Eye contact

This is a very common reaction when I am photographing dogs.  The moment when they realize that I am staring at them.  A moment that can go many different ways. 


Eye contact changes everything.  Space circle boundaries (which I wrote about yesterday) will expand if there is eye contact involved.  Eye contact is huge in the dog world, it speaks volumes.  Just last night I was in the kitchen and heard a sound out front.  I went into the living room and froze, listening.  When I did this Elsa got off the couch and watched.  I then looked at her which made her go into an immediate sit.  Seeing her reaction, I relaxed my body and bent down to have a snuggle.  She'd seen my serious frozen posture and was curious; but the eye contact told her I was very serious so she sat which is her first sign of submission. 

Many dogs are just not comfortable with human eye contact.  It is a natural thing for them to veer away; especially if they are the timid or fearful type.  That said, there are all kinds of different eye contact.  When I get a new puppy I make sure that they learn about human eye contact being a good thing.  But even now at almost 3 years old, Elsa is very aware of eye contact.  If I hold her face close and look into her eyes; I can feel that she gets uncomfortable, not hugely, but she prefers if I look just to the side of her. It is a very natural response; especially in a dog so highly aware of body language.

Most people greet dogs by bending over towards them and looking directly at them.  Even if a dog barks uncomfortably they will continue looking directly into their eyes asking "what's wrong?"  A couple of years ago we had this exact situation at our house.  Elsa was working the crowd as she does and stopped in her tracks when she saw a guy with a hat on.  He leaned over starring directly at her and reached out his arms.  This made matters much worse; she kept her eye on him for the remainder of the evening. 

Eye contact is far more powerful than most people realize.  A fearful dog will never approach if you look at them but turn your head and they will slowly come closer.  I use a lack of eye contact in most of my training and I never give it when I first meet a client dog.  I will glance around and use my peripheral vision; but keep direct eye contact for later when we get to know one another.  Eye contact is so subtle that we can be sending so many messages to our dogs when we don't even know we are.  t is the whole inferior human thing. 

That same German Shepherd puppy in the park the other day (I wrote about yesterday) was very sensitive to eye contact.  She would move in if Elsa and Hank were not looking at her but the minute that they did, she moved away.  Eye contact can just be too much to handle in so many different situations.  The laser beam eye contact warning is the first line of defense from a dog.  It is very clear and dogs "get it." 

Eye contact is powerful, use it with caution.  Being that each dog is an individual; you must learn how your dog reacts to it and how to use it appropriately.  It is an amazing tool for communicating with your dog.  I use it regularly when Elsa is moving in too much on my food.  Pushing or yelling does little to thwart a dog moving in on your food; but throw them a serious eye threat and they "get it," immediately.  They may not heed the warning, that all depends on your relationship and training that you have done. 

Humans just don't get dogs to the degree that our dogs get us.  They can read us like a book.  Us?  Not so much.  Take care where you stare, eye contact is a powerful tool. 

Space

Inspiration for a blog can come at any time; this one came at around 3:30 am this morning as I tried to turn over.  "Space, I need some space Elsa" I said, half asleep.  She was draped across my body; making it nearly impossible to turn over.  She doesn't mind all the struggling, and happily drifts back to sleep when I stop floundering.  Of course then I lay there awake thinking about dogs and space; writing this blog in my head.  Like us dogs are all different; so their individual need for personal space varies drastically.  I have a large personal space circle; that is if you are a stranger to me. I cannot stand people who breath down my neck while standing in line at a store.  It can cause me to do all sorts of oblivious and accidental backing up, bumping into and stepping on feet.  ;)  Of course if you are a friend or family that circle vanishes. 

Dogs are the same, some have huge personal space circles; while other have none. (Penny has no personal space circle.) Most dogs have circles that vary like us; depending on who is wanting to come in their circle factors in on how big the perimeter will be.  If you watch a dog closely, you can see their behavior change as someone enters into their personal space zone.  How that dog reacts to someone entering into their space will depend on temperament, socializing and life experience. 

Elsa met a German Shepherd puppy at the park the other day.  I was very cautious as we approached.  It was obvious that the dog was young but it also had it's hair up in defense mode.  We talked to the woman for a while and I watched Elsa's body language.  She was wagging like crazy; stopping every so often to assess the situation herself.   It was clear that Elsa read this dog perfectly.  The dog was displaying fear aggression; but still had a bit of puppy inquisitiveness as well.  I loosened the leash and allowed her to approach while I bent down and remained between the two.  They sniffed, Elsa wagged and the puppy relaxed a bit.  When the puppy, who was almost as tall as Elsa moved in too close, Elsa warned her.  Had the dog been just a goofy friendly puppy; Elsa would have probably allowed the very close proximity.  But this puppy was displaying unsettling behaviors.   

Dog space boundaries need to be respected.  Many dogs are quite comfortable walking in public as long as everyone stays out of their space.  Once a human or dog enters the space; things can change, so you need to know where your dog's space is and who is allowed in.  Some humans tend to be oblivious to space requirements in both other humans and dogs.  I don't know how many people come abruptly up to my dogs with their arms out in "I'm going to hug your dog" mode.  Although both Luke and Elsa are extremely friendly; they don't want strangers coming up hugging them, neither do I. 

Our dogs also display their pack space circles on a daily basis.  For Elsa there is no visible circle within the pack; she likes to be on top of her pack, both canine and human.  Luke must be with his pack with a little space.  Although if their is too much space he is not happy.  If we are all in the family room watching t.v., Elsa must be touching someone while Luke needs to be about 6-12" away.  If I move further than that, then he needs to move closer.  If I happen to sit in a chair where they cannot lay on or beside me; they will both take up the "dog at your feet" spot. 

Personal space, it is a complicated thing. 

Wordless Wednesday

The calm before the storm.  Elsa has no idea that Penny will arrive momentarily.

Luke is not happy about the turn of events. 

If she can just NOT do the Bulldozer routine.

Well hello.

It's all about the acquisition of the toy.

Tugging is great fun.

Placing on your opponents head is good too.

Wow, big girl teeth.

"What Grandma?"  "I'm not bothering Luke.""

Hahahahahaha, Penny's Mom trying to work out with Miss Inquisitive.  

Out of the ordinary.

 

Luke keeps a close eye on me while I keep a close eye on him. 

I was awake and aware that Luke was not in his bed.  I sat up to see him standing staring at the end of the bed.  I assumed he wanted outside.  Since he has gotten older, he can no longer let us know the way that he use to tell us when he needed out.  He use to leap on and off the bed until we got the message.  Now he stands in silence staring at the door; but last night he was staring at the bed, not the door.  I asked him what he wanted; expecting him to move to the door.  He didn't, he stood staring and wagging at me.  So I hopped out of bed and head towards the bedroom door.  He was so excited spinning and huffing at me that he tripped and fell.  He took a tumble at the top of the stairs because he was spinning and another once we got outside.  All he wanted was me and he was acting as though I'd just come home.  With his head turned to the side, his open mouth huffing; he was giving me a greeting, even though I hadn't been out.  Once back in our bedroom he just wanted on the bed; which at this age is a big no no.  He could easily tumble off should I fall asleep.  So I set up some pillows beneath my side of the bed and he happily settled in. 

What was going on with him?  This was very strange behavior for the middle of the night.  He hadn't needed out when we went into the yard, he just wanted me.  After speaking about it with my husband this morning; he thought that maybe he had a dream that I was gone.  Hmmmmm, I hadn't thought of that.  It would most definitely explain how he was acting.  If he'd needed something other than me, I would have been able to figure it out easily.  But it seemed that all he wanted was his Momma.  Why?  I don't know. 

Now this morning, he has been on the bed for a bit.  He is off now but wants me with him.  I will be keeping a very close eye on him today; something is up, whether it was a dream or not he is acting differently.  Different behavior should always be watched closely.  When you know your dogs, even the slightest thing can be noticeably different.  Even though Luke is very much my shadow dog; he isn't normally as worried about my whereabouts as he is this morning.  He has however become even more mushy and clingy as he has aged. 

One other thing to consider is the wind.  It is crazy windy out; the sort of wind where you can't believe how hard it is blowing.  With it comes many scents and unusual smells because the wind is coming from the East instead of our normal off shore breeze.  Both Luke and Elsa stood with their noses to the sky last night, sniffing.  Luke went out and barked for a bit as uncommon scents came into our yard.  Could it be that?  We'll see, the wind is with us until Thursday I believe. 

Grooming the dog who doesn't want to be groomed.

                                 So much grooming with a full coated poodle puppy and the beach.

With brush in hand you approach your dog; they in turn and head for the hills.  Another fight is about to begin as you embark on the grooming that must be done.  Does your dog hate grooming?  Many dogs do for many different reasons.  Some hate the pulling and tugging that goes on; others may not like the idea of being made to stay in one spot and then some just hate anything to do with the whole touch thing.  So what are you to do?  It has to be done. 

Elsa hates to be brushed; she doesn't mind nails, ears or trimming but pull out the brush and she makes herself scarce.  I believe it is due to the fact that she had such a huge coat when she was young.  Lots and lots of brushing and mats, oh those wonderfully unavoidable mats.  Many nights were spent watching t.v. and combing mats.  The big hair was short lived and we are both much happier about it.  I hate spending our time together working on mats when we could just be having fun; and she is much happier not being tugged on. 

If you have a dog that hates all or a particular part of the grooming regime then you have work to do.  Of course you cannot make them love it; but you can most definitely create a tolerable scenario.  Treats, yummy, yummy treats is the way to happy grooming.  That and a calm, relaxed and enjoyable environment in which the grooming is done.  By starting over, breaking it all down to very small pieces of enjoyable grooming you can then build a new feeling around grooming.  Take the yummiest treats that you can think of, steak, chicken, jerky, cheese and break it into lots of pieces.  The pieces can be very small, just enough for your dog to know that they are eating something great. 

If your dog is really bad about grooming then start with just having the brush or nail clippers in hand and treat.  Then work on clipping one nail or brushing only once and treat.  Stay calm, this is suppose to be enjoyable.  Keep that "zen" thought in your head while you approach your task of creating a positive experience.  One brush, one treat, another brush, another treat, you get the idea.  Only move onto more brushing between treats once you have success.  When your dog is relaxing, then you can build.  Baby steps is the only way to undo what is already engrained as a negative.  If the negative is all about nail clipping then just work on holding your dog's paw and treating.  Once they are okay with that, then move onto touching a nail with the clippers, treats.  It could take weeks or months to get to their.  That's okay, take the time, it is worth it. 

Force a groom with physical restraint and you are going to create a big dislike for the activity.  The more a dog fights, the more you hold on which causes more fight in a dog.  It is a vicious circle of dread.  You hate it, your dog hates it, it's a lose, lose. 

Elsa still gets treats throughout a groom, although very few.  Both Luke and Elsa get a treat after having their nails done, why not?   Knowing they will get a treat creates a happy aura around something that they do not enjoy.  It's a win, win and that's what we are striving for. 

 

A dog Mom

Penny and her wonderful Momma. 


That moment when:

-  you pull the bones out of the fridge.

-   you pick up the tennis ball.

-  you say "do you want to?"

-  you say "who's hungry?"

-  you spell the "hot" words.

-  you invite someone up on the bed.

-  you cut your steak in half.

-  you tuck them in at night.

-   you realize that you are bragging...again.

-  you buy a bigger bed.

-  you do what they want to do.

-  you search an establishment, always looking for the "dog friendly" sign.

-  you make special trips to the grocery store just for them.

-  you buy their favorite food.

-  you nurse them when they are sick.

That moment when you realize that you are a Dog Mom and proud of it.  Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing Dog Momma's that I know.  Have a fabulous day. 

You are what you eat.

You are what you eat and your dog is what they eat; what you feed them on a day to day basis.  Nutrition for dogs can be mind boggling to say the least.  Your Veterinarian will tell you one thing, the pet store owner another, friends something else and then there is the internet.  So much information to wade through; what is a person to do?   As far as I am concerned, you go real as much as possible.  So what does that mean?  It means real food.  The way that food was meant to be eaten.  Food that is the least processed as possible.  When food is processed it loses nutrition quality.  Real food is where it is at.

Variety is another important factor for me when feeding my dogs.  Feeding a variety of high quality foods is the best for our dogs.  The very old thought of just feeding one dog food and only that which we have all heard is not a good idea.  There are many people out there that proudly state "our dogs only ever get dog food, we do not feed people food."  Well, that is sad to hear and probably sprung from what their Veterinarian told them many years ago.  Not all Vets. think this way, many are realizing the benefits of a real food diet.  One very serious fallout from feeding only one food all the time is that the dog will most likely be easily upset.  Their digestive system is not capable of handling any sort of change in diet.  This digest upset only engrains the idea of not feeding anything else. 

When dogs eat a variety of food, they can eat a wide variety.  In the wild, wolves do not eat the same thing day in and day out.  No, they eat whatever they can.  Their daily diet may change drastically from day to day yet they are fine.  Do we eat the same thing every day of our life?  Nope.  I eat differently every day as do most people.  We have many options as far as what we eat; there are just as many for us to choose for our dogs.  My general rule of thumb as far as feeding processed dog food is that if there is a television advertisement for it, don't buy it.  If you can purchase it in a big box store, don't.  Research, research and research some more to find a quality dog food.  I choose real food over processed for my dogs.  I prefer canned over dry but keep dry on hand for when I'm in a pinch.

A dog will survive on low grade dog food; but they will thrive on a real diet.  I am a big believer in feeding the best that you can afford to feed.  If you want to feed kibble then buy the best that you can find.  I shop many different locations for specials on meat.  I have a deep freezer and fill it when I find a great deal.  I also buy things like BahiaBlue dehydrated Smelt as a treat and supplement to Luke and Elsa's diet.  They eat many different forms of animal protein and veggies.  I grow organic grass in a pot for them to much on and share much of my own meals with them.   I also have raw freeze dried Stella and Chewy patties to supplement their diet.  Lots and lots of different things. 

My goal when feeding my dogs is to do the best that I can.  Feeding the best does not mean spending a fortune on prime cuts of meat.  Dogs don't care if meat is tough, in fact tough is good for teeth.  If a food product says "not for human consumption" on it, should we really be feeding it to our dogs?  I can eat the food that I feed my dogs; of course I'm not into eating raw meat or sardines but if I wanted to eat it I could.

So, what's for breakfast this morning?

Friends

                                   A moment of quiet.  Lucy had been here for a while here.  Love how
                                   Elsa's turned back ears show that she is listening to me. 

                                                  Snack time, any takers?  I think so. 

 

Having friends over for a visit is always a good thing.

 

I could watch them play all day.

 

Lucy was much more interested in playing this time. 

 

 

Dog friends are the best kind.

What an ass!

As Elsa headed into the kitchen, she turned to make sure that I was following her.  I couldn't help but notice her butt, it's gorgeous.  Probably the nicest I've seen for a very long time.  Ha ha ha, it might sound strange but it's true.  I love seeing a good substantial butt because our dogs are losing them, at least their amazing ones.  What I see mostly is mediocre butts with little muscle.  Tilley had a great butt as well, but not as good as Elsa's.  Where are the butts going?  They are being replaced by light weight, feather movement in my breed.  In other breeds they are being manipulated into something unnatural.  Take the poor German Shepherd; their butt is being angled beyond use.  The Shar Pei under angulated beyond use.  Crazy.

The power in a good butt is amazing. Watching Elsa move is a thing of beauty; effortless take off and continued dedicated overdrive pushes her forward.  Her movement is made easy by the powerhouse from the rear.  Her rear end is square and angled just right to allow ease of movement and the utmost of power delivered.  There are few dogs that can keep up with her; which makes playing ball with her not so desirable for others. 

Like Tilley's was, Elsa's rear is made for speed.  After a good hard workout she resembles Arnold Schwarzenegger from the rear.  Poor Luke was blessed with that of a show dog rear, light and streamlined but lacking in muscle.  As you all know I have written about his lack of muscle several times.  With his old age muscle loss he has suffered from the simple fact that he didn't have much to lose.  But he also suffers from lack of angle as well. 

Elsa reminds me much of the good old days.  A solid dog with substance.  She has a solid body that can withstand a lot of use.  When she grows old and starts losing muscle; she will be just fine.  We humans have a hard time staying in the great mid range area.  We like to manipulate to the extremes which gets us into trouble.  Too much substance can handicap movement just as too little can.  But breeding dogs for flashy lightweight movement is not doing our dogs any favors.  It is taking away their ability to withstand rough play or intense work without the risk of injury.

Muscle is hugely important in the whole structure of movement.  Without it, too much stress is put on joints.  Of course exercise is needed to build muscle but you can only work with what you are born with.  Structure and substance are so very important for movement.  Why on earth would we breed a dog that is handicapped right from the get go?  It is just wrong. 

The wolf inside

A snuggle from my wolf in poodle clothing.  Heaven.  :)

Do you ever stop and think how lucky we are?  We get to live with dogs that have evolved from the wolf.  Sometimes while watching a documentary on wolves or big cats where a human is interacting precariously with them, I think to myself just how amazing our relationship is.  We all take it for granted but every so often the idea of living with dogs strikes me as astounding.  Not everyone does it well; there are many people who make mistakes time and time again with their dog/s.  After all if we don't actively learn about dogs then we truly are at a disadvantage as far as the proper ways to live with them, are we not? 

I meet all sorts of dog folks, many have no idea about dogs; the ins and outs of being a canine.  It is a little mind boggling actually.  We have taken a wild animal and brought it into the realm of our human world to live side by side with us.  But lots of people don't take the time to learn about these creatures.  They slap a leash on and call it good, crazy really.  Most people want a dog, very few learn about the dog they have living in their home.  Dogs have needs to be filled, many which are completely unknown to the average human.  But nearly every household has a dog, it seems to be the thing to do.

Those who understand dogs, at least their dogs; make much better canine guardians.  By educating yourself even a little in how a dog works may open up a whole world of greatness.   You can see the wolf inside of your dog; a glimmer of what once was.  It is sheer greatness, power and tenderness.  As I sit between Luke and Elsa while we watch t.v. I am reminded that I am the lucky one.

When they greet me at home coming with gentle face bites I am brought back to the fact that they were once wolves and I get to live with them.  Cool, very cool.

Inferior beings

Good Monday morning.  I'm sure that you all noticed that I've been absent?  I was busy with wedding festivities and family visiting over the last couple of weeks.  But now it's back to life as usual. 

First let me tell you all that Elsa is doing well physically after her attack.  I am following up further on the attack and details and it waits to be seen if she will suffer from emotional fallout; I'm thinking most likely.

This brings me to today's topic of discussion, reading body language.  Dogs are amazing at reading body language; of course there are levels of understanding but most are experts.  There are some who can read it but ignore much of the meaning and then there are a few who just don't get it.  As for humans reading body language?  We are HORRIBLE.  Take for instance the act of stepping off of a path or reining a dog in; this should tell the passers by that we do not want to interact.  But even when we give off all of the clear "do not come near me" signs; the humans still continue to approach.

There are those who walk their dogs on the end of an extended extension leash; the ones who take up a 10-15 foot circle around them.  Do they rein in their dog as others approach?  Nope.  You not only have to step off of the path; having to deal with their lack of space consideration but also their dog leaping at the end of the leash.   When you move away they often throw the "what's wrong with you?" look.  Let's face it, most humans have lost their ability to read body language.  When we send clear signals that are completely ignored, it forces us to use words.  The use of body language can completely remove the need to "get into it."  Remove the interaction before hand and a problem never arises.  But we just don't get it.

As an intense watcher of canine body language; I am also a human body language watcher.  It comes with the territory and is fascinating.  I have begun to read people as much as dogs by watching.  It truly is amazing to see how much we can read just by really watching.  But many humans have thrown the whole body language thing out the window.  They don't watch their dog and they definitely don't watch other humans.  They rely solely on words, ignoring clear signals given. 

Body language is a bits and pieces act.  You can look at the big picture or dissect it to pieces.  It is in these pieces that you will find the information.  Small cues that give off so much information.  Humans are very easy to read; even given the fact that we can lie and do so.  If you watch carefully you can even see the truth and a lie via body language.  Humans can try to hide but much of who we are, is held within our movements.  Movements of extremities, eyes and posture. 

If we all focused on better communications there would be far less issues to deal with after the fact. 

An attack

Elsa was attacked two days ago.  My husband had taken her for a run and on that run an out of control Bulldog attacked her.  They were running along a path when my husband saw a woman with two Bulldogs that she was not able to control.  He yelled at her before she approached, telling her to rein them in.  She apparently attempted to do so but was unable to control them.  He pulled Elsa over to the side seeing that the dogs were out of control.  As the woman attempted to pass, one of the dogs dove behind my husband and grabbed Elsa on the loin.  The dog knocked her to the ground and was clamped on immediately. 

My husband immediately tried to get it off of her.  Elsa was screaming and still on the ground while the dog hung on.  The woman pulled on the leash to no avail; the prong collar that the dog was wearing did nothing but deliver the pinch it is meant to do.  As the dog hung on to Elsa, it was receiving a neck attack from the collar; adding fuel to the fire no doubt.  The dog finally let go after being hit in the head; you cannot pry a bulldogs mouth open, it just doesn't happen.  They like other bully breeds to not have a magical locking jaw.  What they do have is an extreme muscled jaw that has much more power in it than a normal breed or mix.

Once the dog was off of Elsa, the facts began to emerge.  The dog had just been rescued; the woman walking it did not own the dog.  It was a neighbors dog who she was walking along with her Bulldog which had done nothing but stand there during the attack.  She was completely incapable of controlling the dog.  She also informed my husband that she had taken the dog to a school the day before; simply mind boggling. 

I will now be dealing with the fallout behaviors that I always talk about.  There may very well be aggression towards dogs from Elsa.  Socializing after an attack can be challenging.  You must be absolutely sure that the other dog is friendly before you attempt.  We will be playing with all of her dog friends before meeting anyone new.  We will also walk where the attack happened so as to undo what has been done.  Many times it will be put in the past; sometimes not, some dogs will hang onto the experience forever. 

Some people have said "dogs will be dogs" about this attack.  A dog defending itself, having a minor dispute, fight or even leash aggression is a completely different thing than just attacking and latching onto a passing dog.  This is inexcusable.  If you have no background on a dog then you make sure you have complete control.  If you know your dog will do something like this, you don't let it happen.  If you cannot control a dog then you don't take it out. 

We have the number of the woman walking the dog and we have been in contact.  I will be finding out who owns the dog, where the dog came from and many more details.  There will be much following up done.  I had to do the same thing several years back after a newly rescued pitbull puppy latched onto Jessie's neck and shook her like a ragdoll.  A 4.5 month old puppy, shocking.  I contacted the rescue who never got back to me; nor did they seem to care that one of their rescues did this.  We shall see where this dog came from and what sort of screening it had.

Sadly, there are so many shelters and rescues now that no screening is done.  People are given dogs without knowing anything about the dog or the owners ability to handle it.  I carry a pepper spray on me; my husband will now also be carrying one.   

Structure and difference

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

Difference - a distinguishing characteristic; distinctive quality, feature, etc.

In the world of breeding dogs, there is much talk of structure.  Structure is the individual pieces that make up our dogs.  For many breeds, somewhere along the line of producing them; someone decided how they should look.  Each breed has their individual look.  Some breeds have been altered so far from where they once came from that they have been literally handicapped as far as movement is concerned.  Oh yes, there has been much tweaking of structure done to our dogs; and not all of it is good.  In fact much of it is downright horrible. 

I like to look at the wolf as what our dogs should look like.  Different sizes of wolves, but still having the structure of a wolf.  The wolf is perfection in structure.  Although poodles do not resemble wolves, they are very close proportionately in structure.  Watching Elsa run around after her ball, turn on a dime and leap effortlessly made me stop and think of the difference in structure between her and Tilley.  Tilley was smaller, more compact and even more agile.  Tilley was born to fly; Elsa was born to run.  The slight differences is a body is what being an individual is all about. 

I look at myself and my four brothers and sisters; we are all very different.  In fact I have a 6 foot twin brother, I am 5' 1".  I'm the shortest out of the whole bunch and stockiest, we are all very different.  Take a look at human athletes, all different.  Some people were meant to run; not me, I lift and love it.  Other folks have a body that was made for rowing or dancing.  Do we attempt to create cookie cutter babies like we do with our dogs?

When I look at what has happened to many of the breeds out there it makes you wonder.  So much focus goes into structure yet the big picture seems to be illusive.  Taking away a dogs ability to breath correctly so that they can have a perfectly flat face; shortening their legs in order to give them that big dog on short leg look, crazy.  Straightening out the angles on their legs so that they have a stiff gate when they move.  Honestly, it's really bizarre.  I love all dogs,  no matter what size, shape or color.  A dog to me is a dog. 

Perhaps we should give them back their structure, let them be free to run and breath properly?  We should look at the big picture instead of picking apart the tiny aspects of a great dog?  Let individuals be just that, individual.  Within a litter there will always be one that shines athletically, another who might be the epitome of Lassie; while yet one more could be born a powerhouse weight pulling dog.  Let's celebrate the little things, the differences in all of our dogs. 

When a litter is born, no matter what breed or mix of breeds; each is an individual, standing alone as one.  Having structural differences is okay, in fact it is great.  The difference between being different and having proper structure taken away are vastly distinct spectrums.  On one hand we expect perfection in our dogs; yet there are others who breed imperfection in every dog.  Imperfection as far as resembling the working wolf structure; not the small differences that make an individual.  It is a strange thing that we humans do, isn't it.

Before we humans got involved in the whole "breeding" of dogs; the image of a future canine was perfection.  But as we tend to do we took it and morphed it into what we desired; a plethora of options structurally.  Creating dogs who no longer have the structural attributes of a wolf is bizarre.  Yet we take dogs who have sound wolf like structure and pick them to pieces as far as our image of perfection.  We are a strange bunch.   

Help is just a click away

                                                                   Welcome. 

            

This morning I thought that I would talk about my consultation service.  I'd like to offer you a little information about it and myself.  As a canine specialist, I have worked with dogs now for 39 years, yikes.  Yep, a very long time and it all started in the conformation ring; where I handled many different breeds.  From there it moved to conventional obedience and then evolved to positive training; which makes me a crossover trainer.  I started offering group training classes and then moved to private in-home where I could personalize training to fit the situation.  I have been a dog walker and groomer but now focus on training, photographing and writing about dogs. 

So now with all of these experiences, I am offering a canine consultation to you.  What exactly does that mean?  Help, with dogs.  Have a dog with issues?   Want to open a canine related business and don't quite know who your audience is? Thinking about getting into one of the many dog related fields but aren't quite sure?  Maybe you are looking to get a dog, but don't where to look or what to look for?   You want to build a dog park but need help on making it the best dog park ever?  I can help. 

My canine consultation service deals with pretty much anything relating to dogs.  The wonderful thing about it is that it is just a click away.  Help, right now when you need it. 

Just dogs with Sherri - consultation

It is really easy, click and talk to me.  It is all done via email, back and forth; questions and answers, clear and concise.  

Not today

I got out my car sun shade, clicker, treats and sat in the yard.  Elsa followed, and as I sat, she sat looking at me.  She looked at the shade and began; immediately touching the shade she got her click.  We were doing something with the sun shade.  Before I placed the shade on the ground I had considered what I wanted from Elsa.  You have to know what you want before you begin; otherwise what are you going to click for?  With the shade accordion style on the ground, we worked on getting her on it and laying down.  Next would be to stand it up so that she would have to knock it down and then get on it. 

Being that Elsa already knows about going to a spot and downing on it; she was fast to get on the shade and lay down.  So we were then moving onto standing it up for her to knock down when we were rudely interrupted.  A lizard.  Elsa stood transfixed on a spot behind me; I knew what it was as soon as she got rigid.  Within a fraction of a second she was gone.  She'd entered the hunt zone; which is not conducive to working on a new behavior.  I gave her a moment and called her back.  Once back, she was only partially with me.  Her attention kept going to the wall behind me and the lizard that might possibly come back to sun itself there.  In a flash she was gone again.  Hmmmmmmmmmmm.  I know when I've been nudged out, and this was one of those times.  Outdone by a lizard, whatever.  The sun would be out for another couple of hours so I folded up my shade, grabbed the treats, clicker and head in; leaving Elsa out with her lizard hunting. 

You cannot teach a new behavior with huge distractions, you just cannot.  Had we been working on a behavior that Elsa already knew then it would have been different.  I could have enforced that she stay with me and work.  When you are teaching a new behavior, you need undivided attention.  I most definitely did not have that when the lizard showed up on the scene.  Elsa has drive and her drive got the best of her.  Being that we were just doing "fun" training; learning a new behavior just to learn something new, I gave it up.  Better to end on a positive that sit and try to compete with the lizard. 

If it's not happening, quit.  Don't force a new behavior training moment.  If you cannot get your dog's undivided attention; wait until later when you can.  I could have upped the quality of my treats but the lizard still would have had part of Elsa's attention.  So I chose to end the session and begin again another day.  Maybe then I'll come up with something even better to do with the shade. 

A plane, a plane.

Sun was low which made for nice shadows. 

Yesterday I had Luke at the park.  It is a place where many people come to fly their remote planes and Luke use to love to watch them when he was younger.  Although it has been sometime since he's shown much concern for anything other than sniffing and leaving his mark there.  His reaction to a small plane yesterday made me smile so I had to share. 

Plane spotted.  

We stood for a while; just watching the plane and having a snack.  It really is all about the little things. 


 

The Golden Girls

 Lucy came over to play last week.  First a little background on Elsa and Lucy's relationship.  They first met when Elsa was very small, then we moved away.  Since we've been back they have only been together off a couple of times; and only once in  my backyard.  The rest of the time together has been spent walking on leash in parks.  We met out front of my house so that Elsa could get a heads up before they played.  Elsa knew she was there before I opened the door.  But I leashed her up and out we went.  Elsa did her hinged in the middle routine jumping all over Lucy's Mom while Lucy jumped all over me crying.  It's really nice when a dog that is not your own loves to see you.  :) 

                                        Of course there were retrieving games.

                                                 Elsa joined Lucy for a good sniff of the area. 

                   
                                                                Having fun just running around.
 

Then the big boy came out and Lucy was a bit nervous, very normal for a submissive dog.

                                    Lucy is a gorgeous Golden Retriever, inside and out. 

               Elsa was so excited to have Lucy over that she immediately dove into her full on play mode.  This actually threw Lucy a bit; they hadn't done the brawl play before and Lucy being very submissive was not quite sure that it was all play. 

                 Elsa tried shoving a toy in Lucy's face to get the game of chase going.  You can clearly see Lucy's tight lips here, she's a bit apprehensive. 

          Elsa growled, jumped and charged at Lucy.  Lucy was still a bit nervous to join in but started to relax. 

                                       Lucy's turn to check out Luke.  Luke loves Lucy. 

               A testing moment as Lucy comes to see if she can play with Elsa's toy.  Elsa gives her a  mock freeze and then dives into the game. 

                                                Elsa tempting Lucy to try to take the toy. 

     Elsa could tell that Lucy was apprehensive so tried to make it very clear that she wanted to play.  You can see Lucy's squinted eyes and pulled back lips here in submission.  So Elsa works harder.

                                                          Elsa's gets her goof on. 

                Elsa saying to Lucy "look how much fun I'm having, come join."

                  
     Another clear shot of Lucy squinting in submission.  They had fun being together but when Elsa brought out her brawling tactics, Lucy was a bit reserved.  By the end of the play Lucy was relaxing and starting to get into it.  We will get them together a lot more in my backyard so that they can get their game on together. 

A retriever to the core.

                        
                          A moment of rest but she is always ready with her prized possession. 

So how was your weekend?  We had a nice weekend, busy but nice.  Before the weekend on Friday morning Elsa had a play date with one of her best friends, Lucy.  I'll have pics tomorrow of that; Lucy is a beautiful Golden Retriever; Elsa loves her and was so excited to have her over.  Saturday Elsa and I headed over to a fenced field for some much needed chuck-it fun; then Luke and I did the "stop and smell the roses" walk. 

Chuck-it is probably one of Elsa's absolute favorite activities.  But as a high speed activity it is short lived; we don't chuck-it till she drops.  Instead we follow the "short and sweet" rule that I follow for my own work outs.  High intensity workout for a short amount of time.  It does not take Elsa long to get an amazing workout while doing her chuck it.  If you can throw that thing really well; it is truly amazing how far it goes.   Without it, I throw like a girl, pathetic really.  But armed with a chuck it and some muscle; that thing flies.  I love it and so does Elsa. 

But the retrieving doesn't stop there.  Miss Elsa is a retriever to the core.  Diehard retriever is what I'd have to describe her as.  No retriever we've met can keep up with her; nor do any have the drive that she does.  Of course Tilley would have given her a run for her money; more than likely out retrieving her with her ability to turn on a dime.  Tilley had a more compact body than Elsa does and was faster than her.  Most dogs who join us for fun soon learn to just stand and watch as Elsa does her stuff.

So the retrieving continues at home; albeit on a smaller scale.  Air tosses for catching and wall bouncing are a few other "ball" games that Elsa loves.  By far, the tennis ball is the absolute favorite object to retrieve and her new large sized Kong balls are prize possessions.   With Elsa's drive so high we limit access to the ball.  Plus if she is left with her balls for too long; she tends to strip them of their furry coat, if no one is tossing them for her.  Home retrieval is an allotted activity; the ball sits in a resting place until called upon.  I can often see Elsa sitting, staring at the lonely ball up on the shelf but it doesn't come off until I say that it comes off. 

The decision to play ball is always mine.  I know that once the ball comes down the retrieving will begin and not end until it is once again put up and away.  No matter where I am, Elsa will follow and she will continue to retrieve the ball.  It will be placed on my lap, in my weed bucket, Luke's head, someone else's lap or wherever it needs to be placed to be thrown.  She is amazing in her dedication.  She loves the chase but even more so, the catch.  It is all about the catch; preferably done on the first bounce. The power behind her back legs as she takes off is unbelievable and depending on the surface where she is taking off from, often sent flying. 

It mystifies me that the Standard Poodle is in the Non-sporting group.  Anyone who has ever lived with one knows that nothing could be further from the truth.  No doubt the only thing that landed them in this group is the "show hair" that they have to sport.  The Standard Poodle is a sporting dog in ever sense of the term, they are pretty much up for any activity.  Of course they are all different, even within the group, so some are more sporty than others.  I happen to have a very sporty girl who fits me to a tee.  Game on. 

Dreaming dogs

As I sit here ready to blog; my attention is drawn to Elsa, she's dreaming.  I wonder what the dream is about; don't you wish there was a way to know?  Whatever it is, the dream is causing a great deal of movement.  Both Elsa and Luke are big dreamers; slipping into action filled dreams almost as soon as they close their eyes.  Like us, they are all different.  Tilley dreamed, but did not move the way that Luke and Elsa do.  Every once in a while she'd have a big action dream that caused her legs to go, growling and such.  But Luke and Elsa are very involved physically in their dreams.  I love to watch and wish that there was a way to know what was going on. 

I assume that their dreams are much like our own; made up of bits and pieces of the life that they experience.  Even very young puppies can be seen actively dreaming and they have little to dream about.  But they have life experience as soon as they are born and even the smallest of daily activities can be brought forward into a dream.  Bits and pieces picked up during the day; a run in the park, a bath, car ride or meeting a new dog can all make it into our dog's dreams.  How they manifest into the storyline is all up to the brain. 

Psychology Today - Do Dogs Dream?

When we dream, the recipe for the dream can be random; leaving us with that "what the heck" feeling.  Single pieces of information tossed together to create a whole scenario created solely by our active brains while we sleep.  The same thing goes for our dogs.  If you have ever witnessed your dog abruptly wake, startled and run off; you know for sure that they were in full dream.  Luke has almost tossed himself off the bed before as he becomes so active; he is by far the most active dreamer that we have had. 

The old saying "let sleeping dogs lie," is a word of wisdom.  Many people have been growled, snapped at or even bitten by a dog who has been dreaming.  Touch a dog in the middle of a dream dog fight and you may find yourself taking a trip to the emergency room.  If you feel the need to wake your dog from a dream; do it very slowly.  The brain is a powerful thing; when a dog is in a dream, that is where every part of them is at that moment.  Best to leave them finish the dream. 

Do our dogs recall their dreams as we do?  Probably.  The brain takes pieces of daily life and throws them together in a new combination; bringing with it, new experiences for our dogs.  Dreams are fascinating no matter who is doing the dreaming.  

Foot protection

Before Elsa and I headed out to the beach the other day; Luke and I hit the park.  He can no longer walk as far as Elsa; sad but a reality, so we do our own old guy walk.  He is a funny guy; as soon as we get to our destination he throws it into overdrive and has a burst of speed.  So for the very first bit of our walk I'm power walking; just like the old days with my boy.  But it is very short lived and we slip into a slow but steady meander.  Luke sniffs everything that there is to sniff.  He loves to lift his leg on just about everything; although he takes forever, making sure that he is hitting just the right spot before the actual lift. 

As we made our way around the park; stopping often to have a little snack (Luke loves to snack on walks); I noticed him dragging his back right foot.  Before this day it had been every once in a while but it was now almost every step.  We walked and I watched that foot with much concern.  I stopped and asked him to see his toedie; lifting up his foot I could clearly see the two middle nails were worn down.  The rest of his foot was fine; it didn't seem to be dragging anywhere but those nails at this point.  This in itself was good news, it meant that the height of his leg lift when walking is the only thing that is lessened; a common occurrence in older dogs with arthritis. I placed his foot back down on the ground and he gave me one of his unbelievable face connection.  He reached up, gave me direct eye contact and touched my face with his.  What a guy. 

As we continued our walk, I thought.  I could wrap the toes but then the tape would be stuck on the fur of his foot which he would hate.  Maybe a boot?  Like a protective winter boot that dogs in cold places wear?  Maybe someone had already thought of this old dog dragging foot thing; and come up with a foot protector?  It has to have protection at the front of his foot; the pad is fine and not the problem.  I would need two, even though only one is the problem.  I think one would throw his gate off too much and perhaps cause more problems. 

One thing for sure, Luke is not going to like boots.  He will of course get use to them like anything else.  Luckily for now it will just be for walks.  But if we can walk on grass he won't need to wear one.  Not walking is not an option; walking is essential to keep what little muscle mass he has in shape.  Plus he would be far too upset not going out with Mom.  So the search begins.  If anyone reading this knows of a special boot made for foot draggers I would love to hear about it. 

Have a great day.