Tell me what you know

How much do you know about your dogs?  Many people go through life with their dog, never truly knowing them.  I believe that dogs are extremely simple, yet complicated.  They are simple in that they deal in black and white; there are no maybe's, only yes and no.  Complicated is their personality, temperament and quirks; but once you understand 'dog' that too can be simple.  How much do you really know about your dog?

'Living in the moment' is such a popular and important phrase. When I see people chatting on their cell phone the entire time they are walking their dog, they are not living in the moment.  Living in the moment means to be there, be present and be experiencing it that very moment.  Moments pass quickly and you cannot get them back.  'Seize the moment' is another one that we really should follow.  Sit and watch every moment; seize it and don't lose it.

Get to know your dog. I mean really know dog.  Do you know your dogs likes and dislikes?  Do you know where they love walk most?  What is their favorite food vs. food that they enjoy?  Do you know each and every little quirk?  Do you know the reasoning behind the quirks?  Knowing your dog, truly knowing your dog is enriching.  To truly know the heart of a dog is so uplifting; seeing things through a dogs eyes gives us a grounding.  They can teach us what happiness truly means, the simple things.

Do you know what things your dog hates?  It's not always the bath, nail trimming and grooming time.  It could be when they have to lay on a certain type of flooring, being in a room with weird window reflections or just the cold or heat.  There are so many things that dogs like and don't like; getting to know them all catapults your relationship to the next level.  Like I said, they are simple yet complicated.  

Last night we sat by our little kiddie pool with the dogs; enjoying watching Elsa indulge in her water retrieving.  We also savored a special moment watching Luke watch Elsa in the pool.  He lay contently on his bed by the pool as she dove in and out and in and out again.  Each time a few drops of water would hit his leg he would lick them dry.  What a guy.  After pool time we moved inside to watch a movie; this is Luke's absolute favorite time ever.  He loves when we sit to watch TV; he loves together time.  As we all settled in Steve said "this is great, comfy couch, good movie and dogs by my side."   Nice.    We watched Battle ships, great movie.

The reactive dog

The reactive dog.  Many of you will have never heard the term, it is one commonly used in the training world to describe a dog triggered to overreact to particular stimulus.  Some breeds tend to be reactive, often it is just one dog out of a litter but it can most definitely get worse by numbers if you breed reactive dogs.  Reaction is a common behavior associated with an action.  A reactive dog displays behaviors that are not desirable to one or more stimulus.  Over the top type behaviors.

I had a reactive dog; Luke.  He was at the low end of reactive and my first.  He was not like the many highly reactive dogs that I have met and worked with.  Luke taught me more in the twelve years that we have spent together than any of my dogs or client dogs that I've worked with.  Luke's reactive behaviors were triggered by many things and the more I learned the easier I could spot a trigger.  I am always talking about action/reaction in dogs so the term reactive itself does not really explain the scenario very well.  Hyper-reactive would be a better term I think because that explains it without a huge explanation following.

A hyper-reactive dog reacts to stimulus with over the top behaviors.  For example; you are walking down the street and spot a dog coming the other way; your dog barks and jumps around a bit and then you carry on.  A hyper-reactive dog spots the other dog and is immediately in a frenzy.  The reaction starts much further away than a typical dog reacting as well.  Not all reactive dogs act aggressively, they can display many different behaviors from fear, over excited, aggressive or others.  Like I always say, they are all different; so too are the hyper-reactive dogs.

Some of Luke's obvious reactive responses were when someone would appear as if from no where.  He had an extremely high startle reaction, mostly barking and lunging.  He became CUJO in poodle clothing at the veterinarians to keep everyone away from him.  He over reacted to a direct approach from a stranger whether we were on a walk or he was in a car.  Typically a hyper-reactive dog is highly alert, nothing goes unnoticed so you could say that they are intensely aware dogs.

Having had a reactive dog I am much more aware myself of other reactive dogs.   Reactivity requires patience, calm, chill and above all work.  It will not go away by itself, it will get worse if you do not address the situation.  Luke was highly exposed, taken everywhere and introduced to a great deal of things.  The work with a reactive dog begins with the owner, it is essential to get a grip so to speak.  Hyper reactive dogs can send the average dog owner into a state of panic at the mere sight of a trigger.  Many hyper-reactive dog owner feels very alone, not knowing what to do they feel as though they have failed their dog.  They may feel like their dream of the perfect dog/owner scenario has passed them by. Their life is nothing like what they had imagined it might be like to have a dog.

There is hope; of course as vastly different as each dog is there is just as much difference in success rates.  It all rides on an owners dedication and the degree of reactivity.    Luke slowly overcame his over reactive responses as he was positively introduced on how to behave around his triggers.  With age has come a great sense of calm; mostly because he has had so many life experiences and so much feedback.  He is now the perfect boy (of course) and I never worry about anyone or dog approaching him in a polite manner.  There are still moments of leash aggression which is a common behavior with many dogs and has nothing to do with the hyper-reactive boy of the past.

Did the fact that Luke came to me at 12 weeks of age have anything to do with it?  Perhaps.  He basically lived in a yard with his brothers and sisters.  Much socializing time was wasted; but not all dogs will become hyper reactive by the same situation.  Luke was very much an over exuberant puppy when I met him at 7 weeks of age.  Perhaps the 5 weeks in the yard simply pushed him into the negative reaction instead of positive.  No matter the reason I had a hyper-reactive dog to deal with.  I would not change one second of the experience for anything.  I have never met such an amazing dog as Luke and I would have never learned as much as I have over the years of living with him.

Is it a challenge, living with a hyper reactive dog?  Most definitely, but you will be amazed at what you will learn during the life you will share.  Once you become knowledgeable about hyper-reactivity and learn how to deal, you are going to soar.

Rules

Even when Luke had some serious barking to do in the yard, Elsa left the ball.  

Wow; sorry about the late blog this morning.  I was up early packing up goodies for my hubby to take to work and then hit the gym right after that.  Then it was out with the pooches, a quick snack and here I am.  With the heat rising quickly during the day it is essential to get the dogs out early.  I think today will be a pool day; Elsa is feeling great and I need to play in the pool.  :)  I thought this morning that I'd discuss implementing rules, ahhhh...........rules.

I know lots of people who have no rules for their dogs; they basically do what they want and annoy lots of visitors and friends who are not use to dogs ruling the house.  Rules are an important part of life, we have to live with tons of rules and so should our dogs.  So what rules are important?  It will vary hugely depending on  the family, your home and you; there will be things that you cannot tolerate that other people will tolerate.  We have a lot of rules and although I'm pretty strict; life becomes very easy when you implement rules early on in your relationship.

Elsa knows that begging at the table will get her nothing (that is unless her Dad gives it to her).  She also knows that if she goes and lays down on a bed that she will be rewarded for staying away from the table.  It is very funny to watch her as we sit down to eat.  She frantically searches for the nearest bed to hit and then gives us the laser beam eyes.  As she is getting older the treats come further apart but it is a well ingrained rule that I really like.

We also have a very serious "no bolting out doors" rule.  This is enforced constantly (of course mostly with me) and not others members of the family as much.  For me, it is of the utmost importance to have a dog who understands this rule and will obey it.  That little dog running around the street that I blogged about the other day could most definitely have used this rule.

Yesterday afternoon was spent baking; I made cupcakes and cake.  They were all out on my kitchen table which is well within eating reach for the dogs.  Luke of course would never in a million years consider it (well maybe just one lick of the cream cheese frosting) he knows all too well what would happen.  Elsa also knows that she is not allowed to take things off of the table or the counter for the matter.  Counter surfing is something that I cannot tolerate.  I remember walking into a clients home to see their very large German Shepherd surfing the whole counter.  I was shocked and very abruptly said "is this okay with you?"  The owner calmly said "ya, he does that."  He does that?  Well he should not do that.

Then her young son wanted some ice cream so as she attempted to get a bowl and fill it with ice cream for him she was bombarded, pushed and shoved by her German Shepherd who was trying to take it from her.  Not okay, not even close.  The counter and table are great places to implement rules and I believe everyone should implement these ones.  It is a very easy way to say "hey I own this place; this is mine, don't touch it."

Dogs do that sort of implementing of rules.  Luke kept a ball away from Elsa the other day with the rule that he'd been playing with it.  He lay claim and she begged and grovelled until he finally relented.  Even though he did not have physical ownership of the ball he had in no uncertain terms laid claim to it as it sat out in front of him.  We should be able to do the same.

When trying to decide what rules should be implemented in your household; think of the things that make you say "I hate it when they do that."  Make it a rule that they don't do it.

A full on dog day

Chill'n in the coolest room in the house

Yesterday morning I was up at the crack of dawn and at the gym before 6:00 am which is early even in my books.  I'm usually there by 7 so I was an hour ahead of the game.  Before I returned from the gym I decided that instead of walking the dogs in the morning that I would give them a bath.  After a bath there is always the imminent zoom around the yard.  With Elsa still on the mend I knew that this would be more than enough exercise and it was.  For Luke the bath itself would be enough plus he would also be zooming.  But the first task at hand was a clip for Elsa.  Her hair was getting a bit long and the temperatures are just going up here in SoCal so I had to take some off.

Play time with Mom

Luke grabbed the ball after Elsa rolled it accidentally off of the bed.   Here she is trying to figure out how to get it back.

I've been trying to groom Elsa in a sort of modified trim.  Her Dad misses her beautiful hair that she had before I took it all off.  I miss the look but not the work.  She has a very thick coat that mats if you look at it.  So she has been given a new do that is much less work and cooler for her.  She is excellent while being groomed; I put hours of positive reinforcement association training into the whole grooming thing when she was little.  She didn't come liking it, in fact she hated it.  So to see her standing on the table as good as gold now makes me very happy.

After her trim it was bath time.  It was a perfect day for a bath and after the suds up and rinse off they were set free in the yard.  Dripping wet they ran around like two crazy dogs.  Elsa goes berserk, she does circles around Luke, literally.  She must have done a dozen tiny circles around Luke while he just stood and watched her go around.  Then she spun in place for a bit and the whole time she was growling and barking.  Ah a bath can do a lot for their and our moods.  There is no way that you can't smile while watching the antics of a dog fresh out of the tub.

Next was drier time; I have a forced air dryer because I have poodles.  This allows me to dry the dogs  much faster and without heat.  It is a powerful dryer and I love it.  I let them air dry for quite a while and then before they are completely dry I use the dryer to fluff.  Once they were both dry it was time for breakfast and then a nap after all the craziness.

That was the time I head out to the pet food store.  I have a favorite local pet store where they sell only good dog products and food.  They stand strong in their belief to offer only the best and have not wavered.  They are highly knowledgeable about nutrition and what is new on the market.  I grabbed a bag of what I keep on hand and then asked her about the new stuff.  This is a far different experience from asking someone at a regular pet store.  Typically at a pet food store other than the one I was at, they tell you what the dog food companies tell them.  The employees don't really know anything about their products.  So this is the only pet food store that I would ask about dog food.

She gave me lots of insight about some new stuff that was out and some of the old good stuff that is changing.    I grabbed a bag of something different to try.  After reading through many of the shelves I also got a sample size package of a dry food that you can feed as wet.  So I'll read about it all today and see what I think.  As you all know I feed my dogs real food most of the time.  I offer cooked and raw; Elsa is not much of a raw fan but I'm working on it.  Last night they had meatloaf for dinner.  But it is always good to have kibble on hand in case.  If I am going to offer kibble for a snack, treats or the occasional meal if I run out of the real stuff; it is going to be one of the best brands that there is, offering as much nutritional value as possible.

Saved the best for the last.  This may look scary but it is Elsa's typical play face. 

Back home from the pet store I immediately turned on the A/C, it was another hot one as it will be today as well.  I spent the later part of the afternoon working on book #2 while the dogs snoozed away in the office.  Mid writing I took a break to photograph both Luke and Elsa which is a good way to keep my creative juices flowing.  I find that if I write too long at one sitting I can run out of enthusiasm so a quick recess to indulge in another dog activity is all I need to be recharged.

A full day of dog, that's what I like

Socializing

I'm going to nag on you all this morning; socializing.............again.  Throughout my years of training and being around dogs in general I have to say that the biggest problem with dog owners is the lack of socializing that they offer their dogs.  So many problems arise from a lack of socializing; some that can be undone, others not. It is funny that many behaviors that dogs exhibit from a lack of socialization are often mistaken as abuse. I hear the "abuse" accusation so much from rescue folks and people in general.  A lack of socialization can be catastrophic.

When I see dogs who are fearful, perhaps aggressive or freaked out by life in general it makes me really sad.  Many of those dogs would have been well adjusted dogs given some early socializing.  Because all dogs are different, each individual will deal with socializing in their own way.  Some need a ton while others just need one introduction to everything and their good to go.  I do feel that the more intensely intelligent a dog is the more socializing they will need.  Some dogs just sail through life not really noticing much of anything and they are perfectly happy.

Having just been through the puppy stage, I am reminded of just how important it is.  You need to socialize and you need to get it done early.  There is a rule of thumb that the best and most effective socializing is done before a dog is 16 weeks old.  Then the door shuts and any work done after that age is much more difficult.  I agree, the earlier you do it the better; but, I feel that the window closes slowly and that you can get a great deal done in before 6 months of age.  That said, it is important to start before 16 weeks of age.  Basically you should start as soon as you get your puppy, preferably 8-10 weeks of age.

Of course this is all made much easier if you got your puppy from someone who has done a great deal of work with the puppies.  Fosters or breeders can do a whole lot of socializing while the puppies are with them.  It doesn't take much to give puppies a couple of new experiences every day.  But some fosters and breeders do not take the time.  If the puppies remain in their "box" which is an all too familiar surrounding until they go to there new home they will be lacking.

They should be outside, introduced to new things, water, boxes, dirt, sand and obstacles.  Lots of people should visit, young and old alike.  It is very obvious when a breeder or foster has done their job correctly, the puppies are so much more well adjusted.  Seeing a puppy that is thrown into society with no prior socializing is a sad sight.  They seem to be shell shocked by every movement, new person, dog or object.  Often when this happens an owner opts to keep them at home to protect them from the scary stuff.  This is when it goes very wrong.

I know many people who never take their dogs anywhere because they can't deal.  They were not socialized when they were young so they have no clue how to act in public.  They become an unpredictable dog, dangerous to themselves or others.  SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE.  I cannot preach this enough.  All the training can wait, socializing cannot.

When I started socializing Elsa it was apparent that she already had a good start.  The day she arrived at our house she strut around the backyard like she owned the place.  She had not been fazed by the trip in the plane or meeting the gang at our house.  It was the day after that we started on getting her out.  We hit Starbucks and the frozen yogurt place.  She stayed on my lap and met everyone that would meet her.  I got her into puppy classes a couple of weeks later where she met everything from a tiny Papillon to an adult Great Dane.  She met and loved all the trainers there and the feeling was obviously mutual.  We hit the strip malls, visited a bowling alley and worked on going through automatic doors.

Our cross country road trip (PBJ and me) was great for her.  She slept in a different hotel room every night, met lots of different folks and was brought to a new State, house and life.  There we were very lucky to have an off leash beach very close to so that she could socialize with other dogs.  All of these things were so good for her to deal with at such a young age.  But even at 13 months old we are still socializing.  For me anything that she has not seen or done before is a lesson.  She is one of those intensely intelligent dogs who is very aware of everything around her.  There is no trying to swoosh by things unnoticed with this girl so we are constantly experiencing.

Basically you want to introduce your dog to as many different things as you can.  You should focus on important things that might arise in your life first.  Will you be doing a lot of boating?  Then get out in the boat early.  Will you be visiting shopping malls with your pooch?  Get out and go shopping.  Introduce them to strollers, wheel chairs, kids running with huge back packs on, screaming kids, barking dogs, people who stare, dark buildings, loud streets, whizzing cars........you name it.  Having a girl with high drive I focused on street walking so that she learned right off that cars are nothing, especially not for chasing.  So you are doing all of this plus making sure that it is all positive.  Avoiding any negative things as much as possible, a negative experience can do a lot of damage.  (More on that in a later blog.)

If you don't have time for anything else in the beginning, SOCIALIZE.  You cannot get this extremely important time back and once that door shuts it makes the job much more difficult.  If it seems like a tough job in the beginning I can guarantee to you that it only gets harder if you wait.

                             SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE.  

Jealousy

The photos from this shoot are some of my all time favorite.  This big boy was a street dog and one of the most calmly, confident dogs I've ever met.  Watching his behavior was fascinating.  Here a simple touch connects human and dog.

Jealousy is a common human emotion, we see it often and it can get very ugly.  But, is it the same with dogs?  Do they get jealous in the same way that we do?  No.  Although the term 'jealous' is the best way to describe the behavior that they display in certain situations.  Let's say I just got home from the mall; I go into the house and start petting Luke.  Elsa is there immediately pushing her way between Luke and I.  Is she jealous that I am petting Luke?  Does she want me to stop petting Luke?

Anthropomorphise; to place human attributes onto animals, plants or material.

Scientists hate when humans place our own emotions onto animals.  But it is the easiest way to describe and understand what is going on.  To fully explain the act that we see as jealousy in dogs takes a long time.  There are many aspects that go into it, different levels and intricate sequences of behavior.  Status has a great deal to do with dogs and their day to day.  As pack animals it is all about where they fit in and not crossing lines.  Status does not always mean that they are trying to obtain more, it simply means where they are accepted and their acceptable state in a pack.

Your family is your dog's pack.  Where they fit in has much to do with your own behavior, the other dogs in the pack and that specific dogs temperament.  As we humans fulfill our role as leader or head of the household we obtain status through our behavior.  Our day to day guidance shows that we are the ones to follow, we make the rules so to speak.  We are their leader and they lay claim to us as such.  If you notice that your dog gets 'jealous' when other dogs approach, it is this "hey this is my leader," influence that plays in this specific behavior.

Dogs are also very social creatures, even amongst themselves they share touching as a special privilege between pack members.  This is why we can kiss our dog in the face but a stranger should never do this.  We can hug our dog but a stranger should not hug our dog.  It is that close and intimate bond that we share.  So when someone, be it a human or another dog tries to have a piece of this pack bond, your dog will most likely object.

Three dogs and one human make up this pack.  They perfectly intune, a well defined oneness.  

If you have more than one dog in your home you more than likely will have seen the jealous type behavior often.  They want their share, that's it.  Dogs learn that the delivery of affection is a most pleasurable event.  It is a bond ratification and important within a pack.  The sharing of affection is a constant assurance that you are a part of a big family.  So yes, each member will want their share.  A dog shunned and not given an allotment of affection will be an unsettled and unsure dog.  They will be constantly seeking approval from the other members of the pack.

Possession and guarding is commonly seen as jealousy.  When a dog bares it's teeth as another dog approaches it's owner, this is guarding of a possession.  This is a form of jealousy as we understand it but fully explained it is possession.   "My owner, don't touch."  Dogs can form very bad behaviors from our misunderstanding of situations.  Small dogs are notorious for guarding their owners.  Humans see it as a jealous type behavior and coddle the dog.  This only reinforces the growling and snapping behaviors as the dog tries to keep everyone away from their prize possession, you.

It is very important when you have a pack of dogs that you ration your attention appropriately.  Anyone getting snarky about their share needs to be reprimanded so as to nip a bad behavior in the bud.  They must wait their turn and understand that you control the day to day.  More insecure type dogs will be the more jealous type.  Watching a pack of dogs is huge enlightening.  Although if you do not fully understand dog behavior much of it will be seen incorrectly through our human eyes.

Temperament plays a huge part in the whole 'jealous' thing.  Many dogs may seem to be the non jealous type; but this is because they are very confident in their placement and do not seek the constant reassurance from attention.  As dogs age and mature the insecurities that can cause a jealous type behaviors often weaken.  A dog's personality can make it seem worse or less as well.  Elsa is a very exuberant girl and being that she is young she is constantly seeking approval.  So she does seem like a very jealous girl at this point in her life.  Is she actually jealous?  No.  She seeks approval, reassurance and constant touch to know that she is one of our pack.

There is a great deal of behaviors from dogs that go into the term that we understand as jealousy.  It is far different and much less damaging than jealousy in humans.

The effort in the life of a canine

The day I picked Tilley up from the breeder, I had great expectations for this little girl.  

So much excitement; the day finally arrives when you have your new puppy in your arms.  Whether that puppy is going to be a tiny 3 lb dog or a 150 whopper, the day has finally arrived and you couldn't be happier.  This means that the next 10-18 you will be building your relationship, growing your connection.  The beginning of your life together can be a challenge.  Depending on what puppy you added to your life; the amount of your canine experience and the time and effort that you put in.  There is much to do at first, training, educating, guiding, watching and much more.

As the months pass and the lessons become more sporadic you slip into a wonderful harmony.  Things are easier, life gets good again.  That is if you have put in the essential work in the beginning.  If you did not put in all the work that you should have then life will not get more simple.  In fact if you do not implement all the building blocks in the beginning of your relationship then it may become worse or break down completely.  This is a sad event.

Going through the day to day with your dog; there will be issues that arise that need dealing with.  Leaving them to another day in the hopes that they will just go away is a bad move.  When dogs have behavior concerns arise they need tending to so that they do not fester.  This is the moment that many dogs are given up or dumped.  The owner has given up, it's too much, they can't do it anymore.  The behaviors have become so bad that it is now far more than they can deal with.  Perhaps even dangerous, the dog has become a liability.  Now what?

Yesterday I got through a tough day of writing; I finished the day that we lost Tilley.  Having been in the thick of it for hours; with tears flowing down my face I pushed away from the computer.  "Let's go outside," I said to Luke and Elsa who were keeping me company in the office.  Elsa charged down the stairs and outside at my command.  I sat there for a long while with them, just watching and enjoying them enjoy the outdoors.  Elsa found some crickets to chase and Luke lay in the sun to warm his old bones.  These are the good times.

Writing about Tilley yesterday got me to thinking about how much work goes into great dogs.  Sure Tilley came to me pretty amazing but she had issues, some huge.  I worked through them, redirected some onto other more positive activities and committed to helping her through some of her fears.  After several years of constant work she was finally the Tilley that we knew she could be. She was the picture of perfection, but it took a great deal of work to get there.  Dogs have a tough job learning to live in our world.  Heck look how long it can take us to get it right.

Putting the work into a dog from the get go makes all the years that you will share together in the future, amazing ones.  I don't know how many of my students in training class said to me "I just want our dog to be like Tilley."  They didn't realize that Tilley started out as a fearful girl with way too much drive.  Those early days Tilley was not the Tilley that they saw at class.  She needed work, much like we need work ourselves.  Putting that work in at the beginning can and does make for an amazing relationship.  A connection like no other, the canine/human connection.    

Protein

Luke sampling the dried Flank steak from Just food for dogs. 

These eyes are cloudy now but in this photo they are saying one thing "more of that please."  He  LOVED the flank steak.  I knew he would.

Protein, let's talk about the good stuff today.  Protein should make up the bulk of your dogs diet.  Not any protein, quality protein.  Quality protein consists of easily digestible product compared to the low grade stuff found in many dog foods.  Yesterday I visited Just food for dogs to give them my books that I donated and to get some dried flank steak.  It resembles the dried chicken that is available for dogs (not made in China) but it is beef.  I knew that Luke would love it being that his absolute favorite food is beef.   It also makes me feel good to give him just meat.  Dogs need protein.

With the dawning of the dog food industry we were brainwashed into thinking that too much protein is a bad thing.  I never bought this; I always refer back to what wolves eat in the wild to guide me.  Yes I realize that our dogs are not wolves but they are not far off.  A dog needs meat, good quality, highly digestible meat and most dogs are not getting it.  "I never give my dogs people food," many owners boast.  This is what they've heard over the years from the pet food companies and perhaps their vet.

I hate the term "people food."  I use the term real food and our dogs deserve real food.  To call it people food makes it seem like it is all for us and the dogs get the crap that we don't want.  No that is not how it should be.  For me "people food" are things like lasagna, pizza, sausage, tacos etc.  You know, the stuff that we whip up for ourselves or buy frozen from the grocery store.  Real food is food, real and healthy.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a baker, I love to cook but my passion lies in baking.  I used to bake for a farmers market and made cheesecakes for a local restaurant.  I love baking, it makes me happy.  Well, as much as baking is wonderfully delicious it is not great for us.  I happen to suffer from hypoglycemia so I have to be very careful with my carb and sugar intact.  Protein plays a huge role in my day to day eating.  I feel best when I stick to protein and veggies.  So what I eat is not far from what my dogs eat but in different portions.  If I am having a turkey salad for lunch I will always share the turkey with them.  They just finished some cheese and turkey for our breakfast in bed.

When I read the ingredient lists on many of the dog foods out there I shudder.  This is what we give our meat eating companions?  Dogs need meat, they need the essential amino acids in it to thrive.  Yes of course a dog can survive on low grade food but imagine how they would feel on a really great food.  Whether you offer your dog raw or cooked meat it is a great addition to their diet.  Having dried meat as a treat throughout the day for my dogs is a good alternative.

I make cookies and cupcakes for my dogs but they have been exclusively designed by myself to offer as much protein as possible.  They also contain no sugar.

Along with offering quality protein to your dog as a high percentage of their diet you should also consider variety.  Good protein can come in many different forms.  Just think how differently most of us eat from day to day.  Variety is the best way to ensure good nutrition, of course if you and your dog are eating good quality foods.  Eggs, beef, fish, chicken, buffalo, lamb, pork, cheese, yogurt, variety is the spice of life.

So even if you are feeding your dog a diet of dog food, switch it up.  Buy several different protein source types and rotate them.  Many dogs who are fed one food all the time and that is it suffer badly if they are offered anything else.  Think of your dog's body as a machine, the higher quality fuel you put into it the better it will perform.

I could go on and on just about quality protein but there are some great articles out there with great meaty facts.  Dig in and research, it isn't what we've been led to believe by the big dog food companies.

Lots of great articles on protein for your reading pleasure.

Lew Olson - Protein, kidneys and senior dogs

The Dog Food Project - Is too much protein harmful?

Dog Food Advisor - Biological value of protein

Pet MD - Focusing on protein in the diet

This and that

Good Thursday morning everyone, it's almost Friday.  I thought this morning that I'd talk a bit about what's up here at my house.  The biggest news is that Elsa was spayed last Tuesday; she is doing amazing and feeling back to normal.  The last few days have been a challenge, keeping her from running and jumping now that she feels fit as a fiddle.  Today she is going to the vets for her check up.  She does not have have exterior sutures, they were all on the inside so it's just a look see to make sure everything is okay.  Her incision looks wonderful, a skinny 3.5" line that in no time will not be visible.

Elsa has been on two walks since her spaying; or perhaps I should say two bounces.  She has so much built up excess energy that she finds it hard to just walk on a leash.  I am really looking forward to a week from now when she can get off her leash and rip.  Allowing a dog like Elsa to run free is essential to a happy home and a contented dog.  :)

Luke got a haircut yesterday; with September just around the corner it will be heating up here.   I always hope that we might not get the heat but it always comes.  September is our hottest month here in SoCal.  It took no time at all to get through those lose curls.  Grooming Luke really brings home the difference in coats.  Luke has always had a curl lacking coat; the only really thick part is around his neck.  He does grow a gloriously thick and luxurious mane.  But down by his ankles there are no curls.  He is generally in a state of scruffiness unless freshly groomed which makes him beyond adorable.  The great thing about a thin coat is that it never mats, unlike Elsa who mats if you look at her.  Her coat is amazingly curly, thick and gorgeous; but much more work to keep up.

Later this morning, after Elsa's vet visit we will be heading down to Just food for dogs to deliver my two books that I am donating for a fund raising charity event that they are having this weekend.   I am donating a copy of my Dogs in the OC and my new book PBJ and me. While we are there we'll pick up some of their great dried chicken and flank steak which Luke will adore.  His all time favorite flavor is beef.

The afternoon will be taken up with book work.  I also plan on getting in touch with a training facility that offers Nose work for Elsa.  I'm really anxious to get her started and know that she will excel in it.  She uses her nose a lot, most dogs do but some like Elsa even more so.  She is constantly glued to the ground and only after a very long sniff session can she pry that nose of hers off of a scent.  She locates us in the house by scent and loves to follow behind other people and their dogs sniffing their every footstep.  Funny girl.

Elsa will also be having an introduction to dock diving in a few weeks hopefully.  Not sure how that will go as she has not actually been swimming.  When we were in Connecticut she did lots of tearing around in the water but never waded as far as having to swim.  The beaches here will allow dogs once again in a couple of weeks and I plan on donning my suit and trying to see if she might join me.  We'll see how that goes.

Next week I am heading out to photograph shelter dogs.  I'm going to be doing a blog on "The faces of shelter dogs."  Not an easy emotional task but one I feel strongly about.  Life in a shelter is tough, really tough.  I'd like to be able to get around as much as possible so that I can capture some of the amazing dogs needing to find their forever home.  I'm sure that there will be a few shed tears during the process.    But as they say "you will never be moved to do something if you always look away."

Anyhow, have a great day and give all those canines of yours a big smooch for me.

STTTTTOOOOOOOPPPPPPPP

A street scene in San Fran

STTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPP; I barely heard the shout as a woman jumped in front of my car.  We were scarcely up our street when I spotted her; luckily I had heard her as she was around a corner.  As soon as I heard and saw her I spotted the reason why she had screamed, a dog.  A small black fluff ball was running around the street.  I had no idea if it was hers or a stray; as it darted around my car.  But it quickly became clear that it was her dog.    The dog was charging around the street; running everywhere except into her arms.  She called and called to no avail.  The dog had no intention of going to her.

At one point the dog ran over to my car and bark at me through the window.  I'd started a dialogue with the owner and he didn't like it.  I thought that she was just going to pick him up; but that was not happening.   I said to her "I can help," and I pulled my xterra over.  I hopped out and the little dog let me have it.  Hopping to me while screaming that he didn't appreciate my presence I dropped to the ground.  I had been on my way to the park so I had my walking pouch on filled with treats.  I grabbed one of the chicken strips out of the pouch and tossed it to him.  He gobbled it down in a heartbeat.

Then his owner was screaming again, a car was coming down the road in the opposite direction.  The driver also stopped and then pulled over.  A young boy jumped out of the car and bent down immediately trying to coax the dog to him.  The little dog went to him right away, he was within arms reach.  Obviously the dog loved children, he had a way with the dog that as an adult I could not achieve.  As the boy reached the dog flew back avoiding his grasp.  The owner then said "my son is coming, he is the only one who can get the dog."  Ahhh, the boy and his dog connection.

Throwing more food at him he came closer and closer.  Using my best high and happy voice he came within grabbing range.  I got as low as I could go; thinking I might just get run over myself.  On my hands and knees bent down as small as I could in the middle of the road, hmmmmmmmmm.  As I moved my arm out he made a run for it.  His Mom tried to grab him on the way by and he deeked out of her way.  The young boy who was about 7 years old I'm guessing then said "why is he not coming to you?" to the owner.  "I don't know," she replied.  This is always perplexing to me as well.  He'd obviously had no training and the owner had a negative association to herself.    The dog stayed clearly out of her reach, knowing full well that being caught meant the end of his fun.

The woman had told me as I got out of my xterra that this chase was going on an hour.  "An hour?" I thought to myself.  So we all did our best to try to catch this little bugger without success.  At that point the little boy tried again, he got close and then made a grab for the dog.  I have to say that it was not a smart move but a very brave one.  He grabbed the dog by the waist and the dog lashed around to snap.  He didn't bite, he just let out a shriek and a snap and the boy let go.  I was surprised as this had not deterred the little boy from helping further.  

As this continued I went back to my xterra to grab a leash, perhaps this dog could be roped like a bull.  Before I even got to my vehicle the woman had him.  I hadn't seen how it happened but she'd grabbed him somehow.  Finally in her arms; she held tight and head for home immediately all the while shouting thanks to us.  "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she called out.  This could have been a much different scenario; she could have been carrying home a very seriously injured or dead dog.  It was a happy ending to a very stressful situation.

We both went back to our vehicles to continue on with our day.  I was impressed with that little boy; I wish that I had gotten him name and thanked him for his attempts to catch the dog.  The Dad and I just smiled at each other and got into our cars.  Heading up the street to the park the owner was waving and still thanking me.  I can only imagine the adrenaline she had rushing through her.  Time to call a trainer.

Oh look!!!! He's wagging.

Elsa is a confident girl, but a very smart one.  She was very young here, 6 mos. old maybe.  So her tail was probably a little higher than it would be today if she met this dog.  It quickly lowered as he delivered his message that he was not sharing his ball.  She ran off after their first meeting but was very intrigued by this grouchy male.  

"Oh look how happy she is."  I heard this I don't know how many times when Tilley was out in the middle of a field.  Happy?  Yes but she was not wagging out of happiness, she was excited by a trigger.  Shadows were a trigger for Tilley and when she saw one her tail would immediately go up and wag like crazy.  A wagging tail means just that; excitement.  You have to look beyond the tail to read more into what a dog is feeling.  Often a wagging tail is a bad thing.

Elsa has a full tail and because of this it is much more active.  Many times it is just the very tip that is wagging so for dogs with amputated tails you won't see any movement, only positioning of the tail. Tails are so very important, they should be left on dogs and not amputated for our viewing pleasure.  Often when Elsa is in the office with me for a long period of time; I will hear the thump of her tail.  I know what it means, she is bored and getting goofy.  If I look at her at this moment she will show her teeth to me and turn upside down hoping I'll join her on the floor; sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

So Elsa and Tilley's tails wagged in these situations but neither meant that they were happy.  An extremely aggressive dogs tail will wag as well, highly held with a stiff wag is not a good thing.  There are many ways to wag ones tail and it a nice window into a the dog's mind.  BUT; it is essentially important to watch the tail and the rest of the body.  Below is a great article on tail wagging.

Tail wagging article 

Watch your dog's tail, it will give you a great deal of information.  Elsa had a low slung tail for two days; this is highly unusual for her and let me know that she was most definitely not happy or feeling well after she was spayed.  Now at a full week after her spaying it is back up to full mast.  Just yesterday she did the tail thumping in my office, it made me smile to know that she was getting back to her old self.

Watching tails and understanding a dog's body language is very important.  Many people think they know but they don't.  I have often approached people with my dog who is wagging.  I know my dogs and for Jessie it was bad news; tail held high wagging stiffly.  Had the other person approaching understood body language they would have also seen her ears up, direct stare, hair up on her back and a very stiff little body.  But all they saw was that cute little face until they got too close; even with my warnings.

No a wagging tail does not mean happy, the tail is just a piece of the whole puzzle.

Collars

Elsa in her harness and collar for ID purposes.

Good Monday morning.................. I hope you all had a great weekend, we did.  I was just surfing around the web and came across a site selling collars.  The collars are the production of a television trainer who uses harsh training methods.  He has made the collar to look like something friendly and kind when it is nothing of the sort.  So, I thought I'd discuss my perspective on collars.

A long time ago when I was first into dogs, a very long time ago I used choke collars.  It was what you used back in the late 70s, they were all that there was really.  So I have used them and fully understand them. My experience with choke collars is why I do not use them.  I do not like pinch or prong collars either, I've used them too.  Many people jump to defend the choke or prong collar as a useful training aid, I disagree.  This is my opinion, you don't have to agree with me but I have the experience to back up my opinion.

The pinch/prong and the choke collar work by inflicting pain.  Even the smallest of yanks can deliver the discomfort needed to get the job done.  Both collars also create negative associations which in turn causes fallout behaviors.  Along with the aftermath of a yank comes injury to the neck.  There can be minor injury all the way up to severe damage causing lasting effects.  A dog's neck is a sensitive area.  Much like our neck set on a different angle and more muscled, it can be injured by whiplash effects of yanking.

The front of a dogs neck, the throat area and the area up behind the ear set are the most sensitive.  They have less muscle there to afford them protection so many dogs suffer trachea/esophagus damage.  The constant yanking of a collar on the front of the neck can lead to all sorts of damage.  When put up around the ears as instructed by the site I found this morning, even more damage can be caused.  I often see people using choke or prong collars along with an extension leash, this is a horrible combination.  With the extension leash on continuous extend it is constantly tugging.  Plus the fact that any people don't feel the impact with these leashes as the dog is so far away so that the dog is receiving even harsher impact.  Dogs running around on an extension often abruptly come to the end of the leash delivering severe neck whips.

Even a regular buckle type collar or head collar can be damaging when yanked on.  Just because you are not using a choke or prong collar does not mean that you are not damaging your dogs neck.  If you dog is pulling on a walk then that collar is pulling on their neck.  The whipping motion from a dog on a head harness can be intense, you must take great care not to allow a dog to take a full impact on their neck.

I cannot go over everything about collars in this one blog, it must be broken down into several.  What I want to get across is that our dogs necks are much more sensitive than many people think.  In my opinion dogs should be on harnesses.  There are many types of harnesses out there these days to choose from, I like the Easy Walk harness by premier for normal everyday walks.  But most harnesses take the pull away from the neck which is a good thing.  Although many harnesses create more of a tugging problem so training is a must.  You need to train your dog not to pull, there is no magic 'no pull' pill that you can give to your dog.

Collars should be used for ID tags.  If and when you are going to use it as a walking device then I believe that it should be as wide as possible.  Of course if your dog is like my Tilley was then it doesn't matter what you have on their neck because there is no pulling.  Tilley considered the whole idea of pulling on a leash extremely rude and would never partake in such behaviors.  But is was Tilley who got me to thinking that the neck is not what most people think it is.  Even the slightest of tug on her neck would set her to coughing.  Things quickly changed after the addition of Tilley for us.

I have some really great 2" wide collars that go on my dogs if I am planning to use collars for walking. It is a very rare occurrence as they can almost always be seen on harnesses.  I saw a woman the other day who was dragging her dog away from something the dog obviously wanted to sniff.  He was on a choke collar and she was pulling and pulling.  For some reason we just don't see the affect of this as choking our dogs.  Sadly choke collars can be purchased for mere pennies steering those who 'don't care' to buy them.

So many things in our past 'are' just because they 'have been' for so long.  As we continue our evolution in this world we must do just that: evolve to a better way.  Just because people from the past have said that this is how you do it; or even those continuing to do it today say it's okay, we must be able to see for ourselves that it is not okay.   Be a thinker, be a part of a better evolution for the life shared together; the canine/human connection.

Evolve:  a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development.

I know that I am going to get lots of backlash from this blog, I have in the past.  But I stand strong on my opinion, and you have the right to have yours.

Sundays off

Just a reminder to you all that I'm not blogging on Sundays anymore.  Have a wonderful day.

Sherri

Chill

Watching Luke snoozing this morning on the bed, I'm still smiling after yesterdays little stress moment.  Luke is my stress monkey; always has been and I'm sure always will be.  I realized having spent three full days pretty much stationary with the dogs that I move around a great deal during the day.  I've tried to stay put for Elsa's sake and mine being that I have been carrying her up and down the stairs.  So yesterday when I had both Luke and Elsa in the nice cool family room I had to run upstairs.  I hooked Elsa to a leash that was under a leg of the very heavy coffee table and asked Luke to stay put.  Just in case I put a dog bed in the way so he could not follow me, so that Elsa wouldn't be upset.

I ran upstairs for about a minute and came back down.  Luke is a follower, my constant shadow so I knew he would have wanted to come upstairs with me had I not put the bed on the stairs.  Well, there he  stood in the middle of the family room staring at the bed.  "Why was this bed here?" Now he couldn't go upstairs after Mom.  "What if the bed fell down the stairs?"  This was most definitely distressing for Luke.  I smiled as I lifted the bed and went to sit down.  He turned his head sideways, opened his mouth wide and started to huff.  He did a huge stress yawn and dropped his head upside down into my lap.  I tousled his hair and lay on the floor trying to diffuse the moment.

Our reactions to stress or fear are the most important factor in helping our dogs.  Elsa does not stress like Luke does but she is more fearful of things that she does not recognize.  This is common in young dogs; the older they get the more they learn not to worry about things like this.  I am constantly on "chill" ready with Elsa.  Our reaction to a fearful situation can make or break a moment.  I am also always on the look out for things that might cause a fearful response.

Whether our dog is fearful of a stranger, responding to an unrecognizable object or stressing about a situation, we need to chill.   Our dogs are constantly watching us, aware of our every response.  So we need to keep our response in check, chill even.  We need to go above and beyond to stay cool.  Sometimes it is difficult to be relaxed when we ourselves are startled or frightened, but you gotta do your best.  Your dog is watching you.  The more you ignore a situation the better.  Sure you need to react and act but it needs to be in a way that emits calm, cool and relaxed.

Our dogs are watching our every move.

Feedback

Feedback - a reaction or response to a particular process or activity.  Knowledge of the results of any behavior, considered as influencing or modifying further performance.

Feedback is important, in fact it is essential in teaching dogs and I am all about feedback.  Ask any of my clients and they will tell you that I nag about a lack of feedback.  When you ask a dog to do something; they comply and you offer nothing in the form of feedback of any kind, you miss a great moment.  Feedback can come in many shapes and forms but the fastest and best way to offer it is in the form of sound.  The sound can come from you, just a sound emanated as no words are required.  It is an instant reaction to an action.

Timing is everything with feedback; it must be delivered at the precise moment to work.  Deliver it after the fact and you miss the mark having lost valuable time.  Feedback is all about information and being that we cannot talk to our dogs and explain it must be delivered at the correct time to carry the much needed information. Catching an unwanted behavior while it is happening is a great time to give feedback; you do not have to wait for the end of a behavior to deliver your feedback.  

You can also deliver feedback just before an unwanted behavior starts which interrupts the act of the behavior itself.  Alternately you are left with a behavior that was deserted at the curb and you can then fill that space with something good.  For example:  a puppy is heading towards your favorite shoes.  Of course you see this happening because you are supervising 100% of free time, right?  Before they get to the shoes you give an AHHH and as they look to you for further instruction you praise and move onto something else to do, perhaps a basket of toys instead.  

My error feedback sound for Elsa is a low, mouth closed sort of mmm.  I still use AHHH but it saved for more serious feedback.  Correct feedback is simply happy noises and lots of them.  Because I started giving feedback from the get go with Elsa the smallest sound emitted from me stops her in her tracks.  I try not to use words because they can be used for so much more useful things like tagging a behavior.  The word NO is strictly saved for big offenses in my home.  I actually rarely use it, but used it last night and this morning.  Being human we like to say NO for some reason and it automatically came out when Elsa went to chase a rat last night and thought about diving off the bed this morning.  My husband had put on casual Friday clothes  today and she mistook them for jogging clothing.  Both times I shouted NO there was no pre-thinking, it was strictly an automatic response from me.  

When you have a new puppy, your days should be filled with continuous feedback.  This is how they learn, good and bad it is all feedback.  Chirping happily as they do all the wonderful things that you like and the low  disapproving sounds to mark errors.  When you start right from the beginning of your shared life it becomes second nature to deliver feedback and your dog becomes accustom to the constant learning curve.  Given no feedback of any kind leaves a dog to flounder around in our human world with no guidance.

As a canine guardian, it is our responsibility to guide.

Luke is 12 today

Today is Luke's 12th birthday, I really can't believe it.  Being that my normal tradition is to post tons of pics for my dog's birthday I thought that I'd just post last years birthday blog.   If you'd like to see a ton of images of Luke go to the link below.   It has some cute puppy pics all the way up to grown up ones.

Luke's 11th birthday blog

I think that it is fair to say that Luke is the canine love of my life.  There have been a few before him but he most definitely has taken up a huge percentage of the room in my heart.  Love at first site?  Yep, it was love at first site for Luke and I and the rest as they say is history.  This past year Luke has been through a great deal and come out like a champion.  No one can ever believe that he is 12 years old as he charges around at the park.

There is something wonderfully glorious about senior dogs.  They have about them an air of "whatever," not much bothers them and they go through their day to day just happy to be with you.  Yesterday as I tended to Elsa (having just been spayed) Luke followed us and enjoyed in the all day long snacking and snoozing.  At one point I sat watching him on the office floor.  He was sprawled out sleeping when he did two very large stretches and rubbed his face on the floor.  Luke has always loved to rub his face when he is very happy.  He was liking this day of R&R with Mom and Elsa.

He is like all my dogs past and present, amazingly individual.  Luke is by far my most complicated dog.  The best way to explain Luke is to say he is very simple yet complicated.  He is crazy intelligent, over the top affectionate, devoted beyond belief, gentle, emotional, confident and loving.  He likes to pretend he is a tough guy but he is full of mush.  Watching him on Tuesday as he carefully sniffed Elsa from head to tail all the while wagging a low figure eight was heart warming.

12 years spent with this amazing dog?  I'm one lucky lady.  

No babies for Elsa

Elsa was spayed yesterday.  I took her in for 8:30 and had a quick visit with the vet before leaving her. In all of my life I have never had a dog that wagged at the vet.  Each and everyone of my dogs had their own way of displaying the terror that they felt when they had to go to the Veterinarians.  Almost all have shaken in fear, tried to climb inside of me or left their body mentally.  Luke growls and carries on trying to keep everyone at bay; but not Elsa, she loves everyone.  She nearly beat me half to death with her tail as she met each tech and then finally the vet.

I hated to leave her but after her clean bill of health it was time for Elsa to head to the back without me.  I shouldn't have worried at all, she was still wagging as she strut to the back and never even checked to see if I was coming.  No she was fine and seemingly having quite a good time.  I felt good, all the staff there are wonderful.  They give off a very caring vibe which surely makes an owner feel good.  So off I went to wait and worry until I got the call.

That call came just before noon "she's fine," the Vet told me.  She'd done great and was sitting up already.  We discussed a bit of when to pick her up and things I would need to know for the first night.  I let out a huge sigh of relief knowing it was done and she was fine.  We were to pick her up at 5:30 so until then I had to do all my running around for the week.

There is always a moment of sadness when I have one of my amazing dogs altered.  I remember the day I had Tilley spayed, I'd had moments of regret.  She was amazing and would have produced fabulous puppies.  Elsa is an exceptional dog and she too would have had some pretty spectacular babies.  I have no doubt that there would have been a line up of people wanting one.  But I will let the breeders do their job and I will do mine.  Elsa's full sister will be having puppies and those are the same genes that Elsa has.

Steve came home early to help pick her up.  We brought her home on a blanket in the back of the SUV along side me.  I'd already set up our huge LL Bean bed in the family room and she lay down there as soon as we walked in.  Luke came down and gave her the once over.  It was so cute to see him wagging madly as he checked her out.  Then he lay on the bed beside her and put his head down, happy she was home.  In the afternoon I had headed over to the medical supply shop to get some guaze; my idea was to wrap her stomach in gauze at night in case she decided to lick her incision.  What I found was stretchy gauze tubing.  I chose a piece that I thought would be big enough to go around Elsa and the above image is that, with holes cut in it for legs and tail.

At 9:00 we decided to call it a night.  I was sure that we'd be up during the night and we are up at 5:00 every morning.  I grabbed Elsa into my arms and as I carefully placed my foot on each step I was hit with an emotional moment.  It hadn't been that long since I'd been carrying Tilley up these same steps.  I'd done it for months and months.  Realizing how different Elsa felt from Tilley I tried to shake the thoughts away and got back on track.

So that she would not jump on our bed over night we set up the ex-pen.  She wasn't thrilled about it but it isn't that long since she slept in the ex-pen so she quickly settled in for the night. She awoke at 3:30 this morning and I took her out for a much needed pee.  Having not eaten but drunk a lot of water plus the fluids at the vets she really needed to go.  She had gone before bed as well.  Of course she went back to sleep after she went out, me?  Nope.

She has yet to eat, I'll work on that today.  I'm hoping that once she is up and moving around that she will feel some better.  She's a sad girl this morning though.  But as I try to type this she is draped across my lap making her a bit happier.  So here I will sit for some time as she rests quietly.  I was told 10-14 days of quiet, this is going to be a challenge once she is feeling better.  But for now she is not feeling great and is just happy to be home and with Mom.

Thank you to all the staff at Canyon Animal Hospital for taking such great care of Elsa.  And special thanks to Dr. Brower.

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning everyone, I have a very busy day ahead.  For those of you who don't know yet; my book has been released.

You can find it here if you are interested in reading it.

PBJ and me - the adventure that changed everything.

Here is a snippet from the 'Author's notes'

This book details our trip across the country.  December 2011, Brad (my 21 year old son) and I, along with our four dogs left Southern California.  We drove across the country to Connecticut not wanting to put the dogs on a plane.  We were headed to our new life; new home and whatever else lay before us.  It started out as an exciting adventure and quickly turned into something we never expected.  All the details are correct as far as my memory serves me.  It has been a crazy year and this was just a part of it.   

This is book #1 of 2; 2 is well underway.  

Please join me on our PBJ and me Facebook for questions, reviews and chat about the book.  

Have a great day everyone, stay cool.  It's another scorcher here in SoCal.  

He has a dominance issue

"He has a dominance issue."  This is what I was told by the vet techs after they tried to flip Luke onto his back for an x-ray.  All I said in reply was "no, he doesn't have a dominance issue."  I got to thinking about this after trying to get both Elsa and Luke to lay in the pool with me over the weekend.  I have written about how my sweet and very affectionate boy turns into Cujo at the vet several times.  He gets very afraid that people are going to take him away because they have taken him away before.  So in response he tries to keep them away before they can get to him.  Once in and settled he is great, but don't try to manhandle him onto his back.

As I tried to get Luke to lay down in our new kiddie pool with me, he struggled.  I knew he would and was ready to calmly guide him down.  I succeeded and he relaxed.  We have a very strong and trusting bond, but he becomes a little alarmed if I do something out of the ordinary.  Add to that the physical aspect and he grows suspicious.  I will never wrestle my dogs into anything, it makes them nervous.  Elsa was much more nervous about the whole thing so we just stayed at sitting in the pool.  We will move to laying later.

It is quite obvious that the more a dog struggles, the more you struggle causing the dog to struggle further.  So when a stranger tries to hold your dog down as they struggle, it can become a scary and stressful situation for a dog.   Sure there are those who don't care what you or a stranger does but many dogs do care.  I find that the more intelligent the dog is, the more they can become suspicious as to what is going on.  They are the thinkers.

I clearly remember taking Jessie in for a Titer several years ago.  As they began the process the tech wrapped her arms around Jessie and she began to struggle.  Knowing my little firecracker; it was clear that she was going to struggle until she got away.  Stepping in to rectify the situation, I said "I'll hold her."  As soon as I did she was fine, completely relaxed and allowed them to draw what they needed.

Building trust with your dog is essential.  But there will be times when they become highly suspicious with the added physical maneuvering, they will become more concerned.  Calm baby steps is the best way to help them to get over this.  Cutting nails is a common issue with dogs, this is because as they struggle we hold more tightly; causing them to panic from our physical hold.  So baby steps and lots of positive association.

Luke very quickly let me lay him down into the pool.  It was a comfortable position for him, the water was warm plus I was massaging him.  I never ask him to sit anymore, his poor old legs have a difficult time in that position.  So as he lay in the pool with me and relaxed.  Next time he will have a much easier time of it.   Some dogs just think more about things you want them to do.  I have often dealt with dogs who become very upset just as we start training; they grow suspicious simply because they have never been asked to do anything before.

Working through it all with tiny steps to the end goal is how to best achieve success.  Struggling due to a stranger manhandling them is very normal.  I truly do not understand why Veterinarians or their staff do not understand this.  It is one of those things over the years that continues to boggle my mind.  They deal with dogs everyday yet do not understand this very simply issue.  Of course this has lead me to putting another book to write on my list.

Just think about your struggle reflex if a stranger wrapped their arms around you and tried to get you to the ground with no explanation or prior experience in this particular situation.  Yep, it would not be pretty.

Young'ns

Good Saturday morning everyone, it's already heating up here today so I think we are in for another hot one.  I've spent the last week pretty much hibernating in my office with the dogs.  I know they appreciate the coolness inside the house because every time I let them out they quickly go and stand at the door waiting to come back in.  I've been up with the birds to get them out before it gets too hot which has actually been really enjoyable.  There is nothing I enjoy more than walking my dogs when no one else is around.  A close second would be when other dogs are around off leash and everyone is having fun together.

Yesterday we ran into a woman and nice Labrador.  We approached and I asked if Elsa could say hi, the woman said "yes."  We had just arrived so Elsa was supercharged; she did her four footed leaps of delight at the chance to say hi.   Having a young dog with so much enthusiasm is so different from my old dog life.  When I say my old dog life I mean my life just months ago that was based around old dogs.  Tilley still had her zest for life but with Vestibular disease she was vertically challenged.  She slept, boy old dogs can sleep.  They spend hours upon hours sleeping the day away.

Jessie had lost her zest albeit for feeding time.  She was lost in a never ending confusion except when I would call her for a meal.  She would fire up Elsa with her tiny body charging to the kitchen and leaping  with anticipation; but it was a short lived burst of life.   Much of her day was also spent sleeping, that is when she wasn't circling.

Luke had slipped into a 'sleeping way too much' lifestyle.  He'd go for big runs and I'd get him off the couch anytime I could but with the old girls sleeping so much he just joined in.   Things are different now, of course Luke is sleeping a lot because he is almost 12 years old now.  But he is off the couch a great deal more and up hanging out with Elsa.  He is back to his non stop shadowing of Mom.  Elsa follows me constantly so he is back to doing the same.

Before we got Elsa I honestly felt that sometimes I had no dogs.  There was no dog activity, everyone was always sleeping.  I often said "if someone came to our house they would not know that we have dogs."  When dogs get into the "very old" stage it gets very, very quiet.  So, add a young'n and things surely change.  Not only is Elsa a young'n at a year of age she has a crazy zest for life.   She is very much an "I'll try it," kind of gal.  She loves just about everything, every dog and every person.  Her enthusiasm for life is contagious.  I will regularly watch her being over the top happy and smile.  Being that happy is a really great thing.

Having old dogs is wonderful, they are truly the golden years.  There are many moments shared quietly on the couch, just being together.  But having young dogs again brings back the energy; the whole "what should we do today" lifestyle.  I adore every moment, each stage shared with my dogs but after such a long stage of quiet senior days, this crazy energized stage is a nice change.

Have a great weekend with your dogs, no matter what stage you're at.