ever leave your dog behind. This might mean that you are forced to sleep in your car for a night or search longer to find somewhere that will take both your family and your dog. I keep extra leashes in my car and collars. If I ever had to pile them in during an emergency situation I want to make sure that there are collars and leashes. How many stories do we see on television where people left without their dog or dogs? Don't do it.
Its not only emergency situations when dogs are left; many people losing their homes for financial reasons are abandoning their dogs. Can you imagine picking up and moving but leaving your dog? I most definitely cannot. There is no reason for leaving a dog behind in this situation. Losing a home is heartbreaking and often the last straw in a very sad chain of events but leaving the dog behind without thought of their safety or well being is just not okay.
Be prepared; have a meeting place and go over the plan often with your family. Things happen and when they do; do not forget about your furry family members. Take your dog.
For those of you who are in the path of the tornados; stay safe.
TGIF
Its Friday once again and like most of you, I'm glad to see the end of the week. We had a couple of rainy days this week which is no fun with a 7.5 mos. old puppy; a high energy one at that. She is always on the go; she is a "why walk when you can run?" sort of girl. So keeping her occupied can be a challenge on a rainy day. With the rain I've been trying to finish my book PBJ & me. I will do that today; it has been an adventure writing it, like living the original all over. I will wrap it up today and then ship the last part to my editor. From there I will reread the entire thing and then it's off to the printer and will be available for whomever would like to read it. I'm very excited to be so close to finishing because I've got more books to write.
Wednesday it was pouring; the idea of bringing the dogs to the beach was not a great one. Just imagine two giant sponges. So we did indoor games. Elsa played with her Kyjen toy for a bit then when she was done with that she pestered Luke until he gave in a played. They played for a good hour, amazing to see him at 11.5 years old playing like this. I really wanted to get to my book so I went on a hunt to find the KONG I have several versions around the house but was looking for the original. This thing has been in our home for years and years. I can't even remember when I bought it; it might have been way back when with Mandy, my airedale.
So I got the Kong, dug through my homemade cookies to find the exact one. I took the perfect sized cookie, squeezed the Kong as hard as I could and jammed the cookie inside. A tiny piece was sticking out of the large end, just enough to entice. I threw it onto the dog bed for Elsa and that was that. I was amazed how long that thing occupied her for. She was at it for at least an hour until her eyes slowly started to shut. Of course they weren't shut for long, the moment I make a move she's awake and following me. "What are we doing now Mom?"
The rain was still coming down yesterday and with the grass as soggy as grass can be, chuck it games were out of the question. I sat looking at the dogs looking at me. They followed me upstairs, downstairs, into the kitchen and back to the computer. They wanted to go somewhere. The beach? Really? It was cold and raining, not pouring like the day before but more like drizzle. They gave me those eyes and I folded. "Do you want to go to the beach?" I asked them. Immediately they both ran to the steps that lead down to the front door; standing in anticipation and looking back at me.
I'm glad they talked me into it because it was one of our best beach trips ever. It was cold with a constant drizzle, the wind had kicked up which meant not many had ventured to the beach. When we arrived there were three dogs on the beach; two other 7 mos. olds and a older lab. The dogs had a blast and seeing Elsa run with the other two puppies was like seeing the sun come out. She ran with an Italian Spinone and a Boxer/Poodle mix (first I've seen).
Luke wandered around, he watched the young ones playing and joined in a couple of times. They played hard for a good half hour, Elsa even got rolled several times playing so hard with the other pups. Then Luke caught sight of a PWD down the beach and wandered down to say hi. Elsa and I said our good byes to the young ones and went to join Luke. The Portuguese Water Dog was doing some retrieving practice and as Elsa ran up she jammed on her brakes; not sure if this all black dog was friendly. She is very good at reading other dogs and never runs in before making sure.
She was a nice PWD but not into playing so we chatted a bit with the owners and then set off to the parking lot. I knew that Elsa would be completely crashed later on. We got home, blew all the sand out of their coats with my forced air dryer (which I could not live without now) and had breakfast. That was that, two sleeping dogs for hours while I worked on my book. Glad they hauled me out to the beach.
I hate this dog
"I hate this dog." "This dog is driving me nuts." "What's wrong with this dog?" These are all phrases that I've heard far too often. Much of the time the owner is completely at fault. For lack of a better term, they failed. They never trained their dog, never gave them an education, were absent through the formative months and now have a dog that was left to their own devices, to figure out life on their own. Other reasons that I hear these statements are that the wrong dog is in the wrong home. This again can have many different angles; many distinctive causes that lead to the same result.
When we look at the all of the dogs in the world there are so many to choose from. More often than not, prospective new owners see a breed that catches their eye. Not that the dog was acting perfectly, had an amazing temperament or inner quality that they loved but by their outward appearance. Perhaps it looked like a tough type dog, maybe it was as cute as a button, distinguished in appearance or scary looking. I have often told people when I was out and about with Jessie that they did not want a Jack Russell. "She's so cute," they would state when they met her. They'd seen several on television and thought for sure that this was the dog for them. After several quick and easy questions I would inform them that they really did not want one.
How many dogs and owners lead a life of frustration because they are mismatched? A lot. Sadly there are dogs that come and go, breeds that are fashionable; the "in" dog to have. Herding dogs are a big problem when put into the wrong life. I have worked with many "herding" breeds that were absolutely amazing dogs; the problem was that all of their spectacular herding talents were high up on the undesirable traits in this particular family that had chosen them as their dog. A nice little family, living in a quaint new development with 2 children and no yard. They desperately wanted a dog and loved the look of the beautiful Australian Shepherds that they saw on television. Not surprisingly it isn't working out.
These problems are not exclusive to purebred dogs; on no, there are mixed breeds that end up in the wrong places as well. Even shelter or rescue dogs can end up somewhere that they should not be. I've seen many people looking for their next wonderful dog at a shelter or adoption event; they are looking at all the different dogs and stop on the one with two different colored eyes. "This one, I want this one;" the woman says to her husband. They take their new dog home; the one that was the cutest and most unusual looking. After only weeks of living together the woman is ready to throw in the towel. The puppy is so high energy and with such a elevated degree of intelligent that the she simply can't cope.
I worked with a family where the Dad had wanted a huge Alaskan Malamute. He'd seen them somewhere on his travels and thought that it would be a perfect fit. Unfortunately he called me after the fact; his very large male was 10 months old, living in the backyard but running the household. He had too much energy, too much attitude, a very dominant temperament and a tiny yard to release it all. It was a sad situation because he was simply in the wrong place with the wrong family. The house keeper who's job it was to care for this big boy was petrified of him. It was an accident looking to happen.
Sadly there are times when people think they want a dog and even after acquiring one, they really do love it. But they work long hours, they socialize long hours and truly don't have time for a dog. The dog is left alone to figure it all out. An alone dog is a sad dog; often labelled a bad dog. They have no guidance, no companionship, no energy outlet, nothing. So they make do as dog will and for that they are bad. It may not be that it is the wrong dog; it is just a dog with needs that are not being met. The same dog in a different environment might be a superstar; perhaps with some training and guidance they could be paired perfectly.
Dogs are work, a lot of work and when people get a dog as a "token" object it does not work out. A family can be complete without a dog (of course not my family); not all families need a dog. Many families should never have a dog; it just is not a fit.
Dogs have personalities, different temperaments, varied levels of drive and intelligence; they are by no means a one size fits all.
These are a few of my favorite things
Probably one of my absolute favorite things is to walk with my dogs. I of course enjoy doing this off leash if possible but if not I will enjoy the on leash version. Not surprisingly, there are not a lot of photos around of me with my dogs; I am after all the one behind the camera most of the time. But now and then my husband grabs the camera or shoots with his phone. These photos are a couple of the few that are around of me with the dogs.
There is a certain feeling of calm when you are out walking with your dogs.
Witnessing your pack have fun is fun in itself.
The simple joy of enjoying each other
I often see people out walking alone, without dogs; a most foreign and lonely concept.
Sharing the magic.
A dog by my side. Does it get any better?
The little one learning the ropes on our walk.
Heel..............really?
My son heeling with Tilley, many years ago. This photo was used for an article on Positive Reinforcement published in Off Lead & Natural Pet Sept 2005
As I said in yesterday's blog, I'm going to write about an incident at the beach and elaborate on it. We'd had our fun on the sand and were heading back to the car when to my left I heard a commotion. I stopped and glanced over; what I saw was a man having a fit at his dogs, one in particular. He was walking two large and boisterous Golden Retrievers, it looked like two males but I'm not sure of that. The man was yelling very angrily; then he stopped, yanked on his dogs really harshly and slapped one on the rear. When I first noticed him he was yelling "heel, heel, heel." Now I can almost guarantee that neither of the dogs knew what heel meant.
Does your dog know what heel means? I cannot count the number of times that I've asked this question. It is so funny to see people shouting out "heel, heel, heel" when their dog has no idea what heel means. I use to run into a gentleman walking or being dragged I should say by his two dogs at the park. As he walked by and his dogs lunged at Luke and I he would shout, "stay, heel, stay, heel." I always walked by laughing to myself. When someone shouts out an untrained heel command in attempts to get some sort of control and they are usually very frustrated.
FACT: Dogs do not come to us loaded with the knowledge of a great heel.
Heel is one of the tougher behaviors to teach; it is not a simple act like sitting or lying down. It is continual and they must learn to stay at your side as you move about. Not only must they follow along in the appropriate position; they must also sit when you stop. This means that they need to being paying attention; this is probably one of the most difficult things to teach.
Watching the man at the beach in such a state of fluster and frustration sucks the fun out of it all. When I get to the beach I expect bad behavior; not crazy bad but over excited bad, heck we're at the beach. The dogs know what the beach is, they know that fun is just down the sandy walkway. I do not allow them to drag me to the beach and I do demand control; out of control dogs are never good. We make frequent stops on our walk to the beach, they sit and get a treat. The dogs must sit before being released and wait for their release word. But all of this is work, hard work that takes a great deal of patience, calm and time.
When someone becomes flustered by their dogs behavior it fuels the dogs excitement. The owner is in fact displaying the same unruly behavior that the dogs is. The owner needs to get a grip before they can attempt at a grip with their dog. Now, asking your dog to heel when they have had no heel training is just ridiculous. I am currently working on heel with Elsa, it is tough work. We are working in non distraction areas still and will move to minor distractions once she is more solid. I'm not much of a heel walker myself; as long as my dogs are not pulling, I'm happy. But I teach heel because I like them to know that being by my side is a good thing. I also teach my dogs to go to heel position when they are away from me. I often use the "finish" and "swing" when out with my dogs. Both are behaviors where your dog learns to go to your side.
The fact that this man had Goldens with him and was losing it was even sadder. Goldens are extremely intelligent; I often tell Golden owners to just give their dog the obedience book and let them read it. They learn quickly and are typically very happy to comply. If you do not take the time to teach your dog how to act then you cannot expect anything but a lack of knowing how to act appropriately. If you have not educated your dog how to walk by your side under high distraction environmental surroundings then DO NOT ask for something that is just going to frustrate both you and your dog. Looking for obedience at this point is futile.
The beach
Ahh the beach, it takes but one trip to the beach to collect several blogs worth of behavior material. Yesterday was no different; there was a wealth of happenings to talk about.
Driving down the narrow roadway and slowing our speed; we crossed the whine zone. This is when the almost inaudible sound is emitted by Luke. The tiniest of cries can be heard, but only if you are listening for them. It almost like a heavy exhaled breath with a whistle on it. Even though he knows long before we get to the narrowing road that we are going to the beach, he waits for close proximity to start the whining. I think the point of crying is the spot where he is beginning to lose it; the reality of our destination is simply too exciting.
Once we finally get to the beach the dogs must wait to be hooked up and then we head out. They are so excited that they can barely contain themselves. Through the fenced sandy path we finally get to the open beach and have a look around. We usually enter midway so that we can choose either left or right. Luke is released first and runs out; turning around, he waits for Elsa's release. She has learned that she must get enough control of herself to sit first, then wait for me to calmly unhook her. As she's free the two run off some steam immediately.
Next it's onto socializing, being the weekend yesterday there were way more dogs than during the weekdays. There was a large pile of dogs to the left, too many for my liking so we steered them away from that crowd and moved right down the beach. I chucked Elsa's ball for her and she charged off after it with a feisty Jack Russell going for it alongside her. The Jack made it first scooping up Elsa's ball; but not only did this little munchkin steal the ball, she told Elsa off as well. She ran down the beach with Elsa in hot pursuit. The tiny albeit mighty Jack was leaping and growling at Elsa and Elsa gave it right back at her. After all this was Elsa's ball; and the little dog was being quite nasty about the acquisition. It was the first time I've seen Elsa get angry at all. Finally the Jack decided that the angry ball of fur wasn't worth the effort and dropped the ball. Elsa scooped it up immediately and we moved on.
We ran down some great open beach until we came across a huge big lab mix digging a hole. There was a small Manchester terrier looking mix leaping around the labs head barking and barking. It was all in good fun and the lab didn't seem to mind the enthusiastic commotion from the obviously much younger dog. The big lab stopped long enough to say hello to both Luke and Elsa and went back to his hole. I am always very cautious around dominant males as Luke tends to draw attention to himself being the confident guy that he is.
We passed a herd of dachshunds which Luke took the time to meet. There was also a large black hairy dog in the mix that Luke went to say hi to as well. Luke is a very social guy, he is very confident but not a fighter. He carries himself accordingly, he has a high and proud stature and because of it is often challenged. More often than not he will simply walk away, he's much more a lover than a fighter. When pushed he will not back down, but he will never throw the first punch.
As we head further down the beach we lingered in some alone time. We had a big stretch to ourselves and quickly enjoyed it before we had company. Glancing over my shoulder to the left I saw a Rhodesian coming our way, a very large and very dominant female. She locked eyes onto Elsa, tail high with a slow but deliberate pace. "Oh, oh, she's going to give her a lesson" I thought to myself. None of this hopping around the beach like a butterfly. Elsa ran over cautiously, wagging like crazy she was obviously not what the grouchy old girl was looking for as she turned her gaze past Elsa to Luke.
She redirected her steely stare to Luke; he noticed immediately and approached her just as slow and upright. They met standing neck to neck; rare for a male/female encounter but she obviously owned this beach and was going to let everyone know. I watched for a second before calling Luke; standing too long in this position can not lead to anything positive. You could feel the tension; Luke was not backing down to any girl on the beach. Being the lighthearted guy that he is; he bounded off in my direction when I called him. You could almost see the grin on his face as he kicked sand in her face as he left.
In most everything that I do; I try to always "quit while I'm ahead." So with a wonderful trip to the beach we started towards the car; but not before running into another bunch of dogs. There were three dogs coming our way, a beagle mix, a scruffy sand colored terrier mix and one that I could not make out. From a far the shape resembled a small Vizsla; but the color was wrong, it was white. The tail was docked so it was most likely a breed but it had me stumped. As they got closer I was shocked to see that it was indeed a poodle, go figure. I never see poodles shaved down like this.
She immediately let Elsa know that there were to be no niceties. She froze and growled deeply; Elsa quickly hopped away happily. Luke approached her cautiously seeing right away that she was not the warm and fuzzy type. She gave him the same message and he too turned and followed Elsa off happily down the beach. We had a quick chat with owner; she said the dog was actually a labradoodle, it certainly looked like a poodle. I guess the woman had got her when she was older but her tail was docked and she looked exactly like a poodle. The dog growled at my hubby so we took that as our final cue to leave.
Walking through the parking lot to my xterra I was stopped by a commotion. A man was walking his two very large Goldens to the beach. He was yelling at them and stopped to yank on one, screamed closer to the dogs ear and slap him on the rear. Hmmmmmmm (Blog tomorrow on this) Have a great Monday everyone.
leave it
Tilley waiting anxiously for the "okay."
Luke of course would not think of taking the sausages off of my plate; he is far to wise an old man now. Elsa on the other hand would love nothing better than to snatch my plate of food and scarf it down. The fact that she is learning to have food in such close proximity to her and not eating it is amazing. Especially for a dog like Elsa as she gets those intense sheep herding eyes on around food.
This morning I did not use any verbal commands or cues; I simply put the plate of food down and expected that she not touch it. She is learning quickly. Of course if I turned my back for a second she'd probably go for it but she is only 7 months old. We like to eat dinner or snacks while watching movies in the family room; this means that our coffee table is often filled with easily accessible food. It makes for great training sessions but you must be on high alert at all times.
Saying the word.
Do you mean it? You said it; but are you serious? If you're not then forget about your dog listening to you. Often when we make rules and regulations we sometimes let things slide; but there are a few behaviors that should never slide. One of the least trained behaviors is "leave it. It is essential that each and every dog be taught and understand what "leave it" means. It's not easy for some; those who are not into sharing or have a high drive can find it difficult. But all dogs can learn and perfect the "leave it."
The secret to this particular behavior is to make not taking something a good thing. In the beginning of the training you are going to make it easy; really easy. Dogs learn very quickly when they have success; so the most infinitesimal progress will be rewarded. The leave it verbal cue is to be used before your dog picks something up in their mouth. So if your dog already has an item in their mouth; you would use "drop" or "drop it" which I covered a couple of days ago. To teach the "leave it" behavior you begin by putting a low value item in one hand. In your other hand that is held behind your back you will have reward treats. The item that you are going to have your dog leave can be a toy; but preferably food, if your dog likes food that is. Before opening your hand and putting it in front of your dog you say firmly "leave it." You cannot allow your dog to take the item at anytime; you have to have really fast reflexes.
If your dog attempts to take it; close your hand quickly around the item and pull it away. I also use ahhahh in a deep tone. Then try again; remember to say "leave it" first. If your dog does not take the item for a split second; praise and reward with a piece of food that you had in your other hand behind your back immediately. Once they leave it for a second they catch on very quickly. Dogs learn that they just need to sit there and not take the food and you will keep rewarding them for it; simple. At that point you make it harder and harder; first switch hands, this usually throws them as the delivery hand now becomes the no no hand.
Leave it video
Once they can do both hands then you move your hand down until it is on the ground to do the exercise. Most dogs loose it here as well; typically food on the floor is fair game. Be very on guard; if they actually get the food out of your hand then it is much harder to get your point across. Next you are going to say " leave it," put the food on the ground and your hand an inch away. Reward again for a second of not taking the food. Practice this throughout the day at short intervals and only progress to the next step when you have success at each.
The goal is to be able to drop food on the ground and have your dog not grab it. If you practice the leave it behavior often enough and make it beneficial enough for your dog; you may have a dog that never grabs for food dropped on the floor. A typical response then turns to attention on you and waiting for the okay. "Leave it" is an amazingly useful behavior; you can use it for many different situations once it is second nature. I will often use it when Luke and I are walking by a pushy type male dog; this averts a leash aggression issue.
For dogs who have an obsessive behavior for a particular object; this takes a lot of work to get to the "leave it" stage. Tilley was very obsessive for tennis balls or anything that might be tossed so that she may chase and retrieve it. But with hard work; she learned to leave a tennis ball and even a frisbee, even when tossed. It is very important to get a handle on obsession in dogs; "leave it" can make the task a bit less daunting.
Giving your dog an education is never a waste; each and everything that you teach your dog makes it that much easier to teach the next lesson. And this one really comes in handy.
Game time
Last Tuesday a box arrived at our door; I hoped it would be "the toy," and it was. We had been sent a Kyjen dog toy to try out and review. I was very excited to see if it would keep Miss Elsa occupied and happy. It was a couple of days until I really got to give it a try; I read the directions first (which I don't typically do). Seemed pretty simple, straight forward.
Knowing that Elsa would be very interested in getting the kibble out of the toy I skipped the introduce, treat step. I filled the compartments, put it on the floor and sat back with my camera. Luke had a look first and as I suspected, he went and lay down to watch.
Elsa had a look see; but it didn't take her long to get started. She knew what was inside the toy, now she just had to figure out how to get it out.
She licked at the hole in the yellow flap and actually got a piece out with her tongue. Beginners luck, with getting a kibble out of the hole she continued to lick it for a bit. When another one did not appear she started to nudge, this was probably less than a minute after the first kibble she got through the hole.
She'd figured the flap thing out.
The flap creates an obstacle of sorts to eat around. It doesn't open all the way which I like because otherwise she would eat the treats too quickly.
She slops some onto the carpet and ate those up.
Check to see if there were anymore in there.
And moved around to the next compartment.
Remembering that she got a kibble out of the hole she started with that first again. After producing nothing out of the hole she started to nudge.
So this was the trick.
Then I made it harder; I turned the red piece around to cover up the yellow flap. The red piece has a hole in it as well. She was stumped for just a second.
She began to lick the hole in the red piece. When that didn't work to produce any goodies she quickly pushed it out of the way.
The red piece must be moved correctly or the yellow flap will not open.
Back to the yellow flap she tries licking again.
She never gave up and kept at it until all the food was gone.
Here she is trying to lift the yellow flap without moving the red piece first.
She got a bit over anxious and flipped it over. It actually does produce some of the treats falling out of the hole but only one at a time. I turned it back over then.
After getting the last few pieces of food out of the toy I filled it up again and let her do it all over. I didn't want to do the review until I had given her another chance to use it on a different day. So this morning I got it out and let her at it again. She really seems to enjoy using the game and does not look for assistance. She knows what to do and gets the job done.
It is an owner/dog interactive toy; this is not a toy to just hand over and leave. This toy should be used while you are there. You need to move the red piece around for those smarty pants types and put it right side up when and if they flip it over. Once all the food is gone you either need to put the toy away or fill it again.
This Treat Triad would be a very useful toy for those dogs who scarf down their food too fast. It also breaks up the monotony of eating out of a bowl day in and day out.
Young dogs can require a great deal of variety in their activities; this is a great one. Elsa figured it out very fast as I knew she would; some other dogs may be challenged by this. For Elsa, keeping her focused enough to remember how she got the food is great for her control.
I offered it to Luke again today to see if he might just give it a try. He stared at it, so I opened the flap. He ate some of the food out of it and then I closed the flap. He stared at the flap, stared at me, stared at the flap, stared at me. He wanted me to open it so that he could eat the food inside. Luke has never been one to offer any behavior that he is not asked for. I knew that he would not use this.
But Elsa loves it and I plan to use it often. I will put different items in it for her and make it harder by tightening the red piece on the top. The toy is lightweight so flipping it is easy; but once they realize how to get the food out of the flaps, they quickly realize that flipping doesn't work nearly as well as lifting the flap.
Cool toy.
GGGGGGGRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Yesterday I thought that it was time to take Elsa out on her own. She's spent many a morning and afternoon out with Mom alone but that was before we moved. Since moving and losing two of our canine family members Luke was exhibiting some separation anxiety. What a heart string pulling behavior with all the loses that he has had to overcome. So we did everything together for a while. I've been wanting to get back to my usual routine for a while but haven't felt that it was the right time until yesterday.
I tried very hard to slip out but there is really no slipping with Luke, he is my constant shadow and always has been. So being that Elsa is my second shadow we head down stairs as I told Luke to wait and I'd be back soon. He stopped in his tracks as Elsa and I went to the front door. I quickly harnessed her up and exited. It is so very important to have one on one time with your dogs; especially the young ones. I cannot stress how essential it is. And if you happen to have two puppies at the same time? Alone time is even more important, it cannot be something that you will get around to. You must get them out alone at least 3-4 times a week.
Being alone helps to create a very tight bond as well as allow each dog to be all that they can be. They cannot go through life having back up and heaven forbid if anything happened to one, they must be able to cope. This is why I have always loved having three dogs; I could take one out and never had to leave one alone at home, they always had someone to hang with.
So, Elsa and I were headed to downtown Greenwich for some much needed "people" time. She's been to the beach and socialized with dogs a ton so we needed some humans to visit. She has already done lots of people socializing but you can never do too much of that. Being that she has spent a great deal of time off leash doing what she wants, basically running willy nilly at the beach we were going to work on obedience around humans.
We got there and started right away, she acts very differently away from Luke. She is much better when she is alone which is very normal for most dogs. We were heading to our second block when we ran into a couple with a black lab. They warned us not to go the way that we were headed. Their very friendly lab was standing hunched over and trembling like crazy. They told me that two dogs had just attacked him badly; they were up ahead and she described them for me. Being the very protective Mom that I am I obviously decided to turn around. I wanted to ask the couple what had happened but Elsa was doing her jumping bean routine which the obviously shaken Labrador did not need at the moment. They did tell me that the dogs had been leashed, that was a good thing.
Elsa and I headed up the way we had came; crossed the street and ran into the most wonderful kids. Two little girls and a caregiver; the girls were maybe 10 and 8 stopped and asked if they could visit with Elsa, YES. She adored every second with them and they with her. They told me about their dog at home; Pippin, a Portuguese water dog. They could not stop touching Elsa's coat, it is pretty amazingly soft right now which is why I have yet to take it off. We talked to these girls for a nice long time and then they went on their way; not before thanking me and telling us to have a wonderful day, great kids.
I then decided to load Elsa back into the car in case the attacking dogs were on their way back. Having your dog attacked can do such a great deal of damage; not only physically but emotionally. You can be left with a dog aggressive dog after an attack or a severely fearful dog. There are all sorts of fall out behaviors that can come from a bad attack. Although I did not witness the attack it was obvious from the literally shaking dog and the fact that the owners and passers by were checking the dog for puncture wounds that it had been severe.
This sort of thing is unacceptable; people know whether their dog is friendly or not. If not then keep them away from other dogs; tell people this fact. I don't know how many times I told owners that were coming my way that Jessie WAS NOT FRIENDLY. She was a very dominant female and thought nothing of giving other dogs a good lesson or two about who the reigning Queen was. If you have a very dog aggressive dog or two then you need to work with them in a safe environment. You must find a training facility that works with aggressive dogs and has other dogs to use as guinea pigs. You CANNOT use the general public to work and practice with; that is if you are trying to work on the issue at hand.
I was really mad, I'd finally left Luke at home alone and for what? At least we had got in some good kid socializing which is also imperative. But our trip was cut way short. As we head back to the car I saw a woman with a boxer that she was preparing to take out of her car and walk. I gave her the same heads up that the couple with the lab had given me. She thanked me and said she was going home to walk her dog.
kids and dogs
I had the dogs at the beach again yesterday; it was a great day, no grouchy dogs, no grumpy owners. Elsa ran and ran and ran; Luke did his normal wandering the beach socializing with everyone. It was a quiet day being that it was a Wednesday and the kids were back in school. The first dog we came across was a Puggle; (Beagle, Pug mix) they are a very popular "designer dog" these days and I see a lot of them. Back in Southern California there were even more than here but out of a handful of dogs at the beach yesterday; two were Puggles. The mix of a Beagle and a Pug look much like a long legged, larger eared pug.
I talked to the first Puggle owner for a while, her boy was a big one, hefty with more of a pug body. We discussed how they look very similar; almost all the Puggles I've seen look much alike. Then another Puggle showed up, he looked a bit different; mostly it was his color. He was not the typical fawn color like a Pug but more a tan/honey color. His body was much leaner, like that of a beagle. But this second Puggle had drive and ball obsession. He had his own balls and his owner had her own Chuck it but it was my balls and my chuck it that he was interested in. I could see that it had become a problem behavior.
We head down the beach and ran into a woman with a stroller; on the beach? I don't know how she was pushing that thing across the sand. She had with her a little girl, maybe two years old and two very boisterous Golden Retrievers. Elsa saw the dogs and ran to them immediately, she really seems drawn to Goldens and completely forgets about her ball while playing with them. I was still fairly far away, the sand is that deep type that is tough to walk in but I could see the little girl and started to worry right away.
It amazes me when people bring small children to the dog beach or park and allow them to wander around. I can't tell you how many people I know who have had their knee dislocated by a brawling pack of dogs. When dogs become totally involved with playing and running you have to keep your eyes peeled. They can run full force into you without blinking an eye; leaving you flat on your ass.
My dogs are kid friendly; but not all dogs are. Many dogs are freaked out by children. One of the biggest issues for me is that the little girls face was directly at dog face level for most of the dogs that were in attendance. I think children and dogs are wonderful together, every kid deserves a dog or two. BUT; there must be a great deal of supervision when it comes to dogs and children. I do not think that babies or toddlers belong at the dog park or beach. I don't think that it is safe, there is simply too much running around in giant balls of dogs.
Even a bunch of very friendly dogs could do a great deal of damage to a toddler wandering around. The Mother of the little girl wisely told her daughter not to open her cookie box while all the dogs were around; which was very smart. But it only takes a fraction of a second for something bad to happen. Toddlers are so wobbly to start with and not at the right level at all for safety. Dogs can get wound up and jump on a child before you can do anything about it.
You could see that the child had no fear of dogs at all; but she also had no hovering from her Mother. I was on edge the entire time we were around the little one. Small dogs were jumping on the little girl and the large ones were speeding by in a big game of chase. One of those big ones was Elsa and I worried that she might slam into the little girl. After a few minutes I grabbed Elsa's chuck it; waved it in front of her and got her attention away from the Goldens. We head off away from the little girl down the beach.
Dogs and children can be wonderful together but there must be a high degree of supervision. Without strict surveillance, accidents happen. Having always had dogs and children we lived with a lot of baby gates and rules. If the dogs were playing, the kids were up on the couch or in another room and that was just with our own dogs. I do not think that small children or babies should be at the dog park or beach. I think it is an accident waiting to happen. There is enough to watch with just your own dogs interacting with strange dogs let alone adding a small child to the mix.
Chubs
First; how do you know if your dog is overweight? Feel for ribs, you should be able to feel each rib. Each rib should feel like it has a neoprene covering, not dough, just a thin layer of neoprene. If you have to dig to feel them, your dog is fat. I know, it can be a difficult thing to acknowledge but the sooner you acknowledge it the sooner you can get to work at getting it off.
There has been a video floating around the net lately of a hugely obese dog. It is very sad and the people who took this dog in are working to get the weight off. An obese dog is no laughing matter, it is a serious one indeed. Although they are attempting to take weight off of the dog; the damage may have already been done. Having an overweight dog is serious; they run the risk of all sorts of weight related health issues.
It is sad to see a dog waddling around, every breath seems like a challenge. Too much weight can be the end of normal dog activity. They can't run and play like the other dogs. Overweight dogs are at risk from many factors that involve carrying too much weight on their structure. Jumping can be dangerous as their joints take a toll with extra weight. Their vital organs suffer from over taxing from their mass and day to day activities can be a huge chore. Many overweight dogs become arthritic well before their senior years. Obesity can rob a dog of their young and active years, in fact it can rob years off of their life.
A fat dog is a serious health risk, some of the issues which surround obesity are:
Early arthritis
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Heart problems
Repiratory Disease
Ligament injuries
Kidney disease
Cancer
A shortened life expectancy
The list goes on and on. Not only is there a high risk of the above listed diseases but the simple fact that weight will interfere with their normal life.
Dogs do not get fat on their own; humans create fat dogs. Too much of a good thing is often a bad thing. Too much food, too many snacks, free feeding, the wrong food or foods and not enough exercise is what it comes down to. Many dogs eat the proper amount of food, that is for an active dog. My own Tilley has now at 14 years of age had her food intake cut in half. She only has a very small walk a day and a couple of tosses of the ball, she doesn't need as much food anymore. Any extra pound is just something that she has to haul around on her aging frame.
I remember over a year ago when I had to carry Tilley up and down the stairs for about 3 months. It was a big eye opener, my knees were hurting and I realized that if I gained 44 lbs this is what I would feel like hauling myself up and down the stairs.
Of course there are health reasons why a dog cannot lose weight just like with humans. That is for another blog. If you have taken your dog to the veterinarian and they have gotten a clean bill of health other than too much food, then you have work to do.
But you must take it slow, you have a dog that is not only too heavy but also out of shape. You cannot turn it around in a day. Small walks and cutting back food to start. Work up the distance and intensity as your dog slowly sheds the pounds. Dogs actually lose weight very quickly when they have a change in activity level and food consumption.
I know many people feel that they should give lots of goodies to their dog because they love them. If you really love your dog, take them out for a walk. Feed them the highest quality food that you can and set a goal for you and your dog. A sleek body has a much better chance of fighting off health issues. And you'll have your pooch around for many many more years for it.
Association for Pet Obesity Prevention
Love your dog? Time to get them into shape.
Chewing
This past weekend we watched a Jason Statham movie; during the movie both Elsa and Luke were chewing. Luke loves to chew, he always has and when he chews he means business. He often chews now to make a point to Elsa; he has the chew toy and she does not. Chewing can be a loud activity; it most definitely was with Luke that movie night. Elsa was not quite as loud but changed her chew item several times throughout the movie. As she got up and down off the couch to find a new chew item I thought to myself "this is far better than having her wreck our stuff."
Having a basket full of toys and chews is the only way that you can allow a dog to do their much needed chewing and not have your house or stuff ruined. I have to say that when people tell me how their dog has destroyed so much of their home it makes me shake my head in disbelief. Yes; a thing or two being snagging and chewed on for a moment is one thing but having entire couches, table legs or pairs of shoes destroyed means that the owner of that stuff was not watching.
I simply don't allow my things to be wrecked. I do not put everything away when we have a puppy, there are the dangerous run by grab type things that get put away but they are very few. Mostly the wires around the house are removed or hidden in case of a grab. But other than that I teach my dogs what they can and cannot touch; much like I taught my children. I do not want to raise a dog in an empty house where they do not learn to leave the people things alone.
Tilley never chewed anything but her own toys but of course that was Miss Perfect. Luke left a few marks on the kitchen chair that he use to sleep under until he got too big. Elsa has grabbed a sheepskin slipper several times but only had it for a moment, and socks she does grab socks. But I have taught her to bring me socks for a reward so in the middle of making dinner I often am rewarded with a few freshly washed socks on the counter. Elsa had not damaged one thing (knocking on wood) in the house. There is no need for her to wreck our stuff because she has her own stuff.
So as we watched our movie she moved from a soft braided toy that she was mouthing, to a nylabone and then onto a rubber ball that she loves to squeak chew. The more things that you give your dog of their own to wreck the better chance that they aren't going to wreck your things. And of course; you must supervise, always supervise. Puppies do not come pre programmed, knowing what is allowed and not allowed. That's our job.
Presidential dogs
Not the President's dog but a PWD named Tux that I shot for my book and this cover.
It's Presidents' day so I thought I do a blog to celebrate the Presidential canines. Remember when Obama was choosing a dog for his family? Everyone wanted him to choose their breed; but he finally settled on the Portuguese Water Dog. We'll be seeing a lot more of them now; sadly a little bit of hype can do great damage to a particular breed or mix. I remember when PWDs were very rare indeed, now you see them everywhere.
Obama chose the PWD, the younger of the two Bush's; George W. had Scottish terriers and a Springer. The older Bush made the Springer Spaniel a household name with his dog Millie who had puppies there at the White house. Gerald Ford's Golden Retriever Liberty also had a litter of puppies at the White house. Many dogs have come and gone in the White house. Some left a lasting impression; others passed through without notice really. It all depends on the press put on the dogs themselves; which is typically due to the interest put on the dog by the owner.
Here are some articles that discuss the dogs of the White house.
White house pets
Time Photos - Presidents and their dogs
20 Most Recent
Sunday morning
We were up early this morning; wanting to sleep in, Elsa had other plans. She's an early riser but this morning she was up because of a strange sound, an owl. It was hooting it's little heart out right outside our window. Being wildlife lovers we were thrilled to hear an owl; its been a very long time since we heard one. So we were up listening intently to the birds outside coming out as the sun rose. I took Elsa out and stood waiting for her in the chilly morning air. Three hawks flew low over head of our fenced in area. The dogs have been sniffing around the fenced in area lately; I think the chipmunks have moved in.
Elsa's had her partial breakfast and both dogs have had their morning snack. Everyone is back in bed and we are pondering the day ahead. I think we'll hit the beach early, before the crowds. We had to turn around and leave the beach before we even had fun last week; I thought twice about the dogs who were already present. Up until then each beach day had been a good one. It wasn't a bad day the day we left, I just had a bad feeling about the dogs in attendance. I go with my feelings always now; I've gone against them before and regret it.
I'm going to charge up the camera and bring it along. Beach shots tomorrow. Have a great Sunday everyone. Wooohoooo, long weekend.
Weather
What the heck is with the weather? Having moved North East I had prepared myself for a cold adjustment. Walking the dogs around in Connecticut I quickly became aware of the common attire, down. I had a short down jacket that had been pulled out on the coldest of days in CA, yes it does get chilly there. We had a few days where it got down into the 30s which is crazy cold for CA. But it had only been a couple of them and I loved every second of it. I'm a Northerner from birth, born in Ottawa, Canada I was accustom to below zero temperatures having lived there for 36 years.
So I've been waiting and waiting like many others; waiting for winter to show up. We had a hint of it one day with a snowfall but other than that it has been elusive. Snow and cold are great for cleaning up the grounds, both for mud and muck and the nasty bugs. I love when all I have to deal with is wet and not mud and wet. And as far as the bugs or ticks I should say, well you all know how I feel about those. Without the frigid temperatures the bugs will be flourishing this spring and summer. Not good.
The temperatures here in CT have hovered around the 40 mark, yesterday was actually 50. This is winter? I'm not complaining about the temperatures but I am complaining about the lack of snow. As a photographer I have been waiting to shoot snow, any snow. Other than dogs in water, dogs in snow have got to be a favorite to shoot. I love the look of everything covered in snow; how the snow flies as the dogs run, beautiful. So I like many others in the North East am waiting; perhaps this year it will be waiting in vain and the snow will not be coming. It waits to be seen.
DROP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Standing on the beach chucking Elsa's ball for her I notice a gentleman pick up my poop bag and walk towards me. Hmmm????? I called out to him that it was mine and I that I was taking it with me when I left. The trash cans are a long walk but on the way to the car. He got closer and closer and said "yes I know." Then he pointed to one of his dogs; a gorgeous black male Labrador standing in the water. "Look at what he is holding" the man said. I couldn't make it out, "what is it?" I asked him. "Someone else's poop bag," he said in disgust.
He continued to explain his predicament to me "he won't drop it." "This is the second time he's done this, and it's disgusting." I agreed "it is really disgusting." There the dog stood, chest deep in the water mouthing the bag and occasionally putting it in the water to float around before picking it up again. He was hanging onto the tied knot area of the bag which was now filled with water and poop. The bag resembled a water filled balloon so of course I asked "what if it breaks?" "He'll eat it, bag and all" the owner offered. Then I inquired "is it just this that he won't drop or everything?" "Everything," he explained. This Labrador would never drop a thing. The owner said that he had tried everything he could think of to get this dog to drop things, filet, dog treats, balls but nothing worked.
The dog stayed just out of reach of the owner and the man told me he'd tried lassoing the dog as well. You could see the disgusted frustration in the owner; rightly so. This dog was most definitely working it as he trotted off down the beach with his prize. The dog had displayed very neutral behavior, there was no excitement, no running around trying to play keep away, he simply had found a new possession and was not about to give it up. As the man walked away following his poop carrying Labrador he said he was going to continue trying to get the bag away from the dog. I wished him luck and they walked down the beach.
This is the second time in a couple of weeks that I have met a Labrador that WOULD NOT DROP. The first was a yellow female who grabbed hold of my chuck it with me attached and proceeded to drag us into the ocean. I finally handed it over to the sitter who was watching the dogs so that he could get it. He too told me "she won't drop it." "Great, there goes my chuck it" I thought to myself. He had to trick her to get it away and when I finally got it I stuffed it quickly into my jacket. Those Lab jaws are like vice grips, strong and unyielding.
So just how do you get your dog to drop? The secret is training the drop command from the get go. Not when their jaws are completely formed and powerful against human entry; but when they are little, young and impressionable. Too many people teach puppies to grab and hold on by taking everything that they pick up away from them. Sure there are things that we need to take away, dangerous things but we must also give back. If you never give back when you take, then your dog learns to clamp down and retain. Many dog mouths are just too powerful for us to pry open.
It all starts with bribery; holding a very delicious treat you offer it when your puppy has something in their mouth. Optimally you start this when they have one of their toys in their mouth so that you can give it back. You offer your treat and ask them to drop. If they want the treat they will drop the toy; you give them the treat and then give back the toy. The more times that you repeat by taking a toy, treating them for dropping and returning the toy; the less impact those times have when you must keep the object that was in their mouth. Teaching the drop command from the start is especially important for those retrieving type dogs who love to grab everything in sight. Rewarding them for picking up things and bringing them to you instead of chasing them down and taking away.
So many dogs run and swallow which is so dangerous. Elsa started out as one of these, she is an intense retriever so she has drive. She is much like Tilley was in the drive department so I knew to get on it immediately. She still likes to pick up socks (her steal of choice) but just mouths them or will even bring them to me for a treat. A much better option for her safety than swallowing down. Drop must be practiced on a daily basis until you have a fast response. Depending on what item they have in their mouth you may need to up the value of your reward.
The poop carrying Labrador had been programmed to grab and hold on. He had no history of dropping for a reward; unfortunately when this happens there is little or no chance that he is going to spontaneously changes his ways. The trainer in me had wanted to help this man; but given the dogs history, our location and the fact that the object was a bag filled with poop and ocean water, he was on his own. This dog needed training, big time, intense drop training. But it cannot be done when you are in a full on behavior situation, it must be done beforehand.
Drop is one of the most important things to teach a dog; that and leave it. If you can ingrain even a split second of hesitation in a bigtime stealing dog; you might just be able to avoid a very dangerous situation. As I watched them walk down the beach I held tightly to my poop bag. I hadn't thought of a dog grabbing it off the beach; my dogs would never touch a poop filled bag. I won't leave a bag on the beach again, not after witnessing the disgusting turn of events yesterday.
Handling dogs
Handling: the manual or mechanical method by which something is moved, carried or transported etc.
Handling does not only occur at dog shows although the term is extensively used in that world. The handling I'm talking about today is general, all purpose,day to day handling. That might include getting a harness on, being groomed, going to the vet, getting in and out of the car or anything where you need to handle your dog. Handling is a funny thing; when people do not know how to appropriately handle a dog it can become a huge wrestling match.
Let's take feet for example; most dogs need their nails done now and again but the simple act of grabbing a foot can be the undoing of it all. There is grabbing and then there is grabbing. A hesitant end of the foot grab will likely result in a great deal of tugging back from the dog, resistance. The harder you pull the harder they pull. When you grab a foot, grab with confidence, not pressure, just confidence. Then DO NOT pull, push the foot lightly towards the dog instead.
If you need to brush a leg; don't pull. It can be difficult to brush out a leg when your dog is pulling away from you. You need to stretch the leg out but the more you pull the more they pull. Instead grab the front leg by the elbow, wrapping your whole hand around it gently maneuvering it frontwards so that the leg stretches naturally out straight.
Back legs? Hold the foot on the ground to brush up around the ankles. For the rest of the leg, always brush down first; before brushing in an upward motion for those needing fluffing. If needed hold the dogs leg by going in between the back legs from the back and grab the front of the thigh holding it in place.
Have you ever noticed that when you push your dog they push? As well as when you pull they pull as I've already discussed? Yep, they all do it so you must work around that, not challenge the physics of it. It just is. Manhandling never works, too much touching, too much to lean into for the dog. One finger works wonders if you know where to place that finger. Joint areas are good spots to touch in order to move a dog manually.
The head is also a great rudder for movement needs. When I want my dogs to turn around in a tight place I will put a couple of fingers on the side of their neck where it meets the head and gently guide. It is amazing how easily they turn; calm and relaxed without a fight. The more nervous a dog is the more important it is to touch as little as possible. When you want a dog to move closer to you; push them ever so slightly away and they will move towards you. If you try to pull them towards you they will more likely than not, pull away.
Of course the more training you give your dog the less you will ever have to maneuver manually. But there are always times when we need to physically move our dogs. For those times remember that less is more in this department. Gentle guidance with strategically placed fingers works a whole lot better than the makings of a wrestling match.
Running free
Nothing makes my heart soar like watching dogs run free. I completely get the whole "leash" thing but it is most definitely restricting. When I was in CA I was constantly searching out new spots to sneak an off leash run. My favorite spots are the ones that no one or very few people know about. Sauntering around while my dogs run at full speed is a very rewarding activity; I always leave feeling like "job well done." Dogs need to run, full out, top speed, pelting, bolting and dodging around.
A full out free run probably does more for their emotional well being than their physical. I know that it fills me with such joy that I don't know who it's better for. Having been plagued with ticks now here mid winter in Connecticut I hit the beach where the dogs are allowed to run free until March 31st. No ticks on the beach, or not that I've seen yet. Once March 31st has passed, then that's it, not one canine foot is even allowed in the park after that (shrugging shoulders).
We've yet to run into any problem dogs other than the one bully last week. All the dogs have been cordial and friendly; they are all there for the same reason, fun.
Running free is definitely the best way to accomplish some quality socializing. Leash issues not only restrain a dog from fully interacting with other canines; but they also create all sorts of behavior "issues." Most problems are caused by the lack of freedom, they cannot move away or go to see. A leash also changes how a behavior is displayed and perceived. The leash causes physical changes, a look see can seem like a lunge; the holding back is the big problem. This is why running free is so very important, especially with young dogs.
Happy Valentines Day
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. LOL
I love
when you come when I call.
when I open the bathroom door and you are sitting there.
that you seem to know when I need a hug.
your over the top greeting when I come home.
when we sit together.
watching a movie with you snuggled on my lap.
going back to bed in the morning and seeing that you love it just as much as I do.
that you love your family as much as I love you.
seeing you have fun with others.
seeing the two of you snuggled close.
telling you that we are going for a walk.
seeing your furry face first thing in the morning.
that going in the car with me makes you so happy.
looking down and knowing you will be there.
falling asleep with my arms wrapped over you.
hearing you snore during the night.
seeing you dream and wonder what you are dreaming about.
taking you to see new things and places.
when you eat hardily.
seeing how much you love to snack throughout the day.
watching the two of you and your special relationship with one another.
watching you watching me.
how you stand guard of your home.
seeing you so entertained by the squirrels that torment you.
How do I love thee? With all of my heart. To my dogs Luke and Elsa and all the amazing dogs in the world. Happy Valentines day.