A tiny hunter

Wolves at the California Wolf Center that we visited several years ago.


Yesterday, Elsa and I were at the harbor.  It is truly a beautiful place; but, it is filled with squirrels. Not tree squirrels like the type with big fluffy tails, these are ground squirrels.  They look more like prairie dogs than the squirrels that you see in the forest or treed areas.  Anyway, back to the harbor. When Elsa and I arrived we saw a tiny white toy poodle standing frozen at the edge of the rocks where the squirrels live.  I smiled looking at her fancy haircut and small stature.  The man on the other end of the leash was talking to her; trying to coax her away from the little rodents, but she was not budging.  "Can't take the hunter out of the poodle," I said, smiling.  She didn't look like a hunting dog but she most definitely thought that she was and in fact she was.

    This little guy may not look much like his ancestor, the wolf.  But the drive to hunt is still in there. 

The man told me that she had caught one, I was shocked.  The squirrels were not that much smaller than she was; and I imagined her with one in her mouth doing a victory dance.  The squirrels are bold; not scared of dogs because most are kept on a short leash.  But they obviously got too confident on the day that this little white toy poodle was hunting.  I love seeing dogs that still have an ancestral drive in them and humans that give them an outlet for it.  Especially when it is not a dog that you would think would have that sort of drive.

Dogs are dogs and when we give our dogs an outlet to be a dog, it can be truly wonderful.  Seeing the man with the little white toy poodle at the harbor; standing patiently as she got her fill of "the hunt," was amazing.  I know a lot of people who freak out if their dog caught a squirrel, killed a rabbit or chased a neighborhood cat.  In fact I've had many calls from very upset dog owners who's dog had chased down and nearly killed a cat.  Dogs are dogs and whether we like it or not; they descend from wolves.  Yes even the little white toy poodle, yorkie and other very non wolf looking dogs.  They can all have that inner desire to chase and hunt.  But not all hunters are alike.

All of my dogs except for Mandy (my first dog), have been hunters; but not all have been killers.  Jessie loved to hunt and killed without a second thought.  She would sit at the top of varmint holes and wait patiently for them to come out.  One day at the park she caught one off guard and swallowed it down whole, before I could do anything about it.  Ahhh, Jack Russells.  :)  Tilley on the other hand was all about the chase.  She would slink down low when in the presence of the harbor squirrels; and there she remained until we left.  Every step was methodical and nothing else existed around her.  The hunt was the exciting part for her; I know this because she once caught a rabbit and brought it to us.  She hadn't killed it, although it died of fright in her mouth.  Rabbits are extremely fearful which makes them very hard to rescue and rehabilitate.  They die very easily, but of course I guess being in a dogs mouth is a very scary place to be.   Tilley had loved every second of the chase and finally catch, but not the kill. 

So  many people think that their dogs are far, far removed from the hunters they once were.  Some are but most are not.  That drive to hunt or chase is still very much alive; sitting just beneath that genetically modified coat.  You can take the dog out of the forest but you cannot take the hunt out of the dog. 

A typical day

Break time.

I was immersed in work yesterday.  But before I got myself deep into the thick of it; I head out to the park with Elsa.  We were there earlier than normal; it was my day off from the gym, my body needed a rest.  Funny how you see different people when you switch things up.  The traffic was lighter and the air cooler, very nice for a walk.  There were no dogs at the park, strange; so Elsa got a big heap of exercise in.  As we speed walked around the park I realized how slow Luke walks now; the difference between Elsa and him is getting larger by the day.  He's doing great but when you are out and about doing things that require endurance you can really notice the difference.  We were in an out in a flash; hopped into the Xterra and headed for home. 

Luke was waiting for us when we arrived.  I heard the all too familiar thumping of his tail as he propped his head up and over the back of the couch.  He was in his spot, it is usually where he is.  Even when we moved the couch to Connecticut; turned it around and put it into a new house, the spot remained the same.   The boy loves his spot on the couch and if someone happens to sit there he will stand and stare at them until I ask that person or dog to kindly move out of Luke's spot.  What a funny guy he is.  No sooner was I home and it was time to go again.   Elsa thought that it was time to eat as she ran into the kitchen; turning and looking over her shoulder to see if I was coming, she stopped in her tracks.  She stared as I told Luke that it was walk time.  "What?" was all over her face "we aren't eating?"  I told her that it was "just Luke," and her body slumped as the realization sunk in.   Fully understanding that she was not coming with Luke and I she stood at the top of the stairs, watching us go out the door.  But I immediately heard her thunderous feet run up the stairs and into my office.  She has to watch us drive away from the office window.  The same window she will be at as we pull back into the driveway.   

Luke and I hit a different park; it is closer to home and there are less off leash dogs there.  I am beyond careful with Luke when around off leash dogs; it would take the slightest of bumps to knock him to the ground and be injured.  I also like that I have a really great visual in this particular park; I can see anyone coming for a very far distance.  We made our way around the park, listening to the crows and parrots (there are colonies of green parrots in Southern California) compete for squawking rights.   He sniffed, sniffed and sniffed some more.  These Luke walks are all about stopping and smelling the roses.  With the fast pace of life today an old dog can make you stop; slow down and enjoy the moment.  There is nothing like walking an old dog; watching him go from bush to bush makes me smile.  When he sees another dog across the park he stops; watches quietly and then we move on. 

As we pull into the driveway, Elsa watches.  Then before we can get into the house she is downat the door waiting.  She gives Luke the royal greeting that he has gotten use to.  She sniffs every inch of him as she figures out where we've been and who we've seen.  Now it is time for breakfast, with Elsa leading the way she turns once again glancing over her shoulder to make sure I'm coming.  She waits patiently as I cut up their meat and then it's outside for breakfast in the sun.  Of course Luke takes forever to get started; it is what he does.  I get the butter out and add some on top of his food; he likes when he is fussed over, he is a true Momma's boy.  Once they've eaten it's time for my breakfast and off to work. 

Where I go, Luke and Elsa go.  They sleep the day away in my office and if I should get up for any reason, they come along.  By late afternoon, my neck throbbed from sitting in the same position too long; I felt a nudge under my left arm.  Without looking, I knew who it was immediately; she always lets me know when it is time to take a break.  I spun around in my chair and scooped her up like she weighed 10 lbs.  Even though Elsa weighs only a few pounds more than Luke she feels a good 100 pounds heavier.  She spilled over the edge of the chair and we had a quick snuggle.  It was time to head outside and toss the ball.  Of course Elsa led the way. 

It's much more than obedience training

Having a harmonious relationship with your dog is about more than just obedience training.  I've seen many amazingly trained dogs who act like crazy dogs at home when they aren't in "training" mode.  The problem with training is that owners often think that there is a training time and a non training time; when in fact training time starts from the moment you add a new dog to your home until everything runs smooth.  This can be anywhere from a year, year and a half or more.  Even then you still need to be there for day to day guidance.  Rules and regulations to live by need to be instilled in your dog.  Not only those obedience commands; sit, stay, come and down.  Our dogs need to learn how to behave everyday; what is and is not acceptable behavior.

Do we dive all over visitors when they come to see us?   Well, that all depends who the visitor is (just kidding).   If our dogs have not been taught that this is not okay, they probably will.  Dogs will counter surf, sniff crotches and basically act like cave dogs if you don't teach them not to.  That means on a moment to moment basis.  You must always be in "training/educating" mode.  Seems like an arduous task? Maybe, but it is more than worth the effort in the long run.  I have seen five year old dogs who know nothing, driving their owners crazy, daily.  Had anyone ever taught the dog anything?  I'm thinking no.

I've met people standing in the park while their dog runs everywhere but back to them when called.  The owner shrugs and says "she never comes."  The dog is off doing everything but what the owner is asking.  By letting things slide the owner is teaching the dog that they can basically do whatever they want.  Just because running off leash is wonderful does not mean that all dogs should be partaking in the activity.  A owner who allows a dog to run free when they have no control over that dog is making many big mistakes.  First, it is dangerous for the dog itself.  Second, other people don't want to deal with a dog off leash.  Third, the owner is teaching the dog that they don't have to listen at all; they can do whatever they like without consequence.

I don't enjoy rude people and I certainly don't enjoy rude dogs.  Rude dogs are rude because their owner allows them to be.  I hate hearing "he doesn't come when called," as we watch a dog running all around the park and skirting the owner.  Much like when an owner complains about a dog counter surfing as they stand and watch it happen, while doing nothing.  The dog may do a mean "leave it" exercise while in training but forget about the real life situation.  The owner has dropped the ball in that department; but then complains that their dog ate their dinner off of the coffee table.

Guidance is a constant thing when you have a dog; especially when you have a new dog that has no sense of life in a human world.   They don't know that $2,000 beautiful piece of driftwood in the living room isn't just a stick like any other.  Dogs don't understand that they shouldn't dig in the house plants when they are allowed to dig in them outside.  Or that they are not allowed to dive and run all over the couch when visitors come over.  That is not unless someone has educated them on all of these life rules. 

Dogs are crazy smart; that is a fact.  If you don't educate them on living in your human world; they will live by their rules; because you have given them nothing else to go by.  This is when things go very wrong.  The human fails to teach the dog but blames the dog for being a dog.  Hmmmmmm......   Dogs need information, they need it on a day to day basis.  Just imagine, they come to us with a clan slate; most only know how to be a dog, the rest is up to us.    You need to teach them, they do not come uploaded with this information.

Come back, please come back.

Recall training should start very early.  This photo is of Elsa around the age of 3.5 months old; she already knows that it is a good thing to come when called. 


Yesterday I had Luke and Elsa at the park.  We'd done our round and were back at the Xterra getting in when I saw a little rough coated Jack Russell heading our way.  I closed the back hatch and moved around to get into my vehicle while glancing around for an owner.  I'd seen this dog before, I was sure of it; but I couldn't for the life of me remember who he was attached to last time.  Thinking and thinking, I said "hi, where's your Mom?"  He ran right over and jumped on me whimpering; so I stood up and scanned the park, there she was.  Now I remembered. 

Elsa and I had run into this woman and her dog months ago.  She had him off leash and he was no where near her.  He'd come around a blind corner and startled us;  I looked around, but there was no person in sight.  He followed Elsa and I on our walk until a woman appeared; but the woman didn't act like it was her dog.  She didn't call him, signal or even really give other than a quick glance.  So I shouted "this your dog?"  She nodded and then called to him which he totally ignored and she continued to walk.  It is a strange arrangement they have and one that is very likely to get the little dog into trouble. 

This of course made me ponder on the whole idea of the canine recall.  You know, calling your dog and having them come to you.  For some folks this is just never going to happen; they may be fine with it while others panic as soon as their dog doesn't immediately come running.  Having your dog come to you when you call does not just happen.  I have seen many dogs basically give their owner the finger when they call; young, old and everything in between, nope not coming.  It happens to everyone now and again; your dog is off sniffing or greeting someone very interesting when you call.  They might ponder on the idea for a moment or two; coming to their final decision of not coming.  That is when you must kick it into gear; that is if you have already trained your dog to come.  So many dogs have no idea what come means; they have never been "officially" taught and their owner is not consistent about any part of it.

Teaching your dog to come when called takes time and a great deal of thought on our part.  If you link anything negative to coming then you are creating a pause or thought otherwise about returning to you.  Dogs are highly intelligent creatures; and as such they have a mind of their own.  No that doesn't mean that they are a stubborn beast; it just means that you have to learn how to work with them.  What makes them tick?  Usually it is food that you link to a recall from the beginning; of course it can be a ball, a stick, a tug toy or anything else but they must love it. 

Along with many other words I have taught Elsa "leash" which means just that.  It is of course a negative sometimes because it often means that we are leaving.  I did not want to associate this action with her recall words so it is a very neutral word that just is what it is.  If and when I do use "leash" I give her a treat for coming.  Rewarding her for coming to get her leash on lessens the negative part by adding a positive to it.  I do the same when she gives up her ball after the final throw when we are out.  Giving up the ball is a big negative so when she does it I lessen the blow with food. 

Dogs are not little robots; they do not come preprogrammed with certain behaviors.  We must take the time and learn how to teach them the things that we would like them to do.  Coming to us when called is a big one and sadly it is also on of the most undertrained and overused. 

Words vs. body language

"I told her no" he said walking away with his dog continually jumping on him.  "But, that is not what you said with your face or body," I told him.  "She only sees action right now, she is not listening to your words," I explained as I have done so many times before.  Our dogs watch us far more than they listen to us.  Just the other day I was outside with Luke and Elsa when Miss Elsa lifted her leg and almost peed on Luke.  Yep, she is a marker and on this day she could not wait for him to finish before marking over his pee.  I yelled as she lifted her leg which stopped her short of hitting him on the leg.  I was postured adding to the disapproval in my voice which had great effect.  She very quickly ran over and sat in front of me with just the very tip of her tail wagging from under her rear end.  She understood very clearly that it is not okay to pee on Luke.  Honestly. 

What you say and what you do are two completely separate things.  You can say one thing but if you do not follow up with actions your words may be lost.  Of course, this is with regards to feedback and not well trained verbal cues.  It also depends on the individual dog, your relationship and training.  If you want to be very clear you will make good use of your body as well as your voice when trying to get a message across to your dogs.  You might say "stop, stop, stop, STOP," but it is not until you get up or stand tall that they listen.  Young dogs are often the culprit of this "I can't hear you," scenario.  They may be at the push stage and giving things a try.  But add some body language in with your vocal feedback and you will then be speaking dog. 

Using your body, facial expression and vocal or verbal are all options.  You can use only body language on all it's own to deliver a message.  Eye contact works well on it's own with a dog who is use to looking for it.  But vocal or verbal does not always work on it's own.  If you have a well trained dog who knows when you speak that you mean business then yes it will work wonderfully.  But if you have a young dog or a dog who is never given feedback or expected to follow orders at all then you may have a difficult time. 

Elsa is a body language dog, she is constantly watching and perfecting it.  If she is mooching at the table for scraps, I simply have to freeze and look at her to send her flying away from the table.  If I stare at her she gets very uncomfortable as she tries to figure out what she is doing wrong.  For these type of dogs it does not take a lot to get a message across.  Others may need more practice for their reading skills and some need new lessons altogether.  Most dogs come to us with a clear understanding of body language; it is important to keep it up so that they don't lose it.  It is also the easiest way to communicate with them. 

Watching a fine tuned canine/human team work together is amazing.  That doesn't mean that they have to be doing agility, flyball or other sport.  It can be simply how they interact on a day to day basis.  Anyone can have it, with just a bit of work.  But that work will pay off tenfold. 

Pulled in all directions

I was reading about a new product for dogs.  It, like many others was claiming to be the greatest thing ever!  Touted as the newest and most innovative product around.  Hmmmmmm, then I looked further.  Ahhhh... a pyramid product, no thank you.  I just cannot look further when I find out that it is a pyramid product.  The people selling it are so passionate about their product; oddly passionate until you find out what drives them.  Money, money, money.  Of course everyone wants to make money; I am no different, but I cannot push something that I am truly not passionate about.  But that's me.

There are so many products available today for our dogs; no matter what the need, you can find a product to fix it.  Food, supplements, grooming products, gear and the list goes on and on.  I like to see it all; I am a need to know type of person.  When a new study comes out with regard to the health for our dogs, I'm all over it.  This is where our opinion lies, I look at it; weigh out the information and make an opinion.  My opinion.  But I always want to know more.

Food and feeding our dogs is mind boggling isn't it?  Between the big dog food companies advertising on television with their fancy schmancy advertisements to the people promoting vegan diets for dogs and everything in between.  Kibble, cooked, raw or a combination, what the heck are you to do.  You are to do what you feel right about doing.  Of course I think that everyone should read and research but lots of people just like to go with what their Veterinarian says, the lady at the pet food store or their dog loving neighbor down the street.

If the whole food thing isn't confusing enough; now the world of supplements has ventured into our best friends lives.  Been to a health food store recently?  Talk about confusion as you walk into the supplement isle.  Plastic bottles filled with health, or are they?  How much good can you pack into a processed substance that is shoved into a tiny capsule?  Well the health folks think that it is a great idea.  But where do you draw the line at supplements?

I am a pretty simple person and as such I like to look at things in the simplest form.  I like to picture us and our dogs eating the way that we are meant to eat.  Before all the huge companies came along to assist us with processing everything good and putting it into a package of some sort.  Eat real good food and be healthy.  Imagine a wolf standing in the woods eating a meal; what are they eating?  Meat, maybe some grass or berries or weeds.

This is all getting too confusing, no wonder people just grab a bag of dog food and call it good.  Who has time to learn it all and feel good about a choice other than what the big guys are saying about their dog food?  I say keep it simple and real.  There are supplements that I use like salmon oil, because I don't have a good line on fresh salmon for my dogs.  But no matter what you decide, you need to feel good about it.  We do our best and make our decisions, it is all we can do.  But I say keep it simple, nothing more simple than that, right?

Life lessons, change on the horizon.

What's important to you?  Things that you might have considered to be of importance, a year, maybe several years ago might not be so much now.  As we go through life, we have ups and downs; struggles that are the very essence of life itself.  The older you get, the more ups and downs you've had typically.   For most people, the day to day that surrounds what we call life is experience and from experience we grow, learn, evolve and yes, change.

Through the years there will be paths set before you; which one you choose to take is entirely up to you.  That chosen path will in turn set options before you; which one you choose again will set you further down your path.  It is that path that you take which is uniquely yours.  You live your life via the paths which you choose. The choices we make every single day further set our path for us. Sometimes life sucks; so many bad things thrown in with a few good it seems.  But bad is not always bad.  Bad can bring with it good; lessons.....Ah, back to lessons.

I know that I would not be the dog person I am today were it not for the many, MANY lessons that I have learned.  The dogs in our lives teach us so many things, don't they?  Our dogs teach us what is important in life; to be in the moment and linger there.  Don't always be looking out ahead for something better; hanging out in a great moment is time well spent.  Our dogs also teach us about mistakes that we've made; dogs are very good at learning.  If we could only learn as fast as they do.  It can take many repetitions to "get it," for humans whereas a dog may have "got it," the first go round.

Making mistakes is human, it is also canine; what we do with that mistake is where the resulting growth happens or does not.  Are you a listener, the need to know type?  Or are you someone who is happy just plodding along on your existing path?  There is no right or wrong; we all walk our own paths and we all have very personal desires in the life that we have been given.  Although there is one thing that we should all be striving for and that is good.  Good, to be morally excellent (as per dictionary meaning).  I believe that we are improving; the desire to give our dogs more is most definitely a step in the right direction.  By more I do not mean more food, fancy collars or clothing.  More as in more of us, more of our time and care.  So many people are involved with the rescue of dogs in need, donating to those who need financial assistance, offering help when someone is in need; all of these things are good.

There are thousands of people trying to shutdown puppy mills; trying to stop those who do bad.  People who treat both dogs and other humans without care or concern.  The movement can be seen; changes are being made; it has now been set onto the horizon for all to see.  It is coming, sure it might take a while but it's on the way.

In life, there will be those who focus on the negative.  Toss those aside and continue on your good path. 

n ‘first do no harm.’ One of the fundamental principles of medicine according to which the physician should not cause harm to the patient.

I think the above principle should be one for all.


 

Don't worry, I got it.

"I got it," I said heading to pick up the huge pile of s*^t.  The woman was aghast that the photographer was having to pick it up.  I'm no normal photographer; both her and her daughter were decked out in their finest attire, of course I was picking it up.  Once again I said "I got it," heading over to pick up the steaming pile on an abnormally chilly morning as the owner stood in shame,trying to control their very unruly youngster as the trainer, "I" was picking it up.  Not a big deal.  Ahhh...they keep us humble don't they?  I remember watching a gorgeously groomed and poofed Standard Poodle on a televised dog show years ago.  It was prancing around the ring with it's handler who was as proud as a peacock when Mother Nature called.  That's right, that drop dead gorgeous animal hunched over and dumped on National Television.  Not so glamorous after all eh?

Isn't it just luck that our dogs always wait until there is an audience to do their hunching.  Not only is there an audience in attendance for the big drop but it is unusually large, goopy and seemingly never ending.  Several days ago Luke had an issue while pooping.  He is really becoming weak in the rear so the art of pooping is becoming exceedingly difficult for him.  As he hunched, his legs gave way so I had to prop and hold him whilst he finished.  Nice.  While holding onto his harness for balance, I realized that I was in a very bad place.  The fumes wafted up to where I stood, doing my balancing act.  I held him in place until he was done and I could breath once again. Just another day.

Cleaning up after our dogs and living with dogs in general keeps us well grounded.  Sure you can pump yourself up, thinking that your dog would never, your dog is not your typical dog.  Look at that coat, that face, that structure; no this is no ordinary dog.  That is until you are all decked out; strutting your "better than all the rest" dog and she takes a dump while crossing a very busy intersection.  Oh yes, it happens to us all; somewhere, sometime most inopportune, it will happen.  When it does, you will come plummeting down to earth with the rest of us. 

When you have dogs, there is a lot of work involved.  They happily go through their day to day with us picking up after them, very literally.  We feed, groom, walk, and pick up after the dogs that we love; because that is what is involved when you live with dogs.  As someone who works with dogs; the pick up part is something that I expect now and again. 

I have been witness to complete transformations as far as those who say that "they will never pick up poop."  In their mind it is something best left on the ground; most definitely not something they are touching, not even with a bag in between it and their hand.  Once a bond is created and the pressure from society not to leave crap in your path; that said "person" who was never picking it up makes sure that they have a bag before heading out.  Nice, very nice.  Typically they are also the ones calling out those who don't pick up after their dogs. 

Living with dogs is just the best in so many ways.  They give us their all; unconditional everything.  There are no hidden agendas, no one to impress; it is all about you and your dog.  So when they occasionally spew some previously chewed up twigs onto the carpet; poop before they make it outside or wait until you hit the most crowded section of the beach before having explosive diarrhea; simply smile, thinking "don't worry, I got it."  It is part of living with dogs and your dog is most definitely worth it.  They are working at grounding you and keeping you humble.  Picking it all up is nothing; not having your dog by your side would be far worse.  Sure, there will be embarrassing moments throughout the years with your dog.  Times when you'd like to crawl under a rock and leave your dog standing alone to take the rap.  But that's wouldn't be very flattering for us, would it?  When the chips are down we run and hide?  No, our dog, our mess; it's what we do because we love our dog.    And like they always say, s*&t happens. 

 

Busy maintenance day

I spent my whole Sunday with Luke and Elsa.  :)

 

 Luke is all clean and fluffed from his bath.  Elsa knows he'll be ready to play.

 

Sunday, and I decided to spend it with Luke and Elsa.  My weeks are so busy that it is hard to fit it all in.  I really wanted to give both Luke and Elsa a bath, trim them up a bit; do nails and pluck ears so I took Sunday to get it all done. 

 

Of course I also got the camera out; it's been a while and I love shooting my guys.  Enjoy, I did.

Teasing him with the ball.

The brawling begins.

But short lived because it's Elsa's time for a bath.

Always on guard.

Luke enjoying the sun but sliding off the lounge.

It wasn't until both legs were off that he noticed he was falling off. 

Goatee trimmed up.

Dry and ready for some retrieving and catching.

Intense much?

She can catch 24/7

It is more than just a game to her.

Elsa's Border Collie face. 

If she misses, its my fault.  She never misses a good throw.

See ya tomorrow!!

Just smile

                                                          Luke's very happy and relaxed beach face.

To smile is to be happy right?  Not always, in humans a smile can be a hidden agenda or mask to hide what is really going on.  Being that dogs don't lie; a smile is a smile.  But a smile does not always mean happy.  There are two types of smiles that dogs have.  The first and most common is the happy face smile; the "look he's smiling" face.  This one is not truly a lip pulling back smile but a facial relaxation which lends itself to the image of a smile.  Luke gets his "happy face" on when we are at the beach.  It most definitely signals a happy dog but it is not a true lip curl smile by definition.  Luke's happy face is produced by a sense of relaxation, calm and satisfaction.  You must look at the entire message to get it; a mouth held in a similar position but lacking the relaxed eyes and ears will not look like a happy face. 

The second smile is one that is very misunderstood; especially from those who have not witnessed it.  I saw my very first dog smile from a very large Doberman.  It of course startled me until I was informed of the meaning.  From that moment on I have loved dogs that smile and we have been very lucky to have two smilers over the years.  Tilley was my first smiling dog and Elsa is our second.  This type of smiling also includes signals from the ears, eyes and body but is very mouth related.  The dog actually pulls back their lips to display their front teeth; and if they happen to open their mouth at the same time you might just get a full mouth of teeth displayed.  I have heard many people gasp at this display.  It can be scary when you do not know what is going on. 

I remember years ago when I was volunteering at an Animal Shelter.  I walked up to a cage where a very sweet looking Dalmatian stood.  As I bent down at the cage door to talk to her she flashed me a toothy grin, sweet.  Another volunteer had told me that she bared her teeth at her.  There is a vast difference between the two;but not if you don't understand dog communications.  I let the other woman know what she was doing and why.  She like many other people had never seen a true smile from a dog and until you have you don't quite get it; even if someone has explained it to you. 

The other day when Elsa and I met up with my friend Judy and her dog Lucy, Elsa smiled.  Elsa does not smile at dogs very often.  I have seen her smile at Luke in greeting but not other dogs.  Lucy most definitely got lots of smiles; it was the cutest thing to see.  She was so happy to see her friend that she was smiling big toothy grins at her. 

Teeth displaying smiles can be used in greeting or submission.  The meaning of each is entirely different; although each resembles the other.  When Elsa was very young she smiled often when encountering very dominant adult dogs at the beach.  This is a sign of submission which is used to signal no challenge and a sense of being low man in the pack so to speak.  Puppies often smile in submission; along with a lowered body posture, dropped ears and squinted eyes.  Puppies who do not submit to older dominant dogs often receive physical reprimands until they do.

Greeting smiles are a very personal thing.  Tilley saved her smiles for her family and only her family.  Within her family, Brad received the most.  As she got older, it was only Brad who received her smiles unless we were gone for a very long time or something very exciting was going on.  She would also display a greeting/submissive smile for over the top home comings. 

Elsa on the other hand rarely does submissive smiling although if I catch her doing something she shouldn't be doing and make a big deal about it, she will.  She does offer greeting smiles all the time and I just adore them.  She's what I call an Elvis smiler; most of her everyday smiles are delivered with just the right side of her mouth.  If we are gone longer than normal then it starts with the side and moves to a full mouth smile.  Her smiles are accompanied with slight eye squints only sometimes, it really depends on our home coming.  When she was smiling at Lucy there was no squinting, just smiling. 

The biggest smiles that Elsa has displayed recently was when her Dad returned home after being gone for a long time.  She could not stop full face smiling.  The smiles were accompanied by snorting caused by the extreme curled up lips she was offering.  It was quite a display body wiggling, snorting and smiling; one that is hard to explain other than pure joy.   Elsa smiles on a daily basis but the degree of smile directly coincides the occasion. 

Over the years I have seen Luke almost smile.  But smiles can be very difficult to see because the dog is typically wiggling, has a lowered head or is leaping around.  He is a huffer, when he is happy he open mouth huffs but I have seen on several occasions, a very small lip curl sneak in. 

There is a big difference between a relaxed face giving off a smiling image and a true smiling dog.  If you've ever been the recipient of a true smile, you will completely understand the difference.      

New day, new digs and fun.

So how do you like the new look?  I didn't change a whole lot; just enough to give the page a little face lift.  We have another year ahead of us; as of January 1st, 2014 you had 364 more days until the next.  What are you going to do with this year?  It is always the question, new year, now what?  With each new year we can change, promise ourselves to be a better person, do more etc. etc. etc.  What about if we all just decided to have more fun?  That is after all, what our dogs would say to do.

Fun - something that provides mirth or amusement; enjoyment or playfulness.

We all know what fun means; at least our own personal meaning of it.  But do we make fun a goal in our life?  I don't think often enough.  We should do something that we consider enjoyable each and everyday; but too often life gets in the way of fun.  Several years ago I made a very bold statement while bringing in a New Year.  "I'm not doing anything I don't want to do anymore," was the gist of it.  What that one phrase did was change my whole outlook on the fun in my life. 

If things work out for us, we all have many years to look forward to.  Our dogs have much less than we do; sad but true, their lives are far too short on this earth.  So fun is even more important for them.  Do you strive to give your dog fun?  I do.  Offering them an outlet for fun on a daily basis is big time fun for me; it is one of my favorite things to do.  Does it take a lot of time?  Money?  No.  That is one of the great things about fun.  You can have fun in a moment, anytime of the day and you can have it several times a day.  Fun is what you make of it.  Fun is a very individual thing.  What is fun for me may not be fun for you at all.  Your dog may consider fun to be retrieving a ball non stop for hours fun (Elsa), while another would never think of this activity as fun.  Another might want to swim all day long; maybe romp in the snow or hunt lizards, all fun but not for everyone.  Like us, dogs are all different.

Finding the perfect combination of what you and your dog consider fun can take time.  Dogs are easy, the hard part is finding the right activity that we consider fun as well.  I see lots of people out walking their dog every day who are clearly not having fun.  What is it about walking their dog that they don't find fun?  They have put the walking of their dog in the 'chore' category instead of the 'time spent with their dog' one.  I for one love walking my dogs.  It is a time that I give to them; it is all for them but the fallout from it is my enjoyment. 

Having fun feels good.  Giving fun feels good; when the two are combined, well it's just plain awesome.  Fun is just too wonderful to schedule once a week or twice a month.  Fun should be had everyday.  It is one of the simplest things to achieve and accessible to everyone.  Fun can be found just about anywhere; but if you are not looking it might just pass you by.  Don't let fun evade you this year; do it, have it and enjoy it.  Make your own fun and offer it up to your dog daily.  Our dog's know how to have fun, now if we could all just figure it out as well. 

Gone but not forgotten. Tilley.

As I was discussing working on my next novel with my son Brad; I talked about going through the whole Tilley thing again.  He shuddered at the thought of reliving it just as I realized that it had been two years.  Two years today we lost our amazingly beautiful Tilley to a mass on her spleen.  The whole story will be told in my new novel; which will hopefully be out before too long.  I am not one to mark days of loss but I just relived it all on paper only a day ago.

Time does lessen the hurt; I always try to share this with people who have lost a canine companion.  It is true, reliving the event of losing Tilley has been much easier than it was reliving the loss of Jessie.  Two years have passed now; making it much easier to think about it all.  When I wrote my first book PBJ and me, it was all still very fresh and immensely sad.  Writing the section on the day we lost our little Jack Russell Jessie had been extremely painful.  I wrote and cried; with tears pouring down my face I told my story.  If you have read the book you, know that I held nothing back; I told it all like it happened.  It was very difficult.  But now two years after losing our wonderful Tilley, it is much easier.  I do not miss her any less two years later but it does hurt less.  There have most definitely been tears shed as I relive the story of losing her but to a lesser degree; all due to time passed.

Life goes on as they say; but memories stay with us forever.  There is never a day that goes by that I don't think of her.  She was one of the most amazing dogs that I have ever met, let alone lived with.   She taught me many life lessons that have helped me with other dogs.  Thankfully Elsa got to share several months with Tilley and learn what she could.   Just the other day as I was tossing the ball for Elsa, again; she lowered her head and pounced on the ball exactly like Tilley.  The moment took me back and I stood thinking about Tilley; before Elsa dropped the ball once again at my feet. 

I feel so lucky to have shared Tilley's life with her.  She was one of those dogs that everyone loves.  People always wanted their dog to play with her; and they wanted to get to know her.  She loved people; especially men and tolerated other dogs.  It wasn't that she didn't like them she just loved her own dogs, Luke and Jessie.  They were an amazing pack.  She was an unbelievably amazing dog who's memory lives strong in my heart. 

Scratch and dent sale

As I was surfing around the net this morning I noticed several sites that were selling off "damaged" goods.  These were not tech type shops selling computers or TV's; they weren't kitchen appliances or home goods, no these were puppies.  Yep, damaged puppies with an illness or defect of some kind sold for a discounted prices.  The note below the damaged puppies was "will need extra care and financial support."  I thought I was reading it wrong for a second; this had to be a rescue right?  Nope, I reread the page and it was most definitely a Puppy Mill. 

Puppy Mill - A place where dogs are bred strictly for money.  No care is taken with regard to health or care of the breeding dogs, nor the puppies. 

Imagine, just imagine.  Not only is the owner of the Puppy Mill pumping puppies out left and right; but they are selling them off at either full price, marked down or with a major discount depending on the health of the dog.  Wow. 

Of course puppies can get sick, they can be injured or have malformations even with the best breeders.  But what separates a miller from a good breeder is what is done with that puppy.  If several puppies in a litter have health defects then the Mother of that said litter needs to be spayed.  The ill puppies need to be cared for by the breeder.  If someone is interested in a puppy with an illness they should be offered it at no cost to the individual; being that they there is a good possibility that they will have to invest a great deal of money to help the dog.  The puppy should not be sold at a discounted rate due to scratches and dents. 

When someone decides to breed dogs; there are all sorts of reasons behind that decision.  One major one is money and I have seen the worst of them who do it for money.  But not all people who do it for money are as obvious as others.  Some have cute little websites that show clean puppies for sale.  Others even keep the dogs in their homes.  But when the bottom line is money then corners will be cut.  It is just how it is.  Standards are lowered both with the health and care of the puppies and who the puppies are sold to. 

In the mind of a Puppy Miller, puppies are a product.  They produce the product and sell it, that's it.  Much the same as people who produce inferior products to sell; knowing full well that it is a bad product and will break.  They don't care, all they care is that they get your money in their hand.  I was appalled reading about ill puppies being sold for a discount.  The standard of a good breeder is extremely high; they will not bend nor cut corners to save a buck.  Their code of ethics is a one for any breeder to strive for.  Scratch and dent sale on damaged goods?  Disgusting, just disgusting. 

Just dogs.

                                    Penny, Elsa, Luke and I having a snugglefest. 

Just dogs with Sherri, "oh what do you do with dogs?"  Is a question I hear often.  I have shortened the answer due to the practice of offering up what I do.  I do dogs. 

I am:

- first and foremost a dog trainer.

- a dog photographer.

- a dog writer. 

Trainer

To elaborate a small bit.  I started my life in the conformation show ring at the age of 13 years young.  From there I went on to train with conventional training methods (choke collars).  In the mid 90s I discovered positive reinforcement training and never looked back. I have taught years of group obedience classes; then moved on to private in-home training where I was able to do more personalized behavior modification.  I am now offering email behavior consultations.  I love that I can help so many people with one on one assistance on their everyday to serious canine issues.  Giving people the tools to help make living with their dog a smooth one is about as good as it gets for me.  Being able to reach those in remote areas and help anywhere in the world is remarkable.  Help is just a click away. 

Canine behavior is by far my biggest passion; it is where my love of photographing dogs stemmed from. 

Photographer

 Specializing in action photography and the canine/human connection.  It started years ago when a camera was left in front of me.  It didn't take long to discover that I loved capturing the very essence of a dog.  I very quickly worked into many of the big dog magazines; having been in many, had feature photo spreads and covers.  But it is the private shoot that really charges me; capturing a dog for the person who loves it.  That or capturing the love between the two; the canine/human connection. 

Stopping  a moment in time; one that you might never see otherwise is as they say, priceless.

Writer

I needed more, I have a lot to say and writing seemed the way to do it.  I have been writing this blog for years, almost 7 years now.  Pretty crazy when I look back at the beginning.  So this blog gives me an outlet to share dogs with you all.  When I hear about new canine related things; I like to share them with you.  When my dogs and I experience new, weird, crazy and interesting things; I like to share them with you. 

After blogging for years I put my love of writing and photography together into my children's books.  The Luke and Elsa series.  If you have not seen or heard of them; check them out on my website books page.  I am currently working on book #3 in the series which will feature other dogs as well as Luke and Elsa. 

There is also my novel PBJ and me (which is on my book page of my website as well).  A book that came from a trip, an adventure that changed everything.  I had planned to do a cross country photography book with the trip but it quickly became much more than just pictures.  I am currently working on the sequel to this book which will hopefully be out soon. 

I also have a training/behavior book for the new puppy owner that is very near completion.  Stay tuned for the news on that one. 

But wait, there's more.

Canine behavior, photography and writing are my main work; the stuff that fills most of my days.  But there is more, I am working on some new treats which will hopefully be available soon.  There is also the canine related gear that I am working on.  Testing canine related products for lots of big dog companies.  Nutrition, grooming, grooming products, dog related human gear and the list goes on and on and on.

So what do I do?  Dogs, Just dogs with of course me, Sherri.  :) 

More on leash aggression

Yes, I've written about leash aggression over and over again.  But after a trip to the park and witnessing two episodes of it I just have to discuss it further.  Luke, Elsa and I had just gotten out of the Xterra and were on our way to the open area of the park.  It is nice going out with both of them; but it is getting harder for Elsa as Luke slows.  She is very good at walking slowly but you can see her chomping at the bit.  As we rounded a corner I heard the jingling of dog tags behind us.  Glancing over my shoulder to see who was coming; I recognized them immediately.  A woman with her two Siberian Huskies; I see her often, running through the park with her dog.  I like that she runs with her dogs; Huskies need to run and she obviously takes the time to give them what they need.  But on this day as they ran up beside us, I could see their hair going up.  Hmmmmmmm, hadn't noticed this before; perhaps it was because she always runs down the middle of the field. 

They broke their running pace and started to grumble.  Soon it was a frenzied barking and the owner pulled the leashes to a full stop.  She tried to get them under control to go again but she only ran a few yards before they started up once more.  By this time Luke was all puffed up and grumbling himself; Elsa joined in with a bark or two.  The barking became more frenzied when I noticed the prong collar.  I wanted to tell her but there was no way to have a civil conversation among this chaos.  Luke, Elsa and I had never stopped walking; we had not changed our pace and I told them very calmly that "we don't care about this stuff," as we continued along.   She ran off and as she got distance her dogs quieted.  Association, it is all about association for dogs.  The more the dog strained at the leash the more pain he received at the fault of my dog's presence. 

We made our way around the whole park; a big walk for the old guy.  As we came to the end I watched another case of leash aggression unfold in a magnitude I had not seen in some time.  A nice woman with her tiny toy poodle was walking quietly and calmly down the path.  At the end of the path were two Chihuahuas and a small white fluffy dog.  The sound coming from the three dogs at the end of the path was that of sheer frenzied scream barking.  Each dog was held by a human so there were three dogs and three humans there in a bunch.  They stayed on the path which surprised me; moving off and giving their dogs some space would have been a good idea.  As the woman with her poodle approached they got louder and louder and displayed redirected aggression.  Snapping at one another out of frustration; it was an insane situation.  The woman with the small poodle picked up her dog and walked by and on her way. 

I had a choice at that moment, to go pass or not.  I chose to walk pass, but with a great distance between us and the frenzied pack.  They never stopped their barking once the woman had passed by them.  They were far too worked up at this point and needed a huge intervention to be able to stop.   When we got close enough for me to see what was going on, I was shocked.  Each person was hitting the dog they had on a leash.  There was yanking, hitting and yelling coming from the owners of these dogs.  When I saw the one with the fluffy dog take a magazine and hit his dog I stopped dead in my tracks.  I could not go by without saying something; but could they even hear me?  I made sure that Luke and Elsa were calm; it was a very stressful situation so I didn't want them freaked out by it.  Elsa was sniffing around and Luke was just calmly watching. 

"You are making the situation worse," I yelled to them.  "Every time you hit your dog you are creating a negative association to dogs being near you," I tried to yell at them.  One girl heard me and stopped hitting her dog.  "Don't hit your dogs," I said loud and clear.  Now all the owners were facing me, listening.  I explained further, although I'm not sure how much they could hear.  I told them if they continued like this that their problem was going to become much worse.  They seemed interested as I tried to explain how the dog's brain works.  I told them about rewarding minute moments of silence with food treats.  But with the frenzied barking ongoing it was difficult to get anything but "don't hit your dog," across. 

Leash aggression is very, very common.  The more aggression that your dog hears as they walk by other dogs the more apt they are to display themselves.  What you do with that display makes all the difference in the world.  Yanking, yelling and even hitting is a human attempt to stop the behavior.  The dog takes all of these displays from their human as a very negative situation.  The human is stressed which stresses the dog further.  The yelling, yanking and hitting creates a hugely negative association to the presence of other dogs. 

If you have a dog with leash aggression:

Don't stop walking, do not slow, just keep going.
Stay calm, even if you have to pretend.
Do not tighten up on the leash; if you have to, do it so that your dog cannot tell that you are.
Give yourself and your dog space.  Step off of the path.
If you have to change direction or turn around, do it calmly.

You can either make it worse, or better.  I opt for the "we don't care about these things," approach.

Fiesta Island continuation

What a cutie.

Nice looking young Vizsla, but a bit too intense for Penny.

She didn't like being chased by this dog.   Lots of signals in this shot.

Lots of canine communications.  This bloodhound was fun at first but then got fixated on Penny which she didn't enjoy.  Elsa checking out the dog and checking on Penny.  She is very protective of her little Bull Terrier.  

She was submitting like crazy and got scared of the dog after a bit.

It just went on for too long and too intense.

A moment of play invitation from Penny. 

Then running away again.  

Elsa doing what Elsa loves doing.  

Hello 2014

Well, a Happy New Year to everyone.  Over the holidays we took Elsa down to visit Penny and Nicole again.  We took another trip to Fiesta Island.  Here are some of the pics, continuation of photos on tomorrows blog.

So glad to see Elsa enjoying the water.

Penny loved chasing Elsa, chasing the ball.

Inseparable.

A beautiful doberman who wandered by very shortly.

Penny wasn't too sure if she wanted to meet this guy. 

Penny followed a dog way up the hill.  Watching us from up above.

Elsa went in up to the point of having to swim, that is the next step. 

Dad throwing the ball in the water again and again and again.

Penny loves to run with her Mom.

This little guy was determined to catch Penny, hilarious. 

Elsa's ball was too far for her to get so Penny went in to get it.  Then a Golden joined them.

More tomorrow.  :)

This is it.

The last day of 2013, wow; where does the time go?  Honestly, it seems like only yesterday that I was writing the last blog of 2012 and my These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things blog.  Here we go, another year.  I am really hoping that this is a good one for everyone.  One of the great things about blogging is being able to go back and look at what I've blogged about to jog my memory.  I have a horrible memory so being able to read my past blogs is great. 

I have to say that this year was most definitely better than the two before.  But I'm still hoping that the next will be even better.   Luke turned 13 years old this year; Elsa 2 years, another birthday is always cause for celebration.  Nothing monumental occurred except for the bee sting incident with Elsa.    There were few minor scares with Luke but nothing that didn't pass without anything serious.  If you have just joined as a follower of this blog; feel free to go back and read the years before.

Just about everything was covered this year; grooming, general maintenance, vaccinations, behavior, nutrition etc, etc.  I pretty much blog as I live my day to day.  When we go through something I try to share it with you all in hopes that it will help someone, even one person and/or their dog.  By far the largest readership was seen on my blog about "tail amputation, or docking."    I hope the blog answered some questions for folks and helped others come to the non docking change.  It's happening albeit slowly.

As we end this final day of 2013 and I look back; I think it was a good one.  There were MANY changes in this house and I'm sure there will be many more in the year to come.  I want to thank you all for your continued support of readership; both on this blog and all of my FB group pages.  Have a wonderful day today and a safe evening.  We'll see you next year.

Sherri

A houseful of dogs

Snoop

Good morning, we had a wonderful Christmas and Boxing Day.  I hope that you all did as well.  Here, we had 5 dogs in the house.  Luke, Elsa, Penny, Snoop and Luna.  It was a juggling act as this was a first for Luna meeting Luke and Elsa.  Snoop and Luna are my daughter and her fiancé's dogs.  They have been in this house a lot but not shared a space until this weekend.  Snoop is a 13 year Pekingese who at this age is not interested in interacting with other dogs.  He is cute as a button but likes to keep to himself so they made sure that he had was able to do that.  He also suffers from a very bad back so being in the mix is not a good idea at all.  He is perfectly happy staying in bed all day; and was given lots of alone time in the yard and other areas of the house.

Luna

Luna is the newcomer; she joined their family with Snoop, back in August.  She is a rescue and an adorable one at that.  She looks to be a mix between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Japanese Chin; weighing in at only 11 lb., she is small in comparison to Penny, Luke and Elsa.  It was apparent from the get go that she was going to push; she is a very dominant little female.  Snoop and Luna had their words when she first joined them but now get along wonderfully.  They have a different relationship; they are happy to simply coexist without much, if any interaction.  Knowing that Luna is very dominant and pushy; we had to take great care to introduce her to my pack.

Luke is very social and even if a dog growls, he will typically turn and walk away.  That is other than his occasional leash aggression thing.  He likes most dogs and at this age doesn't really care much about interaction.  He is happy to sit on the sidelines and watch.   Elsa is also very social but as she is maturing she is not a fan of being growled at.  She will retaliate and there in lies the problem of Luna being in our house "Elsa's house."  I knew that Elsa was not going to be okay with a strange dog coming into her home and growling at or trying to dominate her.  So we have waited for their introduction and it had to be on neutral territory.   With Luna having been in the house before, even in the backyard with Luke and Elsa watching; they were already quite use to her smell and look.  So the stage was set.

We met at a field close by.  The dogs would have lots of room to be off leash; which is very important if you think things might get weird.  Close, cramped quarters are a big no no with iffy dogs.  So Luna, Luke and Elsa were set free to run and not everything went great.  Elsa pretty much ignored her for the first while because she thought I had a ball.  After realizing that I didn't she went to finally meet Luna.  Within minutes Elsa was chasing Luna was running full speed; they were both having a blast.  We stayed quite a while and they were just fine with each other.  Luke got on his tiptoes to meet Luna as he could also tell right off that she was a bossy type.  She took Luke cue as reigning Top dog and backed off; she even seemed drawn to him.

Back home things would be different.  Penny had already met Luna several times but they didn't quite mesh.  They are pretty much complete opposites but the fact that Penny doesn't care at all if dogs growl at her is a major plus because Luna growls at Penny a lot.  Growling is as far as it goes so I know that with more time the growling will stop; although maybe not with Penny.  Watching Luke and Elsa around Luna was fascinating.  They started out in the yard; again more room to move around and away if needed.  That went well until Luna went under the patio table and claimed it.  She growled at Luke as he passed by; he only got on his toes and kept going.  He isn't much for getting into it anymore.  Elsa and Penny ignored her which was good.

As I thought, inside the house was much different; more growling and tension.  They are not ready to hang out for the whole day in the house yet.  Luna needs to learn that she cannot claim people, places or things before we can do this.  But they did spend a while in the house; that was when everyone was in the garage or moving around which went well.  As soon as she is given the chance to claim something she takes it.  So there is work to be done until all is running smoothly.

Merry Christmas