Good days and bad days

I've had a headache for three days; and on top of that add a wrenched neck.  I wasn't sure what the heck I'd done to my neck until last evening as I hoisted Tilley up and carried her down the stairs.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, a good probability, lifting and carrying Tilley.  So, a not so great couple of days but tomorrow is another one right?  This got me to thinking about good day and bad days for dogs.

Dogs do have good days and bad days and depending on their ability to display emotions outwardly is where it makes it easy or tough to read.  All dogs display how they are feeling differently.  It is the owners job to see the subtle changes between good and bad.  For us Luke is an easy read; he sends clear signals for his good and bad moods.  Tilley not so much but there are subtle signs when she is not lets say in the best of mood.

As a long time dog trainer I am always telling my clients that dogs are not robots.  You do have to factor in mood; now that does not mean that they get to completely ignore you when they are not in the best of mood but they should receive some slack.  Patience, it all comes down to give and take.  When we are not in the best mood; none of us would appreciate someone pushing.  A little space, some extra time and things go much better.  Often if I'll see that Luke is in a funk so I just let it go completely.  I let him sleep it off so to speak.

Each and every dog is different and their moods are just as different.  Sometimes they need slack, for us to back off and other times they might need a cheer leading team.  But again it is up to us as canine guardians to know our dogs well enough that we can see these slight shifts between a good day or bad day.  Or for that matter a good moment and a bad moment.

Advanced stuff

How much fun is training?  I for one love training and think it's a blast; that is since switching from force training many many years ago; with positive training you can actually have fun.  It should always be fun and if it's not then you are not doing it right.  If you aren't having fun and your dog is not having fun then you should stop and re-examine your training method and regime.  It should be fun and it should be very rewarding.  I love the moment when a dog "gets it," and when the behavior sinks in for good.

Perhaps we should change the word altogether; maybe saying and thinking "training" has a bad connotation to it.   If you think more on the lines of learning or educating or teaching tricks it possibly sounds more fun.  Everything you teach your dog is a behavior so no matter what you call it you are teaching new behaviors.  From sit to jumping hoola hoops; they are all behaviors. 

It can be very rewarding teaching a dog; and the sky is the limit.  You could teach your dog a new behavior forever; how cool is that?  I remember teaching Jessie some cool new behaviors; ones that I would have considered as very advanced.  She learned them like it was nothing and was ready for more.  The more you teach a dog the easier it is for them to learn new behaviors.  Which can then leave you struggling to think up new behaviors to teach. 

Educating our canines is one of the easiest ways to connect with them.  It can make the difference for them as far as easily understanding every day life or struggling to understand.  I've worked with dogs before who are well into their adulthood that have never learned how to learn; it can be a challenge to break through.  With a great deal of patience all dogs can learn to learn and when you see a fined tuned team (dog and owner) working together it can be pure magic.  The connection between the two is intense; as if there is an invisible line connecting them together.

Even after all the years of training and teaching I am still thrilled to teach my dogs a new behavior.  They learn so quickly that it is almost unreal; and if you know what you are doing then the process is made even simpler.  Taking the time to learn how to teach your dog is something that everyone should do.  Even if you learned how many years ago; things have changed drastically so you'll need a refresher.  Force training was the way of the past; many trainers have left it there for good as it should be.  A whole new wave of positive canine educators are emerging; the have learned a new way, a method of teaching that requires no physical force.  Positive educating methods use brains, patience, a gentle hand, guidance and a reward system replacing yanking, yelling and forcing. 

There is no need to yank; there is no room for a physical correction.  Our job is to educate and the new and improved method of that is to educate.  Don't let the big hype training on television ruin all the hard work that the positive folks have done.  Pain, anger and frustration have no room in educating our canines.  Have fun with it; heck it all about spending more time with your best friend.  :)

Missing the big picture

Our dogs today have the same genetic material as the wolf; same DNA, same behaviors albeit modified. Over thousands of years humans have altered the dog to their liking. Being that there are so many humans doing the altering we have landed with hundreds of breeds and mixes in our world today. But they all came from the same genetic stuff.

Over all the years of conformation showing, training and photographing dogs I have not met all the breeds but I've sure met alot of them and it is surprising how different they can be; but at the sametime very similar. The most obvious difference is where the humans have intervened, exterior image and general interactions with humans themselves. When I meet new breeds I am full of questions; I am usually dealing with longtime breeders so they have the clear and concise answers I am looking for.

Aside from the visual differences there are the differences in submission to humans, being how easily they follow direction and their drive. Many of the small companion type breeds have had their drive reduced to nearly none. Watching dogs interact with birds and small rodents; it is clear to see the behavior selection process in breeding. Many breeds have been selectively bred to think on their own; take the Australian Cattledog, they need little or no guidance in their job and thus can be difficult to have follow our rules.

Then there is the submission; I am not talking about turn over, belly up submission, I am referring to taking orders in general. I have been around many dogs who continually growl and baulk at orders given; these dogs seem to be closer to the wolf than the other more pliable breeds. And although they are built from the same genetic material it is in the selection that keeps these strong behaviors intact. These natural behaviors of different breeds are very important; very important to know about when you are choosing certain breeds.

I know myself enough to know that I do not want a continual dominance challenge for the life of my dog. I like drive but do not want to deal with trying to curb it around every corner. Over thousands of years we have been modifying and tweeking dogs to our liking. Some breeds have kept their "wild" side, some show none of where they once came. This is where the terms "soft" and "hard" dog comes from. And they vary from mush; everything in between and all the way up to titanium.

There is as much difference between humans; when the perfect match gets together it is a wonderful thing. But far too often the wrong dog ends up with the wrong human through no fault of the dog. Knowing yourself is as important and knowing the dog to find a good match.

Pooping

Last night we were headed home from dinner out; we were discussing diapers for Tilley as I had to stop and purchase more.  I told my son that she was wearing the largest size for children and that the next size up only came in pull-ups.  He asked "what the heck are pull-ups" and "did I wear those?"  I explained and told him no, there were no pull-ups when he was little.  After that the discussion went to poop and we ended up laughing about my first dog Mandy, an Airedale.

Mandy was a water dog through and through; every inch of her was made to swim and swim she did.  Each year we would take her to the cottage and all summer we got her out to swim as much as possible at the nearby lakes.  One of Mandy's favorite things to do was to poop in the water.  As soon as we arrived she headed straight for the water; and almost like clockwork she'd be hunched over shoulder deep taking a dump.  No one else knew what she was doing; that is of course until the goods floated ashore.  This was not something that I encouraged; the act itself tends to send people packing.   Hmmm; maybe she was doing us a favor, it is nice to have the lake to yourself.

 Once we got home after dinner we sat out by the pool (kiddie pool) while the poodles fetched their toys from the depths.  Luke got a look on his face and dashed off; he is very clean and will not relieve himself where we are hanging out.  Through the fence I could see that he was having issues; let's just say messy issues but I was not worried.  You see Luke's pooping form saves us from much cleaning up after the fact.  He hunches himself over so much that his butt is literally pointing downwards and there is no way that even one drop is going to be touching him.  A perfect "10" I say.

There are a lot of different ways that dogs "go."  Some are very talented like Luke; others not so much.  Tilley is what I'd call very average; she'd fit in with the general population as far as form.  Jessie is a traveler, never stopping to smell the roses while going; she is on a mission and keeps on trucking.  Picking up after a traveler becomes a follow the trail sort of chore.  I knew a dog that would not go in front of people or dogs and would always go to the middle of a bush to secretly do her business.  Then there is the complete opposite, those who will drop it where you stand.  I've known several of these.

Clyde, who has now been gone over 11 years use to dump on top of tiny bushes or trees.  He lived most of his life with us back in Canada and when we did much of our baby tree planting, Clyde was in heaven.  Unfortunately I had a great deal of baby trees to save on a weekly basis.  Luke likes to go on top of things when he is out for a walk as well; small bushes or baby trees suffice although it does make it difficult to pick up.  Live with dogs; pick up poop, it's part of life.  And we have to pick it up even if it hasn't touch the ground yet.

Every dog owner has gone through the traumatic experience of "grass poop."  You know the ones that are not willing to let go; hanging on for that perfect moment when a group of people walk by.  There you are standing waiting; waiting and hoping for the last piece to fall but it does not, it will not fall off.  Some dogs will drop their butts to the ground and attempt to remove it themselves; but this only adds a much worse issue to deal with.  You learn over the years to get in there fast and just git r done.  If you are like my husband you are most likely gagging or nearly passing while picking up the dreaded "grass poop,"  but once you've done it a dozen times or so it gets easier; even for the most squeamish types.

Over the years I've seen quite a few dogs who have.....................let's just say, oblivious owners.  There dog is carrying quite a bit of poop with them.  More often it is a long hair or furry type dog; the kind that demand more grooming.  But for some unknown reason; perhaps sheer "I'm not cleaning that," they leave the crap there to collect more.  Over time it can grow and grow; sort of like a snowball effect, becoming a real problem for the dog.  These folks send their dog off to the groomers where the poor groomer has to deal with mound of s(*$.  No fun, no fair and not right.

Have a look at the other end every so often and make sure that all is good.  If there is anything there that shouldn't be; clean it up.  It is your dog after all; which means it's your job, it comes with the job.   

A bit of this and that

This was taken many years ago; I wish this was also our kiddie pool.  :)

Good Saturday morning; I hope that your week was a good one, mine was a hot one.  Its hot and only getting hotter; September is by far the hottest month here in Southern California and I am not above whining about it.  I hate hot weather so I'm out super early and then head indoors to hibernate for the bulk of the hot time and then I emerge again once the sun goes down.  This weekend is going to be one of those; up in the high 90s today so we'll be out early.  During this weather I often fill up the little pool in the evening for the dogs or I should say poodles to play in.  They love it and I get to sit by the pool; albeit little pool.

I'll be heading off to target today to get more underwear and pads for Tilley.  She has been wearing diapers at night but not liking wearing them.  I got the largest children size available which is a 6 but she could use a 7 which they don't make.  Then I remembered the other day that when she was still intact and having seasons that I use to have her wear little boy underwear and pads.  She was fine with it and quite comfortable so I head out yesterday to get some.  I couldn't find size 4 so got a 6 and they are a bit loose.  She can wear them but I'm going to hit another Target to see if I can get a 4 so they are just perfectly fitting.

Our last year we have seen a great deal of change; we have our little Jessie (15.5 year old JRT who is curled up beside me as I type) with Dementia and Tilley with different ailments and challenges.  I've written about it all so if you look back you'll find it all.  Tilley's incontinence is still fairly new and we are continuing to perfect our routine.  I'm hoping that these underwear will cut down on a great deal of work.  They also allow Tilley to sleep for a bit longer during the day without having to be put out.

Getting Tilley up and out is no easy task at this now.  Thinking back on her Frisbee days it's almost unbelievable to see how difficult moving can be at times.  She's pretty much a dead weight; having no intentions of getting up or going out.  Once she's down she's down in the afternoon.  She's old, tired and sore so it mostly up to me as I hoist her up and guide her to the door.  Once out she does a great deal of standing there and I wait.  Our life consists of a lot of waiting at this point; waiting, pushing, lifting, guiding and cleaning.  But how lucky are we to have our dogs in these senior years 11, 14.5 and 15.5, amazing really.

A bit of this and that

This was taken many years ago; I wish this was also our kiddie pool.  :)

Good Saturday morning; I hope that your week was a good one, mine was a hot one.  Its hot and only getting hotter; September is by far the hottest month here in Southern California and I am not above whining about it.  I hate hot weather so I'm out super early and then head indoors to hibernate for the bulk of the hot time and then I emerge again.  This weekend is going to be one of those; up in the high 90s today so we'll be out early.  During this weather I often fill up the little pool in the evening for the dogs or I should say poodles to play in.  They love it and I get to sit by the pool; albeit little pool.

I'll be heading off to target today to get more underwear and pads for Tilley.  She has been wearing diapers at night but not liking wearing them.  I got the largest children size available which is a 6 but she could use a 7 which they don't make.  Then I remembered the other day that when she was still intact and having seasons that I use to have her wear little boy underwear and pads.  She was fine with it and quite comfortable so I head out yesterday to get some.  I couldn't find size 4 so got a 6 and they are a bit loose.  She can wear them but I'm going to hit another Target to see if I can get a 4 so they are just perfectly fitting.

Our last year we have seen a great deal of change; we have our little Jessie (15.5 year old JRT who is curled up beside me as I type) with Dementia and Tilley with different ailments and challenges.  I've written about it all so if you look back you'll find it all.  Tilley's incontinence is still fairly new and we are continuing to perfect our routine.  I'm hoping that these underwear will cut down on a great deal of work.  They also allow Tilley to sleep for a bit longer during the day without having to be put out.

Getting Tilley up and out is no easy task at this point.  She's pretty much a dead weight; having no intentions of getting up or going out.  Once she's down she's down in the afternoon.  She's old, tired and sore so it mostly up to me as I hoist her up and guide her to the door.  Once out she does a great deal of standing there and I wait.  Our life consists of a lot of waiting at this point; waiting, pushing, lifting, guiding and cleaning.  But how lucky are we to have our dogs in these senior years 11, 14.5 and 15.5, amazing really.

Cats and dogs

"Fighting like cats and dogs."  This phrase has stood the test of time and is even now pulled out when things get really ugly.  But do all dogs hate cats and cats hate dogs?  Nope, lots of dogs love cats and maybe even a few cats who like their dogs.  Several points factor into a work or not work scenario.

First is temperament; does the dog have high prey drive?  Triggered by motion?  Come from hunting heritage where it was there job to hunt down the critters?

The best age is young to do any introductions; both for the dog and the cat.  It is not always the dog who is the bad one in a dog/cat relationship.  Often the dog would love nothing more than a good snuggle but the cat has other plans like ripping the dogs face off.

Past experience is huge; my dogs have never been around cats, we have two very allergic family members so cats have never been a part of our family.  Intrigue is high when they do see a cat and big desire to chase.

Behavior also factors in; many dogs live with cats very nicely in their own home but put the cat outside and everything changes.  Many cats learn how to act accordingly around dogs by walking slowly; they know if they run they will be chased.

It always amazes how domesticated some dogs are; no drive to chase, they love every other animal from baby chicks to bunnies.  If dogs are familiar with cats and living with them it can work out very nicely.  They learn each others different behaviors and coexist; happily.  With others it may take a bit of time and a great deal of work to teach them that living together can work.  And then there are the times when it is just not going to work or just not wise.

I have heard of many cats losing the fight when people have pushed the living arrangements.  Some dogs should just never be trusted around cats.  Alongside tenacious terriers can be the toughest to provide a safe habitat for cats.  They may seem just fine until the cat runs kicking in the "prey" mode of a genetically predisposed chaser.

The bottom line is to know your breed, more specifically know your dog before adding a cat to the mix.  When you do add a cat, either add a kitten or cat who is accustom to dogs or can learn to live with dogs.  It can be a sad life for a cat to live their life in fear.  When it does work out it can be a beautiful thing.  

Dog toys

I was at Homegoods yesterday having a look at all their dog toys.  They seem to have stocked up and tidied up, the shelves were overflowing with new dog toys.  Perhaps they are already getting ready for the Holiday season which is just around the corner.  My daughter and I eeeeeeeewwwwdddd and awwwwwwwwwd over them all.  They had a bunch of big whopper stuffed toys that I know someone will be getting for Christmas.  A huge boar that made the coolest sound when you squished it will be on my list to purchase.

Each morning as I start my day of pick up I make my rounds in the house. In almost every room I find toys; dog toys. Two on the dog bed in the kitchen, 2 in the livingroom with guts strewn randomly about, 2 toys and 2 bones in the bedroom and down in the familyroom there are carcasses, guts and toys from one end to the other. I don't mind at all; dogs need stuff.

I have often walked into a new dog home when upon having a quick look around asked "where's the toys?" Sometimes the new guardians admit to picking up before I got there but more often they just didn't know. The more toys you give your dog the less likelihood of having your stuff ruined. Now of course it still requires supervision but once your dog learns what is their's and what is yours, they need a large selection.

We have a basket of toys and the dogs know where it is and that the contents are theirs with no restrictions. If I bring home new toys I will often ask the dogs to not ruin them; at least for a few days. They play with them and then when they start to kill and gut them, I remove them for later. This only ever lasts a few days and then the white fluff covers the carpet.

Tilley is my only dog right now who does not gut her toys; she takes great care of her them. Because of this I do not allow the other two to play and destroy her toys. They are surprisingly good about leaving her toys and strictly ruin their own. It is extremely important for dogs to have alot of toys; many dogs have a high prey drive and toys are a good release for that.

In my mind you can never have enough dog toys; they are good for their mind, their body and saving your toys from destruction.

More is not always better

Thinking about today's blog, I had decided to write about dry dog food expanding in water and the effects of it.  I'm going to cover that and the fact that I just got back from a big box store where I shuddered as I read the ingredients of the dog food that they carry.

So first I want to talk about swelling food and a dogs stomach.  I remember watching a canine rescue episode on Animal Planet several years ago.  The team went to a home where a dog was tied outside with no food or water.  They went to their truck, got out a bag of food and tossed the whole thing down on the ground and ripped it open (I gasped).   They filled up a huge bucket of water and put it within reach of the dog, gave the dog a pat on the head and left as they were coming back tomorrow to pick up the dog if they did not receive a call from the owner.  I was freaking out watching the show; did they not realize what was going to happen?

Upon return the next day they found a very, very sick dog.  They were shocked that they'd left a fairly  healthy dog the day before, what had happened?  Ummmm hello??????   I'm assuming the following scenario played out during the evening and night.  The dog was very hungry, he gorged on the poor quality food that was left and then gulped copious amounts of water to quench his thirst.  Dry food went into the stomach, water went into the stomach, food expanded to explosion level and then possible bloat, perhaps gastric torsion?  All they said as a follow up was that the dog was taken to the vet to be attended to.

More is not better with regards to dry dog food.  I put a 1/4 of dog food in a glass last night and filled the glass about 1/2 full with water and I watched.  When my dog eat dog food which is about once a week they get Orijen or Nature's Logic.  The food I used was Orijen and even left over night to swell it barely did, not even double the size.  But Orijen is grain free and about as good as you can get for dry dog food.  If you tried that with a corn or grain based food the results may be drastically different.  I do suggest that if you feed your dogs a diet of dry dog food that you do this so that you can fully understand just how much could possibly end up in your dogs stomach.

I know many people who feed very large amounts of dry dog food at one sitting.  Just imagine if the food tripled or quadrupled in your dogs stomach with the addition of water.  Less is more when it comes to dry dog food; feeding at least two meals a day helps to eliminate the need for massive quantities at one sitting.  Carefully monitor water intake before or after a meal and make sure that you also restrict exercise before and after meal time.  Do your dog a favor and buy the absolute best food that you can afford; and believe me it will not come from a big box store.

So today I was at a big box store, I needed some diapers for Miss Tilley (yes she wears diapers to bed.)  I wandered over to the pet isle; I had planned on buying some crappy food to do the swell test and then decided after looking it all over that I was not giving even 5.00 to any of these companies so left empty handed.  While I stood there looking over all the foods; you know the ones in the big ads on television, I took in all the visual marketing lies first.  Then I proceeded to read.

I have to say that I was shocked; I knew they were bad but it was like a huge reality check.  All of these foods are garbage; none would be worthy of feeding any dog.  Almost all of the ingredients started with Corn; the soy, soy products, high fructose corn syrup (this one floored me) and the list went on and on.  Some sort of meat product was second on the list of one and way down on all the others.  I even saw Purina's Meaty morsels which I thought was long gone.  It had one of the worst ingredient labels.  Imagine ingredients formed into the shape of ground beef to dupe the innocent pet owner into thinking that it is good for their dog.

After reading the labels on all of these horrible foods I realize that there was nothing worth buying and certainly nothing fit to feed my dogs.  The cost of the food was only a couple dollars less than the really great food that I buy at the small stores.   So please; go to a pet store, preferably a private small pet store and buy the good stuff.  The better nutritional level in your dogs food, the less that they have to eat of it.  There are quite a few really great foods out there now but you won't find them at the same store with the diapers.  I can guarantee you will not find any of the good stuff at the big box stores.  Your dog is worth it.  

Obedience; yes or no?

I know a lot of people who never teach their dogs any sort of formal obedience.  Their thought is that a dog has their own mind and they don't want to be telling them what to do all the time.  Yes dogs definitely have a mind of their own; great minds at that but obedience is not only for bossing our dogs around.  Obedience allows us an easy method of communicating with our dogs.  I can't imagine not being able to tell my dog; "over here, closer, come, stay etc."  And when I do run into people who have not taught their dog any form of obedience there tends to be quite a bit of physical pushing and pulling.


The big 'O' - Obedience (the act or practice of obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance)

In my opinion obedience training is essential, that you can control your dog via verbal or physical cue to listen to you.  The amount of obedience training that your dog receives is purely a personal decision; everyone requires different levels of compliance from their dog.

Okay, this is how I really feel about the whole obedience thing excluding obedience competitions etc; just the average dog in the average family. If you have a dog and you are planning in anyway to be around the public; that is in your own home or out of your home in public areas then you need to be able to control your dog! Bottom line. If you have no means of control once so ever; then you and your dog need work. And training starts with very small baby steps and grows as your dog can achieve more success.

If your dog is one of those amazing breeds that pretty much doesn't do a whole lot of anything and you do not want your dog to do anything in particular then you've got it easy. For most people; dogs will be dogs and we must teach them how to act in our human world accordingly. When I speak of control; I am not talking about collar or leash control. Yes in our world both are essential and often they are a last resort control tool but it is essential that you have some sort of verbal control over your dog; how else can you communicate other than yanking on them?

The basics that I feel every single dog should know, understand and follow-out are

sit
down
stay
come
leave it
drop
boundary training
a clear understanding of "good" and "bad" feedback sounds

These are the bare essentials of living with dogs. From these basics, the sky is the limit. The more you train your dog the easier it gets. Our dogs actually learn to learn and the more verbal or physical cues you have to communicate with your the better life is with dogs.

So, if I ask you to ask your dog to go to certain spot in the livingroom, down and stay while you have a cup of coffee sitting on the couch; gonna happen? Or not?

I feel good - shower time

Dirty dogs are gross and believe me I've met many.  Sometimes a dog is simply dirty with good old dirt; like when they have a good dig session.  But then there are the times when they have just gone too long between baths and a big hug is all that is needed to know that it is bath day.  Luke had a good digging session yesterday and it had been a while so that was my sign that it was bath day.

Sunny Sunday bath day; well at least two out of three got done.  It is a strategic process, one that is well thought out with deliberate steps to the final results.  Once one dog goes in the other ones stress; well at least the other poodle or poodles.  These days Jessie isn't really aware of much other than feed time.  I was going to put Luke in first; he was sitting beside me as I worked on the computer but then he left.  This meant that I would have to call him to the bath; this is always a huge tip off and the shaking begins.

I opted for Jessie, she was sleeping so I just grabbed her and in she went.  It is a quick procedure for a smooth coated 14 lb little gal.  I put a good amount of shampoo on before the water; this is something that I started a couple of years ago when we had a bad flea problem.  Soap goes on, then I add the water so there is instant suds just in case there are any stowaways on board.  They cannot get out of the soap and drown quickly.  Happily I saw no one emerge in attempts of saving themselves yesterday.

I achieved an unnoticed bath for Jessie, that is until I put her outside to dry.  One shake and the waft of shampoo gave Luke a heads up.  He stressed a bit and I resumed my computer work; Luke stared at me with suspicious eyes.  Once I had worked for a while he let his guard down and I quickly ushered him into the shower.  It was all done so quickly that there was no shaking or trembling and we moved right onto enjoying the massage.  I always think that having a bath for a dog must feel pretty amazing.

But it's not a bath really is it?  We always say our dogs are having a bath but they have showers.  Even when they are standing in the bathtub they get a shower.  My guys are always in the shower, we have two showers and one bath and they are never in the tub.  We often see dogs on television in a tub in the yard or the bathtub but most people shower.  Throwing your dog in the bathtub and filling it up could lead to a huge mess unless your talking about a tiny guy.  Anyways, back to showering.

Once Luke was done it was outside to dry as well.  He always has the zoom around after and I hang outside with him until he is dry enough to come in.   I then went to get Tilley who was snoring away; sound asleep tucked in a corner and I did not have the heart to wake her.  So it is in the shower for her today.  Done for at least a couple weeks and we start over again.

How they eat

Although many people attempt to form our dogs into little people; they are not human and our nutritional needs are very different. The way we eat is different and the way we digest is very different. First off the dogs teeth are entirely distinct from the teeth in our mouth. Our teeth are meant for grinding our food; a dog's teeth are meant for tearing, crushing and pushing food back down into the esophagus; from there it goes down into the stomach where the process begins. Our process begins as soon as the food is in our mouth; through the chewing process we breakdown our food and our saliva starts to predigest. Dogs don't have predigesting saliva.

A dogs mouth is made to get the food down; their bottom jaw is formed making it impossible to grind back and forth like a cow. So when our dogs seem like pigs and swallow things down whole, this is because it is how they work. Typically a dog will crunch their food into bite sized pieces that they can swallow down. Other times when they are far too exhuberant they may attempt to swallow down a piece of food that is much too big. This is common practice with my Jack Russell. Dogs may choke for a bit until it goes down or throw it up and give it another go.

Once the food goes into their stomach there is a recognition of food to be digested and a dogs pH level drops down to as low as 1 becoming highly acidic; so acidic in fact that it would literally burn a whole in our skin if we were to touch it. There the digestive enzymes get to work breaking down the food into molecules that the body can use. Once the stomach has digested most of the bulk food it is passed down to the small intestine where the liver and pancreas produce more enzymes for further digestion. From there it enters the large intestine and you know where it goes from there.

Dogs are not meant to eat the way we eat; they have entirely different food requirements and luckily there are a few good dog food companies out there that are heading towards that goal. But as with anything else in our consumer driven world there are far too many just trying to make a buck and are not concerned with our dogs at all. Do your research before you grab a bag of dogfood and if you can buy it at the big box store or the grocery store, you probably shouldn't be buying it.

Check out your local private pet store (of course the ones that do not sell puppies or kittens) to see what they carry.  Many of the small family owned stores carry the good stuff.  And if they are really good they will have several freezers filled with frozen raw, bones and prepared cooked food available for purchase.  You can feed your dog complete balanced diets of raw food that has been frozen, simply thaw and feed.  It is a great alternative to bagged dry or canned.

Variety is the best way to ensure balanced nutrition.

Sleeping buddies

I was discussing Luke and his sleeping habits with my son and husband yesterday.   We all agreed that he's about the best sleeping buddy that there is.  Luke loves nothing more than joining someone on the couch or their bed for a nap.  As soon as my son gets home from work; he grabs a bite to eat, calls Luke and they head down to the giant leather sofa for a nap.  I love when I pass the room and see the two crashed out together enjoying some down time.

During our discussion about sleeping with dogs my husband commented on Luke's deep breathing.  Every once in a while when my hubby wakes up in the middle of the night; he said that he enjoys listening to the sounds of the dogs sleeping.  Tilley is typically snoring while Luke is slowly breathing, each breath methodical  which lulls the listener into the melody of sleep itself.  If they aren't making sleeping sounds of some sort they are twitching.  I've written many times about how quickly Luke slips into a twitching sleep.  Just the other night I was watching a movie with Luke fast asleep across my legs.  He and I were having a conversation, at the end of our discussion he puts his head down and was twitching literally within two minutes.

Luke is a couch potato; he has his spot during the day and he loves it.  From his spot on the sofa he has a good vantage point to pretty much anything going on in the house or backyard.  It is near the front door so he is very much aware of all the comings and goings as well.  Just looking at him all snuggled up on the couch makes you want to take a nap and I often go and lie down with him for a while just to enjoy doing nothing.

Watching our dogs as they drift off into a deep and peaceful sleep brings with it a sense of happiness to those watching.  Seeing that my dogs are so relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings that they can slip into a worry free sleep makes me happy.  Seeing Tilley upside down on one end of the couch, Luke next to her and then my son fast asleep on the other end, well it just doesn't get much better.

Luke is a staple on our bed at night now; the girls can no longer be up there as it would be dangerous if they tried to get off when we were asleep.  So it is only Luke that is on the bed during the sleeping hours; he has his own spot there as well.  He does not fuss around much, maybe only once a night he'll get up and turn around but mostly he's out.  He loves his sleeping time; we have a bunch of sleep lovers at our house.  None of the dogs are too anxious to see morning come or the time when they have to get up.

Sleeping well is very important; and that is made easy when you have a canine sleeping buddy at your side.

Not cool

This is not the dog that freaked out on me; just a dog at a dog park.  

Yesterday I was at a dog park; I was there to shoot specific dogs.  The owner of the two dogs and I arrived at almost the same moment so there was no waste of time, I got to it right away.  The dogs were wonderful; there was a male and a female Bloodhound and they were excellently behaved, wonderful to shoot and just all round great dogs.  You don't see Bloodhounds around very often so of course they drew quite a bit of attention.  But it wasn't the Bloodhounds that drew the attention of one dog; no that was me.

Not cool, not cool at all.  There were dogs of every shape and size at the park; it was a busy day I'd have to say.  But one medium sized black dog instantly took a disliking to me.  I was over sort of under the bushes getting some great shots when I heard a dog barking very close.  I turned around to see that it was indeed barking at me.  I am very accustom to dogs being wary of my camera; it's really big and with the flash on and me holding it I can't imagine what they think that it might be.

I turned to assess the situation of this barking dog; he was pretty upset.  He was displaying aggression but it was caused by fear.  But fear does not mean that a dog will not bite.  He was keeping a good distance away from me but obviously saw me as some sort of threat.  I turned sideways and loosened by stance; this did nothing.  He continued to bark menacing at me.  All this time his owners kept saying "silly its just a camera."   So I waited to see if they were planning on moving away but they were not so I sat down at the picnic table hoping that this would calm the savage beast, nope.  He was not letting this go.

So this guy had a real hate on for me.  After I sat at the table he came up and sniffed me and then darted back and started all over again.  The owners pulled him away; again explaining that it was just a camera and left it at that.  Cool................... not.  I stood up and he came running at me; he was obviously not confident about the whole situation but not at all above giving me a good nip.  Being bit was not on my agenda for the day so I gave the owners a "really?" look.  They decided to move away but oh no their dog did not.  He came charging back giving all me of the ferocity he could muster up.

This was one of those dogs that was not going to come around.  Even when I removed my camera and distanced myself from it he was keeping his "freaked out" zone going.  No matter what I did there was not going to be a change in this dog; of course unless I had the time to sit down with treats, without my camera and be patient.  I wasn't there to desensitize this dog; I was there to shoot.  Luckily a few moments later a new big and boisterous dog came in drawing all the attention towards him.  I took this span on non assault time to make my quiet disappearing act to the other side of the park.

This was an unusual case, I was in a dog park so the whole situation was weird and dealing with it weird as well.  I remained calm which is the first and most important thing to do.  Of course having treats would have definitely helped but not in a dog park.  The owners should have definitely stepped in and removed their dog; his behavior was completely unacceptable.  This was obviously not the first time it had happened; my camera can make dogs wary but freaked out to that degree?  Unlikely a first time thing.

Confronting him could have definitely worked; he lacked confidence and it probably would have been enough to send him packing.  But, again I was at a dog park so things could have backfired as well.  It was up to the owners in this situation and they didn't step up to the plate, they let their dog down by not leading.   They let their dog run around threatening a stranger and gave him no feedback.  He thought that he was taking care of a threat and they let him, not cool.  Allowing a dog to control a situation is never a good idea and it could just lead both owner and dog into serious trouble.  If the dog had bitten me; it would have been very serious. Unacceptable behavior is just that; unacceptable.

Changing the laws

As I read more and more about Puppy Mill raids and see all the dogs who are left to be rescued; sick and suffering mentally it really has me wondering why this is taking so long.  Why are there still Pet Stores who sell puppies?  Why are there still countless numbers of Puppy Mills who supply the shops that sell them and the online shops who sell them.  Recently I've seen a couple of new Mills who've opened up; and they are proud of it.  No hiding behind the "small family breeder" guise.  They have pictures of their sprawling facility; room for hundreds of dogs.  (cringing)

Mass production of dogs is simply the root of the problem.  Too many dogs being bred for profit with no concern for mental or physical health.  Pumped out factory style and shipped off to all the people shopping at the malls.  There are still people who go into these shops knowing full well where the puppies come from and hand over their hard earned money.  Yet it is the same people who complain when their dog is deathly ill or worse.

People who mass produce puppies do not care about the animals; and that my friends is the bottom line.  No puppies at the pet store are born and raised in a wonderful home with folk who love them, no.  Many Mills boastfully display their facility; a farm like set up with cages galore, rows upon rows of breeders and their offspring.  Not all Millers are filthy, disgusting, ram  shackled back buildings in disrepair.  Oh there are lots like that; we've all seen them online and television.  But there are some who are newly set up; farm style and clean.  Clean is where they think that they are different but there are still Millers, just clean Millers.  What they don't show you is the lack of human contact; individual care, the kind of connection that each and every dog deserves.

But do not be fooled not all Millers sell their goods through shops; many go the online route.  I know way too many people who bought their dogs online; they chose a puppy from a picture, paid via pay pal and their dog was sent to them.  Who knows what goes on behind these wonderfully depicted images of puppies propped up beside flowers?

With all of these facts; with it all out there now for all to see why I ask is it taking so long to stop it?  It is the core cause of the problem......................too many unwanted dogs.   We need to get a whole lot louder about these sorry excuses of humans and shut them all down.  It is disgusting and cruel; what part of that should be allowed to continue I ask?  For the big guys up there, the ones making the laws; it is time to put an end to it all.  

Ask before touching

It should be mandatory; required reading of a written protocol on how to approach and interact with dogs that you do not live with. There is infact much information on the subject but unfortunately most of the general public do not read it; nor would they adhere to the knowledge once found. When speaking about strange dogs; meaning dogs that you do not live with, this fact alone is the most important to consider. Dogs allow a great deal more touchy feely from their pack members (those humans who live with the dog). In this blog I am strictly speaking about interactions with dogs that you do not live with.

When you approach a dog; you should remain neutral and non threatening. I am often called out on submissive peeing, displays of aggression or general fear behavior. When we sit down and start the discussion about these unwanted behaviors it is often with strangers. Strangers are strangers; people who the dog does not live with. There are degrees of strangers; some are placed in the friends category, some are acquaintances and then there are the real strangers. It is the dog who will display the differences towards these humans; the humans should stick to the protocol. Once in (the dog's circle); the dog will then set down the rules of what is wanted or unwanted. The humans cannot make advances without first considering the dogs wishes. And those wishes can be clearly seen in body language.

Let's face it; for many humans, dog language is completely foreign. They don't watch it and even if they did they cannot deceifer it. My basic protocl is as follows.

- Do not engage with a dog when you first approach. Volumes of information will be received (if you are watching) simply by your approach.

- Let the dog sniff you; watch the interaction closely but do not give direct eye contact.

- If the dog seems comfortable with your presence then a touch under the head or neck is where to start. After that there is no need of any further touching.

- If the dog backs away then leave it at that; do not approach the dog. The dog who moves away is not comfortable with your presence and surely does not want you closer.

- Never hug a strange dog. If you have made it into the friend category, then you are more than likely going to be accepted for a greater degree of touch, but don't push it.

- Never, ever pick up a strange dog. I have only once ever picked up a strange dog and that was because I was protecting this particular dog from a very large aggressive dog. Even though it was for a very specific reason and in an emergency; it was still not at all appreciated from the little dog and as a result I was given alot of dirty looks after it.

Usually even very fearful dogs can tolerate presence if there is no eye contact.
Just the other day I had an amazing example of proper and improper approach to a strange dog. I met someone with a large breed dog; I approached making an imaginary semi-circle, not a direct line. As I got closer I sort of walked up to the side of them without looking at the dog. Later a man approached the same dog; he made direct eye contact and was coming straight at the dog. What happened next was textbook; the dog growled, it was very low and deep, but clear. The dog meant no harm, he was not being aggressive; he was simply stating "that's far enough, I don't know you." The dog then moved away.

The back-off or move away are clear messages of a dog's comfort level. This is often where it all goes wrong and it is no way the dogs fault. It is completely a human blunder; our nature is to convince, right? "It's okay; I won't hurt you" as we get even closer. Or the people who will not be swayed in their belief that all dogs love them. Typically these are the people who are growled at or bitten; the ones that push. Dogs are not humans, they cannot be persuaded that they want to meet you in an up close and personal type manner.

Another great example is from a dog that I'd been working with. This dog was a large scent hound type; he was a rescue and not long in his new home and a bit sketchy about my presence. We had worked together for probably 3 weeks before the incident. On this day I walked into the home; we had a very casual greeting, nothing direct. I sat down in a chair to talk to the owner when the dog felt sure enough to come and smell me.  The fact that I was sitting in a chair made me less threatening and I was directing my attention to the owner, not the dog. But because I was in a chair I was lower when he approached and he smelled the side of my face; that's close. I talked to him as he continued to check me out at close range when I turned to say something to him. Everything changed in a instant; by the turning of my head ever so slightly I was now looking at him. His ears went up; his pupils dilated and all the skin around his mouth moved forward just before he gave a huge warning bark right in my face. Instantly I turned my head in a calm manner and completely defused the situation.

Dogs say so much before ever needing to vocalize. In our human world many are accused of not listening; in the dog world you must watch first and listen second.

Luke's birthday

August 16th; today is Luke's 11th birthday and I honestly cannot believe that it has been 11 years.  I remember meeting Luke for the very first time like it was only yesterday.

Luke has been the inspiration for much of my photography.  He has grown to accept himself as a Super model.  

Luke joined us almost 11 years ago when he was just 12 weeks old.  I met him when he was only 7 weeks old; and little did I know that my life would be forever changed that day.  I was not looking for a puppy on that fateful visit; I was in the process of acquiring another puppy from across the country at the time.  Once our eyes met; that was it, I was a gonner.  I could not get that little blonde boy off my mind or out of my heart.  The mere idea that he might spend his life with someone else was unbearable.  

Five weeks later I made the call fully expecting him to have already found his forever home.  But he was still there; waiting for me.  We wasted no time once the decision was made and the rest is history.  Luke was a challenge from the start; he is a reactive dog and even with all my years of training he taught me more than any other dog in my life.  A gentle hand, patience, understanding and some thinking outside of the box was all that was required.  He taught me all this and more; making me who I am today.  

I cannot imagine if I'd made other plans on that day we first met; what if I'd gone shopping instead?  Doubtful; I truly believe that we were meant to meet and we were most certainly meant to share our lives with him.  He has brought so much joy into our lives with the special individual connection that he has with each and every member of our family.  

Luke has a zest for life and is happy most of the time.  He is hugely demonstrative with his emotions and not shy to share them with those that he loves.  At the age of 3, Luke was diagnosed with Epilepsy so with that he has taught us much as well.  If he is going to have a seizure he finds one of his family members; let's them know and we hold him until it passes.   Other than this one health issue he is doing amazing for an eleven year old.

The birthday boy; contemplating life or very possibly watching bugs.

He is ever the sporty guy; ready to go wherever and do whatever.

He definitely has the most expressive eyes I've come across.

Mr. Curious; always wants to know where I am and what I'm doing.

A true water retriever.

Luke will never pass on a chance to play a game, never.

Sometimes it's just too sunny in sunny California for a blonde boy.

Luke has one agenda for lizards.

Dead.

Under the definition of competitive in the dictionary is a picture of Luke.

But he does have a softer side and sometimes the pool is just too slippery to walk in.

The happy face of my beach boy.

Luke is always up for a race; especially with Dad.

The camera follows him pretty much everywhere. 

He adores snuggles from Mom.

So today we celebrate a big 11th birthday with our very special boy.  How could anyone not adore this face??????????  Happy 11th big boy.

Visiting Ocean Beach

Of course you want to bring this little face with you.  I was down in Ocean beach, CA yesterday visiting my daughter and have to comment on how dog friendly it is.  Not only are there dogs everywhere but the whole atmosphere is friendly.  There are places where you can take your dogs and you see a few here and there but here they are everywhere.  The casual feel gives off the sense that dogs are more than welcome here, they are a part of the whole scene.

We ate at a Restaurant called Shades which is ocean side.  The dogs had to remain outside of the patio (lots of noses looking to come in) at this restaurant but another restaurant just a stones throw away allowed dogs inside their patio right at your table.  When we finished up and were headed to the pier I noticed a young couple with two Mastiff pups.  They were tucked away nicely under the table; obviously something they were already accustom to.  Nice.

There were dogs everywhere and because so many of these dogs are so well socialized just about all the dogs were very well behaved.  When society opens up to "DOGS WELCOME" everyone wins.  The owners get to spend more time with their dogs; the dogs get to spend more time out in the world learning to behave properly.  A win, win.

  

Even though there are dogs literally everywhere here it there seemed to be a big draw to all from those without.  Everyone stopped to talk to the dog in the second photo, the one left outside of the patio.  I stopped to talk to the little one in the first photo and as I moved on others took my place.  It is so refreshing seeing a community which is this dog friendly.  Many other communities could take a lesson or two from Ocean Beach, CA regarding "dog friendly."

The menu

What's for dinner?  A common statement, and one that I ask myself often when thinking about my dogs.  My dogs eat a huge variety of food; everything from raw meat to dry dog food.   In the last couple of days they've had cooked chicken, raw pork, cooked salmon dinner that I had prepared and was in the freezer, dog food, raw beef and sardines.

The girls will pretty much eat everything; it is a wonderful thing when dogs are not picky.  Luke on the other hand is fussy, complicated fussy.  His preference for food is our food; food that has been prepared for our palate.  Although one of his favorite foods is raw; beef or pork he doesn't care.  Because of Luke's highly challenging eating habits I also like to keep good treats on hand to add some much needed calories here and there.  I make my own cookies for him and he LOVES them.  (The recipe was posted several times on my FB group)  He has never turned them down so far.

Taking the leap from feeding dog food to real food can be a scary one.  Even once you've made the switch it can be a stressful time if you are worried about making sure that you get it all right.  Feeding our dogs is actually pretty easy.  Just think how wolves in the wild eat; no grocery store, no supplements, no balancing act.   I always discuss the fact that we don't give our own diet a second thought most of the time with new "real feeders."  Just considering that fact alone takes a bit of stress away.

Variety is the best way to go both for our own diet and our dogs.  Dogs need to eat a far larger portion of quality animal protein than we do and don't need near as much fruit and veggies.  Once you get the basic portions down it gets easier and easier.  Plus once you feel more comfortable with a big variety of foods to feed your dog the worry fades away.

I am learning new things about how to best feed dogs all the time.  All dogs are different so it doesn't always work for everyone in the pack but once you learn what all the dogs in your home or your just one dog does best on it's easy to rotate.  If you do feed dog food; buy the best you can afford.  Don't go with the ones who can afford to advertise the most on television, get the good stuff, the really good stuff.

I highly recommend the following book; Raw and Natural nutrition for dogs by Lew Olson.  It is my "go to," with feeding questions.

Subjective

Photography is subjective; very much so.  Last weekend I visited the OC Fair (Orange County Fair) to enter some cupcakes that I'd made and to check out the photography.  I had entered several of my photos; two dog and one non dog.  As a photographer; I love a great variety of photography.  Anything that catches my eye pretty much; both with regards to shooting and viewing.  The photography competition at the fair is pretty amazing in it's display of talented folks.  The youth category is simply awe inspiring as was much of what had been entered.

The one thing that was very clear was that photography is a very personal thing.  Many of the big winning photos left me standing saying "really?"  While others that had won nothing, no ribbons; were to me amazing works of art.  So the beauty of photography is very much in the eye of the beholder.  One of my photos won a second prize; a lizard beat us for first place.  This is one of my favorite photos; it is one of those shots that let you see something you never have seen had time not been stopped.

Catching snowballs

This is probably my most favorite type of photography, action.  Although a close second is "connection" the connection between canine and human.  Within this category is the connection that is candid not posed, that rises to the top for me.

Even with just a human hand in the image there is such an unspoken connection.

Often these wonderful connection shots are taken "off the clock," between shoots of the dog.  And for me they are some of the most endearing.  Typically it is all said with body language; many times no physical contact, no "this is my dog," although it is very clear that the connection is strong.

This shot was taken while the owner tried to get some distance between herself and the dog.  It clearly was not what the dog had in mind as she shadowed her owners every move.  And this too is a favorite of mine.  

The above shot was taken at a local dog walk.  I walked up and a connection was underway; the draw between the two is so strong you can practically feel it.  Amazing.  For this shot I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Photos that spark emotion are great photos; but like all things artistic that spark may be a very personal one.  As I walked through the isles and isles of amazing photos at the fair I felt that it was unfair that so many had been left, overlooked I thought.  While the boring shots that didn't even create a flicker of a spark for me had won a prize, funny.  Just like I always say; every dog is different, as is every human.