Canine dementia

                                 Our little old lady, now gone. 
We were talking about Elsa; as in Elsa the moment that she arrived in our family.  She was an amazing puppy.  She popped out of her crate and introduced herself to everyone person and dog in the family.  She ran around the place like she'd lived here her whole life.  Elsa was a truly phenomenal; and as such she is what I measure puppies against now. 

With our conversation about Elsa came some moments that got me to thinking.  "Remember when she met Jessie?" I asked my hubby.  It reminded  of how bad Jessie's dementia was at that point in time.  Each time she met Elsa she would react as if she'd never met her before.  Jessie would startle at Elsa's approach; her hair would go up and she'd act like her typical terrier self.  Jessie would stand on her toes trying to show Elsa that she was indeed the reigning Alpha bitch of the house; but it was short lived.  Elsa would run off to see someone else and Jessie would just wander away.  

 Thinking back at Jessie's dementia; she clearly had long term memory but was lacking in  the short term stuff.  Elsa would come around the corner and face Jessie several days after she arrived and the first greeting would start again; at least for Jessie that is.  

Jessie suffered from canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome along with the  accompanying sundown syndrome.  It happens to human Alzheimer patients and dogs as well.  Jessie most definitely suffered from the affliction; but hers ran deep into the dead of night.  It hit around the 2:00am hour and she would turn and turn and turn; walking in tight circles until the sun came up.  It was horrible and because of this she had to sleep in her crate down in the dining room so that we could sleep while she walked her circles. 

 Several times we attempted to change things up for her; to give her a bit more space to move around.  But it only made matters worse.  One time we used an ex-pen on a tile floor down in the family room.  We made her a makeshift kennel with her crate inside of it.  When we woke up in the morning we awoke to a circle of poop.  She'd pooped and then walked in circles through it the rest of the night.  The clean up was awful.  

 The next time we left her the run of the kitchen.  Thinking that she might enjoy being in there instead of just her crate.  We put up the baby gate and left her crate inside; filled with blankets and the door open.  Bad idea.  Upon waking we discovered a track of poop once again.  This time it covered a larger area and the clean up was even worse.  Both times she'd poop with more space and she had never pooped in her crate; so for the remainder of Jessie's life she spent her nights in her crate. 

 Jessie was the first dog of ours that had ever suffered from Dementia.  Like the human affliction; it is heartbreaking to deal with.  The little Jessie that I once knew was gone most of the time but there were moments when she would come back to us.  Those moments keep you going; the fleeting "there you are" times mixed amongst the lost ones. 

Caring for old dogs is a gift that many never get to do.  We were lucky to care for our lost little Jack Russell; and although it was not easy, it was my time to give back a little of what she'd given us in her almost 16 years together.  I hope to never see dementia again; it is an awful thing to work through. 

The loss of a canine


All are now gone but still very much in my heart and memories. 
I am working on a canine loss book.  It is nearing completion and I hope that it will be out this year.  It's not an easy write but it is most definitely healing.  I had a moment just the other day that I thought I would share with you.  It is has a place in my book as these points in life are so very important.  

                                       _________________

 I looked up at the television screen as I waited in line for my turn at the cash.  Horrendous tornadoes were hitting Kansas and I was quickly drawn back in time to Oklahoma.  Without a conscious decision of my own, I was taken back four years.  Standing in the parking lot in Oklahoma City, I remembered.  These are the moments that will fill many years after a loss; if not the rest of your years here on earth.

I let it come; you must let these moments in.  Let them in and ponder on them.  I stood waiting my turn near tears; but pushed them down as I often do.  I didn’t want to start crying while standing in line, in public.  So I thought about her, my little Jessie that we lost in Oklahoma over four years ago.

                               ___________________  

Writing this book has been very helpful for me.  Our family has lost three of our canine companions in four years.  Two were lost only a couple weeks apart; which was nearly the end of me.  Loss is a difficult thing and something that we all deal with differently.  I hope to help those who are having a difficult time with a loss or just want to know how others deal with a great canine love loss in their life.  

I have written many books over the years and if you are interested in reading a crazy story that is my life you can get them here. These two books are the first ones listed in my book store.  

PBJ and me
And Back Again

Leave a comment, I love to hear from you.  

Teaching Dogs Not to Touch Things


Learning not to touch is essential. 
"Don't touch," "leave it," "NO."  How many times have you either belted one of these or something similar?  How many times have you heard these or other phrases of humans pleading to our canines?  Hahahahaha, too many times.  How on earth do you teach a dog not to touch?  Easy.  Don't let them.  Yep, it is as simple as that. 

 Of course it takes consistent training; and any little slip in the wrong direction from you, may lead them down the slippery slope to touching again.  Just the other day I was so very impressed with Elsa at the park.  We were in the midst of a great chuck it retrieve session when a rabbit appeared from the bushes behind me.  As Elsa got closer to me her ears shot up and her body tensed.  "Leave it," I automatically said.  She stood statue still with the ball in her mouth.  There was a ponder moment from her; to chase or not to chase, that was the question.  She chose not to chase which is huge for a dog with high drive. I immediately chucked the ball out as far as I could to reward her.  

I have been working hard on the rabbit thing over the years.  Of course Elsa wants to chase them but I have attempted to make them a non issue.  The ball is much more fun and if she stays focused on it; "it" will continually be thrown.  

Once a dog understands "leave it" then you can implement it with just about anything.  Nice.  But what about when they don't know "leave it" yet?  I have trained many, many puppies who don't know much of anything when we start out.  When you don't have any formal communication sounds or verbal cues to fall back on you need to step in.  

 I remember working with several puppies who were having a very difficult time understanding that they were not to eat from the adult dog's bowl.  They needed to learn the rule quickly because I was going to leave and their guardian needed control of the eating situation. I do not like free for all, chaos eating and I also do not like having to separate dogs while they eat; so they must learn the rules of eating.

Puppies are stopped in their tracks.  That's it, that's all.  No passing, wherever the line is made.  This means physically being prepared to stop them.  This is not something that can be worked on willy nilly; you must be fully aware, highly alert and ready to stop.  One breach of security and you're sunk.  If you let your puppy get passed you then they will keep trying forever.  Typically puppies learn very quickly that they are not getting by you.  Oh they will try, those little smarties try to deek around you but you must be faster than them. 

 I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the moment of realization.  The very specific point in time when they stop trying.  Even when their own bowl of food sits on the floor; a puppy often desires what the big dog is eating.  Their reward for not trying to get the food from the adult is their own bowl of food.  

 Utilizing your arms and legs is essential in teaching dogs not to touch.  You need to stop them at all costs which often involves feet and hands.  You may feel inadequate tackling the job of just not letting them; but if you want to make sure that they understand "not to touch," you must make it very clear to them.  If it is cloudy at all, you're sunk.   

Diving into Facebook LIVE


We're live!
Cool, cool, cool.  I thought that I enjoyed blogging but man do I enjoy this new FB live stuff.  I've been noticing it here and there over the last week and finally decided to give it a try myself.  I made Elsa's dinner tonight and showed everyone watching how.  Of course like anything it takes some getting use to; but I have to say that so far I'm liking it a lot.

I decided to try it out on meal time because I'm pretty stationary; aside from the moving about cooking.  What I really liked about using it for cooking was that if anyone has a question right then, I can answer it.  Sure if you have a question when I post or blog I'll try to answer but it might be a few hours or days.  

 Link to the prep work for Elsa's dinner

Like this blog, my GO LIVE will be about dogs.  That means that the main home for my GO LIVE will be on my Just dogs with Sherri FB page.  

 I'm not a big schedule person and sort of like to be spontaneous so much of the GO LIVE will be as the feeling hits me.  Once I start being live more often then I may switch to a more routine thing....we'll see.  This is all new but so far very, very cool.  If you'd like to see more of my GO LIVE leave me a message or I'll see you over at my FB page.  

 Have a great weekend.  

Clicker Training for dogs


Jessie was so much fun to train with a clicker; she absolutely loved when it came out.  
Clicker training has been around for a very long time.  It started with the dolphins, their trainers and a whistle.  Yes it was a whistle that was used with the dolphins and that is where Karen Pryor came in.  From whistle to clicker; she introduced the art of clicker training to the dog world.

 Clicker training uses a sound to reinforce a behavior.  But first a connection must be made with the pre-conditioned "food is coming" response to a correct behavior.   The connection training MUST be taught before the use of the clicker will have the proper effect.  

 Most dog owners do not fully understand the clicker.   Those set loose with a clicker, are clicking all over the place.  

 Clicker training is all about timing.  Think of a dolphin being taught to jump through a hoop that is 10' in the air.  The behavior that the trainer wants to mark as "yes that's what I want," is the act of going through the hoop.  You cannot deliver a treat at the exact moment that the dolphin goes through so you must "mark it."  For this to work, there must be a pre-conditioned link of "whistle = food." 

 This is exactly how the clicker works.  You teach your dog that each and every time they hear a click, they get food.  The click=food.  This is where much of the confusion lies.  People are clicking for everything; not delivering food rewards when they should be delivered and the clicker loses it's power.  

 Sure it looks cool to use a clicker but it works much better if you understand how and when to use it.  Many people, including myself also use a verbal maker like "key, yes or right."  "Yes" is my word and I conditioned this word very early on with Elsa.  I like to have it in my training toolbox so that if I am out somewhere and need to mark something I can just use "yes."  

 Clicker training works amazingly fast.  But, if you truly want to utilize the power of a clicker; I suggest that you learn how they work.  Clicker training really is all about timing.  You must perfect your timing before adding a dog to the scenario.  First you need to learn how and when to click and then you add your dog.  

 A dog who is clicker trained learns to offer behaviors.  Bring out a clicker to a clicker trained dog and the offering begins.  As soon as I bring out a new item that Elsa has never seen before, along with the clicker, it starts.  She will immediately push it, bite it and paw at it waiting to hear the click.  Once she gets the click, she clearly understands that she is headed in the right direction.  

 Click is not a lure, it is not a pleasant sound making device that has magical and mysterious power; it is an amazing way to link reward delivery with a behavior.  That is it's power but to utilize it to the fullest the human must learn how to unlock it's power first.  


Hugging dogs


Elsa loves hugs.  Do the hug test, start with just one arm and see if your dog pulls away.  It is typically extremely subtle so you have to pay close attention. 
Psychology Today - Data says Don't hug the dog.  By Stanley Coren Ph.D. F. R .S. C. 

Since this article came out on April 16th, my Facebook news feed has been inundated with people freaking out over it.  Other behaviorists have stepped up to ask "should we hug our dogs."  I've written several comments when people offered up images of dogs being hugged; that received a barrage of nasty replies.

 So, I thought it was time for me to say something about this.  First let me say AGAIN, each and every dog is an individual.  That is a very important part of hugging dogs.   A hug is not a natural behavior for a dog to enjoy.  The only behavior equivalent for dogs is the dominance related behavior of mounting.  They may lie down beside each other but they don't grasp and wrap around like we humans do in a hug.  Okay, next.

 Being that all dogs are very different; some will tolerate a hug, some hate them, some love them but then again, it depends on who is doing the hugging.  

 Elsa loves hugs; she is the most touchy, feely girl I've ever met.  She very much enjoys hugs from her family.  If a non family member tries to hug her; I can clearly see her pull away and I typically step in to help her out.  Elsa is a human loving fiend.  She ADORES people and she seemingly cannot get close enough to her family; but family is family and everyone else is not.  She adores people, even strangers; but she doesn't want strangers or non family members wrapping their body around hers.  She likes to get close and snuggle up; she even gives kisses.    

 When I talk about a hug I mean an arm around, wrapping the body type hug.  Our Tilley was not a hugger.  She loved to have her whole body across our lap or chest but hug her and you could feel the pull away.  Unless a dog is leaning into a hug; like my Luke use to do then you should take heed.  No, it doesn't mean that your dog is going to bite you; but it does mean that they are not so much a fan of hugging as you are.

 Some dogs simply don't like hugs; even from their loved ones in the pack circle.  We as guardians need to respect that.  But many people cannot wrap their human brains around the fact that their dog does not want to be hugged.  "What, you don't love me?"  Wrongo.  Your dog could be closer to you than any other dog or human but still not enjoy a hug.  It is truly up to them.

 I do believe in working with all dogs to get them "use" to some sort of hug for the "incase" moments.  Dogs can learn to love hugs from the inner circle members most definitely.  But just to assume your dog loves hugs just because you do is wrong.   

 You should never, ever hug a dog that is not your own dog.  That is a rule that should be cast in stone.  There are so many videos on the internet these days showing children hugging dogs; that also clearly show an anxious or stressed dog.  Dogs should not have to tolerate being hugged or climbed on by children.  

 Getting all upset at the idea of not hugging dogs is a silly human hang up.  In case you forgot, we are not the same species and that means that we do things differently.  Dogs in general do an amazing job at adjusting to living in our human world.  We put so many demands on them as far as our human emotions go.  

 Dogs are dogs and they can love us, follow us, protect us and be by our side without being hugged.  We humans needs to understand what a hug means to a dog.  I am not saying by any means that you should never hug your dog.  I constantly hug Elsa and she adores it.  In fact last night she shimmied her almost 50lb body into the smallest little spot beside me in a chair that I had to laugh.  We were actually entwined with each other; just the way she likes it.  But that is Elsa, Miss Touchy Feely herself.  

 We need to stop thinking about our dogs as furry people and realize that they are an amazing species that allows us to live with them in harmony.  Even with all of our hang ups.  :) 

About me



My life is dogs. Whether I'm grooming, training, photographing, writing about or just simply hanging out, it's with dogs.


Strawberry was the first dog to touch my life. After years and years of begging my parents; they finally caved and brought a tiny toy poodle home to my brothers (2) and sisters (2). He was a re-homed show poodle; not the best choice for a family of 7 but I adored him.


But even before Strawberry came the books. A stack of "Know Your Breed" books that I had collected. Know your Saluki, Know your Doberman, Know your Poodle etc etc.


Then at the age of 13 came the moment that changed me forever. I was handed the dog who started it all (Jake) and sent into the show ring. That was it; that was the quintessential moment that headed me to where I was meant to be, with dogs.

Dog communication and the importance of watching


Always, always watching. 
From across the yard I looked over at Elsa sitting on our double lounge.  She looked intent, like she was watching something crawling on the ground in front of her.  I watched and searched the ground, but could not see anything.  I put down the hose and head to the patio area where Elsa was still staring.  With her ears at full attention, her gaze frozen; I called out to her "leave it."  I didn't know what "it" was, but I wasn't taking any chances.

As I got closer to her I scanned the ground without result.  Not until I got right to the lounge, did I see it, a BEE.  There was a bee on the lounge, right in front of her.  I shouted out loudly "LEAVE IT," as I panicked and ran to it.  As soon as I was on the bee I praised Elsa like crazy.  She is allergic to bees and if stung, she can have an anaphylaxis response.

 She'd left the bee when I told her.  She clearly understands that she is not to touch bees; I have instilled that with a very frantic "leave it," anytime I see her watching them.  She is not like a foolish youngster who goes chasing after bees; she is more about watching the little devils.  I have seen her sniff them on the ground and walk away; which is what I want her to do.  

 The bee she'd been watching was right on the lounge in front of her.  It was crawling toward her which of course caused Elsa to sense a threat.  I think if it got too close she would have given it a bite; which may have resulted in a sting.  I would not have know that this was all playing out if I had not looked over to see what she was doing.  Even in the safety of our own yard; I am always watching to see where she is and what she is doing.  

 If you don't watch, you will never see.  Dogs are creatures of constant communication.  They communicate with body language so if you are not watching them you will not see what they are saying.  Elsa happens to be a big and loud communicator.  Added to that is my constant vigilance and you have great communication. 

 As I took of my gardening shoe to capture the bee and throw it over the fence, Elsa stiffened.  I had to give her a low mmmm, mmmm meaning "no."  She acts like a team player and wants to help rid the beast from our yard.  But I let her know that I'll deal with it and she relaxes.  

 She is always telling me something.  This girl has a lot to say so I am always listening.  




Dogs and children


This child wanted desperately to meet Luke and Elsa.  The mother was amazing and stepped in to show him how to do it.  I also reigned Elsa in to control her exuberance. 
A discussion on one of my Facebook groups has inspired this blog. I've written about dogs and children many times and I will continue to do so.  I cannot tell you how many times a post has come across my feed detailing a dog bite inflicted to a child.  Who then is blamed?  The dog.  

 I am a mother and a grandmother and I adore dogs, obviously.  I love dogs in general; as a species and not just poodles.  I find them utterly fascinating; watching and reading canine body language runs to my core, it is who I am.  After years of training people and their dogs I have a lot of experience.  

 One of my most common and recurring calls from many clients sounds like this "I think the dog is going to bite my child."   So out I go to meet the family; the parents, child and dog.  After a general greeting I sit and ask questions.  The entire time I am asking questions, I am watching.  The answers to the questions contain far less information than what is playing out before my eyes.

 There have been several times when I've had to jump up and stop what was unfolding before me.  Indeed the family dog was going to bite the child.  But why?  Because the parents don't step in and discipline the child.  A child who continues to annoy a dog; climbing on, pulling at or simply interacting without parental intervention may very well be disciplined by the family dog. 

 So who's at fault?  The parent carries 100% of the blame.  How many times have I heard "my dog would never."  No one should EVER say NEVER with regards to their dogs behavior.  Dogs are not robots; they are living creatures with boundaries and limitations.  Sadly most people don't get this.  

 Even a quick and low level disciplinary action from a dog can be extremely dangerous.  If you do not protect your dog from children, then you fail them.  

                                 Please understand this.  

 If you do not stop your child from annoying your dog you are giving your dog the go ahead to discipline the child themselves.  

 I am extremely cautious when children are in the company of dogs.  I do not care how amazingly wonderful a dog is when children are involved.  Things happen and dogs can react.  Just because a dog does not want to have a child sit on them or pick at their feet does not make that dog a bad dog.  Actions are the only way a dogs has to stop a child who is being left unsupervised by an adult.  

 Children do not hear or heed warning signs.  Low growls, frozen posture, licking lips or whale eyes.  They continue on with their desire to interact and the dog is forced to take action.  Why?  Because the adult in charge was not paying attention or did not intervene.  

 I do not want to hear anyone EVER say "that dog is going to bite you if you don't stop."  I have heard this too many times.  If you think that a dog is going to bite a child; it most certainly is.  Why?  Because you are not stopping the child.  You should not put the responsibility of not being bitten on the child.  "Stop that or else."  You need to stop the child, bottom line.  

 It is our job to teach our dogs how to properly interact with children.  It is also our job to teach our children how to interact with dogs appropriately.  We are guardians; the ones who take care of both our dogs and children.  If you cannot watch all interactions between the two then put your dog away somewhere safe.  

 It takes only a moment for a catastrophic accident to happen.  Sadly some accidents are just waiting to happen from a lack of supervision and intervention.  Don't have a lackadaisical attitude when children and dogs are together.  There should always be an extremely high level of caution and safety; no matter what dog it is.

 The worse thing you can ever do to your dog is not respect them enough to protect them.  Don't be one of those people who think that your dog would never.  Don't be one of those people who think your child would never.  They can and they do, both of them.   

Happy Fur Mother's Day


Furkids from the past, still sit in my heart.  Mother's Day bring lots of memories with it 
I put a stuffed rabbit on the counter with a few other things.  I was at HomeGoods; one of my favorite places to shop.  The cashier smiled when she picked up the big grey rabbit to scan.  "So cute," she said to me.  "Can't forget my girl," I told her.  We then got into a long discussion about how many toys our dogs have.  Comparing her bags of toys with my baskets full; we both smiled and agreed that they are indeed our furkids.  

 For some people out there, their dog is just a dog.  But for many, and I'm assuming those of you reading this; your dog is your furkid.  Included as one of the family; encircled with the love, caring and safety net that goes out and covers your family.  

 Dogs are not humans.  They need different things than we do to be happy; and I do not like when people treat dogs as furry humans. They are so much more.  Dogs are an amazing species that has adapted to life with humans.  They do a spectacular job and learning the ropes of how to live by our side.  A dog gives us their all; and in turn we should give them what a dog needs.   

               To truly know your dog you must fully understand the differences between our species.

On this Mother's Day weekend I want to wish all of you amazing Dog Moms out there a very happy Mother's Day.  Being a Mother means to care for, love and keep safe; it's what we do to whomever comes into our care.  That includes our furkids.  No matter how big, small, furry or hairless; they are all our furkids. 

 So, Happy Fur Mother's Day to you all.  Life is just better with a furkid in it.  :)

Taking pictures of your dog


These days just about everyone has a cell phone.  I have to admit that I was probably one of the last stragglers to get a cell phone capable of taking good images.  The moment came when I needed a replacement small pocket camera and a new cell phone.  Considering carrying both, I opted to get a better phone and use it as my pocket camera.  I haven't looked back.

Yogi was over to play yesterday with his Mom.  As his Mom and I sat chatting and watching these two, I pulled out my phone and snapped.  

They charged around the yard.  Elsa chased Yogi, then Yogi chased Elsa.  I could watch them for hours.


I am a long time professional dog photographer.  I have two big cameras with all the bells and whistles.  Lots of gear and many powerful lenses but they are not always by my side.  If a shot is going to be enlarged and put on a wall then I will most definitely pull out the big guns.  When I am shooting for a publication; out comes my pro camera.  But for much of my day to day life and blog, my cell phone does the trick.   


No, the quality does not compare to my pro cameras but it does capture.  Capturing a moment is what it is all about. 

Elsa's tail is hard to capture with my cell phone in low light.  The translucent blur of her tail show a great deal of emotion. 


Don't worry about blur.  Many people toss a blurred image but an image is more about content and emotion than sharpness.  My cell phone camera is much slower than my pro cameras so I must deal with blur often.  Sometimes blur is a great thing.  It most definitely shows how fast the play was in the above image.  


Yogi is Elsa's best friend.  Their play is amazingly matched and I don't think Elsa could enjoy herself more with anyone else.  

We completed our first webinar yesterday where I expected Elsa to be in attendance.  She was there but slept through most of it.  This is why!!!  :)


I love this shot.  The blur of Yogi wrapped around Elsa.  Her face showing pure joy; it doesn't get much better.  

At Home Poodle Grooming Tools Webinar


Grooming Webinar Registration Link
I'm stoked this morning.  Today is the first of many Webinars that I will be doing on dogs.  

 At Home Grooming Tools Webinar - I will be covering what you need as far as equipment to groom your poodle at home.  From the very basic equipment to doing full grooming yourself.  I've been grooming at home for 35 years.  Much of my grooming was done with the very bare minimum of equipment.  I will show you what you need to do in between grooms or just the touch up stuff.  When and if you are ready to do full grooms is up to you; but I will show you what you'll need.  

 Like anything, at home grooming typically starts with just one toe dipping into the waters.  Once you get into it the sky is the limit as far as all the bells as whistles you get.  I'll show you the necessity equipment.  

 There will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar.  And Miss Elsa will be making one or more live appearances.  :) 

 Please join Elsa and I at 5:00 pm PST today May 5th, May 12, May 19 or May 26 for this free At Home Poodle Grooming Equipment Webinar. 

 Register for the webinar by clicking here.   

 Hope to see you all there.  

Dog's that talk



Your dog speaks to you.  Are you watching?
I was standing in the kitchen doing dishes.  Looking out into the sun filled yard; I watched Elsa wander around her back yard.  Leaving the sunny view for a moment I turned around to grab a few more dirty dishes then returned to the sink.  As I looked out to see Elsa again; she stood at the back garden, twisting her head around to look at me.  She stared at me in the kitchen; tail wagging with a "hey Mom," face on.  

 I watched her for a moment then called out to her "what's up?"  Her tail wagged harder and she looked back over the fence.  Drying my hands, I knew that something was up.  As I walked to meet where she stood Elsa became more animated.  "What do you want?" I asked her.

 Elsa looked back over the fence and down the hill.  She looked back at me and down the hill again. Ahhhhhh, her ball had gone over the fence when I was away.  We'd been out of town for a few days and her sitter was here taking care of her.  The great strip of grass in the yard is perfect for tossing and retrieving; that is until the ball goes over the little fence.  Obviously this had happened and Elsa needed me to know about it. 

 She is a communicator, all dogs are.  But, if you aren't paying attention you may miss a great deal of the communications.  I could clearly see that Elsa needed to tell me something.  I grabbed a rake and tried to get the ball; it was too far down the hill.  Next I climbed over the little fence and slid down the hill to where the ball lay after going off it's mark.  Tossing it up and over the fence to Elsa, she was now content.  She had her ball; the one that she had no doubt been antsy about since it's disappearance. 

 If a ball goes missing, either into the bushes, down a hill or up on roof, Elsa will not forget.  She needs all of her balls with her.  There are times when I can coax her away with another ball but she will not forget the lost one.  I have had to tell her to "leave it" and walk away.  She is hesitant and does not want to leave any ball behind.  

 Dogs tell us what they want, need or just need to tell us.  It is important to watch our dog; to really see what they are saying.  They don't often speak to us so if you are not watching you'll miss what they are saying.  Elsa let me know what happened when I was away; she's a smartie.  

    Do you know what your dog is saying when they look at you? 



Dogs beginning with 'A'

So many dogs.  As a professional dog photographer; I have shot a lot of dogs over the years. Many of my photos ended up on the cover of a canine magazine.  Sadly most of the magazines are now gone; having been replaced with internet content. 

To view a few of my magazine covers click here.  

Meeting all of the dogs and their person was a huge perk of this job.  Hearing stories about each and getting to know the dogs was wonderful.  I thought I'd share some of the dog photos from over the years with you.  There are literally hundreds and hundreds of them.   




Because there are so many images; I've decided to do display them by alphabet. 



I fell hard for this boy; he was a gorgeous inside as he is out. As a photographer, site hounds are like art with feet.   Afghan Hound.


This Airedale Terrier was pistol.  Sweet and friendly but ready to dive into the pond and chase the ducks in a heartbeat. 


I always feel honored to have met each and every dog that I shoot.  This Akita was friendly but astoic sort of guy and huge in size. I also got to meet and play with his beautiful daughter.


What can I say about this little man?  He had just joined his new family when they allowed to shoot him.  He was as cute as they come; an adorable little mischievous puppy. In fact he was so cute that he is the cover of my puppy training book.  Feedback for you and your dog.  Alaskan Malamute.  




Australian Cattle dog


Passion and drive.  I could have watched this guy all day long.  He reminded me much of my girl Tilley back then.  What a great dog and fun shoot.  Australian Cattle dog.  


Shooting for a magazine and private shoots is entirely different.  Many shots were taken like the one above; specifically for the cover of a magazine.  There had to be room left at the top for the name of the magazine and room on the left for all the magazine contents.  On this shoot I got to meet this gorgeous guy and his brother.  Australian Shepherd. 


On-leash canine greetings


Always ask!!!!
She was headed our way with a mission in her step. Her intention was to give her dog the chance to meet my little Jack Russell.  "She's not friendly," I called out to her.  "Oh she loves dogs and wants to say hi," she replied.  I was a little set back by her response and responded "NO."  Turning abruptly, we picked up the pace.  She was one of those dog guardians; the ones that have no intention of listening to my heed. 

 Approaching other dogs in hopes of an on-leash interaction without asking first is foolish.  Off leash greetings can go wrong; on-leash greetings can be even worse.  

 Leashes can cause all sorts of problems.

 1.  Leashes can take away our dog's ability to communicate freely.
2.  Leashes inhibit our dog's freedom of movement.  The inability of moving away can cause many behavior issues.
3.  Leashes are our line to our dog.  Wrong messages can be sent via that line when we deal with our own emotions. 
4.  Leashes can give people a false sense of a well behaved dog.
5.  Leash entanglement is a huge problem for many.

 Leashes and communication
- When we attach a leash to our dogs it decreases their ability to communicate freely.  A tight leash, pulling and tugging changes our dog's body language.

 Freedom of movement
- If a dog cannot move away, they can become fearful or aggressive. 

 Our message
- Our messages are sent down the leash to our dogs.  If you are uptight, anxious, stressful or fearful; your dog will know this and act accordingly.  It's our job to send good messages down the leash.

 False
- Many dog owners think that their dog is very well behaved because they are on leash.  Being on leash and being well behaved are two entirely different things.

 Entanglement
- Becoming entangled with other dogs is a very common problem.  Even the friendliest dog encounter can go wrong if they become entangled.

 Leashes are a piece of safety equipment.  They are also a line of communication, a problem creator and cause of much confusion.  

 Use a leash but think about the leash when you are out with your dog.  A tight leash can do a great deal of damage as far as lack of communication, body language confusion and misread messages.


off leash dogs



"My dog is friendly" they shout out as their dog charges us.   How many times have I heard this?  If we have snuck up on someone off leash, which happens from time to time, I get it.  But typically even when people see us at the park, they unleash. 

 The other day I pulled up to one of my favorite parks when I saw a woman entering the park with her two dogs.  Neither were on a leash; so I waited to see what she was doing.  "Great," she was walking around the park.  I called out to her to leash her dogs.  Like most every person I run into with dogs off leash, her dog would not come.  She called and called while Elsa and I waited to head out on our walk.  

 I don't trust people.

 My big issue with dogs off leash is it is typically people who have no control over their dog and don't understand their dog.  I had a guy say to me "he won't come," when I asked him to leash his dog.  Ummmmmm...what?  Yep, true.  Like the woman in the park; she could barely get her hands on her dog.  

 She finally leashed her Golden Retriever up and had a straggling Doxie trotting behind; because she only had one leash.  Seemed like we could head out so I got Elsa out of the car and we started on our way.  Not minutes into our walk I turned around to see that the woman had unleashed her Golden and it was now romping in the park with an off leash pit bull.  I watched the interaction and it was too intense.  The two got into it, sounding like two Grizzly bears brawling.  The Golden was the instigator and after ending the first fight he immediately went after the other dog again.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  

 The man with the pit bull leashed up his dog and head out.  Elsa and I were almost at the car at this point and got in.  I was furious.  

                          People like this ruin it for everyone.  

 Should you unleash your dog?  Perhaps.  But ask yourself this.  

 - Is there anyone else around?

This is the most important question.

 Even if there are no other dogs around; there may be people who don't feel comfortable around unleashed dogs.  At one of the parks where I walk there are a couple of people who are very uncomfortable around dogs.  Unleashed dogs are downright scary to them.  Respect that.  

 No matter how friendly your dog is; other people and/or dogs may not want an interaction.  If you would like your dog to have an interaction with another, ask first ON LEASH.  

 - look around, is there anyone else in the area?
- is the area a safe place to unleash?

 Just because others are out with their dog, like you; does not mean that they want anything to do with you.  This is something that always puzzles me.  If you are out for a nice dinner; do you want to interact with everyone else doing the same?  NO.  

 Think about it.  

Dog earth day



Happy Earth Day from me and Elsa. 
It is earth day and I  want to blog about a few things that we can do as dog lovers for the earth; although I really want to go off on a rant blog about a person at the park today.  But I will focus on the positive this morning and save my rant for my next blog.  Today is about doing things for our earth; we only have one so we need to take care of it. 

 What we feed our dogs matters to the earth.  It is good for the earth to buy organic products.  Supporting the farmers who choose not to use conventional and dangerous pesticides and chemicals is a step in the right direction.  Buying organic is good for us, our dogs and our earth.  

 What goes in comes out.   

Poop is biodegradable over time but it is also a pollutant.  So what are we to do with poop?  

 - use only biodegradable bags.  That means that you have to purchase bags unless the ones that are on the corners and at parks are biodegradable.  I get Earth Rated bags at HomeGoods or TJMaxx and always have a roll on me.  

 Poop bags rated

- you can flush poop.  Yep, I have done it and it most definitely makes sense to me.  You can find water soluble bags which are on the list above.  Great idea, I think. 

 - you can compost your dog poop; but you must learn how to do it correctly.    

Composting dog poop. 

When you clean at home, buy non toxic products.  There are many brands that clean without harsh and dangerous chemicals, choose some of these.  Good old vinegar and baking soda works wonders.  You really can clean without any toxic substances which is a great choice for you, your dog and the earth. 

Clean without chemicals.

Earth easy cleaning

As a society we have been brainwashed into thinking that it isn't clean if we didn't use chemicals.  All of these chemicals are so dangerous to us.  Often hot water is enough.  Read the articles above for other ideas.

One step towards a less toxic life is a step in the right direction.  Here's to green!!!!