Communication levels

Humans communicate, dogs do, all animals do in some way or another. Yesterday I was in communication heaven; canine communication is one of my favorite topics. I love to watch it and never tire of the almost unseen nuances of the canine communication repertoire. Dogs say it like it is; there is no beating around the bush, it is as a very good friend of mine says "it is what it is." And I love that about dogs.

Having been an observer of canine communication for so many years; I try to communicate to the best of my ability as well. I try to clearly say what I mean with my dogs and with humans. But unlike dogs; sometimes you have to soften the blow with humans and sort of tiptoe around issues. Dogs don't do tiptoeing unless of course it is to create a bigger image of themselves.

Our OC standard poodle group got together again yesterday; Luke and six girls. He was pretty much in heaven, especially because he is a dominant guy. It is really amazing to watch the communication between all of the dogs; they get along so well for a pack that do not live together. Some of the dogs are obviously happy to meet up with their friends, others like Tilley are just there. Tilley is a very neutral type dog, she is the most non threatening type dog there is. So for this fact alone she does extremely well with both aggressive and fearful dogs.

Luke is very non neutral, he is a dominant male. And although he is a nervous ninny about some issues like the wind and things that move on their own, he is very confident in his status among other dogs. Luke has confident, top dog written all over him and because of this he is regularly singled out of a group by other dominant dogs. But Luke is not a fighter, he has never been in a fight and prefers to walk away instead of stay and fight.

Communication is so imperative to dog society; teeth flashes, growls, frozen posture and hard stares are all very important. Dogs must be allowed to communicate so that they can clearly understand each other. Not all dogs communicate as well as others but they pretty much come with built in communication skills. For humans it is a learning curve and one that some learn better than others. I know that I can communicate much better now then when I was a teenager, oh the games we play when we are teens.

I was cutting nails yesterday before we met up with the group. Jessie has taken to fighting me with every nail. In our house Jessie has maintained her top dog status with my assistance but Luke is waiting in the wings. When Jessie is on her back and struggling with me; Luke sees this as his in. (Butthead that he is) And he keeps lunging at her while she is down. This pisses me off so he gets a poke to let him know that I am not okay with it. The whole Jessie down thing gets him very excited and when Luke gets excited he forgets himself.

With a third and final strong poke and very firm "STOP" his ears went back and his whole body posture changed. I continued to hard stare him until he came and quietly sat beside me. There was no confusion at this point; I communicated to him that I was very displeased with his behavior. And he got it.

It's shipped

Well, I just got the email "shipped." Not sure how long it will take to get here; I forget where the printers is in the US. But my book is on the way. I'm really hoping that I am happy with the results or it is back to the drawing table. Busy day ahead of me again; dog walking, grooming, food buying etc.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Misunderstandings

I wanted to write about this now because there is a good chance I'll wake up tomorrow morning and forget what I wanted to write about. So.....................

Misunderstanding - failure to understand correctly; mistake as to meaning or intent.

This afternoon I decided to bathe the girls; it near kills my back so I only do two in one afternoon. Someday I will be able to install a raised stainless tub but for now it is into the small shower where I kill my back. After Jessie was done I brought her outside; dried her off and let her lay in the sun. She wandered over to the grass area to relieve herself when Tilley caught sight of me. This is not a big deal except that she knew that she was probably next. In a split second there was a huge misunderstanding.

Upon seeing me Tilley slung her head low and put her ears back. "Ahhhhhh here she comes to get me for my bath." Jessie sees this body display and stops dead in her tracks; Tilley looks very much like she has just assumed a stalking position. Jessie does not know that Tilley is looking at me; behind her. She is puzzled by this behavior and if it was as Jessie thought and directed at her, it would indeed be an odd behavior from Tilley.

Tilley and Jessie have an understanding; Jessie is the boss and Tilley is fine with that. She let's the little munchkin rule the roost. At this point Jessie had to pee; so she slowly and very methodically turned her entire body sideways and tiptoed to the grass; did her thing without even glancing at Tilley and left turning the opposite way from where Tilley was standing.

Jessie was walking off the grass very slowly which caught Tilley's eye and she decided to go check her out. As Tilley approached just to smell Jessie; Jessie got nervous. But Tilley smelled her and went on her way. The tension was diffused and all was well again. But it got me thinking that it is not only humans that get messages crossed; but our dogs as well. For us it can be an emphasis put on the wrong word, a fluctuation in our voice or a body posture that was misread. We are more alike than it seems aren't we?

The weight game

Weight is something that everyone seems to think about alot. Especially in the New Year; everyone is on a diet. And it is not only people who are on diets; many dogs are or should be. I had my Jack Russell Jessie out for a walk lastnight trying to burn some calories. Before we got into the car I called her to get her little purple harness on; it was then I thought "have you lost some weight?"

As I brought the waste strap around her mid-section; sure enough if she hadn't lost weight. "You little rat," I thought to myself. Why is it so darn hard for me to drop weight and so easy for our dogs? Lately I'd noticed that Jessie had put on a few; and it only takes a few for a little 15 lb dog to look heavy. Her harness had been getting tight and we had switched to her brown "fat girl" harness. That was the telltale that she needed to drop some weight.

Just like with myself, if my pants get too tight then I watch what I'm eating. I'm not a scale person, no I don't weigh myself. So when Jessie had to step up to the brown harness it was time. I guess it's easier for her because she has a personal chef, someone putting food in front of her to eat. She does not have the ability to snack unless her chef offers her up a low calorie snack. As for me, I tend to give into my cravings.

When Jessie and I walk now; we move. Typically when she goes for a walk she smells, sniffing is her thing. She's not a big runner; she never was. She use to run around more of course when she was younger but scent work has always been her thing. My poodles are much more into running, especially Luke. He loves to run for the sheer pleasure of running and he is a skinny minny.

So Jessie has a waste again; she looks very cute and I am happy to say is back in her purple harness without the bulges.

Midweek

As I said yesterday I finished my first book, it is a coffee table photo book. But now I'm on a roll; I have a training book that is sitting waiting for one last chapter and some images to be complete. I'm going to take a look at it today and get on it. I truly think that this self publishing is the way of the future; after looking at the many books out there that have been published it can be the only way. So many people are constantly rejected (me included) and it is a frustrating thing to have a wonderful book that you can't get out there to share.

I am so glad that I get to share some of my dog photos with others. I have also made the decision to donate partial proceeds to a wonderful dog facility. I will let everyone know where that is once I work out all the kinks. My life has been about dogs since before I even got my hands on a dog at the age of 13. Long before that I was completely enamored by them; all of them.

With many years of experience behind me now I want to give back. What we do in this world during our short stay can have a positive or negative effect. There are so many people that I have met along my voyage who inspire me; people who give to the dogs selflessly. Those who see a dog for what's inside, their chosen task is to help all, all the dogs. They are undaunting in their goal, moving onto each and every new dog and new case ahead of them with drive and perseverance.

Drive and passion can be a wonderful thing when paired with a helping heart.

busy busy

I'm busy finishing up my book at the moment; I'll write later today. ;) Okay, I'm back. I met with some poodle group members this morning for a poodle run, nice. The dogs got a quick illegal beach romp an were very quickly put back on their leashes when we saw "the dog police" show up.

I've just finished my book; it is uploading to the printers at this very moment and I am stoked. I will just put it out of my mind until it gets here. Once it arrives and I give it the two thumbs up I will be able to post where it can be purchased. Did I already say I'm excited?

So back to the poodles, they had a blast today. Everyone gets along so well it really is a ton of fun to get them all together. They all sport different hair styles, mine of course have the least style of any. But they all look adorable. Short and sweet today, busy busy.

The big and small of it

Okay; I'm discussing food, giving it to and chewing it with regards to dogs. I have got it all in my house; one who snatches food so bad that if you are left with your fingers then you are one of the lucky ones. She will try to swallow very large pieces of food whole and only if she near chokes to death with consider chewing it; this is Jessie.

Then I have Tilley, Miss polite. She would never consider grabbing and chews her food the appropriate amount of times before swallowing. She will eat just about anything I give her and has the utmost of etiquette. Tilley eats politely, drinks politely and is an all round extremely mannered girl.

And we have Luke who in his eating habits is far more cat like than dog. When you offer him food it takes him a longtime to decide whether or not he should even try it. When it is something I know he likes he might not take it. And I am not above trying the choo choo train routine to get him to try a piece. Waving it around and tossing it seems to arouse his instinctual behaviors, at least enough to give it one tiny taste.

As I've said before Luke is finicky, he is beyond finicky. And even if I put his absolute favorite food in the world down he never devours his food. He is much more a lover than an eater; which in my books is fine as long as he eats sometimes. When you try to give him a morsel of food he likes it small. He will often take a big piece and drop it on the floor. He does not like to eat large pieces of food unless it is something that he has already tried and decided to eat.

The problem with dropping food is that Jessie has programmed the poodles not to touch dropped food. Being that she is much closer to the ground; she is the floor feeder. If they drop it out of their mouth, she is waiting below like a piranha and is not above snapping at their face if they make an attempt at picking up the food they dropped.

I mean what dog turns their nose up at a piece of fresh baked chicken, raw beef or ham? Luke is that type of dog and it makes me weary many days. So I have a dog who will take my fingers off, a dog with amazing manners right in the middle of perfection and Luke; who I have to do a song and a dance to get him to try something.

This morning was some yummy buttered toast. I know how much Luke likes butter so I take these moments to get some much needed calories into him. I butter it up good; the girls have their piece, Jessie gets a tiny morsel of unbuttered crust. Tilley gets a middle piece of medium proportion and then Luke will get the rest. I actually felt a bit of meat on him over the weekend so my fussing is working.

I offer him up a 1" square piece; but know it's probably too big and he agrees. How about a piece the size of a sweet pea? He picks it up, drops it, up again and moves it around his mouth, out again. I pick it up and rip it in half; there we go. Geesh.

New canine carrier and getting dirty

Okay, I'm stoked. I actually cannot wait to get up and get outside to look at my new vehicle. I have been a bigtime xterra lover (over 3 years now) and I just got a new one yesterday. You know its the car for you when you can't imagine driving anything else, right? I just have to do a few personalizing things to it and we're good for a longtime. My first xterra was a 2005 black, now my new one is a 2009 red.

The xterra is a perfect "dog" vehicle, it is utility enough so I don't worry about dirt. I'm not a big dirt worrier to start with and the last thing I want to worry about when having fun with my dogs is a bit of dirt getting in the car. I am a big believer of fun; even if it's dirty fun. Dirt washes off right?

When I was at the grooming show last weekend I was in the restroom and a little girl came in. She was holding her hands in the air and was sporting a "yuck" face. She immediately declared as she entered the room "I have to wash my hands, I touched a dog." This made me smile, then ponder. A dog? She touched a dog? And not only was it a dog but a dog at a grooming show. That would mean that this was no riff raff type dog, it was clean. Oh well.

I remember when we lived on 3 acres of mud back in Canada. It took about a year to get some seed on the property and growing. So talk about muddy poodles, up to your elbow type muddy poodles. And the kids were dirty, always dirty. Dirt helps build your immune system. Just look it up, Dirt and a healthy immune system. I watched a show several years ago where a professor was claiming that the people long ago were healthier because they had animals living in their homes, which meant that their immune system was continually dealing with bacteria. This daily contact with bacteria helps to train and exercise your immune system.

I completely agree with this. Our world has become an overuse of "disinfectant" products which not only rob our bodies of everyday bacteria for our immune system to build on but also pollute our environment. I have switched almost entirely to "green" cleaning products and use vinegar and baking soda whenever I can. My family is pretty healthy and I do think it has alot to do with the fact that we "live with dogs."

Dogs coming together and pushing it

Well, we saw the PBR lastnight. I have to say I'm glad that I work with dogs and not bulls. Although I would have love to have had my long lense on me during some of the more spectacular rides; simply awesome. Now to get onto these monster beasts I'm pretty sure you have to be either really, really brave or very stupid.

So back to dogs; we joined several of our OC standard poodle group yesterday at a new location. It is so much fun to see a pile of poodles having fun, especially off leash. They all got along and Luke was in heaven, just him and 5 girls. He really enjoys being the only man in town (I'm guessing most men feel the sameway). So they ran and ran; sometimes as a close pack sometimes they would venture off in their own directions.

Tilley had a great time; her tail was up and she was in full shadow chasing form. But about midway in our walk it was obvious that she was tiring. She gets tired so much faster these days but at least she gets out and walks with us; even ran at the start of it.

Once we got home from the PBR; we had our normal evening. Dogs go out; I go out to make sure that they are actually going and not just standing there. Then we all go up to bed. The dogs had an early dinner lastnight so I thought they could use a cookie. Everyone had their piece and then Tilley wandered over to Luke's crumbs. I love to watch their interactions and subtle signals that they give each other.

As Tilley has gotten older food has become a more important factor in her everyday. She has become a food seeking canine; much like her house sibling Jessie. So as she moved in to check out Luke's crumbs I watched. Luke has never, ever growled at Tilley, but I wondered in his tired state, laying on his comfy bed with his crumbs between his legs if she wasn't pushing it.

There was no signals yet and Tilley was about a foot from the crumbs. Luke seemed to be puzzled that she was moving in quite this close and then there was the signal. If you weren't looking you wouldn't have seen it; a freeze. Luke froze for a instant; Tilley responded immediately by turning her head (this is the stuff that I love). They had a moment of "this is awkward" and then Luke broke the ice by licking his foot. This was done with intent; how else do you get out of an awkward silent moment like that?

Dogs are amazing; they are such great communicators that we should take a lesson or two from them. They rarely need words and if sound is called for it is typically a lack of communication skills or total disregard from someone.

Friday already????

Wow, how'd it get here so fast? Yesterday is but a flashing blur; I was up to my elbows in my book, trying to get it to the completion point. I had a plumber here for hours so the dogs spent the afternoon outside. But in the morning they were still in bed early when I hit the gym; but when I got home with armloads of raw meat they were wide awake.

On the way home from the gym I thought about Luke and his neck. He was upset that he was sore so I made a detour to the grocer to pick up some "pick me up" so to speak. It picked him up alright and it was a speedy way to feed the dogs to boot (Canadian slang meaning "as well"). I cut up some fresh sirloin steak into 1" cubes and went out to the backyard with my cutting board piled high. The dogs all sit nicely waiting their turn, there is no pushing or shoving. Luke never seems to have a problem eating raw beef.

So today we are to hit a new spot for the dogs. I am meeting with some of our OC Standard Poodle group to check it out. Luke is much better and even lastnight he was routing through the toys and tossing everything around. This morning when I go downstairs there will be toys spread from one end of the room to the other. This is my morning toy pick up routine.

The dogs will be good and tired for the rest of the day and it's a good thing because we are heading out to the PBR tonight and I'm stoked. That's right I'm a redneck and proud of it!

Thursday candid news

The week is flying by; with having Monday (President's day) off it's gone flashing past me. Luke had a bad day yesterday with his neck all stiff and feeling very sorry for himself. But this is a common ailment for him and it will pass as it always does. I'm not sure how he is feeling yet today; he's still sleeping and doesn't look like he's getting up anytime soon.

I was working on getting my book off to the printer all day yesterday. I have a few more photos to work up and then it's off; can't wait. Working on all the photos gave me time to think about each and every shoot. I love meeting new dogs; hearing about their lives with their guardians, it is all very interesting.

Most shoots I do are planned but there are days that I'm out and about with my camera looking. I love to shoot all aspects of the dog/human life together as well as dogs on their own and I am very careful to always ask permission. There have been only two times when I shot before asking and one of those images ended up in a magazine. Oh, I asked "is it okay?" after I shot the images. I have my little schpeel that I give people and only two have ever said NO. I always wonder what these type of people think I'm going to do with the photos of their dog.

I like to get natural looking shots; I'm not one for posed pictures and many times will say "I'm not shooting if you pose." People love to pose for pictures, just pick up your camera and point and see what happens. I'm in the market for a larger lense right now and this is one of the reasons. To me there is nothing like a candid and the further you get away from people the easier it is to get one.

As for dogs; candids are easy but there are many times that a shot needs a little help. There have been those moments when a dog simply won't turn around. Especially when using natural light only; sometimes I just need to place a dog correctly. I like a natural expression on a dogs face as well. Being a behavior specialist I can see the tiniest "wrong" expression. A bit of stress, fear, anxiety or apprehension can ruin an image.

Dogs need to be comfortable for a shoot; this is one reason I have never got into studio work with dogs. I remember long ago taking my three to a studio to be photographed; didn't turn out so great. They were very antsy and it was hard to get a good naturally happy expression. Take a dog to the park, a beach or have them just chill at home and you can get some amazing shots. Some of the most regular everyday type behaviors give you the best images.

When you look at an image of your dog years from now; you want an image that portrays your dog as you remember them. Catching that moment in time can be accomplished by shooting relaxed dogs. The more relaxed the photographer is, the more relaxed the shoot will be; thus giving you a relaxed pooch for great images. Chill'n is the secret.

disproportion

Disproportion - Absence of proportion, symmetry, or proper relation. Correct physical structure is important; in the field of contruction structurual soundness is imperative. It takes hundreds of people, sometimes millions of dollars to get it right. Great care is taken to ensure structural soundness; typically accomplished with highly experienced engineers. A building is either structurally sound or it flawed.

So what the heck has happened to our dogs. Luke has a neck injury again; I'm not sure what he has done but it is a reacurring issue. He was not doing anything out of the ordinary but it may have been his nail biting lastnight. He likes to bite his nails but when he does this he contorts his neck into a weakened position. I first noticed in the evening, he seemed a bit off. When my son arrived home he never left his side, he seemed to need assistance of some sort.

This got me to thinking about what we are doing to dogs. There is a correct physical structure for a dog; and by dog I simply mean dogs as a species. What we have done by creating individual breeds that fall outside of this structural soundness has created weakness. Take the Dachshund, Corgi, English Bulldog, brachycephalic breeds (flat face) and the German Shepherd. All of these breeds have been compromised structurally.

The long breeds have back problems, the stout body of the English bulldog has agility issues along with the fact that it whole respiratory function has been weakened by reducing the length of the muzzle. The German Shepherds with the severely sloping rear angulation are faulty. They have lost the structural soundness in their hind ends, it is all physics.

When I watch an American bred GSD move it makes me cringe; it's painful to just watch. It may look cool in the ring but it a great injustice to do to a strong animal. Just imagine if there was someone designing humans and they decided to give us a nice curve in our legs. It might look nifty but it would take away the strength in our legs.

Dogs were meant to run, hunt, dig and kill with ease. Our basic guideline for the structure of dogs should be the the wolf, fox or coyote. The fox has a slightly longer body than the wolf but not so much that it causes structural weakness. What if we gave our legless dogs some legs, our muzzleless dogs some length of face or some strength back into the rear of a German Shepherd? Would this be so awful, we would still have all the different breeds. The only difference being that these different breeds would all be structurally sound.

Okay, I'm done venting.

Starting off the week

It's a late start to the week; we had yesterday off and it was a mellow one. The rains came just like the weather guy said they would and the dogs took that cue as a hibernation day. They had a big exercise weekend with my hubby and they were all crashed. I have to say that I was pretty crashed myself.

We did go out and look at new vehicles; not all vehicles, only the xterra. I've now been an xterra lover for over 3 years; frankly I don't think that a better utility vehicle exists. I'm in the market for a new one (long story) so we went to make sure that the seat in the new 2009s are the same as the 2005s. I'm short, 5' 1" to be exact so I need a seat that accomodates the shorties.

Today is the day I start to pull my first book together. After much contemplation I have decided to self publish my first dog book. In this economy I knew that my search for a publisher was not going to be any easier than it has been already so the decision was made. I will keep you posted on the work and let you know when it is ready.

When we were out and about yesterday I picked up a new toy for Luke. It is actually for all the dogs but I knew that it would be Luke who tried it out and gave it a good test run. I got it at Homegoods for 6.99 so we will see how long it lasts and if it is worth the money, will let you know the outcome.

When I buy one toy on a trial basis it is difficult to fanegle it into the house. Being that it is made out of Jute it doesn't smell like the typical dog toy so I slipped downstairs and dropped it into the toy box. Whoever finds it first get's first dibbs. You know it was Luke; when he was toy surfing it took him literally one second to find the newcomer. He grabbed it and jumped around the familyroom with it in his mouth.

He immediately began the trial.

Monday and back at it

I'm back home and back at it. I spent the whole day saturday in Pasedena at the Grooming expo. Pretty cool; amazing grooming talent and so many poodles. The grooming world is not my one but it is one with so many degrees of talent. The big winner at the expo was from Calgary, Alberta.

I watched much of the grooming closely trying to pick up any tips that I don't already do in my own grooming. The scissoring was the most impressive and the keen eye for lines. I enjoy scissoring as well but could never do it like these professionals, I tend to get bored quickly with things like that so resort to my clippers ;)

So back home and I got a huge greeting from my poos and JRT. Luke was out with his Dad when I got home so I got a diving greeting from Jessie and a major attack from Tilley. She is always much more subdued when Luke is home because Luke likes to attack her when she gets overly excited. So in his absence she was full of it. She even gave me several big toothy smiles which she does less of in her older age now.

She charged around the backyard like a maniac; so happy to see me. There is truly nothing like the greeting you get from your dogs when you get back home. Jessie was runnning and jumping around the house with a stuffed toy in her mouth and Tilley smilling and charging as well. Once Luke did get home he was a happy boy. He never left my side yesterday and there was lots of snuggling going on.

Glad to be home.

The spectrum of nerves

Gooooooooooood Friday morning. Busy day ahead of me; it's one of my daughters birthdays today. Yes it's Friday the 13th and she was born on Friday the thirteenth. As soon as she was born I said "yes a valentine baby," and the nurse quickly corrected me saying "it's Friday the 13th." Seemed like I'd been in labor for over a day, but apparently not.

I'm preparing for an exciting Saturday, I'll be heading up to Pasedena for a big poodle grooming competition that I'm shooting. The last one I attended was I think 4years ago but none the less it was wall to wall standards, heaven for me. They don't look like my dogs but under the masses of hair lurks the standard poodle. They start out hugely coated; so that the groomers can do their scultping work.

And speaking of standards; each and everyone that I have had the pleasure of meeting has been very different. Every dog is an individual and my own two standards are about as different as you can get. Yes they both look similar albeit being different in color but they are worlds apart in personality and temperament.

I think nerves is the biggest difference; Tilley pretty much has nerves of steel unless it is July 4th with the whole fireworks thing. Luke on the other hand is the most nervous ninny that we have ever had. I think I've only once startled Tilley; she is like a rock. But Luke is startled several times each day, whether it is someone who brushes past him while sleeping or simply moving when he wasn't expecting it.

Working with a nervous dog is difficult; you have to take great care to try to give them a heads up. Usually when working with nervous dogs we try to create a positive association to an typical nervous situation with something great. Normally we use really great food so this is out of the question for Luke. Not being a good eater, he often turns down even liver or hotdogs.

Luke has taken to sitting behind my computer chair; which means everytime I move; he flies. He is very nervos about being touched when he doesn't expect when he is down. If you try to step over him or around him he flies up and away. I can pretty much vacuum the girls and they don't give a second glance. Luke runs away if I get closer than 8 feet with the vacuum.

Now at the age of 8.5 Luke is who Luke is. I am working on the computer chair issue; during the day I will move around and make it seem like I might get up but don't. He is starting to stay down longer and waiting for the telltale movement of the chair at least. But he is a very nervous boy in the startle department; things that move on their own, even a door slightly blowing from a breeze will give him concern.

Luke never misses a thing and if he does; it bothers him. He likes to be aware of everything; funny how their brains work. I always wonder what is going on in that curly blonde head.

Bedroom brawls

Good morning; the dogs are curled up nice and peaceful on the bed, no one is even considering waking up anytime soon. But not all dogs enjoy sleeping on their guardians bed; some simply don't deserve it. "Bed issues" is a common problem with dogs and their guardians. Often the dog claims your bed making you the outsider asking please; that's a leadership issue that I will discuss alot in future blogs. Today it is about dog/dog brawls on the bed.

Have you ever been awaken in the middle of the night and you are right inbetween a dog fight? This is a much more common issue than you would think. Everyone is peacefully asleep when Rover decides to move his position; fine except that Fido owns the spot that Rover is thinking about taking. There are a few growls tossed around, some posturing and it's on. Only you wake up when the fight has already started; leaving you with a "what the heck is going on?" feeling.

Within every pack of dogs there is a "top dog" and it is usually this dog who claims all the valuables. Some top dogs don't mind sharing and only put value on things like raw meaty bones; like my Jessie. But the most important thing to remember is that although there may be an alpha, you must be the supreme leader. So no matter what the alpha is saying; you have the last word.

So how do you reconcile this bedroom brawling issue and get a goodnight sleep? You kick the dogs off the bed; it is as simple as that. But getting them off can be tough, afterall sleeping on your bed is the primo spot right? The easiest way to transition the dogs from your bed to the floor is to buy them their own comfy bed. We have three beds other than ours in our room. As much as I love the dogs sleeping with me, we don't have bed fighting issues but the dogs just interfere wit my sleep. They tend to get as close as they can; usually right behind my knee and there they sleep like a boulder, and it is near impossible to budge them.

I remember several times when my children were young, fights over silly things. There was only one cookie left and neither child was willing to take only half. As I stood for less than a minute listening to the fight the solution was a clear one, I simply ate the cookie. When there is an issue of guarding which is what bedroom brawls stem from; you simply take away the item of value. With alot of work you can reintroduce the item at a later date; sort of a trial and error deal. If you make it clear enough that there is no fighting allowed and position yourself as the clear leader of the pack then it is very possible that you can reintroduce it with success.

When you buy the beds for your dogs; think comfort. The more comfortable the bed is the better chance you have in getting them to use them instead of your bed. From experience; dogs like fuzzy fabrics. The primo beds are either very thick and squishy or they have faux fur or fleece coverings on them. Make sure that all dogs understand and comply with the OFF command. And in the beginning of the switch from your bed to theirs; treat them for using their bed. Everytime you see them in their new bed toss them a tiny treat and praise them for being such a wonderful and smart dog.

Now go have a goodnight sleep.

I asked for questions yesterday and you obliged so this one's for you. Thank you and keep'm coming.

Bloggers block and tiny power

Good morning; as I was sitting here trying to come up with my blog idea of the day, it was taking me a while. Often I get bloggers block, happens to everyone I guess. But I thought that if any of regular readers had something they would like discussed; a behavior, an issue or some dog related topic I'd love to hear from you. It happens occassionally that I am stuck for an idea so if I had a list to use on the blocked days that would be great.

The rains have stopped here in SoCal for a bit but they are suppose to return shortly. So I think I'll hit the beach the next couple of days before the rain comes back. The weather is really chilly, low 50s yesterday. As I walked around the park yesterday with my little Jack Russell Jessie; we both enjoyed the nip in the air. Once we pass the halfway mark she is pretty tired and lags. I have to slow my pace to accomodate her little legs and once home she's baffed.

Jessie slept the rest of the day and lastnight as we watched American Idol she was curled up right beside me on her bed with her Anaheim ducks blanket :) Luke was not tired as this is his "up" time. During the day he typically naps and follows my every move but in the evening he is up for fun. He was having fun retrieving a toy until he made the error of stepping on Jessie. From a dead sleep she is flying teeth in a split second.

There is no wondering who is the top dog in this house. Luke immediately realizes his mistake and turns his head to avoid being snapped. But being the clod that he is he does it again; and Jessie is in no mood for his nonsense. She flies at him again with her lips pulled back displaying her full set of very large and scarey teeth.

Luke takes a dominant posture but backs away. He seems to enjoy a good row with her but just doesn't have what it takes to take over. So as the "top dog" I always make him stop, Jessie is a great leader and the best suited for the job right now with these three dogs. Luke............. not so much.

Taking charge

Dogs are smart; sometimes too smart. Keeping one step ahead of them can be a challenge for some k9 guardians and before they know it they are no longer in charge. Having a dog who is indeed in charge or thinks that they are in charge is not good. It can lead to many problem behaviors and is often the cause of dogs leaving a home and ending up at a shelter or rescue. There the problem only gets worse until someonne takes charge.

Sometimes it is the tiniest of things that can cause a dog to think they have risen to the top. Simply petting your dog each time they demand it; can lead to trouble. Or when your dog drops that disgusting ball in your lap and you obediently toss it for them. Does your dog somehow get out the door ahead of you everyday? Or dive on the couch before you are even sitting down? You may want to take a long hard look at your relationship.

Although these behaviors can lead to problems; it doesn't always mean problems. One of these behaviors alone on a very well mannered, polite dog can mean nothing at all. A simple ooops in dog etiquette; like my girl Tilley, they don't come anymore polite. Tilley is a dog that would never assume and always asks before doing pretty much anything. But, put a ball or frisbee in front of her and she comes undone. I've been nailed several times by her as her excitement level takes over and she can't wait for the item she will retrieve to leave me.

Many times when problems start to show; it is on a dog that was never a status seeking dog. The problem lay with the human and the lack of leadership and guidance. A dog seeing this will step up and fill the position. Being a leader does not mean that you have to be in "bossy" mode all the time or be constantly saying NO. What it means is that there is rule in your home, your rule.

My dogs are very happy go lucky dogs but they know when I speak that they need to listen. When I ask something of them; I follow through. When you don't follow through and get results, things slowly start to unravel. Dogs learn very quickly when you mean what you say; or not.

Yesterday Luke tried to push me; not a good idea. I had been keeping a toy from him; it is one of Tilley's toys that had not been destroyed so I was saving it for her. She had it for about 1/2 hour and Luke had been waiting. As soon as she walked away he grabbed it; the squeaking gave it away. I immediately went downstairs and asked him to drop it; which he did immediately. But as soon as I went to grab it he grabbed first and turned away to run.

Hmmmmm, this was a first. So I pumped myself up and made a display using my body language to let him know that this was not cool. He immediately dropped the toy and moved away. Luke is not a toy guarder at all, he has never shown any guarding towards items so my reaction was perfect for the situation. He was just seeing what would happen if he didn't give it up; and he found out.

There is a huge spectrum of dog personalities, temperaments and behaviors. What you need for one probably isn't needed for the next. Your behavior needs to be as individually delivered as your dogs are individuals. But remaining the boss is important no matter what dog you are dealing with. The action/reaction being specifically designed for each individual.

So to summarize; when your dog asks why they have to do something, you should always reply "because I said so."

Rain rain, wet dog hair

It is still raining here in SoCal; weird but very welcome. "Nothing smells worse than a wet dog." Ever hear someone say this? I have often heard it; especially when I was involved in showing in conformation. I guess it was part because of all the work that goes into grooming for show that can quickly come undone with one trip out into the rain.

My breed is especially awful in the rain; that is if they are in a typical puffy poodle clip. It can all come crashing done in a matter of minutes and it does not dry quickly on it's own. The poodle has hair; which is very different from typical dog fur. A poodle's coat continues to grow; much like ours and needs to be cut to keep it a manageable length.

Whereas dogs with a fur coat grow to a predetermined length and stop. Their hair sheds on a regular basis and depending on the length and texture is how it presents itself in our homes. I remember back when I was handling Dobermans; there was always 1/2 - 3/4" hairs woven into my clothes which were nearly impossible to get rid of. Other short single coated breeds are the Greyhound, whippet and Great dane, all of which shed but not like these next guys.

The double coated short haired dogs like Labs, Jack Russells, German Shepherd dogs who's hair seems to be a never ending massise loss of it into our homes, cars and of course clothing. It can usually be brushed to keep the shedding under control but they typically shed alot.

The hairy type breeds like Goldens, Setters, Cockers etc shed alot as well but it tends to fall into tumbleweeds around your home and is actually easier to pick up than the shorter version. It too can be kept to a minimum by regular brushing but you are never going to stop it.

My little Jack Russell sheds a ton; depending on the season it can be more or less. Her coat is thick and very dense; and it is everywhere. She gets a doggie smell to her that my poodles don't get; poodles just don't smell like normal dogs. And it is not the grooming regularity because there have been times my poodles have gone months without a bath and they still don't smell doggie.

Now although they do not take on the typical doggie smell; of course they have a scent. This is individual; all my poodles have smelled different from each other and the boys seem to smell more than the girls; hmmmmmmm. Tilley always smells the same; just like a blanket, a nice big fluffy blanket. Luke smells like a blanket that has been used by too many teenage boys. And they both often smell like Rosemary after rummaging around in the yard looking for lizards.

But when they are wet; dogs smell. Whether or not they have fur or hair; water makes them more potent. And if you have ever had a dog who was unlucky enough to get caught by a skunk? Rain brings the memory back clearly with each drop.

No

"No" use to be overused; both with children and dogs. In both cases we now often hear "oh I never use the word no." Well I use the word NO; sparingly but I surely use it. Being that this is a dog blog I'll only be talking about NO and dogs :) As humans we make mistakes; you know the old saying? "Hey, I'm only human." So No sometimes comes out when you don't want it to; don't kill yourself over it.

But when should you use the word no? How often, under what circumstances and what tone? I like to reserve the use of NO; save it for when you really need impact. But impact is different for every dog. What needs a NO for one probably doesn't even occur for another. So what is the worst thing your dog does?

For my girl Tilley it is chasing shadows; it is not a bad thing in the yard but take her out in public and it is a big no no when off leash. The shadow has her full attention and she could be seriously injured or killed by aimlessly following them. So, many years ago when I decided to get a handle on the shadow chasing NO came in handy.

For Jessie it is her trigger running; anything that moves is fair game so if she catapults off she is immediately stopped in her tracks with a very loud and serious NO. For Luke it is running to see other dogs; he is very social and will tear across a huge field just to say hello. Again not a really safe thing to do. For all of my dogs they rarely hear NO anymore. With consistant training and not letting any of them get away with their naughty behaviors they have learned what I will and will not allow.

No can be used for a serious food stealer; a fence jumper, people jumper, out of car jumper or whatever the worst of the worst is. It is that one behavior that really irks you. But what must accompany the almight NO is YES. You have let your dog know that this bothersome behavior is not desired; so what do they do instead of it?

To have a behavior stopped you must give your dog an alternative; which means there must be something to reward after the NO! For Tilley we redirected her chase drive which is off the charts to balls, frisbee's and anything else that is tossed. Her retrieve brought her reward, the next toss. Luke loves to be told he is a good boy; afterall he is a guy. He get's all googly when I tell him what a good boy he is for walking beside me when he wants to charge across a field.

And for Jessie she is simply rewarded for not going after it is that she wanted to go after. By not reacting to her trigger she get's food; and there is nothing better in Jessie's life than food. So for Jessie it is the lack of reacting that brings her a much better reward than the actual chase. Sometimes simple control is what you seek but if it is as simple as that; you must reward the control.

Dogs are much like children; repeat NO, NO, NO, NO, enough times and they don't hear it anymore. So pick your battles; you can't win them all.

Saturday mull

We just got back yesterday from Palm Springs. We stayed at the Agua Caliente and then had a drive around the town before heading back to the OC. At the time of our little tour I was doing the typical "sight seeing" and not until this morning did I realize I hadn't seen a single dog there; weird.

Anyway; once home I got the official attack welcome home routine. Mr. Praying Mantis comes at me as I turn to protect my eyes. When I've been gone for a day he knows it and my greeting is a full force one. As I turn to protect my eyes from his out stretched arms; he grabs my hair from the back. This is all caused by sheer excitement which he is just now learning to control at 8.5 years of age, believe it or not.

Tilley and Jessie were both at their extreme limits of excitement as well. Tilley was flashing a toothy smile and Jessie was charging around with a toy in her mouth. This big display only lasted a minute and then everyone was settled that we were home. But then the rest of the day I was shadowed by the three of them.

It's raining here this weekend; raining really hard. So there will be no run this morning. Thankfully I got them all out for some great exercise on Thursday before the rains hit. It's really dark and gloomy out; but definitely a welcome change in the weather. As most of you know I hate the heat; it is just not conducive to canine activities.

Right now everyone is very happy and curled up in bed with me. The girls have already enjoyed some dried cranberries and fresh blueberries which I shared from my cereal bowl. Luke wouldn't thank me for any fruit but had his Liver Biscotti; a treat that he has never to this day turned down. And that my canine friends is quite an amazing status that Liver Biscotti alone has accomplished.

Puppy deposits

I was surfing the net yesterday; looking at different breeder pages. I was mostly looking at standard poodle pages but you know how when you surf you can end up far from where you started? So I was ended up looking at lots of other breeds as well. As I surfed around I noticed the deposit amount for puppies. It varies alot between breeders and breeds.

So it got me thinking about the whole deposit thing. I've only once put a deposit on a dog and that was a along time ago. Jessie we bought when we went to look at Jack Russell puppies; we had not seen her before that day. And Luke; that is quite the story but I never put a deposit on him either.

Deposits are a good thing; it let's a breeder know that you are for real. And it makes the puppy purchaser think twice. Most people who give a deposit have thought long and hard before handing over deposit money. With Tilley there was a deposit and I had pick of litter. I also had pick of litter with my now gone brown boy Clyde. There was no deposit on Clyde; just a verbal agreement that did not hold up when the time came.

I had first seen Clyde when he was 5 weeks old. At the time I asked about putting a deposit on him, I wanted first pick. That was back when you got to see all the puppies and pick what one you wanted. I had a great relationship with the breeder (I thought) and it never crossed my mind about "what if?" On the day I was to pick out my puppy I called to confirm my visit time and the breeder told me that there was a family there in the morning that had chose the biggest boy. I was shocked and pissed off to say the least.

Nowadays a deposit means that it holds "a puppy" not a particular puppy. Unless of course you are shopping from an online dealer where you choose from a photo (more about that deal in a later post). Most reputible breeders do temperament testing and have a really sound knowledge of which puppy should go to which type of home. There may be a couple to choose from but the breeder usually helps in the decision.

So what if you put a deposit on a puppy and then change your mind? This is where I do not like alot of the deposit contracts. I don't think people should give up their hard earned money if for some reason they change their mind. There are a million reasons why someone might change their mind but whatever the reason I don't think a breeder should keep the deposits.

This is just MY OPINION so I don't want all you breeders who are reading this to attack me, k? If I was a breeder.................yes I would take deposits but if someone changed their mind I could not justify keeping their money. The breeder still has the puppy and the opportunity to sell that puppy. After all when you decide to breed this is something you risk; loss of money.

My deposit contract would state that if you decide not to purchase a puppy that your money will be returned to you in 60 days from the time I was contacted about the change of heart. This alone would make people think twice about having their money tied up so to speak. But I could not in good conscience keep someone's money when they get nothing in return.

Just something else to ponder........

Dog park hierarchy

I was at the dog park for a while yesterday; I love going to the dog park. I haven't been for quite a while; being that my guys are all oldies. No one needs socializing and the girls frankly don't enjoy it. Tilley simply pretends that it is just us at the park; she does not acknowledge other dogs. And Jessie; well her mission is to let every dog know that she is indeed the Queen of the world. This doesn't always go over so well.

Yesterday I was simply a spectator; and I surely did some spectating. I could watch the comings and goings for hours. When you first walk into the park there is typically a greeting committee. Sometimes it's just the social butterflies in the group and other times it is the swollen head of a macho man, shall we say the king? So depending on the circumference of his imaginary head he can be a mellow king or an obnoxious bully type.

Then there is the reigning "Bitch," often far worse than a male who thinks he's in charge. There's a reason they call them bitches. Yesterday it was the social butterfly who met us; a happy young standard poodle who was very friendly and just giving his Macho thing a try every so often. But all in all it was a great bunch in the park.

Hierarchy is quickly established. Posturing and return posturing let's everyone know where they fit in. It is very interesting to watch the the who's who process. The only time a problem occurs is when two dogs cannot settle on a hierarchy, that is when it is of the utmost important for their guardians to step in and settle matters. Afterall, you must be at the top of the hierarchy.

The only dog who was annoying everyone in the park was a young and very handsome labrador. He wasn't a bad guy; just the "in your face" type that not all dogs enjoy. Everytime I looked over to see who was growling and why, it was the lab jumping around another dog. He seemed to be enjoying hurling himself at the other dogs; his way of playing but the other dogs weren't enjoying his play.

The humans were all getting along nicely as well. The dog park is a funny place; it can be a very social gathering place, but if the wrong people get together it can be a stressful environment as well. I have been at the park when the wrong mix came together; both human and canine were not a match. As an innocent bystander; the stress level was way too high for a place that is suppose to relieve stress.

The biggest thing about the dog park is that it is suppose to be fun. When I was going to the dogpark on a regular basis and getting to know everyone and everydog there was a guy who brought his dog everyday. The dog obviously dreaded the event; he would slink into the park trying his best to be invisible. The man would sit on the bench with the dog tucked under his leg for the entire length of their stay. This dog never got better, never learned to enjoy his time at the park and would have been much better off going on a nice quiet walk with his guardian.

You really have to watch and listen to what your dog is telling you.

Tuesday shelter and rescue group ponderings

Good morning; I got a nice call yesterday while I was out running around. Several days before I had been surfing around on local shelter sites and spotted a cocker in one. I don't like when dogs sit in shelters so when I can I contact the appropriate rescue groups. The lady from the rescue was sending someone to get the dog and wanted to thank me for the call. We talked a bit and she said that this shelter was pretty good about calling them when they got a dog in. My experience was very different.

I use to volunteer at this particular shelter and no they did not call rescue groups. And when I went ahead and called I was scolded like a little kid who'd been bad at school. They were not appreciative of my call and were very annoyed that I had gone ahead and called on my own, it really through me actually. After that I was kinda of scape goat and whenever a rescue group called about a dog at the shelter; all eyes turned to me, yes Sherri the rebel. It wasn't long after when I left the facility for good.

As I have said many times before; there are all kinds of rescue groups, most are wonderful but not all. But I consider a rescue or foster home to be a far better place for a dog than a shelter. Shelters serve their purpose but it is a bad place for a dog to be. Being at a shelter can make good dogs into bad and bad dogs into monsters. That or a dog can completely shut down; so if we can pull them let's do it.

Most shelters are state or city run; rescues are mostly run by people who love dogs, big difference. There are some wonderful people who work at shelters; people who love dogs as well and do an amazing job. But, a shelter is still not the best place for a dog. I can't even imagine how my dogs would act if they ended up in a shelter. And perhaps someday there will no longer be a need for them.

But for now they are here for a reason and will be until Puppy Mills, pet stores and Internet sales of puppies stop. So for now I will continue to make the calls and get as many dogs out of jail that I can!!!!!!

Human behavior

Today's blog is about human behavior but with regards to dogs. Most people have an idea of what you do and do not do with other people's dogs. When a dog does not belong to you, you cannot take the liberty's you can with your own dog. Makes sense right? Most people know this but there is always one, or more who just simply don't seem to get it.

It takes but one act for me to be alerted and keeping a close eye on a human in my home. One attempted hug, an extended eye contact or a push will send me into my own "guard mode". I know what each of my dogs can tolerate and I know what they will not tolerate. More so I don't want my dogs upset by a stranger doing strange things to them.

When you go into someone's home; you are a stranger to their dog, perhaps a complete stranger. You should act appropriately. So what is appropriate? The best thing to do is to go in and ignore the dog/dogs in the house, this gives you a much better idea of how a dog is perceiving you.

If you come into my house and lavish attention on my dogs right away you are immediately lower your status. For many dogs this is fine; for my Luke it is a sign of weekness and he uses it. He is by no means aggressive but he likes to "one up" you if he can. He will allow someone to pet him and then the second they attempt to walk into the house he barks menacingly. What just happened at the door? You were petting him and now he won't give you the time of day? What occured was the person came in and worshipped him; lowering their status and raising his.

We had a full house again on Saturday night, UFC night at our house. So this typically means we have a house full of 18-25 year olds but mostly 18-19 as is the age of my son. All seats are taken and the floor is backup seating.

The dogs were out; there was not the usual wall to wall amount of people so there was room for them and their beds. The girls were pretty much in a coma from their run but Luke was in a very good mood and greeting everyone with his very open huffing mouth. One guy on the floor decided to get Luke to lay down by physically pushing him, not good. There was a little struggle, and I called to Luke. He came running as if to tell me what had just happened.

In moments the same guy attempted to put Luke into a headlock as he passed by him. Again a struggle and my husband yelled out to stop. Luke, my husband and myself then kept a very close eye on this one person. No one else had this problem of acting inapropriately. Luke was obviously shaken by the event; he is a very friendly guy and would never want to growl at someone.

Keeping your dogs from feeling like they would ever have to defend or protect themselves from humans is our job. So when my dogs are out with a large amount of people I am constantly watching. Because inevitably there is always at least one................in the group.

Superbowl Sunday

We had a nice weekend, today we took all three dogs down to Heisler Park, in Laguna Beach. We took the Toll road down to Laguna Canyon rd and down to the PCH. About 2 minutes before hitting the PCH (Pactific Coast Hwy) Luke starts his whining. He has known for sometime that we are going to the beach. He can smell it.

On the odd day when we are having west winds you can even smell the beach at my house. So it's not hard as we near the beach for him and the girls to know where we are headed. Once parked he whines louder and near screams once the back hatch is lifted. The coast was covered in a heavy fog marine layer this morning. It was completely clear until we got right down to the beach.

The dogs love the beach and I truly wish I could let them rip but apparently the leash laws are pretty strict and many have told me about their "tickets." Over 300.00 a dog; mighty hefty if you ask me. So we abide by the law and keep everyone tethered.

After the beach we hit Yogurtland only minutes from our house. It is our new Hotspot and the dogs are only too happy to share. We picked up and drove the short distance home where we all enjoyed our snack. The dogs love frozen yogurt and get it on a regular basis, sometimes it is a flavor but most of the time it is plain. They aren't huge on the plain but they eat it.

Today's flavor was Taro; a new flavor that I just discovered which is amazing. It sort of tastes like coconut and vanilla and is light purple in color. The dogs shared a very small portion with some berries. Luke is not a big berry eater so I usually hide them in his food.
But the girls like berries and Tilley has taken a real liking to dried cranberries lately.

Once everyone had the sand brushed out of their coats it was Superbowl time, three tired dogs and more snacks to prepare.