Did you have a good weekend?




Elsa showing off her "manners,"

We had a great long weekend and now it's back to business.  Much of the weekend was spent catching up on some needed rest and family.  Saturday, Elsa had her best friend over for a visit. It was a great visit for her and us with one of my best friends as well.  I drove down to San Diego to spend Sunday with my daughters who are both expecting very soon.  Then Monday started off with a great run for Elsa; then an intense workout for my hubby and I.  Monday late afternoon we hit HomeGoods to pick up a little extra little fall decor.  It was there I found the topic for this blog.  And finally yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 31st anniversary.  A full weekend and now it's over.  

So we were at HomeGoods on Monday afternoon where we spotted a little schnauzer with her owner.  First off, the dog was wandering around on an extension leash, yes.  The rule at HomeGoods is that the dog can come in but must be in a cart; which is a very reasonable request.  This little dog was roaming freely at the end of it's leash; around corners and tangling up other customers.

As much as I love dogs, and you know how much that is, DON'T DO THIS.  Why?  Because it gives dog owners a bad name, that's why.  Not only did these people not give others any regard as to their canine likes and dislikes; they were just pushing it as far as canine etiquette goes.  Their little dog also peed on the floor.  Yep, they poured a bit of water over it and then left the store.

I love dogs, I ADORE DOGS; but I hate when people do things like this.  It is just completely rude.  Just because you love your dog does not mean that others do.  Keep your dog to yourself!  Honestly, I was left shaking my head at these folks who had no regard for others.  I have seen many dogs in HomeGoods, mostly in their owners cart where they are suppose to be.  There was a huge German Shepherd in the store wandering around one day; the dog was not in a cart and I was shaking my head then also.  Obviously none of the store employees wanted to step up and say something.

There are right and wrong things to do with dogs; forcing others to put up with your dog is a big no no as far as I am concerned.   I really hate seeing people give us dog lovers a bad name.  Honestly.

Don't even try to get past the watcher



She's sharp, she's on the ball and she doesn't miss a thing, so don't even try.  Elsa is always watching and aware.  The other day we were walking along a strip mall area that we frequent.  It is a great place to walk for seeing folks, grocery carts, screaming kids etc etc.  We undoubtedly will run into someone who wants to touch or talk to Elsa which she ADORES.  Elsa LOVES people, I mean crazy googly loves people.  So when someone stops to talk to her; they get the full-on Elsa treatment which is good for anyone's ego.  

 So we were wandering along, Elsa was sniffing everything that there was to sniff between working on some obedience, when a truck slowed beside us.  We were on the sidewalk area which is right beside where cars can drive.  It also makes a great place to work on "car chasing" issues or creating non issues. I took Elsa to the same place when she was young so she has no car chasing issues.  But, this truck had slowed and the guy inside was looking at Elsa.  

 She looked and then took a double take.  "Why was he staring at her?" was her reaction.  She could not function, he was staring at her, she was staring at him.  She got a bit confused; she knows what a slowing vehicle means but didn't know the guy inside.  Elsa loves people but not when they do weird things.  She absolutely had to figure it out before she could continue.  

 The guy continued staring.  I could see that he was interested in Elsa and what we were doing.  I'd been working on her "right," behavior which is like a finish in obedience but on the right side.  She was doing great until this guy showed up.  Funny how people don't "get" dog behavior.  If he did "get" it he would have seen that he was disturbing her.  

 After looking at him a couple of times myself, he got the message and moved along.  It was a good distraction for her but one that she had a hard time with.  Elsa knows that when cars slow down beside us that we are usually going to talk to someone in the car.  This was confusing to her as he just slowed down enough to stare but was still driving along side us.   

 Sometimes one thing can really give you a clear visual on your dog and who they are.  This one incident summed Elsa up to a T.  Elsa is the ever intense watcher.  She does not miss a thing and because of this; she can be hard to move.  Once she locks onto something that she needs to figure out; she needs to figure it out.   Of course now that she has experienced a slow driving gawker, she will be able to deal with the next one.  I guess we've never dealt with a slow driving gawker who just stared before.  :)   Most other slow driving gawkers have actually stopped to talk which Elsa is accustom to.  She did not like the non talking one.  

 Elsa is a great reader of body language; perhaps she didn't like that she couldn't read his in his slow moving truck.  As much as she ADORES people; she has a clear understanding of who we give affection to.  We do not give the people who walk by not saying anything, the time of day.  If someone says "hi" to only me we keep moving.  Even if we stop to talk but the human only talks to me, then Elsa minds her own business.  But if they say hi to Elsa or reach a hand out, it's full-on Elsa time.  

 Don't even try, you won't get past the watcher.  

The Horse Whisperer




An image of a gorgeous horse I took years ago that was used for a book cover.  
The weather has been hot, crazy hot; so over the past weekend when the temps. hit the high 90s we watched a couple of movies and documentaries.  Highly unusual for us to watch a movie midday but it was too hot to do anything else.  Flipping through the movies we stumbled onto Buck, the Horse Whisper documentary.  "Stop, I wanna watch that," I said.  So we did.  It was slow for sure but the behavior aspect and story is a great one.

 By the end of the documentary I had several blog topics that I wanted to write about and a girl to feed.  It was 7:30 and Elsa knew that it was past her dinner time.  She'd enjoyed the afternoon of tv watching with her Dad; having been for a big burst of exercise in the morning, she needed some much needed rest as well, but it was time to feed the guns as they say.

I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary and Buck Brannaman brought up much of the same issues with  horses and humans, as dog and humans.  One main issue was anger.  Anger is something that I see in conventional choke collar training.  Instead of trying to figure a behavior out; choke collar training simply tries to stop it with the yank and choke.  

 Anger also arises when we put too much expectation on a dog.  When humans don't fully understand canines and their natural behavior; it is often categorized as "bad dog behaviors," when in fact they are just being dogs.

 In the Buck documentary, Buck Brannaman explains several times how anger should never come into the mix when working with horses.  

 “[Be] gentle in what you do, but firm in how you do it.” – Buck Brannaman

 Many people still use harsh methods in training dogs; some because they just don't know any different.  "Sherri, I wish I'd known," is a phrase that I have heard often.  Heck I've said it myself; "I wish I knew this earlier."  But life is about moving forward, not back.  We can learn from our past but we should not stay there and linger.  

 When I was young and just learning about "harsh" training methods, there was so much anger.  If your dog didn't do what you wanted, we were taught to just yank on them.  The harder we yanked the worse the problem got.  Being young and uneducated about dog behavior at the time, I listened and followed along.  

 A woman in the documentary who is also a horse trainer and grew up training horses with the harsh methods she had been taught; gave this quote about meeting Buck and learning from him.  I love it.  

 "You don't realize how unjust it is until someone shows you a different path." 

 This is so true.  Until you learn and allow yourself to evolve, you will never get it.  

 I recommend watching the documentary, which can be seen on Netflix.  

I love gear


My red and white Canadian Maple Leaf carabiner has seen better days. 


"I love gear."  Well, let me rephrase that, I love useful gear.  I would prefer to get a great new carabiner over a lot of gifts.  Yep, not your typical girl; I love utility and the more real utility, the better.  Hence the great love I have for my very utility Xterra 4x4.  

 Just recently my hubby and I took a trip into Cabela's.  Anyone who loves the outdoors knows and loves Cabelas.  I was in search of some new carabiners.  Why you ask?  I use carabiners all the time, although I do not purchase the actual mountain climbing, weight bearing; the ones that cost a fortune.  I buy the $2.00-$5-00 range ones that get old and worn so I need new ones all the time.  On our recent trip, Cabela's was a bit short on the my favorite type, the asymmetrical or pear shape with a solid gate.  

 So we checked out what they had and we left with a couple of new types for my carabiner collection.  :)  I got the a two pack of very small S-biners with wire gates; shown below with my new really great small Cabela duffle bag.  


The orange wire that is attached can wrap around anything you want to hang onto which is very utility.  I may use it for my walking pouch to hold my leash while engaging in retrieving work.  


Along with my 2 tiny S-biners I also got a doohickey, yes really.  This doohickey has a bottle opener (very important), screwdriver, ruler, wrench and box cutter all attached to a wire gate carabiner.  It is a very useful tool to have around so it too will be going in my walking pouch; I may need another to keep in my Xterra.  


Some things that I use my carabiners for:

 - Holding my flip flops when I'm at the beach walking dog/s.
- Holding a hand towel when frisbeeing.
- Hanging Elsa's water bottle on.
- Hanging Elsa's water bowl on.
- Hooking things safely in my Xterra.
- Basically hanging anything I don't want to carry on.

 Hands free is important when walking your dog, hooking up or attaching stuff to other stuff is important for safety.  I have a couple of really large carabiners in the back of my Xterra; just to hook things to, so that stuff doesn't fly around.  Get yourself some carabiners, you won't regret it.  Let the clip do the work. 



"My dog only gets dog food"

"My dog only gets dog food."  Quite the statement.  Do you have any idea how many times I have heard people tell me this with pride?  Oh yes, their Veterinarian told them to only feed dog food, no scraps or people food.  "People food"  I honestly hate that term.  Like all the food on the planet belongs to us.  Think about it. 



I was at Target just the other day; and as I passed a shelf filled with Beneful dog food I stopped in my tracks.  Hmmmmmm, I flipped the bag over and had a look.  Now, I already know that the foods sold at these type of big box stores are not good and should not be fed to our dogs but when I read the ingredients I was still completely shocked.  

 Really?  Corn and corn gluten meal in the top three ingredients.  That and chicken by-product; meaning that it is all the stuff processed down into a meal that is not fit for human consumption.  Feet, feathers, heads etc.  Yes dogs can eat that stuff but just how much nutrition is in it?  Have you ever seen a wolf kill and eat a bird?  They don't eat the feathers.  They take food with very little nutritional value and process the hell out of it; in attempts of making it non spoiling.  

 As a human, I need a great deal of protein to feel my best.  If I eat processed food I don't feel good.  Dogs need a whole lot more protein than we do in general and this is what some owners offer?  I remember years ago when I told a training client who had been referred to me by their Vet; not to feed a certain brand of very low grade dog food that the Vet had recommended.  That Vet called me and scolded me for going against what she had told them to feed.  She said if it happened again that she would not refer me as a trainer.  Think I changed my habit of educating people on dog food?  Not a chance. 

 When you start to look at nutrition for your dog and for you it is eye opening.  You realize that much of what we eat and feed our dogs is simply filling the pockets of the big commercial food makers.  Most of them don't care what we feed or eat; just as long as they get rich.  

 When you eat or feed, think.  Look at the days long ago when food was real, ingredients were simple.  Check out the list of ingredients on that Beneful bag, mind boggling.  Just because they call it dog food does not mean that we should feed it to our dogs.  

 There are good dog foods and horrible dog foods, just like our foods.  Food is food and to consider our food as human food and the garbage crap left over to be given to our dogs?  Well, I don't think so.  Let's feed our dogs the way that they should be fed, with food, real food that their body can use as real fuel.  

 Research and find the best food that you can buy for your dog.  Don't they deserve it?    

My fur-niece is 13 today



Today my fur-niece, Ruby turns 13. She is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and I have had the pleasure of photographing Ruby a lot over the years.  I want to wish her the Happiest Birthday on this day.  Ruby lives with my sister, her hubby and three kids (my human niece and nephews) in Canada; who are all at Ruby's beckon call.  I get to see her when we head home for a visit.  Just a couple of weeks ago we were back in Ontario to see the family and of course Ruby.  

Miss Ruby and I on our last trip home. 
This past visit back home, Ruby gave me the warmest welcome; she was acting very much like a puppy again.  She charged around like mad, crying and leaping on me as she ran by.  We had the luxury of being waken up by Ruby in the morning and watching her fall asleep after her big days at the cottage.  She is one of the sweetest girls I know and I am so fortunate to call her my fur-niece.  
Happy Birthday Ruby, looking good.  
Some shots taken over the years.  







Ruby with her ever faithful tosser, her Mom, my sister.  














This shot was the cover of a dog magazine.


Looking pretty great after being groomed by her Aunt on this past trip.    First Toller I've ever groomed. 


Wine tasting and dogs




One of the hundreds of Vineyards in OR.  Does it get any better than this?

I spent this past Saturday at some wonderful Vineyards in Oregon with my hubby and great friends.  Elsa was at home with my amazing sitter, but I was missing her terribly.  

There is nothing more beautiful than rolling hills covered in grapes; that is of course unless there are dogs in the picture as well.  When we arrived to one of our favorite vineyards, we were in for a nice surprise.  The two boys pictured below were decorating the floor of the tasting room at Coeur de Terre Vineyard in McMinnville, as we walked in. 

The boys lay there on the floor for a longtime before Jack got up to say hi.  Jack is the yellow guy on the left and Blue is the black boy on the right.  Jack is approximately 12 years old and Blue 4 years.   

Jack was the first to get to his feet and come visit.  Blue never did get up except to go outside, although he did accept attention when offered.  Jack came around the tasting bar for some petting and then plunked down again.  Anytime a person approached or walked near his tail would thump loudly on the ground.  He reminded me of Elsa and her thumping tail.  The two Labs were like magnets for us and the other visitors.  

  


The host at this vineyard is welcoming and friendly; giving a full run down on the wines and the dogs.  Both dogs were rescues who seemed to have hit the jack pot as far as where they got to live.  They were relaxed and enjoying the good life.  That's what it's all about right?  

With only my cell phone in hand, I tried to capture the beautiful images that were before me.  Two beautiful Lab boys living the life on a Vineyard.  You don't need a big fancy camera to take great shots.  


 It was very clear who the leader of this small pack was.  Each time Blue tried to get in on the attention; Jack gave him a subtle yet clear signal that he was the top dog.  Blue moved away and stood in the distance.




Blue heading over to see what Jack is checking out in the vineyard.  You can see Jack in the grapes on the left in about an inch.  

Jack, doing the rounds.

What an wonderful old face. 

Jack blends into his life.  

Jack lay at my feet and gave me a glimpse of his life.  

Our host was wonderfully engaging and as we went through the tasting; he explained each wine in depth.  The whole atmosphere and warm feeling of the vineyard and host make you want to stay a while.  The wines at Coeur de Terre are fabulous and we left with several bottles.  

Enjoying some attention from my hubby.

The life.  

Jack was an amazing dog and I feel honored to have met him.  I don't know how many times he gave me his paw, asking for more attention.  

Questions




There are no stupid questions, true.  That is if you haven't just ask the same  one and didn't pay attention to the answer.  If you don't know, ask.  Answering questions is probably my favorite thing to do with regards to helping others with their dog/dogs.  So many people think they know but they don't really.  

 Dog behavior may not be brain surgery but it is most definitely 'difficult to figure out for humans.  I really cannot believe that humans can have an animal live in our house with no prerequisite courses or books to read first.  Yep, just add a canine to your family and assume that it's all going to go to plan.  Hmmmmmm.  

 There is a great deal to know about dogs.  Facts about dogs in general, behavior, health and nutrition are a never ending learning curve.  Think you know it all?  Nope.  There is always something new to learn about dogs.  In fact, most people don't know anywhere near what they think they know about dogs.  

 You see, even if you have a houseful of dogs; you still may not know about dogs.  To really understand dogs you must learn how they work; once you have that then your dogs at home can teach you much more.  But if you are looking at your dogs and seeing the wrong information or not seeing them at all then your dogs will teach you nothing.  

 If you don't know, ask.  I am a need to know type of person.  Of course dogs are my passion but I like to know about everything.  If  am mid conversation with someone who is in the know; I may stop them for a factoid to further assist my understanding.  "How does this work, what happens when, what if," I ask a lot of questions.  One of the reasons I was so excited about my new vet is that he answered all of my questions.  

No question is stupid.  There are tiny little questions which require a yes or no all the way up to huge monumental life changing questions.  Even if you've been doing something or thinking something for years; if you have a question about it, ask.  Ask, ask, ask, ask.  

 Next Q&A over at Just dogs with Sherri Facebook page September 10, 6:00pm PST.

Common sense and respect



Common sense - Common sense is a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things, which is shared by ("common to") nearly all people, and can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate.

 Unfortunately I do not see a lot of common sense these days.  Humans often leave me shaking my head for the lack of any sense at all.  Have we gone so far that we are losing the basics of common sense?  The loss of common sense mixed with a lack of respect for others is what I am seeing out in the world.  Just yesterday as we were leaving the park; a woman had a big lab off leash using her chuck it.  Of course I took the time to watch as Elsa was having her post workout drink of water.  As another woman rounded the corner with her two Boston Terriers on extension leashes, the Lab took note.  The owner of the Lab called to it and made a mad dash in attempts of grabbing her.  She obviously knew (had a preexisting knowledge) that the lab was not coming but running for the dogs. She dove for her dog and grabbed the collar as the dog tried to veer out of arms reach.  She hooked the dog up and then let the dog go once again as the Boston terrier lady quickened her step to stay out of bolting range..  

 Common sense should tell us not to let our dogs off leash when they do not come when called.  This and respect for others should tell us to keep our dog on a leash; or wait until you have the park to yourself.  But it doesn't, so many people have lost their sense of common sense.  

 When I am walking on a path with Elsa, we typically step off when people are jogging by, have strollers or little ones.  I consider this to be common sense.  Not everyone wants a dog 2" away from them.  But this is also respect; common sense mixed with respect.  I don't know how many times I have to make a huge circle around people with their dogs on the en of extension leashes.  FIFTEEN feet away from the owner and free to tangle whomever they like.  Not cool.  COMMON SENSE people.  Fine if you are out in a field with no one around but not in a public place.  As far as I am concerned those freaking leashes should all be in the garbage.

 What about those who completely ignore body language?  Common sense should tell you that when someone looks away and moves away from you that they do not want to interact, right?  But yet people still advance with determination.  Mind boggling.  

 Should common sense not tell people to leave their dogs at home when it is hot out?  The moment they lock the car door with their dog in it; common sense does not kick in?  The thought never occurs to them that maybe it might be hot in the car?  No common sense. 

 Common sense can stop accidents but if there is no common sense, then what?  Walking a dog down a busy street without a leash is just stupid and common senseless.  Giving your dogs items to chew or eat that are choking size is done thoughtlessly and without common sense.  Allowing your dog to approach every dog you see without asking?  Not smart.  I knew a little dog who's owner allowed this and the last time I saw them the little dog was minus an ear.  Very sad.  Accidents happen, yes, but many could be avoided by simply using common sense.  
Where has common sense gone?  

Watching canines

 
Little Luna telling me secrets, she has a lot to say. 


Many mornings I sit and look at my computer screen; void of ideas to write about as I have been blogging for years now.  This morning I had a different problem, too many things to write about.  I started out with one idea which very quickly turned into three different topics.  So I will cover one today, another tomorrow and the final one the next day. 

Learning from our dogs

Each and every dog will teach us something.  Like us, all dogs are individuals.  Every dog that comes through our life in some way will our lives; teaching us bits and pieces that we can use. 

No dog in my life ever taught me as much as Luke did.  He taught me life lessons; but mostly he taught me about dogs and the very essence of a dog.  He had issues, the kind of issues that many dogs have when they must live in our human world.  The difference with Luke was his outward expression.  He was demonstrative, every emotion was bigger than life.  Seeing the world through Luke's eyes catapulted me to a place where many never get to go.  But this doesn't happen to everyone who deals with dogs.  Many don't see or care to see what is going on.    Lots of people just go on in their day to day never stopping to watch their dog or try to figure out what is going on. 

Watching is a must, watching and learning.  The first step is to teach yourself to watch; the next is to really learn about what you are seeing.  I often listen to new clients as they attempt to tell me what is going on with their dog.  The entire time they talk, I listen and watch.  I'm always watching.  I really can't turn my watcher off, Luke instilled this in me.  After I watch, I explain what is really going on.  They listen and an "ah ha" moment comes for them, it always does. 

It is amazing that just one misunderstood behavior can make things worse.  One wrong behavior from us can create a huge mess.  Learning about dog behavior comes with time and experience.  Yes you can read about it in a book but unless you have dealt with it, you really will not understand.  Even then there are many different ways to look at a behavior.

Having been a private dog trainer for years, handled dogs in the show ring, groomed, photographed and written about dogs; I have seen, experienced and dealt with dogs for forty years.   But just being around dogs does not teach you to watch; that must be learned and worked on if you want to be good at it.  I tend to be a watcher by nature; I do it in the human world as well.  I love to watch body language.  Humans can say one thing but their body or actions tell the truth.  This is where the "talk the talk, but do you walk the walk" saying comes from.  

Dogs say a lot and if you aren't watching, you'll never understand any of it.  It amazes how many people live with dogs for years and years and know nothing about dog behavior.  I often listen to people talking about dogs; I take a backseat and just listen.  People love to talk, not many really listen.  They may look like they are listening but most like to just talk.  Listening is important; for when you listen, you learn.  Watching and listening go hand in hand in our canine/human world.   
  

Common Sense-tomorrow



Questions-Friday

So hot



It's so hot.  Yesterday's temperature hovered around the 100 degree mark, too hot.  I hate this weather but as we  moved into August I know that it is coming.  Typically September is our hottest month of the year so a great deal has to be considered before exercising the dogs. 


The other day I was out with Elsa; we hit the park early in attempts of beating the heat.  We were there at about 8:30 in the morning but even still it was very warm already.  The first thing we did was to seek out the shade for some power retrieving.  The most  intense activity calls for the coolest spot.  Just getting in a few tosses was plenty in the warmer temperatures. 



Before hitting the path for a slower paced walk I checked the temperature.  The path is a light color so it doesn't heat up like a darker surface does; even still I tested before walking.  This is something you should always do when warmer weather has arrived. 

It truly boggles my mind to see folks out running or even walking their dogs when it is scorching hot out.  The temperature from the ground can be scary hot.  Our dogs are very close to the ground; much closer than us, so with the added heat coming from below they can overheat easily.  A warm walk for you might be an extremely hot walk for your dog.  CONSIDER YOUR DOG. 

CONSIDER YOUR DOG, please.  So many people obviously do not consider their dog when they head out.  I often take note of the heat coming from a parking lot as cross, heading into a store (while Elsa is safely at home in the A/C).  People regularly walk their dogs on dark hot surface without thought.  It's not fun for your dog and can be dangerous or lethal. 

Yesterday I let Elsa out back to pee.  As soon as she was done we head back indoors, it was unbearably hot.  I can't imagine leashing her up and heading out to walk down the street.  If you feel that you must take your dog out in the heat, hit the shade.  Consider the heat when you think about activity level.  Watch for signs that your dog is overheating.  Panting is how dogs cool themselves, regular panting vs. frantic panting are two different things entirely. 

Make sure you have water with you.  A little water more often is better than a lot of water gulped down at one time.  When it's scorching out, stay in.  Spend time playing indoor games when it's really hot out.  It won't last forever, the cooler temps will be just around the corner.  But for now in the high temps, keep cool with your dog.  Your dog will thank you for CONSIDERING them. 

My Elsa

 
Elsa's place of preference.  Minus me in this photo, my legs would be under her.


It's early, 3:00 am early.   I can feel the weight of Elsa across my legs; we've been over this already, many times.  Only an hour earlier I asked her to please join me on the other side of the pillow where she can touch me but is not "on" me.  She has breached the barrier again; as she has been doing more often.  Elsa likes to touch; so she has taken to lying across my legs.   I don't  mind except for when I wake up and can't move.  She is like the weight of an elephant.

As I lay awake my mind drifted off to Luke.  His spot at night was across my husbands legs.   He would start somewhat in the middle but always ended up over my husbands legs; leaving little room to move.  The things you learn to love out of love.   

The thought of Luke brought me to lunch the day before.   I had my dog sitter over for lunch.  We enjoyed a tomato salad with smoked goat cheese, cherry and pumpkin seed quinoa and strawberry/pecan dessert.  Yummy.  Our conversation went to Luke at one point; she told me how blessed she felt having been able to meet him.  She'd only sat for me twice before Luke passed but knew he was a special dog. It is nice to hear that his memory lives on with others

My mind came back to the moment with a lead weight on my legs.  Smiling I tried to adjust myself under the density which is Elsa. Then I remembered Elsa crushing Luke with her weight.  He too tried to adjust under the pressure without getting up and leaving.  She is something; and these are the moments that sink into your memory.  For now it is Elsa and I; and I drifted off smiling with the weight and knowing that I am her pillow for the moment.    






Finding the needle in a haystack.




My amazing Clyde, always in my heart.  

Honestly, how hard can it be?  Hard.  Searching for breeders who I could possibly get a puppy from is waaaaay harder than you might think.  This blog is about searching for a great breeder.  It is not a rescue/breeder debate so please do not send me nasty emails.  I would like to get a puppy; but the more I know, the harder it is.  I am very clear on what I am looking for and sadly there are few breeders out there that come anywhere near the bar level that I have set.  If they do check off many of the boxes; they are located far, far away from us on a map. 

30 years ago I visited a home where they had a litter of brown puppies.  I had been given first choice of males but when I arrived I was told that another family had got there before me and taken one of the boys.  I was very angry; what if they took the one I wanted?  She had promised me one thing and done another.  Live and learn.  I chose my brown boy who turned out to be one of the loves of my life, Clyde.  As much as I adored him he suffered from poor structure over the years.  There had been no health testing done for his parents once so ever, no temperament testing, nothing. 

30 years later I know a lot more about what to look for.  I have a huge check list and the first thing on the top of the list is tails.

Must: **

1.  have full undocked tail
2.  have fully health tested sire and dam
3.  live and be raised in home with family
4.  be socialized in the rule of 7s
5.  be a breeder who breeds only dogs with amazing temperaments
6.  does temperament testing
7.  knows the litter and matches puppy to new family

These are the 7 musts.  Anything more of course is better.  But if a breeder does all this then they have reached the bar level that I set for me. A few things can be modified but not dropped completely.  This of course is just me and after years and years of research is what I look for in a breeder. 

Admittedly, I could go out today and find a puppy. There might be one just an hour or so away from me.  It sure would be easy right?  But I cannot blindly give money to someone who does not care enough to do all these things.   My breed is one that is not so common; add to that all of these items on the list and it gets harder and harder to find the needle. 

I have found breeders who do 5 or 6 from my list.  After talking to them I realize that they do not stand strong on the other things that they claim to do from the list.  Some things on the list have a wide range of levels as far as others are concerned.  Again, I have a high bar set for these as well. 

If you are a breeder, why not do it all?  Why not do your best for the puppies you are putting out into the world.  It is easy to spot the ones who are just doing it for money.  Yes, even breeders who do not consider themselves to be puppy mills, often do it for the money.  One big clue that someone is breeding for profits is multiple litters on the ground at one time.  I've been on several sites that list litter after litter, born only days apart.  

 By having a list, you can weed out the ones who cut corners, save a buck, save time and do it for the money.  They simply don't care. 

I will find the needle, but it is not going to be easy.  It is not always easy to do what is right; but that's what I'm doing. 


** This list is not because I want perfection; such a thing does not exist in the animal or human world.  I want to support those breeders who are doing it right.  Those who have the utmost care and concern for their dogs and the puppies that they breed. 


Questions welcome:



I am really excited for this evening.  At 5:00 my time I will be answering your burning questions.  Depending on how things evolve, it may turn into a regular event.  The format will be a Q&A one.  I will take questions on a first come basis and give the answer in the reply area of the comment. 

 I will create a post that says "questions here" and anyone with a question is to comment on the post.  I will then put my answers in the reply section under each comment.  This will hopefully keep everything in order and easy to follow along.  Each question will be a comment and anything having to do with that question should be put in the "reply" section under the question. 

Looking forward to it, see you all soon. 

Choosing puppies



Choosing a puppy is fun, but it is work if you do it right.  Much of the choosing dilemma can be reduced by a breeder who is in the know.  As most of you already know, I am a huge temperament testing advocate.  I do testing of litters often and find it extremely interesting.  The test puts puppies through different trials to see how they react.  I believe testing to be extremely important but one should also know how to read the results and between the lines.  I do a great deal of between the line result reading when I test myself.  As a behavior specialist this gives me more information than simply relying on the initial test. 

 Another huge factor in choosing a puppy is a breeder who knows their litter.  A breeder in the know will take temperament test scores and the individual puppy personality within the litter into account.  These two factors will help to best place a puppy in the proper home.  There are many things to consider when adding a puppy to your home and communication with the breeder, rescue or foster is imperative.  

 The first and most important thing is to choose a breed or mix of breeds that will suit your lifestyle.  I cannot tell you how many people got a dog because of appearance.  This can be a huge mistake.  Choosing a puppy because it is the cutest in your mind is not a good idea.  I am not a fan of breeders who just let puppy buyers choose who they want.  Most have no idea how to choose and go by looks alone.  When you visit puppies, they may be hungry, tired, just awake etc. etc. So there is no way to really know if you don't even know what to look for.  

 Breeders should guide prospective puppy buyers.  They should communicate extensively to make sure that the buyers get the best puppy for their family.  Perhaps a puppy buyer may not be a good match for a particular breed or mix of breeds; breeders need to communicate that as well.  They should share the good and bad about their puppies with prospective buyers.   

 Communication is huge, both with breeders and potential buyers.  People who are interested may have a long list of questions; that's a good thing.  Questions mean that the buyer cares, a good thing!  If a breeder is not willing to freely share information, move along to the next.  If a breeder is pushing their puppies, move along.  If a breeder does not make you feel warm and fuzzy about your purchase, move along.  

 Above all, listen to your gut.  That extra sense that tells you right from wrong, listen to it.  Looking for a puppy to add to your family is serious business.  Find a breeder, rescue or foster who is up to your standard.  Anything less is less.  Dogs deserve the best.

Good to be home

 
I took this out my window over lightening filled skies as we neared home last night. 


We are back and it's good to be home.  With the initial homecoming, comes the mega greeting.  There is nothing like it when you've been away for a while.  Many people say that dogs have no sense of time.  But if you are on the receiving end of a home coming greeting after a week or more, you know that is not true.  When we FINALLY (travel day from hell*) got home last night, Elsa gave us quite the display.  Standing at the top of the steps smiling, head bobbing and waving with gusto.  This type of greeting is typical for Elsa but the intensity was different. 

The length of greeting is longer and each separate action holds more oomph..  From the squint of her eyes, the degree of lip curl and wave, it is clear that this is no ordinary greeting.  The typical greeting has within it, lightly squinting eyes, usually a one lip curl reminiscent of Elvis and maybe a mid-range wave or two.  Last nights greeting was filled with all of these but with larger displays.  Her eyes were squinted almost completely; but with her brow down as well.  There was no half smiles, this was a full frontal.  Elsa flashes her teeth so hard that it causes her to snort/sneeze like dogs do when they are playing with friends.  And the arm waving?  Well, it couldn't be any higher or she'd have been standing on her hind legs. 

As we made our way up the stairs to the landing the body wrapping began.  As you all know, Elsa has a full tail that I adore and it is times like these that give it more impact.  She circles us like a cat; leaving her tail to linger; touching whatever it is wrapping on us.  There is nothing like it.   A great deal of snorting can be heard as Elsa displays her sheer pleasure that we are indeed home. 

Having left her in amazing hands; our trip away was relaxed and without worry.  But there is still nothing like getting your hands back on your dog when you've been away.   As we settled in for the night in the wee hours of the morning; Elsa snuggled and sighed.  Ahhhhh, it's good to be home. 

* Yes a travel day from United hell. From one cancelled flight, more delayed flights, rude employees, poor service and an airport of filled with insanity; United Airlines will not be seeing us anytime soon.  Awake at 7:00 am EST for our trip home; arriving in California at 5:00 am EST.  Tired to say the least.  We will be skirting United like the plague at all costs. 



Blog topics


Control


It doesn't take much for a blog topic to pop into my head.  All I need to do is to go out into the world and it offers up loads of topics.  Yesterday as I pulled out of the gym parking lot, a scene played out before my eyes.  It was a topic just waiting to be written about.  I wish I could have taken a photo but I was driving so I couldn't.  It was a head shaking moment.

As I pulled up to the light I noticed a couple on the other side of the street.  They had a few dogs with them but I couldn't make out what kind.  I was stopped, waiting for my green to turn left as they waited for the green to walk across the street.  I watched, trying to figure out what the deal was.  It looked like a mess, that's all I can call it.  Three dogs, two people but it was a tangled mess. 

Finally I was able to figure out what was what.  The woman who was up ahead of the guy had one dog on a very long leash.  The guy behind had two dogs on VERY long leashes as well.  The two dogs that he was holding were walking up ahead of the woman on either side as the man tried to reel in the leashes.  There was leash everywhere.  I watched the mess as it played out.

I swear the guy was going to hang himself in all the leash length that was flying around.  The dogs were out of control and the people had none themselves.  The man looked frustrated as he reeled and reeled, preparing to cross the street.  He finally gave up; you could see it in his face and his body language.  Throwing his hands in the air he assumed the drag position and away they went.  

Two dogs were beagles and they were quite literally dragging their owners across the street.  The humans were at such an angle that I wondered if these were some sort of SUPER BEAGLES as they were not very big.  While the beagles pulled the other dog which was a black mix of some kind; a tad bigger than the beagles ran all around the couple, tangling all the leashes.  It was a canine/human mess.  

I watched, trying to analyze the whole scene.  At least I was being entertained while I waited to turn left.   The car in front of me and myself were waiting for this group to cross before we could turn left.  I watched closely, breaking down the whole messy scene before us. 

The woman walked out ahead with her one beagle and gave the guy behind her a look of disregard.  It was like she felt he was a lost cause.  The guy had given up, maybe more than just the walk; he was over all of it.  He was not having fun; everything about him said he was over it. 

The whole scene gave me anxiety just watching it.  I can imagine how these two felt walking like this each and every day.  Not fun, not fun at all.  They finally got across the street wrapped entirely in leashes.  (Please use appropriate length leashes when walking.)  They turned down the street and away they went to continue their tangled pull-a-thon.

Life with dogs is suppose to be enjoyable.  Our part in the canine/human connection is to teach and guide.  If we fail our dogs by not teaching them anything then...well, we go along for the ride.  And that ride is not always a fun one.  Shrugging and being the victim doesn't work with dogs.  We must step up and lead the way, it's our job, not our dogs job.     

Trust



We were driving to the gym Saturday morning when we saw a man running with a dog.  Or at least that's what I thought when I noticed there was no leash.  Thinking he was stupid for not having a leash on his dog; he then reached down mid-run, hitting his dog hard and grabbed it's scruff.  The dog screamed as he held the dog in the air, seriously angry.  The whole scene took on a different meaning.  Obviously the dog had run out and was not coming when the guy called it.  I toyed with the idea of getting out and laying into the idiot but you just know when doing that will make things worse. 

My husband and I talked about the incident until we got to the gym.  My heart was sick for the dog.  That poor little dog had no one to trust.  There was perhaps a good reason the dog was not coming; why on earth would you go to someone that you don't trust?  Some people just don't get this.  The incident that unfolded in front of us would be enough for a dog to never trust you again.  Maybe if you were very lucky you might be able to gain it back after working long and hard to do so.  Does your dog trust you?

Trust is a huge thing in the dog world.  You are either trusted or not.  A dog learns very fast who they can trust and who they cannot.  If you are an unreliable owner; if you go off on little things at the wrong time, you very quickly become untrustworthy. 

This is one huge reason why timing is so very important when delivering feedback.  Dogs live in the moment; we should, but don't most of the time.  If a dog does something wrong and even just a few minutes later you notice and react?  Too late, message not received and you become untrustworthy. 

Does your touch a welcome thing.  Does touch mean "I will never hurt you?"  Touch and physical manipulation can take time to become a trusted thing.  All dogs are different and what one will trust another may not.  Luke was a very nervous guy so if I tried to roll him onto his back to check out something on his stomach, he worried.  I taught him that "tummy" meant I was just looking.  It took a long time of building blocks to get to the point where he knew I was not alpha rolling him.  Not because I'd ever done it or anyone else; he was just a fretting kind of guy.  So baby steps were the blocks to trust. 

Trust is everything.  You should never give your dog anything to not trust you about.  Being clear, fair and concise with properly delivered feedback are the stepping stones to trust.  Sadly humans get it wrong much of the time.  Evolution takes time, more time for some. 

A new Vet for Elsa



Dr. Adam Lassin
Hemopet Holistic Care


 Okay, someone pinch me.  Really? I've really truly found my new vet?  Yesterday Elsa and I took a drive to Garden Grove to visit the newish Hemopet Holistic Care facility.  I've been to Hemopet to photograph the Greyhounds quite a few times but have never had my dog with me.  It felt strange to have Elsa by my side as I entered the building.  As soon as you walk in, the office is on the right; a nice new office has been built for the Holistic Care.  

 I immediately recognized the girl behind the counter.  She was the Mom of one of the Grey's I'd shot for my book.  We chatted about the new place while Elsa schmoozed.   

 First thing to get done was a weight on Elsa.  She stepped up onto the scale; sat as I asked her and waited.  She stared at me waiting for her release; still wagging in her sit position.  47.3 lbs.  With an "okay" she hopped off and went to meet anyone and everyone she could; while whipping me to death with her tail.  47 lbs, funny, Tilley weighed 47 lbs her entire adult life.  

 There was no waiting around; we were quickly taken to room number one of two.  Elsa was both excited and anxious; she wasn't quite sure what we were doing at this new place.  She had her scenting on overdrive and smelled every spot that held information for her to sniff out.  First the tech came in and asked questions about Elsa; her diet, activity level and general health.   He left and we waited for the vet.  


She listened to everything going on.  This girl doesn't miss a thing.


So anxious to meet whoever came in. 
 
Once Dr. Adam Lassin came through the door; Elsa gave him her normal exuberant greeting.  Although you could tell that she still wasn't sure what was going to be going on.  Dr. Lassin and I talked a great deal about health and dogs.  Titers, maintenance, vaccines, blood work etc. etc.  He answered every question I had, in detail.  Next was a physical for Elsa. 

Elsa checking out the new guy, Dr. Lassin.

She has to know everything that is going on.  

Heart good, pulse good, hips good.  :) 

All checked out by Elsa, she quickly trusted Dr. Lassin.

After her physical, Elsa needed her blood drawn for titers, blood panel and a few other basic tests.  Two techs came in but they allowed me to be with Elsa while the draw was done.  This is something that is important to me; although I understand that not everyone wants to watch or participate.
 
Blood is drawn from the jugular so she had to remain very still.   The best way to do this is to back her into a corner and hold her head straight up.  She was very good as they drew her blood.  Once it was done she shook and was back to her wagging self.  Elsa has not had her blood drawn like this before.  I've done it with all my other dogs and Luke had it done quite a bit.  It is a good idea to practice this type of hold for when it needs to be done.

With a clean bill of health, and her blood drawn we were good to go.  Dr. Lassin came in again before we left; letting me know when the results for the titers would be in.  

 I already got the results last evening, four paws up.  Below are the results from her titer.  Elsa's last vaccines were her puppy shots and she has great immunity.  Yay.   
   
I am so excited to have found somewhere that I feel so comfortable.  A Veterinarian that believes in the things that I believe in.  I have found my new vet.  


I was thrilled to see a few images from my Greyhound book on the wall of the Holistic Care.  Hmmm, think Elsa needs to be up there.