Huffing

My boy Luke huffs; it is the best way I can describe it. It is a greeting behavior that he displays to people he likes. I have not seen another dog that does this but I'm sure that they are out there. This huffing behavior started at a very young age as an open mouth greeting.

Open mouth greetings can be disconcerting to some especially when added to a highly reactive dog. This means that not only is the mouth open but chances are that the dog is jumping a s well. Luke has nailed several people in the face with his open mouth in his younger years which was a problem. But it was not a negative; the outcome was negative but the meaning was purely positive.

About a year ago I was watching a documentary on tigers. The guy in with the tigers was explaining that tigers chuff. A chuff is a sound tigers make to say hello to each other. They also make this sound just to tell you they're in a good mood. Visually; it looked like what Luke does but when I took a closer look, a tigers chuff is more of a universal tiger communication. A chuff seems to be more related to a sound than an action.

When Luke huffs, his mouth is held open in a relaxed manner. His lips are pulled down almost over his teeth and his tongue is pulled up from the back. His breathing is heavy and very audible. This is a clear communication of happiness. The rest of his body concurs that this is a positive canine behavior.

Often when Luke is huffing he is also rubbing up against whoever the huffing is directed at. His head is held to the side and there is soft eye contact. We have come to enjoy this communication as it is a very pleasurable experience for both Luke and for us.

Anyone who knows Luke knows that receiving the open mouth huffing is a good thing. Each dog is an individual and although there are man universal canine body behaviors; some are more of an individual style. These if you do not understand them can be quite confusing. That is why it is imperative to watch the entire package and not just one factor of a behavior.

I will try to capture an image of huffing.

Booming, thunder, fireworks etc.

I awoke this morning to what sounded like Thunder. After laying there trying to figure out what the noise was it came again; it was thunder and lightening. What? So strange; I looked out my window at the clear blue sky. Then I heard it again. My attention immediately moved to Tilley; she is intensely afraid of storms and fireworks; actually anything that makes the same booming noise.

She was sitting upright listening; listening and watching me. As I have said so many times, "our dogs are watching us." So I lay in bed calmly; trying my best to have no reaction to the very strange outskirt thunderstorm. I love storms; I grew up where we had them all summer long and I miss them. This morning Tilley remained calm; almost waiting to see what was going to happen.

Typically during a real boomer or fireworks she is in a state of panic. But lately she is getting better; she is showing less signs of panic. This is due to our acting ability growing with each dog who has suffered from the same issues. It seems like we always have one. First there was Mandy the airedale; who was my very first dog.

She use to be petrified of storms; an issue that stemmed from being taken "shooting" (with a gun that is) when she was very young. It was not me that took her shooting but her original guardian. After Mandy's passing Clyde took on the role of panic dog during a storm. And oddly enough Tilley never showed any signs of this problem until Clyde's passing over 8 years ago.

We always stay home on fireworks nights; just to be sure she never hurts herself and if we are out when a storm hits we return to a house that has been dug up. I believe she is trying to get away; trying to find somewhere to hide. The worst hit areas are always a small room, bathroom, closet etc. Everything in the room has been dug up.

Remaining calm and ignoring the environmental activity is the best line of defense. Go on like nothing is unusual, eat, chat, play a game of ball etc. This helps your dog to relax; remember they are watching you. If you act like something is off, out of the ordinary or something to be concerned about they'll pick up on it immediately.

So as the weather season approaches; I'm entering my "chill" state of mind.

Pit bulls at the shelter

My daughters visited the SPCA and San Diego shelter this week. Not surprisingly it was filled with unwanted pit bulls. And after asking my daughter how many; it seems around 70% of the dogs occuping space at the shelter are pits.

I understand the pit bull issues of late but where are all of these dogs coming from? In my mind the good shelters take in unwanted dogs as well as strays but so many pits? In these times of crisis; with all of the financial problems many are having some people are forced to leave their dogs behind; a very sad fallout of loosing your home.

But the pit bull question remains; where are they all coming from? The plain fact is that not too many people want to adopt a pit bull these days. With all the bad hype I'm sure that many prospective owners pass by the pit cages without a second thought. Leading to the numbers building at the shelter.

But there are the puppies and the very young ones. As my daughter talked about all the different dogs at the shelter I was left pondering this question. Are they dogs taken from fighting rings? Are they simply growing in numbers because they are an unwanted breed now with all the bad news about them? So I have decided to find out where they are all coming from.

Revisiting food

As you all know I cook for my dogs. They eat a huge array of food both cooked and raw. Their protein source, veggie and grain changes constantly which is what keeps them able to eat a variety of food. When you feed your dog one brand of food alone for a long period of time it can cause problems when you offer them something new.

This last summer when I went away on a trip I was in the kitchen for way too long. Cooking and cooking and cooking; until I could cook no more. So recently I have been considering getting my dogs accustom to eating dog food on occasion. This way if I want to go away I don't have to cook up a storm in the days before I leave.

I have been asking for recommendations from both pet food store owners and some of the more knowledgeable dog people on types, brands etc. Yesterday I dropped by a great pet store Wild's in Dana Point on the corner of the PCH and Crown Valley. There I purchased Prairie freeze dried food and raw beef frozen made by

http://www.naturesvariety.com/

and a bag of Orijen

http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/

Reading the ingredients on both foods; they sound really good. Yes I still think that my food is better; it is not processed. But in a pinch I want the ability to offer dog food. So lastnight they had 1/2 their normal food which I make and 1/2 freeze dried Prairie; so it waits to be seen what comes out this morning. I've got my fingers crossed.

Tails you win

Not always, often tails you loose. Tail speak largely; they tell you how a dog is feeling. Whether it is happy, tense, scared or aggitated a tail says alot. Here is a great site to visit about tail positions.

http://www.wolfdancer.org/communication/

I had the chance to listen in on a Sue Sternberg seminar years ago. One thing that stuck in my head was the circle tail. The circle tail is a very good tail, happy and very friendly. The dog actually wags their tail in a circle. My boy Luke does circle tail alot.

Yes the tail communicates alot but you must look at the rest of the body to see what is going on fully. Ears, body, eyes, mouth and tail; it's all a matter of communication for our canines.

The cold truth

As I made my way through the clutter; an air conditioner past it's usefullness lay rusting, a old table with three legs was upturned. A refridgerator; hot and musty with the door held ajar with an old paint can lay in front of me; I stepped cautiously. I was making my way to the puppies; the puppies that were for sale. Yes there were many things running through my head at that moment; disgust was one. How could anyone have puppies back here?

Driving up to the house; it hadn't seemed so bad. A nice long driveway which lead up to the red brick bungalow. No it wasn't beautifully landscaped but there were a few bushes and flower beds scattered around. It looked like any other typical country home. Nothing told of the horrors I was to encounter just beyond the perimeters of normal.

The woman who greeted me at the door was unkept; the type of unkept you can't hide. I tried my best to remain indifferent and asked about the puppies for sale. She had a suspicious demeanor about her; suspicious indeed. With all the media of late; one cannot say they don't know what is going on.

After a few questions about what I was looking for we head back. "Don't mind the mess," she offered "we're renovating." Believe me, I've seen plenty of renovating in my lifetime and this had nothing to do with improvements. The backyard didn't give any hint of what was down the path we were on.

Once we got over the obstacle course there was an opening; an opening that a person never wants to see. Some parts of me wish I'd never seen this; this is something you wish didn't exist. But hiding from the truth is no way to a solution. Facing the ugly facts and dealing with them head on is the only way.

So again keeping my composure I walked past the crates; the crates were stacked 4 high and filled with dogs wanting out. Some were past wanting out and were simply shutdown. "These are the breeders," she exclaimed. The bitches on the top three rows and the studs on the bottom. All the dogs were filthy; it was all I could do not to vomit from the stench.

Still making our ways to the puppies we passed many cages with puppies and their mothers. "These are all spoken for" she said. Which I knew meant they were headed to the pet stores; the places that turn a blind eye to the horrific treatment of animals.

Some of the dogs on the bottom cages stood ankle deep in water. Each cage was at least 1/2 submerged and with more than 3 dogs per cage someone had to stand in the water. I could only imagine the filth and disease running wild through this place. I should receive an Oscar for this performance, I remained unmoved by what stood before me.

Finally we reached our destination; I looked back to take it all in. Taking a quick head count, three dogs per cage, rows and rows of cages stacked three high. There had to be at least 500 dogs here. Here were the puppies that for some reason weren't going to the pet store; were these rejects? Why were these puppies being left behind?

On taking a closer look I noticed an eye missing, a leg misformed and held up tight under the dogs chest, a white puppy with a blank stare who may have been one of the lucky ones who could not see all that lay before him. There was a puppy with some sort of skin disorder, another with a badly deformed back and a tiny blue puppy no larger than the palm of my hand who lay trembling and sick in the middle of a cage alone.

I'll take them, I'll take them all. The hackles rose on the lady as she turned abruptly "WHAT?" I had to backtrack quickly, "I'm kidding, I'd love to take them all." I disfused the situation and took two of the saddest puppies. The little white blind one and the blue sick puppy who had stood in a separate cage.

Once back in the house we filled out the paperwork. The house was a mess but liveable; very unlike where I had just been. With my purse my constant companion and witness I had captured it all. I'd be back.

This story is fiction, but this is all too familiar for the puppies who stand in the beautiful stores at the mall and strip malls. Think about what is left behind, don't buy from a pet store.

Piles of poodles

Yesterday we had another poodle get together on the beach. Now that the summer tourists have gone we are allowed to enjoy the beach with our dogs all day long. We met at 10:00 at the hoops and we were quite a group.

I haven't counted but I think there were around 15 dogs in attendance. All together we cause quite the commotion and many people stop to take pictures. We even had a couple from the South of France who told us they had never seen so many poodles together. So they took several pictures and left on their way smiling.

It is so interesting getting together with so many; the differences are huge. First difference you notice is the grooming styles. The human preference is what shows through here; we have everything from the very fancy saddle poodle clip down to the utility clip or bareballs as we say of my poodles (basically clipped down all the same length).

Then there are the differences in personality; shy or timid, friendly, over exuberant, in your face, aloof and stand offish and everything in between. But the one huge similarity is the fact that all of these people love standard poodles. We love to get out and have fun with our dogs.

And fun we had; both my guys were soaked by a huge wave that caught us all off guard. I was soaked as well which sucked bigtime walking with soaking wet sweat shorts; got where my short shorts. The dogs are covered with sand and huge smiles; love it.

It is great fun and we are steadily growing. Poodles everywhere.

Revisiting vaccinations

Vaccinations and vaccine protocol is a hot and controversial subject these days. Here is a link from a holistic veterinarians blog that I found very interesting.

http://drpollen.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post.html

Many of the old die hard type vets who still think that dogs should be vaccinated each and every year are panicked by the thought of revenue loss. I have to say that I am willing to spend more money on my dogs than I ever have because I am not having things shoved down my throat. I have a wonderful vet who does not believe in over vaccinating and I highly respect that.

As with everything in this world; if you are not will to open your mind and be enlightened by new information then it is time for you to close your doors. Working with animals and humans alike is an evolution in medicine. Things we use to think were right were very, very wrong.

So now with all the cancer in our dogs they are finding that the vaccinations may be playing a huge part in this. Even if this is a concern; don't you want to know about it? Why should a dog be vaccinated every year? It makes no sense when we are not vaccinated every year.

Recently it was suggested that I needed a tentinus (sp?). Thinking that I've had a few and that I'm probably good I had a titer run; yes for a human. My tentnus was fine; completely covered. It may be easy to just restick ourselves or our dogs and seem like the thing to do; but perhaps if you read about it you will find the opposite to be true. Please read!!!!!!!!!!!!!everything you can for the safety and health of your dog.

Pooping styles

Yes I'm discussing poop this morning. Don't roll your eyes in disgust; as canine guardians we all deal with the issue of poop so laugh instead of cry I say. I can't even imagine how much of it I've picked up over the years but it never bothers me. This along with some other tedious type chores that go with having dogs is just a part of having dogs.

Each dog has their own pooping style and position. Luke my big boy does it right and if I were a judge he would get a solid 10. Mind you Luke's style sometimes leaves him teetering but there is no chance of having any remains left on his rear end; that would mortify him. He gets so scrunched up that there is literally one placce for the poop to go and that's down.

The poopers I'm not a fan of are the travellers; Jessie is a bigtime traveller and if she happens to be on the trail of some critter then the travelling is immense. So for Jessie the method of pick up is to start at the big end and connect the dots until they stop.

I've heard of a doxie that use to poop with his front feet up on a wall so his guardians had a nice line of poop each week to pick up; weird. Many dogs enjoy pooping on things; my old boy Clyde use to like to poop on small bushes. And if we were in the middle of planting seedling trees they had a rough start in life as Clyde initiated them.

Then there are the perimitter poopers; these too get high marks. Keeping the poop out of the main traffic area is smart. I knew a doberman alongtime ago who would never poop in front of you; she was a behind the bushes kind of gal. None of my dogs now care about that; they'll plop one out right in front of you.

But no matter what their style; poop is a fact of life with dogs. Ya just gotta grin and bare it. ;)

We're all so different

We humans are different aren't we? What I consider to be a glorious day; some would find extremely boring. And what others think of as a great way to spend I day I may want to shoot myself. Our dogs are different as well; even within the same breed they are all so different.

I have had so many different personality types in my home and met even more in training and shooting. I love that people love different breeds for their own particular quirks. I recently met a bunch of huskies; who's guardians love to mush with them. These dogs were obviously happy and stoked to be spending time expending energy with their guardian.

While other dogs are happy to be sitting on their guardians lap just soaking up the "together time." It is the guardians who strive to find the connection that inspire me. The frisbee dogs who love nothing more than to catch that darn disc. The flyball dogs who are constantly chomping at the bit just to have a chance to fly over the hurdles and bring that ball home.

I am the sort of person who likes to dabble in everything; I find it hard to dedicate my time to one sport with my dogs. Having an extremely versatile breed I am lucky to be able to do just about whatever I like with them. Now the individuality plays a part; some are more outgoing, some more driven so each has their favorite things to do.

But my absolute favorite thing to do with my dogs is hike; mostly in the forest where you have terrain to get around. The dogs love it; no matter what personality type I have in the pack they all love to walk in the woods or trails. No matter what you do with your dogs; isn't it fun finding out what they love to do that makes you happy doing?

Inter canine tolerance

Add a puppy to an existing pack of dogs and you will see many different degrees of tolerance and intolerance. When we added Luke to our pack; Tilley was none too thrilled with the idea. She hated him for months; infact she hated him for so long that I thought I may have ruined her life forever.

It was months after he joined us that she first allowed an approach from him without trying to attack him. At that point he was very wary of her and never pushed any of her buttons. Now 8 years later she would never admit it but she loves him. Jessie on the other hand has an agenda; mount and get her message across.

For a Jack Russell she is pretty great; she tolerates as long as the newbie knows that she is the queen and she will drive that message home until it is understood. There are things you must watch for like bullying or over the top dominance. But what is toughest for many is the fact that you have to let the adults growl and display. This is their way of setting things right with the new member of the pack.

It is definitely easiest to add a puppy to your pack; they are much easier to bend and mold. And you cannot force anything; your existing dogs will take their own time to decide how and when they will accept the newcomer into the pack. A watchful eye and mediation is often called for before that moment in time when they are completely accepted.

Birds of a feather

Funny how we love to flock with people who have the same breed as we do isn't it? Listen in on a breed meet-up and you will hear the gushings of proud guardians. It is a congregation of similarities. And I for one think it is a good thing. These groups tend to promote activities and getting out with your pooch.

Often it enables one to do more than they would do on their own giving us and our dogs a good chance to socialize. I have been able to photograph many breed meet ups and love watching the things each dog has in common with the others. Even the dogs seem to know they are amongst their own; I'm not sure if that is built in or they remember from their early childhood.

The guardians who attend these events are much more forgiving of bad behavior when it comes from a dog "of their breed." And love spending a morning or afternoon surrounded by their "breed of choice." It is a very popular activity amongst dog people now; breed and mixbreed groups are popping up all over North America.

Some groups are small; the more rare your breed the tougher it is to find friends with the same. But once a group starts it grows and members love to spread the word. I started a group here in Southern California; OC Standard Poodles and I will hop out of my car or approach anyone with a standard to let them know.

There is a sharing of canine education within groups; which is always a good thing. And often people who have similar breeds have things in common making it nice to spend time together. But even if it is just the dogs that are similar; spending time with a pack is great fun for anyone.

Our group started on Yahoo Groups but you can start a meet up anywhere you put the your information out there. Meet ups is a good place but it costs to start but all over the net you can get started. Go ahead and meet some great dog people.

The eyes have it

The eyes have all the information; if you are watching that is. A dogs eyes say alot; they can portray anger, pleasure, disgust and any other communication in the dogs mind. I am always saying "what a look," or "what a face." Watching a dogs eyes is very enlightening.

Although full of information a dog's eyes like our are just sometimes a blank slate. Have you ever seen your dog staring off into space causing you to wonder what the heck is going on in that little head of theirs? I have; especially with my epileptic boy who often is watching the ceiling.

Having a new puppy in the house we are getting lots of "eyes." My Jack Russell speaks volumes with her eyes; one glance from those lazer like beamers and our new puppy stops in her tracks. There is no mistaking those "I dare you;" eyes.

Eye contact is important in dogs and even in very young dogs you will see them gazing into our eyes. They watch us and read us very carefully; looking into our eyes to see what is going on. The eyes are the beginning of a communication; the body then follows.

Take for instance my Jack Russell; she is comfy on the biggest dog bed in our home. The puppy comes charging up; not thinking. Jessie throws her a lazer beam stare and the puppy is tries her hardest to throw it into reverse before she hits the bed. If the puppy is not watching and approaches the bed; Jessie then offers up a very throaty growl that you cannot miss.

What are your dog's eyes saying?

Human canine apparel-shooting dogs

I've started a new venture; Just K9s www.cafepress.com/justk9s I have just started to load the canine images on the site; it's going to take alot of work. With all the amazing images I have in my stock I wanted to share them with whoever would like to enjoy them.

I am taking images of dogs and working them up into the "art" category. Frankly I find dogs to be art on their own but I really enjoy Photoshopping some of my best images. I have a graphic arts background; coming from a family business Printing company.

I will be looking for new models of breeds which I don't have as of yet and always on the look out for just plain cute dogs. I love photographing dogs and my absolute favorite shots are always candids. Candids exude the real dog where a posed portrait shots lack personaility.

I love to capture dogs sleeping, playing and interacting with other dogs. And the faces; capturing expression is the best. When I've done a shoot and I am working up the images I will often have caught an expression that I didn't even realize. It is an extra added bonus from a great shoot.

Many people who are photographing dogs these days have many branches to their photography, weddings, babies, fashion and oh ya dogs. Dogs are a section all on their own in my opinion and to take a great dog image you have to know dogs. Frankly I could shoot them all day long.

OT-new Laptop

Okay, this is off topic but today is my 24th wedding anniversary and my wonderful husband got me a new laptop. It is the newest Sony on the market; and I'm stoked. I gave my Mac to my daughter who recently moved out to college and I have been without a laptop since and been missing it alot.

I'm back in writing mode with my new laptop. whoooo hoooooo.

See you in the morning.

Fleas

Well, I found one flea on one dog the other day so that meant that everyone was getting bathed. Its alot of work but when I'm not willing to use harsh chemical topical treatments on my dogs that means I must be diligent. One flea can be a ton of fleas very quickly.

In the heat of the hottest month (Sept here in Southern California) I bathed the dogs weekly. Now part of a flea problem can be dry skin so I use a good moisturizer. Fleas drown!!! Who knew? No one from the flea shampoo companies are going to tell you this guaranteed.

When you bathe your dog; make a ring of shampoo and water around their neck and rear end tail area. Do this before you bathe them; this stops fleas from hiding out in nooks and crannies. Then suds up your dog and leave the shampoo on for 5-7 minutes. I use this time to massage my guys and make sure every inch is covered. Slowly you will see the fleas come to the top to try to breath, ha ha don't let them.

Rinse, condition and dry. Vacuum lots and wash your pooches bedding. Sometimes you may have to resort to chemicals but always try alternatives first. I had an outbreak lastyear and used everything until I found out the neighbors dog nextdoor was infested. Great. So now I just spray the fence in hopes of keeping them on their side.

The joy of a toy

Dogs toys are a big business; there are so many different types it's mind boggling. Have a look around at the next petstore you are in and you'll be amazed. Most toys are designed for us; they catch our eye, we think they are cute so we buy them for our dogs. With a new puppy in the house; toys are essential. The fastest way to have your house destroyed is to have no toys. I always tell my clients that when you have a puppy I expect your house to look like there is a toddler living in it. There should be many toys in each room. Size, shape and texture are important. I've been on the hunt for great toys lately. Many are just puppy toys and would not hold up to the big dogs. I've been looking for all different shapes to stimulate this little munchkins brain. But the adults are seeing the maybe one good thing about a puppy; lots of new toys. In this video my 8 year old has found a great new toy to play with. He is obviously taking great joy in squeaking the toy. Part of his joy is that it is not his toy; but watching him brings me joy.

Fussy eaters

Fussy eaters suck; plain and simple. I don't like feeding humans or dogs who are fussy; it is so much more work than it has to be. I've only ever had one fussy dog and luckily my whole family is non fussy. Luke is my fussy dog; always has been, always will be.

So what do you do if you have a fussy dog; some people say to ignore it. "No dog will starve themselves." Well that may be correct but they sure will get really skinny; so I try my best to serve up what tastes good to Luke. Dogs are not like people; you cannot say "eat it or no dessert."

Luke is a beef man; he likes chicken but is not a big fan of fish. Luke also likes "human food." "Human food" is a term I try not to use often as I believe food is food whether it is for your dogs or your humans. When I say "human food" I am talking about Pizza, sausages, roast and potatoes, omlettes and chicken stir fry. You get what I mean; right? Prepared stuff, food that has a recipe and frankly food that tastes good.

So Luke likes food that tastes good; he does not eat for the sake of eating like most dogs do. He loves black forest ham so if I have some handy I will add it to his food. Sometimes it is enough to kick start the eating process. And Luke loves dairy; he loves nothing more than whipcream, who doesn't? He loves it so much that if he hears that all familiar hiss from the whipcream can he comes running. And just try to sneak a blended drink topped with whipcream past this boy.

Being that I deal with a fussy eater on a regular basis; I am very thankful for my eaters; eaters of whatever is put in front of them. I've come to understand that no matter human or canine you are who you are.

canine communications - growling and stuff

Do we understand our dogs? Often we get what our dogs are trying to say all wrong. Many of my clients ask me what this means or what that means when their dog is displaying some sort of behavior they simply don't understand. And what is one of the most misunderstood communication displays is the dreaded growl. I have been told by many k9 guardians "there is no growling in my house." Growling is good, what is causing the growling may be a bad place by often a growl is simply a growl.

Easy for me to say right? A growl is a display or response to something that your dog either does not like, feels uncomfortable about or threatened. A growl is how dogs communicate; take that away and all you are left with is body language that we again misread often.

I have a video of a new puppy greeting an adult dog; the sound is not great but the adult is growling her head off. The thunder sound is the growling. The puppy is finding it difficult to contain herself but if you look at her body language the puppy is communicating submission; not alot but it's there. The adult is telling the puppy that she is not thrilled with this over exhuberant display of affection. The growling is nothing more than communication. But far too often the owners of the adult would scold their dog; messing everything up completely.

What you do need to do is look into the cause of a growl. Is it the approach of a stranger, another dog, attempting to take food from your dog? Then these issues need to be addressed, not the growling. Many people feel that a slap or alpha role is in order when a dog growls, wrong. This only teaches a dog not to give you a "heads up" when they feel something. This in turn is a very dangerous situation; take our dogs ability to communicate away and we are left with an unpredictable dog.

Personalities

Ah, the canine personality; great aren't they? No matter how many dogs I meet they are all different. Even within a breed there are no two dogs alike. Sure there are dogs that remind you of other dogs. Heck, I was at a store the other day and the lady swore she knew me. She said that my identical twin lived somewhere in the Florida area; so I definitely reminded her of someone. (My fraternal twin lives in Canada; just to set the record straight and we look nothing alike. HE is a blonde 6 footer.)

I love getting to know dogs, often what you see is not what you get. Infact that is more often than not. I know so many dogs that look one way on the outside and are the complete opposite on the inside. Dogs that look like big tough guys who are anything but. Dogs you'd love to wrap your arms around and hug but best not if you want to keep your head attached to your body.

So getting to know a dog is all about what is on the inside; dogs don't care what they look like. They do not have the vanity that we humans have, it has nothing to do with who they are. Some of the coolest dogs I've met have been second hand dogs; one specifically was a street dog from LA. He was one of the most amazing dogs I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

When you meet a dog you first see the "how much they like strangers". Which may throw you at first; maybe they are become over excited or they really aren't interested in meeting you. But sit back and watch; watch the dog interact with it's guardian and you will see the true personality come out.

Sit and watch dogs play at the dog park; you see the real stuff there. Dogs are who they are when interacting with other dogs. I love nothing more than watching dogs be dogs; if I get the priviledge to meet some of them I am truly honored.