Failure leads to frustration.

Did you ever notice the red quotes down the right side of my blog?  These are my quotes that I often use when discussing dog behavior or life with dogs in general.  "Failure leads to frustration."  Not always but often, and it can also lead to a complete shutdown.  All dogs are different, they all respond differently to things.  So what you get as far as a responsive behavior from failure will range vastly.  Some dogs will simply walk away, others will get naughty.  I've dealt with many different aspects of failure from dogs.  Watching an owner work with a dog who is growing is frustrating for me as well.

Some failure is okay but too much and you start to get frustration.  We cannot explain to our dogs that if you just keep trying that they'll get it.  We have to work through their frustration.  Working with new dogs is very educational, they can offer responses that I have never seen before.   I love this because then I have to sit back and figure out what is going on.  Frustration is pretty easy to see and pick out; that is if you know what you are looking for.

Frustration can show itself when you are trying to teach your dog a new behavior or when they are trying to figure something out on their own.  It typically comes fairly fast with dogs.  Most dogs don't have a huge level of patience for it.  Luke use to get very mouthy when he couldn't figure out a new behavior.  Elsa gets mad, probably because she is so smart that she "gets" stuff so easily that when she can't figure it out it just makes her mad.  My daughter's new puppy leaves, she shuts down; if she doesn't get it in a few tries then she's done.

So how do you get around frustration?  You use your human brain.  You have to break behaviors down into baby steps so that your dog can achieve success.  Some dogs learn quickly, others do not.  This does not mean that one is smarter than the other.  It just means that they learn differently and at different rates.  All dogs are smart, never met one yet I couldn't teach.  Oh, except one that had questionable brain damage after dying on the operating table and being brought back.  When I was asked by the owner if I thought that he had brain damage I had to say "most definitely."  Sad.

But a typical dog is anything but typical.  This is one reason out of a whole boat load why you should not use conventional choke collar type training.  What works for one may not work for the next.  You must be ready to adapt and help your dog to learn how they can best understand.  A few training clients left me pondering but there is nothing more satisfying than figuring out how to do it differently to help a different learner.

Breaking down a behavior is by far the most helpful tool when you are dealing with failure frustration.  They all get it but not all humans get the need to do it differently.  Stop the failure and you stop the frustration.  Now go train your dog.

So what exactly do you do with dogs?

Out exploring with Luke and Elsa. 

"So what exactly do you do with dogs?" the woman helping with my poster mount asked.  I had given her my email address (which is sherri@justdogswithsherri.com) so she wanted to know.  It is difficult to explain what I do in a sentence but my typical response is; "train, photograph and write about."  Most people pick up on the photography aspect and ask about that; or they have a training question for me.  It's a funny thing my job; it has most definitely been an evolution.  Even funnier being that I did not come from a dog background or family.  But my love of dogs was in attendance and showed itself at a very early age.  I can't remember ever not loving dogs.  Each Sunday as a small child, I would hope that a dog movie was going to be on and if it was I would sit and watch the Disney dog movie as if in a trance.  I recall saying "I'm going to have lots of dogs when I grow up" and my father would always reply "you can have as many as you want in own your house."

I started handling dogs in the conformation ring at the age of 13 and the rest is pretty much history.  That fateful day that I was handed a leash with an amazing Doberman named Jake on the other end was the day it all started.  I handled for many years with many different dogs and breeds.  I was trained by one of the most renowned handlers ever; Martha Covington Thorne. She was a big pro handler in Canada, way back when I was just starting off.  So here I am 37 years later.  I do not show anymore, haven't for years.  I train, photograph and write.  I started training with conventional methods and moved to positive as soon as I discovered it.  When I transitioned to positive training, things really took off for me.  I trained for years; both group classes and private and then switched to only private as it was far more effective.

I'm a behavior nut; I could watch dogs interact all day long.  Doesn't matter if they are interacting with other dogs or humans; I love to watch them.  Photography came very naturally for me; with my desire to watch canine behavior, capturing it was even better.  There is so much that can be captured in a photo that you would never see if you didn't stop the moment in time.  I love it and I could shoot dogs all day. I have on occasion considered other types of photography; even dabbled in a few but I always come back to dogs, it's what I do.  Being able to capture the very essence of a dog for an owner is very rewarding for me.

I have photographed for all the big dog magazines for many years but now I strictly do private shoots and book work.  When I do a shoot with a new canine I like to sit and talk to the owner first.  Interacting with the dog and the owner and watching.  This helps me to get to know the dog and the relationship which gives me some insight as to where I'm going for the best shots.  Each dog is so individual that their photos will all be different, they have to be.  I'm not a poser type photographer; in fact I hate posed shots.  Sometimes I have to sit a dog for a shot or I'll never get the shot but I always wait for them to be themselves.  Rescue work is often like this as I'm there to get a cute "adopt me" shot.  But if I can also capture their personality in the shot, even better.

I try to get out and offer my services for non profits as well.  I work with a local rescue group to shoot their dogs looking for homes.  So many wonderful dogs; so many wonderful people helping dogs.  I also shoot for Hemopet; which is a wonderful facility, blood bank and diagnostic laboratory.  Getting to meet so many wonderful people and all the amazing Greyhounds there makes me feel very fortunate to be involved.   

So from photography to writing.  Let's just say that I have a lot to say.  Having talked to so many people over the years; both my clients and people I just meet that say "I never knew," made me start this blog.  Sure I was helping people and giving them the information as my training clients but I wanted to let so many other people know important things about living with dogs, so my blog was born.  My very first blog was way back on June 04, 2007; that's a lot of writing.  I am coming up on 2000 blogs which is pretty monumental.

Writing has taken many different forms for me; the blog, published magazine articles and now books.  I love to write about dogs and along with my books already published I have several in the works.  The only thing I find difficult about writing is the sitting still for long periods of time.  I find that I have to break my day up if I'm writing for a book or long article.  That is the great thing about working from home; I typically grab the dogs and we leave for a bit.  It's a win/win for us all.

I share my home now with Luke and Elsa, both Standard Poodles.  Just a year ago we lost our matriarch of the dogs, our little Jack Russell Jessie who was almost 16 years of age.  Three weeks later we lost Tilley who was an amazingly beautiful gray Standard Poodle who was only weeks from turning 15.  There have been many before as well, all taking a spot in my heart with their wonderful memories left with me to look back on.  But it is not just my dogs that I love; it is dogs in general.  I love my client dogs, dogs we meet on walks, friend dogs and your dogs.   What an amazingly, extraordinary species.

Dogs are my life; I can never know or learn enough about canines and am constantly doing research on behavior, nutrition and every other aspect of the canine species.  I try to pass on as much information that I can to you all.  Dogs are truly the most wonderful of animals; often much better than we humans.  So yes, my life does revolve around dogs and that is just the way that I like it.  When I wake up in the morning there are two on my bed that make me smile every day.  Just dogs with Sherri, yep.

Visit my website at www.JustdogswithSherri.com if you'd like to know more.

Different dog, different game.

Do I have another frisbee dog?  Yes and no.  Yes, because Elsa obviously loves the frisbee.  No because I don't want to focus on frisbee as an activity with her.  I don't mind if we do a bit of frisbee now and then but frisbee was Tilley's thing and it will remain Tilley's thing.  Different dog, different game.  I am all about finding what makes each individual dog happy; what sort of activity is their cup of tea.

For Tilley, flying seemed a natural activity; the height that she was able to obtain was pretty spectacular.  She was easily capable of leaping 6 feet or more into the air.  Yes, she got air alright but with air comes the landing.  Landing is a tough one, not all dogs can achieve it successfully without damaging their body.  Tilley was amazing at her landing skills as well; she very quickly taught herself how to perform a smooth landing after a death defying leap into the sky to retrieve the frisbee.  She also learned to do a back flip, something that most disc dogs Tilley's size cannot do.  Most flipping frisbee dogs are smaller.  So yes, she was amazing.

As far as Elsa is concerned; I was not anxious to start the frisbee thing with her.  Yes she is amazingly athletic but she is taller, longer and not as compact asTilley was.  Although she does fly much of her time she does not get a great deal of air which is more than okay with me.  Luke was also an amazing frisbee dog but could never land properly so the frisbee's were always kept very low for him.  I had pretty much hung up my frisbee after retiring Tilley and hadn't thought about it again until yesterday  morning.

We were headed out to the park; Luke, Elsa and I.  As I got the dogs into the Xterra I realized that my husband had taken the chuck it with him the day before and I could not locate it.  I thought to myself "Elsa is not going to like this."  So off to my treasure chest of toss type toys I went and got out a very, very old soft disc. I thought about Tilley while staring at it; was I ready to toss another frisbee?  I decided to give it a try, why not?  Elsa had only known thrown toys, none that floated in the air.  So off we went.

We have a strict routine before getting off leash.  Luke is released and takes off; then Elsa must sit, get unhooked and wait until I say "okay," before she charges off.  Once released she heads towards Luke and then immediately back to me and circles until I toss.  So with her in a very excited mode I threw the disc.  It didn't go too far but she did chase it.  Once she got there she just looked at it, looked at me like "what the heck is this thing?" and came back empty mouthed.  I try to coax her back to get it but she wasn't interested in picking up this thing.

So off across the field I went to retrieve the disc; all the while Elsa was circling me.  I threw it again and she again charged off after it but that was it.  The next toss she followed the disc to the ground and half picked it up.  I cheered like crazy and she looked at me like a light bulb went off.  YES, YES, YES I shouted to her and I went and got it again.  The fourth toss sealed the deal; she tracked it, and caught the frisbee before it landed.  Then returned to me with it in her mouth; did her customary two circles and dropped it at my feet.  YES, she got it.

As with Tilley there wasn't much of a learning process.  Just throw and within a few tosses they are frisbee dogs.  All three, Tilley, Luke and now Elsa have enjoyed the frisbee.  We have drawn audiences many times as Luke and Tilley would take turns playing frisbee; but it was Tilley who drew the largest crowds and gasps from the people watching her fly.  Both Tilley and Luke were also trained to down beside me while the other dog had a turn; that in itself was impressive with such high drive dogs.

I use to also throw random things for Tilley so that she learned to retrieve whatever I asked her to retrieve.  I threw some weird things for her, boots, books, ropes etc.  It's all about learning to retrieve something different.  So Elsa understood that this was also a game very quickly; it was not her chuck it but this too was fun and something that she could get into and retrieve.  That was it, she was hooked and I tossed that thing for the whole time we were at the park.  She caught a few but mostly picked them up because of the warp on the disc causing it to take a dive everywhere.  But she very quickly knew what we were doing.  I will not be doing frisbee as a main sport with her but will every now and again.   She is an amazing athlete but the air is not her thing.

If you have a dog that you would like to teach to frisbee there are a few things to help things move along.  First start with a soft frisbee.  Once a dog gets hit in the face with a hard frisbee it is hard to teach them to reach out and grab it; they tend to duck.  Start by making it very exciting and just throw it like a ball on the ground and cheer like crazy if they show interest.  You can throw it straight up and see if they go for it.  When you want to start tossing it, go out on a windy day and do a short toss against the wind so that it floats.  This gives your dog time to try to catch it.  If they know what "catch" means then use it was you throw it to them.

Once they start catching it then throw it further and further.  Most frisbee dogs are taught to go around the thrower, which Elsa learned months ago.  This lets you get the frisbee out ahead of them making it easier for them to catch.  I  taught Elsa the go around simply by luring her around behind me with a ball.  Using my right hand I would lure her around behind and she would come up on my left.  Then I quickly tossed the ball out in front so she learned to run out once she got around.    I use it all the time and it was great today that she already knew it.

Depending on your dogs physical structure and size should factor in if you do frisbee or not.  It also depends on how your dog decides to catch.  Like I said Tilley was airborne, she always went very high to grab the disc.  This was spectacular to watch but possibly very dangerous.  Luckily she figured out how to almost float in midair before coming down for a soft landing.  She was beyond amazing but there is a great deal of impact on joints anytime a dog leaves the ground.  As most of you know Elsa has been off the ground since the day we got her but she's never really high off the ground like Tilley was.

I truly believe that Elsa will do and excel at anything but seeing her structure and knowing what I do about the different sports I think running is her thing.  She most definitely shone today; I was once again impressed by her.  She amazes me almost daily with her athletic ability and drive.  But I think we'll leave the focus on the sport of frisbee with Tilley and the memories; they are most definitely amazing ones.

Elsa will have her own sport; she's a crossfit kind of gal and still has lots of time.   She is after all only a year and a half.

Q&A session starts here.  If you have a disc question ask away.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone.  I hope that you all had a wonderful Holiday Season and brought in the New Year with a bang.  Another year begins and the resolutions can be heard everywhere.  I have a few resolutions of my own but I'm not typically a resolution type person.  I think that if you want to change something about your life; don't wait till the New Year to do it.  I do know that when I hit the gym this morning that there will be a lot of new faces; there always is at the start of the New Year.

It was dark and early this morning; too early to get up as far as I'm concerned.  But as we lay in bed trying to wake up my hubby talked about what Luke and Elsa's resolutions would be.  Luke's would be to put on a bit of weight; the complete opposite of everyone else.  Spend more time on his favorite couch and with Elsa.  Elsa's would be to further perfect her catching skills, do more snuggling and maybe listen to Dad a bit more.  Ahhhhhhh...................now that would not be Elsa's resolution, that would be her Dad's resolution.  So it should be Dad does more training with Elsa resolution.  

Not listening to Dad is a common complaint that I regularly hear from owners.  Of course my dogs are going to listen to me more than they do their Dad.  I did all the training, I am home during the day with them and they are out with me every day.  But they should also listen to their Dad.  BUT, this is not something that just happens; many times the Dad in the home is simply the play guy.  They do not do any training, guiding, educating or behavior modification so of course the dog does not listen to them when they occasionally have a behavior request.  It takes time to instill this and it is time well spent.

The other day as we were preparing to take the dogs for a walk my husband headed out before me opening the garage door.  I had a hold of Elsa and told Luke to wait.  My husband was getting his car ready first and I didn't want Luke running around the road.  When it was time to get into the car my husband called to Luke.  Luke didn't move and turned around to check with me; it made me smile.  Even though Dad had said he could now go, Mom has the final word.  I had told him to 'wait' so wait he was doing until told otherwise.  I gave him the "okay" and off he trotted to Dad.

Dogs should listen to all the members of their household; but it does not just happen, everyone must work on it.  A little bit of training goes a long way.  It is amazing how a relationship can be changed very quickly with just a little effort.  Dogs adjust easily, humans not so much.  So maybe there are lot's of people out there that need to add a little training work to their New Years Resolution?

Before heading to work this morning my husband said "imagine if everyone had an attitude like Elsa?  It would be amazing."  Imagine...............just imagine if all the grumpy, angry folks just decided to be happy?  Elsa is pretty much happy every moment of the day and night.  She is up for anything or nothing; she happily goes back to bed or for a 5 mile jog, either is good for her.   Happy is a good way to be for anyone and I don't think you can ever be too happy.  So if I had a wish for everyone it would be to be like Elsa, happy.

Happy New Year, I look forward to another great canine year with you all.  :)

Another year

Just dogs with Sherri

It is almost unbelievable to me that another year has come and gone, almost.  We had a pretty crazy year and I am looking forward to the next.  Our year started out a sad one; we lost our old girl Tilley on January 8^th, she was almost 15 years old.  This came only three weeks after losing our even older girl Jessie at almost 16 years of age.  Both were sudden and tragic in our family as we felt an immense loss.  It was a tough time but we got through it with the help of our amazing boy Luke and wonderfully charming Elsa.  Elsa has been a ray of sunshine that has put a spring in Luke’s step and kept him young at heart.

The start of the year saw us in a new State; with a move from West to East.  January was the worst month with a face full of poison ivy that I had to deal with along with a move, a loss and everything else.  As my face slowly cleared by the end of January I was out enjoying the best of the area while trying not to scare anyone with what poison ivy was left on my face.  Luke, Elsa and I hit the local beach nearly every day and enjoyed the North East weather.  We explored the area, found some great parks and walked down town Greenwich many days.

They discovered what squirrels were; having not seen tree squirrels here in SoCal.  They were taunted regularly by the huge community of squirrels that lived on the property.  Elsa learned about deer, something she probably won’t see too much of here.  Both her and Luke saw and heard turkeys on a regular basis and also dealt with the very negative part of Connecticut, ticks.   Luckily the one tick that did find it’s way into Luke was not carrying the horrible Lyme disease. 

As March rolled around my face was clear and it was very clear that we were headed back West.  Another road trip across the country was made; but with only two dogs this time.  It was a much more upbeat trip and quite enjoyable; even though I’d just made the reverse trip only months before.  No more road trips for a while for me; I’m tripped out.

 

We were home again and it wasn’t long until my daughter who had moved to CO the previous year as well also moved back to SoCal.  Things were falling into place.  It was nice to be together again.  The only one missing was my son Brad who had driven with me on the first road trip.  He stayed behind to enjoy NYC for a while.   But in May everyone was home for a big “we are so happy to be home” party.  Our good friends joined us to celebrate just being home.

 

I got to writing big time; completing and publishing PBJ and me.  PBJ and me is the story which details my son Brad and my trip across the country with our four dogs.   There are some very sad parts of the book but it is a pretty good read and a true and crazy story.  I am working on book two which is titled And Back Again; it is the continuation of the story from living in the East and returning home to the West and yes the second road trip.  It will be out in several months.

Next came When Luke Met Elsa; a children’s book.  I had never considered writing a children’s but after watching and photographing Luke and Elsa’s relationship grow and flourish it became apparent that there was a story there, a very cute one.  So I wrote and published When Luke Met Elsa next.  There will be many more children books to come about Luke and Elsa as a team and on their own.   They will be written as their life unfolds before me. 

The final book to be published in 2012 for me was most definitely a labor of love.  A compilation of beautiful Standard Poodle photos taken over 3.5 years, finally put together and published.  I am very happy and proud with the final result and believe that it is a definite must have for anyone who lives with or loves The Standard Poodle. 

The summer and fall were filled with photographing, writing and training.  Elsa had a big transition to work through having moved back and we were out and about socializing most of the time.  Lots of training was done and I am so proud of the young lady she has become.  The relationship between Luke and Elsa has only gotten stronger and seeing them together makes me smile most days.    Along with Elsa blossoming into an amazing girl; Luke has put another year on.  He is slowing down and the aging process is creeping up on him.  Having never had a great deal of muscle he is definitely suffering from muscle loss as he ages.  He is now nearing 12.5 and sleeping a great deal more.  But he looks great for a guy his age although finds it tougher to get up in the morning.  As they say, “that’s life”.  We’re all going the same way right?

August 14th Elsa was spayed, two days before Luke's 12th birthday.  It was a big decision as far as when to get it done, not if.  As much as I think that Elsa is one of the best dogs in the world; I do not want to breed dogs.  I would have a very hard time handing puppies over to anyone so I leave the job to the people who do such a great job of it like Elsa's breeder.  Elsa was very sore for the first couple of days but before we knew it she was back to her old self and I am very happy that it is done with.  We let her have one heat before spaying her which is best for a female.  

Just days before Halloween, Brad came home.  He enjoyed NYC immensely and has nothing but great memories.  A complete circled closed and I was happy to see the completion.  My husband had left for the East a year earlier and now we were all back in CA again, together.  So with all the craziness behind us it was time to forge ahead.   We all got settled in and back to life as normal and it was time to prepare for Christmas, our families favorite time of the year. 

As I sit writing this last blog of 2012, there is much to be happy about.   I stop for a moment to look around the room.  Elsa and Luke are snuggled up on the couch with my Christmas tree casting a beautiful light on them.  The only sound in the room other than my typing is from the hard rain coming down and the crackle from the log on the fire.  Things are pretty great right now.    For a writer, this is a good place.  

I am most definitely looking forward to the next year.  I enjoy every aspect of my work from training, photographing and writing about dogs.  I love my daily blogs and sharing everything canine with you.  My Facebook groups have grown greatly this last year and I love meeting all the new members and their dogs.  Many have become very good friends who I look forward to talking to regularly.   That will hopefully continue and grow.

So what’s on the horizon for Just dogs with Sherri?  Lots.   Training, shooting and writing with lots of books in the works already.  I hope that 2013 will be a good one, for us and for or all of you and your families. This is the last blog of the year, so have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, one that brings you into an amazing New Year.    Enjoy your family, both two legged and four.  I look forward to another year of canines shared with you.  

I will see you all January 2nd 2013.

Sherri

These are a few of my favorite things

I am often asked about the "stuff" I use for my dogs; from shampoo, food, clothing to leashes etc.  I don't use a lot of different things; I have my favorites and try to keep it simple.  I'm not into putting clothes on my dogs other than to keep them warm if they get a haircut so they have one coat each, just in case.  There are a few things that I have discovered over the years that I LOVE; then there are the things that I think are great but I won't use because I like to keep it simple and lastly there are the things that I consider to be utterly useless and a waste of money.

So the first thing that is a constant in my car, garage and wherever I happen to be with my dogs is my leashes.  Cotton webbed, 5/8" wide ranging from 6 feet  - 10 feet.  Usually black but I did get my hands on a few reds a couple of years ago.  I like the red ones because I can see them if I drop them into the grass much easier than the black.

I use a collar only to attached ID tags mostly but if I do happen to forget my harness somewhere I only walk the dogs on a 2" wide collar that I get from Dogs in Style   The owner made me some really great martingale type collars with a cotton leash attached recently.  They are great and I keep them in my car for those "in case" moments.

My harness of choice is a couple of different styles.  For walking it is the Easy Walk Harness made by Premier.

But our recent test and review harness has me and my husband loving the Onmijore System by Ruffwear for running.    It is made to encourage pulling and fits Elsa like a glove.

As far as dog bowls go I use only stainless steel.  I like the heavy ones that have an attached rubber bottom. I have a square one that I bought for Tilley years ago that has a slanted top line to it which is still my favorite. I would love to find a few more but have yet to see another.  I'm in no hurry so I will keep my eye out at Homegoods which is where I got this one.

All of my dog beds are purchased from either HomeGoods or Costco.  I do not spend a fortune on them as they are frequently replaced.  I do the comfort test before buying anything and the fancy ones with are hugely fluffy but don't hold their fluff do not come home to my house.

Crates are the airline type.  They are easy to wash out and don't have moving parts on them.  You can pick them up often at garage sales.  Disinfect and you're good to go.  I also love exercise pens.  I have the four foot high ones so they are heavy but come in handy always.

Now, how about toys?  We've been through a ton of them; waves of soft ones, then hard ones, indestructible types, educational etc. etc.  Elsa's very favorite toy ever is a Bumi from West Paw Design.  It was very tough and durable, that is until Luke put his mind to wrecking it.  It is now a half of a Bumi but it is still her favorite.  The company that makes the Bumi is a very cool one and we will be looking at getting more of their toys and "stuff."

I like Kong toys as well but they can be boring without the ever popular filling.  But the black ones are without a doubt one of the toughest toys in our house.  They are amazingly useful for bored dogs when filled and great to occupy new puppies.  When and if I purchase stuffed toys I try to make sure that they were either made in the US or Canada; or anywhere other than China.

As far as food goes you all know that I feed real food; meaning food that we eat......real type food.  Meat that is raw or cooked, fish, veggies, ground egg shells, you name it.  If and when we do feed dog food it is Horizon Amicus.  I change it up with DNA but both last a long time being that both Luke and Elsa eat mostly real food.

Poop bags?  Must be biodegradable.

Shampoo?  I find a lot of my shampoos for the dogs at HomeGoods as well.  I like the organic type if I can find it but I also use whatever happens to be in my shower.

My main clipper for the poodles is an Andis two speed and my trimmer is a Wahl Bravura.

I have to admit that I love anything to do with dogs, especially if it makes my job as a dog Mom easier. I am willing to give anything a try on my guys; that is if it looks like I might like it and is safe.  I love nothing more than finding new cool things for the dogs that are really useful.



 

Another rant

This was the day we ran into the off leash aggressive dog that would not come when called.  HONESTLY???

Yep, I said I was ranting and I am going to.  It doesn't typically take too much to get a rant out of me; just a bit of stupidity can create a fair sized rant.  So here goes.  Yesterday was beautiful, my kind of weather; low 40's, blue skies with giant cotton ball type clouds here and there.  I actually had to grab my vest as I headed out with Luke and Elsa; that makes me happy.  We hit a nice big field that is almost entirely enclosed and it was empty, yes.  We were there a good long time enjoying ourselves when I decided that it was about time to head home.  Elsa had a great run and Luke had done the whole field several times so off we went to the ramp.  This field is lower than the parking lot so we usually go down a set of steps and leave going up a ramp.  I think that it is easier on Luke's legs.

So as we started up our ramp I had already leashed both dogs.    About mid way up I noticed a woman with a couple of leashes around her neck up at the top and to the right.  Hmmmmmmmm.  I called out to her "are your dogs friendly?"  She shielded her eyes from the sun trying to see us.  I called again as her dogs quickly made their way to the fence; coming around towards us.  "ARE THEY FRIENDLY?"  I yelled for a third time.  At this point she was very close to me and could easily hear me.  Again, I shouted "ARE YOUR DOGS FRIENDLY?"  As the dogs were nearly upon us with hair up from neck to tail on both.  

Then she quietly and hesitantly offered "uhhhhhhhhh ya, I think so."  "WHAT??????????"  "Can you put them on a leash?" I asked her.  She had no response.  I was growing angry at her lack of movement, she seemed like a slug. "Can you leash your dogs?"  I said again, receiving a repeat in her response, nothing.  "PLEASE, CAN YOU LEASH YOUR DOGS?"  At this point I was sort of shocked by her snail pace and sloth like movements.  Really?  I told her that if she was not sure that her dogs were friendly that they should not be off leash.  It was literally like talking to a brick wall.  Very strange. 

With the dogs on us at this point I was not about to pull my guys away.  This act itself can lead to more aggression.  I am very protective of my dogs and these were very large buff dogs.  Luke is very fragile now and I have no intention of letting him be attacked or roughed up in any way.  We stood our ground and I held the leashes as loosely as I could.  She should have at least called her dogs to her; she did nothing, absolutely nothing.  It was a bit disturbing to watch.  Was she so incompetent as a dog owner that she lacked the most basic of knowledge about etiquette?  Obviously.  

Seeing that she had no intention of doing anything; not even calling her dogs we waited.  I was waiting for her dogs to lose interest in us and move away.  Once far enough away I would feel comfortable turning our back on then and walking away.  Let me just say this "IT IS NOT OKAY TO HAVE YOUR DOGS OFF LEASH WITH OTHER ON LEASH DOGS AROUND."  That is unless you have complete control of your dog and they will not run at the on leash dogs.  It's just not okay.  Do you know how many times I had to hoist Jessie into my arms to protect another loose dog?  She was not reliably dog friendly, so she was always on leash.  It was not fair that we had to deal with off leash out of control dogs when we were out. 

There are times when dogs should not be on leash and that is at off leash parks or beaches.  If you enter one of those then you should have your leash off.  It gives your dog a handicap by having them leashed when all the other dogs are running off leash.  

Nothing happened yesterday but it was very disturbing  none the less.  As we finally got enough space to turn and walk away I saw the woman trying to get one of her dogs to come to her.  She had no control, none.  Control is so very important.  Funny because just before we came upon these two dogs, Elsa had received a lesson about not coming when Mom calls.  She had decided to drop her ball and do some grazing on the fresh new baby grass that had sprouted up from all the rain.   I called and she ignored so she got her lesson.  Then we came across these two with the owner who did absolutely nothing.  People like this should not have dogs.  

I have seen the same woman at this field before but we've never run into her; she was at a distance.  The thing I did notice the other times that I saw her was that she was not scanning.  We had not been far away; we were coming up to the right of her and getting in the car but she hadn't noticed us.   Scanning your environment and being very aware is important.  Heck it's important to do when you don't have your dogs with you; even more so when you are out with your dogs.  When I arrive to a park or field I always scan first.  There have been times when I have scanned and then got back in the car and head to another park because of what was in the park. 

As we walked away from this woman and her dogs I was grumbling and shaking my head.  Imagine saying "I think" that your dogs are friendly as you let them run full speed up to someone with dogs on leash?  No, it is not acceptable at all and I see it far too often.  Perhaps this is why it makes me so mad.  Get a clue people.  I for one do not want to deal with your off leash dogs when you have no control over them.  About a year ago I wrote about a guy we met with a fairly aggressive dog who told us he could not call his dog.  But here it was off leash.  Honestly, HONESTLY?????????? 

Power in the clicker

Having had Penelope at our house for five days she got a great deal of concentrated learning in.  My daughter and I did a lot of discussing canine education and how dogs learn differently.  I sometimes use a clicker but not always.  I did use a clicker for much of Jessie's (my Jack Russell) training when she was younger.  She was very food motivated and the clicker helped her to focus.  Once she learned what the clicker meant it held great power.  She would offer anything and learned very quickly that she was to offer new behaviors.  This is something that not all dogs do, but she offered anything and everything to get a click.  Luke does not offer new behaviors, not that he isn't insanely intelligent but that he just doesn't do that sort of thing.

So being that Penelope is very much like Jessie was I knew the clicker would be for her.   My daughter and I went into the kitchen to prime Penny (Penelope) on the clicker.  This means teaching her what the clicker means and that is food.  She is so much like my little Jessie that it is sort of strange.  As I clicked and treat over and over she seemed to be getting it.  The rest of the family was in the living room when we were priming and after several clicks they started yelling at me.  I stopped and went to see what was up.  Elsa was standing on a box.  They said she had be getting off and on as I clicked in the kitchen.

Elsa is clicker trained and she loves it.  She has learned to offer new behaviors and with all the Christmas morning gifts lying around, she chose a random box on the floor to use.  Everyone was amazed by her behavior, not me.  But I was a little "oops."  It was Elsa's clicker and I hadn't thought about that.  So I gave her a bunch of treats as she stood steadfast on her box.  Then needing to move back to Penelope in the kitchen I took her box away and put it out of reach.  Then the whole family got into the whole "clicker" discussion, having been thoroughly impressed by it's power.

Learning the philosophy around the power of the clicker is important.  Educating yourself on how the clicker works and when to click is essential.  I see so many people using the click to lure or bribe a behavior from the dog which is all wrong.  It is a marker, intended to mark a correct behavior and let the dog know that a reward will soon follow.  When done properly it is a wonderful training tool.  The only negative about them is that they are something else to hold while working.  This is why I only teach clicker training to a very few; most average dog owners are interested only until they try using it.  Holding treats, a leash and a clicker has often turned my clients completely off using it so we move onto training without it.

But if you intend to use the clicker, do yourself a favor and read Clicker Training by Karen Pryor.    Now that Miss Penelope has gone home I will be pulling out the clicker for Elsa.  I have wanted to teach her to put her paw on my foot for several months, now I have the time so we will be on it today.  I think this will be a very useful behavior when I want her close by.  No doubt she will pick it up in a matter of moments, she certainly has the drive to learn.

Boxing Day

The day after Christmas; I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, we most definitely did.  It's Boxing Day!!!!! Well at least in my head it is.  In Canada it is as well and having lived in Canada for 36 years of my life I still keep the day even though it is not Boxing Day here in the US.  But everyone has gone back to work and I am puppy sitting.  We've had Penelope here since Friday night and it has been very busy with her.  Elsa is almost played out, but not completely yet.  She has been beyond amazing with Penelope.  She is so gentle and patient with the puppy that I could have never asked for any better behavior from her.

As a very young puppy, Penelope gases out long before Elsa.  Elsa could probably keep going 24/7.  At only a year a half Elsa wants to play a lot; she is absolutely loving having Penelope here.  It is very good for Penelope, she is getting a great deal of socializing in.  We have introduced her to lots of new items; an umbrella this morning, a big shiny rolling decoration in the garage and many other things.  She doesn't seem fazed by a whole lot.  She didn't bat an eye at the umbrella this morning.  The statues at the park that freaked Elsa out as a puppy saw a split second of hesitation from Penelope.  They are all so very different.

Penelope is learning bite inhibition mostly via Elsa.  Elsa just deals with it, she loves playing with her so much.  As a Bull Terrier, Penelope has a huge set of jaws on her and I have to admit that the pressure behind her nips is a little startling.  So having Elsa here to help with softening her bite is a great, great welcome.  It is also teaching Penelope lots of positives about playing with other dogs.

Luke is not as impressed and mostly has walked on his tip toes around her.  She has thrown herself a couple of times at him with a resulting grizzly bear response.  She is apprehensive around him, understandably but not deterred.  She quickly learned that Elsa is the one to play with but is still drawn to Luke if is he anywhere around.  At 12.5 years old he has no desire to meet or get to know her. He is curious but that is as far as it has gone at this point.  He sits upon his thrown in the living room watching the two girls brawl for hours.  If Elsa yelps from a very hard nip from Penelope he gets down,  and slowly walks through the room sending a clear message.  He then heads back to his couch.

At the moment it is pouring rain.  Miss Penelope is not a fan, but we did just go out and have success.   She peed in the rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So it will be a day of playing and trying to get all the dogs out in the rain.  I may just hit the park with Elsa for some chuck it time although with the puppy here for four days she is plum exhausted.  Enjoy Boxing Day, I intend to.

Busy busy

Three more sleeps until the big day.  It's a busy time of year so with all the hustle bustle we need to put time aside to chill with our dogs.  Things can be very weird for our dogs as we head out more without them.  If your dog is not accustom to all the goings on they need help to stay grounded.  Luckily my guys are very use to lots of different types of days.  Although they still need their daily outing.  They have just left with their Dad to the park, a nice break for me.

If you are having people over for the Holidays and your dogs are not accustom to lots of visitors then you may want to put them away for a bit and let them adjust slowly to guests.  When we had our party last weekend, we had a big houseful.  The dogs spent time out enjoying our guests as well as some quiet time in my bedroom.  Of course they would like to stay out the whole time but it can be overwhelming if they stay out for the entirety of the party.

Dogs can go missing when there is too much going on in life.  They can also get into things that they might not when it is not the Holidays.  More "stuff" is out and laying about so be aware of things that your dog might get into.  The tree, decorations, goodies etc can be easy targets for even the best of dogs.  Lack of routine can shift some canines into frustration mode so try to get them out for a good energy outlet.

Above all, have fun and don't forget that this time of year can be a challenge for your dog.  Try to help them through it all and have a wonderful Holly Jolly time.  :)

Association

The trip that the vest was worn.  

I have written about association often; it is after all how dogs learn.  But we humans also deal with association.  As the temperatures started to drop here in SoCal I got excited about wearing cold weather clothes.  I am a northerner at heart and love the cold so when I get to pull out the woolies; it makes me happy.  But I wasn't too happy to see my vest this year.  I like vests best because they keep your body warm but aren't so warm that you die here in SoCal.  So I pulled out my green vest, the one that I wore pretty much the whole trip last December from CA to CT.  The memories went swirling in my head and I quickly stuck it back in the closet.  I most definitely had a negative association to it.

I told my husband that I couldn't wear it.  I told him "I just can't, it's got too many bad memories on it."  He knows how much I love vests so when I gave the tarnished vest  to Good Will he secretly ordered me a new one in a different style and color and I love it.  He's amazing.  This whole situation is very similar to dogs.  Of course we can discuss association among ourselves or with our self even  but dogs cannot.  If a negative association is created we must re-establish a new association.

Elsa has been stung in our yard several times.  The guy that lives behind us has a huge beehive in his yard right over our fence.  He has chosen to just cover the tree trunk with a bag to try to rid the bees from his property which has not worked at all.  They are very busy bees and just create a new opening to the trunk.  So Elsa has a very negative association to bees which I will leave in tack.  It is good that she is now afraid of them and steers clear if she sees one.

Dogs can have a negative association to pretty much anything.  Let's use a raised hand for an example.  I've had to re-train a few dogs with this association.  It is most definitely a negative and it is caused by being hit mostly.  Associations can be caused by many different things because it can happen suddenly and without cause.  Maybe a dog walked into a wall when you lifted your arm up and now he has a negative association.  Perhaps a loud, startling sound was heard when you raised your arm.  It can be anything but lets say it was from being hit.  You can either go through life trying not to lift your arm or have anyone raise their hand around your dog or you can re-associate.

To counter condition you must put another meaning onto raised arms.  This must be done very, very slowly.  Sort of associating without your dog knowing it.  You would start with your arm just out in front or even lower, whatever level which does not trigger a negative response.  Then you work from there.  You can associate a ball throw, treats, playing or anything else that your dog would consider positive to it.  As you raise your arm higher and higher you must make sure that there is no negative response occurring before getting higher.

Some associations can be very difficult or sometimes impossible to re-associate.  Only with a great deal of work will you know if it is doable or not.  Sometimes a response is so ingrained, creating such a fearful response that it cannot be undone.  Then you must deal with it the best you can.  But, that said almost all negative associations can be fixed.  Often a cause cannot be figured out so you deal with what is in front of you.

Associations require thought.  You must think about what your dog will think about a situation.  Not what you think, what your dog thinks.  There are ways to change the way they think and that too is a lot of work.  But it is good work, helping your dog through issues is never a waste of time.

For me it was best to toss the vest, it just brought up too many bad memories that I didn't want to re-associate it.  But that is a human thing.

The growl and bark of a dog

As I lay sound asleep on a very cold morning I was slowly awaken by a deep grumbling.  Luke was growling, a rare occurrence these days.  I listened and smiled; it makes me happy to know that he thinks he is still the man.  He growled for a long while; deep and very scary, he was bothered by the sound of my son moving about.  I don't know why he felt the need to growl this morning, he hears it every morning.  But growl he did, never lifting his head but it was steady and it made me happy.  Standard Poodles are amazing guard dogs; most people don't know this fact.

So, what was Luke saying with his deep and low growling?  He was sounding a warning and letting us know that he thought something was not right.  A vocalization from a dog is a communication and can sometimes grow out of control.  Annoying barking should be stopped; it can become a bad habit.  They can learn that a few barks is all that is necessary to give you the required information.  But a communication from your dog is important and should be listened to.    When a dog has something to say, they should be allowed to say it.  This gives us a means to understand much better than if they are silenced.  Many people have told me that they don't allow growling or barking in their house.  This silencing can do a great deal of damage.

A dog who loses their ability to communicate can become unpredictable and dangerous.   When a dog growls at a person, dog or object it lets you know how they feel at that moment.  You can then take that information and deal with what you now know.  Maybe your dog doesn't like people wearing hats and growls when someone with a hat approaches.  With the information given you can now deal with creating a positive association to people wearing hats.  At our party on the weekend Elsa was running around having fun when she was stopped in her tracks in the dining room.  She started barking and as soon as I saw what she was barking at I asked the guy to take his antlers off.  :)  Yep.  He had forgotten  that he was wearing them and thought that Elsa was barking at him.  "Oh, sorry" he said.  As soon as he took them off she was fine.  Elsa is very, very aware of everything and she knows that a guy wearing this on his head is not right.  :)

If you take away your dogs communications, you take away your access to information.  Luke use to bark at people who approached our car.  He was fine if they walked by but if they walked directly at the car  he wasn't comfortable.   He let us and everyone else know that they were not welcome in the car, that is unless he knew them.  Dogs can become more vocal in a car or small area.  They cannot move away from someone or something so are more defensive.  It is also his car and he will defend it; after all it is a really great red Xterra.  :)

When your dog talks, listen.  There are dogs that talk too much just like there are people who talk too much.  But if you know your dog like you should, you will know when they are just jaw wagging and when they are saying something serious.  These days Luke likes to go in the back yard and let the neighborhood know that he lives here.  It makes me smile.  The bark is loud and non threatening; there is a good amount of time between the barks as he once again shows that at 12.5 years old, he's is still the man.

 

Where to today?

I'm a little furious this morning, I finished my blog before heading to the gym and poof, gone.  Nice.  So here goes again, albeit condensed.

Yesterday Elsa and I hit the park.  When we left the house it was raining, which is why we left.  People tend to stay in when it is raining, we head out.  Typically on the way home from the gym I am pondering our place of walk for the day.  There are many options and yesterday it was a park that I assumed would be empty due to the rain.  As I pulled up I did a quick scan and was happy to see it empty except for a few landscape guys hiding under a canopy.  We got out quick and hit the field; the steady rain quickly turned to a downpour.  It was glorious, for us that is; not for those who thought that it was yucky rainy weather.

This is one of my all time favorite images.  There is little in it but it speaks volumes.  Caught on the East Coast in a heavy fog and drizzly day.  

It's not just here in Sunny California where folks stay out of the rain.  When we were East for a couple of months earlier this year the dogs and I always went out in the rain.  We hit the beach where we enjoyed a much less crowded if not deserted beach to play on.  I loved when there was only a couple of dogs here and there with so much room to run.  The play is always the best when done in moderation.  Everything in moderation right?

I left Luke at home yesterday; it was quite chilly and the fact that he doesn't run much to keep warm I thought it best to keep his old bones on the couch which is where where he was when we got home.  So today is very clear but cold, 37 degrees cold which is freaking cold for SoCal.  So where to?  There are two kinds of walks; power energy release walks and mind stimulating walks.  It is great when you can get in both types at the same time but sometimes you just can't .  So it is mental and physical stimulation you are looking.  Often you can only get in one so it is one type one day the other the next.

It is very important no matter what type of walk or your whereabouts to get out every day.  Elsa is still learning so much, we almost always see something new that she hasn't seen before and life experience is good for everyone.  I'm thinking the beach today; there should be a small handful of folks out in the cold but most will be shopping I'm thinking.

No matter where you are headed today, I hope that at least one outing includes your dog.  Have fun wherever you land.

A new friend

Elsa has a new friend; her name is Penelope and she joined our family on the weekend.  She is my daughters new Bull Terrier puppy.  She reminds us all of Jessie, she is very similar in appearance.

She is 8 weeks old and about as cute as they come.

She loved the ball.

Running to Mom for some reassurance when she heard Luke and Elsa barking from inside the house. They'd already met but they are still scary.

Confident little thing.

A little insecurity again with the barking from the house.

Pay back time for Elsa.

She went from confident to not in a fraction of a second.  You want to see some insecure moments.

Penelope not sure about this long legged curly monster biting her.

Grovelling as she should.

But having a lot of fun too. 

She found a great hiding spot where she could play and hide.  

There will be a great deal for everyone to learn with this new tenacious addition.  

Pain

Canines are crazy expert at hiding pain.  I was thinking about this because I burned myself during our Christmas party this weekend.  I was taking an appetizer out of the oven and did not want to throw it across the kitchen when I felt the heat come through the oven mitt so I burned three fingers very badly.  It is probably the worst burn I've ever gotten while cooking and I don't know what happened.  But I think perhaps my over mitt somehow got wet....................if you've ever grabbed a wet oven mitt and used it, you know what happens.  So I burned my fingers and continued on not to cause a stir at the party and suffered in silence until a bit later when I told my kids.

There are two reasons why a dog hides pain.  1.  If you show pain to your pack you may risk being ousted due to creating weakness within the pack.  2.  Other animals that see pain, see it as a weakness and you may be injured, attacked or killed because of it.  So it goes without saying that it can be difficult to know when there is something wrong with your dog.  Of course some dogs hide their pain more than others.  Tilley never displayed anything for us to see clearly.  But because I know my dogs so very well I could tell when something was up.  It may have taken longer to notice but it could have been a slight tilt of head, a hesitation or something so small but it was out of the ordinary.

Luke on the other hand is very demonstrative when he is in pain.  Perhaps he is so confident that he's not worried about whining in front of others.  He lets me know when something is just not right.  He is a very easy read and again because I know him so well, it can be a microscopic sign but I see it.  When a dog does show pain it usually means that there is in a great deal of it.  They can no longer hide it and this is when we get a clear and easy read.  The less you know your dog the longer it may take you to see it.

So when you see your dog acting out of the norm, don't ignore it.  I remember having Elsa at training class when she was very little, she started acting a bit different.  I thought she needed to go out and the teacher said very loudly, no she is just acting out.  Well I was right and she took a huge disgustingly gooey crap in the middle of the floor.  So there!!!!!

:)

Our thoughts are with the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary school. 

The backyard

Low tide at Tod's Point Beach in Old Greenwich, CT.  It is now open for dogs until the end of March.  Lucky dogs.  

At the moment my backyard is very soggy; not conducive for an active dog to take a rip.  Elsa had a bath on Wednesday and I thought twice about letting her do her after bath zoom out there.  My yard is small and the grass area even smaller.  She has got so much power in those kangaroo sized back legs of hers that she can destroy the entire yard in a matter of moments.  So with that idea we headed outside and I tried to keep her zoom contained to the patio area which didn't work so well.  Oh well it's just grass.  It'll grow again right?

Funny when we were in Connecticut, we were on 2 acres and she really ripped it up there.  The size of the yard was great but the condition of the ground was constantly soft.  So why am I talking about yards?  Because so many people put a large emphasis on it with regards to dogs.  Sure it's nice to have a big back yard but you don't need a big backyard to have dogs.  I hear of so many people re-homing their dog because of the size of their yard.  "Oh we moved and have a small yard."  So?  What does the size of your yard have to do with your dog?  That is unless you rely solely on your yard for your dogs activity area.  Ahhhhhh, that is where the yard thing comes in.

No matter how big your yard is, your dog should get out and about, beyond the limits of your yard. The smaller your yard is the more you need to get out.  I go out with my guys every day.  Sure there is the occasional day we miss due to life or being sick;  I think only 2 since we added Elsa to our family.   Luke needs to get out and sniff and see the world as does Elsa but she needs to spread her wings so to speak.  She needs to run and rip to be a happy girl.  Most dogs need to run and run they should.  Dogs don't need to run for hours and hours and depending on how they run it can be a short and sweet ordeal.

I know many people who never take their dogs anywhere.  They sit in the confines of their home and their backyard is their outing.  It is sad.  My dogs get so excited to go out that it is obvious how much enjoyment they get from a simple outing.  Once we've done our outing for the day they are more than happy to hang at home.  Content.  I love when I let the dogs out of the car and they run to the front door wagging about being back home; that's a great thing.

You can fit a great deal of stimulation into a single hour in a day.  Of course my dogs are constantly by my side at home so we are always doing something together.  We love hanging in the backyard but it is by no way their energy or stimulation outlet.  A small yard should mean nothing as far as your dog is concerned.  It should not be where you intend to put a dog to live their life and if you are getting a dog and putting them in the yard to live?  Think twice before getting a dog.  Perhaps get a nice new lounge chair to stare at.

Dogs deserve a life and life goes beyond the confines of your home and yard. Do stuff together, you'll never regret it.  I can guarantee your dog will love you for it.

I think I see a monster-DO NOTHING

Monsters, we all see them don't we?  Well dogs think that they see monsters too, or at least things that are up to no good.  Yesterday I decided to take some pics of Luke and Elsa in front of the Christmas tree.  I got my camera, sat them in front of the tree and was ready.  That is when Luke gave me a dirty look; got up and left to go to his place on the couch.  "Okay then,"  Luke was not in the mood.  He's allowed to not be in the mood; poor guy has been my constant model for over twelve years.  So with Luke comfy on the couch he watch Elsa and I.

She is also my steadfast model but she's only been at it for over a year so she has lot's more to go.  She was being tempted by a rubber bone that lay only a few feet away from her but she stayed and got the photos.  Then she spotted something on the fireplace.  Her ears went up, head stuck out with an intense gaze.  I turned to see what she was looking at thinking a mouse was on my fireplace or something.  "Nothing," but her posture remained the same.  I checked again, "what the heck are you looking at?"  I asked her.  After a few amazing shots I released her and she ran to spot on the fireplace that has a large carved area.  She had obviously seen something in it, or she just never noticed it before.

It is common for dogs to see things that aren't there.  Meaning monsters where a bag lays, or a shirt hangs.  About a week ago I was hanging my sons shirt outside; Elsa of course was by my side.  She watched me hang the shirt and walk away.  But when she stood there alone looking at the shirt, she was sure it was a bad guy.  With her biggest, toughest and scariest voice she let the shirt have it.  I walked outside, went directly to the shirt and picked it up.  I very deliberately walked back very close to her so the shirt brushed against her and she got a whiff of it.  Crisis averted.

This happens a lot with dogs; some more than others.  When it does happen you can either quickly fix the misconception or make it worse by your behavior.  Many people wrap themselves around their dog trying to explain that it is "just a shirt."  They do a great deal of touching and "poor you," talk.  All this creates a scenario that there is something wrong for your dog.  Even by grabbing the item and bringing it right to your dog can make matters worse.  What you need to do is interact and ignore.  Make it a non issue.

I don't know how many times I've had to calmly walk outside, pick up a random bag that blew into our yard and walk into the house with it.  Leaving the particular dog feeling much like "oh I knew it was just a bag."  Experience helps with these sort of mistaken identity moments.  Luke use to be very skittish about anything different but with many years under his belt it rarely happens now.  Then there are dogs like my Tilley; (now gone almost a year) rock solid and knew what everything was.  You could not shake that dog no matter how hard you tried.

Elsa is young and although she is not fearful she is afraid of scary things.  She will run out in the yard sounding off, trying to act tough.  But, if Luke goes out to join her in her barking she will turn tail and run for the house.  She thinks that there must be something really scary if Luke is barking.  Because we cannot explain to our dogs what unidentifiable items are; we must show them.  "Do nothing," is something that I say regularly in this house.  Human response is to typically coddle; so as quickly as someone slips into the coddle mode I switch into my "do nothing" mode.  When an issue arises and someone goes to coddle, I firmly and calmly say "do nothing."

"Do nothing," means just that.  Do not change your pace, do not change your mood, body posture of facial expression.  Do nothing.   Even in cases of leash aggression from other dogs; "do nothing."  The other day we walked by two very angry small dogs with small dog issues.  They were sounding off at both Luke and Elsa and I remained exact, I did not waver at all.  This helped Luke to keep his cool and not go off on them and to let Elsa know that we really care nothing about this type of thing.  We moved on happily and got treats for interacting so wonderfully.

So when your human reaction is to slip into action and help; help by doing nothing.  "Do nothing."  That is the best help you can give your dog.

Grooming day

I took advantage of a setting sun.

Yesterday morning was a great one.  At least for me and the dogs anyway; it was our kind of day.  After coming home from the gym, I leashed both Luke and Elsa up in the garage and reached for the opener.  As she always does, Elsa nudged herself under my hand so that I would open the door and we could head out.  We had a great walk at the park.  There weren't too many people so I was able to sneak in some chuck it fun for Elsa and Luke wandered as he likes to do.  While Elsa ran her butt off Luke meandered, sniffing around and came to get his treats every few minutes.  Although he is the pickiest of eaters at mealtime he LOVES to snack on his walks.  I literally am feeding him the entire time.

So we had our fun at the park and headed for home.  When we got home there were meaty bones awaiting.  The dogs knew right away; the smell lured them into the kitchen where the two paced anxiously.  I had rib bones so I had to cut the extra piece off the end; put out the bone chewing sheet (I use an old bed sheet) and then it was time.  There was a lot of meat on these ones which I love and of course the dogs do as well.  Elsa did really well this time, she pulled all the meat off and then had a good chew.  When both bones were picked clean I switched them which always results in more chewing.  So after about an 1 1/2 hours of chewing it was breakfast time.  They enjoyed a yummy pork breakfast.

After breakfast, both dogs were in need of a good foot trimming.  Poodles have hair and they have hair between their toes.  Shaving their feet helps to minimize slipping on slick surfaces as well as keep their feet much cleaner.  Luke was first and due to his age now I have to make it quick.  He cannot stand on three feet for very long.  I must also be careful to give him time to get his balance when I do pick up a foot.  Luke being Luke, he does not like to lay down on the table like Tilley use to do as she got older.  He also got is face cleaned up and then it was Elsa's turn.  Feet and faces, done.

After both dogs were tidied up they had their nails done.  Nails are something that need to be attended to on a regular bases.  Some dogs wear their own nails down but most need help.  Allowing your dogs nails to get too long actually interferes in proper movement and alters their foot position.  It can make walking on wood or tile floors difficult for them.  Long nails can also cause pain to your dog.  I use both a grinder and trimmer; a trimmer for when more needs to come off, the grinder for the weekly stuff.

Later in the afternoon Luke had a much needed bath.   It was warm yesterday but not warm enough to air dry so I dried him with my forced air dryer.  He loves it; and was very quickly done and ready to rumble with Elsa.  Of course that was my cue to run and get the camera.  For an old man he's doing really great and I love seeing him tackle Elsa.  The rules of the game are always the same, toy acquisition.  But the game is really about trying to tempt the other into wanting the toy which initiates the chase.  It's all about the lure.  Hope you enjoy these pics as much as I did shooting them.

The lure

The chase

Beautiful

More beautiful

Acquisition

Luke has the toy, trying to tempt Elsa 

Luke feeling cool with the toy

She is such a tease

Elsa pretending she doesn't care that Luke has the toy

Luke tempting Elsa again "hmmmmmm you probably want this eh?" 

The teasing continues

Then there is a good rumble

He's still got it, even at 12.5 years old.

Have a great one.