The good, the bad and the ugly

This was a very unfriendly dog that Elsa ran into at the beach in CT.  

I never have to stray very far from home for a blog topic.  Yesterday, right before I headed out with my two for a walk I was shutting my office door which is a patio door facing the street.  Elsa started barking seriously which I knew meant that either a cat or dog was on our yard.  I stepped out onto the very small balcony to see.  It was the pit mix from up the street and she was eating something on my lawn.  Perhaps she was here after the cat, who knows.  I yelled to get out of here; she is not a friendly dog and should not be out of her own yard, ever.  The dog barked back at me and continue to scarf down whatever it was she was eating.  Then I saw a woman coming down the street with her doodle; someone I see walk past my house everyday.

I yelled several more times at the dog on my yard and considered a bucket of water when the owner called it.  It sort of headed home when it saw the doodle and changed her mind.  Her head dropped and hair went up on her back; from the tip of her tail all the way her head, it stood straight up.  Not good.  I hadn't actually seen this dog with other dogs so as much as it looked like a very bad situation, I wasn't positive what was going to happen.  Then she started towards the doodle, head down, eyes locked but tail at half mast.  All this while walking down the middle of the street with the owner following, calling to her dog.  The dog wasn't listening at all, she had no control over her dog.

The woman with the doodle saw the black pit mix heading towards her looking very menacing.  I now knew what the outcome would be; the black dog was not stopping, she was going all the way.  The doodle owner told her dog to "leave it" as she brought him in close to her.  As the black dog got closer and closer she grabbed her doodles head and turned him into her.  By the time the black dog reached the doodle her tail was held high, she obviously had seriously bad intentions.  She circled the two waiting for the right moment.

The owner of the black dog finally came into the picture and was moving far too slowly calling out to her dog to be nice.  Honestly.  As she got to the dogs she asked her dog what she was doing.  She stood for a moment watching before reaching out to her dog.  I knew what was going to happen the moment she grabbed the dog's collar and it did.  The black dog exploded the moment her collar was grabbed and luckily the doodle and his owner stepped back to avoid the worst of it.  The black dog and her owner headed for home.

I realized that had this not unfolded right then; it would have been me and my dogs dealing with this black dog.  We were heading out moments after this.  This is what is wrong in the world of dogs.  The woman with her very cute and friendly doodle who walks down the street everyday should not have to deal with this.  The black dog is obviously not friendly, I've dealt with her myself in the past.  It's not right, it's not fair and it needs to end.  If you live with a dog like this, who is not friendly then it NEVER  be out of your yard.

I had a situation like this many years ago when I was on a beach with no one else around.  It was just me, and the dog was after me.  There was no getting out of the situation.  If I was aggressive it moved into attack; if I lowered my posture to submit and turn my back it came after me.  After several moments of adrenaline raising interaction the owner came and called her dog off of me.  I have a pepper spray now and as of yet I have not used it but I will if I need to.  It is kept in my dog walking pouch.  There is also a new spray out by Premier which is like a pepper spray but uses citronella.  I will be purchasing one of these as well, maybe a couple.

That tail makes me smile

This morning as the dogs and I shared our morning snack, I watched Luke eat while Elsa's tail lay across his face and feet.  He didn't even acknowledge it; he continued to eat like it wasn't there.  He has  adjusted to her tail and it is now a part of his daily life.  It makes me smile seeing Elsa wrap her glorious tail around Luke while they play.  She most definitely uses it as an extra appendage; which of course it is.

This whole tail thing is new to us; Elsa's is the first undocked tail that we have had in the family.  Our poodles that have come and gone all had a part of their tail but they were docked so they were just a remnant of what should have been.  Seeing how she uses it has really opened my eyes.  I have worked with many, many dogs with tails and it was just how it was.  I never thought much of it until Elsa came into my life.  She uses her tail more than most dogs; she is a very touchy, feely girl.  Maybe all dogs use it as much but now I am much more aware of it.  I tend to watch tails more now maybe?

A tail is a message delivery system.  But more than that it is something that a dog also uses consciously.  As you all know Elsa is a big flirt; she is the full on lower your head and bat your eyelashes type of flirt.  But it is her whole package that is used in her play technique.  Her tail is very much a part of it and if Luke is within reach it is touching him.  Watching her interact with Luke is extremely interesting.  Her whole body including her tail takes on her mood and delivers her communication to perfection.

Luke has learned to duck out of the way of her flying tail.  Elsa is a very happy girl meaning her tail is often up and waving around.  Luke use to hit Tilley in the face with his tail as well but it was in a much closer proximity.  Greetings are one of the times when the dogs learn to duck out of the way.   There is no tail control when you come home to happy dogs.  Those tails are flying and they learn to stay out of the way of them.  Luke is learning how to get around Elsa's, which is much more active.

Like many other things in life, it is the little things.  Those times when I look into my rear view mirror and see Elsa's tail wrapped around Luke's face.  Or when she is tempting Luke to play with a lingering tail around his neck trying to lure him in.  When Luke enters a room that Elsa is sleeping in and just the very tip of her tail starts to wag, just enough to show her joy.  Even her naughty times when she is seemingly laying quiet; her tails gives away that she has no good on her mind.  It whips madly as she waits for someone to get close enough to pounce on.   It is fabulous.

Luke is a real tail wagger, always has been.  I love it but now realize that we are missing much of the would be wagging due to the tail missing.  The whole tail is not always in the loop; sometimes just the very tip delivers the message, the fine tuned details of a communication.  But is the moments like the one I am seeing right now.  Elsa and Luke are asleep on my bed beside me; her tail is laying over his shoulders.  She must always be touching and even if it is just the tip of her tail; she's happy to have that connection.  It makes me smile.

Structure

Structure - a complex system considered from the point of view of the whole rather than of any single part.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the human beholder that is.  Humans have taken a species and molded it to their beholding expectations.  What we have done to some breeds is appalling.  Structure in dogs is very important but when you look at all of the different breeds it gets laughable.  What one breed requires per "standard" may be a huge fault in another.  I am big on structure, always have been and my years spent in the conformation ring made my eye for structure more intense.   When I catch a glimpse of a dog who is moving poorly I will watch it until I can figure out what is going wrong.  Watching many of the severely modified dogs moving is horrendous and the modification continues.

Structure is all about movement and proper body proportions to create a healthy body for a dog to live in.  

This sentence took me a while to compose.  I wanted to explain exactly what structure is; and it is more than a pretty face and body.  Many breeds today were originally structurally sound but after years and years of being in the show ring being physically tweaked so to speak they are no longer structurally sound.  Not all breeds have been physically compromised, but many have been the subject of human intervention.  Sad.  Where dogs originated is still controversial but the general consensus is the Gray Wolf.  If you look at a wolf you see great structure; they are made to move.  There body is specifically designed to allow them to run, catch, eat and protect.  They are super athlete material.

But how far have our dogs gone from that picture of athletic perfection?  Some farther than others; many dogs are nowhere close.  Of course with evolution came domestication which meant change.  But change is not always better.  We essentially needed to change behavior so that the dog could happily live alongside us but did we really need to change their bodies quite so much?  Humans modified the heads, bodies, legs and tails of dogs to fit into their little ideal mold.  Now the dogs suffer from many ailments due to the loss of.......................................body parts.  

Many breeds no longer have a proper length of muzzle.  Some have loss their legs, literally.  Then there are dogs who's heads have been shrunk down so small that their brains have no room.  Some breeds have been so shrunken down height wise that they now suffer from not having the support system for their bodies.  Dogs who were once strong and capable working dogs have been sculpted to the point of no longer being able to work. What are we doing?  I do not frequent dog shows very often and when I do it is probably for a photo shoot.  I remember standing outside of a couple of rings a while back and shuddering as I watched the dogs move around the ring.  One whole breed made me shudder while a few standouts who's movement was so off, I stood in astonishment.

It is funny how humans can take one breed and turn it into two.  Many breeds have been the result of this dual modification.  You have the working strain and the show strain; and to put the two side by side you would not think that they are the same breed.  Although many of the working strain are structurally amazing; they may not possess the temperament to live in a family environment.  What ever happened to moderation?  Humans by nature want more, more and more.  What was a good length of neck 30 years ago is now seen as a stump.   Many dogs 50 years ago look nothing like their version of today; we have added more hair, length of face, taken away substance for lighter,  feather like movement.

I want dogs to be able to do stuff, fun and athletic stuff.  To be sidelined due to lack of structure is just sad.  Proper structure is so important.  It can vary as well, there is not one recipe for proper structure.  Take a look at wolves again.  Within an individual healthy pack you will see different color, size and proportion but they will all be correct as far as structure for moving and health.

Structure - it is far more than a pretty face.  

 

Look down

Driving down the street on the way to the park I got a red light.  As we sat waiting for the light to turn green I noticed a group of people out for a walk.  It took me a minute to notice the tiny dog in among the people but when I did, I got today's blog topic.  The dog was small, maybe 20lbs.  It was the sort of dog that I call a Disney dog; wiry hair with facial scruff, very cute.  But the dog was wincing at every step; why?  Because the owner was swinging her arms so much as she walked that the dog was being whipped in the face by his own leash.

I see this often and realize that a good number of people never consider the dog when they are walking. Yes I know that walking and swinging your arms is natural; it is in fact desired if you are working out.  But it is not desirable if you are a dog walking beside a swinging arm person.  Keeping my arm immobile was ingrained into my head by one of my obedience trainers years ago.  She made us keep our left hand in our pocket so as not to cause our dogs to walk further behind us, caused by a swinging arm.  Many people even hit their dog in the face with their hand while walking without noticing.

I watch; I watch dogs and I watch dogs and their people so I notice stuff.  This arm swinging thing is not an uncommon thing; I see it quite a bit.  There are several things that can make a dog's walk not so enjoyable from swinging arms.  1.  The leash itself can whip the dog in the face like the little Disney dog that I saw.  2.  The dog walker can hit the dog in the face with their hand, and 3.  The buckle on the dogs leash can be hitting the dog in the face.  Of course this problem can be made worse by the dogs size.  Many very small dogs suffer from this because they are so low to the ground that there is no way that their owners hand is below them.

The leash is an essential part of a walk for most of us.  What type of buckle is on your leash?  I like the old fashion bolt snap; the type of buckle that has that little lever that you pull down to open it up.  I do not like the newer version ones where you push in the lever.  I like a small buckle, you don't need a huge buckle to keep you dog safely attached to you if you have a quality leash.  I do not want a buckle that is so large and bulky that it actually hits my dog in the face when we walk.

My dogs are right in line for some face hitting if I swing my arm when I walk so I am very aware of how I walk.  I keep my hand glued to me if we are power walking.  If we are just meandering around the park then I try to keep them from swinging at all.  Dogs can learn a great deal of bad habits from an owner's bad walking form.  Many learn to walk at a distance to avoid the constant face smacking.  An owner may never even realize what has happened and why their dog will not walk closely.

When you walk, look down.  Are you swinging your arms?  Is your dog's leash buckle too big?  Is your leash to heavy?  I see people walking with chain leashes; I don't get this at all.   A harness most definitely can help with face swapping but not completely.  If you swing your arms when you walk a front attach harness can still allow for leash whipping.  On your next walk, walk like you usually do and see if it your form is dog face friendly.

Water

Water- a transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, H2O, freezing at 32 degrees F or 0 C and boiling at 212 degrees F or 100 degrees C, that in a more or less impure state constitutes rain, oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.

Water, we all drink it and we all need it.  But what type that water takes and how it is administered can come in many forms.  When I take Luke and Elsa to the beach they like to sip the ocean.  I try to stop any ocean water drinking but they slip in a few sips here and there.  Luke learned very young that salty sea water is not desirable although if he is thirsty he will drink it; as will Elsa.  They don't gulp it but tend to have a hard time ignoring that it is water.  We have seen the results of drinking ocean water from Tilley years ago.  As a maniac retriever she was taking in a great deal of water just by grabbing her ball in the ocean at the beach.  As we left the beach, poor Tilley resembled a liquid dispenser from both ends.  Lesson learned.

Playing in the water can be great fun but you must take care where and when you are allowing your dog to do it.  I have written about toxic green algae that can grow in any pond or lake.  Not worth the risk if you suspect it at all.

Hose fun is great as well but shooting water directly at your dog can cause problems.  Water can go down the wrong pipe causing your dog to choke severely.  It can happen accidentally, heck I've had a drink go down the wrong way and it's not fun.  Be careful when playing with hoses, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.  Always shoot from the side and never too high powered, even for those crazy Labradors.

Water consumption can turn from a nice little drink to a problem if there is too much of it.  Often dogs will drink themselves silly which will just as often end up on your living room floor.  If dogs drink too quickly they can have a tendency to upchuck it.  Jessie did this often if she drank too much.  For some reason her little stomach couldn't tolerate it and out it came in a gooey form.  Not great but at least it was just water, sort of.

With large dogs there has been a trend to raise bowls.  Not a good idea, it is not a natural way for a dog to drink.  You can literally hear the air going in when they drink from a raised water source.  The air gets into their stomach making all sorts of rejection noises.  If you are lucky that air will come out via a burp or eventually the other end.  But it is best to leave the water on the ground where it is meant to be.  The same goes for when you are out walking your dog and need to hydrate them.  If you have a portable bowl like I do, hold it at ground level or very low so that your dog does not suck in a ton of air while trying to drink.  I see a lot of people holding the bowl at face level which makes it difficult to drink and allows a great deal of air to get into the dogs stomach.

When you are out hiking, running or just walking your dog give small amounts of water at a time.   There is no need to allow your dog to drink a huge amount of water at one time.  Stop more often and give them a small amount.  This is why I like my small bowl that is attached with a carabiner to my dog walking pouch.  It is expandable and always with me.  When we stop at a fountain, Luke and Elsa get a small drink and we keep going.

Do not allow your dogs to drink from community water bowls.  Lots of dog friendly places put out water bowls for dogs but you don't know who drank from it before your dog.  As great as it is to see out in front of an establishment, don't use them.  Bring your own water and your own bowl.  If there are water fountains around you can use them but with your own bowl.

Do not allow your dog to drink from water fountains.  People do not appreciate this.  It may be cute, yes; and I have done it in a pinch but many humans do not like to see this.  The more complaints that are made against people and their dogs the fewer places we will be allowed to frequent.  So bring a bowl for your dog and use it.

A drink of water is great and needed for our dogs.  If you feed dry dog food your dog's body will need more hydration.  Take care how much water is consumed at one time.  Just like food it is better to give smaller amounts more often than one big gulp.  Big, huge amounts of water can like I said tend to come out doing the dog no good at all.  Or they can just end up with too much water in their stomach.  Water has an expansion to dry kibble so when feeding dry dog food watch how much is taken in at one time.

Water is essential to life; it can be fun to play in and fun to drink.  But take care where, when and how much is taken in.

Bits and pieces

I am so very happy that we are finally at the stage where Elsa eats everything.  It took us a long while to get to this point because life got in the way.  When she came into our family she was eating a specific brand of dog food.  I very quickly starting adding lots of different foods to that base food to get her onto real food.  Her system seemed to be a bit sensitive to change so I took my time introducing new things.

Life's change brought us our trip from CA to CT which meant the 6 day drive (you can read about that whole trip in my book PBJ and me).    For the ease of travelling with four dogs across the country; everyone ate kibble as a base.  I brought raw freeze dried and lots of good chicken type treats.  Once we got to CT I got both Tilley and Luke onto their real food again right away and worked on Elsa.  Well as you all know we had another trip then from CT to CA (working on that book).  So it was back to kibble again.  I fed about 1/2 canned and 1/2 kibble on that trip.

Back home and not going anywhere anytime soon we got to it again.  She's been eating completely real food now for several months and I'm very happy about it.  I keep dog food on hand at all times for those times when I just don't have any real food.  I use it as food rewards and Luke likes a bowl before bed, in bed of course and he can surely use it.

What I love about the point we are at with feeding is that I can feed such a huge variety and I am constantly adding more to the list.  With the twice daily meals they also eat during the day.  I mostly share everything that I am eating.  Luke doesn't like to eat during the day too often unless we are on a walk so he gets a lot then.  For Elsa, if she does not beg for food I will almost always share.  I like her to try everything and have lots and lots of variety.

Last night they had raw beef for dinner.  Elsa isn't quite sold on the completely raw thing yet so I throw it in the pan for literally a couple of seconds in some coconut oil and they both chow it down.  For breakfast they had meatloaf which was beef, turkey, kale, oatmeal and chia seeds.  This morning for their wake up snack they have shared a cheese string and some dried chicken.

Most dogs have issues with eating a variety of food because they don't.  The longer a dog is on one food or one type of treats the harder it will be to feed other things.  Look at us, we are constantly changing what goes into us, they should be able to as well.  In the wild, wolves eat what they can get and that will vary depending on the season and local.  Our dogs should be able to eat whatever, without getting a complete digestive upset.

Of course each dog is an individual so as such they have specific tastes and they also will have foods that they cannot tolerate.  It's all a learning curve.  Last year I had four dogs to feed and each had their own likes and dislikes.  They also each have foods that don't sit quite right so it is all trial and error.  I cannot say enough how important variety is.  It is the easiest way to offer a balanced diet; both in real food and dog food.

What's for breakfast?  Are you sharing?  

Veterans/Remembrance Day

We will remember...................................thank you.

Last one

                                                         
                                                    I am very lucky to have this as a back drop. 

Yesterday was a very big day; I did a last shoot for my Standard Poodle book.  As I packed up my equipment and threw my bag over my shoulder; the Standards from previous shoots ran through my head.  I remembered the very first shoot for the book.  The book at that time was still in 'idea' mode but I got after it.  You can't do a photography book with no photos so I started the very long and stretched out search for Standard Poodles.  As my first breed photography book I thought that my own breed was a good place to start.  Although I have done a Greyhound book, it was done strictly on rescue dogs and for the non profit Hemopet.  Over the years I considered that perhaps it would have been easier had I chosen Goldens, Labs or Doodles.  Easier yes but this book is most definitely done with love.

I love all dogs, all breeds and all mixes.  I LOVE DOGS.  But I have lived with Standard Poodles now for almost 30 years and I know them inside and out.  I have a huge Facebook group called The Standard Poodle numbering over 6000 now.  Plus we have a local Orange County Standard Poodle group.  So The Standard Poodle seemed like a logical first.

As I headed west for my shoot, I couldn't believe that this was the last.  But as that thought lingered in my head another began to surface, a second Standard Poodle book.  But that is just a thought right now, we'll see how this first one turns out.  There might be another breed or mix book before the next Standard Poodle book, it waits to be seen.

I was a bit early at the marina, never a bad thing.  The wind was up, the sun out and the surf was beautiful.  I wandered around a bit and found this gorgeous boy out with his Mom and Dad for a walk.  We chatted for a while, they had just moved to the area and this was their first walk out with the dogs.  I gave them a few pointers on where to walk there in Dana and they headed on their way.

When my models arrived, I was so happy to see them.  These are longtime friends and two that I did not want to miss having in my book.  So with these two done, I'm done.  The weather could not have been more perfect for this particular shoot.  With my canine models it was a perfect ending. 

Time to get it all together and move onto the next.  I am very excited for this book to be done and out there.  As I go through all the photos, over and over and over; I am very happy with them all.  Some make me laugh, others bring back memories and some literally take my breath away.

Implementing rules

Rule:  a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure or arrangement.

We live with rules in our day to day so it makes sense that our dogs do as well.  They live by our side in a human world; which is filled with rules.  Some rules are very important; others are as they say are "made to be broken."  But what rules you implement in your life, your house are very individual.  They are as individual as you and your dog are.  What one person considers to be an important rule, others do not.  Unfortunately, this can be within the same household as well.  It is much easier to enforce rules if everyone is on board.

What rules are important to me?  Luke had far more rules than Tilley ever had in her life.  Jessie had rules but they were more mine than hers; like not getting off leash.  Luke had many rules as an impulsive  young dog; now of course many have fallen away.  I have a whole new set of rules for Miss Elsa and lucky for me, she follows rules like a champion.  She is VERY energetic, impulsive and driven so control rules are essential.  When she came into our life the first and most obvious issue was the speed at which she ate; so food rules were implemented.  She must sit before being given her food; this helps her to get a grip around food which was nearly impossible when she was young.  Over the months it has become "the way" and I have kept the rule in place.  I never ask for it anymore but expect it.  I will put her food down and walk across the yard or kitchen.  She looks at me wherever I am and sits, I release her to eat then.

Having had very old dogs when Elsa joined our family it was important to not allow door charging.  She learned quickly that she must be invited into the house.  I was surprised when we got back to CA from CT that she remembered the kitchen door rule as soon as I opened it.  She still waits to be asked to come in which is good for Luke as she likes to race to be the first one always.

We have a rule about the Xterra as well.  No getting in or coming out without being asked.  She must wait for me to hoist Luke into the back first unless told otherwise.  Getting out is far more serious, she must sit and wait for me to invite her out with her release word.  I have proofed her word and still proof it to this day.  What is proofing?  Proof:  the act of testing or making trial of.  So when she is sitting nicely, waiting in the back of my Xterra I will throw all sorts of words and actions at her.  This creates an intensive learning ground for her control and understanding of the one and only release word.  If by chance she hops out before hand, she is quickly and abruptly put back in and we start over.

Getting out of our vehicle can be very challenging sometimes.  If we arrive at a park and she spots other dogs in the already out having fun, her excitement level rises quickly.  I keep the rule in place and demand a sit before she gets out.  I don't care if I have to stand there for 15 minutes waiting; she is not getting out if she doesn't sit.  Rules and regulation require patience; you must have patience in order to enforce rules.

We also have bed rules, my bed that is.  Funny how quickly they learn, scarily quick for Elsa.  She sleeps on my bed during the day without any rules; that is unless I ask her to get off.  At night she jumps up with Luke but then knows that she must get off when I come to bed.  She has a bed beside ours where she sleeps and then in the morning must wait until being invited up once again.  She has the hardest time with our bed rule because one of her favorite things in the world to do is sleep in bed with us.  But being that she is a full blood 1200 pound elephant it is difficult to sleep with her.

One of my favorite day to day rules and one that makes me smile every time is the garage door rule.  Most days I take the dogs into the garage, hook them up and then we go out the garage to the Xterra.  I do not open the garage door until I have a hold of Elsa's collar; it has always been this way for safety reasons.  Once Luke and Elsa are leashed, I go to the garage door opener and raise my hand to it.  Elsa comes immediately and pushes into my hand and waits for me to grab a hold of her collar.  I love this, it is so cute and is like our other rules "the way it is."  She knows that this is how the door opens, no other way.  That is unless Dad is around and then many rules go out the window..........oh well.  

   

Dog stuff

My utility vehicle, yes even though it's tough, it is very cool.  ;)

Gear - implements, tools, or apparatus, especially as used for a particular occupation or activity.

Gear, I love it.  I love dog gear and I have to admit that it is one of my weaknesses.  Not just any gear though; I mean real gear, the stuff that lasts, tough, utility type gear.  I am not one for the fancy, schmancy stuff that you can get for your dogs, nope.  I like it to be of high quality, give me quality and rugged over fancy any day.

When I venture on a very rare occasion into one of the big box type pet stores, and I mean rare, I take a look around to see what is what.   I am curious as to what they sell, how much everything costs and what people are buying.  The first thing I see is a big bin of bulk dog treats.  The bulk presentation is to appeal to your sense of "good value."  "Look they are bulk, they must be cheap?"  Hmmmmmm.  Something left out in huge bins for so long isn't something you want to give to your dog.  Next.

So then I wander down the isle; I'm not shopping, I'm researching.  Almost every item in the store is made for us; the dog owner, not the dog we are shopping for.  I pull a big bed off the shelf and push my hand into the stuffing to see the comfort level.  My hand hits the floor almost immediately, its filled with cheap fluff but boy the red background with black paw prints sure caught my attention.

From there I move onto food......................................hmmmmmmm, let's not go here now.  This will end up being all about food.  Let's just ask the question, "is there anything resembling real food in these stores?"

Okay onto leashes and collars etc.  So many colors, so many types; how could you possibly choose?  It's all laid out for those who want a wardrobe of leashes and collars for their dogs.  Very tempting all those fancy color combinations.  My requirements for a leash are that it be long enough to allow my dog to wander yet thin enough to roll up in my hand.  It must be strong and of course durable.

I like things that make living with dogs easier.  Gear that catches my attention is useful.  There is a lot of it out there but sometimes you have to really look.  I am always on the search for something new and great.  Fancy patterns, bobbles and eye candy for humans does not catch my eye.  What is of interest to me as far as dog gear is something that is innovative; made for the human/canine team.  I have over the years blogged about some great stuff for dogs and I will continue to search.

Like I said there is a lot of it out there; really great stuff just waiting to be discovered.  But as I wade through much of the canine "stuff" it is just that "stuff."  I want gear, the real "stuff" that is useful.  I know that many of you love the other fancy stuff and there is lots of that out there too.  The difference is that there is a huge range of "stuff" for our dogs.  There is the cheap, useless, money wasting stuff.  The stuff up a notch from that bottom line stuff and then there is the stuff that is a little higher quality; the stuff that might hold up a year or two.  Then you get into the much better stuff that is made to last but still designed for the human and maybe the canine.  Finally at the top of the pile of stuff you hit the gear, the stuff made for the human/canine team; that is what I'm looking for.

I am a utility type person; I drive an Xterra because I don't want to worry about dirt in my car.  I don't want to care about being careful with my dog "stuff," I want to use it and have fun.  I keep several bags in the back of my Xterra filled with dog stuff that I might need while we are out.  No my stuff is not fancy but neither am I and my dogs?  Most definitely not fancy.  But if you show me some gear, real gear for me and my dogs; then you will have my undivided attention.  One of my biggest weaknesses?  A new carabiner.    Got gear?  

Sherri's way

How many times have I heard the phrase "Caesar's way?"  Too many times and as I hit the parks, beaches and public places I see it far too often.  I much prefer Sherri's way; how about we start implementing that instead?  I'm all for it and I can bet your dogs will be as well.  Yesterday I had Elsa out at one of our favorite parks before it heated up.  There was a person there who walks her dog regularly and he is by her side, head and tail down.  I'm pretty sure he's not having any fun.  As he passes by us with his owner he is not allowed to say hi as she reigns his leash in tight.  Hmmmmmm.

I see a lot of people out there walking their dogs like little robots.   No sniffing, no looking, no fun.  They must walk either beside or behind their owner.  Then there is Elsa and I; she is sniffing like mad, watching the birds and rabbits and walking loosely on her leash.  She had some chuck it fun to get rid of the ya ya's and then had a few meet and greets along the way.  Happy?  Oh yes.  Having fun?  Yep.

The way I look at it is like this.  We are out for a walk to get some exercise and social time.  I had my time at he gym, got in my daily workout in.  So when we are out for our walk it is our special time; time for us to hang together and have fun.  It is time that I take out of my day to give to my dogs.  I do not feel as though it is a duty but more a promise I made to my dogs.  "I will give you what you need to be happy." Yes I am the leader and a strong and serious leader at that; but it doesn't mean that there cannot be fun.  I have rules that must be followed and will be enforced.  I also have a great desire to ensure happiness in my dogs.

Have fun, lead, teach and guide.  I want to see a happy tail when we are out; not a tail just hanging there because we are walking to fill a need to walk the dog.  The whole idea that a dog should always walk beside us or behind us because of the "alpha" idea is false; a myth and completely wrong.  Watch a pack of wolves on a documentary, they are beside, behind, in front and all around the alpha.  But it is the alpha who is guiding; no matter where the other members are in proximity to him, they are following.   Just because you have your dog walk behind you does not make your the leader.  Physically it looks that way but are you really?   Being the boss is a constant; not something you throw on and enforce via a walk.

Dogs need outlets; they need to do the things that dogs do.  Those include sniffing, searching, running and playing.  It is a sad life for those dogs who are not allowed to indulge in canine things.  Dogs live in our world but they are still dogs; very different from humans.  I don't want to chase a ball and run in circles for a half hour but Elsa sure does.  Luke now in his senior years likes the more subdued dog activities.  He is a huge sniffer and along with a nice walk he likes to watch Elsa being a young dog.  I have said this often but I will say it again; I take great joy in seeing dogs have fun.  We are not here to keep our dogs down in constant pursuit to be the "alpha."  We are here to lift them up to be the best that they can be and have fun doing it.

Choices

Tilley, doing nothing but being beautiful.

 Most of my yesterday was spent in front of the computer.  I am working very hard at finishing my Standard Poodle book.  When it is done it will be a beautiful compilation of images along with some information and personal quotes from poodle owners.  I know that the images are great; each dog was fabulous in their own way so the book should be wonderful if I do say so myself.  :)

I love this, we had fun with a dryer for this shot.

Narrowing down has been fun.  I've been working on the book for years so now at this point of photos for the book there has been much decisions to make.  When I did each shoot I pulled a few of my favorites.  Some were easier than others to choose from.  There were shoots that I did where one single photo stood above the rest and then there were other shoots where there were so many great ones that I had a very tough time even choosing 10 best.  As you know I can watch dogs all day; well I could also look at dog photos all day which is what yesterday was.

Yep, this girl is mine. 

It is difficult when you really want to choose one and have two almost equally great shots.  I went back and forth, back and forth I don't know how many times.  Weighing, grading, thinking and thinking some more.  At one point I called my son in to ask what he thought; he liked both equally, hmmmmmmmm not much help.  So in the end there will be some dogs in the book twice.  When I have a photo that I want people to see because I think that it captures a dog so well, I just can't leave it in the computer.  There a photo can sit for a very long time before anyone sees it if ever.  If I love them that much, they are going in the book.

I still have a few more shoots to get; friends with Standards that I really want to get into the book.  Sadly there are dogs who will be in the book that are now gone; left only in the hearts of their owners and others who's lives were touched by there's.  But I am so happy that I got to meet and shoot these dogs now gone, how wonderful that even those who never met them will now see them in print.  Of course my own dogs will be in the book and that has challenged me even more so.  Can you imagine how many images I have of my own dogs?  Literally thousands upon thousands.  Trying to remember some of my favorites is nearly impossible.  But I will narrow it down to one or two as well.

The book will have photos of week old Standard Poodles all the way up to dogs in their golden years.

An amazing athlete.

This one is not one of mine.  

This looks like one of mine but it is not; this is Wolfgang, an amazing water Poodle.

Ya right!!!

 Today I will be back at it; I will be working on my Standard Poodle book as well as And Back Again.  After these are done it will be my training book that is all done; it just needs to be put together now.  Then after that, another children's book about Elsa and then after that...............................................who knows.

Enjoying dogs, enjoying.

Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon with one of my daughters and my son.  We decided to head down to Laguna beach; where we wandered around and looked for a place to have a drink and a snack.  We stumbled upon a place that none of us had ever seen before; after 14 years living here we'd never noticed it.  It was a small place called The Cliff.  The restaurant was literally on the cliff so yep, good name.    The menu was good BUT the view was extraordinary.  We were right above the beach.

The beach below us was a strip off to the left of the main beach area.  The water was unusually calm; I rarely see it like this.  With the waves lapping up onto the beach gently I wished that I'd brought the dogs.  The three of us (me, Luke and Elsa) are at the beach a lot but typically the waves are pretty large.  Our view was unobstructed with a glass half wall, the beach was laid out in front of us.

We watched and talked about the dogs on the beach.  We were presented with canine entertainment for the entirety of our time that we sat there.  One man swam out really far with his dog (should of had my camera) and as the sun hit from behind they were silhouetted in the shimmering light casting across the ocean.   Another man had his dog off leash, it looked like maybe a pit mix of some sort.  The two were having a blast running through the ankle high waves; everyone was enjoying small waves for a change.  As the two ran and ran through the surf a boxer approached on an extension leash.  The boxers head dropped lower and lower as he got closer to the dog splashing happily through the waves with his owner.  The two met and it was like two friends meeting after a long absence.  We watched so many dogs enjoying the beach with their owner.  Most kept their dogs on leash, which is the law in Laguna beach but a few enjoyed off leash fun.

Not only were there dogs on the beach in front of us but there were many dogs sitting enjoying a meal or snack with their owners at The Cliff.  A Cavalier happily waited for a table with her owners at the entrance.  A little fluffy poodle mix and a Samoyed sat quietly at their owners table.  A Pekingese wandered by just outside of the entrance as a young German Shepherd passed by.  There were dogs everywhere in this very dog friendly beach town.  

I think today I will be heading down to Laguna Beach with of course Luke and Elsa.  One of my absolute favorite things to do is to watch dogs.  Seeing dogs enjoy themselves brings me so much joy.  Even if I am very much a spectator as I was yesterday; I could watch them having fun for hours.  

No blogs on Sundays

Just a reminder; I am not blogging on Sundays any longer.  See you tomorrow, have a great day.

Sherri  :)

Appropriate equipment

Got another blog topic from going to the park yesterday.  It wasn't at the park where I saw my subject for a blog but on the way.  As I sat at the lights waiting; a woman and her dog caught my eye.  She was walking a very large reverse brindle boxer.  He was stunning but being yanked and yanked and yanked. Lucky for him he was wearing a harness but the woman's yanking action was futile.  Boxers are buff dogs; pulling on a harness is not going to do a whole lot in terms of restraining them.

The woman could have had a handful of treats; working on teaching her dog not to pull.  But instead she allowed him to pull until she couldn't take it any longer and gave him an almighty yank.  All this did was to start the process over and over again.  You have to have the right equipment at hand.  Having just tried and tested the amazing Omnijore joring system harness on Elsa; the difference in harnesses was made very clear.

Elsa and Luke are walked on the Easy Walk harness which is made to curb their desire to pull.  A harness that is hooked up on the back of the dog encourages pulling.  This dog had a regular, lean into it pulling harness on.  Without any training for the boxer the woman stood no chance of winning against her very buff boy.  Sad because she was obviously not enjoying the walk; although it looked like he was.

Regular harnesses are great if you have a dog that does not pull.  Tilley wore a regular one for years until I decided that it was easier for the two to be hooked up at the same spot.  There are times now when I want more control so I switched to a collar.  When I do switch to a collar it is a 2" wide one so as not to do any damage.  Collars have become such a common thing that people just don't think about their dog's necks.  I talked to a guy at the beach a while ago who had actually switched to an Easy Walk harness because he had damaged his dogs spine by constantly yanking on his neck.  This was no little fluff dog, it was a very large and buff Bulldog.

I see people with choke collars on yanking away; rolled leather collars which is one of the worst I think.  Just imagine the pinpoint pressure when you yank or pull on that type of collar?   When you head out or head in, think about your dog's neck as an extremely sensitive section of their body.  The trachea, spine and esophagus are all in that one spot.   A great deal of damage can be done with one yank.  Best to use a harness for most of the walking but it has to be the right harness to be of assistance.  The right equipment.

More than a pet - the benefit of Chia seeds

Good Friday morning.  Today's blog is about Chia seeds.  As I wrote earlier this week my son Brad is home from NYC.  Yaaayyyyyyyyyyy.  It is wonderful to have him back and he has brought some cool new info with him.  All of my children are very into nutrition, exercise and general health.  When they learn about new foods or concepts they like to share with me, which I love.  My daughter Jamie actually introduced me to Chia seeds several months ago and Brad has further tweaked my interest in them.  He drinks a huge glass of water everyday filled with Chia seeds so I wanted to know more.

Brad gave me the rundown on the little seed that in the past has sat on many kitchen counters sprouting hair inside a little clay creature.  What a waste now that I think of it.  Chia seeds are filled with Omega oils, both 3 and 6.    They are high in protein, calcium and boron which is a trace mineral that aids in the absorption of calcium in our body.  The more I read about Chia seeds the more good stuff I found out about them.  I have decided to add them to Luke and Elsa's diet.  This will hopefully help Luke as he gets well into his seniors years.  I wish I had known about these wonderful little seeds years ago.

You can use Chia seeds many ways but by soaking them in a liquid they release more nutrients and make it easier for your body to absorb them.  When added to liquid they form a gel like coating around them causing a sort of anti gravity effect.  The seeds float seemingly suspended by their gel coating.  This may turn some off, if you have texture issues that is.  One of my daughters can only eat them in their non soaked state.  I have started drinking a glass of water filled with Chia seeds since Brad got home.  I work out and lift very heavy weights and often have joint pain (I'm not a spring chicken anymore) so hopefully I will see a benefit from the little seeds.  Below are two links to information about Chia seeds.  The first will give you more information than you will ever need on the subject of Chia seeds.


Shirley's Wellness Cafe - chia seeds 


The Benefits of Chia seeds

Trader Joe's now has Chia seeds available.  I have one bag but will buy several and keep them on hand now that the dogs and the humans are eating them.  Cheers to good human and canine health.

Stomach contents

First let me say that if you have not had breakfast yet you may want to save this and read it later.  That of course depends on your stomach and the level of ease in which it is turned by what you read.  I am discussing the myth of wolves eating stomach contents.

I wanted to talk about this today because I saw a video on wolves last night and it reminded me of when I visited the Wolf Center in Julian, CA.   We had a private tour when we were there and I spent almost the whole time photographing the wolves while talking to our tour gal.  I asked a ton of questions and one of those questions was "do wolves eat the stomach contents of their prey?"  The girl told us that she did not think so, she hadn't seen them eat it.  So I also contacted another wolf site and they confirmed that wolves do not eat the stomach contents of large prey.

So this morning I was surfing around trying to find out more facts to back up this statement.  Why?  Because I wanted to know how much if any plant matter they truly ate.  I found out that they often eat the actual stomach lining itself; spilling the contents before consumption.  Of course some of the contents probably is consumed when this is done.  But typically the lining is eaten and the contents left.  With that 'eating the stomach contents' myth busted then we must look at our own dog's diet knowing this.

These are a few good raw sites.  Raw fed  Natural Canine

I feed my dogs plant matter; and these are my reasons.  Our meat protein today is far less nutritious than if it were taken from the wild.  A good majority of the feed animals are fed very low grade food offering little if any nutrients to the muscle itself.  That is unless you go to grass fed and free range animals.  Not everyone can afford to feed this to their dogs.  So we are left with a protein source that is far less nutritious than the wolves wild prey.

So even though wolves do not eat the stomach contents of their prey; they do benefit from a much more nutrient filled protein source.  I do offer my dogs plant matter and when I do it is either precooked or blanched and frozen previously making it much easier and quicker for the dogs to digest.  Dogs are not meant to eat a great deal of plant as they have a much shorter digestive tract than we do.  You will see for yourself what does not get digested by your dog simply by checking out their poop.  There is no point in feeding things that have no nutritional value to your dog.

Wolves like dogs are also opportunists; so along with their main diet of animal protein they pick up and scavenge on all sorts of things in the wild.   Sort of a little of this, a little of that.  Variety is the spice of life.  

Happy Halloween

It's Halloween and all the little ghosts and ghouls will be coming out early in the evening.  Last year I used the time for some great socializing for Elsa; this year I believe that there will be a lot of barking.  Now that she is full grown she will be away with Luke.  With tons of children coming I don't want anyone getting scared in the dark.  Plus many dogs freak out at strange little costumes and masks so best to have the dogs safe and sound away from the door.

If your dog will be answering the door with you then it is safest to keep them on a leash.  With all the children acting differently a dog can spook and bolt out a door.  It is dark and very scary to be lost; a leash makes sure that this does not happen.

I am not one who dresses my dogs up for Halloween but for those of you who do be careful.  Costumes can be dangerous and uncomfortable. Be sure that they are not anywhere near any open flames and that they can see.  The more elaborate the costume the more care you must take that they don't bump into something, fall or just freak out.  The shirt type costumes are by far the most simple and less intrusive.

As far as being out and about, keep your eye on them.  They can have reactions to things that you might not bat (haha) an eyelash at.  There is often loud crazy noises on Halloween so take care to make sure that they don't get a lasting and impacting scare.  Children act much different on Halloween than normal, they are very excited so may act erratically; keep your eyes out for anything that might freak out your pooch.

Last but not least is the haul of goodies.  I don't know how many dogs end up at the vets to have their stomach pumped on Halloween or the day after but I'm sure it is quite a few.  Keep all of those goodies up high and well out of reach.  Watch for wrappers that have been carelessly tossed both in your home and on the street.  Children often start eating before they get home so the streets can be lined with wrappers that look mighty good to your dog.

The magic pill

"The Vet put him on Hill's Prescription weight loss Diet," the woman tells me as we stand talking about weight in the park.  I shudder as she tells me.  Her dog is obviously overweight and like many humans who are overweight, the owner is looking for a simple solution.  Is there a magic pill?  A secret to losing weight?  Yep, it is to take in less wasted calories and move more.  The equation is simple but we must do it to make it work.  As humans we are constantly searching for the secret to quick and simple weight loss.  Because many people think that there must be an easy way; they pop pills in attempt to find the path of least resistance.

First off let's get this out of the way.  The best food for dogs is real food, not overly processed food out of a bag.  That said we have become a society looking for simplicity and yes dog food is very simple.  I am not condemning those who feed dog food.  I use to feed only dog food like the vet told me.  I also have a bag of it in the kitchen.  Although my dog's main food source is real, and they are given a huge variety.  For the longest time I have been trying to lose weight myself and the only way that it is going to happen is to consume less garbage calories and move more, just like our dogs.  But the difference is that I am eating real and very nutritious food and cutting out the crap.  Sadly our dogs are given more crap when they need to lose weight.  This comes in the form of many of the "diet" foods out there.

There is a huge difference in dog foods.  I am constantly searching for a better and better one.  I stay away from anything that resembles a big company and tend to go with the little guys who do it themselves.  I don't want any ingredients going into my dogs that are "sourced out."  If you have a dog that needs to lose weight then get at it.  Carrying around extra weight is tough.  I see lots of dogs in the parks that are restricted in their movement just because they are too heavy.  Not only is it sad that they cannot run and jump and play but it is very damaging to their body.  Dogs with a weight problem often have short life spans as their organs are taxed to the limit.

Keeping dogs in shape is much easier than keeping ourselves in shape.  They cannot go to the refrigerator themselves and get a bowl of ice cream like we do.  They eat what they are given.  Oh sure they often use the "poor me" eyeballs to convince us that they are starving but we need to know better.   Feeding your dog extra treats does not make them love you more, this is a big misconception.  But taking them out for a great long walk surely strengthens your bond.

Years ago I saw a National Geographic documentary on digestion.  It was about humans but it changed me forever.  The big change was how I look at what I eat and how there was a realization that our body is much like a machine needing fuel.  The better the fuel the better the body.  The documentary literally showed food as is went through the whole digestion process from start to finish.  Depending on what you put into your body there may be very little nutrients to extract for your body to use.  The same goes for our dogs; how much nutrition is being extracted from the food you are feeding your dog?  I know that I feel a huge difference between eating a piece of toast and eating a piece of cheese and an apple before hitting the gym.

I have talked to many people who tell me that there dog is on a low calorie food and they are not losing any weight.  Of course I ask if they are walking their dog, getting out and moving them?  The answer is always no, they are going with the Vets recommendation of just feeding this new "magic diet food."  Oh don't I wish there was a magic diet food?  Yep, but there isn't and that is a fact.  It is all about knowing what to put in, just like our dogs.  What should you cut out?  Lower?  to help your dog to lose weight?  Less food is not always the answer.  Moving is by far the best way to turn things around.  Just by moving more you kick your dogs metabolism into gear.  All of a sudden their body has needs and it will start working better.

Our digestive systems are different from our dogs; and our nutritional requirements are very different as well but the means to gain and lose are the same.   It amazes me how much little waste comes out of a dog when you put really great food in.  My poop bags have much less work to do when my dogs are eating great food.  Both Luke and Elsa drink very little water when eating real food vs. dry dog food.  There is a great need for large amounts water when dogs eat a dry dog food diet.  Dry dog food is taxing on their organs because of the lack of moisture so keeping your dog hydrated is very important.  With my breed and other large breeds there is a constant threat of bloat which has been linked to water consumption so it must be spread out over time and not gulped down in large quantities.

Nutrition and feeding requirements may seem complicated but the more simple you keep it the better it is for your dog and for you.  Last night Luke and Elsa had a dinner of chicken, rice, arugula and ground egg shell.  For breakfast they will have something completely different, not sure what yet.  But they just finished a morning snack of cheese and turkey with me.  Now I will finish my apple and head to the gym while they continue their morning snooze.  Nice.



 

A tired dog is a good dog

First let me say that I am thinking about everyone in the East who is in the path of Sandy.  I have the weather channel on 24/7 and will be sending best thoughts your way.  Be safe.

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This photo was taken many years ago of Tilley in the Canyon. She was in peak condition here.  

Not only is a tired dog good, they are usually happy as well.  Yesterday Elsa head down to the canyon with my husband and son.  It was the first trip down without Luke; sad, but the torch has been passed and we need to use our heads, not our hearts on this.   So after Steve got back from a nice walk with Luke, they grabbed Elsa and head out.  They were gone a good long time and when they returned I got the feedback.  "She was great, amazing."

Elsa got off leash the moment they got into the canyon and they ran and ran and ran.  Elsa is built for speed; she reminds me of a cheetah, many people have said the same thing.   Although she cannot run at cheetah speeds she runs at high dog speeds and has great endurance.  All three have a love of running so what could be better?  When they got back Elsa was panting but not overly so.  She looked tired but not exhausted which is a great.

All my kids were home for the weekend which makes it tough for the dogs to nap.   Both Luke and Elsa are very interested in the comings and goings of everyone.  So with Elsa having the big run and the activity in the house it was a very big day for her.  Last night as we sat watching the news of the Eastern Storm, Elsa was pretty much a sack of potatoes.  Nice.  Many nights she gets her toy and wants to retrieve until bedtime, not last night.

So how much is enough to make a dog tired and happy?  There most definitely is a too much point and many people get there too often.  Going to the dog park for hours, many people try to tire their dog out on a daily basis but reach the point of exhaustion.  Exhaustion can be achieved by physical or mental stimulation.  Sometimes too much mental stimulus is a bad thing as well.  Dogs who become overly tired can become cranky, just like us.  They can also learn to need more and more.  I use to see a guy and his lab in the park doing chuck it.  They would be there for well over an hour; the dog running crazily after the chuck that was thrown with each return.  I mean serious retrieving with no breaks, it was way too much.

Everything in moderation is how I look at the best way to live.  As you know I am a big fan of exercise but you can over do it.  Too intense for too long is not a good thing.  If an activity is going to be very intense like chuck it retrieving then the time span needs to be cut back.  The lower the intensity the longer you can indulge in the activity.  Dogs also need to learn what down time is; and a good nap does a dog good.  Sure there are times when an event will arise that is longer and more intense but as a rule I go with moderation.

I hate to see dogs who do not get out and have fun.  Seeing dogs have fun can be one of the best activities.  Being able to have fun together is amazing.  Too many dogs do nothing, they see their four walls of the house and yard and that is it.  Dogs need to get out and experience life just as we do.  They need environmental stimulus as well as physical activity.  Now grab that dog sleeping on the couch and go.