Moxie

Moxie - courage, aggressiveness and nerve.   Elsa has moxie, Luke does not.  Is this a good or bad thing?  Neither.

I was watching the dogs head up to bed last night and noted the difference in the two.  Luke stood waiting at the top of the stairs for me while Elsa eagerly pushed her way past Luke to get to the bed first.  If Elsa were standing in the doorway to the bedroom; Luke would not push past her.  Not that he is intimidated or afraid of her, he just wouldn't.  He doesn't like the idea of pushing, never has.  I always say that dogs are simple yet complicated and it is really very true.  Even though Luke is a very dominant dog; confident in himself and very assured, he lacks moxie.

I noticed the same difference in Luke and Tilley; she also had moxie as did Jessie.  Hmmmm, perhaps its a girl thing?  Anyway, moxie shows itself in many different forms.  For me one display of moxie is seen in the offering of a behavior.  A clicker trained dog learns to offer behaviors; bring out something new that a dog has never seen before and they start offering.  That is, dogs with moxie will.  Even though Luke is very confident he will not offer a new behavior.  He will give me what he knows and that is all he will give.  Does it mean that he is not as smart as one who will offer a new behavior?  No. What it means is that he is not that type of dog.

A dog with moxie is able to brush things off.  When a situation plays itself out from exposure, dealing and then finally reaction; a dog with moxie can move on quickly.  Of course how we humans react will also factor in to either support or deter moxie.  You can literally fuel or defuse a situation simply by reacting.  Just yesterday Elsa went out in the morning and started her Bloodhound routine.  She was obviously on the scent of something different that had been in our yard.  Although she has moxie she is not brave as of yet; when she heard a rustle in the bushes she scream barked and ran for the house.  Hearing this Luke went out to check things out; Luke is very brave.

Watching the difference in our two dogs going through their day to day is so very interesting.  I of course could go on and on and................on.  I do see a great deal of similarities in Elsa and Tilley; yet she is still very different.  Moxie is something that Tilley had and Elsa has.  If I were in a crowd of people and called to Elsa, she would push her way past not batting an eyelash.  Luke on the other hand would stand on the outside of the crowd, stress and display that stress until I came to get him.

Some have it, some don't.  It is just that, moxie, nothing else.

What a difference a year makes

What a difference a year makes.  Last year at this time I had four dogs and was preparing to move.  We had Jessie, our 15.5 year old Jack Russell; Tilley our 14.5 year old Standard Poodle.  Luke was 11 and Elsa was 4 months old.  Having tossed the idea of flying anyone from one coast to the other we had a drive across country to get done.  The idea itself was daunting; leaving me with a huge question mark about the whole thing.  How would it turn out, would it be better or worse than I anticipated?  Well as it turned out it was about what I thought; better in some ways and much worse in others.

When I think of my life at this time last year it is vastly different than now.  I never thought there would be a time that I'd only have two dogs.  After the loss of my two very old girls there was much to think about with regards to my now shrunken pack.  Do we add a third?  If so when?  My final decision about a third was made out of a desire to give Elsa her due time.  Funny how things in life change you.  I have always had at least three or more dogs and I love having lots of dogs.  But now I like that I can take my two with me more often.  I like having more time for these two and frankly after taking care of two very old girls; one with Vestibular and the other with severe dementia, I needed a break.

The 6 months at the end of 2011 and the first 6 of 2012 are not ones I'd do over again.  I'm glad they are behind me and look forward to moving onward.   But as I look back as most of us do; there is much to be learned in life, even the crappy parts.  Some days I really need to think about those months; then there are days that I cannot allow those thoughts to drag me down.

As you all know or most of you know I am now back in California after a very tumultuous adventure.  It is now that I am thinking of my girls even more.  They were with me last year at this time and now that I am settled again I have the time to reflect.  I miss them desperately; but the life we had together was a long one and I have to remind myself that not everyone gets to spend so many years with their canine companions.  They remain in my heart and those of you who got to know them as well through my blogs and book.

I clearly remember a day last fall when I was sitting with my four in the family room.  Not wanting to think about the change in my pack that would inevitably come, I did.  I couldn't imagine life without Tilley and Jessie, I just couldn't.  They had been with me for so long, lived through a great many adventures with me, by my side.  But as life does, it goes on and I have adjusted as all those who live with dogs must.

Book one, the first part of those crappy months is done and out PBJ and me.  The cross country adventure with my son and our four dogs.  Book two And Back Again is in the works and will be out next year sometime.  "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," I truly believe that.    

Desperation

Yesterday Elsa and I were out on our walk when we came across a couple with a little Shepherd looking mix.   We had just gotten out of the Xterra and were headed to the fenced in baseball field for a good run.  The couple saw us and the woman who was holding the dog's leash seemed to panic.  She started yanking on the dog, "heel, heel, heel" she belted out.  Obviously by the dog's reaction she had forgotten to teach him what heel meant.  The dog wasn't even fazed by this as he continued to ignore his owner and sniff around.

As we got closer I thought I heard a clicker noise.  Sure enough as we neared the couple and their dog I saw and heard the clicker.  Not only was she yanking on her dog and shouting "heel," she was clicking at the dog.  I don't mean clicker training; she was clicking at the dog.  It is very sad to see such a misuse of a training aid ; especially such a great one.  I see people using the clicker inappropriately all the time.  Perhaps folks hear about the clicker and how it is such a positive training method but fail to educate themselves in the use of it.  The woman continued to click at her dog who was not affected by the sound; nor was he even acknowledging it.  The clicker obviously meant nothing to him.

The clicker is used to mark a behavior; not to lure or illicit one.  The click from the clicker is to mark a desired behavior; whether asked for or offered on their own by the dog.  It is a bridge that links a behavior to a reward.  The dog must learn right at the start of the training that the click means "reward."  When the dog is properly trained to the clicker; the clicker holds great power.  Elsa actually looked at me as we walked by the dog who was being clicked at.  She is clicker trained; so I told let her know that it was not her clicker by ignoring it.

We finally passed the clicking woman and her dog.  I had Elsa sit, let her off her leash and gave her the release word.  Off she ran, headed to the fenced in field for some chuck it fun.  As I watched Elsa having so much fun I thought about that poor dog we'd just passed.  The woman was not having fun, that is most definitely for sure.  Luckily the dog did not seem hugely affected by the wild and frantic clicking given by the owner.  But it won't be long until the dog is displaying some fallout behaviors from the woman's behavior.  Dogs typically watch and follow our lead; so with the woman's erratic behavior she will be teaching the dog that other people and dogs approaching is a stressful and bad event.

There are times when you need to stress and perhaps be desperate but this was not one.  I had Elsa on leash, we were at least 20 feet away while passing and the little mix was on leash.  Everyone was safe, Elsa was being very calm as we passed; there was no imminent danger for anyone.  Being in the state that the woman was in was the one isolated danger in the entire situation.  What she was displaying with her own behavior will eventually catch up with her; then she will have something to work on.

What should she have been doing?  Treating her dog for calmly walking past us, which he did very well.  

Warranty

I woke up to a blog topic this morning.  As I opened my eyes I thought about my dishwasher; the one that was supposed to be fixed twice in the last couple of weeks.  The first guy hadn't fixed anything so another guy had to come out a week later.  Just two weeks later the dishwasher was having the same issue; it was still not fixed.  So I called Sears to have them come out yet again.  Of course my warranty just expired and the guy on the phone said "no, we do not warranty work done under warranty."  "What?"  "Even if it is the same problem that YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO FIX WHEN IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY?"  "That's right."

Then there was the plumber guy who unclogged my kitchen drain; it is an ongoing issue. As they were wrapping up and writing out my bill I asked "how long is the warranty on this?"    "No warranty," the guy exclaimed.  "What? you don't warranty anything?"  Nope.  So I asked "if this clogs tomorrow, it's just too bad for me?"  "Yes," he said unless I buy a warranty.  I was shocked, there was nothing to do if this guy didn't do his work and simply took my money.  So being that we are in the holiday season I bought the stupid 90 day warranty that would at least get me through the holidays.  I woke up thinking about all this and then thought about dog warranties.

What sort of warranty or guarantee do you get with a dog?  First let me say that in life there are no guarantees so even if a dog comes with a great one, it is still not a guarantee of perfection.  My Luke came with a great guarantee, all of his relatives were fully health tested and I have a book of certificates to prove it.  But alas he is epileptic and suffers from seizures.  Perhaps in his lines somewhere one of his relatives was also epileptic; but we will never know that.  What we know is that all of the relatives who were included in my package of photo copied certificates were free of several genetic diseases and hip issues.

But if a dog comes with a health guarantee; what does that really mean.  What it usually means is that if your dog shows any of the certified diseases or health issues and is proven by a Veterinarian then the dog will be replaced by another.  So you turn over the dog that you have fallen deeply in love with for another one who hopefully is not a dud.  Hmmmmmmm.  Not likely right?  I have yet to meet anyone who's dog was suffering from a hip disorder or any other genetic defect that handed over their dog for a replacement.

It goes without saying that I am talking about dogs who come from a breeder.  Many people who breed dogs do no sort of health testing.  They have a look at their dog and figure "healthy."  It is the first thing that I ask people when they are planning to breed their dog "do you have all the health tests done?"  Often the answer is "no, but she is really healthy."  But how do they know that she is not carrying a disease that is hidden?  How do they know that she does not have Hip Dysplasia?  But that's just the female, what about the male that this person uses?  They may just find a male of the same species to use and care nothing about any health issues.  Looks good, must be healthy.

There is much more to breeding dogs than the actual act itself.  The very first thing is health tests.  Why on earth would you breed a dog that you have no real idea of health on?  By choosing not to do health test you are risking a very sad life for many families and those puppies as well.  I don't know how many puppies I've met who are stricken with health issues that then leave a new family dogless and grief stricken.  It's not right, it's not fair and there is no need for it.  Sure things can happen even to the best of breeders, it's called life.  But if you do all the right tests and try to breed the best and healthy dogs that you can then you will vastly reduce the chance of health issues arising.

I know breeders who turn a blind eye to certain health issues.  They have a dog that they have put all their hopes and dreams in.  Once they discover a problem, they cannot turn off the future that they had set out for this dog.  But they MUST, they need to pull the plug so to speak.  STOP the cycle.  If more people pulled dogs from breeding because of health or temperament issues there would be less dogs but also less sick or damaged dogs.  Less is sometimes a much better thing.  Fewer better dogs would be a great thing.

So when you are looking for a puppy from a breeder; the first thing you want to ask and be given proof of is health testing.  You want to see that the breeder cares about the puppies that they will bringing into this world.  A breeder who does not do health testing is simply scrimping where there should be no cutting corners.  They may say that their dog is healthy but they cannot know that unless they do testing. When a breeder does find an issue within their lines they should pull a dog out and look at any related lines to that dog before breeding.

No you probably will not return a puppy that is hit by a genetic defect but if you buy from a breeder who is trying to give you the best and healthiest puppy that they can; you may not have to ever deal with that issue.  A warranty or guarantee is by no way a guarantee, but at least you know that your breeder cares to do what is right for you and their puppies.

Happy Thanksgiving

Cats?

A rare photo indeed; I don't often shoot cats but this guy wandered into my yard as I was capturing spring flowers in April.  

"No, you'd love my cat, he's just like a dog."  How many times have you heard someone describing their amazing cat as a dog?  The best of felines seem to always be characterized as a canine.  Strange isn't it?  But as a dog lover I would imagine that it is the best way to describe a great cat to a dog person.  I am not a cat person; I don't dislike cats, I am just not a cat person.  I am very much an animal person, love horses, goats, bears, lions etc. but prefer to live with 'Just Dogs.'   Plus, several members of my family are deathly allergic.  But if I had a farm; I'd have a few pigmy goats (love those little guys) and Alpacas.  I came very close to having Alpacas before moving to California; we were in the process of shipping from Peru.  Anyway, back to cats.

Yesterday Elsa and I were out front putting up some Christmas lights; she is my assistant, constantly by my side.  I spotted the cat first and wondered how long it would be until Elsa noticed it creeping around the yard across the street.  We were up on the balcony so Elsa was going no where if she did see it.  She was so interested in what Mom was doing that it took her a while to move her attention to it but once she did, that was that.  She stood stiff as a board; occasionally letting out the chimp like vocal sounds that she commonly utilizes.  It made me smile as she stomped her feet with intensity.

Then Elsa and I had a conversation about cats.  There was the cat, wondering down the street all on it's own.  I said to Elsa "that cat is going for a walk by itself, weird eh?"  Then I got to thinking how very different they really are.  Not only are cats and dogs extremely different; our whole relationship is with each species is quite distinctive.  This cat who was wondering down the street obviously has an owner; it's always around.  It is even in our yard now and again until the dogs chase it out.  But it's owner had no idea where it was now or what it was doing, weird.

Just the other day there was a loose dog in the same spot where this cat now stood.  A loose dog is always a concern; a dog in the street is a huge concern.  Many people freak out if their dog gets off leash let alone goes for a walk on their own down the street.  A dog that runs away is far different from a cat out for a hunt.  I always wonder about cats and domestication.  It is a controversial subject; many believe that cats are not domesticated.

Domesticated - to tame, especially by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that he animal loses its ability to live in the wild.

Maybe some cats are domesticated fully but most that I know could quite easily go wild.  They seem to be able to wander off into the woods and be self sufficient just fine.  They can go days without interacting with their human and as long as they basic needs are met, they don't really need us.  Even if we do not offer them basic requirements like water or food; they can find it themselves.  So whether or not they are truly domesticated or merely tamed is still up for discussion.

The idea that this cat was out for a walk on it's own yesterday simply brought to my attention how very different the two species are.  Many people choose to live with both; cats and dogs side by side.  Dogs learn to live with and love cats; and cats may even learn to love dogs.  But they are very different aren't they?  Those who choose to live with cats only are VERY different than dog folks.  That cat got me thinking about the whole cat/human connection.  The more I thought about it the more I realized how far it was from a dog/human relation.  I don't think about cats often; mostly when they are outside like this one; triggering something in my dogs that is hardwired; prey drive.

Just something else to ponder on.  Have a great day.

Sooooo cute

I woke up this morning with a poodle scarf.  As I attempted to roll over I realized my feet were stuck under a poodle as well.  They are wonderful aren't they?   Dogs I mean.  Each time I meet a new dog and have the chance to spend some time with them I quickly discover so many things that are so cute.  I'm always saying "awww cute."  Whether it is one of mine or somebody else's, they do the cutest things.  Even when they grow from an adorable puppy into adulthood, the cuteness sticks.

This morning as Luke was eating his morning snack in bed; a regular routine for us, I dropped his turkey as I reached to the end of the bed.  He sat looking at it within inches of his nose.  He looked at me and back at the turkey.  Elsa's eyes shot back and forth "dude you're not picking that up?"  I reached as far as I could reach and picked it up for him, smiling.  He enjoys having it delivered to him; even if you drop it right in front of him he prefers it brought to him.  Cute, too cute.  He takes it ever so gently from me that I almost drop it again.

As you know Elsa does not sleep with us at night but she joins us very early in the morning.  I then have trouble moving as she plants her 600 lbs across me.  But when she first gets up she is so thrilled to be up with the pack that she licks everyone.  Doesn't matter what body part is within licking range, everyone gets some.  Luke has his feet licked, Dad gets some licks on his head that is peeking out of the covers and my shoulder.  She is a cutie for sure.

How many cute things can you pick out in a day?  So, so many.  That is if you are watching; and noticing how cute the smallest things are.  One of the cutest things that Elsa does is right before we leave for a walk.  We leash up in the garage and then I open the door; but not before I have a hold of Miss Elsa.  I reach for the door opener and Elsa immediately pushes under my other hand.  I love it as she hovers there until I grab hold.  Sooooo cute.

Coming home is a cute overload.  Elsa stands at the top of the stairs smiling with one side of her mouth and waving with her arm (front leg).  Luke flops on the couch huffing and rubbing his head with his tail doing a perfect figure eight under his blanket.  Honestly how much cuteness can someone handle?  Elsa re-greets Luke and it soon turns into a snuggle fest.

From the smallest of pocket pooches to the gentle giants................so cute.  When I photograph rescues who are looking for a new forever home or a beautiful and regal Greyhound, they are all just too cute.  I love their subtle and not so subtle communications.  So cute.  Their faces, body language, vocal noises...................they are just too cute.

Not a day goes by that I don't say "so cute," I don't how many times.

Let's talk turkey

We had a great weekend and I hope that you did too.  We are into Thanksgiving week and the topic of turkey is here once again.  No doubt you will be seeing a great deal of information on many of the dog sites about not feeding your dog turkey.  I don't know how many times I read that it was dangerous to feed turkey to our dogs a couple of years ago.  I'd heard enough, so I went on a serious research mission.  I headed to all of the folks who I trust and rely on first.  "Of course dogs can eat turkey," was what I was told.  I already knew this of course but with all the NO TURKEY talk I wanted a straight answer.

So where has all of this NO TURKEY talk come from?  The problem is not with the turkey at all but the fixings and the feeding habits of those dogs who have problems.  What I found was that the largest problems are from people feeding their kibble eating dogs a big turkey dinner.  They like to throw the extra skin, gravy and stuffing in their bowl as a treat and then are surprised that their dog is upset afterwards.  Had they simply added a few pieces of lean turkey to their dogs meal, they may have been fine.  Dogs that eat a consistent diet of kibble have a difficult time eating different things.

DOGS CAN EAT TURKEY.  They just should not eat stuffing, gravy and lots of extra fat.  My dogs eat turkey all of the time and they will be eating it this season as well.  If you feed your dog a regular diet of kibble then be careful when you add other foods in general.  Take your time and make sure that is lean protein.  Many dogs end up in the emergency by being fed a very fatty Thanksgiving dinner after eating kibble all their life.  Their body cannot deal with it.  Just imagine if you lived on Rice Krispies your whole life and then you were allowed to indulge in Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixn's.  I can guarantee that you would be sick.

Take extra care during this time of year.  If you want to share the turkey with your dog then do it in moderation.  That means that if you only feed your dog kibble, a few pieces of lean turkey will suffice.  But if you feed your dog real food as I do then your dog will be able to have much more turkey.  Save the extra skin, dripping, gravy and stuffing for the people.  They too will probably suffer from a very rich dinner but that is all up to themselves, right?

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.