Listening Part #2

So much being said.

This is part #2 - a continuation from my previous Really Listening Part #1 blog.  

As far as we humans are concerned, listening (although few people actually listen) is what we rely on for communication.  There is a great deal that can be heard if you read between the lines of what is said and watch as well.  Even though we depend on verbal communications for our preferred way of communicating; there is more to communication than words.

Dogs, on the other hand use body language first so listening to your dog means watching.  Of course canines use vocal communication but it is not their prime means of getting a message across.  Do you listen to your dog?  Which means do you watch?  

I love watching dogs.  So much is said within a few seconds and if you are not watching intently and clearly understand what you are seeing, you'll either miss it or misinterpret the message.  When Elsa has a play date with a canine friend, I find it hard not to watch 100% of the time.  I find it fascinating, so much information is shared between our dogs that we never even know about if we aren't paying attention.

Isn't it funny that we think that our dogs are so amazing at knowing what is going on with us.  "How did she know we were having friends over?"  "How does your dog know when you aren't going out?"  They watch, it's what they do and they know.  They know when things are good and when things are bad, they just know. 

If I am out and about I love to watch dogs and their constant communication.  I have tripped many times while turning to watch an interaction on my own walk.  It is what I love. 

Humans tend to take what they see in canine content and turn it into a human behavior.  When dogs communicate it is not in the same way that we do at all.  We have to explain it in human terms so that we mere humans can understand it but they don't do human things unless they are trained and asked to do so.  

Understanding canine communications is completely alien to us; that is unless we take the time to learn about it.  

Humans misread canine interactions on a regular basis, I see and hear it all of the time.  I see videos where people think that dogs are playing so cute; but they are just on the verge of a fight.  Photos of people allowing children to hug or sit on a dog and think that the dog loves it, sends chills down my spine. 

An extremely relatable example is guilt.  Humans often, far too often see submission as guilt.  "He knows he should not poop on the floor," is a common statement as an owner is yelling at their dog.  "Look how guilty he is," they say as the dog hangs it's head, averts eye contact and shrinks in submission.  The dog is reacting to the human behavior, not the guilt from what they have done. 

If you live with a dog or dogs you really should learn how to understand them.  

TRUST

Trust - reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person; confidence.  

Does your dog trust you?  Is there a trust that is unbreakable within your relationship?  Trust is huge, in fact it is everything.  

Trust takes work and it can take a long time to truly trust, depending on the dog and of course the human.  Are you trustworthy?  Does your dog easily trust?  Many dogs do not naturally trust, they are suspicious by nature and to win their trust can be a great deal of work.  But it is well worth it because once your dog trusts you, the two of you move onto a higher connection.

Luke was a worry wart type of guy so it definitely took work to get to a point where he trusted everything that I did.  He never questioned what had to be done, although he occasionally had to check in to make sure that we were still good.  If I accidentally pulled his hair or bump into him he worried that perhaps we weren't good.  He'd reach his face up with a need to touch mine; once we connected physically he would stare into my eyes, just to be sure.   

If he got hurt while playing or messing around somewhere he'd immediately come to me to show me what happened.  Once I gave him some "you'll be okay" reassurance, off he went on his merry way.  He was quite the guy.  Earning his trust was not easy so when I did, it was something that was never broken.  Even when I had to do things that he didn't enjoy, he trusted me.  

Trust is everything.  I tried to explain the trust factor to someone the other day.  They were explaining to me how they attempted to house train their dog.  They would yell and scream when they found pee or poop on the floor.  What does trust have to do with this?  Everything.  Dogs don't associate pee or poop in the house with something wrong.  So when you start to yell and get mad you are actually breaking trust which means ruining the bond that you have been trying to build.  A trust filled bond is amazing.  

When I had to give Luke his Vitamin needle, I knew it might hurt, but he trusted me.  I did my best not to hurt him and he never even winced.  He did trust me fully.  

Building trust means never lying to your dog.  It means always meaning what you say and never doing things out of anger.  This is one reason that positive reinforcement training is so very important.  The old yank and choke'm training is done through much anger, it is alpha ruler driven.  

Dogs deserve our best and trust is #1.

Dog Training - Interference in Learning

As I watched, I tried to remember it all.  The movements, the body language and the sound.  I was  at a training appointment to help fix some canine/human issues.  I watched the woman trying to hold her dog back when I entered the home.  I stood still, seemingly not watching but taking it all in.  "Let him go," I said.  He immediately calmed, not completely but much better than when he was in the trap of his guardian's arms.  

There are a lot of things that can interfere in the canine learning process.  Touch, sound and distractions can all factor in on learning.  But if we humans learn how a dog can learn, it works much better.  The woman with the problem dog who wanted to dive on everyone who came into the house was a prime example.  All she knew to do was restrain, but her restraining was backfiring.  Her touch, talk and body language just revved up the crazed behavior.

Another good example of too much interference was a German Shepherd and it's guardian trying to learn "stay."  I had been at an obedience class with another trainer for a photo shoot but the dog trainer in me was dying to step in as I watched.  It was not my place so I just surveyed from the sidelines.  The guardian repeated and repeated the "stay" while putting her hand up, then down, up then down.  She fidgeted with the leash and basically made it impossible for the dog to know what the heck was going on.  

Being quiet, listening and watching as our dogs learn is a big learning session for ourselves.  Learning how our dogs learn best is a win win for everyone involved.  But much frustration surrounds the act of teaching when we do not teach ourselves first.  How on earth can we teach our dogs if we don't understand how our dogs learn?

Most canine guardians do not understand how to teach their dogs.  There is much reliance put on the physical act; collar grabs, pushing, pulling, swinging arms and talking up a storm.   

Our dogs constantly watch us.  Their whole world revolves around watching and listening.  They rely on body language for the bulk of their communication so making our body communications clear and precise is extremely important in the learning curve.  The more we throw in the more complicated it gets, making it far more difficult for a dog to learn.

• Touch is a huge interference.  
• Sound is an interference.
• Body movement can be an interference.  
• Environmental stimulus can be an interference.  

If we as canine guardians take the time to learn to teach, we can accomplish so much more.  It is a win/win for the canine/human relationship.  

Shooting Hoops

The above photo was my shoot set up on Friday morning with Elsa. After a quick lesson on hoop jumping I wanted to capture Elsa going through.  I stood in my yard thinking how I could have the hoop held, get her to go through and take the image at the same time.  Then I remembered my shade stand.  This black stand is typically for set up or posed type photography, something that I rarely do as I much prefer, life, candid or action photography.  So the stand sits in the closest most of the time.  Out it came.  

As I had just taught Elsa about the joys of going through her hoop, I wasn't sure if she would do it on her own.  I wanted to be out front and have her come through toward me for the shot.  As I suspected, she balked when asked first.  She went around and under the hoop; after all it was attached to come creepy metal stand that she hadn't seen before.  This is why the little table is set up beside the hoop, to coax her through instead of going around.  

She stood there, not sure if she could do it on her own.  So I went back and pretended to hold the hula hoop, she went through.  Then I quickly got distance.  Elsa is a very fast learner so I only had to do this a couple more tries while getting further away and she was on her own.  

The lighting was perfect, sun and shade making it perfect when the sun caught her expression.  

During the shoot I was tossing Elsa treats to keep her interested.  One treat went flying into the grass and I told her to "find it."  "Find it" is a term I use for when something goes out of sight; a ball, frisbee or anything else.  But, I have also trained Elsa to "find phone" because I misplace my phone so often.  She spotted my phone sitting on a chair, ran over and knocked it to the ground.  I had to smile.  She's a thinker and thought maybe the "find it" meant we I needed my phone.  Smart, smart girl.  

Elsa had one "changed my mind" moment as she went to go through and then thought otherwise.  I'm glad I captured it because it shows the whole process.   (below)

I love her face at the end.  She looks like she is sort of laughing and sort of embarrassed.  The hula hoop was hanging on a string so hitting it would not hurt her at all.  

After our hula hoop session, I indulged Elsa in some ball retrieving and catching.  Although she is loving the hoop; a photo session with the hoop is slow moving, something she's not a fan of.  Elsa likes to work fast so setting up a shot, moving away, getting her through and capturing it is not Elsa's thing.  Her favorite fast catch and retrieve was her "thank you" from Mom.  :) What she does love is just jumping through the hoop fast, over and over again with no camera set up.

Love this Sporty Spice Girl.  :) 

Really Listening

Are you a good listener?  I try very hard to be a good listener and am constantly working on it. Many articles are written on listening, yet so many people really don't listen.  There are lots of reasons why people don't listen:

• Non interest
• They would rather talk
• Distracted
• Don't want to listen

I started this blog today in one direction but it changed mid-way; that happens a lot when I am writing as my thought process is redirected.  So this is going to be a two part listening blog with this being Part #1.

I read a great article on listening in Psychology Today and pulled a section from it which is below.  

 Just because something has always been done in a certain way in the past doesn't mean there isn't an equally good or better way to do it.

Again, this change of attitude is not an easy feat to accomplish. Change is hard. There's a reason the saying, "Why fix something that isn't broken?" is so popular. In addition, doing something different adds an unknown risk to a venture.Yet, there also is risk to closing your mind to new ideas. If you always take the position that you know what's best, you will miss opportunities to discover something better. 

Taken from Psychology Today article, The Art and Value of Good Listening, Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D.,

After reading this section of the article, my direction changed for the blog.  This made me sit back and think about all things that people have done for years and years that are now done without thought.  Let's take training techniques as an example.  Many trainers (myself included) are called crossover trainers.  Trainers who started out using one type of training and after learning about another better way, they crossed over, never to return to the old ways.  This is all about listening.

I started training in the old conventional methods that were the only way available when I was 13 years of age.  Then in my twenties I discovered the positive reinforcement method and never looked back.  But there are trainers who will never evolve, grow or change.  Listening is not what they do.  They are stuck in their knowledge base, considering their way is the only and best way.  Sad.

I am not saying that people all have to agree, far from it.  I strongly believe in people standing up for what they believe in.  Integrity.  But never listening, really listening and looking at facts, pondering on information given and not being afraid to change or evolve, that is really listening.    

We could also use docking tails or cropping ears as well.  It has long been done and breeders continue to do it for no reason.  They do not want to listen to the new and better way; like the trainer stuck in his old outdated training methods the breeder will not evolve to what is better for our dogs.  And yes of course not chopping off body parts is better for our dogs and that is a fact.

Listening is far more than hearing words spoken to you.  Listening is about hearing and then pondering.  Once you have considered what you have heard, you can then chuck it or store it in the evolution file.  I hear a great deal of information that I consider and then chuck.  But I also hear a lot of great and important material that is stored in my evolution file. 

Funny how this blog started in one very certain direction but upon reading and listening to what the article said, it changed.  Next blog will be the original blog that I started to write this morning.  Stay tuned.  ;)

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”

I love this quote by Dalai Lama.  

Pet Sitter?

I've been looking for another pet sitter.  I have a pet sitter now who I love but the problem with having a great sitter is that he/she is not always available.  I have to say that it is a discouraging task; call after call, interview after interview results in just more work.  How many “REALLY?” moments can I have while searching for a pet sitter?

The most troubling thing to me is what pet sitters consider to be sitting.  “We’ll arrive around 7-8pm, stay overnight and leave by 7am” one girl told me over the phone.  “REALLY?”  I said and then she went on to say that they could come back for a 30-minute visit midday if I required. 

I have a protocol for interviewing sitters.  Get a recommendation from another canine guardian, make a call, do a phone interview; and if they get through the interview call then I interview in person.  Most never make it past the phone call and only three have ever made it past the in person interview.  We’ve been very lucky to have had what I’d consider to be the best of the best.  But how could I possibly think about going away and not leaving my dog/s with the best? I couldn’t.

I have a lot of questions when I interview and most sitters have probably never been questioned like this before.  I’m a need to know kind of person and I most definitely need to know the facts if I am ever to even consider someone for the position of taking care of Elsa. 

·       What does your day entail?

·       What time do you arrive and leave?

·       Where do you live? Area, not specific address.

·       Do you have dogs?

·       Do you work alone?

·       How many dogs do you walk during the day?

Although I have a great number of questions, other than specific questions I ry to not talk too much, I listen.  (But you know me and dog talk.) Much can be heard by reading between the lines of answers.  It is the little things that are said or not said that can give you the most information. 

If they make it through the phone interview and we meet in person, then body language is what I watch mostly.  People can tell you anything but their body language does not lie.  I can get a read on people very, very quickly.  My current sitter took about three minutes before I knew that I would love her. 

Watching the “sitter” with your dog is very important.  I had one woman come to interview and when Luke (now passed) licked her hand she gave me a creepy sort of smile and said “that’s okay, I have to shower anyway.” Don’t let the door hit you too hard on the way out lady.  Dog sitter?  REALLY?

So my search continues.  Great sitters are out there.  They are not easy to find but if you have the patience to sift through all the mediocre you can find the gems.  I have and have had the best, I am not about to lower the bar. 

There are people who just want someone or some robot to let their dog out to pee.  I’m not one of those.  Having been a dog trainer for many, many years, I have heard many, many pet sitter horror stories. I think that too many sitters start out doing one thing and very quickly become overbooked (greedy) and callous (taking on too much) to what they are doing.

A Pet Sitter is someone who is a replacement for us when we have to be away.  Some people may be okay with hiring a robotic sheep herder, I am not.  As a canine guardian, I do my best for my dogs.  I am not about to put her into the hands of someone who does not understand the importance or definition of real care.    

Do I have high expectations?  Do I expect a lot?  Is my Pet Sitter bar extremely high?  Freaking right it is. 

Moving Through the Loss of Your Canine Companion

It is done, and all I can say is what a write.  It is a good thing that I don't actually write on paper because it would be completely ruined by the end of it all.  There have been many tears shed over this book; but it has helped me to heal immensely.  I hope that it can help those of you who may be going through a loss down the road, right now or in the past to heal just a little.  

The book covers everything from, knowing when, through the loss and grief and coming out the other side.  A special addition is at the end of the book with a few stories by others who have lost their dogs along with my own and after death experiences.

The book is available by clicking on the above image or it is also available on Amazon in print or ebook form just by typing in the title. 

I hope that you enjoy it.  It has been written from the heart, most definitely.  

Fat Dogs

Elsa gains weight easily so I am constantly monitoring. 

This morning I want to talk about fat dogs; those who carry an extra few pounds to the morbidly obese. So many dogs suffer from being overweight and it is sad because it can diminish their quality of life drastically.  Even a few pounds can make a big difference in how a dog moves and feels. Depending on the size of the dog, a few pounds might be an 1/8th of the dogs full weight.  Even on a large dog, a few pounds can be radical.  

Society today looks at the athletic body of a dog and thinks "too skinny."  Keeping our dogs lean and fit is our job.  They are not feeding themselves and they often don't have the opportunity to exercise themselves.  So it is solely on us, the weight that they bear is ours.  

I see sooooo many dogs that are far too heavy and their owners haven't a clue.  When I am out on a training session and working with a heavy dog; I will at some point let the owner know.  It is not easy and depending on the person, I must take great care with how I deliver the news.  It usually comes as a huge shock to the owner.  I'm not quite sure why people don't see that their dogs are too heavy.  Perhaps because fit shape is not something that we are programmed to see.  We simply see our wonderful dog that we love, extra sponge and all.  

Dogs that carry to much weight are prone to joint pain and injury, decreased stamina, heat intolerance, diabetes, kidney failure and many other ailments that are linked to being overweight.  We need to educate ourselves to see what is too much and what is too little.  

Diet and exercise go hand in hand, just like they do for ourselves.  I am currently cutting calories and trying to drop a few pounds, not easy, especially because I have an ankle injury right now and have to wear a stupid boot.  It is so much easier for us to drop weight on our dogs than ourselves.  They eat what we give them and they exercise when we offer it.  Eating too many calories for the amount of movement during a day adds pounds of fat.  So what is the answer?  

First we need to teach ourselves what fit looks like.  Our dogs should have a nice svelte waistline.  Each breed and mix is different but every dog should have a waist.  From the top looking down they should go in at their waist.  You should be able to easily feel ribs, enough to be able to count them.  Think in terms of a thin layer of neoprene over the ribs.  

Every extra pound that your dog carries, brings with it more work to move.  Many dogs get caught in the vicious cycle of carrying too many pounds so they stop moving as much which adds extra pounds.  It is much the same as humans but they suffer more because of their size.  A few pounds means a lot on a dog.  

Like humans, each dog is an individual.  Some will be hard to get any weight on, some will gain weight too easily.  It is up to us to keep our dogs in peak condition.  Diet and exercise, it's what it is all about.  Too much garbage food will add weight; too little movement will add weight.  Together they can be a deadly combination.  

If your dog is carrying around too much weight, time to get to work.  It is actually easy for dogs to drop weight.  Don't go the route of "low fat" diets.  Cut back on quality food and get moving.  It is all up to us.  

Dogs and Hot Weather

This little man was comfortably panting.  What a cutie.  :) 

There is a huge focus on dogs and hot weather right now.  Finally people are starting to realize that the car on a hot day is not the place for your dog.  Although there are still people who do it; and I've personally had to hunt people down to save their dogs.  On the flip side, there are those who think that too much emphasis is being put on dogs and hot weather.  They feel that too many car windows are being broken; they also think that too many people are being falsely accused of heat crimes with their dogs.  

I think that the attention to dogs being left in cars is good.  Perhaps it will save a few dog's lives.  

But what about exercising our dogs in the heat?  This morning Elsa and I were out early; it was warm but not as warm as yesterday.  We were lucky to squeeze in a full fifteen minutes of power chuck it.  Half of the field was shaded which was great; but I still kept a very close eye on Elsa's body.  I always get out early or late with Miss Elsa; although some mornings are hot early.  So I watch her tongue and her body.  

What I'm watching for:

Excessive panting.  Dogs pant, they have to pant as they get warm; but fast uncontrollable panting is different.  It is essential to know what normal panting is.

Foam.  Once a dog starts to foam, they are overheating.  Typically the panting becomes frantic before that.  

Slowing down.  If at any point she starts to slow down, time to stop.  

These three things are most important.  Often a dog's tongue will hang out the side; this can be a sign of overheating but it can also be how a dog's tongue is so you need to know your dog.  

You also want to be sure that your dog can cool quickly.  Elsa had already stopped panting by the time we got home which meant that she was perfectly fine after her power workout.  

Being environmentally aware is so very important with dogs.  I see people out in the middle of the day running their dog down paved roads.  The dog is foaming at the mouth with their tongue hanging very far out the side, not good at all.  It's actually horribly cruel to do this to your dog.  

There are folks who think that we should work or exercise our dogs in the heat, makes them tough.  But given the choice, our dogs would choose not to.  If you ever watch a pack of wolves in the summer, they will not be out hunting midday; they are much smarter than that.  Our dogs are also that smart; and in the heat they will head for the shade.  

Something to remember as well is that old, sick, disabled or flat faced dogs will suffer more from the heat.  And dogs that carry extra weight are more susceptible to heat issues.   No dog should be fat, even a few pounds can make a huge difference in a dogs health.  More on that in the next blog.  

It really is all about common sense; sadly something that seems to be void in much of life today.  If I get out of the car at the park and it feels really hot; I may walk around the park once with Elsa and then jump in the Xterra with the AC on.  Today gave us a nice window to get Elsa a power workout in; it is so good for her MOJO.  :)  Just like us, dogs feel good when they exercise.  

Not sure what the day will hold for our evening retrieving; it might just be done inside in the AC.  Stay cool everyone.   

Genetics vs. Environment in Canine Temperaments

Personally, I want to see a wiggly, wagging little butt coming my way.  I'm looking for the puppy who says "HELLO human, I love you;" delivering kisses while squinting.  Dropped ears is an extra bonus. Choosing puppies from a litter of adorable little bundles of fluff is tough.  This is one reason I feel very strongly about a breeder doing the job for prospective puppy buyers.  That said there are breeders who don't know what they are looking at and cannot place puppies correctly.  

The first and most important part of puppy temperaments is genetics.  I've met a lot of not so friendly puppies over the years.  When I delve into the genetic make-up, it is clear that the apple does not fall far from the tree.  One specific puppy I remember who was extremely aggressive at a scary young age had an almost identical Mother.  When I asked the owner about the parents she told me "no we couldn't touch the Mom."  Oh...was all I could muster up.  Although I was thinking "really?  and you took a puppy anyway?"

Genetics is not everything, but it is definitely there.  What a breeder does with their puppies as far as socialization is huge.  But even still genetics can come creeping up through the litter.  Sadly many breeders overlook temperament; when in fact it should be at the very top.  I have juggled with temperament/health and soundness for years and have finally decided that temperament is #1.  Sitting close behind at #1.5 is health then soundness.  

Why is temperament #1?  No matter how gorgeous and correct a dog is; if no one can live with it, that's a fail as far as breeding.  Temperament should NEVER be pushed down as an afterthought.  If a breeder is breeding companion dogs then they should come from good companion parents.  Meaning that the puppies are going to be fairly easy for any prospective puppy buyer.  Are the parents friendly?  Are they biddable? Of course each breed has it's own version of friendly, friendly can be relative. 

Every person is different, every puppy is different.  Matching the correct puppy to their special person should be much like match.com  :)  Not with the creepy guy on the advertisements though, leave him out of it.  I hate seeing puppies chosen at birth, two weeks of three weeks.  You have no idea of what you are getting.  

If you want a good match as far as your next puppy, wait.  If the breeder wants you to choose quickly, move on.  If you have to take what comes out with regard to color, sex or deposit number, move on.  If your breeder does the matching through temperament and drive; make sure that your breeder is knowledgeable in doing that.  Perhaps puppies placed in previous litters can be given as reference, if you aren't sure.  

I know that Elsa was chosen perfectly for us.  I had to absolutely rely on my breeder to be my eyes because of distance.  I ask an insane amount of questions because I do temperament testing and I know what I am looking for.  Elsa fit like a glove in our home.  She came out of her crate saying "hey there, my name is Elsa," wagging like crazy and was happy to meet each member of our family, canine and human.  She is a lot of dog but I am a lot of Mom, we fit.  :)  

Finding your next canine match is worth all the research and work.  It is not easy and there is much to weed through.  My one top word of wisdom is to NOT purchase online when you choose a puppy by clicking on the pay button.  And if they are set up in the cutest little settings with flowers and stuffed animals that tempt you to buy, MOVE ON.  

Elsa and her breeder have set the bar high; but that's where it should be.  

We've moved

Elsa and I are moving.  Yep, our Just dogs with Sherri BLOG has a new home.  With our new website we wanted to bring everything together; so this is our new home, the new website.  Like many things, we may have some growing pains but we will work through them as they arise as quickly as we can.

I love writing and sharing information about dogs in many different aspects of our life.  I will continue to research, learn and share things that I think are important issues about living with dogs.  

I love getting comments on my blogs and also topics that people would like to see a blog on.  Communication is so very important in the dog world; it is also as important in ours.  I hope that you continue to follow us and we will make try to make the transition as smooth as possible.  

Thanks for reading.

Sherri and Elsa  :)

Are you a leader?

Are you?  Are you your dog's leader?  How about your pack, are you the leader of the pack?  No matter what your pack exists of; whether it consists of one dog, three or more, you should be leader of the pack.

Leader -  a person who manages or controls other people, esp. because of his or her ability or position.

So what does this mean?  A canine pack leader guides, educates, creates rules and enforces them.  A leader is understanding, patient and firm.  Being a great K9 leader is about giving your dog the tools to maneuver seamlessly through their life in a human world.

From the moment your dog becomes a member of your family; it is time for you to be a leader.  Feedback is a huge part of living with dogs.  Feedback is a great thing for humans as well.  If no one ever offers us feedback we are at a disadvantage, so too are our dogs.  

Just yesterday I called Elsa into the house.  She is typically very obedient and comes in quickly.  But there is a rabbit that has taken up residence in our backyard (wonderful).  This means that Elsa is very preoccupied much of the time that she is out there, even if the rabbit is not present.  There are many footprints to smell and trails to follow.  I needed her to come in, so when I called and she ignored me, out I went, immediately.  If I didn't need her in and saw that she was otherwise preoccupied I would not have called her.  She was having fun being a dog and I like her to have fun.  But I needed her to come in.

I kept my very serious body posture and said "in now."  She looked at me like "crap, really?"  With one last look over her shoulder she did as she was told.  Much of our day to day is very casual; as I offer suggestions of things to do rather than strict rules.  "Wanna come in?" I ask her and leave the decision up to her.  But when I give a rule that must be followed it is essential to enforce. 

Life rules are all about what is okay and not okay to do.  Many puppies will leap all over their new guardian at feeding time that might seem cute and funny at the time.  If you do not change this at that point in time then you will have a large adult dog trying to get the bowl of food away from you at feeding time.  Not okay.  

If you don't teach your new family member not to dig in the backyard or give them an alternative activity to replace that; you may come home one day to your yard totally destroyed or a missing dog who dug underneath a fence.  

Being a leader is not about being bossy.  A leader offers guidance to their dog so that they don't make mistakes down the road.  It is our job to do this.  Often we fail to educate and then become furious when our dog acts like a dog.  That is our failure, not theirs.   

Temperament testing and puppy placement

I was surfing breeder sites the other day; I was looking for something very specific for someone.  The information that I was looking for was how they raise their puppies.  So I rolled up my sleeves and dug in.  It doesn't take me long to figure it out; it's just a bit of looking around a site that gives you much more information than you would think.  The first thing I saw was pictures of week old puppies set up beside a basket full of flowers.  Red flag.  

A little more surfing around and I found the puppy contract.  Wow.  Let's just say it is not something that I would ever sign.  One of the big red flags was about placement of the puppies.  Puppy buyer must make their choice when the puppies are three weeks of age in order of deposit.  Boy this makes me cringe.  

At three weeks of age, there is no way to know who is who.  Oh sure you can go strictly by color and/or markings but that is all you can go on.  Even if you get to see them in person, you cannot tell what the puppies temperament or personality will be at that age.  Even the breeder can't tell what their puppies are like at two or three weeks of age.  

I've done a great deal of temperament testing in many different breeds and mixes and it is quite fascinating.  It is one of the things that I do that I absolutely love.  Seeing the differences in the puppies at seven weeks of age and talking to the breeder about their expectations and surprises after the test is intriguing.  So much personality and difference in such little puppies, I LOVE IT.  

Choosing puppies is not like choosing fruit from a basket; or at least it should not be.  I just talked to a person from a rescue group the other day for a client.  After discussing their protocol for puppy placement and matching owners to puppies; I have to say that I was highly impressed.  It was refreshing to talk to someone who "gets it."  

Just like the huge differences in humans; dogs are just as different.  There are folks who just pick a puppy and don't much care what the personality is like.  The dog may not really work in their home but they don't much notice.  I seen dogs that just coexisted within a home and I have worked with many people who juggle dogs from room to room because they don't "mesh."  

Each and every family situation is as different as people and dogs.  More attention needs to be taken when placing dogs into homes with existing dogs.  It is great when they get along great; not so much when they are a mismatch.  

So how should it be done?  In my opinion this is how puppies should be placed.

- Deposit or interest placed on a puppy from a litter by potential buyer.
- Constant communication between puppy buyer and breeder or rescue person.
- Once puppies are born, potential buyers are notified that there is or is not "a puppy" in the litter for them.
- Photos, videos and communication about each puppy keeps buyers in the loop.
- Breeder gets to know puppies very personally over the weeks; thinking about which puppy would best suit which home and family situation.
- Buyer does not know which puppy will be theirs yet, just that one will be joining their family.
- Litter is temperament tested at 7 weeks of age.
- Breeder decides who would best fit particular homes at that point.
- Sometimes there is a choice between two puppies that would fit; breeder assists buyer in final decision.

This is my opinion on how it should be.  The general public has no idea how to choose a puppy; whether they are temperament tested or not.  I really think that temperament testing is important; but it is also just as significant if not more so, that the breeder know each puppy as an individual.  This I have found is lacking remarkably in many breeders.  

I always say that dogs are very simple creatures; that is once you learn how they learn, perceive and communicate with the world around them.  But they are also extremely complicated; each being so different than next.  Choosing the next member of your family should not be a blind decision made by coat color or pattern.  Nor should it be made by someone who has no idea how to choose.

Leave It-Mine Until told Otherwise

"Don't put food on the coffee table," "you can't put food on the table," "it has to be out of reach."  These are a few statements that I've heard over the years and there have been many, many more with regards to dogs stealing food.  Do you wish you could sit on the floor and eat a sandwich?  Wouldn't it be great to have a picnic on a blanket without having to tie your dog to a tree?  Eating dinner on the coffee table while watching a great movie may be just a fleeting "that would be nice" idea for you.  

So how do you get to a place where you are not longer trying to keep your dog from stealing any available food?  

Simple, the leave it exercise is how you accomplish this.  It doesn't matter what word you use for this exercise; “don’t touch, off, mine, not yours,” etc. etc.  My word it “leave it” for the leave it exercise and I have been teaching it for many years. 

But the leave it exercise is really just the beginning of “what’s mine is mine until told otherwise.”  Teaching and instilling the idea that you own the food is a good idea when living with dogs. 

When you teach and work on “leave it” as a way of life, not just an obedience exercise; there are wonderful fallout behaviors that occur.  See the above photo of Elsa?  I didn’t say anything to her about the food that was placed right beside her.  She knows not to touch it because it is mine; it is as simple as that.  Is she fearful or cowering because I own and dispense the food?  Nope, she just waits until I (the boss) tells her that she can have some. 

Creating boundaries with dogs is a good thing.  Dogs are opportunists; give them an inch...well you know.  Manners are extremely important; both for us and our dogs.  I do not like chaos; the type of free for all type behavior in dogs or in humans for that matter.  I am not a control freak, I just do not like when things get out of control.  

So when I sit on the floor with a snack, I do not want to be fighting to keep my food away from my dog.  It is simple to instill rules; you just have to want to and then implement.  Of course it must be consistent; wavering or allowing behaviors will weaken the rules.  (This can happen when someone in the family lowers the bar as far as enforcing rules and allowing inappropriate behaviors.  Not mentioning any names.)

"Leave it" is an important rule of life.  It starts with just the item that you are saying should be left and grows into much more.  From the beginning of learning the "leave it" to making it a way of life; it is one of the most important things that you can teach a dog.  I for one love the fallout behaviors that come with a very solid "leave it."  

Breeding facilities

Okay, I know I've written about Millers many times before but I'm going to do it again.  Just the other day I was surfing the web looking at breeder pages.  One page lead to another, to another and another.  It doesn't take me very long to distinguish the good from the very bad.  Even within the good and bad classifications there are a wide range.  I stumbled onto a page that boasted of their "facility."  I cringed as I looked at the huge building with a long hallway lined with cage doors.  My stomach was in knots as I thought about the dogs on the other side of those doors. 

I almost clicked away as it is so hard for me to look at these type of things.  But I stayed and surfed around the lies of their web page.  It is important to research and share to others.  Breeding dogs for the soul purpose of making money is very much a reality.  You need to know where not to go. 

No dog should live in a kennel.   The longer I stayed on the page, reading about their facility that was as comfortable as their own home, the angrier I got.  This is not what the canine/human connection is about; dogs are not herd animals, and to think that it is okay to raise dogs in a kennel is a huge statement about how that human feels about dogs. 

"A dog by my side," is a phrase that I use regularly.  No they are not always there but they should not be stuffed away in a kennel.  Dogs are suppose to live in our home with us; you know "man's best friend."  I have said this before and I will say it again.  I do not care how clean a "facility" is; it is still a Miller situation, clean or not.  The offending humans have gotten so deep into the money, money, money thing that dollar signs are all they see.  The almighty dollar has coated everything in sparkling rainbows and they believe their own lies that they spew.  

Oh look, pictures of little children and dogs; they must be wonderful breeders right?  WRONG.  Millers or puppy vendors tend to use buzz words or "in" terminology on their page.  Unsuspecting buyers see those few words and click the "buy now" button.  

I'm actually very surprised at the height of pride that one of the Miller pages had.  Boasting kennel shots with cleaning products included.  "Our kennels are disinfected daily," was one of the boasts on the page.  Disinfected?  Really?  How about nurtured and loved in your home?  The whole scene was very reminiscent of the shelter I use to volunteer at; and any other shelter facility.

Please do not be duped into buying a dog from a Miller.  The Miller status is a wide and varied one.  There are many different types but they are all in one big giant Miller bag as far as I am concerned.  There is only one reason that they are breeding, money.  They don't care about their dogs or their dogs would not be in KENNELS (yes I am yelling.)

It sickens me and I finally had to move off of the page and onto videos of happy frolicking puppies who were being raised by someone who truly cares.  

There are many choices when acquiring a puppy.  Please do not give your hard earned money to people who don't care about their dogs, your dogs or any other dogs for that matter.  Dogs are not a money making endeavor.  

Pushover or Reliable?

Only ask when you mean it and mean it when you say it.  

Do you follow through?  Do you mean what you say?

Pushover - an opponent that is easy to defeat; someone who is easy to persuade or influence.

Reliable - able to be trusted to do or provide what is needed: able to be believed, giving the same result on successive trials. 

I have met both types of canines guardians and everything in between.  So where do you stand?  

As humans we tend to want to do what is best for our dogs; but we often fall short of following through with them.  "Awww, look how cute," "he really wants it," "he's sniffing something."  I've heard it all and bucket loads more.  "He doesn't want to," is a big go to excuse for not having our dogs do as we ask.  

I remember working with an owner and her two dogs; we were teaching them not to bolt out of an open door.  When the dogs saw no reason to "not" bolt out the door the owner said to me "they don't want to wait."  My reply?  "Too bad."  

Sometimes it is hard to be tough with our dogs.  After all they are so darned cute and we love them so much that we tend to slide on the things that they really don't want to do.  There are things that can be allowed to slide and others that should never be granted a free pass.

Ah ha!!!!! This is the moment when I get to use a word that many people use incorrectly, SPOILED.

Spoiled - to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc. 

Lets just put this out there; you are the boss of your domain.  You make the rules, you should follow through and enforce the rules.  If you say one thing and do another, you are not a reliable canine guardian.  Your dog may already knows this and has learned to manipulate you.  By indulging our dog by not following through on rules, we create a spoiled monster. 

I do not expect dogs to be little furry robots with none of their own emotions or ideas.  I love to watch dogs think and do what they love to do; but, it is very important that our dogs have and follow rules.  We humans have to live with rules; if we don't we can end up in a whole lot of trouble.  

Of course there are times when we are going to let little things slide.  But the majority of requests should be responded to positively.  This is where you the canine guardian need to think before asking.  Are you going to follow through if your dog does not comply?  You need to think on it before asking.  If you ask yourself "what if they don't come, sit, retrieve; will I follow through?"  If the answer is no then don't ask.  

This relates to dogs in their day to day.  There are times when I see that Elsa is deep into the throws of lizard hunting so I will not call her away.  If I had to call her I would and I would follow through if she did not come.   

It is extremely important to be a reliable canine guardian.  Ask when you mean it and mean what you say.  Be a straight shooter and follow through with your requests.  Your dog will thank you for it.  

Facebook GO LIVE for Canine Q & A

Elsa and I have had a couple of GO LIVE Q & A sessions now and will continue as long as the questions keep coming in.  I gave it a try a couple of weeks ago and after a few glitches as far as "getting it;" we've pretty much figured it out. 

I am holding these Q & A sessions every Thursday at 5:00 PST over at my Just dogs with Sherri Facebook page.    So far each has lasted about an hour and I planned to cap them off at an hour each week.  That is of course unless I have a serious answer in the midst at the hour mark.  

What can you expect at one of these Q & A sessions?  Answers.   I will answer questions asked about grooming, behavior, training, feeding, nutrition, walking your dog and just about anything else related to dogs. I will also speak about issues that are of interest to me at the time of the session.  Last week I talked a lot about feeding because I have been doing some live "meal prep" for Elsa as well.  

To join along you simply have to be there when we are live.  I have had some questions after the live session but will not be answering after the live feed is down.  

I have heard that if you "subscribe" to the live feed then you will be notified when I am going live so that you can ask questions during the live feed.  

Elsa and I only have one scheduled "go live feed" but we often hop on during the day if we are doing something that I think might be interesting.  Elsa is always in attendance for the feeds and pops in and out whenever she feels like it.  

I try to answer everything that I can during the "go live" but there will be questions that are more in depth and need a much more precise answer.  Anyone looking for more extensive solutions may be interested in my online consultations.  

Where:                 Just dogs with Sherri FB page
When:                  Thursdays at 5:00 PST
What to bring:     Questions, pad and pen, cup of tea, glass of                                      wine (it is 5:00 in CA) etc.  

Hope to see you there.  :)

Hunting dogs

"She's from hunting lines," the woman boasted over the phone.  "What seems to be the problem" I asked.  "I can't control her, she's crazy" said the desperate owner.  We made an appointment for a few days later and I went to see the Labrador from hunting lines.  As soon as I saw her I knew that she was no regular household Labrador.  The first sign was her color; she was dark amber color.  Next was her legginess and then, her craziness.  I sat at the table with the very elderly and feeble owner and discussed the dog.  

Again she blurted out "she's from hunting lines."  As we discussed the issues that the owner was facing it became quite clear that the "hunting lines" were too much for the woman. I felt bad for her as she told me about the dog she'd lost only months before getting this new one.  She'd been a gentle soul; kind and sweet as the day is long.  Then came the new one; nothing like the Labrador that the woman had before. 

When she went to see the dog; the breeder did tell her that she would make a great hunting dog.  "She's a lot of dog" he had told her.  She didn't understand what that meant and just needed to mend her broken heart; so this new "hunting" girl came home with the woman.  It was a mismatch right from the start.

This Labrador was a very pushy, head strong girl.  At only six months of age she was running the house; and very literally pushing the owner around.  The woman had called a yank and choke trainer which had made matters worse for the woman.  She did not have the strength to yank the dog around and the dog knew it.  So now she had an angry, hard headed dog with drive and energy off the charts. 

I see this often and it is sad.  The owners want to love the new little bundle of joy but it is just so difficult.  

There are hunting dogs and then there are hunting dogs. 

Elsa would have made an amazing hunting dog and I believe that several of her siblings are actual hunting dogs.  Elsa is a hunting dog in every way except for the guns and prey.  Her prey is a ball and in lieu of a gun I have a chuck it.  :)  She is highly trained to go after the ball, down mid field and finds a ball when it has gone astray.  She has a great deal of prey drive but has a nice off switch.  She is a hunting dog.  She does need an outlet to be a happy dog; but, she is not a hunting dog that you cannot live with.  There is a huge difference.

It is just like any other drive trait that breeders are selecting.  Some take it to extremes and there is fallout damage.  I know many people who breed terriers for "go to ground" competition that no one could ever live with in a normal home.  There are people producing such bat crazy Border Collies for flyball that they border on insane.  Others who are taking the craziest of the Jack Russells and mixing them with the Craziest Border Collies for flyball. 

But what happens to the ones that make it into the hands of regular folks?  The dogs are quite often surrendered.  I know that many performance people are looking for dogs like this; drive, drive and more drive.  But there is too much and not every single puppy can end up in a home that wants that kind of drive.  

Breeding dogs who have drive, work ethic, wonderful temperaments, sound structure and an "off switch" is essential.  Stability is imperative; people need something that they can work with.  Breeders also need to turn people away.  The woman with the Labrador should have never been allowed to buy that puppy.  She couldn't even walk her own dog; which was just a recipe for disaster.  

I think when breeders put too much emphasis on one specific trait like drive, much of the other great things about a dog fail.  When a dog has so much drive that they cannot turn off, listen or do anything normal; it is a sad life for that dog.  Believe me when I say that I have seen crazy dogs who cannot stop doing whatever it is that they were bred to do.  They are like robots in constant motion. 

There are so many wonderful things that make up our dogs.  Choosing just one trait to single out and continue to breed for over and over; litter after litter causes very imbalanced dogs.  Those poor puppies who don't make it into a home that is not ready, it rarely works.  

Breeding well balanced dogs who can work and snuggle on the couch happily is wonderful.   Breeding dogs that only know one thing with no turn off switch; and placing them into unsuspecting regular pet homes is very, very wrong.  

PTSD in dogs

Mid pant nerves; she stopped panting to listen to footsteps.

Elsa had her recheck last Thursday and received a 4 paws up from her Veterinarian.  Thankfully this whole mouth/face thing is over with; although she will be a long while to completely heal her mouth.  She is feeling much better and is back to herself, almost.  

PTSD - Post traumatic stress disorder.  

About a week before Elsa's recheck, I was anxious to have a look at where her tooth had been removed.  As I went to lift up her lip I noticed that she had some anxiety about it.  I quickly changed my mission into a nice short gum massage and a snuggle.  She has PTSD over the mouth pain that she suffered from this whole thing.  I believe that most of the issues came from being at the emergency Vet. that first day.  I was not happy with the attention that Elsa got and I know that they opened her mouth way too many times, just looking.  

So we are working on good mouth things.  Since Elsa was a very little puppy I have worked on her mouth.  It started with a tooth that was not coming in correctly which meant that I was in her mouth all the time.  From that we went to mouth massaging, teeth brushing and scraping.  She has never minded me in there at all, until now. 

All dogs are different and each will response and react to stimulus individually.  This means that some dogs will let things slide; not giving much concern to anything.  While dogs like Elsa who are extremely intense with a heightened awareness; will not let things go unnoticed.  Things that happen in life have very different lasting impact on each individual dog.  

Her issue is a small one but it is there so I will work on it.  She doesn't act out or anything; it is more a feel and her eyes that tells me she is a bit concerned.  With some great things happening as far as her mouth we will be desensitizing and counter-conditioning.

desensitize - introduction of triggers that cause unwanted response at low level then slowly increasing .    

Counter-conditioning - conditioning a positive response to a particular stimulus where a negative response once was with the use of  'good things.'  

This is where the massage comes in first; short and gentle gum massage followed by treats immediately.  Maybe a quick tooth brush with coconut oil which Elsa loves.  

Highly concerned ears.

We will also be working on her PTSD with the Vet.  Elsa has always been excited to be at the Vets and would follow along happily if taken to the back.  Not anymore.  Since this last ordeal linked to  pain she had her tail tucked as far as it could go for much of her visit.  She still had some wags for the techs and vet on greeting but the tail went under when they wanted to look at her mouth.

I hate to see this but it is very, very typical.  I don't know too many dogs who like to go to the vet after having to stay for a procedure.  Linked with the pain and the stay; Elsa is now concerned about the Vets.  I discussed this with my Vet and told him I'd be bringing Elsa over often to sit in the waiting room.  He then said "sit, have a coffee and ask the girls up front to give her treats."  I like my new vet a lot.  

Elsa's behavior would be classified as "great" from post people.  She is no where near as freaked out as Tilley and Luke use to be.  Luke's response was to be as scary as possible to keep everyone away.  This of course scared everyone and I had to do a lot of extensive canine behavior explanation so that the techs and Vets understood what was going on.  Once he was in the room he was his usually pussy cat self.  Tilley was so afraid to be left at the vets that she very clearly wanted to crawl inside of me.  She sat quietly trembling; clamoring on me and trying to get out the door.  Elsa's anxiety behavior now would be unnoticeable to others.  But I know my girl and I want to help her with any anxiety that she has.   

We will keep the visits short and very positive.  Maybe I'll even take her into an examining room and hang out for a while.  Of course it must remain upbeat and positive for counter-conditioning.  It must also be kept very short time wise; building with the success of changed response.  

Elsa got up on the counter immediately after we left the examining room.  She is very conditioned to treats coming from behind certain counters.  

Treats please.  :)

Elsa adores most people.  She is highly forgiving so this is just a tiny bump as far as PTSD, pain and trust, but it is there.  We will be working on it.