The lizard game

Larry the lizard

Many of you know about Luke and his love for the "lizard game."  It's not much of a game for the lizards; they run in fear as they should because Luke is not kidding around.  I have to say that it is a rare lizard that loses their life to Luke; they are very fast and I will only allow a chase if I know the little guy can get away.  That is if I am witness to the chase; many times I come out to find the game already having commenced.  Yesterday my hubby and I were out in the garage when I spotted the giant lizard, Larry.  It was used as a prank on my husband from a very good friend of his but I had other plans for it.

I planted it outside where the lizards typically hang out.  Unfortunately I didn't think of my camera until after the initial meeting so I'll do my best to explain what happened.  After placing the pretend lizard I went in and asked Luke if he'd seen any lizards today.  Right away his ears went up and he headed outside.  He hit the spot by the hose and found nothing so he turned to see if we knew where one was when it caught his eye.  He charged at it and immediately jammed on his brakes.  This lizard is the size of a large Iguana; so the drive to chase a lizard kicked in but the smarts of a poodle stopped the attack.  He made a huge arch around the lizard; huffing and puffing but staying far enough away should the creature attack him.  He sniffed and sniffed trying to figure this guy out while he kept his body respectfully sideways.  He was very nervous and remained ready to take off.  We watched through the living room window.

We then went outside and joined Luke.  He pretended that the lizard didn't exist and quite clearly marked his yard only feet away from the creature.  It was at that moment  "duh..........." I thought of my camera.  We picked up the lizard and I ran to get my camera hoping to capture the continuation of the interactions.

Once we went out and dragged the thing around Luke realized that this thing was fake; although he still had the same reaction to it as if it was real.  The body language from Luke was identical to the behavior he would display if this lizard was alive.  Larger than a typical lizard Luke was not being stupid, he kept his distance.  But when I put it directly in front of him and it continued to stare so he got uncomfortable and averted his stare.

A frozen staring posture is quite clearly a threat.  Even though Luke knew that this was not real he still reacted to it's posturing.  When I moved it closer he seemed a little shocked; and then it followed him to his double lounge.  He looked at it as if to say "really?"  And that was that, off with the head.   

Watching him interact with this iguana was really interesting.  Once Luke realized that it was not real he still continued to respond to it's body language.  Luke's communications were clear that he understood this was not just a normal toy.  

Luke a little uncomfortable with the staring lizard so close.

Moved closer he's a bit shocked.

Averting his glance as Larry continues staring.  

Another greeting

Really?  This is my double lounge

Enough is enough.

The END

Looking for Mr./Ms. Great Vet

I had to take Tilley to the Veterinarians yesterday.  As you all know I am not one to rush off to the vets and before I do go I arm myself with as much information as I can.  I have a very long history with vets; lot's of vets, lot's of stories and experiences.  This is a new vet; I recently visited him with Luke and his sore toe.  Today was Tilley; she's had a few symptoms which I was watching so today I decided it was time to go in.  I wanted a full blood panel, a urineanalysis and a full check up.

This facility is great for getting me in; even if they are booked they squeezed me in if it's serious.  Being fourteen years old is serious in of itself, so we got in. 

Protocol:  the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette.

This word "Protocol," ya, not so much a fan of when discussing my dogs.  I had to sign a form which said that I understood that vaccines can be dangerous with a whole list of things that can happen even though Madame Tilley was not getting a vaccination.  I questioned this several times; I don't like signing things when they make no sense.  "It is protocol; I have to get you to sign it."  After much discussion I just signed the thing.

Next issue was the "doing it in the examining room thing."  I can't tell you how many times I done this.  If you are a long time reader you know that I always ask to have everything done in the room that can be done in the room.  So; the very nice RVT (Registered Veterinarian Technician) said that she was fine with drawing Tilley's blood in the room, cool.  But, when she brought in the price sheet for it all she told me that this was probably a one and only time.  Seems it was not allowed; and as we further discussed the situation it seemed that I was also not allowed to restrain Tilley myself.  Okie, dokie.  No way, no how was I going to restrain my girl........all 45 lbs and 14 years of her.  I explained my reasoning which is all canine behavior related.  Dogs do much better if they are restrained by their owner.  The RVT explained hers reasoning which was protocol, being bit, liability.................and we obviously did not agree.

This was afterall only the second time I'd visited; admittedly they do not know who Sherri of Just dogs with Sherri is, right?  Understandable but, I try very hard to give a condensed version of who I am, my experience ya da ya da...............................  Fine; at least I was in the room so that Tilley could see me.   But when the young tech grabbed Tilley's leash and pulled her almost causing her to fall I started to simmer and said "she's got Vestibular, dont' yank her."  She then put Tilley between her legs and pushed down on her rear tellling her to sit, THE PAINFUL REAR THE VET AND I HAD JUST BEEN DISCUSSING.  I immediately told her NOT to do that as she explained why she needed her to sit. 

I understand that some people may become callus after working with dogs day in and day out.  Grab the dog, wedge in between your legs, get the blood and move on.  Well I'm sorry they don't all work that way; I'm sure not all dogs have got the memo.  I know that she would have had a wrestling match had she tried that with Luke.

These are not bad techs, nor are they bad people, and in fact I really like the Veterinarian.  The staff are simply doing it by the book.  And that my friend is my problem.  I want a veterinarian who will take time to get to know me and my dogs.  I mean really know me and what I want and expect.  Do you think for one moment that I EVER allowed a Doctor to just take my kids in the back room and hope that it all worked out okay?  NO.  My dogs need me; they need my presence to help them through the ordeal.  It is bad enough for them that at some point they all will be left at the vets to be spayed or neutered, which seems to be the catalyst to the huge fear they display from that point on. 

The photo above shows many of my requirements; and believe me these are but a few base points.  I have found a wonderful Vet but she is very far and I need to have someone I can rush over to in a pinch with three senior dogs.  So I am still looking; looking for that Veterinarian facility that will listen and work with me and my dogs.  And that does not come out of a book. 

Frustration leads to failure

Frustration:  The feeling of being upset or annoyed, esp. because of inability to change or achieve something.  The prevention of the progress, success, or fulfillment of something.

No one likes the feeling of frustration; it can literally make you feel like pulling out your hair.  Dogs don't like to become frustrated either; it can lead to fall out behavior or a complete shut down.  

As a dog trainer frustration is something that you must be aware of;  for the untrained or inexperienced it may go unnoticed. Frustration comes in many forms and when it is a dog who is becoming frustrated it may present itself in a hidden form.

Frustration is typical in training; sometimes it is hard for our dogs to "get it."  If the training goes on too long without some sort of progress a dog may become frustrated.  If what you are doing is not working; you much switch gears or move on. A very good example is when you are teaching a new puppy, and you are using a food to reward behavior. Most puppies just want the treat; if they have to wait too long for the treat they will start to exhibit some unwanted behaviors like jumping, whining or biting. So what do you do if your dog becomes frustrated?

The solution to this problem is to break a behavior down into baby steps. For some dogs the whole picture may be too much to undertake; so breaking it up into understandable steps will allow for success and progress.   Say you were trying to teach a "down" and your dog was just not getting it leaving you both frustrated.  Although the goal may be to have your dog do a lay down, you start rewarding them for lowering their head, then their neck and head, then for putting one foot out, then slightly lowering their body until they are in a down position. Once you get to the final goal your dog will more than likely have an "ah ha moment."

Again patience plays a huge factor in the learning curve.  If you lose your cool; stop and walk away.   Never train in an angry state; it is just not good for either of you.  Learning should be fun so when it stops being fun, stop.  When you see that your dog is not understanding what you are asking; ask for less and reward both of your success.  

Loyalty

Is there anything on this earth more loyal than a dog?  My answer would have to be no; there is no other creature on this earth more loyal than a dog.  Dogs are loyal to their owner, the family members within their home, although it does not stop there.  Dogs are as a species loyal to us, even when we humans are far from loyal to the dog.  

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."

Josh Billings.

Loyal:  faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity: a loyal friend.  

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A dog is by far much more superior in the loyalty department than we are.  Funny how that works; as a more intelligent species we should be the ones who show more devotion towards our friends, family, acquaintances or co-workers but sadly many of us fail.  

With a serious disadvantage they still come out winning for loyalty.  No matter what mix, purebred, size, color or shape they all start with a canine Mother from which they are swooped away at a young age, some far younger than others.  Starting at this point the dog who was either chosen, gifted or fated somehow to this life, must learn to live in our human world.   We have evolved to a life as we coexist, humans and dogs living side by side.  Although our dogs do far more than coexist; they have perfected loyalty along the way.  

Gained a few pounds, maybe more than a few?  What about that crazy haircut you got the other day; it'll grow right?  Don't forget that dud of a boyfriend you brought home last week, the one who made your dog get off the couch.  Remember when you were so busy with a special project for a week that you didn't have time to go for a single walk?  What about when you had to leave town for a job interview and you left your dog at the kennel; remember that?  Or when you lost your job and had to buy the cheap food for a month or two, remember?  None of this matters to your dog, none of it.

Life is filled with ups and downs; at many of the down points you will find humans dropping off.  And oddly enough when the good times roll around the humans start to gather once again.  Not dogs; they stick around for the long haul, for better or for worse.  A dog is a simple creature; simple in their needs yet mentally complex.  As we finished up dinner last night; I rounded up the girls and got them situation each on a bed.  Luke was spinning with delight as I was about to sit down.  He get's very excited when I'm parking it; whether it is in the living room, family room or at the computer he loves when I sit down.  He gives me a contented poke as if to say "okay good, we're chill'n here for a bit," and finds a place to rest.  He loves together time and is very demonstrative about it.  Simple.  

When you live with a dog or a pack of dogs you quickly learn what dogs want; and that is us.  Whether you are sleeping, eating, watching t.v., swimming, running or boating, they want to do it to.  Good food, a soft place to lay their head and you.  That's it; simple and yet unobtainable by many.  We have dropped the ball as far as loyalty goes.  It is time for change and that change starts with us, humans.  We have a far way to go but if we all head in the same direction we may just become the humans that our dogs sure think we are.        

The basics

"I don't need my dog to do fancy stuff." "I don't care if they know obedience." "We want her to be happy, to do whatever she wants." Believe me; I've probably heard just about all the excuses. When I go to someone's house for an obedience session we sit down and I ask "what do you want from your dog?" We discuss specifics; things that they don't care about, things that they really care about and then the things that they hadn't thought of. There truly is no reason not to train a dog; they do much better when they know what is expected of them.

A dog that has never had any training; no guidance once so ever has a difficult time maneuvering through our world without incident.   It is funny how some people are offended by the idea of us telling dogs what to do; when in actuality a dog with no guidance truly is at a disadvantage in our human world.  So as much as you may think that your dog doesn’t need training; all dogs deserve an education.   A little help to make their life in a human world a smooth one.

“The basics” is a common phrase in training; but what does “the basics,” really mean.  In my training “the basics” includes a few extremely important behaviors, rules, regulations and manners.  The basics includes, name training, house training, sit, down, stay, not bolting out of an open door, walking nicely on a leash, not eating food off the counter, not destroying things that do not belong to you and coming when you are called.  This may seem like a lot but it is really what every dog should know “the basics.” 

Of course as a dog trainer I love “beyond the basics” stuff.  The sky is the limit when educating a canine; they are so smart it can be tough to think things up to teach them.  With my basic training I always include a trick; a trick can be the doorway to more training especially with children.  Funny, trick training and regular training are the same thing to a dog but not to us.  For us a dog sitting or lying down is nothing; but shake a paw and wow, that’s cool.  The fact is that it is just as easy for a dog to learn to shake as the sit and down, maybe easier. 

All dogs deserve an education; have you given your dog his fair share?

Most photographed

Baby Luke

 

He is funny, handsome, pushy, hugable, devoted, cute,  naughty, adorable, goofy and mine.  I'm sure he is the world's most photographed dog, Luke.  With all the dogs that have been a part of our family; dogs that I have worked with and met through my dog life, Luke has got to be one of the most fun to shoot.  Oh yes I know he is my dog but even more than Tilley and Jessie, Luke just calls out to be digitally captured.  His face and body reveal his inner most thoughts; he cannot hide them from me.  For me; Luke is a joy to capture each and every time I lift the camera to shoot him.

These images below were just a few that I had on my computer.  They are but a fraction of a percentage of the images that I have stored.  He is the most photographed dog.

Ready for the catch

Perfect

Tennis ball nibbling

Do we really need more pics Mom?

Luke's favorite spot

Watching the evil crows

He is so nosey; I can't do anything without him coming to see what I'm up to.

Underwater sports

Beach'n it with Mom

Listening to Dad

Pondering a retrieve

Doing a tough "leave it."

Luke is the most bowing dog; here I finally caught one.

Waiting for another throw

Climbing rocks at the beach

Sunset kissed

His happy face

Racing Dad

Lizard watching

The King's day off

Running with his Sis at the beach

Making a cookie mess in bed

A rare adorable moment with Jessie

The boy loves to catch balls

Exploring rocks

Stalking a shore bird

Not impressed

Filthy and sore; he took a bad wipeout at the park

"Don't bug me," face.

Being the most photographed dog is tough.

On the receiving end of Jessie's wrath.

Think he gets how adorable he is?  I think so. 

Are you sure?

Over the years I have met so many different types of people, dog people and non dog people that I sometimes sit back and think about it all.  I have helped many people choose a breed; find a breeder, choose a shelter or rescue dog or figure out if they really should have a dog at all. Lots of people think that they want a dog; some really want a dog even after weighing all the cons but some people figure out that they really don't want a dog. During a "get a dog" consultation I ask a lot of questions and I am very frank about my feedback for each individual.

Many prospective canine guardians feel sheepish about answering questions like "do you care about hair all over the house" or "do you want to spend alot of time training a dog?" These question may seem trivial and shallow to some but there is absolutely no point in getting a dog like a Golden Retriever or Labrador if you cannot tolerate a lot of hair. The same goes for activity and training compatibility. Are you a couch potato? Then you are not going to understand or want the type of drive that a Border Collie or or Cattledog are going to have.

It is most importance to know yourself and know what you cannot tolerate, can tolerate, learn to tolerate, absolutely love or look for in a canine companion. I remember walking through a shelter once when a volunteer asked me what I was looking for. I told her I was just looking to see if there was a certain breed in the shelter.   I was actually looking for a client and for a local rescue that I regularly scoured the shelters for. With my response the woman's kind face turned into a scowl as she blurted out that if I wanted a certain breed I didn't deserve to have a dog. I could have got into it with her right there but instead I decided not to lower myself to her level, smiled and moved away quickly.

Yes it would be nice if no one had any objections to living with any type of dog but the fact is that everyone is different. And a large part of the problem with dogs being dumped is that people do not "think" before acting.  I put the largest blame on pet stores (you know there will be more on pet stores later) as they rely on the impulse buyer which is the complete opposite of what should be done before adding a dog to your family. It is a huge responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly.

A dog deserves a family that has committed to raising and living with them for their entire life. They are not an item that should be returned like a garment of clothes you changed your mind about. So if people take the time to figure out what they really want in a dog "before" they get the dog and not after they get the dog there would be much fewer second hand dogs.

So when I ask the questions "do you like drool," "is your family active?" "do you want a pocket pooch?" and the answer is no, I say Good! These people are doing their research first, the way it should be done.  If after all the "do you" questions you come up with the answer no, then don't.  Having a dog is not a something that everyone should or wants to do.  I find it hard to get; for me life is dogs.  But there are people who love extreme sports like jumping out of a plane and they probably wouldn't get why I would never do that.  

I wrote this article years ago;   No Hasty Decisions; points to ponder

No one has the right to judge another on what type of dog that they choose to live with or where the dog comes from.  As long as the dog you choose is loved and a member of the family then you are doing it right.