There's a dog stuck in the yard.

           This is the German Shorthaired Pointer in my side yard.  Hard to see because of the glare. 

What?  What the heck?  A couple of nights ago I was watching t.v., (you know that it is Luke's favorite thing in the world) when I decided to make a cup of tea.  Telling Luke that I would be right back; Elsa and I head up to the kitchen.  As I reached for my cup I heard a strange noise; I froze, trying to locate it's whereabouts.  Elsa starred at the water cooler; was it making the noise?  I walked over to the water cooler that is beside a bay window in the kitchen.  Listening very carefully I leaned in to see if it was the cooler that was making the noise, when I saw movement.  There was big movement out the window but the glare from the light was making it hard to see.  As I moved in to get a better look I gasped; it was a dog and it was trying to get out of my side yard. 

I stopped and thought for a moment; it couldn't get in the backyard as long as the gate second gate was shut.  I ran out immediately to check that it was.  I came back in and had a good look; there was a small German Shorthaired Pointer trying to scale the half wall that is on one side of my house.  I have no idea how long it had been there; we'd been downstairs for sometime.  It was very dark on the side of the house, so I considered that I was going to have to grab the dog right away if I opened the gate.  I'd need two hands to catch the dog maybe and I wouldn't have enough light to read the tag if there were tags on the dog.  When I went out to open the front gate a large black dog came running down the side hill.  Back into the house I went to think some more.  There were two dogs out there?  I grabbed a flashlight to have a look. 

At this point Elsa was charging around the house like a crazy dog.  She could hear the jingles coming from the black dog's collar and was barking up a storm.  The dog was running around the yard, up the hill and down again.  I went back to the kitchen to see if the dog was still there and it was.  But now the black dog was in there as well; what happened next was amazing.  The black dog leapt out of the side yard; over the wall that is about three feet high.  Once it was up on the hill it turned to wait for the other dog.  The GSP made a gallant effort but didn't make it.  Then the black dog went back down into the side yard and jumped out again.  The German Shorthaired just could not jump high enough to get it's back legs over the wall.  This happened several times, the black dog was trying it's hardest to show the other dog how to get out, amazing.

I wanted to contain both dogs so that they didn't go running off into the night but it would be difficult.  Luckily Brad got home and with a heads up from me as to what was going on he called to the black dog as soon as he got out of his truck.  I finally saw the dog well enough to see that it was a Labrador.  She was afraid of Brad so he bent down (that's my boy) and she came to him.  He read her tags out to me and I dialed.  They lived just a few streets over and the owners didn't even realize that they were out.  I asked if they also had a GSP; they did and both dogs were apparently friendly.  The Labrador was most definitely friendly and we leashed her up until her owners arrived. 

I decided to leave the GSP in the side yard where she was stuck.  She seemed frantic; I thought the second that I opened the gate that she'd bolt and be gone.  A dog in such a state of panic can do things that they would never normally do.  So there she stayed until they got to the house.  It was a good thing that we left her in the yard because even with her owner opening the gate she tried to bolt past him as he grabbed her collar.  But they both went into the car and headed for home.  Lucky dogs and lucky owners.  Standing waiting for the owners to arrive, I realized just how invisible a black dog at night is.  She or both could have easily be hit. 

Brad and I went back into the house where Elsa gave us the once over; sniffing every spot the dog had touched on us.  She finally calmed down and I took the baby gate down that I had put up so that Elsa wouldn't see the dog in the side yard.  All was back to normal and Mr. Luke?  He was still on the couch downstairs waiting for me to continue our t.v. watching. 

We put a fence up on the side hill so that stray dogs could not wander into the backyard.  Another one will be going up this weekend so that they can't get into the side yard either. 

Paleo Dog book

   Celeste Yarnall was on Star Trek, shown above.  Of course we all know who
the man is, Captain Kirk or William Shatner when he's not on the Starship Enterprise.(I love Star Trek)

What does Captain Kirk or William Shatner have to do with dogs?  A lot.  His is the first review on the new Paleo Dog book (website). The book was written by Jean Hofve, DVM, and Celeste Yarnall, PhD., available this summer.

I was very excited to get the chance to read Paleo Dog as our family tries to follow a Paleo diet and lifestyle.  Humans and dogs alike have gone astray as far as nutrition and lifestyle; this book helps to bring things back to where they should be.   My son, who is one of the biggest Paleo advocates that I know; was thrilled to see the book when it arrived.  So I rolled up my sleeves and dug into the book to see what it was all about.  One of the first things that I realized was that it was far more than just a "what to feed your dog" book.  Paleo Dog encompasses the whole paleo dog's lifestyle.  The day to day stuff that fills our dog's days, health, nutrition and healing.

If you are scratching your head, wondering "what the heck is paleo?"  Then check out the two links below to get a good explanation.  

Paleo Diet - The Paleo Diet website

Paleolithic Lifestyle - Wikipedia

Paleo Dog is a big read; giving you lots to think about.  I found myself marking spots throughout the book that I wanted to come back to for a re-read.  The book gives a brief explanation of all things that encompass the paleo lifestyle; which may lead to further research if you want to continue learning, which I love.  

You will find information pertaining to homeopathic remedies, flower essence, aromatherapy, negative ions, reiki, kinesiology and far more in Paleo Dog.  It also explains how to transition to a paleo diet, what to feed as well as recipes.   In addition to the details of a paleo lifestyle and diet, the book contains a wonderful list of supplements, food borne illness and an extensive glossary.  A definite "go to" book for referencing as well as educational.  



Statement from Celeste Yarnall, PhD., about the making of the book.  - “Paleo Dog is the latest collaboration between Dr. Jean and myself. Here we share each of our 20+ years of experience in the world of holistic health care for dogs. Our first book together, The Complete Guide to Holistic CAT Care left us both feeling that we wanted to share the same kind of information for our canine friends. The goal being to bring to our readers a complete lifestyle that would offer the rules and tools to be the best possible caregiver of our best friends. The intent is to not bring to the market yet another paleo cook book but rather a guide book that shares the science behind the way dogs evolved and why their inner wolf must not only be nourished but nurtured according to their dogs unique biology, rather than applying our own human principles. The reader can turn the word love into an action verb as the guardian of their own Paleo Dog”


The book is all about getting rid of the negative in our life and diet.  It is very informative and thought provoking, very much for the inquiring mind.  I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to do better for their furkids. 

I feel good - bath day.

 

            The beginning of a zoom.

 

That glorious tail.  :)

                                                               Sweet, sweet girl. 

   

    Elsa's shake

                                                       Did someone say lizard?

 

Retrieving and drying.

 

A wet goatee.

 

                                                                Honestly, what a face.

    Luke's shake.

   Two Standard Poodles, water and sunshine.  :)

Another sad death - dangers of collars

                    Before the fun begins, the collars come off.  Penny just gets through the front door and we take the collar off.  Luke and Elsa are collar free when in the safety of their home. 



This blog is a repost from October 2009; but it has happened again.  Another death from strangulation in a crate, due to a collar.  This one just crossed my path but I know many other dogs die from wearing a collar.  Please, when you are not with your dog; take their collar off, it could save their life. 

Hidden Collar dangers

I now have something serious to talk about.

I just got notice that another dog has died from strangulation due to their collar. Sadly this is all too common; so I would like to pass this information, please do the same. Collars look cute and are essential tools when you live with dogs; but please take extra precaution and never leave your dog’s collar on while unattended. Collars or harnesses should only ever be worn when your dog is under your strict supervision. My dogs only wear collars when they go for a walk; as soon as we enter back into our home they come off. I had one of these accidents happen to my dogs and luckily I was there to stop a tragedy.

Many years ago now I had two male standard poodles who loved to rough house. One day while outside one of the boys got their mouth snagged up in the other ones collar. Both were extremely upset; thinking that the other was in some way attacking them, they struggled and screamed. I ran screaming myself; I thought they were indeed in a fight. Once I got close it was obvious what was happening and I was able to calm them long enough to untangle them. Unfortunately not all dogs are as lucky; and you don’t need two or more dogs to have an accident.

Many different scenarios can happen when a dog wears a collar unsupervised. There are many stories of dogs being strangled when they have attempted to jump a fence and didn’t make it. Dog tags can become caught on just about anything even in the safety of a crate. Once caught up a dog quickly goes into panic mode. It is often this fight or flight reaction that causes the damage. All collars can be dangerous; choke type collars are the worst because they tighten and don’t let up but even a regular flat buckle collar can take a dog’s life.

Most people keep identification tags on their dog’s collars; having a collar on gives the guardian a sense of security. Tags are fine on a collar for a walk; but if you want to identify your dog 24x7 have them micro-chipped. All veterinarian offices offer micro-chipping; and it is one of the best ways to ensure your dogs return should they ever become lost. Save your collar/harness use for what they were intended; walks. Take all collars and harnesses off when you are not supervising; it could save your dog’s life. Please tell your friends.

Adding another,

                            Two is perfect right now. 

Adding more dogs to the family is something that we discuss a lot around here.  With both my daughters having their own dogs now; one of us is often contemplating an addition.  I have many opinions on the subject and the older I get, those opinions shift slightly and new ones develop.  Opinions change from experience' experience is a wonderful thing and it only comes with age.  Having lived through so many things you can somehow see much clearer than when you are young.  When I was young, in my teens and early twenties I was very impulsive.  I would act before ever considering, making rash decisions.  Luckily that changed along the way.

Elsa is the most recent addition to our family; Penny in Nicole's home and Luna in Jamie's.   It took a very long time to find the right breeder and the right dog for us.  With 3 seniors in the house already there was much to think about.  The dog had to mesh with the others; she had to be patient, kind and understanding.  Elsa was all those and then some.  But it didn't happen by chance, Elsa's breeder knew what we wanted and chose her for us.  But along with adding the right dog is knowing the right time to add.  There are many things to consider with regards to timing when you want to add another.

How old is the youngest dog that you have already?  Are they old enough to have something to offer a puppy? Adding another dog before your other one can offer life experience can just add up to tons of work.  Many folks add another dog just to keep their existing dog company.  Although a great thought, it doesn't always work out.  Two young dogs are twice the work.  The first dog may not have had their fair share of  "one on one" time.  Time to develop, learn and grow into a fully adapted and mature dog. 

 Do you have time to dedicate to a puppy?  Real time?  I would love a puppy right now.  In fact we had planned for one; but things change, life unfolds without giving us a heads up.  So right now is not a good time to add a puppy to our home.  But I am hoping that the next year will bring with it a new family member for us to love.  I also want to give Elsa another year of "her time."  Our bond has become an intense one.  She gets lots of time to play with friends and she has Luke of course.  They play almost every day and it has taught her to play gently when needed.  There is much more to life than constant brawling with a young playmate. 

I am not an advocate of buying two puppies at the same time, for many reasons.  Time spent with your dog is all about quality, not quantity.  Same goes for spending time with other dogs.  Having to teach two dogs simultaneously is a boatload of work.  Why not let your dog help; by waiting until they have something to offer?  When we add another puppy to the family, Elsa will have lots to teach it.  She will have three years of experience to offer the new blank slate.  Three years to me is the best time; that is unless there are other circumstances that need to push it up or back. 

This is of course, my opinion.

Mind control

Do you have control of your dog?  Can you control them without reaching for their collar?  It's not easy if you are like many others and rely on the ever popular collar grab for control.  Many, many years ago I took collars off, for two reasons.  One, because it is not safe for dogs to have them on when you are not around; and two, to shake the collar grab completely.  No grabbing.  Sure there are times when a dog simply will not listen and you have to grab a hold of them; but that is so very rare if you do your work and get mind, body or voice control.

Control is a funny thing; some people shudder at the idea of controlling our dogs.  Who do we think we are anyway?  They tend to like the idea of dogs doing as they please.  The simple fact is that our dogs must be controlled and if we cannot do it with mind, body language or voice then it must be done physically, fact.  When we fail in the control department; it means that our dogs basically are running amuck.   I for one do not like when things get out of control.  Being a dog trainer it is in my nature to have things just so as far as dogs are concerned.  Even when things get crazy there must be a certain level of control, controlled chaos. 

Okay, not okay.  Our dogs need to learn what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.  If your only source of teaching this is to grab hold of your dog; then your messages are going to be very muddled.  A collar grab can create many problems that weren't there to start with.  Let's take a dog that won't come when called.  They quickly learn to duck from the hand that reaches out.  That reaching hand means "game over, fun over," and they avoid it like the plague.  So instead of just not coming they are now running from you and your hand.  They aren't just not coming but bolting away which is another level of dangerous. 

Grabbing a dog in the middle of a tussle, can lead to a fight.  Even dogs playing rough can cross a line when they are physically dragged away.  The dog being dragged gets defensive as they lose their control and the other dog takes advantage of a weak moment.  Ever notice what happens when you lift one dog in the air around other dogs?  Not good.  It is the same thing when you grab a collar and physically drag them out.  Teaching our dogs to listen and comply when asked, makes for a happy canine/human team.

I saw two women walking by the grocery store yesterday morning.  One had a dog with them as they took their morning stroll.  As they passed by me the dog stopped to sniff while the woman talked away.  They stopped for a moment and were obviously perturbed by the pause in their walk.  The woman reefed on the dogs neck, then she did it again.  There were no "let's go," words; no "come on," heads up to keep moving.  No control, just a yank on a neck.  A neck that some humans have discerned is there for the yanking.   

I challenge you to take your dog's collar off for a solid two weeks.  Of course this is just in the safety of your home or yard.    This doesn't mean that they need to be robots.  They can go about their normal day and you about yours; but without any collar grabs.  See how much control you actually have. 

The Gang, Wordless (sort of) Wednesday.

Letting Elsa do all of the work, a common occurrence. 

What a face.

Just hanging on.

Nothing is more fun than playing with your BFF.

Leverage.

A good shot for size comparison.

Gusto.

Reckless abandon.

Watching the craziness.

Like I said, crazy.  

Heart.

Love of retrieving.

This was so cute, Luke came out to find me and this is the moment that he spotted me sitting on the ground.  Shooting the girls.  

                                                     So happy to have found me.  :)

Sun kissed.

The fun continues today; I can hear the girls at it downstairs.  

Energy overload, youth playtime.

As you know, Penny is here for a visit.  She will be here for a few days which means lots and lots of playtime.  Having two young dogs around is great; they can help to drain one another's excess energy.  But it can also mean that things get out of control and/or they get over tired and cranky.  When Penny first arrived in our family, playtime got out of control often.  Elsa was a year younger than she is now and did not listen as well as she does now.  During the day there were many times that we had to physically separate them so that the baby could sleep and Elsa wouldn't become over tired.  Penny was new and very exciting; so when she came to visit it was very hard for Elsa to control herself. 

Nowadays I still have to separate them, but only once in a while.  With Penny almost a year and a half and Elsa two and half years old, things have settled down.  Oh, don't get me wrong; there is lots of craziness that goes on but it's much more manageable.  First, Elsa listens very well and when I say "enough" she knows that I mean it.  It is still very exciting when Penny comes to visit but that over the top "newness" has gone.  Plus, they have both been together so much now that can just chill without feeling the need to be constantly brawling. 

When you have two young dogs around you have to be the referee.  The slightest thing can send Penny into a zoom with Elsa in hot pursuit.  At that point things can go very wrong.  A few extra growls from Luke can spark a fire under Penny that catapults her around the house like a torpedo.  This is not good for anyone, especially Luke.  So I nip it in the bud to try to avoid those out of control moments.  Crazy fun is one thing but out of control is something altogether different.  Once it gets to that point it can be very difficult to stop; so you must stop it before it starts. 

A special moment from yesterday morning.  Penny adores Luke and is learning to control her enthusiasm.  It seems just staring at him is enough sometimes.  Had to share.  

Right now all three are on the bed with me while I blog.  Penny is having a hard time settling into sleep mode with Elsa so close.  But it is still too early to get brawling and with Luke on the bed, it's not happening.  Each sniff and attempt to instigate a game is met with feedback from me.  She's getting it but it is hard at a year and a half.   Things will get going soon enough and then I will get my camera out for the fun.  :)

This and that, crazy busy weekend

What a crazy, busy and very wet weekend.  This weekend was my daughter's bridal shower at our house.  Not only did we have a shower, we had torrential rains.  I'm not talking about "wow, look how much it's raining" type; no, I'm talking about the kind of rain where you think that it can't even be possible how much rain is falling.  We had wave after wave after wave.  Walls of water pouring from the sky and overflowing literally everywhere.  There was just no where for the rain to go.  So with that, the bridal shower and only indoor games for Elsa and Penny, it was a very busy weekend.

With some good morning playtime behind them, all three (Luke, Elsa and Penny) were tucked away for the festivities.  It turns out that we had a good old fashion boomer of a thunder storm during the shower which brought the "Shower" idea to a whole different level.  After both the shower and the downpour, everyone headed home.  Luke, Elsa and Penny were then free to join the party and investigate all of the gifts and of course snorfle around for any tidbits that may have been dropped on the floor.  That was pretty much Penny's department. 

With a table full of food, she sat vigilant; waiting for someone to deliver it from the table to her mouth.  She sat for literally an hour in hopes of scoring some of the food left on the table.  Of course she finally did, and all of her patient waiting paid off.  A couple of deviled eggs was more than worth her wait.  Then came more downpours and trying to get the dogs out between them.  Luke was just happy to be back in his spot on the couch.  As is customary, Penny spent much of her time trying to warm up to Luke.  The two are getting along so much better.  Luke is very tolerant of her constant pushing for a bit of returned affection and Penny is trying very hard not to smother him.  It is cute to watch.

Sunday brought with it more rain and lots of indoor games.  Penny is here for a couple of days; so you know what that means, photos.  I believe the rains are now behind us so hopefully they will get some good outdoor time for fun in the sun.  At 6:00 am the girls are already at it.  It is open your eyes and go time.  Penny has turned my laptop off once already by clamoring all over me and Luke has done several Grizzly bear impressions to keep Penny at bay.  It will be another couple of busy days.  Have a great Monday. 

Do you know when somethings wrong?

Listen when your dog shows you something different.  

I awoke last night at 1:30 am.  As I rolled over to get comfy I saw Elsa's silhouette in front of the patio window.  She stood frozen, tail down and staring at the ground.  This was not normal.  I watched her for a bit and she didn't move.  Finally I said "what are you doing?" Her tail wagged and I grabbed my robe as I asked her "do you need outside?"  She ran happily down stairs and outside for a very fast pee.  Had Elsa waken me up with not a word, no sound?  Had she awaken me with some sort of canine/human connection?  Perhaps.  I've always wondered how she would wake us up if she needed out at night but she never has.  All of our dogs have told us in different ways; maybe Elsa's way was through some sort of mind meld thing. 

Most owners know when something is not right.  It makes me crazy when outsider dog professionals say "she's fine" when you know that she is not.  I remember having Elsa at puppy classes when she was 3.5 months old.  I noticed a change in her behavior one day and said "she's needs to go out."  The teacher said "she's fine, she's just being a puppy," and I corrected her saying "she needs to go out."  The teacher said again "she's just being a puppy."  Elsa did a huge diarrhea poop on the floor.  So there!  I blamed myself of course; I knew she needed out but the teacher had insisted she was fine and to stay in the class.  Then the teacher cleaned up the mess.  ;)

I have been at a Veterinarians who also told me "she seems fine."  I've even had blood results in front of me saying that she was not fine when the Vet told me "looks good, nothing to worry about."  Of course I'm not going to that Veterinarian anymore.  If you know your dog, I mean really know your dog; then you know when something is not right.  Do not listen to anyone else when you believe there is something wrong.  I don't care if someone has Dr. in front of their name; I know my dogs.  Any professional who does not listen to the signs of behavior change given by an owner is foolish. 

Some dogs are harder to read than others.  Tilley was a tough read, she kept all weaknesses hidden away from anyone.  She was one of the toughest dogs that I have ever met but there was always something to let me know.  Dogs naturally hide pain; to show it is to display that you are weak.  This is something that you just don't do because when you are weak you are susceptible to attack in the canine world.  Of course there are some dogs who are weinies, just like there are weinie people.  Luke is an easy read, Elsa not so much.  As you all know, I'm a watcher; it is what I do, I watch.  Every little thing from a dog is a signal.  Signals are given to other dogs and people but they also are also signs of what is going on with your dog.

When you see something new, different, even just a little, pay attention.  Go with your gut, always listen to that inner self.

Being a great leader for your dog

Being a good leader does not mean that you are always out front. 

I was reading an article the other day on what makes a great leader.  It was directed at being a leader to other humans but as I dug deeper into it I realized that it is the same qualities that make a good leader for our dogs.  Being a good leader does not mean that you never let your dog do anything that they want, it means that you guide them through.  Without correct guidance, canines can run astray in our very human world.  So many people fail their dogs by not offering guidance.  They don't want to tell their dog what to do; but left to their own a dog can flounder and go down the wrong path. 

A good canine leader

-  listens and watches.

-  knows that it is not all about them.

-  does not know everything and is willing to admit error.

-  knows that compromise works much better than "only my way."

-  will not knowingly set their dog up for failure.

-  does not knowingly place their dog in a bad situation.

-  works on the team aspect of dog and human. 

-  guides with a gentle hand and smart head.

-  understands that ever dog has limits.

-  every dog has strengths and weaknesses and  knows them both. 

-  does not expect what is unobtainable.

-  strives to do better for their dog.

-  knows their own personal weaknesses and strengths, everyone has them. 

-  makes mistakes, but strives to correct them.

-  loves unconditionally. 

-  knows that there are good days and bad. 

-  is open minded, always wanting to know more.

-  will have their dog's back. 

-  will take the blame when something goes wrong.

-  has a kind heart.

-  is one half of an amazing team.


One cannot lead on their own.  To lead is to teach, guide and assist through the day to day.   This list could go on and on but these are the things that came to mind this morning.  Life can be a challenge, more so for our dogs.  With no guidance, no one to lead them it can be even rougher.  Every dog needs a good leader, not just a leader; your dog needs someone on their team.  As I sit here with Elsa snuggled up close and Luke under his blanket deep asleep, I feel lucky.  When I rise they will follow, we are a team, a pack, one. 

One moment at a time.

 

The sun shining through Luke's goatee is for me, a moment to share.  :)

Life goes by far too quickly.  The older you get, the faster it goes.  Over the years I have tried to slow down; not do less but take each moment in more.  I am big fan of "being in the moment."  Don't always be thinking about something else or somewhere else; try to live each moment as it unfolds.  If you don't then you have missed that moment in your life.  Moments do not come again; once they are gone, they're gone. 

Moments should be savored. 

Yesterday I was in HomeGoods; when I heard a woman on her phone.  She was very loud and having a extremely private conversation.  Shaking my head a few aisles over from her; I could not believe how loud she was.  I cannot stand when people talk on the phone in a store.  If it's an emergency then okay but otherwise just wait until you get back to your car at least.  Everyone in the store does not want to be a part of your conversation, honestly.  She was so loud that you could not get away from her.  Unfortunately the woman was in my aisle several times; causing me to have to maneuver around her obliviousness.  I thought to myself "she's not even really here."  Things like this can drive home the "live in the moment" message. Another woman and I rolled our eyes as we stood in the next aisle from the loud talking one.  We had a little chat about dog toys and she told me about her little dog at home.  Leaving the store, I was happy to get away from the conversation that I did not want to be a part of. 

The other day as I was walking Luke on his snail pace walk; I stopped for a moment to snap a photo of him.  The sun was still low in the sky and made for a great pic to send to his Dad.  His Dad is away and I like to send "moments" to him when I can.  As I quickly texted the photo to it's destination, I placed the phone back in my pouch where it stays for my walks.  I do not want the phone interfering in my "Luke" time.  Taking in everything when you are out with your dog teaches you so much.  You learn from your dog every day.  Just watching them meander around the path, sniff, watch and experience; you learn about your dog on a very personal level. 

"Live in the moment," is very easy to say but is it easy to do?  It if you make a point of trying.  Our lives are getting busier and we tend to multi-task.   "Guilty," I am a huge multi-tasker.  But, when I get doing too much at one time; something always slips by the wayside.  Rushing tends to create anxiety; anxiety causes stress and stress is horrible for us and our dogs.  In most cases, the act of rushing is useless and just leaves us stressed without any positive results.  You have to consciously tell yourself to slow down; and when you do, you will improve every aspect of your day and your dog's. 

Make time, take time and give time. 

Not meshing, creating the wrong association.

"What does your daily routine looks like?"  Often this is the first question on the quest for answers.  As the owner of the "problem dog" walks through their day; there are many pauses where we stop and discuss.  Certain trigger words bring upon a plethora of untold causes to the core problem.  The reason I've been called out is unrest in the home.  A new dog has been added to the home and it is not working out.  The dog is just not bonding with the husband and hides every time that he is present. One stop along the voyage to finding a solution is one statement that says it all.  "When he leaves we have our together time."  That's it. 

Dogs are all about association.  So much so, that things pass us by without notice.  Associations are made that we never see and it can take the act of breaking it all down to figure it out.  Of course there are times when an answer will never come and you must deal with what you have in front of you only.  But when you can figure it out; it is quite often very simple in hindsight.  Take the case of the new dog in the family who does not enjoy the company of the husband.  A fear of in men is quite common in dogs.  It is not that they don't like men, it is that men are typically larger in size, have deeper and louder voices than woman.  It is also common that many dogs have only lived with woman. 

The problem with the lack of connection to the man in the house is being reinforced by the woman and their relationship.  She is making a clear statement about the mans presence by lavishing attention on the dog in his absence.  This one act has a snowball effect.  All that needed tweaking was for the woman to step back out of the picture and let the man step in.  He takes over any need for human contact.  The woman does not physically leave, she just removes her contribution to the canine/human connection until they form a new one.  When the husband leaves, care is very basic; no lavishing of attention is given, that is saved for when he is around. 

The same goes for dog/dog and baby/dog relationships.  When a new dog is brought into a home and the old one does not approve; things can get very bad if you fuel the wrong actions.  Let's say you let the new dog outside for a bit, so that you can sneak some one on one affection and snuggling in on the sly.  What are you saying to your dog?  "It is much better when that other dog is not around," is read by your actions.  "We are much better when it is just us," is the message you give with making great things happen in the absence of the newcomer.  The exact same goes for children and dogs who are not meshing.  Do not lavish the dog with loads of affection and attention every time the child is not around.  Baby goes down for a nap which means time for one on one with the dog, association created.  This confirms the dogs idea that having the child around is less than desirable. 

To help push relationships along in the right direction; great things need to happen when they are together.  Being together is much better than being apart; when you are apart it is boring and nothing great happens.  But when we all come together wonderful things happen.  By saving the snuggling, feeding, attention and fun for being together; being together starts to be the desired state.  You want the dog who is not wanting the husband, other dog or baby around; to look for them with positive anticipation. 

Miniscule actions can lead to huge issues in the world of dogs.  They see and read so much more than we humans do.  Associations are learned very quickly, it is the way of a dog.  Watch your own behavior closely; are you fueling the problem by reinforcing the positive aspects of separation?  Make togetherness the time of greatness; separation a time of nothingness.   

Look, don't touch. Petting strange dogs.

                                        A most welcome touch, you can see it. 


How often are you tempted to pet a strange dog?  You should know how to read body language before you reach your hand out to touch.  Not all dogs want to be touched.  They may be friendly but have no desire for strangers to touch them.  Yesterday at the park I saw one of these.  It was a Rhodesian Ridgeback, which are strangely common here.  The man with the Rhodesian stopped to talk to another guy who has a very friendly and submissive yellow Labrador.  The one with the Rhodesian reached over to say hi and the Labrador sunk down in submission.  I've met the dog and it lowers at any approach, dog or human.  She is very friendly but very squinty and scrunched.

Then the owner of the Labrador reached out to pet the Rhodesian.  I'm nosey eh?  Anyway as I was watching the behavior I could see the Rhodesian move back and his tail was motionless.  This should have been enough to communicate that he was not anxious to have the guy touch him.  As the man pet the top of the dogs head; the Rhodesian slowly looked up at the man.  The dog did not want to be pet but the man continued.  Luckily it ended there and the Rhodesian was not forced to escalate his communications.  Most dogs will leave it at that (stupid human) but some really don't want to be touched.  Do you want a stranger coming up to you and touching you?  No.  But for some reason we think that our dogs should just put up with it.

There are dogs who love to be touched by anyone.  The more socialized they are to being touched by strangers the better.  Elsa is one of these and I love that she loves people as much as she does.  But there are a few people who have spooked her over the years.  Both had on hats and were staring at her.  Ah, humans and their crazy staring; another human behavior that dogs are highly sensitive about.  At least dogs who are the very "aware" type, like Elsa and Luke. 

Last week we were at the harbor when a Policeman came by.  Hmmmm?  Elsa's never met a guy in a uniform so we approached.  He'd already been petting one of the other poodles we were there with but when Elsa approached she threw herself at him.  She didn't jump, she just gave him her best warm and fuzzy greeting that she could muster.  She leaned into his leg, looking up at him with googly eyes.  He obviously enjoyed it as much as she did.  Good to know that a uniform doesn't faze her. 

Lots of dogs are friendly but don't want to be touched.  They certainly DO NOT want to be pet on the head.  Reaching over a dog's head to pet them is very unwise.  If you must pet, go under their head to their chest.  Do not loom over the dog, I see so many people stretching across a dog; reaching over their head, this is all wrong.  I'm sort of a minimalist when it comes to touching dogs; other than my own two who are regularly mauled.  Looking is and should be enough;  unless of course you see a dog who is wriggling to greet you.  When you approach someone with a dog, stop.  Watch the dogs behavior; if they make no move towards you then leave it at that.  Why must we touch?

I see people trying to pet dogs who do not want to be pet all the time.  Dogs will tell you exactly how they are feeling.  Sadly humans do not read dog language very well.  When a human approaches and a dog backs up; they do not want to be touched.  Perhaps if you stand their talking long enough, they will come around.  Maybe not, perhaps they just don't want you to touch them.  Don't pursue a dog, when a dog backs up or moves away, STOP.  But, even a dog who does not back up may not want to be touched.  Signs can be subtle and you need to learn how to read them if you plan on touching strange dogs. 

I remember doing an Irish Wolfhound shoot years ago.  There were two dogs, a male and a female.  The female was very friendly and we had a nice greeting.  The male kept his distance which was fine with me; he was neutral in his attendance.  Then we had a moment that I will never forget.  I was on the ground, so much lower than the two of them.  I sat on the ground and prepared to photograph the two when he approached me very slowly and cautiously.  I stayed still as he sniffed my head, he was obviously curious at that point and wanted to meet me.  As he lingered I reached out and pet touched his chest lightly.  I waited to see his reaction to this and he quite enjoyed it.  I rubbed his chest as he moved in more to smell my face.  Wish I'd had someone to photograph the moment.  The owner was beaming as she said "he never does that, he must really like you."  I was smitten by the huge guy, what a love.

Even when dogs do allow touching by strangers; they have a different set of rules for pack vs. non pack members.  Don't push it, you are not a member of the pack of a strange dog.  Remember that.  You will not be given the freedoms that a pack member is given.  I can put Elsa in a full head lock and give her a kiss smack dab on the end of the nose. She is use to this and quite enjoys it; I would not expect her to allow a stranger to do this.  Having worked with dogs for so long, I just learned not to touch.  When I enter the home of a new client I never give eye contact or touch.  I let the dog check me out and read with my peripheral vision.  Then once I've been sniffed I move, which can bring with a whole pile of new behaviors to watch.  I may or may not end up touching the dog; it really depends what I'm there for.  Of course if it is a regular basic manners course of 6 weeks then we become amazing friends.  Then there is lots of touching which is enjoyed by both of us. 

Skateboarding

I was in the garage tidying up when Elsa came to the door.  She is not allowed to come in unless invited.  This is a safety precaution; in case someone happens to leave the outside garage door open.  It was safe so I told her "okay."  She came in and nosed around a bit before finding a skateboard.  I turned to see what she was doing and she was just standing looking at it.  Then I remembered teaching her about the skateboard when she was little.  She remembered and was hoping to get a click and treat for touching it.  So later in the afternoon I got it out and we picked up where we left off over two years ago.

Of course she already knew that we were going to work with the skateboard so she immediately gave it a push.  With a few clicks for a simple touch we moved onto the tougher stuff quickly.  I was only clicking when she left her foot on.  If she left it on while it was moving, she got a bonus load of treats. Often a new behavior has to be broken down into steps.  I couldn't expect her to just get on and go boarding.  We have to work up to that.  Once she was reliably giving me one foot on the board we moved to two feet.  This meant that she no longer got clicks for one foot and had to offer more.  What I want is for her to have her two front feet on it and walk around.

She is getting it for sure.  The training process with the skateboard is quite fascinating.  She is not only learning a new behavior but interacting a great deal with the board.  It rolls around and she has to go get it to continue; plus she is working with a moving object. She, like Luke is not a fan of things that move by themselves.  It is a good skateboard, so it moves easily and is constantly rolling away.  She goes to wherever it rolls; and steps out of the way when it is rolling her way.  This would be a wonderful exercise for any dog who may be afraid of a board.  Of course you would start with the board on the grass so it wouldn't move and very slowly work up to a smooth surface.

The biggest challenge was for me when I decided to video tape a bit of the process.  With a handful of treats and a clicker in the other hand; videoing seemed impossible.  Okay, Elsa understands "yes" as a substitute marker so I'd use that.  Sounds easy right?  Nope.  Every time she deserved a "yes" I shut the video off.  With marking the behavior on my mind I kept hitting the phone as my click and then saying "yes" after.  Timing is everything when using markers and having the phone in my clicker hand had me struggling for perfect time.  So the delivery of my "yes" is not perfect but we managed.   At least I got enough video for you to see what we were sort of doing.

Teaching is never a waste; even an activity like this is useful.  Watching Elsa think is the magic part. 

A growl - repost

 

This is a repost.  Some things need repeat.

 

There was a huge and very scary dog who was growling and barking at people.  Lots of information and work to do for this lady and her 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.  Growling and barking and two different things.  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.

Harsh conventional training.

                    Does this look like building a bond, in any way? 


I was flipping channels, when I saw a guy with a Jack Russell puppy on a long line.  I stopped to watch what it was.  I'd never seen the show but the guy with the hat looked somehow familiar.  Where had I seen this guy before?  Finally I remembered seeing him on the internet somewhere.  He is a dog trainer (Don Sullivan) and he was trying to get the dog to retrieve. It didn't take long for my first gasp.  When the puppy didn't give him the ball out of his mouth his slapped it in the face several times.  Then he threw the ball and reeled the puppy in like a fish caught on a line.  How this was going to teach the dog to retrieve I don't know; but I do know that the puppy would soon learned not to go near the guy in the hat.  I shuddered.

Next up was a gorgeous, soft Golden puppy.  Visions of the rehabilitation I'd had to work on with another Golden puppy who'd been in the hands of a harsh conventional trainer years ago flashed in my head.  He'd been reduced to a shell of his once exuberant self when I met him.   I wondered what he was going to do with this puppy, then he started.  He was doing "stay," and I say doing instead of teaching because the lesson the dog learned was; if you move I will yank on your neck really hard.  The puppy was placed in a down position and when it moved; Don Sullivan came back and yanked it back down by a rope he had attached to the puppy.  The whipping motion of the puppies neck made me shudder; I could barely watch and actually got a pit in my stomach.  The look on the puppies face was heart wrenching.  I could not believe that this Public Broadcast Network was supporting this behavior.  They not only support it but were promoting him, his barbaric methods and his horrible collar he sells.  I was shocked.

The longer this went on the madder I got.  The puppy was now afraid of the guy in the hat, obviously.  He was sending so many mixed messages that you could see the confusion and fear setting in the puppy.  I wanted to go through the t.v. and yank on Mr. Sullivan's neck for a bit.   The next dog was a beagle who was to learn not to cross the street.  Same message, move and get yanked and/or hit.  Yanking on and hitting a puppy or dog is just not acceptable.  Watching the dog cringe as the hatted man came close was maddening.  New dog owners might see this type of training and try it.  It is all wrong, it goes against everything that is known now about canine behavior. 

Let me just say, dog training has come a long way since the chain and yank method of the cave trainers.  Not all have evolved, many have stayed in their caves; unwilling to learn, grow or even have a look at true canine behavior.  Just because people have been yanking on dog necks for a long time, in no way makes it right.   Trainers like this have no expertise in canine behavior.  All they know is that hitting and yanking gets the job done.  They do not see the fallout behaviors; they are unwilling to learn how to truly connect and bond with a dog.  It is all about just making them do it. 

I am appalled that the network condones this type of training.   Seeing Sullivan yank around a soft, doe eyed puppy should have been enough to have someone, at least one person say "hey, I don't know if this is good." 

I'm just disgusted. 

Tossing and turning

Rough night, didn't sleep.  Can you relate?  Most of us have those nights where sleep seems to be elusive.  I had one the other night and it is awful; you try to convince yourself that you are falling asleep all night long but it never happens.  Then you typically start to dose off just when it's time to get up; feeling like a bag of hammers as my hubby would say.  Sleep is essential, not just a little; we need a full night of great sleep to feel good.  Everyone is different as are their sleep requirements.  But what about dogs? 

Do dogs have sleepless nights?  In all my years of experience, dogs only have restless nights if something is wrong.  They don't suffer the results of having too much on their mind as we do.  They go to bed and go to sleep; that is if they have had enough exercise and are healthy.  Not enough activity during the day can make for a little bit of a restless night; but even then, they typically dose off after a while of wandering.  It is when there is something physically wrong that they will not sleep.  I remember when Jessie started stirring at night.  It went from a little wandering to full on walking in circles for hours.  It was dementia and it came on slowly but got consistently worse. 

Dogs just don't worry about things that aren't in the here and now.  Things that will keep us from enjoying an amazing night of sleep can be anything that we are dwelling on.  Once you are awake and start to think, forget it.  Trying to think "nothing" can lead to all sorts of other thoughts seeping in.  Tilley had many a sleepless night when she was first hit with Vestibular.  Being very worried about her I took up the floor to sleep on for the first few nights.  Then we put an exercise pen around her bed so that if she did get up and wander; she wouldn't fall and hurt herself.  This also allowed us to get the sleep that we needed. 

Of course there are those fly out of bed nights; you know when you hear the dreaded heaving?  I've had my fair share of those as well.   Unfortunately you are SO awake after the puking ends that it is usually hard to get back to sleep.  Sleep is so very important for both dogs and us.  Dog's have gone it down, they rarely have an issue with sleeping but we do.  There are times when we need to switch things up to get a good night sleep and that can mean moving a dog off the bed (like Miss Elsa), or moving a dog from your bedroom.  You cannot go without sleep and the old saying "taking one for the team," does not apply to sleep.  It is a sad time when it happens but happen it must.  After a week of sleepless nights when Jessie was hit with Dementia; it just had to happen.  I was so upset, but with no sleep I was feeling horrible.  It just had to be done.

Over the years I have worked with many people who could not have their dog in the bedroom.  It was enough to keep one of the people from sleeping and no sleep is not good.  So even though it is always best to have our dogs in our room; sometimes it just cannot be.  Having gone a full week without sleep, I get it.  I felt horrible and wish it on no one and no dog.  However you have to get it, you must get it.  Sleep is not a luxury, but an essential part of well being.  I need a lot of sleep, a good 8 hours a night to feel great.  So going without is horrible. 

Sleep is one of those things that can make or break you.  If you don't take care of yourself, you certainly can't take care of your dog. 

Happy Valentines Day

-

Placing puppies in the right home.

                                                           No two are alike. 



I got to temperament test puppies again and out of all the things that I do with dogs, it has to be one of my favorite.  Of course, who wouldn't want to spend time with 7 week old puppies?  But it is not just their adorableness that I love about puppies; I am fascinated by how they react to each test.  You can take a whole litter of puppies that look very similar and each can be very different.  I have tested a lot of litters over the years and each and everyone has been different; just as different as each puppy is within the litter.

Many breeders don't see a reason to temperament test.  They feel like they know their puppies; but there is a big difference in how a puppy reacts to someone they see everyday versus how they react to a stranger.  Add to that, a strange environment and you get a very good read on a dog.  I am often asked if I've been able to see some of the puppies I've tested once they've grown up and yes I have.  Many are exactly as I read, some changed a bit; either for better or worse, depending on the life that they have had.  Ahhh, there in lies the big question; how much does their upbringing have to do with a dog? 

A dog's environment and daily interactions is huge as far as making a dog.  What we do when we temperament test is see where that puppy would best thrive.  Who would be the best match for this one individual puppy.  What one puppy can handle, another may not.  Do you want to place a high drive, super charged puppy with someone who just wants to cuddle on the couch?  No.  It's not a match.  Placing a puppy with an owner while wearing a blindfold, just doesn't make sense.  That is what a breeder does when they allow an owner to choose their puppy.  Why not sift through them all and find the one that would be the best match? 

There are breeders who place puppies as they come out, literally.  Others who have people choose at two weeks of age.  Some breeders just stand back and let the new prospective owner have at it.  But let me tell you that the majority of new owners have no idea what they are looking for.  They have no knowledge of choosing the best puppy for them and rely solely on "looks."  I remember looking at a beautiful litter of puppies a few years back.  There was definitely a standout in the litter, as far as energy goes.  One little puppy who was going to give their new owner a run for their money.  The breeder said she hoped that the owners were ready for this puppy.  She'd been chosen before anyone knew what she was like.  That is just sad, because someone who was interested in a puppy like this was going to miss out.  Plus the person who was now destined to get her, may regret the day she picked her out. 

One of the biggest reasons that dogs end up being turned over to a rescue is choosing the wrong breed or mix of breeds.  The next is because they chose the wrong dog.  Of course it can all work out and you can live happily ever after but why not do your best to get a dog that you will be able to live with easily?  You need to know yourself; know what you want to live with, what you want to have to deal with in your life.  There is nothing wrong with choosing a dog that will mesh with your life.  I see far too many, very unhappy people who struggle with their dogs on a daily basis.  Dogs who are frustrated being put into a life that is very difficult for them on a day to day basis. 

I have talked to many people who think that if you want a dog, you just take a dog.  Any dog, a dog is a dog.  Well, that statement makes about as much sense as saying a human is a human.  Why not try to find your best match?  Doing temperament testing gives the dog and the human a greater chance at happiness.  Why not do it?