I support small breeders

This will no doubt be a controversial blog today.  Yep, that's right, I said it.  I SUPPORT SMALL BREEDERS.  Not all small breeders, there are small millers.  I support just the good ones.  I'm tired of people looking down at me and others who purchase our puppies.  Yes I did my research, chose a breeder, purchased a puppy and care for that puppy with every ounce of care in me.  She has been amazingly socialized, is in the process of being trained, is groomed regularly, taken to the vet, getting spayed next week, fed a real and nutritional diet and loved, very, very loved.  So, shame on me?   Am I a part of the problem of pet over population?  NO.


The problem is the big breeders; large and small, the millers.  I for one scoop all the mass production breeders into one big bag of millers.  I don't care if they have the newest, most modern facility to breed their dogs; they are still millers to me.  Mass production and distribution is the problem my friends.  Those who treat dogs as a product instead of the wonderfully intelligent creatures that they are.  Millers who care only for the bottom line, money.  Millers don't have to have a huge facility, it can be right in their back yard. They just keep breeding and breeding and breeding.  As long as the demand is there they will keep the supply flowing.  Disgusting.

Another problem lies in those who just let it happen.  They get a puppy, don't get it spayed and oops.  Or maybe not an oops, perhaps they breed their dog on purpose.  I've talked to many people who have dogs and they so badly want to breed their dog because it would be so cute to have puppies.  Or they want a puppy from their wonderful dog.  Worse still they want their children to experience the whole birth and puppy thing.  Then they are left with a litter of puppies they don't know what to do with.  The puppies get no socializing, no vet care.  So they offer them up to anyone who wants one and the cycle continues.

The problem lies not with the amazing, caring breeders who have one or two litters a year.  The breeders who have the litter in their home, socialize and temperament test their puppies.  No they are not the problem.  They check, double check and triple check a family before placing a puppy with them.  Sometimes they reject a potential owner because they care and are concerned with their puppies future.  A good breeder would never in a million years sell their puppy to a pet store and that is a non-debatable fact.  If a breeder sends their puppies to a pet store then they are a miller and a part of the problem.

Greed - a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.

Greed is the core of the problem in the whole pet over population, at least with dogs.  Greed is the core of almost everything gone wrong.  Sadly it may be the whole undoing of it all.  Breeders can turn bad quickly, they get a taste of the possibility of continuing money flow and they are hooked. Greed is the big problem.  I know several breeders who started out good and then greed took over.  It is pretty easy to evaluate a breeder if you just spend the time discussing puppies with them.  You may have to visit their home if you have any doubts; of course a home visit is always a good plan.

I can pretty much tell a good breeder from a miller quickly.  Care and concern if the first thing  that is noticeably missing in a miller.   They have a pushy "here take a puppy" attitude.  Whereas a good small breeder holds their puppies close until they are sure you are deserving.  I support those good ones and hope that someday they will be the only ones remaining.  People may have to wait for a puppy but anticipation is a good thing.

With this statement of mine comes the obvious fact that I support rescue as well.  I am a huge advocate of those who rescue and adopt and the tireless volunteers that do the rescuing.   I will most definitely adopt a rescue down the road as well.  But for now I will care for the two I have, giving them my utmost attention and love.

The Recall, AGAIN

RECALL:  to call back; summon to return.

This is probably one of the biggest issues that we have with dogs.  The whole idea around calling your dog to come to you often instills panic, doubt and negative thoughts in general.  Do you call your dog and just know that he or she will not come?  Teaching your dog to come to you reliably takes a bucket load of work and it should start on day one.  Practice, practice, practice.  The whole process is a priming for the big event.

I have to say that Elsa is very good at her recall.  She hasn't always been, when she was just a young puppy she never came when called under fun environmental stimulus which is entirely normal albeit undesirable.  You need to do a great deal of training for the recall, that is if you actually want your dog to come.  Some dogs never get any training around the come behavior.  Their owner simply belts it out every now and again and expects them to come running across the field and into their arms.  Hmmmm.

Extreme positive association must be placed on the word 'come' or whatever word you plan on using.  It makes no difference as to what word you use, but use that one word all the time.  NEVER, EVER put any negative association onto the word.  If you even once call your dog with the word 'come' and then scold it, put them in a crate, leave the park or dog park, leave to go to work then you are placing a negative on your word.  Even one negative association can slow things down or bring them to a complete halt.

If you do make a mistake and as we discussed yesterday; as humans we do make mistakes, then fix it.  If you call out "come" and then realize that you are indeed leaving for work, don't.  Treat your dog for coming, go out into the yard and throw the ball around or play for a bit.  Once you have erased your error with time; go get your dog, bring them in and now you can go to work.  Rectify the mistake.

Seize the moments.  Yesterday when I was out with Elsa she spotted a pine cone.  This was after her chuck it time when we wander around doing training.  She didn't know what it was and put her head down and went to discover.  Her interest was high so I took this moment to practice.  I called her "Elsa come," she stopped on a dime only feet away from the cone and ran to me, sitting right in front like the amazing girl that she is.  She got a few treats, praise and then was immediately released to go see what that thing on the ground was.  Had I not allowed her to go and see the pine cone afterwards then the whole thing would have been negative.  What she learned is that it was not negative, she got the food and got to see what that strange thing was.  This is an essential part of it all, knowing when to not call and when to call and release.

I have taught her to come to the word "leash" as well.  She is always rewarded and then hooked up.  I do not want to tarnish her "come" so I have implemented an additional word.  It may very well become tarnished and not elicit a lightening speed response but that's okay.  It is one of those "it is what it is" things.

So if you have not trained your dog to 'come,' get out there and get working on it.  Dogs don't simply come on their own unless you have created a "coming is a great thing," idea.  

Making mistakes

We all do it, some of course more than others.   Making mistakes, yep it's called life lessons.  I wanted to talk about the fear of making a mistake today because so many people ask me questions and then don't do anything.  The fear of making a mistake is great in many people.  Often they ask a dozen or more people the same question and then remain frozen, unable to take the leap.  Making mistakes if very  human, in fact when I make a mistake I commonly say "I'm only human."  Mistakes are important.

There are many different levels of mistakes.  Some are small, little whoooops all the way up to catastrophic ones.  When we are young we make many more mistakes, it makes sense.  We are suppose to learn through our mistakes so as we make them we should be learning right?  Not always sadly, many people just keep making the same mistake over and over and over.  They never sit back and look at how it's all working out for them.  If you are attempting something, anything really and you have made several attempts with no success; you must assess.

Feeling unsure as you attempt something new can be scary, but it should never stop you from trying.  Take feeding your dog real food; lots of people ask and ask and ask.  They wait years before doing it, afraid that they will get it wrong.  I completely understand this; our society has been brain washed into thinking that we can't just give our dogs real food.  The big dog food conglomerates have drilled into our head that they are the only ones who have the most perfectly balanced food with the precise nutrition that our dogs need.  BS!!!!!!!!

Research, research, research !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No one can know everything, not even close.  But you can learn a great deal by reading, listening and asking.  Take from what you learn what makes you feel comfortable and as NIKE says 'JUST DO IT.'  Sure you are going to make mistakes a long the way, you wouldn't be human if you didn't.

The food thing was just an example; I'm talking about pretty much everything having to do with dogs.  Grooming, training, health or anything else for that matter.  A very long time ago I read a question that my twin brother posted "what would you do if you had no fear?"  It was relating to the things in life that we don't do because we are afraid of doing it wrong.  The "what ifs?"  Admittedly I am a great "what if 'r" but it mostly comes into play when there could be any sort of danger situation, but not always.  Over the years I have made many mistakes and as I get older I have learned a great deal.  It's okay to be a "what if 'r" if it doesn't stop you.  Thinking first is always the best idea.   So many people make huge mistakes by acting, speaking or leaping without thinking first.

I guess where I'm going this morning with this is that we all make mistakes.  Humans make mistakes, bottom line.  But the fear of making a mistake should never stop us from trying.  I've known many harsh type trainers over the years who get work by making their clients feel like they couldn't do it.  As a trainer it is our job to make sure that you can and give you enough information to make you feel like you can do it. Lots of times over the years after being told by a client "I can't do this," I tell them "YES YOU CAN."  We then go through it and make sure that they feel like they can.

When you venture into unknown territory, keep your head down, read and learn.  Then take what you've learned, keep your head up and try.  Life is way to short not to at least try.  

Foolish moves

This is a Weimaraner but not the one from yesterday.  I shot this little pup several years ago, what a sweetie.  

Yesterday I was out with Elsa for a walk.  We headed out very early because the weather forecast called for heat.  I was glad we had because even at such an early hour it was warm when we got out of the Xterra.  We headed first to the field, it is a fenced in baseball field that many people use for free off leash time.  As we went around a corner I caught a glimpse of a mans head and heard him yell a dogs name.  I forget the dogs name now because I was so concerned by the whole ordeal.  He was angry and in a panicked tone called the dog again.  I stopped dead in my tracks as they came into full view.

A man around my age with two weimaraners.   A very large and over weight one and the one he was trying to get hooked up.  After he got the first one leashed he then moved much more calmly to hook up the big boy.  He moved in close to the play structure and away from the path.  I was a little taken back as I thought he would have shouted "there friendly," being that they'd been off leash.  He did not, he pulled his dogs in as we passed.  He was saying "good girl," to the one he'd been concerned with as she lunged and very aggressively barked at Elsa.

Elsa is very cautious about greeting other dogs.  She is not a typical youngster who throws herself at just anyone.  She lowered her head as we walked by and just looked up as if to say "hi guys," and she got a full and clear message.  Her tail immediately dropped and she moved away quickly.  She was still on leash of course as we headed to our field, I can't imagine having her off leash at that point. I never said a word to the man as we walked by.  What I did give him was a long and telling stare.

Honestly?  He had that dog off leash on a path around a corner.  Really?  I was really mad and kept checking over my shoulder as we left the area.  I have worked very, very hard at making sure that Elsa does not have a bad experience before she is ready to deal with it.  When the dog did lunge at her I quickly kicked my "no big deal," mode into gear.  I calmly said "we don't care about that" in a happy normal conversational voice and she was immediately relaxed and okay because Mom was.  Had I reacted in a shocked manner, pulling her leash tight and speeding up my pace she would have gotten a frightened response and reacted accordingly.

As we finally got to our field I checked and checked again that he was no where in sight.  Elsa had her fun and upon heading out I spotted him near the structure again but with his leashes on.  If someone other than me had been walking down the path at a quick pace and not been paying attention it could have turned out very badly.  Just the owners behavior itself explained how his dog typically responds to other dogs.  Dogs like this should NEVER be off leash in public.  Especially somewhere someone is liable to walk by at any moment.  Yes I was brewing, stupid, stupid, stupid.

I just don't understand the risk.  I really don't.  If you know that your dog is aggressive, why would you have it off leash in public?  Specifically in an area where you cannot see other people coming by with dogs?  Leash aggression is one thing but real dog/dog aggression is quite another.   Lots of dogs are really friendly but can display leash aggression. This man showed by his behavior that his dog was indeed aggressive.  There is just no excuse for this type of behavior and he and his dogs are simply an incident waiting to happen.  Which as we all know will be no accident.  

 

Interactions

Upon meeting this grouch at he beach Elsa was given a clear message that he was not up for play.  She took off quickly.  

Yesterday I took Elsa to a local fenced in field area that we go to a lot.  Luke was off on a hike with his Dad, a much needed one on one since the beginning of the Elsa and Steve running team.  It had already started to heat up so we weren't going to stay long.  A couple of tosses with the chuck it, a quick look around and we were going to go home.  After a bunch of tosses and a walk around the area we saw some other people and a dog.  The way the dog was moving it looked like a puppy.  Either that or a not so coordinated type dog.  We went to see.

The dog was off leash and when the owner saw me they hooked him up.  Elsa and I approached as I could clearly see it was a puppy now.  Elsa hadn't played with a small puppy for a while.  I chatted to the owner and his son, this pup was a rescue.  He'd been found on the streets of LA by a friend of theirs.  They told me that they'd lost their other dog which was a Border Collie a year ago, when I asked "was it Patches?"  They looked at me, shocked to see that I knew the name of their deceased dog.  "I was his trainer," I told them.  Small world.  I knew they lived in the area and just took a guess that it might be them; how funny.

We reminisced a bit and then they let the pup off leash to play with Elsa.  I opted to leave the chuck it in its resting place as Elsa would not interact with the puppy if it was out and in use.  They ran and ran; the pup was only around 4 months old so could not keep up but did his best job to herd Elsa.  You could see him in action even at such a young age.  This was a hardwired behavior.  He looked like either an Australian Shepherd or mix.  Cute little guy, friendly with an abundance of energy.  This was great for Elsa.  Even at a year of age dog can always benefit from new canine interactions.  Especially young puppy interactions.

I did several recalls during their high speed chases and Elsa came immediately.  It didn't take long for the two to get very hot so we chatted with the pups owners a bit and then headed home.  Nothing can ever replace the experiences of canine interactions.  Each and every positive encounter helps to make our dogs, better dogs.  Both Elsa and the puppy benefited greatly from the chance meeting in the field.  Even though Elsa has been extensively socialized with dogs ranging in size from the smallest to huge guys she can always use more.  When you get the chance, seize the moment.


  

Time

A very special moment last summer with all my seniors at the beach.  

Time;  a particular period considered as distinct from other periods.  As between two successive events.

Time, we never seem to have enough.  How many times have you said "if I only had a few more hours in a day?"  We all wish there was more time.  For dog lovers like us we wish there was more time for the dogs in our lives.  That meaning that we wish they were with us longer and that we had more time to spend with them.  So how much time is enough time to spend with a dog?  When your dog or dogs live with you as an integrated family member time is easy.  With all the day to day interactions of what we call life there is a great deal of time spent together.  With a daily focus put onto an exercise or social outing it is really very little in the big picture.

Sure you can spend a whole lot more time focused on individual dog time but they don't ask a lot.  I spend most of my day with my dogs.  Where I go they go.  I will often load up with water and snacks to bring to my office so that they don't have to get up.  If I leave for even a second they are up and following me.  For Elsa this is fine but I hate to see Luke haul his old body up just to go down and get a snack and come back again.  Much of our time is spent hanging, just chill'n together.

Take a wolf pack in the wild; they do a great deal of just hanging out.  They are not always interacting and most running involves a hunt.  Wolves in the wild reserve their energy and do not waste it on willy nilly running just because.  Of course they do play and have social interactions as wel; but their life is spent with one another, time spent together.

Time itself is often the reason owners give for needing to find a new home for their dog; they simply don't have the time.  This for me is one of the lamest excuses.  I do believe that there are valid excuses to re-home dogs but not because you don't have enough time.  We all don't have enough time.  Yes there is time required with dogs.  At each different age there is a different demand on your time.  Puppies need lots of supervision and training.  But the faster you get them integrated into the family the easier it gets.  Middle age dogs are great but do need more exercise.  When dogs are well socialized they can also spend a great deal of time joining you on your daily outings.

The senior dogs are where it gets really easy so when someone re-homes a senior I just don't get it.  They sleep most of the day and require very little as far as exercise.  The golden years are special, having just lived through some very golden years with my dogs I would never give those years up.   It is a very special time of giving back.  They give to us for so many years, their senior ones are where we can attempt to give them back even a fraction of what they have given us.

Time is relative; we all want more of it, that is clear.  But time with our dogs?  Priceless.

It's finally done

PBJ and me; an adventure that changed everything.

I am very excited to say that my first book of two detailing the trip from CA to CT and back is done.  When we started the whole process of moving I decided to do a photo journal about my son and my travel across the country with our four dogs.  As most of you know it turned out far different than I had imagine and now one book has turned into two.  With one done my focus is now on #2.  I spent a good part of yesterday working on it and two other books as well.  Looks like in the near future there will be several more books, about different topics though.  When I finished this one PBJ and me it made it easier for the next.  It is all a process and experience is the best driving force into the unknown.  Having done one I can much more easily do the next.  I started writing book #1 in Connecticut; little did I know that one would grow to two.

Through writing, re-writing and tweaking the book there were many tears shed.   Even though it was a very tough ordeal to have to live and relive, again and again it truly helped me to move on.  There are still tears to shed and every so often during my writing I will stop to remember.   I go over each event and relive it to freshen my memory.  Each memory sparks yet another that had perhaps gotten lost along the way with all the craziness.

I truly believe that "life is an evolution of oneself."  With each day, each experience and life adventure you create the person you will turn out to be in the end.  Life is not always rosey; then there are  sometimes that it is very rosey and wonderful.  It is through the good and the bad we call life that we become us.  The smallest of events can play a huge role in our life, just think about it.  A left turn instead of right can make a monumental difference.

My last year has been pretty crazy; I will hopefully finish it off and put it into the past, stored neatly in my memory bank to be drawn on when needed.  The first book was very much a great help in the healing process.  Hopefully the next will do as much.  Right now I am very excited to have finished one and I truly hope that you enjoy it as it unfolds into the next.

Bad dogs. Really?

This is not an aggressive Golden, he was just play stalking when I got his shot.  

An aggressive Golden Retriever, yes.  Shocked?  Many people are very surprised to hear anything negative about a well known and super friendly family breed like the Golden.  It can and does happen.  I have worked with several families who have had an aggressive Golden.  I have worked with an aggressive Miniature Poodle who was very small, white and adorable.  He was wonderful as long as you didn't tell him to do anything.

I met a woman in CT who's dog had been attacked by two Labradors who had been running loose.  They did a great deal of damage emotionally to the dog.   I ran into a very aggressive Labrador myself while in CT at the beach.  He was a typical bully, his owners had not instilled the "not acceptable" lesson with him. Even his dog walker shrugged it off as "ya he does that."  I was appalled as I watched him bully his way through the beach.  I told the dog walker that the bully Labrador's behavior was very dangerous and that he was going to get into some serious trouble.  The dog walker seemed shocked at my statement.  The very buff bully Labrador had decided to pick on a young male Labrador at one point.  The young Lab was a very cute and sweet tempered Labrador.  The bully nearly drowned him when his owner and I decided to vacate the beach.

"No bad dogs." Do you remember this statement?  Barbara Woodhouse   coined the phrase years ago.  Well I disagree, there are most definitely bad dogs just as there are bad people. But most dogs we might consider to be bad have had little or no proper guidance.  Serious problems can be caused by lack of human intervention or incorrect intervention.  People cause a lot of problems when they do not know what they are doing or don't do anything at all.  Take the bully Labrador at the beach; had his owners stepped in and shown him that bullying is unacceptable he may have been an entirely different dog.

Too much of a bad thing causes really bad things.  Take a dog who is overly excited by the presence of other dogs.  If he is given severe and painful corrections through a choke or pinch collar; he will quickly associate that pain to the presence of other dogs making him reactively aggressive.  The same problem could have an altogether different result by the use of positive reinforcement techniques to rectify the situation.

Am I picking on Labradors and Golden Retrievers this morning?  Nope.  I'm trying to get across that aggression issues are not breed specific.  It can happen to any dog, even good dogs with the wrong training or lack there of.  Just because you bring home a Golden Retriever or Labrador does not mean that you get off scott free.  You have the same responsibility as those with a German Shepherd or Doberman to make sure that your dog is well adjusted and taught what is acceptable and not acceptable.

Poor breeding can create bad dogs, dogs with very severe temperament issues.   This can happen with any breed or mix of breeds.   With extensive work from an educated trainer many of the problems arising may be fixable.  Sadly some dogs can never be helped, this is a fact.  There are on occasion dogs that just cannot be fixed.    Yes there are bad dogs out there but most of them are not bad dogs, they are uneducated dogs.  Dogs who have been given either no guidance to help them live in our world or very bad guidance through the use of harsh training methods creating a bad dog situation.  

Must love dogs

"Love me love my dog." This is a famous quote that is often seen written on magnets, t-shirts and plaques.  The general idea of the saying is a good one.  How can a person who hates dogs be with a person who loves dogs?  It is not a good combination for sure.  I know that I could have never married someone who didn't love dogs.  It is really amazing to me that there are people out there that do not like dogs.   Of course they will love dogs as soon as they meet and fall in love with one, it is only a matter of time until everyone is on board.  "You will be assimilated."  You know how it works right?  :)

"Must love dogs," should be a prerequisite to work with dogs.  But sadly it is not.  Many people who work with dogs are just 'whatever' about them.  I've run into all sorts of people who work with dogs who are obviously not dog lovers.  As far as I'm concerned to work with dogs you should love to hang with dogs.  Not simply want to get in on a good thing.  The fact is that real dog loving people spend a great deal of money on their dogs.  There are those folks out there who just want a piece of it.  The whole idea around 'loving dogs' is not a consideration for them; their love is money and they want a piece of the whole 'dog love,' thing.

How do you know if someone you are hiring loves dogs?  It is pretty easy to tell if someone loves dogs right from the start.  Although there are several types of dog lovers.  Two very different groups are the ones who are experienced in dog behavior and those who are not but love them just the same.  The ones who are experienced in dog behavior may stand back and seemingly not acknowledge your dog.  But they will immediately be talking about your dog.  They know how to greet and interact accordingly.  Those who are not experienced in dog behavior will throw themselves at your dog.  The ones who feel that every dog wants a kiss in the face or a big hug.  They love dogs but have yet to learn how to interact properly.

There are people who only love their own dog.  I ran into quite a few of those a couple of months ago.  Walking along the street Luke and Elsa stopped to say hi to a couple of dogs.  The woman holding the leashes of the dogs never even acknowledged our presence.  I left feeling strange about the interaction or lack there of.  Coming back up the street we ran into the same dogs and women.  My guys and the other dogs were happy to see each other again and the woman again showed that they had no time for others.  It was strange.

A dog is a dog right?  Right.  If you truly love dogs then you love them all.  From the tiniest pocket pooch to the giant monster breeds.  From the hairy monsters to the naked coat adorned.  No it doesn't mean that you want to live with every type or size but you love them as dogs.  They are all dogs, amazing creatures no matter what they look like.  I love meeting new dogs and hearing their story.  There are so many amazing stories that one could never finish writing about them.  They are a resilient species, amazingly intelligent, ever comical, committed to defend their guardian or simply stand by your side.

The heart of a canine; what's not to love?

Just dogs with Sherri

It is very quiet this morning, the sun is still tucked far behind the trees and Luke is fast asleep.  Elsa is out on a run with her Dad.  It amazes me in the very early morning how she can go from a deep sleep to running in a heart beat and with such enthusiasm.  Luke has lost that youthful early morning zest and is much happier taking his own sweet time to get up.  He typically is still asleep when I get back from the gym and then some.  I often have to tell him that it is time to get up.  The joys of being a senior.

As I was enjoying my first cup of coffee and watching the crows fly around my backyard I thought about my blog and what to blog about.   I have over the years had questions about my name, my business name that is.  Just dogs with Sherri.  So where the heck did it come from?  I've been Just dogs with Sherri for a very long time.  Before that I was Sound Dogs then Training with Sherri and finally Just dogs.  Sound dogs was a great name when I was just a dog trainer only.  The term Sound was referring to solid, a solid and upstanding dog.  Once trained the dogs then became Sound dogs.

Training with Sherri is pretty self explanatory, right?  Then I wanted something more, something catchy.  I'd been asked so many times, do you do weddings, people or product photography?  Just dogs soon became my default answer.  Sure I've toyed with offering other subject photography but I've stuck with dogs; Just dogs.  Just dogs with Sherri can remain pretty much forever.  Anything that I do, any new ventures business wise are all dog related.

I did consider the negative association with the term Just dogs.  It's just a dog, but I like to think of any negative connotation to the term as another persons problem, not mine.  The negative sense of the term has nothing to do with my Just dogs.  It just doesn't exist in my world, my world that revolves around dogs.  So the whole association only crossed my mind for a fleeting moment and it was gone.  Anyone who considers dogs to be just dogs in a negative is not someone that I am associating with anyway.

So there you have it.  Just dogs came from the simple fact that all of my business is with dogs, Just dogs.  Yes I do shoot other things and I have shot architecture, landscape and food several times but it is the dogs that I am focused on.  Recently when asked if I would photograph a couple for an anniversary with their dogs I explained.  I do dog photography, I am not a people photographer.  My photographs revolve around the human/canine connection.  I do not do posed "smile at the camera," photography.

I read a great article years ago that said that when you decide to venture into a business; choose one thing and specialize.  I took that to heart and chose my specialty, Just dogs.  Whether I am training, shooting, cooking or baking for, walking, playing with or writing about, it is all Just dogs.

Pool time

Here she is trying to get the toy with just a paw in the water. 

Yesterday we got a new pool.  We'd thrown the old one out when we moved, so we needed to find another.  It was not an easy task, we hit all the places that carry them and they were sold out.  Feeling defeated we headed for home; my hubby dropped me off and then went to the grocery store.  When he got home along with groceries he'd brought home a pool, I was so happy that he'd found one.  He got it at the little local hardware store, they always have everything.  

Almost a year ago to the day I published this blog full of images with Tilley and Luke playing in the pool. Elsa was only 2 weeks old and in Ohio when I shot these photos and did this blog.    Playing with Elsa and Luke in the pool was an emotional time yesterday.  We did a great deal of reminiscing over Tilley.   

So you can actually stand in this thing.

My dogs have always loved playing in the pool.  I throw the toys in and they retrieve them.  Tilley was my ultimate water dog, she loved to retrieve the toys from the bottom and kept her toys in a pile once she pulled them out.  Elsa had a couple of pool days last summer to watch how it was done but at the time she had no interest in participating and remained a spectator.  

But yesterday it didn't take her long to figure it all and realize that this activity could really be great fun.  She sniffed around reaching out far to try to get her toys floating in the pool at first.  It wasn't until Luke joined us and stuck his head in that she realized that she could get the toys that had sunk.  She also didn't realize that you could stand in the pool until Dad jumped in to show her how much fun it was.  

Luke joining in the fun with Dad.

Showing Elsa how it's done.  Although he kept trying to get the image of the octopus off the bottom.

She is a very intense sport girl.

She is trying to get the ball out with just her feet.  She pulled it up the side but couldn't completely get it out without sticking her face in.  

Learning to blow bubbles; this is a fascinating step.  You cannot help them, they must figure it out on their own.  Many dogs take a long time to figure it all out but Elsa did within minutes.  

After a full face submerge.

Two feet in and a full face submerge retrieve, success.

Both Elsa and Luke water retrieving.

Luke still trying to get his octopus out.

Elsa waiting intensely for the toy toss.

She was soon an expert.

Elsa waiting for her favorite toy to splash in the pool.  She is always willing to partake in a new sport. Its not a big pool but it sure brings a great deal of enjoyment for the dogs and  those who get to watch.  

Terminology and the meaning behind it.

Correction - The act or process or correcting.  Correcting - To remove the errors or mistakes from.

The meaning of correction in dog training - To punish for the purpose of improving or reforming.

Very different.  Back in the old days as a typist I was often returned a report I'd typed out with corrections on it.  This was simply something that came with the job.  It was either a typo on my part (not often that is) or a rewrite by the scientist dude.  I worked at National Defense in Canada for many years; before my full on dog days.  "These are the corrections" they'd say as they handed me back the report.  I was to redo the words or phrases that were circled.  Can you imagine if I got a yank on a chain around my neck every time I made a mistake?   No, nor can I.

In conventional choke collar training, a correction is a yank on a collar.  Depending on the person training, a yank can be a tiny one to an almighty knock the dog off their feet type of yank.  It is typically delivered for any behavior that is unwanted.  There is not a great deal of education offered from the owner/trainer.  It is more of a "don't do that," type thing.

The term 'correction' is not used in positive reinforcement training.  There is no such thing.  Instead it is replaced with an error marker.  Some PR trainers don't use error markers but I do.  I feel that the more information you can give to your dog the better.  Why leave them searching for an answer to getting a treat with no hints as to what they are doing?  Best to let them know what is an incorrect offer of a behavior so that they can move on to the next.  

When a person takes the time to learn how dogs learn they discover a better way.  Sure corrections work; if you got a yank on the neck every time you reached for a cupcake on the counter, you would stop.  Now depending on how good those cupcakes (if it were one of my amazingly delicious ones) were and the level of your desire you might not stop right away.  This would then mean that you'd receive more harsh yanks on your neck.  Perhaps so hard that you would fall to the ground.  Would you stop then?  Maybe not.  This is where it can get scary.  Then what?  What does a conventional choke collar trainer do when the escalation of yanks stop working?  The answer is that it gets physical.

Frustration grows when we try and try and try without results.  Do we ponder the idea of error on our part, not likely.  The trainer delivering the harsh yanks thinks that their dog is deliberately defying them, trying to dominate them.  Resentment builds and the horrible cycle of the challenge begins.

When I was walking in Newport beach the other day Elsa stopped on a dime to take a whiff of something that had caught her nose.  I stopped and let her take it in when a man walking by said "oh someone has a mind of her own" as I was still facing our walking direction and Elsa had turned.  I smiled my "stupid" smile and we proceeded along.  I stored that statement in the back of my mind to ponder on later.  The whole idea of a dog having their own mind really bothers some people.  This has been something that bothers me for years.  Often I will tell owners that my training does not work around the robot scenario.  Dogs are not robots and yes they do have their own mind.

A dog's mind is quite regularly smarter than a human mind.  They keep it simple, black and white whereas we confuse things in our emotional minutia.  Dogs are amazingly intelligent, so why do humans think that they should not have their own mind or thoughts?  My thought on the question is that many humans with their inferior mind have yet to realize just how exceptional the canine mind is.

Feeding canines

I have a new section within my blog, this is the first issue.

 "Elsa in the OC" - Adventure #1

Trying out her sample, Elsa just turned one and most definitely looks all grown up now.  :(

There is most definitely a big trend today in feeding real and raw food to our dogs.  There are companies that make both raw and cooked for our dogs now and you can buy it frozen at a pet store or have it shipped.  Wednesday afternoon I took a much overdo trip to Just Food for Dogs in Newport Beach, they make a cooked real food menu for dogs.  I took Elsa because she loves food, Luke not so much.  When we got there Elsa was thrilled that we had arrived and began her greeting process while beating my legs to death with her tail.  I talked to Kelly who is a RVT (registered veterinary technician) and works for Just Food for Dogs.

She filled me in on all the products, how they make the food, costs and shipping.  I was amazed that they not only ship locally but nationwide.

Then it was time for Elsa to have a taste test and she was more than happy to oblige.  She was quite polite about the whole deal, I was very proud of my little one year old.

Elsa thanking Kelly for the wonderful food sample. 

I'm really excited that Just Food for Dogs makes real food available for people and their dogs.  So many dog owners are very interested in feeding real food but are apprehensive about doing it themselves.  This takes all the pressure off.  It comes pre-made, fresh (locally) or frozen (locally or shipped).  I often discuss cooking for dogs and the response is commonly "I don't cook for myself, I'm not cooking for my dog."  Well, if you feel this way but would love to offer your dog a higher quality nutritional food then this is the way to go.   

Here Justin, Kitchen Manager mixes up a special order.

While I was there Justin not only mixed up a special "sick dog" order but was mixing "pot belly pig" food.  They work hard to accommodate everyone's special needs, even pigs.  Their food is made on the premises and never sourced out, great news.  As well as food they make treats and pupsicles.   I bought the big bag of dried chicken; I really like the idea of having extra protein to offer throughout the day and as training treats and knowing it is not from China.  

Checking out the shops in Balboa

Seeing that Elsa and I were already in Newport we hit Balboa Island for a quick walk around.  We took in a few sights, worked on not eating the pigeons (which she did amazing at) and then head for home with our goodies.  

We also came home with a couple of pupsicles.  Here Elsa is enjoying the beef flavor.  Peanut butter is in the  freezer for tomorrow.  

Don't cook?  Don't want to?  Afraid to take the step to real food?  Worried about getting all the nutrition into your dog?  Just Food for Dogs is a great option.  

Taking off

I've never had a runaway.  The whole idea of removing a dog's leash and having them charge off into the distance is a bit strange to me, I have to admit.  Of course there are reasons why a dog might feel the need to take a small run around but to actually leave and not come back?  Strange.  I rarely meet dogs that will really run away and not come back.  But many people think that their dog will and that is caused by having never taken the leash off.  Leashes need to come off so that you have a confidence about taking it off.

I know what you are thinking "Sherri, there are leash laws."  Yep, and being the rebel that I am, that law needs to be broken now and again.  How will you ever know if you don't do it?  You will always have that fear of taking the leash off if you've never tried.  When we lived back in Canada on two acres surrounded by farm fields it was much easier to know.  My dogs were always off leash; only on a rare  occasion did they have a leash on.  Here in Southern California it is much harder to take it off.

As well as a rebel I am a safety freak so when the leash comes off there are many security protocols followed.  The first is proximity to traffic.  Traffic can mean the death of a runaway.  Next is other dogs, are there any around?  If there are and they are not with you then don't do it.  Don't take the leash off when there is a good chance that your dog is going to charge off to go visit.  People who have dogs on leash do not appreciate off leash dogs running at them.  I know that I surely don't.  So when you first start taking it off, do it in a very secure area.  School yards are probably your best bet.  Yes I know, most school yards are off limits to dogs but there are times when no one is there.  Just be sure to bring your poop bags and pick up.

Practice, practice, practice.  Practice makes perfect right?  Wrong.  With regards to a recall (calling your dog to you) it makes it reliable but not perfect.  Dogs are dogs and there will always be that one thing that a dog cannot resist.  Keep your dogs attention on you.  If they are a retriever type, hype up that ball, give it magnetic powers.  Bring your best treats ever and use them when your dog comes on their own as well as when you call them.  

Slowly introduce distractions at a great distance so that you and your dog can succeed.  As dogs age most lose the draw to go to see every dog.  Luke has never lost this, he is very social and it was a struggle when he was young. Even if a dog was on the other side of a football field he'd go for it.  That is until a mature white German Shepherd female gave him a lesson he'd never forget.  He ran far across a field to see her, in his young and foolish ways he ran straight at her.  He should have made an arc as he approached out of respect but he didn't do a whole lot of thinking in his younger days.  As he got to about 4 feet in front of her she charged him.  Scared the crap out of him and he came running back in a flash.  I smiled knowing that it had been a very good lesson for him.

Using other friend dogs helps when you first start letting your dog off.  Dogs will stay with dogs, especially if they are playing.  Not too often will a dog leave a pack of playing dogs simply to run off.  Of course there are dogs that need to run and the desire to run is stronger than anything in the beginning, before you have a bond.  For those dogs, hook'm up and go for an urban mush or buy a hook up for your bike.  But be sure to let them indulge in running with you.

As far as dogs that run out of doors?  Well, for that you need to teach boundary training.  You train your dog that they never, ever go out trained doors without being asked.  This is probably one of the best things that you will ever teach your dog.  Again, there will be times when they feel the need to break the boundary but with age and training you can get it to where you don't panic every time the door is open.

Dogs that run away have had no training.  With proper positive reinforcement training you will be helping to build the bond that creates your relationship.  Once you have a relationship, you're in and you are where your dog wants to be.

But they don't want to.

"But they don't like to do that," the woman would tell me over and over.  I was there to work with her and her dogs, they had literally taken over and had the woman at their mercy.  Each time we would implement a new rule the woman would try and then tell me "they don't like this."   "Really? too bad," was my response.  Many people who have dogs just don't get it; the whole guidance thing.  Dogs need  to have leadership to live in our human world, bottom line.  Even the best of dogs, my Lassie in poodle clothing; Tilley needed instructions.

If dogs are left to their own, offered no guidance throughout life they can get into trouble.  This does not only apply to the tougher type dogs, wrong decisions will be implemented by all if they are not shown the correct way.  When an owner chooses not to give guidance to their dog, to let their dog make all their own choices they fail as a dog owner.

Guidance can be huge life lessons or very small bits and pieces that make up our day to day.  Watching people with their dogs when we are out in the park is quite enlightening.  There are people who approach us and offer no guidance to their dog.  Sure they are saying "Fido don't pull or no Fido those people don't want to see you," but their dog is not listening.   The people are saying empty words, you can see by this simple act that they do not have a leader/follower relationship.   Then there are those who allow their dog to lunge, bark and growl and then tell you "ya they do that."  Hmmmmmm.


My voice of guidance is a low throat sound, no words just an authoritative sound with substantial impact.  My dogs learn it from the get go and I rarely have to raise my voice.  I also use ahhhh and body language to get a directive across.  When I am very displeased with a behavior I will make a range of commotions creating a clear and appropriate message.   


Can you imagine going through life without any type of guidance or lessons?  No one to ever show you the way?  Teaching our dogs how to live in a human world is pretty easy.  It just takes patience, supervision and lessons, daily lessons on life each step of the way.   

Checking'm out

Good Monday morning everyone.  I had a great weekend and hope that you and your canines did as well.  On Friday morning my son sent me a link to a local OC restaurant.  I was thinking that it did indeed look like a great restaurant when I noticed an added note that he had written under the original link.  "Check out the dog specific menu."  So I did and it looked like a nice place to take your dog for a snack for sure.

After checking out the canine menu an idea came to me.  I'm going to check out all the local restaurants that offer a canine specific menu along with a human menu.  We will visit, taste and review them.  What a great idea!!!!!!  There are restaurants that offer up a good ole Milkbone for your pooch, yuck no thank you.  Then there are those restaurants that actually have good selections for our dogs along with a great human menu.

I'm not just going to be reviewing the dog dishes but also the human food items and the dog friendliness of each specific restaurant.  I will note ease of access, parking, custom service (which is huge for me) and anything else that needs to be commented on.  Dogs are a integral part of our lives and everyday, so many shops are making theirs a dog friendly one.  When a store takes that leap into including 'mans best friend' they catapult themselves into a whole different realm.  Obviously I think it is wonderful when they include our dogs but it must be done correctly.

 Lots of people these days are jumping on the bandwagon.  Many celebrities are dabbling in the canine nutrition or product ring just to make a buck.  I have yet to see any of these products shine as far as a spectacular must have.  I always refer to a quote that my husband has been saying since I met him (over 35 years ago) when stepping off into a new endeavor.  "If you're going to do it, do it right."  So I will be visiting these establishments who are not only dog friendly but offer our best friends a menu of their own and see if they are doing it right?  As far as I'm concerned that is.

Once we taste all of the local, maybe we'll go global.  :)  Yum.

The world we live in

Things use to be simple.  People did things on their own, everything from feeding dogs real food to mending them when they were sick.  Then somewhere it all went wrong and when it went wrong it did so in a big way.  Drugs, drugs and more drugs.  Drugs seem to be the only way to fix things these days.  If you go to the vet and they offer up some cortisone or antibiotics as soon as you say your dog is sick, you are not alone.  Much like human Doctors of today the world of medicine is run by the pharmaceutical companies.

There has been an ongoing question; how much kickback do vets get?  Many veterinarians will say that they do not get kickbacks, others will fess up to it.  The dog food companies also give 'incentives.'  Ever notice that most of the vets have a very nice display of Science Diet in their lobby?  Even though it is one of the worst quality foods out there they still push it.

Bayer to end the kickbacks  to flea medication that is.

The truth behind the lies

The big conglomerate companies that make the big name dog foods are the ones that teach many vets about nutrition.   Nutrition?  Really?  The big pharmaceutical companies sponsor much of the conventions and initial training that a vet receives.

Of course there are great vets out there, the ones who have decided to stand for something.  The Veterinarians who took a vow "first do no harm."  They stand strong by this statement when the big guys are tempting them with serious rewards to turn a blind eye.  It is not easy to find an amazing vet but they are out there and I know several.

Are drugs important?  Yes.  There are times when we really need them, both our dogs and us.  But much of what is given to our dogs is not needed and in fact does more harm.  Does your vet recommend all the annual shots?  Bordatella, the new tick vaccine and recommend that you feed a special Science diet menu?  Then you might want to think about finding a new one.  

There is so much information on the net these days that you can really become educated.  Each and every time I learn about a disease that I have never heard of in dogs I dive into research.  I like to know as much as I can.  Research is your best defense.  I'm not telling you which way to go, that is a very personal decision.  But, do your research and make your own decisions about YOUR dog.  That's right, it is your dog and not your vets dog.

I remember going to the horrible vet that told me never to come back with Tilley.  After the initial consultation they came back to the room with a HUGE list of things they recommended.  Most of it was ridiculous and had nothing to do with why I was there.  As the tech went over the list and I said "no" to more than three quarters of the procedures and drug offers she gave me a funny look.  "Hey, this is my dog."

The great ones are out there, if you look you can find them.  

The ups and downs

One minute your puppy is the best dog in the world.  She never does anything bad, always listens and is as sweet as can be.  The next minute she has turned you off, runs the other way when you call her and basically does everything she's not suppose to do. What?  What is going on?  It's called life and as we move through our day to day, things change.  Don't worry, you are not alone.  It happens to the best of us and it can be frustrating for anyone.

All dogs are different, you know how many times I have said that right?  Well it is true so making a blanket statement about how and when dogs will have behavior changes is a tough call.  Some never go through the "I have no brains" 6 mos. old stage.  They may or may not push your buttons at 10 mos. of age.  Perhaps they were pushing all your buttons from the get go.  Their behavior can be as individual as they are themselves.  When it does happen you can assure yourself that it is perfectly normal.  Your once angel dog has now become a devil, like many others.

All of my dogs have had their own specific unwanted behaviors that popped up now and again.  Luke was probably my biggest pusher of buttons.  Even now he will give ignoring a try just for fun, he loves to ignore.  But when I mean business he knows it and will not push.  He gets away with ignoring often now because I think his old ignoring face is so darned cute.  But most of the undesirable behavior of the past are now gone with Luke.  He is the poster boy for how wonderful senior dogs are.

Elsa on the other hand is just a young'n so she has gone through some stages much more recently.  I have to admit that she has been an amazing puppy.  She has very high drive which can require redirecting now and again and her zest for life in general can get her into trouble.  One of her newest things is barking when asked to go out the dog door.  We still have not conquered it, she simply hates it no matter what I put on the other side.  I've clicked, I've treated, praised, thrown new toys out there and held the door open until I thought my arm would fall off.  We will get there but man oh man.  But the barking is a new addition and it is quite bold.

This new barking thing is annoying to say the least.  I don't mind that it is taking so long to get the whole dog door thing, just don't bark at me every time I mention the door.  She has a very loud bark, not extra deep or high, just very, very loud.  I hate barking for nothing and barking at me because she doesn't want to go through the door?  No, this is not going to fly.  So I will up the dog door training and try to consider yet another tactic to get the big chicken through the door.   Hmmmm; I actually just thought of an idea while typing.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Throughout a dogs life they will have many good days and bad days.  The bad days will have you questioning this whole "mans best friend" thing.  Stages are very different than temperament or personality.  A stage is a short span of time when a dogs behavior changes.  There is typically a reason behind a stage but you may never know what it was.  Then again you might figure it out quickly and be able to nip in the bud.

Stages are good for our learning curve.  If you had a dog that never had any stages, whether they be fear, pushing or otherwise you wouldn't learn a whole lot.  Luke taught me the most of any of my dogs over the years.  It was most definitely because he was the most difficult and by difficult I mean wonderfully challenging  :)  Even as my most challenging he was no where near some of the dogs that I've worked with, he is after all a standard poodle (and you know what they say about poodles).

As you plod through all the stages of life, the ups and downs, take it all in.  There are many great lessons in the things that seem to be quite annoying at the time that they are occurring.

I signed, have you?

This past weekend we were at the Mall, the Mall that has a pet store in it.  The pet store sells puppies; lots and lots of puppies.  It opened up years ago and has since changed hands I don't know how many times.  Each time I go to the Mall I cannot believe the number of people in there looking at puppies.  The puppies are exorbitantly priced and yep, they come from mills.  Mills where the Mothers and Fathers are left behind to live out their life in cages.  The cages could number into the hundreds.  Many live in filth, are not cared for, have any number of diseases and lack even the basics.


Outside the store and down the hall, actually directly outside of See's (what a coincidence, yum) was a petition signing table.   It was held by Best Friends so I of course went over to see.  They are trying to shut them down, the pet store.  Or least stop them from selling puppies and kittens in their store.  Sweet.  I'm all for shutting these guys down, in my books they are just as bad as the millers themselves.  They don't care about the dogs, they care about the money.  


The girl at the petition table told me that a woman who had been in the store in the morning said she had wanted an English Bulldog.  The one in the store was 4,000.00.  Really?  We discussed the whole Miller situation and I gladly signed the petition.  In this day and age I actually cannot believe that they still sell puppies in the pet stores.  There is absolutely no way that anyone doesn't know about where the puppies come from.  Sure the folks that work in the stores will say "no, we don't sell puppy mill puppies."  But they are lying, all the dogs in the pet stores are from millers. 


Let me just say this, reputable and ethical breeders do not sell their puppies to pet stores.  Bottom line, they just don't.   I've heard all the lines from the pet store people.  They get their puppies from a nice woman not far away.  They get their puppies from a private source, not a mill.  Anyone who sells their dogs to a pet store is a miller.  Sure they be a small sized mill; but they are still millers.  They pump out dogs for money, there is no special care, no love, no socializing, no nothing but a dollar sign.  A mill is a mill, there are only different degrees of disgustingness. 


If you give your money to the pet store people in the hopes of saving a puppy?  Think again.  You are actually giving the pet store owner and the miller more money to do it again.  If and when those stores are closed down and the millers put out of business, all the dogs and puppies will then be saved and placed in forever homes.  But until that time each dollar you give them fuels their disgusting greed.  


If you have bought a puppy from a pet store before you knew, don't beat yourself up over it.  If you are thinking about doing it now when you know, when everyone knows, shame on you.  Do not go in the store, do not even go in and buy food, a collar or a toy.  Do not give those blood sucking low life people your money.  They care nothing about the puppies that they sell.  They simply want your money, that's it, your hard earned money.


Yes I signed and I will sign every single petition to shut them down that I can, have you?  Time to put the pressure on.  

And then there were two

Two, yep I have two dogs.  Strange for me; I've had three dogs for as long as I can remember.  I like having three dogs.  You can take one out for their alone time and there are still two to keep each other company at home.  Three seems to be a perfect number, I have three kids too and wouldn't want anymore or less.  Having two has been an easy transition; it is the change of the pack that was a bit more of a struggle.

For eleven and a half years I had my three, Jessie, Tilley and Luke.  It still rolls off my tongue very easily.  They were the three musketeers for a very long time.  I clearly remember last fall sitting in my family room and thinking "how can it change?"  With Tilley and Jessie well into their very senior years I knew that it was only a matter of time.  It was going to change and there was nothing I could do about it.

I thought about the pack that might be in my future.  I couldn't imagine having a completely different pack.  I felt that my pack was me and I was them, we were one.  How could it change?  What would life be like with a different pack?  They were my pack, we were Sherri, Jessie, Tilley and Luke.  How could it be any different?

We had added Elsa to the pack in September, this was a very strategic decision on our part.  We knew that in the near future there was a chance that Luke may be left alone.  I didn't like the idea of Luke being left alone.  That thought was difficult enough, thinking that we could be at some point left with no dogs was unbearable.  So enter Elsa.  It was a bit of work at first.  I'd already gotten use to all my old dog routine and then had to get use to that with the added puppy stuff.  Yes it was work, but caring for my dogs is never bad work.

The decision to add Elsa when we did turned out to be a better thing than we had even hoped.  She had a short time with the old dogs learning invaluable lessons.  She brought a great deal of spark back into the old pack and got Luke off the couch, for a bit anyway.  She learned how to just sit and take life in from the old dogs.  Adult and older dogs have so much to share with puppies, it is such a fabulous combination.

With the loss of Jessie I was back to three, no more munchkin by my side.  It was huge, a big shift in the pack.  But because she had suffered with dementia for the year prior to her death the blow was less to the pack.  She had already been removed from the pack somewhat so they were not quite as hard hit.  There are many lessons ingrained in Luke that Jessie gave him.  It is nice to see them once in a while and makes me smile.  The biggest lesson he learned was that all food that dropped to the floor was hers.  Touch it and you get a Jack Russell Terror in your face.  He does not touch fallen food to this day.

We then lost Tilley only three weeks after Jessie.  I always thought about them being so close in age as a bad thing but never considered they might both go so close together.  After the very sad day at the vet when we said goodbye to our amazing Tilley; I clearly remembered walking into the house in CT and saying "and then there were two."  I had a horrible nagging feeling of losing Luke, I couldn't shake it for sometime.  I hovered a great deal, anything out of the ordinary had me worrying.  But he's good and healthy as can be for an almost 12 year old.

So yes, I have two and although it is not a completely new pack it is new.  I am enjoying taking both dogs to more places.  Having two enables me to bring them along much more often.  It doesn't seem like quite the circus when you just have two dogs along with you.  I can devote much more time to the two of them and have been able to focus on Elsa when she has needed it.  Elsa is lucky to benefit from living with old dogs.  With Luke she has learned a great deal.  In his younger years he would have had a lot of bad stuff to show her, now it is all good.

She will take her lessons and share them with the next youngster to enter our family.  But for now I have two and I am very happy with my new and modified pack.  Do I wish I could go back in time when I had all four?  Most definitely.  But life is ever changing and whether we like it or not it cannot remain the same and we cannot go back in time; not yet anyway.  So with change comes the making of a new pack.  Now I can proudly and happily say we are Sherri, Luke and Elsa.