On leash

On leash greetings can be a nightmare for some people.  Oddly enough even the most friendly of dogs can have bad initial greetings.  Yesterday I had Luke out on his own, I am focusing on alone time and getting Elsa use to being left by herself at home.  So while Luke and I were at the park I saw a woman coming our way with her two Cavaliers, cute dogs.  I have yet to meet a Cavalier who was not friendly.  But looking down at Luke I could see that he was already mustering up for a big bluster.  I called him to me as we walked past but he snuck one in anyway.  Nothing serious just a blustery type growl and continued to walk by.  At that moment I thought "no, that's not going to do it for me."

I turned around and asked the woman if her dogs were indeed friendly.  I told her that Luke was very friendly, he just liked to do this every now and then.  She was apprehensive when I asked if he could say hi again, of course she was.  Many people have no idea what their dog is actually like and will regularly say "oh yes he's friendly," when they truly are not.  So she wasn't completely sold on my "friendly" dog being that he'd just given a pretty good, not friendly impression.  So I loosened the leash and let Luke sniff them.  They were as most Cavaliers are, neutral.  With a nicer greeting under his belt we continued our walk after I thanked the woman.

Luke is one of the most social dogs that I know.  He loves meet and greets, he is not gushy about out it; he likes to give a friendly hello and he's onto the next dog and owner.  Let's face it, our lives with dogs revolve around on leash activities.  There are not very many places where they interact off leash except in specifically designated areas.  Or if you are lucky enough to be able to have play dates in your yard, that is great.  Interacting with other dogs is an ongoing thing, so the more you meet the better.

I am very specific about who I actually greet, I'm not always correct but when in doubt, we don't.  With Elsa being young I am trying to avoid any negative greeting.  It happens in life but the more positive greetings she has the less impact a negative one will have on her.  Dogs can become very aggressive on leash if they have enough negative greeting responses from other dogs.  So if you are in doubt at all about a dog, walk past, keep going onto the next.

Greeting steps

-Read the other dogs body language as you approach.
-Do not tighten your leash, you can rein it in but make sure that you do it so it is unnoticed by your dog.
-Keep your leash slack.
-Remain calm, your dogs can sense your emotions and the leash can be an emotion sensor.
-Ask well in advance if the dog is friendly.
-Even when told that the other dog is friendly, be cautious.  I don't know how many times have lunged out at us after being told that they are friendly.
-Keep your distance and try to approach on an angle.
-Stay away from people with extension leashes.  Most people have no control over them.
-Do NOT allow the dogs to pass each other making it likely for a tangle situation.  A nice greeting can turn very bad if they get tangled.
-Do not greet all dogs, teach your dog how to walk by quietly.  They need to learn that not all dogs should be greeted and that the decision to do so or not is yours, not theirs to make.
-Use lots of treats when you are working on walk by's.  You want to create a positive association to other dogs.  Pulling a dog in tight and yanking away while yelling will create a negative association to other dogs.

I am working on walk by's with Elsa a lot now.  As a running partner for my husband she will need to be able run by without batting an eye.  With enough rewards for simply walking past another dog without having a fit or bouncing around I have created a positive association.  As soon as we are past she is looking for her treat for being a good girl.  Greetings don't have to be scary, you need to take the control of the situation; know your dog and read the other.  If you have even the smallest of doubt, give the other person and dog some space and do a walk by.

Nutrition and convenience

When I see people load up a big bag of the lowest possible grade dog food opting for quantity instead of quality it makes me wonder what they themselves eat.  In the old days dogs use to eat what the people ate, albeit in leftover form.  If you had a dog then you prepared your meals thinking about the dog as well as the humans.  Just like today there were people who fed strictly scraps and garbage to their dogs and there were owners who gave their dog a full portion of what they ate.  Then came the days of the 'quick' everything.  Carnation instant breakfast, frozen dinners, cake mixes etc. etc.  With the surge of convenient foods being in the late 40s and early 50s, so too did the lack of nutrients filled diets.

Dog food was actually introduced in the mid 1800s but like anything else it took sometime to catch on.  Once it started to grow in popularity they pushed the 'convenience' message for a rise in sales.  Everything about eating became quick and easy.  Of course there were some people who never ventured into the prepared dog food area and continued to feed their dogs just real food.  Like anything as the popularity grew in dog food, other companies jumped on the bandwagon and the competition was on.

Most of us have never known another way of feeding dogs, to us dogs ate dog food.  It came either out of a bag, can or cellophane wrapper.  We fed our toy poodle Kennel-ration burger.   I clearly remember pulling the little string that opened up the package in the middle so that you could conveniently feed only half a burger if you chose to do so.  With a tiny toy poodle we fed him 1/2 burger a day.  Was there any nutrition in those things at all?  They no longer exist on the shelves today but there must have been enough of something in it to keep our dogs alive.

A great article on  -  The history of dog food

Then our dogs started getting sick, much of the cause was unknown until some toxic chemicals were found to be in dog food.  Then people started to wonder what really was in dog food.  But the dog food industry continued to grow until it seemed that there was no other way to feed a dog.  The big companies got the animal medical health folks on board so veterinarians were pushing dog food as well.  They were also telling us not to feed our dogs "people food" NEVER, EVER.  People food is such a horrible term, do we really feel like we have all the rights on the real food, it's ours to do with what we like?

We have taken our dogs ability to hunt for themselves away, so now it is up to us to dole out the food.  What would dogs eat if they were left to their own?  Rabbits, birds, deer, raccoon, ground hogs, squirrels, nibble on some grass and fruit now and then.  They would eat a great deal of meat if they could catch it.  There would be nothing coming out of a bag.  They would be eating real food, as real as it gets.  So why then do we proudly state "we never feed people food?"   When people say this to me I just simply say "really?"  Depending on the situation I might elaborate.

I know a great percentage of dog owners these days cannot imagine feeding any other way than pouring out of a bag.  It is after all what we grew up with.  Many cannot fathom taking time to prepare a meal for their dog.  That alone is boggling to many.  "After you make your dinner you make your dog's dinner?"  I've been asked this many times.  And my answer is yes.  That and the idea of feeding RAW meat, uncooked, bloody and everything?  They love it, some dogs can take a while to get use to the texture but once they do, stand back.  I remember when I was a child also hearing that if you gave a dog raw meat they were turn mean and attack.  It would get into their head and they would see blood, just imagine?

I like to fuel my own body with as much nutrition as I can.  That means that I eat a lot of real food.  Being a normal human being I also like the not so great food, donuts, chips, cake etc.  When I feed my dogs I like to give them the best nutrition I can as well.  Like me they also get things that are not optimum in nutrition in the form of treats or even dog food.  I feed raw meat, cooked meat and dog food.  I buy the best dog food that I can and use it for the times when I need convenience.  I make meatloaf filled with different meats, veggies and ground eggshells.  Luke is on a meatloaf kick right now and when he eats, we feed.  Elsa will eat anything and is just catching on to this raw stuff, it has taken her a while.  

I do not always feed out of a bowl, which is another "this is how you do it," thing that we've grown up with.  I want to give my dogs the best food that I can, it is important to me.  Feeding dog food simply because it say's Dog food on the bag is not enough.  You need to do your research and if dog food is the way you want to go then at least feed the best dog food that you can.  But the whole "people food," thing.  No, it's not just ours.

Why blog?

As I sit here looking out over my neighborhood, listening to the sounds of my two dogs sleeping and watching their feet and faces twitch while they dream I am stumped.  It happens every so often that I have no inspiration for a topic.  I've been blogging for many years now and sometimes I just have nothing.  It doesn't take much to get me writing, a chance meeting at a park, attending an event or just a bath day.  Dogs offer us so much behavior that there is usually something to write about.  But this morning no behaviors came to me to be explained.

I like to blog first thing in the morning.  It is a quiet time before the day has started.  Sitting in bed enjoying my dogs is a great time to write, usually.  So this morning with no pending behaviors to pick apart I thought that I might explain why I blog to you all.  First let me thank you all for reading, knowing that even one person is helped by reading my blog is very rewarding.  I love feedback about my blogs and blog ideas that come in now and then.  Sometimes an idea is just what I need to get going.

The biggest reason that I blog is that I have a lot to say.  What I mean is that I like to share, I believe that everyone should share their experience and knowledge.  That being said not everyone wants to hear what I have to say so blogging is a great selective way to share.  If people don't want to hear what I have to say, they can simply not read my blog.  A blog is very personal, it is my opinion sometimes sprinkled with the opinions of others that I have dissected.  When you put your opinion out in public you can expect to be criticized.  Through all the years of my blogging I have only had two people be disrespectful of me and my blog.

I have been involved with dogs since the age of 13 and I just turned 50 last month.  So let's just say a very long time, k?  It all started in the conformation ring but quickly moved to behavior.  When I was young there was only conventional dog training so I have experience in that.  I look back and shudder at some of the things I was told to do and did from my very harsh teacher.  But because of this I know why I don't use that anymore and have the experience to back it up.  I have been a dog walker, groomed dogs for years and years, taught group obedience class then moved to strictly private in home training.  After many years of being a dog trainer I became a dog photographer which was made very easy because of my dog experience.  Having such a background allows me an insight that helps to get the shot and keep everyone happy through a shoot.

My family recently went through the loss of two of senior dogs, I blogged about it and hopefully it can help others. Having cared for two very senior dogs and everything that is involved I can definitely relate and assist others going through the same thing.  Before the loss of our oldest two we added a puppy to the pack, this too I shared about.  I have blogged about much of our life together and hopefully it has helped other going through many of the same things with raising a puppy.

I have over the years shared a little bit more of myself, my personal life so that you know better the person behind the blogs.  Who Sherri really is sort of.  My passion in life is dogs, it always has been.  I love everything about dogs and sharing my life with them.  From this quiet time now while I blog to seeing them run in a open field, bath time, feeding time, teaching, grooming........I love it all.  I am on a never ending quest for more canine knowledge, I do extensive research on nutrition, anatomy, health, behavior, new medical news etc. etc.

I enjoy hearing and seeing about all of your dogs and love when I can help in any small way possible.  Life is a never ending experience; so while I go through mine and learn along the way I like to share what I have learned.  When I am dealt with something bad I share that too in hopes that it will perhaps give at least one of you a heads up.  I really smile when I write a blog about a particular behavior and receive feedback that it has completely explained an issue that a reader was having with their own dog.

So there you have it, I blog because I want to explain "this is why, this is how, I did this, this is what happened to us, there's a cool new place, a great dog beach/park" etc. etc. etc.  If it concerns dogs, I'm all over it and will share whatever it is with you.  With two furballs curled up on my bed this morning, it is time to garden.  Today is my day off the gym so it's into the shower for Luke and then a much needed haircut.  Afterwards Elsa will be off for a rip and training session with Mom.  Have a great day.

Substance

I want to discuss substance today; it has been a looming topic for me for a while.  I am mad and need to vent.  What am I mad about?  Dogs and their lack of substance.  I am talking about purebred dogs; and the fact that many of those who intentionally breed dogs and exhibit them are ruining them.  Let's just take Luke for example; yes Luke is the base reason why I am mad.  Luke was a show prospect, he could have ended up in the conformation ring spending months or maybe years of his life being on exhibit.  Okay, so he was and is a beauty to behold but if you happen to really get a hold on him the smoke and mirrors are replaced with reality. The reality that he has very little bone and muscle mass.

Yes he has over the years lost muscle mass, it happens to the best of us as we age.  But when you do not start out with a great deal you are in trouble when the loss starts.  Having been around purebred dogs now for over  37 years I've seen and had my hands on a lot of them.  Dog breeds that were big, buff and meaty way back when are not so much now.  What I am seeing in so many breeds is that people are going for image, that wow factor.  Strikingly long necks, legs and reach.  Big hair, more of it, flashy movement, a firecracker in the ring and that floating on air gate.  That gate that is taking much of the substance away.

Tilley was an amazingly muscled dog; she was built to perfection.  Her movement was easy and she made unbelievably athletic feats look like a walk in the park.  She was squarely built, her legs and neck were much shorter than the dogs that you see in the show ring today.   But she could work, she never tired and when you grabbed her leg it had substance.  She was extremely well muscled; so much so that after a good long run her legs would get pumped up like a body builder.  As beautiful as she was, she was one buff girl.

When I talk about substance I mean the beef, where the heck has all the beef gone in our dogs?  I am not speaking about one breed, I am talking about them all.   As the article below says, they may be structurally correct but have a huge muscle and bone deficit.

Substance:  the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.

Grabbing hold of Luke's ankle area and comparing it to Elsa's makes me shudder.  His bones are fine and the muscle that should be there to support them, lacking.  Whereas Elsa's are good sized, more solid with lots of beefy muscle around them.  This comparison is something I use to do with Tilley and Luke, especially on bath day.  I see a lot of dogs today that have got the bod, they look good from far but are far from good.  Lacking in bone and muscle will be a price they pay as they age.

Dogs who are lightly boned and muscled cannot work like a beefier type can.  Dogs do not have to be cumbersome if they have substance.  When they have nice muscle they can move much easier and do not get injured like the lighter substance versions.  Beauty versus brawn?  I say that they can have both and deserve both.  She I run my hands down a dog I want to feel a well muscled back so that bones are protruding too far.   When I grab a leg I want to feel that there is a good sized bone in there, not something that makes me cringe with fear of breaking.

Let's be honest, humans created all the breeds.  They designed them to their desires.  Now humans are tweaking them, fine tuning what once was.  Get out a history book and look at the original versions of your breed and see the difference, it is pretty huge in most.  I will say that there are breeders out there who feel strongly that dogs should be able to work, play and have fun without breaking.  These breeders are keeping the dogs well boned and muscled.

Dogs are literally in our hands aren't they?  Is it fair to be designing them to a shell of beauty where they suffer for our desire?  NO.  They need good bones, good muscle and of course health and a good temperament.  When I see or feel the leg of a dog lacking in muscle it makes me sad.  Legs of a young dog should be full and beefy, no something resembling a chicken wing hanging from their body.  As you can tell I am passionate about this.  Our dogs deserve the best from us and if part of that is creating them then we best be doing our best there as well.

While I was doing some research on muscle loss I found this good article on the subject.

Rottweiller, bones, muscle and power

Children and dogs

This video was passed by me via Facebook, (dog attack video) it should have never happened.   Yet these type of things happen often due to lack of supervision.  It makes me so mad that people allow this to happen.  The owner in this video even brought his dog to the vet to be euthanized before this happened.  He already knew that his dog was not good with his grandchild.  He cannot blame the vet for it, he did not supervise his dog and grandchild's interactions.  This never had to happen, it could have been completely avoided.

"Sherri, our dog has growled at the baby," is what the person on the phone is saying.  People who allow their dog full access to the baby, everything seems fine until the baby starts to move and everything changes.  I have got a lot of these exact calls.  When I go to the home to discuss the issue with the owners they are often dismayed by their dog's behavior.  Sometimes they have been coaxed to call by another family member.  I had just such a call a couple of years ago.  The Mother in law was extremely worried for her grandchild, the parents not so much.

When I got to the home I sat and chatted and watched.  Watching the typical interactions is a great way to know what is going on.  In an instant I stood up and asked them to pick up their baby.  Their very large Akita mix dog was growling as the baby crawled closer and closer to him. The parents watched and did not seem alarmed, that is when I started my warning seeing that no 'danger signs' were going off for them.  "Your child is going to get bit," was the first thing I said.  "Your dog is most definitely going to bite the baby."  They looked at me like "what?"  So I picked apart what was going on and more than likely going to happen.

When babies are little and new they cause no concern to a dog typically.  They don't move around, they are no threat except that they take some of our attention.  Once on the ground and mobile, everything changes.  Of course there are lots of dogs that are fine with crawling babies and never see them as a threat.  But this blog is still for all dog owners, I don't care how friendly and wonderful your dog is.  Once a baby starts to crawl it can be considered a pack member and if you (the owner) do not rule the pack, then your dog will.  Your job is to protect your child and to protect your dog.  If you do not, then your dog takes over the job.

I've sat at many first time meetings with dogs and children and shuddered as a parent.  I am an extremely protective parent and it boggles my mind to see how some people see no danger.  I believe it is the "my dog would never" attitude.  Which is indeed a very dangerous attitude to have.  Any dog will, all dogs have a breaking point. But the fact is that dogs and children should never be alone, NEVER.  I remember a vet tech telling me years ago that she didn't buy the whole supervision thing.  "If she couldn't trust her dogs alone with  her baby then she wouldn't have them," is what she told me.   Sadly this is not a good attitude.  Of course is great to know that your dogs love your baby or child.  But even still you should never leave the two alone.

Things happen, children and/or babies can do some weird things.  They pull ears, bite, crawl on top of and any number of other things.  If you don't see what happened then you have no idea, you are blind as far as the situation at hand.  One client told me that she continually told her three year old son that their dog was going to bite him as he manhandled her.  She then told me that the same dog and three year old spend a great deal of time in his room with the door closed.  AHHHHHHHHHH  Before leaving homes visits like this I have made many people cry, yep.  I bring reality to them so that things like the video don't happen.  A wake up call so to speak.

It is can be a very dangerous situation, lack of supervision and there is simply no need for it.  Had the man in the video supervised his grandchild and dog appropriately this would have never happened.  Dogs often need a great deal of time getting used to a crawling baby. It is our job to make it clear that this is not someone that they can boss around.  Only we as parents/grandparents can do that.  Babies need to have a great start with a dog, that means making things when they are together positive.  Spending time with the dog and baby in a safe manner.  Both dog and baby need to learn how to interact with one another.  You cannot just leave it up to them to figure it all out.

By not offering appropriate supervision with dog/baby interactions you give your dog permission to deal with it.  Your lack of supervision lets your dog know that they need to punish and teach the baby on their own terms, not good.  You are the parent, it is your job, not your dogs.

NEVER , EVER LEAVE A DOG ALONE WITH A BABY OR CHILD.  It is just not worth the risk.

Yappy Hour at the RITZ

Truly an amazing view.

We were at Yappy Hour at the Ritz Carleton in Laguna Niguel last night.  What an event.  Luke and I attended only one during last years season and it was a fairly small deal.  Unfortunately Luke had to stay home last night as he's got a sore shoulder again so it was just Elsa, me and my husband.  I think both Elsa and my eyes popped open when we walked in, the small event has turned into a huge event.  There was wall to wall dogs.

I was happy to see that they have added more seating, although they could use even more.  The huge yard where it is held is seeming much smaller as the event grows.  The profits raised from the event goes to the Laguna Beach Animal shelter.  From the number of people and dogs in attendance I would say that they must be raising a nice amount of funds for the shelter.

Elsa and I

When we first arrived Elsa became a bit unglued, she was on overload.  I don't blame her a bit, she had never in her life seen so many dogs in one place.  It was overwhelming to say the least.  But it didn't take her long to get into the swing of things as she socialized around with all the dogs.  She adores two legged and four legged beings and loved when someone stopped to say hi just to her.  She did amazing and I was very proud of her.

She did have a tiny incident, when one of the drink servers brought a tray to the table where we were talking to a very tall, dark and handsome guy's Mom.  Elsa thought the tray was for her.  She did a tiny jump, hitting the tray ever so slightly. But it was just enough to knock the guy off balance and down they came on tall, dark and handsome (Jedi) himself.    I apologized to the server and he said it wouldn't be the last on this night and smiled.

The cookie tray 

The cookies were a huge hit with Miss Elsa and this of course is why she jumped up to the tray with the drinks.  She'd received a cookie from a tray before we even entered the event and had been seeking out these trays all night.  Being the foodie that she is, she knows a good thing when she sees it.

Here are some of the dogs in attendance last night.

Big buff handsome guy

This little lady and her brother shown below were 6 mos. old and as such clowns.

What a face.

So many tiny ones, I mean really, really tiny.

Canine Companions for Independence in training

This was the youngest member in training having fun

Don't see Irish Setters much anymore, this guy was so gorgeous.  Elsa was quite smitten.

No words needed

This little Jack Russell pulled at my heart strings.  Even though he is a ruff coat he reminded me so much of my little Jessie.

Another, what a face.

Sweetness written all over this face.

The event is catered to canines and their companions.  Beverages are sold for the owners and flavored waters is complimentary for the dogs.  As I've already stated, cookies are served for the dogs on trays throughout the evening and food is for sale for the humans.  My husband got a burger which he said was really very good.  I would imagine it was good, it was from the Ritz after all.

All in all a great event, a wonderful place for canines and humans alike to do some socializing for a great cause.

When did this happen?

Really, when did this happen?  When did Luke become an old dog?  He has always been my baby, I still consider him my little boy.  But looking at him now I have to admit it, he's getting old.  His eye are cloudy and have that old dog droop, he is so stiff that getting up and turning around is a chore in itself.  When I tell people he is almost 12 they always respond with "awwwwww."  Awwwwwwww??????? What???  I find myself wondering how the heck almost twelve years has gone by?

I remember the day that I met him, it truly feels like it was yesterday.  I went to a trainer friends house to see her puppies.  I was honestly not looking, I was in the process of getting one of Tilley's nieces at the time so I really, really wasn't looking.  I have never agreed with the "let the puppy pick the owner" deal.  The puppy you should have might just be sleeping, in a bad mood or feeling very naughty and not come to you and melt your heart on that day.  But this surely happened with me, this is the one and only time adog actually chose me.  He did it with skill, I didn't even know what hit me.

When I got to her house the puppies were all in the yard, everyone was sleeping except for Luke.  I stepped over the tiny bodies sleeping while he proceeded to dive all over me.  Finally I sat down in the middle of the sleeping mass of adorableness and asked who was who.  They were 7 weeks at the time and had already been through their conformation evaluation.  There was a pick female and male, the male was Luke.  So I asked what made him so special?  So she told me while he did his best song and dance act.  He just would not go away, he climbed all over me until I finally picked him up and held him facing me about 2" away and asked "do you want to come home with me?"  He looked directly into my eyes and obviously used his mojo on my heart or something.  I had been kidding when I asked him this, but something happened on the drive home that day.

It wasn't a long drive, only about 45 min. but for the extent of it there was a little blonde curly boy that would not get out of my head.  For the life of me I tried.  "Why am I thinking about this dog?" I asked myself.  Once I got home and on with life it didn't change, I thought it would but it didn't.  Oddly enough the puppy I had been preparing to get fell through.  For 5 longs weeks I pondered that blonde puppy.  I talked to the breeder often, nonchalantly asking about him.  Did she still have him?  She was waiting, waiting for the perfect home for him.

One day I called her if she would let me have him.  She was thrilled even when I told her that he would most likely be shaved down and never shown.  She wanted a good home before show home for him and that was mine.  She laughed and said that she knew he was my dog from the start.

Finally after much too much time, Luke joined us at 12 weeks old.  He was adorable of course.  He tested my patience to the limit and taught me more than any dog in my life has.  Nearly 12 years of education this little man has given me but how the heck did it go by so fast.  He was the young'n when Jessie and Tilley were around.  He seemed so young, so spry even.  This year we have seen the biggest change in him physically.  His body is not holding up like Tilley's did, he is seeming much older, earlier.

Of course we now have a very buff, structurally sound young girl with lots of substance in comparison.  So it is very hard to give her a hug and then Luke and not notice the muscle loss and protruding bones.  It is difficult not to see the missteps, stiffness and fear of falling when the two are running around.  This one snuck up on me, I may have not noticed because I was caring for dogs much older than Luke for a very longtime.  But yes, he is getting old and like all of us I have to deal with it.  Like it or not.

Dog photography

Enjoying a neck rub from her owner

As a dog photographer and dog trainer specializing in behavior I have to say that I'm a fairly brutal critic. I really love seeing how other photographers capture the canine species but I have a sharp eye for expression.  It boggles my mind when I see an image that clearly shows fear, anxiety, anxiousness and the photographer is stating that the photo holds a happy face.  There is much more to a happy face than a smile shaped mouth, you must take into account the eyes and the rest of the body.

Clearly a Labrador telescope

Not all great photos need a happy face, far from it.  Sometimes an amazing photo doesn't even have a face in it.  It could be looking away, just a fraction of a face or missing completely.  As you all know I am not one for posed shots, the "smile and look at the camera" type.  I like candid photos, the ones that hold the greatest amount of emotion.

A welcome hug from Mom

 

Elsa enjoying an evening snooze

They don't come much sweeter

A handsome, intense Catahoula listening slightly to the goings on behind him.

Anticipation

Acquisition concern

Calm maturity

Dogs can offer us amazing photo ops just being dogs.  I love the entire gamut that they offer when I'm shooting, from intense, excited, happy, sleepy, mellow etc.  All happy, it isn't too often that I like a photo where I see a negative emotion on a dog unless the photo holds a great deal of information.  If a photo tells an emotional story and a negative emotion is fitting then it can be amazing, but not simply a negative emotion on a face.  This could leave us feeling like the dogs was just unhappy with the shoot.

A very aggressive male communicating to Elsa who owns the ball.  She's high tailin it out of there.

Deer like Xolo's listening to their Mom

Capturing a moment is amazing, but unfortunately they don't always happen during a shoot.  A special moment can be a very simple one if it means a great deal to the owner.  An old dog lying in their favorite chair, sunning themselves or simply sleeping.  Its all about emotion held within a photo.

 But there are still times when a dogs face is so cute that no expression is just fine because the dog is just so darn cute.

Stay, no I mean really stay

I want to talk about stay today.  Stay means; stay in the exact spot where I put you until I say so.  There is no maybe, kinda, as long as you want to or wiggle room with the stay.  Stay means stay.  The stay behavior is one of the most over used and under trained, up there with come.  Stay is or should be a very serious behavior, used only when you really mean it or intend to enforce it.  When you add a nonchalant feeling about the meaning of stay you lose the power of it.  We will be working on stay seriously now, Elsa and I.  She started learning it when she was little and then did not get back to it for sometime as we were working on other much more important things like socializing.

Elsa learned wait very early on and she is very clear about it's meaning.  She knows to wait when I say it and if I say it with enough repetition in the same situation she will wait without it being said.  As I have said many times, she is amazingly quick about jumping into routines.  But now we must learn the official stay and perfect it.  All of my dogs in the past have been rock solid on their stay.  I demand it.  There is no wiggle room in a stay.

What I see as the biggest and most serious mistake when teaching the stay is the lack of enforcement.  If you say stay, you must enforce it.  When you allow a dog to remove themselves from a stay, you lose the true meaning of stay.

Don't

Call your dog out of a stay when training it.
Tell your dog to stay and then shrug your shoulders when they get out of it on their own.
Tell them stay when you don't really mean it.
Attempt to train a stay if you don't have the time.

Do

Teach a solid stay with time, patience and enforcing it.
Teach meaning, time, distance and then distractions.
Move slowly only getting further, longer or more distractions with complete success at the current stage.
Use the term "wait" unless you have are going to enforce the stay.

When you teach a stay you start out very easy.  The dog is directly in front of you and they stay for only a moment, a second really.  Once they start to understand the meaning of stay you can add some time that they must stay.  Then you add distance and proximity with you leaving the dog and then returning.  Once that is conquered and you have a solid understanding of what the stay is you can then move to a low level distraction area and build from there.

The way I train the stay gives no room for error, no gray, just black and white.  I say stay and you must stay where I have put you until I return and even then you must wait to be released.  The dog is only rewarded in the stay position.  The release is simply that, a release, nothing great just being released.  If you make a huge party of the release it then becomes much better than the stay itself, not what you want.

One word and only one gets a dog out of a stay, choose it wisely and don't forget it.

If you don't mean it or don't intend to enforce it, don't say it.

Optimum, health and weight

Optimum; it means best, peak or greatest degree obtainable.  Yesterday at the park I saw several dogs that were far from optimum weight which means that they were most definitely not as healthy as they could be.    What goes into the body as well as what you do with a body is how you achieve optimum.   If you feed your dog junk, the lower end type dog foods then they are starting off handicapped.  The body needs fuel and the higher the quality juice that goes into the body, the better your dog's body will be able to function.

Dropping just a couple of pounds can make a huge difference.  I see many dogs that are overweight.  Just a few extra pounds can put more wear and tear on joints causing early set on of arthritis.  Too much weight can cause all sorts of health issues, heart disease, liver problem, kidney failure etc. etc.  Not only does extra weight make it more difficult to move around, it causes them to gain more weight.  Carrying extra weights makes a dog more lethargic and less likely to be active, it's a vicious circle.

Moving is so very important, far too many dogs take a daily walk down the street and that is their exercise allotment for the day.  For the young and energetic dogs out there, they need to rip.  They need to stretch out and run.  Move, move, move.  As I've written before, they don't need a lot; dogs do not need to go to the park and run for hours.  They need quality exercise so if you can only fit in a fifteen minute run, make it a good one.  Chuck its, frisbees and a good throwing arm are great ways to offer your dog quality exercise.  That is if your dog is a retriever.  If not then a dog friend will usually help or you can even play monkey in the middle with them running back and forth.

The other day I was watching a show on tv that I hadn't seen before.  It is about dogs in NYC, they have a trainer who helps people with their dogs.  One of the dogs owners was concerned about weight, he thought that his dog might be obese.  As it turned out the dog was a perfect weight per standard for the breed.  After the veterinarian weighed her she said that this size dog should be eating more food per the feeding schedule on the bag.  Now I was interested, really?  The dog was perfect weight, why feed more?  Because the bag said so?

Optimum weight should be tested by feel, not by how much a dog is eating and most definitely not by what is written on the back of a food bag.  One of the dogs that I saw at the park who was not optimum weight was a shaved down Golden Retriever.  A breed which is commonly overweight, the shave made it easy to see what needed to be done.  Did owner see this need, I don't know.  But a simple feel test is one of the easiest ways to know how your dog is doing in the weight department.  You should be able to feel ribs easily.  The ribs should feel like they have a very thin neoprene covering on them.

It makes me very sad when I see a fat dog; they should be able to run around and play and they cannot.  Even young fat dogs are handicapped when they carry extra weight, they look years older than their actual age.  The old suffer even more by packing on the pounds.  Just imagine the aches and pains that come with age and then try to carry around more weight.   I like to keep my dogs lean, of course Luke is far too lean but at least he is not suffering from extra weight on his joints as he ages.  He is still very active for a dog his age and loves to run and play.  Elsa is the type of dog that can put on weight easily, she adores food and will eat just about anything.  Just the other day I cut back on her food a bit as I felt a little more sponge around the middle than I like.

Dogs optimum health is in our hands.  Of course they can be stricken by illness that can be out of our control but their weight and nutrition is all on us.  What goes into your dogs mouth should be extremely high quality food allowing their body to extract the nutrients it needs to run properly.  Their exercise needs and requirements should be met.  Both physical and mental exercise needs to be fulfilled on a daily basis.  I saw a lady the other day at Costco as she complained to a passerby about all the dog food she was having to buy.  Huge bag after bag, pallets of canned dog food.......all Pedigree.  Did she realize that she was feeding her dog empty calories?  That there is very little real nutrients in these low grade foods that her dogs can use?  Cheap yes but quality?  NO.

Optimum should be your goal, is it?

Fear

Thinking we would head up to the top of this lookout I quickly realized that Elsa was afraid.  It took only a few minutes of calmly walking around and then slowly nonchalantly  up the steps.  Calm.

Fear:  a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc.  Whether the threat is real of imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.  

Fear is a common emotion in many dogs.  I have met lots of dogs over the years who have been dealing with some degree of it.  The reason for fear can be as wide as the levels of fear itself.  How we deal with the reaction to a fear can help or make matters worse.  No matter what the fear is, it is indeed a fear.  So trying to use human common sense to rationalize a fear with your dog does not work.  No matter how ridiculous a fear seems, it is still a fear.  When that fear emotion is triggered we must act on it, calmly.

I am always talking about how dogs are watching us, all the time.  Even when we don't think that they are, they are.  So when you react to an action or situation, your dog is taking it all in.  Calm is the first step in helping a fearful dog, the next is looking for the tiniest of success.  Often with fear there is no monumentally success ratio.  It is step by baby step to true success.  The get'r done method does not work in rehabilitating a fearful dog.  

Distance is the next step, whatever the fear is being caused by must be kept at a distance until it is no longer eliciting a fearful response.  The flooding method of rehabilitation for fear should never be an option with dogs. Flooding throws a dog into the very situation that causes the fear, head on, all triggers.  It can backfire badly causing a dog to shut down completely, react aggressively and/or cause many other reactions plus fallout behaviors of the situation itself. 

Often you will never know what has caused a fearful reaction.  This is the case with many second hand dogs.  You may not know what the dogs background life was so that leaves you with just big question marks.  This just means that you deal with what you have, reactions to a fearful thing, be it a place, object, person etc.  Association is what you must create, a new association to whatever the fearful thing is.  


Elsa is a confident dog but has a sense of alarm at new objects, especially within her space.  If I put a new pot out in the yard she will sound off attempting to rid the yard of the new intruder.  I take that as my cue to walk out and calmly past the pot.  She watches intently and then follows me out and sniffs it, finally realizing it is not an evil object out to get us.  


There are times when we are out that something will startle us all.  I hate when it happens but know that a quick response will erase any negative fallout effects.  Just the other day my husband was messing around with the sound system when it burst into such loud music that everyone just about had a heart attack.  I was sitting right beside Luke and he flew off the couch like he'd been shot out of a canon.  Knowing full well that this was most definitely enough to send him into a seizure I got up and we went to check out some lizards in the yard forgetting that we had all just had the begeezus scared out of us.  


Think ZEN when dealing with fear issues.

ly

sleeping with dogs

Sleeping with dogs is a controversial topic.  Some of the harsh conventional trainers out there will tell you that it is a big no no.  Even people who are not trainers will say that a dog should never sleep with you.  What do I think?  You should sleep with your dog, at least have them in the same room with you.  I don't think that they need to be in the bed with you but if you want them there, fine.  Fine, IF and only IF they go up when invited, they will get off if asked and do not do any growling while on the bed.  Of course if one person in the bed doesn't want the dog on the bed then they should not be on the bed.  It needs to work for everyone.

Dogs are pack animals and as such they sleep together, they do everything together.  Some dogs are more concerned with proximity than others.  Many of them are fine as long as they are around you while others (like Elsa) need to be touching.  Elsa not only likes to touch she likes a lot of touch.  So she is not allowed to sleep with us at night.  She wraps herself around me and pushes, the weight of her makes you think that you are sleeping with an elephant and there is just no moving her.  She doesn't get grumpy about it, you just can't move her.  She is like a lead weight.  So she has to wait until the alarm goes off or I tell her that she can come up.  The bed that she sleeps on at night is right beside me on the floor but she tends to move around here and there.

Luke sleeps the whole night with us.  He gets up when we go to bed.  He has a spot at the end of the bed and is normally not in the way.  Although there are quite a few times when he sleeps too close to my side and my legs are mashed in one spot.  He will get off when asked and has never had an issue with the bed.  There should be strict rules that go along with sleeping in the bed.  After all it is the primo real estate spot of the house.  You own it, not your dog.  That means that you say whether or not they are welcome there.

Sleeping with your dogs is a great bonding time.  Packs sleep together, it is this quiet time that much connecting happens even when you aren't doing anything.  I feel strongly that dogs belong in the same room where you sleep but often it just cannot be.  Take our little Jack Russell (who is now gone) who was stricken with dementia.  She circled all night and paced unbelievably.  She went from sleeping in my bed, to a dog bed in the room, then to her crate and finally her crate was removed when she was keeping us awake with her constant pacing.   It was extremely sad to us when she had to be removed from our room but it was necessary for us to sleep.

Everyone needs sleep and as wonderful as it is to have your dogs sleep with you it has to work for everyone involved.  I've worked with many clients who just cannot have the dog in the room, they can't sleep.  So we create a plan that works so that everyone is happy.  With Elsa, the 500 lb. standard poodle, I cannot sleep with that kind of weight slung across me so we adjust.  In the morning when she is allowed up I put up with the heavy beast across me so that she has the close bonding time with us.

Annoying barking

There is a knock at the door and you prepare yourself for the onslaught of frenzy barking. One starts, then the next and the next until you think that you might go crazy.  Perhaps there is added in a scramble to the door and general chaos as well.  Door barking can become an issue quickly if you do not nip it in the bud.  I am at the nipping stage myself.  Although I am lucky that I don't have barking issues I do have over excited door greetings from our new girl.  A good problem but one that needs attending to.

What do you do if you have a dog or dogs that barking non stop when people come over?  They bark so bad that people stop coming over and you are at your wits end.  First you must look at your relationship, the relationship between you and your dogs.  Who is the boss?  I know you think you are but are you really?  Who makes the rules?  Does your dog go to the cookie cupboard and you deliver the goods?  Do they bark at you at meal time and you get up off the couch and go get dinner ready?  Do they nudge and paw at you and you oblige with the massage?  It can be tough to admit but many people are not the master of their domain.

Being the boss means that you deal with everything, yes the dogs can bark to tell you that someone is at the door but you take it from there.  Having a boundary and not allowing them to cross it when someone comes in really helps.  Taking away the job that they have taken on as door greeter is essential.  It is not their job to answer the door and deal with whoever is at the door.  It is your job.  Many dogs don't want the job but because the owner has not taken it on they feel obliged to do so.  If a dog is fearful or apprehensive this can cause a huge problem with overly aggressive behavior due to an apprehensive dog.

If your dog has been a crazed door barker for a long time you cannot simply say, okay today this stops.  It is ingrained in their day to day, you must give them an alternative.  If you have more than one dog you have to start working with one at a time until they get the general idea, then put them together to work on it.  You cannot expect to get through to a charging pack of dogs who have habitually barked in a frenzied pack over time. You must teach each dog separately so that you have some sort of possibility of success.

But the biggest and most important factor to work on is yourself.  So many people become frenzied themselves by the crazed barking.  Yelling at the dogs, pushing and pulling that they are themselves creating a more frenzied atmosphere.  Staying calm, cool and collected during a frenzied situation can be tough but it is a must.  Dogs watch us and if we are acting crazed then they think that there is a reason.

Here is an example that is going on at my house:  As I have said before, my office is at the front of my home, Elsa watches out the window during the day.  As day to day passes by our window she is watching.  Every so often she starts to bark, a little bit of barking I allow.  If it continues I ask her to stop, if she does then she gets a treat and I will continue to praise her as the object of her barking passes by.  If she does not stop I calmly get out of my chair and usher her out of the room.  She is not allowed back in until she calms herself.  Note:  I said I calmly.  If I got all freaked out and yelled and pushed I would fuel the situation.

So the training starts with one dog.  You need someone outside to knock on the door or ring the doorbell.  As the first couple of barks are out you say "STOP," calmly but loud enough to be heard.  If you get a fraction of a second of quiet, reward it.  Use whatever your dog thinks is fabulous food, if they don't like food use a tennis ball and toss it for a reward.  If you can, toss the treat back behind your dog so that they have to go get it.  This helps to load "quiet" time.  You then go to the door, open it, and then close it.  If your dog has remained quiet the whole time then you should have been tossing treats the whole time.

Once you start to get some quiet you must quickly extend the length of time for quiet before rewarding.  If your dog barks and you say stop, they get a treat and bark again immediately then you can actually teach them to bark more.  To get some time in between "stop" and the treat use redirection.  You can go from treats in your pocket to start with and then move to getting treats in the kitchen.  The act of going to the kitchen once your dog is quiet adds more quiet time.  You can fill quiet time with praise as well once you are building and asking for more quiet time between the initial "stop" and reward.


Not only are you rewarding your dog for being quiet, you are also creating a "positive" association to someone being at the door.  There are many things that you can do with over exuberant door barkers.   Teaching a "place" exercise is a great assistance to the problem.  Someone rings the bell and they are trained to go to a certain rug or area, there they receive their treats.  It becomes a good habit instead of bad.  A boundary away from the door is also a big help.  Dogs are not in charge of answering the door and dealing with whoever might be behind it, we are.  The boundary enforces this way of life.

Barking is not all bad, when it becomes annoying is when we cannot stop it.  Stopping it is one thing but giving your dog an alternative action is another.  Some dogs don't know that there is another option other than frenzied barking, they've never tried it.  You can teach them that quiet is an option and one that will be rewarded.  If your dog is food motivated it can wield a great deal of power.  Use it.

You can also help with door issues by simply desensitizing your door.  This means that a knock on the door or door bell ring does not always mean that someone is behind it.  If you do it during the day and then do not react to it, you will slowly desensitize it.  If you have a willing neighbor who will help you out for a couple of weeks have them come by and simply ring the door bell and walk away.  Knowing  that it was just your helpful neighbor you ignore it and go about your business.  If you have a pack of frenzied barkers when the doorbell is wrung, involve them in something fun out back.  You need to switch it up, change the meaning of the doorbell or knocking at the door.

By no means is this an easy task once it has been ingrained in your dogs day to day.  It becomes an instant reaction to a simple action.  If you are serious about changing the behavior then the first step is saying to yourself "I can do this."  You are in charge, not the dog or dogs.  You are the boss and no matter how cute that little munchkin is, he/she is a dog and you are the rule maker of the dogs.  I often find myself saying "I'm not having this," as my guys start to join in with some neighborhood frenzied barkers.  I just won't have it.  Perhaps it's okay with the neighbors who live with the frenzied barkers but not in my house.

Take it one step at a time, even the smallest fraction of quiet is a success, reward it.  As you reward the small successes they will grow.  The goal is to extend the time between when you say "stop" and they are rewarded.  It must be done fairly quickly or you will end up rewarding for more barking.  Dogs are smart, far smarter than most people think so ask for longer lengths of quiet as soon as you start to get some quiet.  Promoting barking can cause a great deal of problems down the road, stop it now.

Leave it

Yesterday I took the dogs to Dana Point Harbor.  It is a lovely place to walk the dogs; there are lots of other dogs, beautiful scenery, fresh air and a crazy amount of squirrels.  Depending on the time of year there can be a lot or a ridiculous amount, yesterday was the ridiculous amount. I mean truly, there are so many that I was shaking my head much of the time.  It was obviously baby season watching the 4" little critters crawl around everywhere until Mom would shriek and they'd all go running for cover.  The old timers, the big guys just sit and don't bat an eyelash when you go by.  They know that the dogs are on leashes.

The last time we were at the harbor there were just a few or least we only saw a few.  Anyway we worked on our "leave it."  Elsa did amazing and quickly moved her attention from the little creatures to Mom and kept walking.  Luke on the other hand is a diehard sled dog when we are around the squirrels.  He has always had a problem around them and gets into his "zone."  He no longer lunges and dives at the squirrels but pulls hard and steady due to his level of excitement.  He has dilated pupils and is very difficult to even talk to.  At 11.5 years old I have given up trying and often opt for a bungee leash for our harbor walks.

We were doing pretty well at our walk until a giant family decided that they should dart from one side of the path to the other willy nilly style.  There were adults and babies, the adults ran straight across while the babies ran around a bit before getting to their destination.  This was more than any dog with drive could take and the dogs commenced to pull so hard that I had to brace myself.  "Good grief," I thought as we veered off the path to get some sort of composure.  Once we were back we continued the walk without another crazy incident like that one.

I had a lot of treats with me, I always do but next time I will bring higher value treats.  The whole thing with the leave it exercise is that you have to have something good enough for your dog to leave whatever it is that they are wanting.  Will they leave a squirrel for a cheerio?  Not likely.  A piece of chicken, maybe.  It all depends on what a dog likes.  Luke would not take any food when we first got to the harbor but once we got underway the craziness of the squirrel diminished to just a high level of excitement so he then accepted treats.

We walked past a couple with a brown lab watching the squirrels.  The dog sat in a trance like posture, his stare fixed on the squirrels.  He looked like he might burst any second but he didn't.  He was much older and that in itself is a huge difference between dealing and unglued.  Luke can sit and watch the squirrels but he will not leave his "zone," until we leave the harbor.  Elsa is so young that she reacted to every squirrel she saw, but she did not have dilated pupils which was nice.

All dogs are different, drive is different and how they react to a chase object is different.  Tilley use to get into stalk posture, way down low and did her entire walk this way.  She was like a panther in slow motion.  Even her head turning was slow, it was the only mode she knew when around so many squirrels.  Dogs are dogs and when put in the middle of a whole lot of critters?   Well........they will be dogs

Aging

The golden years are meant to be the ones when you put your feet up and chill, do whatever you want.  The same goes for our dogs, it is a time to give lots of tlc.  Senior dogs need patience most of all and understanding.  There is nothing more sad than seeing an old dog in a rescue or a shelter.  Their owners hand them over when they don't want to deal anymore.  How you treat the old is a true sign of who you are I believe.  "This is too much work," "I can't do this."  "This is too hard."    These three phrases often come with onset of age in the once much loved dog.  Sad, very, very sad.

This past December and January we lost our two oldest.  It was something I knew would be coming but caught us off guard and suddenly.  The oldest, Jessie suffered with Dementia or Cognitive disorder for over a year.  It came on slowly causing me to try attempt to figure out some strange behaviors that she started.  From the time that I realized what it was to the end it became far worse.  She became incontinent, lost and very very confused.  She needed constant guidance and supervision.

Many old dogs seem confused, but Cognitive disorder is much different than a bit of confusion from age.  When I tell people about it many have said "maybe that is what my dog has."  Dogs can get it at any age but it is often seen in old dogs.  It is not a little bit of confusion nor is it incontinence, dementia is very much a different affliction and if your dog gets it you will know.  There is not a lot to be done if your dog is stricken with it but give great care accompanied with a bucket load of patience.

Tilley was hit with Vestibular disease over two years ago.  This too can come with age and is a very difficult disease in the beginning.  Many people sadly euthanize their dog at the onset, it hits hard and very sudden.  It too is a very clear affliction, not just a bit dizzy or wobbly.  I carried er haround for days, she could not even get to her feet.  Then for many months after I carry her up and down the stairs.  She recovered but lived in a constant tilt, she adjusted and did amazing for an old girl.  After dealing with Vestibular for a year she was hit with a spinal issue causing complete paralysis of her front end.  Again I carried her until we figured it out and got her back on her feet.  Patience, patience, patience.

Both the girls became incontinent which is common in old dogs as well; more so with the females.  This meant daily blanket washing, underwear and pad changes and lots of supervision.  It became a huge hassle because Tilley could no longer be left with the dog door open having to wear underwear.  My freedom became less and less but with a great deal of planning through trial and error we worked it all out.  It was a great deal of work but after spending so many wonderful years with a dog it is the least we can do for them.  Wouldn't we want someone to do the same for us?

Old dogs have different nutritional needs, they often need much less food due to the lack of movement.  Every extra pound on them makes their life more difficult.  After carrying Tilley for so many months I realize what an extra 40 pounds would feel like hauling around.  As dogs age often food becomes more important so they seem to be hungry all the time.   If you have guilt issues looking into those seemingly starving eyes then switch to a very low calorie treat.  Much of the care decision with old dogs needs to come from the head and not the heart. It is more important to give quality food than quantity.  

Old dogs should be kept nice and lean and they still need exercise.  Their exercise needs to be trimmed down, perhaps from big hikes to small ones.  Maybe runs now need to be walks but they need to move.   The more they remain stationary the harder it is to move and more painful.  Senior dogs need to get out just as much as young dogs.  Even if it is just for a nice long sniff session, it is really good for them.  Again, patience is required with senior dogs as they walk much slower.  As Tilley and Jessie got well into their senior years our walks were at the speed of old snails and took some getting use to.

Dog beds or comfortable places are a must.  Quiet places where they can rest undisturbed is really great. I remember Tilley going up to my office and sleeping for hours at a time.  Her hearing was going so she never heard my comings and goings.  It made me smile to see her so comfy on the big bed as the breeze in on her face.  Loss of hearing and vision is very common in old dogs.  This is something that you should check on a regularly basis on your own.  With the loss of vision, the first problem is seeing in low light so be sure to have lights on for your older dog.  A fall down the stairs can result from not enough light.

If you notice a hearing loss be sure to accommodate for that by speaking louder and being more visual.  Try to avoid startle moments which can be very upsetting for an older dog.  Make sure that people know that your dog cannot hear properly.  If your older dog is becoming hard of hearing you may want to think about letting them off leash.  One day at the park I had Tilley off and when I called to her I realized she couldn't hear me; that was the last time that she was off leash further than an arms throw from me.

As our canine companions age they can be afflicted with many illnesses or diseases just like us.  I like to make sure that they have at least a yearly if not more full senior blood panel.  Catching things early can often keep them at bay for a while.  Doing a weekly look over is essential, feeling for new bumps and lumps is great so that you can direct the Veterinarian to any new ones.  Dogs get lots of little things on them as they age, most are just age but sometimes they can be something serious.  Check their teeth weekly as well as they can be a real problem if you are just feeding kibble.

Grooming is very important to keep up with older dogs.  It can be hard to find a groomer who will take the time to do it but it is important to keep looking until you do.  That is if you use a groomer and don't do it yourself.  Tilley went from standing on the grooming table to lying on the ground for her grooming.  It became all about her as my back suffered from the extra strain.  Making them comfortable both physically and emotionally is essential.  If your groomer complains about the extra work, give them an earful and leave.

Old dogs are work, much more work than the middle aged, well trained, fully energetic ones.  Caring for them in their golden years is an act of love and for me not work at all.  Yes it is work but after sharing a life with a wonderful canine companion it should be a given that we give back.  There comes a time when we have to say good-bye but while they are with us they deserve at least as much love as they have given us.  From the smallest of pocket pooch to the big whopping giant breeds they all have the most amazing heart that there is, the heart of a canine.  Give your dog an extra hug today.

Back at it

Spent the day at Coronado Beach yesterday, amazing.

The long weekend is over, Brad is heading back to NYC and Nicole goes back to CO tomorrow.  We had a great weekend but now it's back to reality.  For the last couple of weeks I put my book on the back burner, but today I will pull it out and get back at it.   I have completely finished the first draft, it's been edited and I have a great deal of work to do on it now that we've had a couple of outsiders read it.  I am anxious to get back into it and get it done.

I often sit and ponder the whole trip that Brad and I made.  The day we left, the emotional days we went through and how the heck we got where we are today.  How many times do you hear people say "things happen for a reason?"  That said you can then be left trying to discover what the hidden reason could possibly be, right?  It's called life and it is continually unfolding before us.  Sometimes things just happen because, that's it, just because.  There is no hidden agenda but there is most always a lesson.  So it's back to the book today.

We had a party on Saturday night, it was amazing to be together celebrating with family and very good friends. Elsa and Luke had a great time.  They both love to socialize although Elsa was getting a tad excited about it all. Of course everyone was gushing over them both; Luke is pretty mellow about it but Elsa gets wound pretty quickly.  Luke stayed on his couch as the first people started to arrive, Elsa greeted everyone.  But when a great friend arrived with her husband they both came unglued.  It is so funny to see the difference in their behavior when they recognize someone.  Elsa was just beside herself as she spun and basically went crazy.  Then Luke actually got himself off of the couch and did his own crazy spinning and jumping.  With both of them over excited it was time for me to have a break and a glass of wine so they headed up to my bedroom for a while.

Later on in the evening everyone wanted to see Elsa and Luke again so out they came to strut their stuff.  Elsa once again got so excited, especially when she realized there were more friends in attendance that she knew.  Luke was also excited but kept his cool this time, as any 11.5 year old should.  It is so great to have such social dogs.  Working on calming an over exuberant pup is much easier than bringing a fearful one out of their shell.  Especially when working with dogs like Elsa who are so food motivated.

As wonderful as the long weekend was it is now time to.........................get back at it.  I hope you all had a great long weekend and now it's time for summer.

Memorial Day 2012

To all the amazing men, women and dogs that serve this great country; Memorial day is for us all to remember  and honor you.  Have a wonderful day and I will see you tomorrow.  Stay safe.

Memorial Day site

US War Dog Association

War dogs of the World

Long weekend

Its the start of the long weekend, the kick off to summertime yet the weather is not cooperating as I would like.  Tomorrow is suppose to be a little better but I'd like it today.  Oh well.  We'll be out early this morning enjoying time with the dogs.  Yesterday with some drizzling weather I took advantage of it and I ran Elsa like crazy. She absolutely loves running and retrieving so she had a good fill.   The field was ours, not a soul in sight.  Not so perfect weather tends to keep people in, nice.

No matter what the weather is where you are, I hope that you have a wonderful long weekend creating some great memories with your family, friends and canines.

Now go throw the ball.  

Shaken not stirred

Yesterday as I worked away on my computer Elsa sat watching, watching out her window.  I have a patio door in the room where she loves to sit and watch the world go by.  She is learning to watch and only watch without barking.  Depending on what is going by can make the no barking rule a tough one.  As she lay watching the neighborhood comings and goings I saw her ears go up, then her body, and the very low barking started.  I could see that she was watching something, I assumed it was the local cat.  Nope, it was a bag.

Having had many dogs over the years it has been interesting to see how they deal with things in their own way.  Describing all the traits of a dog can take a while, like I always say "they are very simple, yet complicated."  Elsa is a very confident dog, but she has a tiny bit of fear regarding monsters.  Fear of the unknown lets say.  So when this grocery bag was caught up in the wind and rolling towards our house it was by her description, a monster.  What was this thing slowly creeping up on our house?

I told her that it was a bag using my best no big deal voice but she wasn't buying it.  She charged downstairs as it came across the front lawn.  I decided to show her what the monster was as she continued to do her low level barking in a panic.  I grabbed her collar and we walked out the front door to the bag.  She did a couple of "there it is" barks until she realized what she was barking at.  I figured good, lesson learned..........just a bag.

Back up to the office and on with work when it started again.  Looking out the window I saw another bag, really?  The exact same scenario was playing out again and Elsa was no wiser with the second go round.  She barked and charged downstairs.  I opted to let this one go and ignore the whole issue.  It blew up onto he lawn and out of view.  She calmed quickly.  She is an amazing guard dog, as I have said before she misses nothing.  Not even the empty bark bag that I tossed to the side of the yard after redoing one of my gardens.  I heard the low barking again and looked to see her as she cautiously approached it.  This one was not quite as scary as she recognized it more quickly.

Tilley and Jessie were my most unflappable dogs.  Even though Tilley was somewhat a fearful girl at the start she remained rock solid as far as new objects or environments.  Jessie was the same, she would see something new in the yard and know what it was immediately.  Luke is sort of in between, depending on what the item is.

The best thing to do when you have an alarmist is to remain calm, leading by example.  Not all dogs look to their owners for assistance but for the ones that do remaining calm in a scary situation is the best that we can offer.  Stepping up and taking control of situations is a good way to become the owner that your dog needs.  The one who will be there through all the scary times.  Being the boss means just that, the one that is unflappable in flappable situations.  Walking past your dog who is frozen staring at the strange thing and confronting the object head on.

Making items that cause a frantic behavior in your dog "nothing" is so very important.  It is all a lesson in being as calm as you possibly can.  Picking up the item as if it were merely a fleck of dust, not giving the thing an ounce of consideration.  Our dogs pick up on this very confident, no stress behavior and learn.  It is the same for anything that causes a frenzied behavior, the best action is the 'we don't care about those things,' attitude.

He's home, finally.

This was taken the day that Elsa arrived to our house.  Not wanting to move Elsa as she had fallen asleep Brad chose to just stay there and catch a few himself with her.  

I've been telling Elsa that Brad is coming home for weeks.  Every time I say his name she stops in her tracks, has a look around and then goes back to whatever she was doing.  Brad is my son, the one that took the first epic trip across the country with me.  He has a very special relationship with the dogs, they have all adored him.  But Elsa has a very special spot that is reserved especially for Brad as did Tilley.  He is home for a short visit sadly but she is soaking up every second that she can with him, making up for lost time.

I tried to capture the smiles.  Brad was the first one to receive smiles from Elsa, the whole front teeth flash.  She was moving to quick to catch it this time.

Her tail was going so fast you can barely see it.  (yes she still has on her undies.)