Just Dogs with Sherri

Busy, busy

2008-07-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm hopping these days; we are getting ready for a vacation which means I've been cooking up a storm. It takes a whole lot more thought when leaving now that I cook for my guys. My kitchen looks like a tornado hit and the sight of me over the stove or huge bowls stirring with the fan blasting my way has been a constant this week. I think I'm nearly there; of course I have probably made way too much food; but I'd rather have cooked way too much for them than even be one meal short.

My day yesterday was not a good one; way too many issues to deal with; and my mood was not a good one. These were not dog issues but human ones and by the end of the day I needed a drink. Seeing the mood I was in my husband took me out to a favorite restaurant that we love; Mangia Bene. Back at home we got our customary "where have you been all my life?" greeting from the dogs, very nice.

Like I have said we have beds, we have dog beds everywhere and in our room we have three; one for each of the dogs. But lastnight there was an overwhelming sense of closeness that the dogs needed. I was wedged into my positon by the three of them needing to lay close, very close to me. And oddly enough my littlest one of al 15lbs is the one that can wedge me in the worst. Once she's in her little spot; there is no moving her.

With her newly acquired stool Jessie has easy access to the bed which she is loving. She took her up her position between my legs; Luke lay the length of me with his head on my chest and Tilley was curled on the otherside. My stress slowly slipped away; how could it not?

A picture is worth a thousand words

2008-07-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

I was on a dog behavior site yesterday where there are some great images of dogs interacting and the owner of the site explains everything that is going on. Unfortunately we humans tend to jump to conclusions and assume. But what is going on and what we think is going can be two entirely different things.

The above image is of Jessie, my Jack Russell. I was doing a series of images of her with a piece of birthday cake for cards. She was doing an amazing job of not eating the cake when my son appeared and stood beside me. He then bent down and was talking to her; I kept shooting. I did not see the look she was giving him was a clear warning hard stare until I opened the image on my computer.

Being that my son was probably 13 or so at the time he never saw it either. Had I not had my camera to my face I would have seen it. It is a very clear "touch it and die," look. I love that I captured this image; it pretty much sums up my girl and how she feels about food. :)

Some of the best images I've taken are at dog parks when dogs are interacting. Signals are flying everywhere and it is impossible to see them all as a human unless you stop the action in time with an image. I love when I capture a clear communication; sometimes it gives the whole interaction a different meaning. What can look like a friendly romp may not be that at all.

I could literally watch dog behavior 24x7; with the communication signals flying around everywhere. If you really watch, you may see something going on that you hadn't noticed before.

Sleeping buddies

2008-07-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

Being a trainer I hear alot of stories, funny, sad, great and troubling. When I am working with a dog and their guardian I ask alot of questions; and it is the answer to the sleeping question that is the most predictable. "Where does your dog sleep?" Then comes the anticipated shrug; look to the ceiling and face of confession; "in our bed." Funny how admitting this to me makes them feel like they are back in the principles office once again.

You can see the relief in their dread face; when I say "good, mine do too." Then I push, I ask lots of sleeping questions. "Can you move your dog?" "When you flip around at night does your dog mind; any growling going on? " Well he growls if my husband tries to get into bed; or if I have to push him out of the way is often the response. Sometimes a resounding nope; good no bed worries.

So if your dog does growl in bed or on the couch for that matter; what should you do about it? I have one rule for comfort position growling and that is OFF. If your dog growls at the idea of being move from a comfortable position; prime comfort spot or position ownership; OFF they go. No more bed; no more couch; no more whatever they are growling on. Some people are mortified to hear the solution for a position growler; but it is not necessarily a forever rule.

You have to look at it as a pack reallignment. In your dog's eyes; they are the top reigning member and you will not be sitting in the best spots. Hmmmm, doesn't seem right does it? Wasn't it you who bought that couch or bed with your hard earned money? Yes, you do deserve the best seat in the house. I definitely believe in comfort for dogs; heck I've got many premium dog beds in almost every room of my house. But that does not mean that you should give up your spot for your dogs comfort.

Depending on the degree of growling really depends on how long the dog should be OFF. But a minimum of 3 months should be implemented. This often means leashing your dog and physically restraining them from getting on the couch or bed, not an easy task. Once dogs get accustom to something they like; they are not usually into letting it go easily. You have alot of work on your plate; but this will only make your relationship a better one. You will gain respect from your dog and take over the "top dog" status once again. Often a dog that growls on a bed or couch has other problems in the family and this is all linked to the "I'm the boss" mentality.

So once your dog has been OFF the bed or couch for three months; where do you go from there? You don't want to go back to the way it was so it is at this point whether or not they are allowed back on; if you have a very pushy type dog, the kind who is always trying to one up you then the OFF rule is a good one to maintain. If your pup has learned who the real boss is and you are having no further problems then he must ask before coming up.

When I say your dog must ask; most people look at me with a giant question mark. "Sherri......... how do they ask?" It's really simple,, they will sit infront of you wanting up, but not getting up. This is saying to you "I'd like up on the bed/couch." At this point the decision is entirely in your hands. You can ask your dog to go laydown on their own bed, come up right away or wait a while and then let them come up.

Once up a dog must get off when told; this is sometimes where you have to go back to the OFF rule. If they will not move or get off the couch or bed when asked; then they must get OFF for several months again. Treating a dog when they get off the couch in the beginning helps to make OFF not such a horrible thing. You can wean off treating once they are happily jumping off the bed or couch.

A growl is a dogs way of communicating; when it is about a premium position it is meant as a threat. "Don't even think about moving me off this king size bed." Does it mean that your dog is vicious? Not at all; it simply means that a restructuring is needed within your pack.

Questions?

The artful dodger

2008-07-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

Admit it; you've done it. You've tried to catch your dog with less than successful results. I have heard many stories of people trying to catch their dogs for numerous reasons and their question is "why does my dog run away from me?" There are many reasons why your elusive dog may not be whole heartedly running into your arms each and everytime to call them to you. And the most common reason is a biggy.

#1 reason a dog does not come when called or runs when approached; a negative association to coming. This is the biggy; the one reason I can guarantee will keep your dog at bay. Back when I started training (let's just say a very longtime ago) if your dog didn't come to you you yanked on the leash and reeled them in like a fish. It was really a stupid way of teaching a dog to come because you were actually teaching them to retreat.

What dog wants to approach an angry person? There appropriate reaction to the yanking, angry owner should be to move away and only approach with great caution. But no, we humans think "I'll show him that he better come next time." Ah the human mind; great isn't it?

#2 reason is that your dog has something better to do than come to you. They may be reading their p-mail or found a funky dead mouse to sniff. Why should they drop doing what they love best to come to you? Because you want them to? Uh no.

#3 reason is the chase. Don't all dogs love to be chased? Most love it; and even the best of dogs will grab an off limits item if they think it might encourage a chase. NEVER, EVER chase your dog, NO!!!!!! NEVER It always backfires and if it is life or death you better think of some other way to get your dog, but don't chase them.

#4 Control, who is in control? Many dogs don't come because they don't actually feel like they should do what you ask them to; afterall they are the alpha dog, king of the domaine, leader or boss right? Time to burst their bubble.

The best way to have your dog come to you is the reward system. Reward in the form of treats and praise; treats when starting out and moving to praise as they "get it." If everytime your dog was called and came; they got a piece of chicken, I bet they'd be coming all the time infact I know they would be.

Never, ever associate coming to you to a negative. Never be angry when calling your dog; and if by chance you are angry, pretend you aren't.

And consequences, there must be consequences. What if your dog tries non obedience on for size like my boy Luke does every now and again? He learns quickly that if he does not listen and come to me I am coming to get him. My body posture changes and I make a direct approach. There is no mistaking my approach. I do not chase, it can be difficult and as each dog is different you learn the degree speed, posture and approach direction that the dog can tolerate. Too much and the dog will turn and run which is what you don't want.

Your goal is to get around your dog and herd them to their destination, abruptly. Typically I clap my hands and use my "git" along with it. Once at the original destination I ask for a sit, I udder a simple "good." And we try again, it is always amazing the second time, Luke comes flying in like the good boy I know he is. He just needs a refresher now and again.

Coming to you must be the best thing in the world; otherwise why bother?

Creeping time

2008-07-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that my baby will be 8 next month; my furbaby that is. My human baby is now 18 which I cannot believe either but that's another blog. Luke will be turning 8 on August 16th and it seems llike only yesterday I made the fateful trip to my friends to see her litter of pupiies. Now at 8 years of age my boy is maturing; yes it has taken 8 years.

The girls are well into their senior years with Tilley having turned 11 in March and Jessie 12 in May. I am at a point in my life that I hadn't considered. Tilley is showing signs of her age; slowing down, taking longer to rise in the morning or after a nap and not hearing as well as she use to; although she looks amazing and no one thinks she could possibly be 11 years old.

Jessie is 12 and like Tilley she looks amazing. People always think she is a puppy and when I say 12 they think I mean months which they are surprised at; then I tell them "no years." She has lost color pigment but when you don't look at images of her when she was younger you would never know. Her body is the same and I think she is actually in the best shape since her ordeal over 6 years ago.

Life is easy with all senior dogs; there is alot of sleeping that goes on during the day but that is pretty typical with any dogs except maybe teenagers. This morning is like every other; three dogs crashed on my bed while I write. Luke at the left end of the bed in his usual perch, Tilley on the right end and Jessie curled up between my legs making it difficult to move. They will remain this way until either I get them up or the sound of the food cooking is enticing enough to move them from their comfort.

When you have lived with a dog or dogs for this amount of time the connection is beyond explanation. The trust, admiration, understanding and deep love is two sided. (Yes I know this is an an·thro·po·mor·phism (nthr-p-môrfzm) n.
Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.

But you know it is how your dog feels; whether you can explain it in purely canine terms or have to resort to human terminology to explain how a dog is behaving. I know my dogs love me; is it love in a human sense? No, but I have no doubt that it is there. If I have had a rough day I will often lay in the middle of the livingroom floor; with my hands over my face my dogs will come and lay touching me; this is what a pack does. This feeling you must experience to understand. But I can say all the worries of the world can melt away with a simple canine connection.

Our dogs are with us on this earth for a fleeting amount of time; creeping time. It is amazing how quickly time passes; one minute you have a crazy puppy who is making you pull out your hair and the next moment you are looking at clouded eyes and a graying muzzle. Each moment is a cherished one and the senior years are good.

Choosing a puppy dilemma

2008-07-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days when a puppy should be choosen because it has a cute spot over one eye; at least for me that is. Having been a dog trainer for 10 years now, a professional dog photographer, writer and been involved with dogs for over 33 years; I've learned a few things. I just said to my husband the other day "it was easier when I didn't know." That meaning that before I knew what to look for and look out for I could pick anything.

Now when searching for a puppy; there is a huge list of criteria. Genetic health testing being the first and most important things. If you have not tested the breeding parents then how can you possibly offer people healthy puppies? You can't; because you don't know yourself if your dogs are healthy. And I have met far too many people who got puppies that got sick or died and suffered through the heartache that comes with that whole scenario.

After having the health tests done; what are the results? Following pedigrees and genetic disorders is alot of work. Does the breeder do temperament testing? Not all do; some still resort to letting people pick their dogs. This is what happens exclusively on online puppy selling businesses. All you have are pictures, no telling what that puppy is like; not a good way to choose. Each puppy is very individual; it is amazing how different puppies are even within a litter. So picking a puppy from looks entirely is not the way to go.

As a standard poodle person myself I often tell people to go in color blind. Having a set color in mind may eliminate the best puppy from a litter; and that puppy may have been the one for you. Having an idea of how a puppy will adapt to certain environments and happenings really helps to place them in the best suited home for them.

Once you have choosen your breeder; what do they charge? The sky is the limit really. I have seen puppies from free all the way up to 7500.00. To make it simple; I would say that the average price range for a good puppy; which means from a reputible, ethical breeder costs somewhere around 1,500.00. I am a non believer of charging different prices for sex or color. I frown bigtime on people who charge 500.00 or more for rare colors or markings. That puppy cost no more to raise than the others and it is all a money making process.

Will the breeder that you choose your dog from take back your puppy should it not work out? What if something happens in your life and you cannot keep your dog; will they take it back and rehome it? These are the important things to consider. Many great breeders are also involved with breed rescue; this is where you can find wonderful dogs as well.

Bad things to watch for when choosing a puppy:

A breeder who wants to deliver a pup; sight unseen

Mom cannot be viewed or they don't want you to come to their home

They try to talk you into buying two puppies

The breeder has several litters at one time to choose from (more than two or three)

They have no proof of health testing (genetic testing like hips, thyroid, eyes etc)

A cash only deal (hmmmmmm)

Charging over 500.00 for a rescue (this is not a rescue but a money making business)

You must buy food or products from this puppy seller for the life of the dog (this I heard of recently which is highly suspicious)

The seller doesn't care if you breed the dog or not; this is a biggy as most good breeder puppies come with spay/neuter contracts.

Hope this helps in your search; I'm on my own search and will share as soon as I find her.

Liver Biscotti review

2008-07-20T20:26:00.001-07:00

Ah, Liver Biscotti; I don't remember the first time I got a handful of these to offer my dogs but I'll tell you since the beginning they have loved them. These treats are definitely on the top of my dogs favorites list. Even with my fussiest of dogs (Luke) there is never one second of contemplation before grabbing.

Canine review

Taste - 4 paws + tail (no hesitation from any of our three to eat these crunchy little liver morsels)
Economy - 3 paws - (there is alot of flavor packed into each little piece; a little goes a long way)
Customer Service - 4 paws - great!

Contact www.liverbiscotti.com

Liver Biscotti now has a new home at Premier.com

Work?

2008-07-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Funny how some humans don't really get other humans. I try to be very open minded and listen to others likes, dislikes and goals in their life. The range is as far as anyone could possibly imagine; we couldn't be more different and fact alone makes us all very interesting; doesn't it? What I may take as a great joy; others would find to be a burden or unsurmountable task. I am often asked "how I do it."

How do I keep three dogs, "it must be so much work." Funny but I don't consider it work; work never even crosses my mind when I am taking care of my dogs. From feeding, grooming, training, exercising or picking up after them; none of it is work to me. For me work is something that I don't love to do; like housecleaning. I know it has to be done and I do it; but I'd rather not do it.

I take great joy from the simple things that my dogs give me; a happy face after coming home from a big walk, excitement waiting for the meal I am preparing, a not so gentle nuzzle when I'm working in the garden or simply watching them have fun together. I love it all; and have never in my entire life with dogs said "ah, this is so much work."

It is the same for my gardening; I love it. Back in Canada I had three enormous perennial gardens; I loved it. Others use to say the same; "what a ton work." But it was not work to me; it was a joy to be in the garden each and everyday. Although I did like that when fall came it all stopped until the following spring; perhaps this fact helped in the excitement for the next blooming season.

I believe within all humans lies a passion; not always is it an easy one to find. But it is there just waiting to grow. Watching an episode of animal cops the other day; one of the animal cops stated; "Do what you love and you will never have to work a day of your life." This statement struck me; wow that is so true.

My dogs bring me so much happiness that I cannot imagine a life without dogs; it is who I am. So are dogs alot of work? If they are not your passion; maybe. If you don't want to pick up after a dog, clean the hair from the house or take time to exercise them then; perhaps you should get a fish. But for me; every second spent with them is a cherished moment.

Am I proud?

2008-07-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning my husband and I had our usual yogurt, granola and coffee in bed. He is up very early so this is our "together" time before the day starts. After he goes off to work is when I typically blog and once my blogging is done I hit the shower. It was a normal morning with all dogs on the bed; my Jack russell close incase there was any droppage. I did not remember that the food tray was still on the bed nor did it occur to me that I had not finished my cereal as I headed into the shower.

As I came out of the bathroom; the story unfolded. The tray on the bed, food on the tray and a Jack Russell only inches from the tray with a face on. "Wow, good girl Jess; and I handed her a couple of granola pieces. Her face told me that she was at her breaking point just as I came out of the bathroom. You see Jessie is a Jack Russell; first strike for food stealing. And she is on prednisone; has been for 6 years now. So she is pretty much a great white shark in a tiny little 15 lb body; an eating machine.
Last weekend she got into my purse which was up on my dresser and ate an entire package of m&ms; that is my Jessie.

So who was this imposter on the bed? The whole "bed" thing is fairly new for her; for years she came and went as she pleased until about 2 years ago when we got a new bed. Beds these days are high and ours is so high that at 5' 1" I sort of climb up into bed. So Jessie must be lifted; in her eyes it is very much a priviledge. That is until lately; I bought her a foot stool; a cute animal print stool to access the bed. She never takes the bed for granted and in the middle of the night will sit on the stool until I tell her to come up; very nice. So she has great respect for the owners of the bed; that would be me. This respect trickled down into her brain this morning; interfering with her desire to eat anything that isn't nailed down.

The look on her face said it all; had I come out a minute later the story may have been different. But for the story to have played out the way it did; is amazing. You have no idea what a huge deal this is for my little Great white.

Am I proud?

2008-07-17T07:12:00.001-07:00

Wow what a crazy hectic day yesterday; I didn't even get a chance to blog. It never seems to fail that when I am going away; my dogs get ill. Nothing huge or deadly; just upset stomachs. Just enough to get my stress level up there. There is nothing worse than leaving your dogs at home knowing they have diarrhea. It is bad enough when one has it for a day but three for many days?

When I first got Luke we went weeks with Coccidia, weeks without sleep. So when my dogs get upset stomachs I cringe. Being that I cook my own dog food I am careful what they eat; but of course there is always the chance of eating something they are not suppose to.

Jessie is the big culprit in the eating bad things department. She'll give just about anything a try; she is a food fiend like I have never seen. At 12 you would think that she should have learned something along the way. No, Jessie will raid any garbage or single handedly destroy any containment of food to get to the desired object.

She has ruined several carelessly strewn backpacks, ripped holes in jean pockets and torn holes in several of my purse pockets. This could all be completely eliminated by the humans remembering. Although there have been times where I have consiously put my purse up out of reach; but she has reached it through some mysterious athletic performance.

I will be off this morning to get some good old ground beef, and if that works I will know it was the chicken they ate lastnight. I will be hoping with all my might that it is just something they ate.

Health food

2008-07-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

As you all know I feed my dogs "real food." Having done this back and forth for years; it has been a full year that my dogs have not eaten dog food. What has it done for my dogs? First there is Jessie; my 12 year old Jack Russell terrier who could pass for a 6 month old. Jessie has some sort of auto immune disorder. Over 6 years ago now she almost died; she came so close that is makes me shudder had the vet not offered a cortisone shot at the end; she would be gone.

So since Jessie's illness; she is on 1/2 prednisone every second day. This we thought caused her to loose alot of hair; her ears were near bald, she had a huge bald spot on her tail and her stomach; naked. With no other change but to her diet she grew back all of her hair. Her thin coat which lacked all of the colored undercoat that she had when she was young; returned. Her ears are now fully furred and her tail has no telltale signs that it was ever bald.

Luke; my almost 8 year old epileptic standard poodle who was having numerous seizures which we could not pinpoint the cause of has much improved. Well I am happy to say that I can now pretty much pinpoint the cause of the three seizures he has had over a year. Only one has been caused by food; the others are sleep issues I have discussed in prior blogs.

The question use to be; I wonder if it will make a significant difference? I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that "real" is the way to go. It is like I had my own experiment unfold before my eyes with an astounding result. Had I only had my girl Tilley to study; the results would have not been so clear to me.

Yes it takes my time to buy, chop, cook and bake for my guys but they are sure worth it.

Diet

2008-07-14T07:55:00.001-07:00

Well, as of lastnight I'm on a mission. As I was preparing my dogs food; mixing up chicken, veggies and carbs my daughters started to discuss a vegetarian diet for their dogs in the future. They were wondering if feeding a veggie diet to dogs was fair or healthy. I quickly jumped in stating that I thought dogs need meat; but then thought maybe they can live healthy and happy without meat, research time.

As with anything else I do in life when I'm not sure; I research. I am a need to know type person and before saying no to a vegetarian diet for dogs I really need to know. More and more people are living a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle themselves and many are opting to take their dogs with them in their non meat choices. So can a dog adapt to a life on veggies and grains alone? This is what I am looking to find out.

I do know that there are many different vegetarian dog foods to choose from but what if any are the effects on our dogs eating these? I want the real goods, not the say so facts from celebrities or people who preach veggie life. So I am on a mission that will more than likely take sometime to get to the bottom of but I think an important one.

I stand somewhere in the middle of a family divided by food consumption; two meat eaters and two vegans. I have not not crossed over to the vegetarian side yet but am eating less and less meat daily. With two vegan daughters we spend alot of time at vegan restaurants while they educate me on the subject. Education is never a waste of time.

I'll let you know what I find out.

What a night and cooking day

2008-07-13T23:41:00.000-07:00

We had our standard poodle get togeather lastnight and it was fabulous. 10 dogs and 18 people in my backyard and a ton of fun. We had poodles from the age of 4 months old all the way up to my old girl Tilley at 11 years old and everything in between. Representing colors were black, blue, brown, cream and light apricot. It is amazing to me that there were no issues throughout the night.

The only thing that did go on was my boy Luke trying to enforce his "top dog" status and " this is my yard" to the other two males. One of which was the 4 month old in attendance; the other a handsome teenager that Luke obviously felt he had something to teach to. So with my eyes ever watchful as to what was going on and all the dogs succeeding in their attempts to have fun it was a great night for the dogs and the human audience.

******************************

I spent this morning shooting the most adorable puppy, honestly how cute can puppies be? After that I headed off to Henry's market to get the veggies and stuff for dog food. Today was a big cooking day, carrots, brocolli, sweet potato, rice, kale and oatmeal all to go with the ton of chicken I cooked up yesterday. As if it is not hot enough, what a time to be cooking up a storm. But I'll tell you it sure smelled good, good enough to bring both vegan daughters into the kitchen to see what was cook'n.

The dogs got a sample for dinner and after they had eaten; they were hovering. Perhaps his chasing games from lastnight sparked his appetite. Luke does not typically hover when I prepare food unless he is very hungry or I have raw beef on the counter. This was all just veggies being cooked today but he loved the smell.

I am going away in August so I have to make a pile of food. Nomally I keep about a 2-3 day supply in the fridge of cook daily so there is alot of bigtime cook'n going on.

Food review-Homemade Doggy Dinners

2008-07-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

I love to try new dog stuff, whether it is a new treat, new leash/collar, toy or food I like to give all the new stuff a go. I am starting a regular "review" of new dog products that we try out. I have a varied pack of dogs from Luke the picky eater to Jessie; who will anything that hits the floor.

And they all love a good toy; Luke loves to try and dismantle them and Tilley takes the utmost of care, she likes to save them for a rainy day. So if you have a new product that you'd like to have reviewed; contact me and we'll put it through our tests.

I tried a new homemade dog food; I already wrote about the treats made by Homemade Doggy Dinners. all natural dog food and treats. The dogs loved the treats; and they loved the food, so two paws up for the product.

Taste - 4 paws + tail (no hesitation from any of our three to eat these goodies.)
Economy - 3 paws - (all natural, human grade ingredients cost a bit more)
Customer Service - 4 paws - very easy to get intouch with

Great products and company. Contact www.homemadedoggydinners.com

Leash aggression

2008-07-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning, seems I missed blogging yesterday. I had planned on an afternoon blog which is out of the norm but I got so busy that the day just passed me by. The hot topic these days; at least from where I stand is leash aggression. For most who deal with it on a regular basis it is anywhere from bothersome to a nightmare. Most dogs have it at some point in time, even the best and friendliest of dogs can display some leash aggression.

Out of my three; Luke is my most dog friendly, Jessie is just plain bossy and Tilley doesn't even acknowledge other dogs. Jessie is often leash aggressive; its her nature but Luke also displays aggression when on leash. Jessie is not bluffing; I remember once when a lady let her Australian shepherd come right up to Jessie while she was displaying. Jessie came away from that meeting with a huge mouthful of Aussie fur.

Luke on the other hand is all bluster; lots of noise with nothing behind it. Most of the time he just walks by but whatever it may be; something can trigger a response to some dogs. I do know for sure that if we are in a tighter spot and I need to reel him in on his leash; that he will guaranteed give an aggressive response. Tightening up on a dogs leash does several things, first it lets the dog know immediately that something is up. They feel the stress you are feeling down the leash. Next it pulls them into an unnatural stance; messing up all their natural communication signals. And lastly it takes away their fight or flight reaction; if they feel any bit like they would like to move away, they can't.

I am seeing more and more pinch/prong collars these days. I'd like to say that they are fading into history but with certain trainers who are on tv; they seem to be coming out of the dark ages and breathing new life. I hate them and I'll tell you why. Dogs learn through association; bottom line. When a dog gets excited by another dogs presence while on a walk; they immediately feel pain. What are they learning? Strange dog = pain.

If your dog acts naturally aggressive with other dogs walking by; using a pain causing pinch/prong collar fuel the fire. The dog becomes agitated much quicker and redirected aggression can occur. Even if a dog moves forward with any pressure they receive pain. And I know what you pinch/prong collar users are thinking, they don't cause pain. I hear it all the time "I put it on my arm to see if it hurt." Then tell me; if they don't cause pain how do they work? Ponder that, what is different about a prong collar and a regular collar that stops them in their tracks?

Okay this was about leash aggression not pinch collars. So back to it. I had my three dogs at the beach the other morning. It was beautiful; very few people were out that early in the morning. Having all the dogs with me I know that Jessie loves to diisplay which fuels Luke into the same behavior. So when they made their first demonstration on leash I thought I'd do a little experiment. My dogs know the "leave it" exercise really well so I gave it a go.

As we walked down the beach I could see a golden coming with his guardian. Luke noticed first as I gave them a little space. Once we were about 20 feet away; I said "leave it". Both Jessie and Luke's ears flew back to me; what? what? I hadn't used this verbal cue in a situation like this before and it threw them. Tilley of course was still at my side being as perfect as she always is. They all looked at me and we continued our walk. "Wow, that went well." So I tried it again with the same results.

By using a cue to communicate to my dogs what I would llike them to do makes them interact with me. They are then verbally and food rewarded to listening to me and not jumping into an aggressive response. Associating a positive reaction and food to the other dogs takes away any negatives of having dogs walk by us.

Another important factor in leash aggression; which is probably even more important than all the other stuff is your reaction. Dogs watch us; they watch us very closely. If leash aggression is something you deal with you are already stressed before you see your first dog coming towards you. You may not think you are; but at the first sign of another dog you tense up, reel in quickly and your breathing pattern changes. Your dog feels all of this and looks around immediately to see what the deal is. They see the other dog and respond to your behavior to match yours.

So what you need to do is act; cool as a cucumber is the order of the day. You want to do happy talking to your dog and make like walking by other dogs is as natural as getting up in the morning. You need to be really good; dogs don't fool too easily. Praise your dog for attention while walking by other dogs and use food treats in the beginning to create a very positive association. Do not change your pace; do not reel in your dog unless you have to. And if you do try to do it in a non panic way. Best to keep your dog about 2-3 feet from you so you don't have to reel.

Helping your dog get over leash aggression is a several step process with a big step being you.

Epilepsy quicky

2008-07-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that my boy has epilepsy. It first appeared I believe when he was 4 years of age. Since then I've learned alot about the disease. I changed his diet from "dog food" to "real food" and he hadn't had a food related seizure since. He does have seizures rarely if woken from a deep sleep and sent into action before he is awake; I've written about this often.

I have looked into food related seizures and found that Rosemary could be a trigger. I had not been able to pinpoint the ingredient in anything when he had had a food related seizure. That is until now; the other day I got some new treat samples. They were all natural, great. Only hours after feeding them Luke had a seizure; its been a very longtime since he has had one. I didn't know why this happened and was really stumped at the possible cause.

I read the ingredients yesterday and sure enough; Rosemary is one of the ingredients. It was the treats and he reacted very quickly to it. So now I must make sure that Rosemary is not an ingredient is treats that I give him. Although I hate it when he has a seizure I was very happy to finally find a true trigger.

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/

Top of the Head Pat

2008-07-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

You know when someone approaches your dog and reaches out patting them ontop of their head? I always wonder; do they really think; that your dog enjoys this? As your dogs head bobs up and down; and their eyes squint I wonder what they are thinking. "Oh ya, that feels great; please keep slapping me on the head." I really don't get how anyone can look at a dogs reaction to this and think that they enjoy it.

That said; not only is swapping a dog ontop of the head a strange thing to do, most dogs do not appreciate being pet ontop of the head by strangers. You will notice as you reach out with your hand over a dogs head they usually sink. Not all dogs sink but most do some degree of "please don't reach over my head." Reaching over a dog is a dominant gesture; very rude and an unwanted behavior in the dog world.

When you meet a dog, put your hand out palm up. If they are cool with that; reach forward under their head and scratch their neck of chest. They will definitely be happier.

Learning to put your nose under water

2008-07-07T06:20:00.001-07:00

We had a busy dog weekend; with the 4th being all about getting Tilley through the day and yesterday was about finding a pool. I searched online forever for the elusive kiddie pool. My poodles love to retrieve out of a pool. I had a pool for my children when they were small which quickly was donated to the dogs once they outgrew it. Now each year I try to get them one. Last year the summer passed us by and I had forgot to get a pool with being in the new house.

So on Saturday I sent my daughter out to get one at Target; no such luck. I searched online to find somewhere that had them when I realized that it is not something you would order online. I hopped in the car and was off to Toys-r-us. There were only a couple left when i got there so grabbed one immediately, paid and was off. A whopping 7.99 for a bunch of fun for the dogs. The pool is the plastic kind that you can stack; not the inflatable type. On the way out 3 people asked me where I got the pool; so I got there just ahead of the rush for a pool.

I got home, filled up the pool and then searched. I was searching for a toy that can withstand being in the water, chewed on and left in the sun. I looked at the store but there was nothing for dogs; hmmmm could have been that it wasn't a dog store. Anyway I rooted through the dogs toy basket when I found their Old Navy rubber bones; PERFECT! This is exactly what I had been looking for; they sink, they are tough and I don't care if the dogs chew them. So I'm off to Old Navy today in hopes of getting more so that they have more to pull out of the pool before I have to throw them back in again.

Tilley is a master at submerging her head under water; she can go completely under to get what she is after. Luke stops at his ears; but with the pool being a kiddie pool depth isn't an issue. To be honest the pool is probably more fun for me; I love to sit and watch the dogs splash around in the water. I should say poodles; Jessie is not a fan of the pool although I did put her in yesterday. She just stands there with a "I don't want to be in here?" face on. And will only stay in there as long as she has to.

I remember when the kids were little and each year I would get a pool for the dogs as well; the grass. The pool was on the grass, the grass was in the pool. Luckily in this new house we have a huge concrete patio so I will try to put it as far away from the grass as I can. Although Tilley likes to pile her stash of toys on the grass; she always has. But maybe if it is far enough away she'll find another spot. Maybe I'll try putting a towel by the pool for her to use for her stash. Grass and pools don't mix well and when they do its just plain gross after a very short time.

Its over

2008-07-05T08:34:00.001-07:00

Its July 5th and it's all over, thank goodness. The celebrations of July 4th are behind us and we have a year to worry about the next 4th. It seems like I have always had one dog that is freaked by fireworks. When I was 18 with my very first dog Mandy (an airedale) I learned the lesson of never taking a dog to the fireworks display. At 18 you don't think about consequenses; I think that's pretty much across the board.

So needless to say Mandy had firework issues; she had thunderstorm issues and vehicle backfire issues. Back in rural Canada thunderstorms were frequent, fireworks were frequent and backfiring a common daily occurance; poor girl. But we did our best to help her overcome. Then my boy Clyde had the same issues although Clyde reacted much more physically to these noises. Once Clyde slipped into the zone he was gone basically; his fallout reaction was to run. There was no talking to him he was in the zone.

Since we lost Clyde 8 years ago this month all seemed fine with Jessie, Tilley and our newest addition Luke. Within a year of the loss of Clyde; Tilley started to exhibit fireworks issues. Here is Southern California we are lucky if we get one bout of thunder in a year so that is not something we worry about but we worry about the 4th. Tilley started reacting early lastnight, during our dinner in the backyard it started; the neighborhood fireworks.

Tilley quickly reacts by digging; I think she is trying to get away in her own way. She digs dog beds, bathroom mats, our bed, anything that she thinks she can dig into. And she trembles; her whole entire body shakes as her terror stricken eyes dart back and forth from people who might possibly be able to save her. Her ears are flat back listening for the slightest rumble in the distance; she is terrified.

As human nature would have it everyone jumps into console her; that's where I start my educational process. I let everyone know that this only makes matters worse. Everyone is to ignore her behavior and go on like nothing strange is going on. I then decide to get her ball and give that a whirl. Tilley has chase drive off the charts so that overrides her fear for the time being and she happily plays a retrieving game with me. But as soon as we stop she slips into her intense listening mode.

Once the humans got on board with the ignoring routine she was much better. She even joined my daughter and her friend on the balcony as they watched the fireworks. She quietly lay on one of the dog beds, listening but not trembling. It is a big and taxing night for Tilley but now on the 5th of July it is another one in the past.

Sled dogs

2008-07-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

Ah the sled dog; you know the type with their head down and their back legs working overtime dragging their guardian down the street. In my quest for an actual non pull harness or other type of equipment I've been through alot of collars, leashes and harnesses. As a trainer I am always searching for good dog equipment, innovative, humane or just plain cool. My house if filled with leashes, collars and harnesses but there are very few on the useful hook.

My harness of choice at the moment is the Easy Walker Harness made by Premier. They look like a typical harness but the leash attaches to the front of the harness on the dogs chest. It is this connection that makes the difference. I have tried other harnesses with a chest attachment that when pulled on just shifted the whole harness around the dog. Some are made out of a cord type material which cuts into the real dedicated pullers.

I like harnesses because they take the pressure off of the dogs neck. I do not like to pull on a dogs neck with a collar so I don't like when they pull on a collar either. But why do dogs pull? Dogs that are excited want to run, they don't care what you want to do at the moment; all they know is that they want to go. They learn that pulling works; it gets them in motion and some never learn that they don;t have to pull. That's your job; to teach your dog not to pull.

It is always easiest to start when they are young that way you just teach instead having to get rid of a bad behavior and replace it with a good behavior. When you take your dog out for a walk; remember that you are in control. Don't have your dog dragging you around to every tree or piece of grass they want to sniff. You walk where you want to walk and they sniff when you say it is sniff time. Teach your dog some verbal cues for a walk," this way, turn, let's go" and "this side" are a few of the terms I use to help give my dogs a heads up. I don't like to just yank on them when I am going to change direction or move on.

Keep a pocket or pouch full of treats on you if you are working on pulling. Praise your dog for attention and non pulling and work in treats when they are on the move. If they pull; you stop walking immediately until they give you slack on the leash. Once you get the slightest bit of slack you move out again. Timing is everything, they must be able to associate pulling to stopping the walk and giving slack to moving again. Keep an active conversation going with your dog when they walk nicely; stopping all conversation when they start to forge ahead and pressure takes over the leash.

The turn cue is great for some of the most dedicated pulling dogs; this gives your dog a heads up that you plan to turn into them to change directions. Taught properly it breaks into their pulling mindset and has them set back a bit so you don't step on them. I use it with Luke when he is in his highest level of excitement. Being reactive; walking loosely on a leash is one of the toughest things that I ask him to do.

The equipment I use the most are harnesses and a 5/8" x 8' cotton webbing leash. If I take my Jack russell out on her own I will use the extension leash but only have it extending when no one is around and it is also attached to her back attachment of her harness. This gives her the sensaiton of running free without being off leash.

A few heads up for the guardians about equipment. Never use an extension leash with a choke or prong/pinch. The extension leash when active and not in lock mode is constantly pulling which means that it is pulling on your dogs collar. Constant pressure on a choke or pinch/prong is very bad for your dog.

Although I do like the head harnesses I see them being misused on a daily basis. Never yank or tug on your dog with a head harness on and never use an extension leash with them. The head harness gives you maximum control over your dogs head, by yanking on it you risk injuring your dogs neck. Keep the leash taut ensuring there are no jarring yanks on your dogs neck.

And work with your dog on not pulling; it can be a ton of work but if you don't do it how does your dog know that dragging you down the street isn't the way it's done?

A poison to watch out for

2008-07-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Good morning, as we all know there are certain items that we need to make sure don't get into our dogs. The ones that we've known about for a longtime are Chocolate, and caffeine which is in cola, coffee and teas. Onions which can be toxic to our dogs so skip the onions if you cook for your dogs. Grapes and raisin are one of the newer items on the list but one to keep out of reach of our dogs.

The newest addition to the poison list is a dangerous one. Xylitol which is a natural substance found in fibrous vegetables and fruit, as well as in corn cobs and various hardwood trees like birch. Once extracted it is formulated into Xylitol; a natural sugar substitute. Although it is found safe for human consumption it is not safe for our dogs.

Xylitol is most widely used in sugar free gum and mints. If you look Xylitol up on the web you will find many sad stories of family pets who died or nearly died after consuming gum they snuck out of a pocket or purse. Check the ingredients list oon the gum you buy regularly and if it does contain Xylitol; switch to a different type of be 100% sure that your dog does not have access to it.

Xylitol causes dogs to secrete insulin so their blood sugar drops very quickly. The second thing that happens is liver failure. If that happens, even with aggressive treatment, it can be difficult to save them.

http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/ToxicDogTreats.htm

Please spread the word, it could save a life or two.

Handsfree

2008-07-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY to all my Canadian readers. I miss the being in Canada during the big celebration and seeing a sea of red and white. Today is also the day here in California that you can no longer talk on your cell phone in the car; good luck with that.

So on the same subject of handsfree; yesterday I was in the thick of gardening when Luke came out to find me; once found he wanted a snuggle. I was filthy; both hands were covered in muck so I told him to "come close." When he was little I taught him to come close; often he would stand just out of reach for a hug so I taught him to "come close."

"Come close," has reached a "can't get any closer" closeness. If I do not reach out to him with my hands he will then move in and we have our "handsfree," hug. Yesterday it went on for a good 2 min, and as is common I just about fell down. Luke loves this very close time; as he pushes and rubs his head under my chin. I have often seen wolves, lions and tigers do this exact thing but Luke is the first dog of mine who has done it.

He is a very physical guy, he loves touch; that is if he knows you. He is not into being touched by rude people he does not know but try to touch him. No more so than I would appreciate a stranger touching me.

So Luke has the handfree down already. And this closeness is very special which I never take for granted.

k9 issues & association

2008-06-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Being a dog trainer I have had to deal with many k9 issues. From fear based behavior, over excitement, pushy or phobic. Most dogs have some sort of issue just like humans; and it is not always an understandable issue. Many suffer from fallout behaviors, a behavior that was set in place by an occurrence. It is great when we know what caused an issue for our dogs but often we just don't know why they act the way they do.

For example; a dog may clearly dislike or fear children. Every time a child comes near the dog goes into a Cujo mode; is there a reason? There may be, I worked with a dog like this that had been living with a family and a young child. The dog was then placed into another family with teenage children. But the dog displayed awful aggression towards small children; which would seem like maybe the first life was not a happy one with the small child.

No matter where this issue stemmed from it had to be dealt with. Creating a positive association to small children from a far and then moving closer and closer to the trigger (a child) was the solution. This is one of the worst issues a dog can have; no one wants their dog to bite a child or anyone else for that matter. So extra caution and supervision is always a must.

Another dog I worked with had hidden issues. All seemed fine until we started with hand signals. Each time we raised a hand over the dogs head level he would cringe and leave the room. This dog was far from being mistreated and was a cherished member of the family. After much pondering I felt that is was clearly a confidence and submissive issue. So we then moved on to create a positive association to hands in the air.

How you behave during a display of unwanted behavior really helps or hinders. As I have said many times before; your dog is watching you. I happen to have one of the most obviously watching dogs I've ever met so through Luke I have learned just how much our dogs watch us.

The other day it was breezy which puts Luke into an uncomfortable state. His association to wind was caused by a slamming door; caused by the wind. This slamming door awoke him out of a deep sleep and he slipped into a seizure. Now when the wind blows he watches the doors. I am very careful to make sure that all slamming doors have stops at them. But I'm only human and errors occur occasionally.

So the other day as I came in off the balcony; the stage was set. Luke was standing in the middle of my bed; his eyes flying from the slowly closing door to me. He had panic written all over him but I was too far from the door to stop it. With the impending slam I flew into action immediately. Cool as a cucumber; Luke circled me, tail down, crouched posture and seeking eye contact. I wouldn't give it to him.

So as I busied myself around the room he followed at my heels. I opened several doors and closed them loudly, picked up some clothes off the floor and asked the dogs then to follow me onto the deck where I sat and rocked. Luke shook off his fear very quickly but never stopped watching me. How you react is EVERYTHING.

If you can figure out what happened to your dog to create an issue then great. If there is no explanation to some sort of issue it makes no difference. You need to best map out a solution and deal with it. By taking baby steps you can help your dog with their "issues."

Often you will need a professional to get you going in the right direction. Just like when a human has an issue; flooding is not a good idea. I am not a fan of flooding; which means to completely submerge a dog into its fear. Sort of like throwing someone with arachnophobia into a room filled with spiders. One step at a time is always the best way to truly help your dog.

And remember; your dog is watching you.

Life with dogs

2008-06-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Good Saturday morning; yes I did sleep in and so did the dogs. Jessie is loving her step stool I bought for Tilley and her; I can tell by waking up with Jessie squished up against me somewhere every morning now. I vaguely remember hearing the her little feet hit the stool and then I woke up and there she is. Tilley lay on her bed for a longtime moaning; she communicates her wishes through odd sounding groans. This is how she wakes us at night if she needs out.

I hopped out of bed thinking she needed out and she just lay there staring at me, okay. I crawled back into bed as she continued her attempts at telling me something. I said to her "come on then." And she slowly got herself up (she's 11) and hopped up onto the stool and on the bed. That's what she wanted; up on the bed but she was too lazy to get there. Luke was already up on the bed covered of course in a fuzzy blanket that looks like a continuation of himself.

Our dogs are very much a part of our family; daily plans are made around them often and when they cannot come the decision as to best accomodate them being left are made. The poodles have just left for their extreme canyon running and will come back exhausted. There will be no wondering what they are doing for he rest of the day, especially Tilley. Jessie will be going down to the beach later with us. It is getting increasingly difficult to find somewhere to take Jessie; she is very allergic to grass which is great fun. So the beach is a perfect place for this little one; and often it is my daugther who will take her.

Now that my children are adults they take great interest in all of the dogs. Each has a special connection with each dog; Luke's being the most physical out of the three, of course. When all of my kids are home I am constantly called to "see how cute" one of the dogs is being. I agree and go about my business happy that my kids take notice. Compassion for animals is in my opinion one of the most important things you can pass onto your children; the future. If humans have no compassion for animals; all will surely be lost.

You cannot teach compassion by shoving it down someones throat as many of the animal rights groups attempt to do. Humans are complex creatures and sometimes it takes a little work to figure out how best to get a message across. Example is the best and most impactful way to teach compassion, I think anyway. My children have seen me care for our animals, with respect, kindness, patience and guidance. They have seen me stop the car and jump out to rescue a dog in the street, take the dog into our home and find the dogs guardians.

Our little Jessie almost died 6 years ago, we spent thousands of dollars trying to find answers; this is just what you do. And just last fall Tilley almost had to have her tail amputated; but I was determined to save it which I did through weeks of around the clock care. My children have watched all of this and learned through my actions. This is how animals should be treated; bottom line. You treat your animals just as you would treat any member of your family.

One big happy family.

TGIF

2008-06-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

What a blast; the poodles and I attended a poodle gathering of sorts at one of the members homes yesterday. I wasn't sure how Luke would react to being in someones yard with all those other dogs; it really depended on how large the yard was. When we arrived he was already wound and whining; whining is never good when Luke is doing it. This means that he is already over excited; so I kick into my super calm and mellow mode to assist him.

Once in the backyard he was his typical whirlwind until everyone was there and he had made the rounds. I have to say I was so proud of my boy; the only pushy behavior he displayed was to dominate a 5 mos old puppy which I already knew was going to happen. He loves to strut his stuff and its easy to look big and tough to puppies who are still insecure. But all in all he was the perfect gentleman as he was the only boy there. Tilley took a bit to warm to our new enviroment but was chasing shadows before too long.

Luke kept a close eye on me the entire time we were at the get together; I was watching him watching me. If I started making a fuss over one of the other poodles he immediately came over to get some eye contact "yep, I'm your boy right MOM?" What a guy. And as one of the other poodles jumped up to say hello he was by my side in a flash. No one else would know how closely he was watching me unless they too were watching him; he is a corner eye watcher. He is constantly throwing side glances to keep my whereabouts well known to him. He is kind of like a Nav system.

About an hour into the visit he started hanging out with the people instead of the other poodles and about 1 1/2 hours into the gathering he was ready to go. He was using his eyes and his body language to let me know that he was good and ready to go home. One thing that Luke did that really amazed me; I know what you're thinking Luke this and Luke that, hey it's my blog! So anyway, there had been a babygate at the door to go in the house so that the people could go in and not the dogs. Once everyone started to leave it was taken down. As I sat in the yard watching my two; Luke went to the entrance of the house and stopped; he knew it was a boundary and turned around and came back.

Even when a guardian and their poodle were leaving he stopped in his tracks as they crossed what Luke thought was a clear boundary. Funny when all this hard training kicks in; it is very rewarding. When it was time for us to leave Luke was right by my side, Tilley was still chasing shadows and took several calls to get her head out of the clouds or should I say off of the ground.

Now that you've had your dose of poodle talk; have a good weekend.