Just dogs with Sherri

Through my lens

2012-01-29T05:11:00.000-08:00

Killer wolves??????????????????????????????????????

2012-01-28T05:51:00.001-08:00

Last year at this time I had visited the California Wolf Center. It was amazing and I got some wonderful photographs. When we visited we were the only ones there; we had a private tour so I was able to ask away. Of course I had a million questions; I wanted to know the truth to so many myths thrown around about wolf/dog behaviors. I'm writing about wolves this morning because there is a new movie out; The Grey. (The advertising before the teaser is Science Diet; one of the worst foods out there that I in no way support.)

I have not seen this movie "The Grey" and am not sure that I want to. Liam Neeson is easily one of my favorite actors; if a movie features him then I'm likely going to see it. But; this movie could be very detrimental to wolves, fallout hysteria. I am a fan of The California Wolf Center on Facebook and this morning they posted an article from Global Animal Magazine; titled "The Grey:" - A Bad Fairy Tale About Wolves. It is a good read; I had no idea that the numbers of wolves had risen, this is great news but the movie may be the undoing to a rise in numbers.

More than likely I would have seen the movie because of the leading man; even though when I saw the trailer on television I had my doubts immediately. Everything looks great on the trailer, the actor, the scenery, the crash...............all but the pack of wolves out to kill everyone. Once I read the opinion of director Joe Carnahan on wolves I will definitely not see the movie. It is amazing that a movie can affect people but it will most definitely be fuel for those who would see harm come to wolves. They could have easily substituted the wolves in the movie for some scary snow monster; I would have gone to see that for sure.

As I sit here in bed writing I am constantly aware of my own two dogs cozy and safe on my bed dreaming away. When you love dogs; how can you not love wolves? Our dogs have us to protect them; who is going to protect the wolves? US. Sadly I believe that this movie was a very bad selection for Liam Neeson; there will be fallout most definitely but after reading about the opinions of someone like the director I ask you to think twice before funding someone like this.

Killer wolves??????????????????????????????????????

2012-01-28T05:39:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time I had visited the California Wolf Center. It was amazing and I got some wonderful photographs. When we visited we were the only ones there; we had a private tour so I was able to ask away. Of course I had a million questions; I wanted to know the truth to so many myths thrown around about wolf/dog behaviors. I'm writing about wolves this morning because there is a new movie out; The Grey. (The advertising before the teaser is Science Diet; one of the worst foods out there that I know no way support.)

I have not seen this movie "The Grey" and am not sure that I want to. Liam Neeson is easily one of my favorite actors; if a movie features him then I'm likely going to see it. But; this movie could be very detrimental to wolves, fallout hysteria. I am a fan of The California Wolf Center on Facebook and this morning they posted an article from Global Animal Magazine; titled "The Grey:" - A Bad Fairy Tale About Wolves. It is a good read; I had no idea that the numbers of wolves had risen, this is great news but the movie may be the undoing to a rise in numbers.

More than likely I would have seen the movie because of the leading man; even though when I saw the trailer on television I had my doubts immediately. Everything looks great on the trailer, the actor, the scenery, the crash...............all but the pack of wolves out to kill everyone. Once I read the opinion of director Joe Carnahan on wolves I will definitely not see the movie. It is amazing that a movie can affect people but it will most definitely be fuel for those who would see harm come to wolves. They could have easily substituted the wolves in the movie for some scary snow monster; I would have gone to see that for sure.

As I sit here in bed writing I am constantly aware of my own two dogs cozy and safe on my bed dreaming away. When you love dogs; how can you not love wolves? Our dogs have us to protect them; who is going to protect the wolves? US. Sadly I believe that this movie was a very bad selection for Liam Neeson; there will be fallout most definitely but after reading about the opinions of someone like the director I ask you to think twice before funding someone like this.

strangers

2012-01-27T04:19:00.000-08:00

Stranger = a person with whom you have no personal acquaintance. A newcomer.

A stranger is a stranger for our dogs and as such are given the stranger treatment. That treatment will vary vastly depending on the dog. Many dogs treat strangers as if they are long lost family members; others are cordial but that's as far as it goes and then there are dogs who treat strangers as strangers. We drill the message "don't talk to strangers," into our children's heads as youngsters; teaching them that you don't talk to people who you do not know. But with our dogs we expect them to welcome strangers with open arms or legs as it is. What's the deal?

We all want friendly dogs; we want everyone to think that our dogs are just the best dogs right? Even the best of dogs reserve the right to pass judgement on those who they do not know. In the beginning, way back when our dogs lived in wolf packs there was no such thing as a good stranger. Strangers meant something bad; an invading member of rival pack perhaps or a wolf out for no good. There were no friendly strangers and all were dealt with by a fiercely united pack.

So what if you have a dog that is not so friendly with strangers? You help them first to realize that strangers are not a bad thing. Do not have strangers approach your dog if they don't want to be approached; this is the first step for your dog to realize that strangers are not out for them. No eye contact, touching or talking to your dog. Once your dog sees that strangers are not solely interested in them; things start to lighten up. From there you can move to strangers come bearing gifts. Still no eye contact, just treats offered from an open hand that is not reaching out.

When you meet a dog or enter into someone's home that has a dog you should remain neutral. The dog will react how they will react and it is this that you need to gauge your greeting. As much as I love dogs I do not greet dogs when I enter a home either for a shoot or training. I watch the dog without looking at them and adjust my behavior accordingly. Even dogs that are of guarding or aggressive nature will adjust their behavior to more appropriate if you are neutral.

One of the biggest mistakes that humans make when they meet dogs is to pet them; often even lavishing attention on them. Depending on who is on the receiving end of this attention can send a situation in a very wrong direction. Luke use to be a very competitive guy; he loved to intimidate when at all possible. When someone came into our home and started petting immediately; he took that as a sign of weakness. After all these strangers were paying Luke (the king) lavish attention, and they didn't even know him. This to a dog means that they are conceding his status over them. Once these lowly newcomers then attempted to take matters into their own hands by walking into our house; Luke found it necessary to remind them who he was and who's house this was. The people were always shocked "I was just petting him," they would state with a puzzled face searching for answers. Ah yes; the human who does not understand canine.

Watch your dog interacting with strangers; their behavior will give you all the clues as far as what needs working on. It may be a fear based behavior which typically escalates only when the human persists in a greeting. There are dogs who will never be interested in meeting strangers; that is fine as well, they are good with their pack and don't need anyone else in their life. Listen and watch; our dogs really do give us all we need as far as the information that we need.

Electric fences

2012-01-26T03:33:00.000-08:00

I have to say that I am shocked; since moving to Connecticut it has become obvious that most use electric fences. I haven't been here long enough to discover why people opt for an electric fence over a traditional fence but I will find out. My first day out in daylight brought this to my attention. Looking around as I drove the neighborhood I realized that there were no fences. I thought maybe it was because the properties are so big; they are all around the 2 acres range.

Now that I've been here for over a month I've been around. Even the smaller properties in town have no fences. Talking to some of residence they have concurred that they indeed use electric fences. Like I said; I'm shocked. I'm shocked that this many people use electric fences. I'm a fence person; I love fences, I mean really really love them. They make having dogs in my life really easy, safe and secure. But the fences I love are the physical type, chain link, page wire, wood, block wall or stone, not electric.

Over the years I have heard many stories of dogs who go through the electric zap but don't come back. Just imagine a squirrel driven dog; chasing a squirrel is definitely worth a zap. Coming back through the zap to get home, not so much. Fallout, with dogs there is always fallout behaviors. Just like with pinch or prong collars the association is unavoidable. Pain is quickly paired with whatever is near, a dog walking by, a person jogging or a child on a bike; the dog believes that this event caused the pain. The same thing can happen with electric fences; dogs walking by cause painful zaps, perhaps it is vehicles that cause the pain to happen. Whatever it is that would draw a dog near or across the fence line is the cause of the pain by association.

Great article on electric fences and collars.

The link above is an article published in the Whole Dog Journal; it is a good read although I was nearly in tears and almost could not continue reading about the Airedale Andy.

Electric fences will not keep a dog in if they want out badly enough but they will definitely keep them from coming back home. They do not have any safety value as far as keeping other dogs or animals out of your yard. With the amount of deer in the area I would think that keeping them out of the yard would be enough to put up a real fence. Sure they can jump a fence but I'm sure they'd rather go next door to the house without a fence to eat. As far as using the excuse that fences may be unsightly? I don't get this one, I love fences.

I cannot imagine putting a collar on my dogs and starting the electric shock training. Knowing my dogs so well I do know that they would both be traumatized; the emotional fallout would be horrific. I will never use an electric collar. For me the good old fashion fence system is my choice of canine containment; zapping is not even a consideration.

Masters of the scent

2012-01-25T04:19:00.000-08:00

This deer shot was taken in Victoria, BC several years ago.

We were all sitting quietly in the family room; after a big hike and a play session with a new friend Elsa was baffed. Luke was curled up under one of his favorite blankets enjoying the warm fire and his peeps. In an instant it all changed, Elsa's nose shot straight up in the air; she inhaled hard moving her nose around to catch the best scent. Then she barked, Luke stuck his nose in the air and did the exact same thing. Luke now standing on the couch and Elsa running around the room trying to capture the scent they were onto something. We lowly humans sat wondering what they were smelling; obviously something very potent as nothing had changed in the indoor environment.

We have deer here in Connecticut and they come very close to the house. We all thought that perhaps a deer had just walked by; I turned on the outside lights and had a look, nothing. We listened to the best of our ability; our much inferior ears could not hear a thing and our noses certainly could not smell whatever it was that the dogs were smelling. It was over as quickly as it started and everyone settled once again.

The next morning I had a look around outside the house; I checked the area that would be just outside the family room and sure enough, fresh deer tracks. I know that dogs are amazing at scenting but the fact that they smelled a deer walk outside the house is still amazing to me. Imagine being able to smell things like that? Was there a time when we human had that degree of scent ability? Perhaps, but it is most definitely long gone now. Luke has amazed me with his scent ability for years; he is our great spider hunter. I have written a previous blog on him and his amazing spider talents. (Click here to read the past blog on Luke's spider talents)

Having Elsa around reminds me daily how amazing dogs senses are; old dogs lose much of their senses so it's been much less vigilant around for a while. I could come and go without the old girls even knowing. I could vacuum all around their snug little bodies without them stirring. Watching Elsa with her seemingly bionic ears and eyes brings it all back. Dogs are far more superior than us in many ways.

What color is your retriever?

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

For many years my husband has said "I'd love a Golden Retriever." He happens to be quite allergic to dogs so that's not happening anytime soon. He loves the look of a yellow lab; the Old Yeller types, something about those retrievers. When we added Luke to our life we had added the Golden part of a Golden Retriever. As he grew I stood watching him while my husband tossed the ball or threw a frisbee it dawned on me "we had a golden retriever." Of course I pointed that out to my husband............many times. He
adores our poodles; he is one of the great supporters of the versatility of the breed.

Now we have yet another Golden Retriever; no not an actual breed replica but she is gold and she is an amazing retriever. In fact I know that she will be an amazing whatever as she is up for anything, anytime. I ran into a woman at the beach the other day; in fact her yellow lab went and saved our ball from floating away. Both Luke and Elsa had stood up to their ankles in the water watching it go out with the tide. Too cold for some very smart poodles. "Great," I thought to myself; then hoped that a Labrador might come by to save it and she did.

When we stopped to talk to the woman with the lab I told her about Tilley and how she was an amazing frisbee dog. She told me how her son wanting nothing more than a frisbee dog. This lab girl had tons of drive but she was very short legged and hefty so she obviously did not resemble the sleek types that fly in the air. But; she most certainly had speed, amazing speed for such short legs and with enough training I'm sure she could be a great frisbee dog. Maybe not the airborne type like Tilley but definitely a great catcher.

I love watching all the dogs at the beach; they are all different, each having their own talent. Some dogs excel at just about anything they do; others have very specific talents and shine in their own arena. It is especially amusing when you see dogs who look they are little lap dogs; only to see them charge across a field and dive into the air grasping a tiny disc catapulted by their owner. Seeing the huge buff body of an English Bulldog seemingly swimming with ease is quite the scene when it seems that they should sink. Of course many of the breed do sink and should always wear a life jacket.

Dogs are dogs and as such should be given every opportunity to excel at their passion. Each dog is different; I know many Golden retrievers who have no intention of retrieving anything. I know German Shepherds who will hold the front door open for an intruder and Yorkie's who would give their life defending their family and home. When a new dog joins your family it gives you the opportunity to do something new; discover your new family member and how they will enrich your life via new experiences.

When we were waiting for the day that our Elsa would join us I clearly remember saying "I can't wait to meet her." I was very anxious to see who she was and would be. She is still unraveling, she's not done yet but taking the journey around each corner with her as she grows is an amazing part of it all. But one thing is for sure; we have added another amazing Golden Retriever to the pack.

Snacking and TV watching

2012-01-23T03:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the big football day; not that I am a football fan at all but I love the action. Some of my best memories are those from when I use to shoot my sons football games in High School. I love to shoot action; and seeing the resulting photos with people flying in the air and emotion playing out on their face is amazing. But my better half and my son were watching the big games yesterday so I was sort of floating in and out of the family room. Luke was snuggled on the couch for the entirety of the both games. We'd gone for a big hike in the woods, met a few new friends and saw some cool new sites, Luke was exhausted. Elsa joined him now and again but she was mostly scouting for food.

One of the many joys of old dogs is that they know; they have their training done long ago and life just gets simpler. I remember when I had three dogs and I could leave a coffee table full of food and walk away knowing that when I got back it would all be there where I left it. Luke is amazing; he would NEVER eat off the table unless asked to do so. Even then he'd probably have huge stress issues about doing it; he's a "only needs telling once," sort of guy.

As I sat watching Elsa watch the food on the table I realized how far she'd come. She is by pure definition of the meaning; a chow hound. She loves food too much and has a very difficult time controlling herself around it, any of it. So when she walked past our legs, brushing the nose level table filled with food without giving it a second glance I was proud to say the least. She is learning that the only way to get any of the food when we are eating is to go and lay down on her bed. (Of course not everyone always listens to these rules (humans)).

The table is off limits, that is what you must ingrain in their heads. If it's on the table; you don't touch it!!!! Simple, right? Not always. Some dogs just "get it." Others need a ton of work, supervision, feedback and more supervision. Elsa is one of these types, it has everything to do with how much they really want that food. But that said the closer the bond that you forge the easier it is. Puppies in general don't give a hoot if you are mad at them; it typically doesn't really phase them. Once your puppy starts to mature and you become an important person in their life then it starts to matter. I am seeing that now at 6 months of age.

One of the most important things to remember when trying to teach our dogs what to touch and not to touch is our role in the matter. You must keep an "I can do this," attitude otherwise you can't do it. If you have a wishy washy attitude; sort of like "ah..........she keeps taking stuff," then she always will. The ever famous phrase "give them an inch and they'll take a mile," stands true with our dogs. One sniff of the table leads to a lick which leads to a head turn which leads to a full on steal. So dig your heels in and make a statement "no touching my stuff," believe it, follow through and you will soon have a dog that you can be proud of. One who can join you for those football watching days of food and kick back.

Dog play

2012-01-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

Good Sunday morning; it is a chilly one here in Connecticut and the sun is just up. I hope you all had a good day yesterday; we spent much of it outside in a snow storm playing with the dogs, what fun. Elsa has decided that snow is pretty wonderful; I believe it comes a close second to sand. She loves sand and when her toes hit it, its like something happens inside of her. She comes unglued and tears around like a maniac out of control. She has always been like this, even when she'd just hit the sand at a park in the playground area she'd be off flipping out at the end of her leash.

Speaking of sand we were at the beach again on Friday. The dogs had a wonderful time and it was not very crowded; we saw maybe 6-7 other dogs in total which is a nice number. Far too often there are just too many dogs and when the number of dogs goes up to big numbers so can the stress levels. The chance of fights or other behavior issues rise with stress levels. So hitting a dog park or beach in the off hours is always the best bet.

Not all dogs that visit beaches or parks have learned how to play nice. Many people bring their dogs to interact with other dogs but don't give appropriate feedback. Feedback is essential and if your dog does not know how to play nice then best to not bring them to an off leash park before working on behavior problems. Certain behaviors may be okay at home with siblings but might not fly with strange dogs at the park.

There are a large number of dogs who do not have good communication skills. They may naturally have an obnoxious personality even though they have had a great deal of socializing with other dogs. Or they may lack the experience of playing with and reading other dogs. No matter why, they need feedback from their owners, you. If they won't quit you need to remove them.

When Luke was a puppy I took him often to the dog park to play with other dogs. It made all the difference in the world. To this day he is very social; but he has his limits. He puts up with a lot, more so with females which is very normal; but even with males he puts up with a lot of nonsense. One line that he draws is with mounting, many dogs will not put up with this. Mounting is a very dominant behavior and can get a dog into serious trouble; it should absolutely never be allowed with strange dogs. One foot on the way up to a mount can be all that is needed to start a fight.

Elsa has amazing communication skills, I just love to watch her ability to read and interact appropriately. Giving dogs the opportunity to interact with other dogs is a wonderful thing but like many things in life more is not better. Too much can be a bad thing; dogs get tired, cranky and then problems begin so like I always say "quit while you're ahead." Had a good short visit at the park? Leave on a positive, don't hang around for a negative. Dogs don't need hours and hours of full speed running............patience grows thin when tired.

This and that

2012-01-20T03:48:00.000-08:00

Friday; TGIF right? Wrapping up the week and heading into the weekend is always a welcome time. What a week; it was an emotional one for me as I worked through some separation anxiety with Luke. He is no doubt taking note of his missing siblings and learning to cope. Helping him through it makes dealing with the loss myself a must; I have wrapped my arms around his head numerous times a day telling him that I am so sorry that he lost his life partners. Sometimes we forget, it is not only us that suffer with loss. Luke lived with both Jessie and Tilley his entire life; it's not easy to adjust to them being gone. But together we will make it through, we are a pretty tight pair.

This week was also filled with getting out and socializing. Elsa makes us get out which is a great thing. With her bubbly, cup half full attitude she enjoys everything that life has to offer her. Even a tiny cranberry can bring much joy for both her and anyone watching her. I offered her one the other day and she played with it for a good 20 minutes before deciding that she would eat it. She tossed it around just like the bugs she played with back in California. She bats at it, curls her lips up at it and generally takes great joy in the tiny red piece of shriveled fruit. It is uplifting just watching her enjoy such tiny things.

We met several other poodle people while we were out being social. I am stopped often when people see the two blonde poodles strutting down the street. Both Elsa and Luke have those big smiley faces and people cannot help but smile back. I think today that we might hit the beach again; it is much more crowded on the weekends so today might be the day. I was really hoping that the weatherman was correct and we would indeed have snow last night but again we were passed over. No snow this morning.

So what's on the agenda for this weekend? Hmmm? I think getting out for some exploring is ahead. I really want to have a good look around so I'd like to dedicate at least one day a weekend for checking out the surrounding cities. We hit New Canaan last weekend with the dogs; what a great little town, so cute. We visited one of their great parks with the dogs although it was so cold that my fingers were numb. Elsa very much enjoys the cold; Luke is still thinking about it. Perhaps a nice warm jacket will help? I'll give it a go; he's never been one to wear stuff but maybe a nice new down jacket will warm him up to the idea of these cold temps.

Have a wonderful weekend whatever you are going to be doing with your pooches.

Return policy

2012-01-19T03:57:00.000-08:00

Recently I've spoken with several people who acquired a dog and then for some reason or other had to return it. In these tough financial times, sadly many people find themselves in situations that they had not expected. Losing a job can be life altering and then not being able to secure another form of employment can change everything even further. What happens when you get a puppy and either the puppy doesn't fit or for some reason you simply cannot keep a puppy? The return policy.

Over the years I've heard a great deal about return policies; some are amazing, others not so much. In my opinion when you choose to breed you take on the responsibility of all that you breed. Meaning that each and every dog that you put out there in the world, you are responsible for. If that means that you have to reclaim a puppy due to being duped by someone, then you do it. If one of your families finds themselves is need of returning a puppy because they are a statistic of today's financial issues; then you take it back. No matter what, you take your puppies back.

I spoke to one breeder who said "you better be sure because I don't want any puppies back." Her stance on returning was not; she wasn't taking back a puppy for any reason. When most other breeders that I know write in their contract; if for any reason you are unable to keep your puppy, it will be returned to the breeder. Of course the more puppies that you put out there the higher the possibility that some will come back. I guess other than taking back a puppy is the money issue. All puppies should be taken back if needed; that's just a given. But the money issue is a tricky one.

Knowing many breeders and their policies, they are all different. One particular breeder that I know takes puppies back and returns money no matter what. Her thoughts are for her puppies alone; "give me the puppy, here is your money back." Returning monies paid for a puppy when that said puppy is returned most definitely makes things more simple. It leaves nothing lingering; all ties are severed, nothing to discuss further.
Sometimes it just doesn't work; for whatever reason a puppy chosen hasn't fit the family. Should the family pay for this? I think not. Those people who may have had thought that a puppy would fit wonderfully could suffer greatly with the loss of that money. Maybe money is the reason that they cannot keep the puppy; either way I think that it should be returned.

Life is not a science and if even you do your homework it sometimes goes wrong. What matters is that the puppy is placed in a home where it fits; that is what is the most important thing. For a breeder this means work, but that is the work that you chose when you started breeding. Returning all money is most definitely the easiest and cleanest policy to have but; then there are the people who dupe you. They convince you of the great home they have for your puppy; they are just the greatest family. But then you find out otherwise; do you return money to these people when you take back your puppy? A thought to ponder.

Tying up the funds can draw out the agony which has already been placed before you. Litigation may follow as these less than upstanding citizens attempt to retrieve their funds from you. Is it worth it? The time and the effort to keep their money? That is a very personal question both with regards to situation and personal option. I do think in the long run that even for these "bad" folks that it is easier to just give it back. You have your puppy back which is the important part; there is good in that fact alone.

Breeding dogs is huge; there are so many aspects to it if..............you are an ethical, reliable and "good" breeder. It's easy if you have no heart and pump out puppies like they are pet rocks. But if you want to breed dogs so that other people can enjoy healthy, happy dogs then do it right. Making money should NEVER be behind it because money is behind the bad ones.

First snow

2012-01-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

Elsa trying to figure this stuff out.

Yesterday was our first snow here in Connecticut. It was the first snowfall for the poodles; they saw and walked in snow in Flagstaff, AZ and New Mexico on our trip across the country but never the fresh stuff. Elsa took a few hesitant first steps very early in the morning and soon discovered that this white stuff was pretty great. Luke not so much, I could tell that he was not a fan of it at first. He's getting up there and this simply made his feet cold. But he too ignored the white stuff after a while when Elsa convinced him that a good romp would do him good. I of course couldn't wait to shoot them in the snow; I have not had the chance to shoot snow much living in Southern California. This wasn't a huge snowfall but it was snow. Enjoy, I sure did.

Seems good enough to play ball in.

Except that the snow on the ball is weird.

Who's moving first?

It's on.

I'll get you my pretty.

Having fun

The body hurl

Elsa looking very human on her two legs

The neck chomp

The ball stare down

Zooming

Elsa using her full tail to lure Luke in for the attack.

Loving every second playtime.

Luke has wonderful ball removal technique

Luke, pondering this cold white stuff

New puppies

2012-01-17T03:16:00.000-08:00

Today's blog is a response to a request for a blog topic. It happens to be something that I am very passionate about and have written about often in the past. Choosing a puppy should take a great deal of time and effort. I don't care if you want a mix, a tiny yorkie, giant Irish Wolfhound or pound puppy; we need to look inside as well as outside. Temperament!!!!!!!! As someone who does temperament testing I get to see the vast difference a litter can hold. It really bothers me when people sell puppies as soon as they are born; it is often all done by color. Other breeders let people choose once the puppies are moving around; 2-3 weeks seems to be a popular age.

What are you getting? If you choose a puppy before the age of 6-7 weeks of age then you have absolutely no idea of what you are getting. That said, if you do not take puppies away from the pack and visit on their own then you really don't know what you are getting. Within a pack or litter, the puppies typically work out a hierarchy. It can change as the puppies age but the behaviors that you see within the litter can be drastically different once you stand a puppy on it's own. Often the tough guy of the bunch is the biggest chicken when they are all alone. Maybe the little meek puppy is the best at handling different sounds and sights. You just don't know until you test.

The first thing to look for when getting a new puppy is a breeder who places puppies into the most appropriate homes for their temperament. Many times a litter may be very similar so there can be many choices for a family; but other times they are all very different and there may be only one suitable puppy. Then there are times when there is not a puppy to fit; this may be the case when a family is looking for something very particular. I cannot tell you what you want in a dog; that is something that a family must sit down and decide. It may be a super athlete, you want a super charged, energetic, go getter. Maybe you want a quiet, mellow and calm dog; the ones I call "porch dogs."

Are you looking for a therapy dog? One that can visit either children, elderly or sick patients? You may be wanting to do search and rescue, go to ground, dock diving, competitive obedience or flyball. When you are looking for something particular you need to look for something particular. For myself, I was looking for a dog who was very social, a tail wagger who was not dominant. I needed a puppy who would respect her elders and it had to be a "she." I went through a great number of litters and it just never seemed to be the right fit. When I found Elsa's breeder I told her what I was looking for; we spoke over the weeks until the temperament test. Elsa was the one for us.

My question for those who don't try to match puppy to family is why not? Why not give the puppy the best chance at having it be a forever home? One of the biggest reasons that a puppy doesn't work is that it is not the right puppy for the family. Like I always, always say, every dog is different and every person is different. Knowing what you want and what you can and cannot live with is a good thing. This fact alone has many dog lovers shaking their head claiming "you should love them all." That would be nice in a fairly tale world but it is not reality. I know that I love all dogs, that in no way means that I want to live with all dogs.

Temperament is important; so is health and structure. Is genetic health testing important? Most definitely. And my question again would be "why not?" Why not do the best you can? Why not be sure, or at least as sure as you can be? Of course things can happen, dogs get sick just like people get sick. But if a breeder chooses not to test then they are working blind and in my opinion not doing their job. I have heard many breeders say "they have very healthy lines, no problems in their lines," but without the tests they don't really know. Even though dogs may seem to be healthy they can be carrying secret genetic health issues that will be passed down to their offspring. But that lacks breeder will never know and neither will that new puppy owner until it rears it's ugly face.

If you are getting a shelter or rescue puppy then make sure it is the puppy you are looking for. I believe that all rescue groups should be doing temperament testing; many do not. Of course they cannot do genetic testing because many dogs come from an unknown background. But they can fit puppies and/or dogs with the appropriate family. I have been to many behavior appointments where the cause of the "issues" is the wrong puppy in the wrong home. Sometimes it has been the wrong breed entirely; the person has not done their research. There have been misplaced rescue dogs from the groups that do not do temperament testing.

Having a dog join your family can be a time of transition and challenge when it is a good fit. When it is a mismatch it can be a continual struggle to make it work; creating a situation that could have been easily avoided by matching puppy with family.

My Books

2012-01-16T03:30:00.000-08:00

It is Monday again, the start to another very busy week. I am working on a new book, actually I am working on many books but one in particular today. I am writing a book on the journey I took across the country with my son and our four dogs at the time. Last week I sat down for the first time to get started on it; I want to write is now so that I can recall most of what happened. After a huge move and losing two members of our pack of four I think it will be very healing for me as I replay the adventure on paper. So far I've gotten our first day of travel done and we have just got to the hotel; so much more to come.

This of course has me thinking about the books that I've already done and am currently working on. I am very nearing the completion of my Standard Poodle photo book that will be gorgeous if I do say so myself. I have shot so many dogs and met their wonderful owners, what an experience. It will be a must have for any Standard Poodle lover; and of course it will contain my own guys here and there. :)

Books that have already been completed and published are my Dogs in the OC and Greyhound Rescue. I started the Dogs in the OC many, many years ago with the idea of shooting dogs in areas where people actually walk them. I mapped out many of the parks, beaches and trails within the OC (Orange County, CA) and tried to hit most of the cities. Dogs of all breeds, mixes, ages and sizes were included. I remember looking for dogs for the book and people would contact me asking if their dog could make it. I asked "is it a dog?" When they of course answered yes, I said "then there in."

Article on Dogs in the OC

Lori Basheda wrote an article on the book for the Orange County Register. Surprisingly we ended up on the front page. The link to the article is above; it is from a different paper, couldn't find the Register copy. If you click on the enlarge image there are 9 other images. I'm so very happy to have these images now that my two old girls are gone.

Dogs in the OC can be viewed here

Once I had Dogs in the OC I got to work on the Greyhound Rescue book. The production of this book was such an amazing experience. Each and every dog in the book is a rescue, and every dollar earned for the sale of the book goes to Hemopet.org Meeting the dogs and hearing their stories was life altering; what amazingly resilient dogs and wonderful people who rescue them. I would do the whole thing over again most definitely.

Greyhound Rescue book can be viewed here

So those are my books that are done; like I said I have several in production at the moment. I am so close to being done my Standard poodle book as well as a first stage New Puppy behavior book. It is all done I just have to put it all together. But today will be focused on my recent journey; it is a book that cannot wait. Lots of writing to do, I best get at it. Have a great week everyone.

Goal, the small steps along the way

2012-01-15T05:13:00.000-08:00

Do not let ambitions over shadow small success. I read this statement last night after dinner at PF Changs. Last weekend we discovered that there was indeed a PF Changs in the town beside ours; I was so excited. Not because I love PF Changs but more because it is a familiarity set in a unfamiliar and strange place. At the end of dinner we got our fortune cookies and this is what one of them held inside. When I read it I immediately thought of our dogs; all of our dogs, yours, mine, everyone's.

Often when training a clients dog the owner will grow frustrated; it can seem like extinguishing a behavior is just not working when you want it gone very badly. This is when I have to explain tiny, baby steps. Infinitesimal success, steps that may otherwise be missed can be big achievements on the way to the big one. Many years ago I worked with a dog that had an obsession with an ice making machine on a refrigerator. Every time the owner went towards the fridge the dog started to come unglued. Once the machine started it was pure nut case behavior, spinning, barking and whining. What we had to do was desensitize the fridge area first; this meant that we had to change the meaning of walking towards the fridge to the dog.

As we achieved small success we could work our way to the actual ice issue. I remember the owner becoming frustrated as we worked through. When she would say "how long is this going to take?" I would ask first "how long has he been doing it?" "Three years" was the answer. As we went through the process I would single out the minute successes that were being missed by the owner. To create a solid end result you must take your time to the finish line.

That said we can miss the small successes by also looking for something else. Perhaps you want a flyball dog, maybe a dock diving dog and you have been moving towards one of these with regards to behavior work. You may be missing tiny alternative behaviors that do not relate to your goal sport. Your dog might be exhibiting a new control that they had not shown before; you need to recognize these as well. Maybe you have a puppy who has started to display some nice sitting manners; small perhaps compared to diving off the end of a dock but success none the less. Living in our human world is most definitely a challenge; some have more of a challenge ahead of them than others.

It is our job as humans living with dogs to not let ambitions over shadow small success.

The truly evil sock

2012-01-14T05:09:00.000-08:00

Sock: A short stocking reaching a point between the ankle and the knee.

The sock, it keeps us warm, stops blisters from forming when we wear shoes with no socks and creates a fashion statement. But what else can a sock do? It can cause a great deal of damage and even kill. The sock's ability to draw a puppy in is staggering; it may lay there looking very innocent on the floor but it is far from the pure item of clothing that you may think it is. For some strange reason socks are a very hot item for most puppies and the desire alters with each individual. Some just like to carry them around, others like a good chew leaving your socks with custom air conditioning and then others want to consume them. Consuming is the massive danger with socks.

When a dog eats a sock it often does not pass through. You may wait for weeks hoping to see it laying there in the backyard but it never comes. Perhaps you forget about that sock until there is another. Another sock is eaten and then you start to worry; and worry you should, socks can cause a huge blockage. If a sock does not pass it can become a serious blockage in the stomach leading to the intestines, the small or large intestines themselves or the bowels. You may not notice for a great long while as the build up slowly does it's damage.

Typically dogs start to seem "not themselves." They may throw up and pooping may turn to diarrhea and then stop completely. Eating socks is far more serious than most people think; with a puppy of my own it has been a constant worry. Elsa happens to love socks, she has and will go to great lengths to find them. Luckily she most reliably does a happy dance when she has found one cluing me in immediately.

NEVER CHASE; chasing makes finding socks even better and if your dog is worried about losing a sock during the chase they may swallow it.

Teach the drop command as soon as you can. Instill a great reward system for dropping anything.

Build a positive out of a negative. Tilley was and Elsa is a huge retriever; with a high drive they thrive of chase, finding and retrieving. So as I did with Tilley I am teaching Elsa to bring me socks. When I see her with one I praise her and ask her to bring it to me; she is then asked to drop and rewarded. I stay very calm and remove the sock like it is nothing, no big deal. The more "big deal" you make it the more mystical power that you give the sock. Your goal needs to be to extinguish any power that the evil sock holds.

Of course other things can be just as dangerous but socks seem to be a common desire among many of our canines. So keep them out of reach and teach your dog to retrieve and drop, eliminating the swallow reaction.

A turn of the head

2012-01-13T03:48:00.000-08:00

Batting her eyelashes at Luke saying "you know you want to chase me for this ball."

Dogs are smart, in fact they are far smarter than we humans give them credit for. They are sneaky smart and depending on the dog; crazy unbelievably smart. "I was just gone a second," "I just turned around and.........." I hear these sort of statements all the time and explain why in the blink of an eye a great dog can become a very naughty dog. As I said they are amazingly smart, so smart that they can be constantly watching you and make it look like they are not. I can barely move about my house without both Elsa and Luke knowing. Of course as Tilley and Jessie got on in years and lost their hearing I could sneak out of a room without them knowing but if their hearing is good then they are watching like a hawk.

When I watch my own two (wow, two sounds weird to me) playing I get a glimpse of the intelligence that I deal with. Elsa loves absolutely nothing more than to be chased; she will grab a ball and torment Luke until he gives in and goes after her. If Luke happens to get the ball and try to keep it then Miss Elsa kicks into her "smarts" routine. She knows perfectly well that if Luke keeps the ball the game is over. She bats her eyelashes and pushes her body on his, wrapping that long tail of hers around him. She sits on his head until he gets really mad and starts to growl; then she licks his mouth, teeth and tonsils until he is thinking she is pretty darned cute. All the while I can see her looking at the ball during this whole routine. As soon as he is bit by the "cute" bug she goes for the ball and runs off with it to start the game all over again. He sits looking at her like he can't believe she got him again.

Many counter surfers do just this; they look like they are ignoring that roast on the counter edge. You have a false sense of "they would never," thinking not your dog. Meanwhile your dog has seen the roast and is plotting it's demise; they are watching and waiting for your departure. All they need is a split second; a moment of attention loss and they are on it. "I literally left the kitchen for one second." That's all they need; they had the whole plan of action played out in their head and all they were waiting for is your part in it.

I will often have food on counters or tables when I'm in the room, I make a lot of food both for humans and dogs. The other day I was leaving the kitchen for a moment and got a glimpse of breakfast dishes on the table; I stopped and thought for a moment. Hmmmmmm..............if I leave them there and Elsa jumps up and gets them then I will have a behavior to then get rid of. Nope. I picked up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher before walking out to get what I needed.

Just yesterday I was going out to the gym; I contemplated leaving the dogs in the kitchen for the first time. They have been in there when I have to go outside and pick up but not for a 45 min. stretch. Elsa is always in her ex-pen if I go out, it keeps her safe and ensures that I still adore her when I get home. So I thought "is it time? Should I give it a try?" But then I thought better of the idea; she is only 6 months old and there is a great deal of "stuff" to get into in the kitchen. I will try in a couple of months; for now the best option was to avoid a problem behavior.

When a dog gets something that they want but are not allowed to have it is because we allowed it to happen. Once they start this behavior then they are watching more closely for your split second lack of attention. Each and every time that they do get something they are rewarding their own bad behavior; fueling a behavior that will most certainly grow. So when you consider "I'm just going to run upstairs for a second," think twice. Scan the room, what are they going to go for? If you have any doubts at all bring them with you upstairs; it most definitely beats undoing a bad thing.

The name game

2012-01-12T04:07:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago we were at a local beach here in Connecticut. Both Luke and Elsa were off leash which puts me on high alert. I cannot carry on a good conversation because I'm "watching." I am watching for proximity, distance, other canines and interactions. It is a full time job watching that nothing goes wrong; mostly I was watching Elsa, at only 6 months now she is far from reliable with her recall. Add in a bunch of other dogs to play with and she goes stone deaf.

Luke is a dog that likes to get distance, he has always been like this and it makes me uncomfortable. He is completely reliable and trustworthy but I have my own "safety zone" distance and he always goes out of it. Realizing that he was a bit far for my liking I shouted out to him "Clyde." I stopped dead in my tracks, what? Did I just yell out Clyde? Where the hell did that come from? Clyde was the boy that I had before Luke; Clyde has now been gone 12.5 years but it still came out.

I think that I shouted his name because I'd been thinking about him a lot lately. With the loss of Jessie and Tilley growing older (this was before losing Tilley) I was thinking about all my past dogs. I was shocked that it came out so naturally and was quite taken back. Names are a strange thing; if I meet someone on the street I will rarely remember their name, that is unless I do the name association thing. I'm horrible at remembering human names. But; I can remember just about all the dogs I've met in my life, yep.

It is common when I'm calling out for one of my children that I go through many names, dogs included until I settle on who it actually is that I am calling. That person usually smiles and shakes their head; I clearly remember my father doing the same thing. There were 5 kids in my family and only one dog but he would go through all the names until he got to who it was. We all do it, even bringing up names from the past. Two evenings ago my husband got home from work and bent down to greet out little gal Elsa. He smiled and said "Hey Till." I said "Till?" catching the error immediately. He shook his head sadly.

There can be many reasons why we miss use names; calling out the wrong name of who we are addressing. One reason is that we are far too busy and our minds become a cluster of thoughts are tangled up. The other is that our words reveal our thoughts; clearly my husband had been thinking of Tilley that night. Clyde had been on my mind a great deal the day I called out to Luke with Clyde's name. Then there is the simple fact that we tend to screw things up; calling out to Elsa I yell "Luke," then catch myself, shake my head and readdress the little one.

I figure the more names you go through until resting on the right one, the more amazing beings you have in your life.

Taking a few personal days

2012-01-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

I am taking a few personal days to try to get back on track. Bear with me; I'll be back in a few.

Sherri

Gone but NEVER forgotten

2012-01-09T03:54:00.000-08:00

Kalchan's Time for Tilley - March 13, 1997 - January 08, 2012

As many of you know we lost our sweet Tilley yesterday. What can I say about a dog as perfect as she was? She was as close to perfection as you can come for a dog. Tilley was my Lassie in poodle clothing; she was gentle, affectionate, intelligent, athletic, mannerly, mothering and beautiful.

I will mourn her loss and then take joy in the memories I shared with her for almost 15 years. There are many, from the quiet moments sitting simply enjoying each others company to the crazy frisbee days of watching a super athlete in her prime. Tilley wowed almost everyone she ever met, she had the patent on "sweet."

As sweet a girl as she was there was never a doubt in my mind that she would defend her family with her life. She was an amazing guard dog and took her job seriously. For most of her life with us she was the caregiver of the pack. She never fussed about her position and was happy just being one of us. She was and will always be my Lassie.

Tilley had been steadily declining in the last few weeks; at nearly 15 you expect this knowing that their time left with us is short. But no matter what age they are taken from us we are never ready to let go. As I sit and write this mornings blog I am looking at an empty bed on the floor, the unsteady ticking of her nails on the floor has been silenced and I am left with a broken heart.

Yesterday she took a turn for the worst; we rushed to the emergency. After many tests it was discovered that she had a mass on her spleen and was bleeding internally. It was time to let her go; never an easy decision but when you love a dog there is almost always a last horrific decision to be made and it was with great love that we let her go to finally rest.

My sweet Tilley, she filled a spot in my heart and will rest there forever, memories we help the to mend the sadness.

I want to give special thanks to Dr. Alex Rousseau at Cornell University for his care and kindness. The speed and professionalism that they showed upon our arrival is how it should always be for our dogs.

After many weeks of preparation and a great deal of travel Tilley joined our family.

Tilley was born in Manilla Canada at Kalchan Standard Poodles. I can't thank Glenna Mae enough for allowing me to share my life with one of her amazing puppies. How lucky was I to not only to share all the memorable moments with Tilley but to call her a member of our family? Thank you once again Glenna Mae.

Tilley joined our pack of two in May of 1997 and blended in as a perfect fit. From the day she joined us she took Brad (my son) under her wing as her own.

Tilley accompanied me on many private/group training classes leaving students often say "I just want my dog to be like Tilley." I could never took the credit for her being so amazing, she came to me as pretty close to perfect.

Our pack soon shifted and Tilley became #2 in our 3 dog pack. Luke was the new comer and not so nicely welcomed by his older sister Tilley. It took months for her to adjust to this new boy in town but once they bonded; the rest was history.

I have never in all my life seen such a naturally talented dog; amazing utility dog should have been her middle name. Give her a task and she was not only on it but excelling at it.

Tilley not only helped other dogs learn how to behave but she also helped several "dog fearful" humans to trust a dog again. She had about her a special air of neutralness.

Tilley was an amazing athlete; her drive was off the charts and she loved it, throw and she would catch it.

Tilley appeared on Pet Star twice exhibiting her amazing catching abilities. If you see the show on television you may be lucky enough to see her in action on the re-runs. She also appeared in many magazine as she "got air" for her discs.

Always ready to retrieve.

As she aged gracefully she enjoyed the good things in life.

Even as an old lady she could do things that were amazing.

She was a true water retriever

My constant companion.

Luke's partner in life.

She was a very happy girl.

While she was able to, she spent many happy hours on our bed with us.

Even at the age of 14 she was always up for water sports.

Tilley loved the simple things in life.

Big sister and mentor

The apple of her Daddy's eye. Tilley had a special love for the men in her life.

NO DOGS ALLOWED

2012-01-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

You can see Luke and Elsa off in the distance, I love this shot.

NO DOGS ALLOWED, at all? What? Not even on a leash? NO. Hmmmmmmm.

Not cool; not cool at all. Okay I understand that there are some places that dogs should not be allowed. Busy children playgrounds, Dr. offices, nail salons etc; but open fields or parks? Hello?

I just don't get it; I got an email from a friend the other day with pics of her walking on the beach and when I asked where her dog was she told me "no dogs allowed." Even in the winter months? Talking to a gentleman yesterday about local parks he explained how many of the parks have the "no dogs allowed," rule. Not even on leash? Dogs are not allowed to walk in the woods? Really? What are dog feet going to do that people feet don't?

I understand that there are folks out there that have ruined it for those of us who have well behaved dogs. We pick up after our dogs and generally make sure that they are good citizens while out. There are others who allow their dogs to run amuck, miss behave and leave their poop where it drops. So of course those who make the rules think twice about letting dogs in at all. But really? The ground we walk on is not fit for our dogs?

I remember in California, going out to shoot the wildfires one day several years back and as I entered each park it amazed me that so many wild scrubby parks didn't allowed dogs on leash or off. Really? In this wild, open scrubby area you cannot walk your dog? Really? It seems that I will be running into that as well here in Connecticut. There are always people who will break rules, take leashes off in on leash areas, take dogs where they are not allowed but to not allow them in a wild and natural park at all? I just don't understand it and will not agree with it.

If the poop is an issue then give tickets to those who don't pick up; I am all for that and will even volunteer a day or two to do so. I can't stand people who let their dogs drop and don't pick up. If it is a leash issue where people are letting their dogs off when they shouldn't then ticket. But don't stop people from enjoying the wide open spaces of the great outdoors with their dog, it's just not right.

Sure if there is a beautifully landscaped park, meticulously groomed with lavish flower gardens spread across the grounds then okay, maybe. But wild parks? Really?

Jumping, jumping, jumping.

2012-01-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

I wrote the other day about Elsa smiling at the cable guy. Not only was she smiling but she was jumping all over him. He had caught her by surprise as he walked into the living room; she'd been napping and didn't know that he'd been at our house for what seemed to be hours. He was just finishing up when he came in and was discussing what he'd done with all the connections to my son. I had no treats on me at the time; which was very rare. I'd had Elsa out before her nap and spent all of my treats on working on a recall.

As soon as the guy spoke her ears went up and she kicked into super charged greeting mode. She was hurling herself at him while smiling and wiggling with sheer joy to see a stranger in the house. I asked her to get off but I had nothing to compete with the new guy. Seeing that there was no stopping her as she did her best tasmanian devil greeting routine I ran to get the goods from the kitchen. She followed me into the kitchen and watched as I pocketed my secret weapon. We then headed back into the living room to work on NOT jumping on guests.

The difference was amazing; Elsa loves food so much that when she jumped on the guy and I asked for an off she immediately got off and sat. She was quickly rewarded. Elsa LOVES people and when I want her to stop saying a very rambunctious hello I have to have something better than the greeting that she is partaking in. She then only went to see the guy a couple of times; opting to listen to Mom for her reward. Elsa is turning out to be very typical in that she is an excellent example of how things work in a dogs mind. Behavior work that I have been teaching for years unfold to perfection when used on Elsa, making her a perfect example of what to do and not to do.

Of course each dog is different so if you have a dog that is not into food then you must find what they are into. If you want to stop them from doing something that they love then you must be able to offer them something better if they listen to you. For Tilley it was always a ball, with Luke it was praise; he is a mush and loves nothing better than to be gushed over. He also hates getting into trouble so he was always working for the lavishing of praise from Mom.

As I get to know our little addition to the family more and more it is becoming increasingly obvious that a ball may soon take over food. Of course not in all instances but the other day she didn't even drop a ball for a treat; she opted for another toss instead. Learning all about each is fascinating and knowing what makes them tick is the secret to behavior modification.

Smiling; in a dog sense

2012-01-06T04:34:00.000-08:00

A happy face yes; but not the toothy smile I'm talking about.

Human smiling: to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement. Characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth.

Dog smiling; a flash of a dogs front teeth, it can be a fraction of a second flash or a longer drawn out flash. Typically accompanied with squinting eyes and lowered body posture. A submissive gesture.

Dog smiles; many people say that their dog smiles but what they are usually explaining is the relaxed mouth of a happy dog and often the mouth is open. This is commonly the case when you have been out for the day or even a walk with your dog, they are indeed happy but it is not a true smile in a dog sense.

A dog smile is a visual display of teeth, body, eyes and ears. They will lower their body, squint their eyes, flatten their ears and flash you a big toothy grin. Smiling can happen when a dog is feeling exceptionally submissive or in greeting. Elsa smiles, her first smile was delivered to my son Brad who is also the recipient of most of Tilley's smiles over the years. Tilley has always smiled, I love smiling dogs. Her favorite person has always been my son and it is he who receives most of Elsa's smiles as well.

My husband receives huge smiles from Elsa when he comes home from work each evening. Strangers have gotten a good smile from Elsa, my daughters and friends. Over the past months I have received only 2 smiles and that was after a long absence. Even though Elsa is quite a confident puppy she has a submissive factor about her as well. Like I often say about dogs, she is complicated yet simple; much like her big brother Luke.

Elsa smiles during greetings, it does not have to be a family member. She smiled at one of her trainers a couple of months ago when we first entered the building. She smiled at the cable guy yesterday, this was a much more exuberant smile than normal. It was accompanied with body wiggles, an immensely wagging tail and jumping all over the guy. The cable guy had been at our home for hours but Elsa had been napping; he walked into the living room and was greeted by a very excited and surprised Elsa.

Luke has never smiled although several times over the year it has looked like he is almost going to. His face crinkles in a pre smile position but the smile has never come. Although Luke has never displayed the full front teeth flash of a true canine smile he does have a very happy and relaxed "smile" face as many people know the dog smile to be. But a true smile is a very precise behavior delivered only as a canine can.

I have yet to capture a good smile but am shooting for it all the time. I have to set everything up correctly to capture the smile and typically I am on the wrong end to get it. I can get the lowered body posture, and the ear position but that's all from the rear. I will have to enter into the house by my sons side to truly capture the fully delivered Elsa smile.

Many people think that a dog is being aggressive when they smile; after all we are shown a flash of a dogs pearly whites when we get one. It is very close to an aggressive display but the body is the secret; you must watch the entire body to get the full message. When you see one you will know that you have indeed been smiled at.

Shooting canines

2012-01-05T04:14:00.000-08:00

Good morning; I was recently asked to blog about my canine photography. Just to let you all know, I really enjoy receiving requests from readers. As I've said before, I often get bloggers block and sit looking at the empty page with no inspiration. If I don't have something pressing that I want to discuss on a certain page I will always write on a requested topic, so here you go.

My love of photography started at a very early age. The only thing that I can ever remember wanting to be "when I grow up," was a photographer. Having the good fortune of meeting a great dog person early on in my life I was in the thick of it from the age of 13. After being a professional dog trainer for over 10 years I got my hands on a camera and the rest is history. I immediately knew that "this" (photography) is what I wanted to do; as well as my dog training. Capturing canines through photography was an instant passion; it enabled me to see what you might never notice if not instantly captured. A look, an emotion, a reaction, action etc.

Once I got some experience under my belt and some amazing images I started contacting the big dog magazines. One of my very first published images was the cover of Off Lead. Shown below this image was shot at a dog park and is full of communication and expression between the two. Action is probably my favorite aspect of capturing the essence of a canine.

After my first cover I was bitten by the "published" bug; I loved having my images on dog magazine covers. I got to work right away filling my stock and contacting more publishers. Since those early days I have had so many covers and inside shots published; it was an exciting time.

After the initial excitement of being published I wanted more. I started doing private shoots for those wanted to capture their canines in a beautiful portrait. I have to say it was a strange sensation at first; meeting a dog and their owner and not working on behavior. As a long time dog trainer I am constantly watching interactions for insight into problem issues and behaviors. It took a while to hang up my trainer vest at the door when I entered a "shoot" home and not a training home.

Music to my ears is when an owner says to me "you totally captured my dog." I have done several shoots now for people who's dogs have passed since their shoot. Getting an email or call telling me how much more they appreciate having their images now that their best friend is gone gives me a special feeling. I feel so lucky to be able to meet each dog that I shoot and their owners. In my eyes, dogs are art all on their own; being able to capture each one's individual amazingness is pretty amazing itself. I love it.

The noble canine

Expression!!!!!!!!!!!

This was taken several years ago and is still one of my all time favorite images.

Having an extensive canine behavior background has made the job of shooting jobs so much easier for me. I can't imagine those who try to shoot dogs not knowing about dog behavior. It can be more than a challenge to get a good shot and patience beyond belief. Yesterday I wrote about my lack of patience for waiting around; this is where my patience is at it's best. Either in my training or photographing; for dogs I have never ending patience. Often a client will become flustered at their dog's behavior; especially if they know I am also a trainer. They grow increasingly embarrassed as their dog acts..........well, like a dog. I always assure them that I am in no rush, just chill and we'll get the shot.

Not only do I work with dogs but I also work with their owners and when doing a shoot it is all about what the owner is looking for. We sit and chat about what they want me to capture, what to them is special about their dog. It doesn't take me long to get a feel for a dog and it is the images that I want to capture that often turn out to be the ones that the owner loves. Posed images are not something that I enjoy doing; they are essential sometimes when I have to get a particular shot but it is the candid shots that shine. Like the one above and the one below, life as it unfolds is what makes me tick.

This image best exhibits our (my son, our dogs and me) adventure across America.

I have had a big break now in my work with my recent move and it is time to get back at it. There are new things around the corner for Just dogs with Sherri and as they unfold I will share them with you all. For now I will keep shooting, training, cooking and baking for dogs, it's all for the dogs.

Competition

2012-01-04T04:19:00.000-08:00

Humans are a competitive bunch; not all but many. No matter what sport or activity you are involved with there is bound to be a competitive direction for it. Canine competition is thriving; whether you are into conformation, agility, flyball, frisbee, hunting or whatever, you can compete. Many, many, many years ago I was into conformation showing; I have to say that I loved it, but much of what I loved was the time spent with dogs. I had no dogs of my own when I started and the chance to spend whole weekends with dogs was amazing. Once I had my own dogs and continued to show it lost its luster pretty quickly. It took up too much time when I had little ones at home, the grooming, the waiting...........oh the waiting.

Over the years I've dabbled in several competitive aspects of canine performance. Approximately 7-10 years ago when Tilley was in her prime, she was pretty amazing as far as disc dogs go. I have no doubt that she could have gone far in the freestyle division. My issue with the whole competition aspect of sports was the waiting; I hated it. I don't wait in line for my own things; I'm just not a fan of waiting for much of anything. I hate lines, I am not a fan of crowds but it is mostly the waiting around that I hate. I remember attending one frisbee event, the registration was early in the morning and once signed up you pulled up a seat and waited.

We waited and waited; Tilley and I watched all the other dogs playing frisbee. She was dying to catch, all she wanted to do was to catch the frisbee. As I sat there waiting our turn to strut our stuff I thought to myself; "I could be in the park right now throwing the frisbee for Tilley for an hour. It was then that I realized that I am not the competitive type; meaning that I don't want to participate in "official" competition. I happen to be a very competitive person but my hate of waiting around outweighs my desire to compete.

I definitely understand the desire to compete and kudos to those who do compete. You have a great deal more patience for waiting around than I do. But just as all dogs are different so too are we humans; what one person may love doing another may hate. I have amazing patience for other things like watching dog behavior, waiting for a certain behavior, training, shooting etc.; it's just the waiting idly for my turn that I have no patience for. I enjoy travelling; but then again I hate the waiting, I could go crazy waiting. Waiting to get through the lines, waiting to get on the plane, waiting at the stop over, waiting for luggage, I hate it. That was one factor that I loved about driving across country, it certainly took much longer but there was no waiting in lines.

I am looking at Rally right now but think that I may run into the same "waiting" issue. I also want to do Dock Diving with Elsa; that is once she gets her water legs. I have attended a great number of Dock Diving events and they are typically casual and many have a side pool where the dogs can play and practice their stuff. Whether or not you decide to compete or not in whatever sport or activity you enjoy with your dog; it all comes down to drive and patience. I have the drive but do not possess the patience to wait around.

Basic manners

2012-01-03T04:05:00.000-08:00

Manners; ways of behaving with reference to polite behaviors. Manners are important; they are what separate us from the uncivilized, unmannerly. They are also important for dogs; some dogs come with manners built in, they are somehow born not to push buttons or behave bullishly. Tilley is about the most naturally mannered dog I've met; I have always called her my Lassis in poodle clothing. She does not push, barge, assume or seek status. Often it is the status seeking behaviors that get dogs into trouble.

Luke has always been a pushy, gotta be first type of guy. For much of his life he has been seeking status; now at the age of 11 much of that is gone. Who cares? seems to be the message he gives off often although with a new young'n in the house it can still come out now and again. Status seeking is often seen in toy acquisition; Elsa is very much into the "mine, mine, mine" stage. Anything anyone else has is what she needs to have. For this reason Luke will go and take things from her to make a point. "I will take it because I can," is the message delivered by taking and obtaining his toys.

Prime real estate is also something that is high in demand and not only for humans. Typically the best spot is beside the owner; although it can be a cozy spot by the fire or the best seat in the house for viewing. Elsa is a clammerer, she clammers all over us and the other dogs and has no physical boundaries as far as what you climb on and what you do not climb on. She will get a toy and go sit on Luke's head to chew on it; he is getting very accustom to this and has extended his boundary allowances for her. Tilley is not as accommodating and will growl at any foot set upon her; females will not typically put up with as much nonsense from other females.

Up until now Elsa has been banned from the couch for the most part. As the young dog in the house or bottom man it is important to establish rules that the older dogs have earned. She very much likes to try to climb up and squeeze into the smallest of spots between a human and a sleeping dog. This weekend we watched a couple of movies and she was allowed to join and snuggle; this allowance has lead to more clammering. So it is time to establish some very clear rules about furniture; that being that you are not allowed on unless invited.

This rule is one that I have made clear with any dog who likes to push. Luke was banned from the couch and beds when he was young for a six month period. He was asked to move off the couch by my young son at the time and growled. A growl is a ticket off the furniture and depending on the dog will factor on how long this should last. For Elsa, it is more that she is just a very happy go lucky girl with no personal boundary knowledge. So she will not be allowed on unless she is specifically invited and not every day. She must also learn how to get up and that she is not allowed to stomp all over the people or other dogs on the couch or bed.

Going through doors is another biggy as far as status. Not all dogs barge so not all dogs should be required to wait for us to go through a door. Luke was a barging type, that "gotta be first" thing was always there. He doesn't care much now so the rule is no longer enforced except on doors that lead to danger. Elsa is also just like Luke was as a youngster with doors and being first. She has no manners and will push and barge her way in to be first. She has been asked to wait since she arrived as this was a clear behavior already instilled in her.

I really like the "wait" rule for dogs who like to barge because it helps them to learn control. Self control is difficult for dogs who are driven and are status seeking. Teaching them to wait and/or to ask before they are allowed to partake in fun activities helps them to learn their much needed manners for life.

Winter

2012-01-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

Winter; I've missed it. Oh sure we had winter in California but it's not really winter in the true sense of winter, it's more like a cool summer month or two. Typically there is a rainy season in January or February; sometimes with huge amounts of rain which I always welcomed as actual weather to deal with. I grew up in the Ottawa, Canada area; where winter is very real and very cold. I remember taking the dogs out and having them lift their feet because they were freezing; we would adjust and stay on paths where they did better. Days when our face was so cold you thought it might actually crack off; this sort of stuff makes you hardy and as weird as it sounds I missed it. I am a northerner.

Tilley was also a northerner and when the temperatures drop she gets a spring in her step. I remember when fall was upon us and the dogs were more than excited to run and play and not get hot; I was right there with them. Not everyone understands this; I know lots of people who think I'm crazy. In fact not long before we moved from California; I was out at a park with the poodles. I was stopped by some really great folks who were also standard poodle folks and it turned out that they were also from Ontario. They'd lived in SoCal about the same amount of time as us and unlike me did not miss the snow or the cold.

I don't know how many photos I have of Tilley in the snow when she was young. Most dogs love to play in the snow. All of my dogs that I had when we lived in Canada loved it. They loved running in it, catching snow balls, running full speed with their nose dug under the snow and doing anything they could in it. I really hope to get some snow shoes and go hiking in the snow, it is one of my favorite activities. I remember walking into the woods after a huge snow fall and lying in the snow; the thick blanket of snow muffled all sounds but my dogs running around. I could lay there for hours listening to them root around in the snow. Crazy? Maybe. But if you love the north you know what I'm talking about.

As we made arrangements to leave Southern California I consciously left coat on Tilley; she's pretty full and fluffy now. At 14.5 I thought she could really use it. I took Luke down a bit more and left Elsa with her gorgeous puppy coat. Winter is a funny thing because too little coat and they are cold, too much and they get hot when inside so you have to find that happy medium. Of course this is just with poodles, most dogs just have what they have right? Dog coats are very useful for those who don't have much of a coat, like Dobermans, Greyhounds, Weimaraners etc.

So far I've only had to deal with two cold days here in Connecticut. It's been unusually warm here in the North East which is maybe good for us to get back into the swing of the cold. I know it does not get as cold as it does up further North like in Ottawa so I think it's a good adjustment area for us to be in. Last week in SoCal it was in the 80s and I would have definitely been complaining about it. Here it has been gorgeous in the high 40s, low 50s. The dogs seem to be adjusting great; Elsa is so cute when out in the wind with her coat blowing, her head lifted to the wind to take in all the scents that she can.

I look forward to our first snow here, that is if we ever get any. Elsa and Luke had a their first experience not long after we left CA. Flagstaff AZ had quite a bit when we made our way East and seeing Luke look at the snow, look at me and then shrug as if to simply accept it was cool. Elsa sort of had a little zoom like she does when her feet hit the sand and then she too adjusted to walking on this cold white stuff.

Come on winter, we're waiting for you to arrive.

The end of another year

2012-01-01T04:19:00.000-08:00

2011; not a year I'd relish redoing but there were a few good moments. Some highlights from last year.

Stanley; the gorgeous Chesapeake Retriever that I had the chance of photographing years ago was the main man at the Rosebowl Parade in January. What a story.

My Christmas gift from 2010 was a trip to the California Wolf Center. How exciting to watch wolf behavior and capture some fabulous images, a trip to remember.

Sadly around this time last year Jessie was hit with Dementia; she suffered for a year with this debilitating disease.

We had a great giveaway with terrific prizes last January.

Tested some great new leash product, I love testing.

Dealt with some REALLY? issues.

Met some three legged wonders.

Tilley celebrated her 14th birthday

I got to shoot two goldens enjoying their pool

Had a wonderful guest blog written by Helen King on Agility

Another great day at the beach in So Cal with my main man squeeze.

Visited Yappy Hour at the Ritz in So Cal

Had the best photo shoot with my own dogs, a vase and water.

Celebrated Jessie's 15th birthday

Another fabulous shoot, this time the Doberman

Dealt with yet another horrible vet

Visit Ottawa and a whole knew pile of poodle friends

Luke's 11th Birthday

Visiting dog friendly cities

Bringing home Elsa

Visiting great friends

A sad fairwell

As I look over my blogs from the last year I did a lot. There was a great deal of change in 2011; good and bad. This is a New Year and I hope it will better than the last; it was a memorable one but not one that I would redo if I could. I look forward to hearing from you all in the New Year; experiencing new canine activities with my guys and hearing about all of your dogs. Have a wonderful New Year everyone; give your pooch a big hug from Sherri.

Real food

2011-12-31T05:44:00.000-08:00

Good Saturday morning all; first a little update on my face. It is slowly, very slowly healing. I made my first outing into the public on Thursday; I took Elsa and Luke down to Greenwich for some social time. My face is pretty scary to look at so when people stopped to talk, and they did it was a bit awkward when they finally looked up from the dogs at me. Oh well it can only get better right? And I must get out.

I have been asked to discuss "real food" by several people recently. I have done a great deal of writing and speaking to people who are interested in the subject of feeding real food. The term "people food" is what many who are trying to keep us on the dog food train use. I hate the term and do not use it, it is simply real food; when they feed it to elephants and monkeys in the zoos do they call it people food?

I understand that it can be a scary thought, the dog food companies have done their job well of making us feel like we just can't. We have been brainwashed into thinking that the big dog food companies know best. These companies put everything our dogs need into their dry little kibbles for us to feed and have our dogs thrive; how could we possibly do any better? As far as dog food is concerned there is a huge variance in quality; for me the bigger the company the lesser the quality. So if you stay feeding dog food, do your research and buy the best that you can.

As for real food or "people food" as most call it, it's easy to feed your dog better than most dog foods just by feeding real to start with. Dogs are carnivores so most of their food should come from an animal based protein. Dogs don't care if it is the expensive cut or the lower priced tough stuff; in fact I always by the lower priced stuff for my guys. I feed chicken, beef, pork, eggs, cheese, organ meat and fish. I also give them vegetables, finely chopped or parboiled. A small percentage of their meal is vegetables, sometimes I add fruit like dried cranberries, blueberries, apple, banana or orange juice. I use to have an orange tree in the yard so would sneak some in; many dogs are not fans of citrus fruit.

There is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. Raw and natural nutrition by Lew Olson. This book takes away the mystery of feeding real food to your dog but does not focus on one way of feeding. The book offers help for supplementing real food into dog food, feeding cooked meals and raw. I cannot recommend the book enough for those who are hesitant about taking the "real food" step.

When you consider the lack of nutrition in much of the dog food that is available out there; feeding real food not only makes sense but is much easier than people think. It has been the objective of the dog food companies to make us feel like we cannot compete with them. We not only can compete, we can far exceed the quality of food that we feed our dogs compared to dry dog food. I collect eggshells and grind them for calcium in the dog's food which is pretty much a free source considering I would normally just throw them out. I buy cottage cheese at Costco; the big tubs and add this to their food. I also give them plain organic goat yogurt and lots of other things.

Variety is important; just like for us it is the easiest way get the most nutrition that you can. So many people these days, even Veterinarians will tell you to feed one food and don't give any "people food" to your dog. This is not only misleading but entirely wrong. If I am having a turkey sandwich with cheese and arugula for lunch I will almost always share. I like my dogs to be able to eat anything. On my recent trip across the country I had my guys on strictly dog food; it was something that I had to do. Now home again I am getting them back on track with real food and once I find a good protein source other than the grocery store I will plug in the deep freeze and stock up.

Buy the book; it makes taking that first step to better nutrition much less scary.

Hand signals

2011-12-30T03:59:00.000-08:00

Isn't it cool when someone puts their dog through a string of behaviors without uttering a word? It is a goal of many to do just this, work silently. The reason that it is impressive is that your dog must be paying close attention to be able to follow hand signals. If they aren't watching then they aren't going to see the signals right? Attention can be the most difficult thing to teach when trying to use strictly hand signals; especially when you add distractions to your training.

In fact most dogs learn hand signals before they ever learn a verbal cue; most but not all. Elsa learns words just as fast as she learns hand signals. Because of this I have used the words on their own and am now adding hand signals. Yesterday I taught her the swing; the action of going to heel position from sitting in front of me, going all the way around to the right of me and ending up on the left. It took her all of 5 min. from start to finish. I never used a verbal cue for this because it is a lured behavior. Now that she is reliably performing it I will add a verbal cue and slowly remove the hand signal. This allows you to use the verbal, visual or both.

Hand signals are extremely useful for keeping a dog's attention on you, they learn to go about their business with one eye on you just in case. It is also extremely helpful as our dogs age and lose their hearing. I have always used hand signals with my old guys once their hearing starts to fail. It is much easier on the nerves than yelling in hopes of some sort of acknowledgement. It is sad when an old dogs vision goes as well and you are left with only touch to communicate.

Many hand signals are in fact shortened versions of how we originally teach our dogs a behavior. Over exaggerated signals can be shortened up until they are barely visible. Dogs are masters at visual cues and the slightest movement from us can hold a great deal of information for a dog. When I watch and guide clients through the teaching of their dog; I often see visual cues that their dog is picking up on that they don't even realize. I will ask the owner to stand perfectly still, with their hands by their side and then use a verbal cue. Typically their dog will stand in front of them stupefied, which then leaves the owner wondering what's going on.

A turn of the head, a slight bend, motioning with the body or facial expression can be all that is needed for a visual cue. If you really want to know if your dog "gets" a verbal cue all on its own then you need to take away all visual cues completely. Standing like a statue you can then offer your verbal cues to see if your dog is listening. Dogs do a great deal more watching than they do listening so having a dog that will go through their paces strictly on verbal cues is just as impressive if not more so than a dog who will act on visual cues.

I believe all dogs deserve to learn; learning opens up doors to more learning once those doors have been opened. If you've got a real smarty then it can be difficult to think up stuff to teach them; but the more you teach the more means you are developing in communicating with your dog.

The ground that we walk on

2011-12-29T03:43:00.000-08:00

Ground - the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land.

Having moved around quite a bit I have experienced a great deal of different floor coverings and exterior ground conditions. When we lived in Canada we had a couple of acres that was pretty much natural and a huge dog run at the side of the house with gravel in it. The gravel was large enough so that it did not stick to the dogs feet in the winter and with a good bed of sand beneath it, there was excellent drainage. It kept their feet working and no one ever took a spill on it.

The last house we had in California had a beautiful large concrete patio with a massive set of steps leading down to more concrete. There was also a grass area in the back. The concrete was beautifully smooth; it was wonderful to clean and we spent a great deal of time enjoying the yard. If the dogs really got going they would slip a very small bit here and there but it was pretty great most of the time. Here in Connecticut we have natural surroundings and a few wood decks. The property has gorgeous rock outcrops, flat grass areas and wooded pieces here and there around the yard.

As dogs age, like us they lose muscle mass which makes walking more difficult. Tilley is now nearing 15 and has a great deal of difficulty walking on anything that she cannot get a grip on. The regular ground is great, rocks not so much. It is the decking that gives her the most difficulty outside; and add to that a bit of frost and it can be treacherous for an old gal. I have put several rugs out on the area where she walks to come in and am always there for extra support. Under foot substances need to be thought out.

The inside of the house is something altogether different. Looking at flooring from a cleanliness point of view, tile or wood/laminate flooring would seem to be the clear choice. I have stated many times before how much I hate carpet; I consider it to be one of the stupidest inventions ever. BUT, it definitely gives traction when needed. Back in California we had recently renovated our family room. It was beautiful; we transformed it from a shag carpet and chain shelving retro room into a warm and cozy modern one. We chose laminate; one of the newest products out. It was environmentally friendly and cleaning was a breeze.

As far as being a good product for the dogs? NO. It was horrible and had I known how slippery it was going to be I would have never chosen it. The dogs could barely even walk let alone romp and play; playing was all done in the living room with the carpeted floor. Here in Connecticut, almost the entire house is wood floors and they are just about as slippery as the laminate. There is no playing on the wood floors; Elsa doesn't mind as she seems to have little grippers on her feet and falling is a non issue when you are only half a year old. For Luke and Tilley it is an unwelcome surface beneath their feet.

The kitchen here is tiled, again it is very old and very worn giving it more texture and hold ability when walking on it. It is a great floor for any dog messes, easy to clean and although hard it is easier for the dogs to walk on. We do have a large office area that is carpeted as well as a small area in our bedroom. I took Elsa and Luke to the office area yesterday and they had a full on rip and tear. It was obvious how much Luke enjoyed and needed the traction of the carpet to keep up with his little sister. On the slippery surfaces he is quite leery of wiping out, on the carpet he threw caution to the wind and let her have it. It is wonderful to watch.

So with all this surface experience under my belt; where am I as far as likes and dislikes? First off I am not a plush, luxurious type of gal, I like utility. I love anything that makes living with dogs easier and less hassle. So as much as I hate the idea of carpets with dogs it is definitely easier for them. I am not a fan of wood or laminate flooring with dogs now; it is an extremely slippery surface. I really, really love stone or tile floor; not the slippery shiny type, the rustic rough stuff. It is easy for them to walk on and easy to clean. So if and when I redo or build again, it will be stone and the occasional very low, very tight, tough type carpet here and there for when a dog really needs a good tear around without the fear of falling.

Poison Ivy, Oak or Sumac

2011-12-28T03:46:00.000-08:00

What did you get for Christmas? I got poison oak, ivy or sumac; nice eh? I'm not sure if I will post an image or not, it's pretty scary. Yesterday I had to run out to the store for a few things but opted not to because my face was oozing. Even a split second having to glance at an oozing face is a bit much to ask of the general public I believe. So I stayed home and slathered calamine lotion all over it. A thick pink coating that eventually peels off isn't a whole lot better as far as nice visual is concerned.

This case of erupting rash is smack dab on my face. It covers the left side of my face from my collar bone to my eyebrow. Each morning when I open my eyes or try to open my eyes I feel around to see what has changed. This morning my lip is also fat, something I just commented on before falling asleep last night. "At least my lips are fine," I stated. Hmmmm.

I am highly sensitive to the stuff, it sucks big time. Years ago when we lived in Canada I had it several times and narrowed my acquisition of the lovely oozing rash to my dogs. Having gotten it in some strange places like the middle of my back I realized it was indeed being delivered to me via the dogs. Dogs run through the bushes, bushes have poison in it, dog jumps on me with the poison on their feet, voila.

This left me pondering as to why my dogs never got any itchy, oozing poison yet generously gave it to me. Can dogs get poison ivy, oak or sumac? After much research it seems as though they can although very rare. It doesn't happen often as they do not seem to be sensitive to it. And much of it remains on their outer coat being shed off quickly over just a few days.

The toxic substance in any of these poisons is urushiol, the dreaded oil that delivers the rash. Just touching the stuff can leave you with a nasty rash that is crazy itchy. After reading scores of pages on these poisons and dogs it seems highly unlikely that they themselves will acquire a full blown case. If your dog has bald spots in their coat they can get it but more likely they will just carry it to you on the outer layer of their coat. Take care when walking through wooded areas that are known to house these dreadful plants. And if you are unaware that they are lurking as I was then you may suffer the wrath of the poison ivy, oak or sumac platn.

Poison ivy, oak, sumac and dogs

Poison ivy facts

Pets and native remedies

Dog talk

2011-12-27T04:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we hit the beach again; the beach here in Old Greenwich that allows dogs after Dec 1. It is a wonderful place to walk dogs and everyone on the beach has them off leash. The best part about it is that it is very close to my house. Being that it was the day after Christmas there were more dogs than the last visit; although still just a handful or two. It is a great place for Elsa to get some socializing in and exercise at the same time.

The first dog that she met was a Goldendoodle; we met at least ten "doodle" type dogs there before we left. This guy was pretty occupied and really had nothing to offer as far as a social visit for Elsa. He was busy playing in the water which was FREEZING and chasing his kids. So we moved onto the next dog and he was playing with his ball. He too had been in the water and was more concerned with his ball than meeting Elsa. They had a little visit and then he was back to his ball.

It looked like at some point Lucky's tail was injured or broken.

The next dog that Elsa met was a fabulous dog. A mix of some sort, either pit or boxer and he was just adorable. Full of body language and was up for a great social visit. After meeting Elsa and Luke he came to meet us giving us all a huge one sided face smile. His name was Lucky; I don't know his story but would have loved to chat with his Mom and Dad. Perhaps we will meet him again. He was very free with his body language and it was easy to see that he was more than friendly. Elsa really enjoyed playing with him.

Shortly after her visit with Lucky I had to chase Elsa down the beach to fetch her. She took off after the Goldendoodle as he tore up and down the beach from one owner to the next. It was like her hearing turned off, so we'll be working on her recall before we visit again. After that a large group of "doodles" entered the beach, brown ones and black ones. There was one very beefy female that Luke had a few not so great words with. I hadn't been there when they first met so I didn't see what she had said to him first but looking at her body posture I suspect that she was letting him know that this was her beach. It is very rare for Luke to have words with a female so she must have said something.

The "doodles" moved on and an adorable little Sheltie came by. She was the same age as Elsa but very tiny; but in that tiny body was a great deal of heart. Both puppies gave off great body language and even though Elsa towered over this little gal they played amazingly well together. When it got a bit rough the Sheltie took shelter between a strangers legs for a bit, grabbed a breather and was ready to go again. It was fabulous seeing the body language shared between the two youngsters. Several times when Elsa has run into small dogs she lays down to play, this is a behavior that I really like to see. It shows how aware a dog is of the other dogs size; she does not do it with large dogs.

I could really sit and watch the dogs interact all day but we had places to go, I'll be back this week for sure though.

Christmas Eve Day

2011-12-24T05:42:00.000-08:00

There is a nip in the air but alas, no snow. Having recently moved to Connecticut we were looking forward to a white Christmas, but we will have to settle for chilly. Elsa slept in this morning and of course so did Tilley and Luke, they always sleep in. I believe that they are still on California time; Luke is good until 10 or 11 if I don't get him up sooner.

We spent yesterday in NYC, just the people. We took the train into the city and as we were riding I was contemplating taking Elsa on the train at some point. Dogs are allowed, they are not allowed to be annoying or sit on the seats but they can head into the big city. If I do take her it will be just for a one trip stop for a trial run and work our way up to a full trip which is around 45 min. Once you get to Grand Central Station it is pretty crazy, mind you it is the busiest time of the year so it wouldn't be this crazy when I go.

I saw quite a few dogs down town, some sporting pretty adorable little coats others without. We hit Central park for a bit where there were lots of dogs of all shapes and sizes. As we head down the streets of New York City, right in front of us was a tiny Rat Terrier with her owner. She was pretty skittish but her owner just kept trodding along. She deeked and dived out of the way of the masses of people and startled horns, huge truck noises and blasts of steam coming from the ground. It is a lot to take in as a human, I cannot imagine being 8 " from the ground and doing it all.

Today will be filled with baking, wrapping and walking the dogs hopefully at a beautiful area that we have found where they can run off leash. The homemade cookies that I make for the dogs is down to crumbs in the bottom, that needs topping off so I will try to get to those as well. We bought the dogs gifts during our Dog Food Drive back in California, glad my hubby thought to get them then.

I hope you all have a wonderful day, evening and Christmas morning. From mine to yours; Happy Holidays.

Dogs in bed

2011-12-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

This is a re-post. It is from a little more than a year ago but I felt like it should be posted again, so many people have weird issues with dogs sleeping in beds. Obviously my little Jack Russell is not with us anymore but just reading this made me smile this morning. I woke up to a very large puppy licking me in the face today; soon she was up on the bed snuggling for all get out. She is not allowed to sleep on the bed yet but she is definitely allowed up when asked. Life is far too short not to enjoy your dogs in bed.
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Re-post
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As I lay here in bed; the sun is not yet up. There is a chill in the air; but I am cozy with my very own Jack Russell foot warmer. She's snoring; she is snoring loudy under her down comforter and not far from her is Luke; silently keeping the left lower quadrant of the bed warm. Dogs in bed; the statement alone is controversial. Many guardians love nothing more than sharing their bed with their dog; but is that where dogs should be? There is a great divide on the subject and some of the biggest opponents are the dog trainers. So here's what I think about the subject.

My opinion on dogs sleeping in bed with you is clear cut; black and white. If you would like your dogs to sleep in your bed with you and your dog shows no signs of grumblings, complaining about being moved or ousted then that is where they should be. Enjoying the company of your dog in bed is one of the great joys we have with our dogs. Snuggling with your dog is wonderful; listening to sleep can be a huge stress reliever. But what if everytime you move; your growls. Or when asked to get off the bed; your dog objects, offering the "just try to move me," look? Let's face it; your bed is the prime piece of real estate in your home and in a pack the leader gets it.

Often a guardian will toss some information my way as a side note. "Oh ya; he growls everytime I move in bed." This is the line; the line I have drawn for dogs in bed................off they go. But this is not a life sentence; they can earn a spot back on the bed but "earn" is the important word here. Back when Luke was a young'n we had an incident with him growling at my son for couch rights. Luke is the type that thinks he is all that and a bag of chips and his couch priviledge was fueling this. I was present at the time of the growl and Luke left the couch abruptly; he was kicked off for 6 months. We worked on a new set of rules; asking permission. There has never been another incident.

Being that sleeping with dogs is suppose to be mutually enjoyable; having you avoid your dog in your sleep is not good. If your every move elicits a growl which inturn interferes with your sleep; then this is a clear sign that someone has to go. And that someone is not going to be you. It is your bed; you dished out your hard earned money to buy it, you are going to sleep in it. But now you are feeling guilty; poor Fido has to sleep on the floor? Put your guilt aside; buy a nice bed for your dog and put it right beside yours, this is the best thing you can do for your relationship.

My dogs all have a their own bed in our bedroom; and they use them. With the girls being 13 and 14; it is not safe to be up on the bed if I am not awake so they are safe and sound in their own beds. Most often Luke jumps up on the bed in the middle of the night and everyone joins us in the morning. I feel very strongly that dogs need comfort; and a floor isn't comfortable, not even for a dog. Make sure that if your dog is not sleeping in your bed that they have a very comfortable bed of their own.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the folks who don't want their dog even in their room with them to sleep. Well; the best place for your dog to sleep is in your room, bottom line. Where you lay; your dog should lay. A pack sleeps together; they don't need to sleep on top of each other but they should all be in the same room. It makes me sad to think of a dog that lays alone at night; banished to the kitchen, garage or worse (outside) at night. Bonding occurs during these special times; in the absence of night bonding you are missing half your life with your dog.

Substance and structure

2011-12-22T03:45:00.000-08:00

Substance - the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.

Leaning down to greet a new client; a German Shepherd puppy I grab hold of her front leg, nice substance. I like a dog with substance, beef, good bone, meaty. Sadly many of our breeds are taking a dive in the substance department. Many breeders are heading down the path the leads to injury and structural problems as they adjust their goal to the "refined" look. A longer neck, a lighter gate or refined face.

Luke does not have substance; he is from show lines and has a wonderful long neck, beautiful gate but he is always hurting himself. When I grab his front leg I shutter at how little substance there is compared to Tilley or Elsa. I want to feel a handful when I grab a leg; something that tells you that this dog could hold up after a long day of work.

Structure - a complex system considered from the point of view of the whole rather than of any single part.

But substance does not stand alone; you can have substance without structure or balance and a dog will suffer. I am not talking about what is required in a show ring; I am talking about work-ability, movement, ease in day to day life and being able to play hard and not suffer for it. Some breeds have gone the other direction with so much substance that they can barely move. This is as much as a hindrance as having too little substance.

Take the German Shepherd for example; a fabulous dog that has undergone extreme change over the years. The dogs seen in the show ring are no where near the dogs of years gone by. They have lost so much in the rear that many cannot lead a normal day to day, let alone a working life. Why has this happened? Humans are a weird bunch, if a tiny slope is good then an extreme slope would be better correct? No, not even close.

How about the Dachshund? Again another great dog but structure? Really? It is obvious when you look at the breed that they have back issues, how could they not? Substance? Yes many have great substance but every single one lacks in the structure department. They may be the best show specimen ever but are they a structurally sound dog? No.

When you follow along the years and watch a breed transformation it can be a bit scary to say the least. Depending on a breeders eye and what is in at the moment can have a drastic impact on results. Many of the "big hair" breeds suffer due to the focus put on hair instead of what's under the hair. All dogs are meant to run and play and maybe work; but with human intervention much of that has now changed. I see far too many breakable dogs these days, it is a sad truth.

Scaredy Chicken

2011-12-21T03:14:00.000-08:00

"What was that?" "What was that?" I've got a scaredy chicken on my hands; not so scaredy during the day but when the sun goes down she is sure that the monsters come out to play. Ever on guard after the sun sets, Elsa is a chicken. Being a HIGHLY alert sort of gal she doesn't miss a thing; she is extremely aware of movement. Whether it is a plane high in the sky, a rustle in the bushes or a reflection; she is constantly aware during the dark hours. The dark has her spooked but she is worried about scary things during the day as well. If she is outside barking at noises and then Luke joins to bark; she runs for the hills assuming there must be something seriously scary out there if the man of the house barks.

So what do you do with such a chicken? As I always say, each and every dog is an individual and as such need a personalized attack strategy when dealing with behavior issues. For Elsa I am sure that age will help her; she seems to have a high priority on self preservation, not a bad thing at all. But age can definitely help with the "monster" issue. I have tried the ignoring tactic; going about my business and showing her by example that it, whatever it may be is nothing. This was not enough of an impact message for Elsa so we have gone to "Yay........check it out, fun." Yesterday she was quite worried about the neighbor dog who was non stop barking at us outside. I picked up her ball and we had a long game of retrieve which is one of her favorite things to do.

Out for a social walk yesterday we were hitting a few of the strip malls hoping to meet some people and things. One gentleman who was very elderly was heading our way; I knew in an instant that this was what we (as in trainers, we) look for. He was quite small, shrunken over, with a cane, a leaning stride and a hat, perfect. I kept my pace the same and as we approached him, Elsa's head slung down, he reached out to touch her. She immediately started barking which I had already anticipated and kicked into action. Her bark is not menacing, more a "hey I'm little and a bit scared" type bark.

"Who's this, yay a nice man to meet" I chirped in a very happy upbeat tone. She immediately stopped barking and wagged like mad to meet the man. He adored her, he was quite clearly smitten by her beauty and told me a very long story about a dog he had long ago who had puppies etc. etc. We said our goodbyes and he kept his eye on her, stating at the last minute as we walked away "what a beautiful dog." We had a great experience, those are the ones that puppies need to experience. I clearly remember Luke meeting a man who was similar as this gentleman and his reaction was not as cute. Luke was in the car at the time and the man was walking to his car which was beside ours; Luke considered him a threat and sounded the alarm.

Things can be scary in life, especially when you are little; how you deal with your dogs reaction has the most lasting impact. Ignoring is the best reaction from me when Luke is frightened, same with Tilley, Elsa needs the YAYYYYY routine. It's all about difference.

Regrouping

2011-12-20T03:45:00.000-08:00

It has been just over a week now that we lost our little Jack Russell Jessie. Whenever there is a loss or an addition to a pack; it shifts. For us the biggest shift has been meal time; one less mouth to feed throws everyone for a loop. Being that Jessie was absent for much of our dog life in general; it was those times when we was in attendance that there is a noticeable change. The biggest thing is that Jessie was always fed first; the other dogs are having a time with this, especially Elsa.

Elsa is one smart cookie; she figures out how things work and likes to stick to it. She has a difficult time veering from the norm and missing #1 during feeding time is no different. She knew that she got her food 4th, so now she is in a slight state of confusion when I put her bowl down 3rd. She stands, looking, hesitating and antsy. I am trying to mix it up anyway with Elsa because of her steadfast adherence to ritual; so she will learn to be #3.

Other than feeding time there doesn't seem to be much of a change in our pack. It is getting older and the care level is going up it seems everyday with Tilley. For much of my day spent unpacking and organizing I can briefly forget about our loss; then suddenly I will have a panic about where Jessie is. It only lasts a second or two until I remember, having cared for a dog for over 15.5 years makes it difficult to not have an eye out for her. Especially in the end when Jessie spent many hours wandering; I was always going to find her.

I am sure that all of this will hit home after the hustle and bustle of the move, unpack and holidays quiet. For now we are regrouping; getting adjusted and settling in.

Oh that tail

2011-12-19T04:05:00.000-08:00

I have for many, many years now thought that the process of tail docking should end. It is a hugely controversial subject and one that has gotten me into the thick of it with many a tail docking fans. After many years of searching for a new puppy we ended up getting one from a breeder who feels the same way about tails. The litter that Elsa is from was the first for the breeder which she did not dock tails. I remembered years ago looking at a breeders website somewhere in BC, Canada who was not docking tails. When it came time for us to get another puppy I could no longer find the link to the site so I was more than ecstatic when my breeder told me she planned on not docking.

"They aren't balanced," "they don't look like a poodle," "it has always been done." These are many of the phrases I've heard repeated over the years. Not balanced? How can we possibly say that when our dogs are born with a certain length of tail? Look at wolves, they are completely balanced with their long tails. My son recently commented on Elsa's tail which inspired this blog today. "Elsa totally uses her tail, why would they cut them off?" he exclaimed while watching her play in the yard. He could not understand the reasoning behind docking tails so I tried to explain where it came from.

Some breeds have very short or little tail at all due to their being guard dogs; others are docked due to the concern about their tail being caught in some sort of bushes, tethers or straps. Have you ever seen a Doberman with intact tail and ears? Very hound looking and not that scary at all. Many breeders and tail docking fans say that it helps avoid injury or matting on the tail. Hmmmmmm; how do wolves get by with those long tails in the forests and deserts? Foxes have amazingly long tails; in fact I think all wild canids have long tails.

Watching dogs interact with other dogs and humans you see their tail in constant use. You can clearly see dogs using their tails in life from day to day. Speaking of balance, dogs use their tail continually for balance when running, walking, swimming and jumping. Having it shortened or removed completely only handicaps a dogs movement ability.

Watching Elsa move around it is clear just how much dogs use their tails. Not only for balance in movement but for speaking. Elsa's tail is far more obvious than Tilley's or Luke's making it much easier to read the signs. Her tail is more extreme because of the length and makes it far more useful when speaking to other dogs. As a behavior specialist; it is clear why we should not remove tails.

Several years ago Tilley had a severe wound on her tail; the vet opted quickly to amputate. Not only was Tilley 11 at the time which would have made the surgery extremely difficult and painful but she would have been missing her tail. I would not allow the amputation and with around the clock nursing she healed and is very happy I'm sure to still have her tail.

An amazing study was done at the University of Victoria on the subject of tail length. It is a very interesting read.

There are many of you out growing angry as you read this. It is not meant to point fingers or name names; it is hopefully a read that will get you thinking, pondering. So many things from the past have been abolished, phased out or drastically changed. After all, we know far more now than we did way back then, don't we?

Sunday morning

2011-12-18T05:37:00.000-08:00

Good Sunday morning everyone; I'm now on Eastern time so hopefully my blogs will be posted earlier. We had a great day yesterday at a beautiful area we discovered. So many new things to see and discover. I am hoping to connect with some dog people here so that we can venture out for some Eastern fun. The place we went yesterday was very dog friendly, winter time is downtime for beaches so the dogs get to enjoy. And enjoy they did, this is somewhere I will be visiting often.

Luke has been catching up on his rest since our big trip across the country. A few of first days in the house he was my constant shadow so he is resting from that as well. Elsa is discovering all the new things and figuring out what is what. Tilley is resting and getting more to her old self everyday. She, like me is a northerner; born in Manilla, Ontario she always loved the cold. Taking her out at the crack of dawn this morning; she stood sniffing the cold air and wagged her tail. She then decided to go on an adventure with me following her around in my boots and robe. She is very tippy and needs constant supervision so that she doesn't fall on the uneven terrain.

Blogs may be short for a bit as we get settled in our new place; but bear with me. There will be lots of new things "dog" to discuss, new places, new adventures, new behavior and life with dogs. Have a great Sunday.

Where to stay

2011-12-16T06:11:00.000-08:00

As you all know my son and I just finished a road trip across America. We left sunny Southern California and drove to South Connecticut. We stayed at 5 hotels that allowed us with our dogs so I have a good feel for where to stay and what to ask for now. When we began our trip we had four dogs, not an easy number to tell the reservation people. We didn't want to pay an exorbitant fee for having our dogs but understand that there would more than likely be some fee.

We discovered that almost all La Quintas allow dogs of any size and any number with no extra fee. We stayed in 3 La Quintas. One was nice, one a bit run down and dirty but with great outdoor grounds and the last very nice. We actually stopped at a fourth; brought our bags and "dog stuff" up to the room only to turn around and leave. The girl was nice at the desk and understood. The whole hotel stunk of cigarettes and cheese (says my son). It was run down and divey, not somewhere I wanted to stay.

Cost per night for the La Quintas was 70.00-90.00 with no extra dog fee.

We took a quick trip up the road and stayed at a Drury; my favorite hotel on our stay, easily. When we got to the Drury Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee I was pleasantly surprised. They also gave us the most convenient room and had lots of "grassy" area for the pooches. We had complimentary snacks and wine on our arrival which was more than welcome after 4 solid days of driving. Their breakfast was great and they were very friendly. The hotel was clean and very accommodating. Even though when we were originally looking for a hotel to stay in at all of our stops we were told that the Drury had a 2 dog limit they allowed us in with our 3. Sadly we didn't stay at other Drury Hotels because we thought they had a 2 dog limit.

Cost per night was 119.00 with no extra fee for dogs.

Our last night away we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn; there was nothing else that would accept dogs in the area that night. It was a really nice hotel but although they allowed our dogs they did not seem "dog friendly." We were told not to bring the dogs through the lobby and were given an end room on the third floor. I asked for something close to the elevator because of Tilley and hauling all of our stuff but we were told that they were completely booked and that this was the last room. Neither I nor my son bought the "full" line as the parking lot was nearly empty all the way around the hotel.

Cost per night 169.00 plus 100.00 dog fee.

The girls at the front desk were very friendly and the hotel was beautiful. It was a king suite with a full kitchen, a great place if you are staying a while. We were also told that they had a very strict barking rule as there were so many "business" people staying at the hotel. They charge a flat 100.00 dollar fee to stay with your dogs which is non refundable. Nice hotel but didn't receive a warm and fuzzy about the dogs which were down to three at that point.

When you stay at a hotel with your dog think about location, both in regards to the room and the hotel. If your dog is not accustom to staying in hotels then you will not want to leave them unattended in the room for more than a very short time period. Luckily there were two of us so when we arrived and got settled Brad went and got our dinner for the night.

Location of room was very important for us, we had a 5 month old puppy and Tilley who has a tough time going a long distance. Plus she is so slow that it can literally seem to take forever getting anywhere.

All in all it was a great experience. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat for my dogs.

Facebook

2011-12-15T03:09:00.000-08:00

Sitting here now in Connecticut I am reflecting on our long journey. It was far from what I had expected; much better in some ways but gone wrong is one other. Admittedly I am not a great traveler; I am not a patient person as far as long drives so driving from California to Connecticut was not my cup of tea. Not wanting to put my dogs in the cargo of a plane, entrusting their lives to someone else I opted to make this very, VERY long drive. As we headed out I had no idea of what was ahead.

I am a huge Facebook fan; I have several groups that I have started and am on every day.

Just dogs with Sherri with 857 members
The Standard Poodle with 3695 members
Shutting down puppy mills with 66 members (new and growing slowly)
Sherri Regalbuto Photography 49 members
Poodles in need around the world 309 members

My two largest groups knew that my son and I were making this journey; we'd already discussed it quite a bit. Luckily my son has an iphone and I was able to post our progress across the country. As we ventured onto the highway there was a feeling of not being alone knowing that not only was family with us but hundreds or thousands were also with us. Receiving continuous comments from my Facebook family put a smile on my face daily. I felt like we were all on this trip together.

When issues came up and we needed help; I just posted the need and they were there. My Facebook family has been beyond amazing. I now have friends around the world; friends who I feel comfortable sharing with. I had no idea that this amazingly huge trip would make me look at Facebook a little differently. Not only does it enable you to tap into friendships that you would never have been able to do otherwise; it changes your life.

To my Facebook fans: I cannot express how wonderful it was knowing that you were all out there keeping an eye on our travels. When I was down you picked me up; you cheered as we got closer and closer to our destination. When we lost our little girl along the way; heartache and constant tears streaming down my face were comforted knowing that you all understood. You gave me your opinions and much needed "if it were me" advice. It truly is amazing how close a group can become without ever meeting in person. But after all the heart of a being is what's inside, correct?

I lost a member of our family on this trip; but gained a whole bucket load of friends. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you all; thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely; Sherri.

Hotel etiquette

2011-12-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

We are almost there; our new home, our destination after 6 long days of driving. I can't believe we made it across the US. We are sadly missing one of our passengers but we are almost there. Over the last days we have stayed at many different hotels. I had no idea what the dogs would think; how they would react but I have to say that I am way impress with my dogs.

Tonight we walked into the hotel room; Luke had a look around, sniffed the suitcases and jumped up onto the couch. It was like he was saying "okay, cool." Tilley has had the hardest time, she is the oldest and set in her ways. Elsa and Luke have just taken everything in stride and after tomorrow it will be six very long days of driving, stopping and driving.

Hotel etiquette is lost on many; hotels that allow dogs are really going out on a limb. Sadly I've seen many people just pushing it; asking for those hotels to stop accepting dogs. Poop, poop everywhere. Nothing drives me more crazy is people who do not pick up after their dogs. The hotel puts out bags, garbage cans and has a special place to use and people still let their dog take and crap and walk away, disgusting I think.

Barking dogs? I was in the shower and heard Elsa barking; I ran out and asked her to shhhhhhh. She was barking because someone was letting their little yapper bark, bark, bark and bark. She only did a couple of chicken barks but the other dogs in some room was barking up a storm, really? Were the people really able to sleep through their dog barking like this when we could hear it so loud through the walls? Honestly.

This is all new to my dogs; I have hoteled with dogs many times way back when I started with dogs. With all the changes and new things thrown at my dogs I am extremely impressed. Ya they're pretty great. :)

Always in my heart

2011-12-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how the events of the last few days have played out. I am at the moment, sitting in Nashville, TN with a few moments to spare, a nice breather from our non stop trip. This past Friday our little Jack Russell; Jessie who was a wonderful 15.5 years took a turn for the worst. For almost a year our little nugget has struggled with Dementia; a disease that has never before struck our home and I frankly hope that I never see it again.

Dementia left our little robust, spitfire girl with little more than a desire to circle. What she did have as far as memories were from long ago, set in stone type memories. Feeding time, or the meaning of a leash and that is about it. With our essential relocation Jessie became much worse; her world as she knew it was now gone. As my son and I traveled across the country we could see her growing worse by the day, so bad that the decision became essential.

No one ever wants to make this sort of decision; taking away the life that you have nurtured for over 15 years is not an easy thing to do. What needs to be done is for the human to step back and look at life from the canines point of view. There was no question, it was time.

I thought that it might be easier this time, she's been failing for a while. It is never easy; with the decision made I came unglued the moment I walked into the vet. I held her tight in my arms, whispering to her how special she was and what an amazing life we'd had together. I held her close, I kissed her head and breathed in her scent, stinking as it was.

In the 15.5 years of Jessie's life she did a great deal of teaching and making us laugh. The tenacious little 15 pounder went down a hole after a ground hog, took on a Rottweiler and many

several big and scary dogs, fell 30 feet out of a tree chasing a squirrel and kept on going and leaped high to grab a bird in mid flight, swallowing it down. A girly girl she was not. Always ready for a rumble she ran this pack as the "top dog" for over 14 years.

The vet came in and was wonderful; but it doesn't help. Jessie left this world wrapped tightly in my arms. She remained there long after she was gone, her confused circling now over. Her struggles with the unknown were now gone and she was free to run and chase whatever her hearts desire. Our little girl is gone, never forgotten and always in my heart.

The dog food drive

2011-12-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay on the Dog Food Drive but with a move right around the corner things are a little bit crazy right now to say the least. We leave tomorrow, but more about that later. The dog food drive was wonderful; we were able to get food to a family who was very much in need of a helping hand and lots to a the wonderful group at I.C.A.R.E. dog rescue.

It was a very windy day and chilly night but the donations came in and I would like to thank everyone who came out to give. A special thanks to the folks at Wilds Animal Supply on La Paz who let us crash their lot and a extra heart felt thank you to the members of the OC Standard Poodle group for everything they gave. I would like to make December third, National feed the dogs day. Who's with me? If we band together we can help a lot of dogs.

National feed the dogs day can be a coming together of people to help feed mans best friend. A big event, a small group effort or a single can of food purchased and given to someone in need.

These are some of the folks who donated to Feed the dogs first dog food drive.

Kathie Taylor and Jedi
Irene
Loretta and Libor
Lynn, Sheima and Shasta
Judy Kargel
Teri Azar & Rozy Carter
Audrey Messick
C. Loreno
Jessica Frawley

Thank you all so very much for helping to Feed the dogs.

Quality of life

2011-12-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

We've had the discussion many times and sadly more often these days. Quality of life; just what does that mean? For us it means our happiness right? Depending on the person and that persons specific "things" that are important to them in life. But what about our dogs? How do know when the quality of life is gone for a dog. It is a tough call; how bad is bad? What is important in a dogs life? I don't know how many times people have said to me "don't you think it's time?" How do you know when it's time?

For starters, eating is a biggy for me. If a dog is not eating and they are typically a fabulous eater then it can be a huge sign. Of course not if they are just sick and stopped eating; I'm talking about the end of life not eating. Do they enjoy at least a fraction of their day? Do they really enjoy it? It truly is a horrible thing that we guardians are most often forced to do; make a decision on life. But as a dog owner it is our duty and the more care that we give our dogs the longer they live making it more imperative for us to decide.

I always say that I would be very happy if my very old dogs just slept away; I think most dog owners would like this. No decisions to be made, life just slips away when it is time. If our dogs were in the wild they would be long gone far before we ever even start considering that it might be time. Our dogs lives are literally in our hands; and that my friends can be a very sad thing. Taking the best of care that we can through their short lives is our pride and joy. Taking it away at the end is one of the most difficult things we will ever be faced with.

I think when you reach a point when the thought crosses your mind, it is our worst nightmare. We brush it away as a "what am I thinking?" moment.

First Annual Dog Food Drive

2011-12-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

First let me say "thank you" to all those folks who came out and dropped off food to our food drive. It was a big success for a first time event. Other people also dropped off food early at Wilds Animal supply on La Paz during the week, thank you, thank you. So many dogs in need, too little food to go around. If everyone gave just a bag or two, more could be saved.

Full blog later

Wow

2011-12-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

December 1st, already? Wow, where does the time go. The big countdown is upon us and the hustle bustle is now kicked into over drive, my favorite time of year. December has come in with a bang here in Southern California, literally. I awoke to a huge boom and crash in the yard. The wind started sometime in the night; it is crazy loud. When the sun comes up I will have to see what crashed but for now it has been challenge enough getting Elsa out.

She's a spooky type, environmentally that is. Anything out of the ordinary makes her unsettled. So this weather today is not going to be her thing; it is not the wind per say but more the fall out from the wind. She really seems to enjoy the wind in her face; her ears flying around. It's the smells that the wind brings and the stuff everywhere. This morning I opened the kitchen door and she stuck her head out; it smelled very different. She turned and looked at me so I head out without a second to lose. Very important to be chill.

With her head in the air she sniffed and took in all the different scents. She looked around at all the stuff in the yard; she was spooked for sure. So we will be heading out in all the bluster for a walk a little later. I love the wind; always have. Perhaps it is my Scottish heritage; I love the freshness of it, especially when it carries with it a chill. I'm sure the yard will be a mess today so I'll have a great deal of clean up after the winds stop.

The only concern that will come from my adult dogs will be Luke worrying about doors slamming today. I will be making sure that they are all either tightly shut or propped open securely.

Happy December all.

Baby it's' cold outside - REPOST (crazy busy)

2011-11-30T07:37:00.001-08:00

Tilley as a one year old

Okay, it's not really cold but it is cold for California standards. Yesterday was a high of 60 with blustery winds, it was glorious and I enjoyed every moment. We are suppose to stay in the 60s except for Wed which will reach the low 70s. I'm loving it, since moving from Canada to California it has been tough doing Holiday shopping in shorts and flip flops so I'm stoked. For all of you who live where it actually gets cold and you get snow, this blog is for you.

Photo courtesy of Poodleit

I lived in Ottawa, Canada most of my life, I know cold. While in Canada we had several dogs, an Airedale Terrier, Jack Russell and Standard Poodles. Both the Airedale and poodles suffered from snowballitis. The only one who did not suffer from snowballs was Jessie our Jack Russell. We actually had a melting area in our home at our back door. A big gated in area with a side heater and carpet where the dogs would come in and drip dry. I was fine with them coming in once their snowballs melted but hated if they distributed their snowballs around the house. Do you know how many times I had to change my socks? So they would come in, melt and then come in the rest of the house.

Photo courtesy of Poodleit

Seen here is a Dachshund in a full suit, I know my little Jessie would have been happy to wear this in the deep snow as she literally disappeared from sight hopping into the deep snowbanks.

I stumbled upon this wonderful site the other day, Poodleit . I surely don't need them for snow now but could most definitely use them for burrs and other things that like to stick onto poodle coats. Of course it would have to be cooler weather for them to sport the full coats but for sure nice to keep the burrs off the fur. My standard poodles are much like giant pieces of walking velcro so anything that keeps the burrs and sticky things off is great. For those of you with furry legged dogs; these are amazing for the snow.

Photo courtesy of Poodleit

And even if you aren't into the full on snowsuit look, the Splash guards would be excellent to save the hardest hit area. Snowballitis targets the bottom of the leg first then depending on the amount of time spent playing outdoors and how small the dog is or how deep the snow is will factor in how far it spreads. I remember many times; pulling apart baseball sized snowballs from my Airedale and poodle.

Just a few breeds that might benefit from this type of weather protection would be:

Bouvier
Doodle
Afghan
Spaniels
Portuguese Water Dogs
Wire haired terriers
Big and small fuzzy mixes
Schnauzers and anyone else with furry legs
Grab a blanket and snuggle up with your favorite pooch, it's cold outside.

A dogs mind

2011-11-29T05:41:00.000-08:00

I often hear myself saying "who knows what goes on in that little head of his." This statement is most repeatedly about Luke; my thinker. He is a complicated yet simple guy; most dogs are very simple, simple in the good definition of the term (easy to understand). When you understand dogs; I mean really understand the way they communicate; learn and associate, you can then more readily "get" your dog. I am often called out to solve a strange behavior. A behavior from a dog is in simple terms; a reaction to an action.

Many behaviors can be figured out; dissected until you find the base cause and then other times we just never know why a dog displays a certain behavior. Dogs learn through association: connected, joined, or related to. They don't deal with long explanations; hidden agendas or mind games like humans do. Dog's don't hide behind the truth, they don't lie and they don't attempt to be someone they are not. All of this lends itself to a simpleness; that is as I said earlier, simple if you understand dog.

Take separation anxiety; how many people think that when a dog destroys things in your absence that they are angry and doing all of this destruction to show you? I know that almost everyone I speak to who is dealing with this considers their dog to be displaying their dislike for their owner leaving. Dog's don't do spite: a malicious, usually petty, desire to harm, annoy, frustrate, or humiliate another person; bitter ill will; malice. Dog's react; and if they are upset by the fact that you are leaving they will react in a form that anxiety causes. This often takes the form of pooping or peeing, chewing or trying to come out to find you.

Another example that I love "my dog only comes if I yell COOKIE." Let's take this statement apart in pieces. What happens when you yell cookies? The dog receives a cookie; correct? So when you call your dog COME; what follows? Usually the dog doesn't listen; there is nothing in it for the dog and you the owner probably get mad. You may voice your feelings or simply give up; hence the dog learns that come is either bad or neutral. It is a much better idea to come when you hear COOKIE. Without knowing it you have tapped into the way to train a reliable recall. ;)

I love to watch canine interactions; the number of these connections are down at my house being that many hours are spent in deep sleep. But when they are awake and communicating it is fascinating. Just yesterday Luke was laying on the bed beside my computer as I typed away. Jessie wanted to lay on the bed as well; both are dominant personality dogs. As she approached Luke froze so slightly it was almost undetectable by the human eye; but very much detectable by the canine eye. She immediately turned her head and backed onto the bed; it made me smile. She defused the situation simply by turning her head and not making a direct approach, simple.

Dogs are constantly learning; and you may be teaching things you don't want to teach your dog. This is often the cause of mysterious behaviors. "Everytime I talk on the phone by dog barks." Hmmm; do you get off the phone and address the situation? Do you speak to your dog immediately? Your dog knows how to get your attention without a doubt. Barking is sometimes caused by our reaction itself. Barking get's attention; when you need attention, bark.

Once you figure it out; it is all very simple yet fascinating.

Elsa

2011-11-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

Since we added Elsa to our family many, many people have asked me "why did it take so long?" Yes I could have walked out and got any puppy, anywhere. But, adding a puppy to my very aging pack and having it work was going to be tricky. I have been trying to add a puppy to our pack for several years and got very close several times.

My specifications were that the puppy not be dominant and would listen to her elders. It had to be a "her" because Sir Luke is King around here; or at least he considers him as such and at the ripe old age of eleven I didn't want to dethrone him. So it had to be a female and it had to not be a girl with a hidden agenda. I have gone through many litters, testing and watching for just that gal. One girl was a very close maybe but in the end showed that she was a bit too big for her britches for this pack.

Another puppy and another breeder was an almost, but the puppy was sold out from under us as we were discussing temperament and such. Moving on. Then there was a beautiful puppy that was offered to us but in the end the owner choice to keep her and that has been an amazing match itself. So after several years and scores of litters we finally found her as you have all seen. Is it a match made in heaven? I'll have to ask the gang; but she's about as close to "special order" as we could get.

Humans

2011-11-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

We had the dogs down in the canyon again yesterday; I was of course worrying about running into "stupid," again. You know that guy that we ran into last time we were down there? The really intelligent one? As we pulled up to the entrance I got Luke out first and "stupid" was just coming out. His dog went to the end of his extension leash and right up to the side of my car as the owner was texting. He yelled at his dog "hey, no." Honestly; I pulled Luke back around the car. Really?

We waited and he finally got the dog into the back of his car; once there he signed for the dog to sit, he also asked the dog to sit I don't know how many times and he never did. The guy finally closed the back of the truck so we head down to the canyon. So glad we missed this guy and his untrained dog. Humans!!!!!

In the afternoon I decided to take the little one (Elsa) over to the strip mall for some socializing. We met lots of folks; although no one wanted to stop and greet her. It is nice when people stop to say hi but she also has to learn that not everyone wants to say hi so this was one of "those" outings. That is until we were getting into the car; a woman beside my vehicle was getting her kids into the car. She spotted Elsa and wanted to say hi; her kids also climbed out of the back of her suv to say hi.

We had a nice greeting, the woman thought that Elsa was adorable (of course). Her little girl came over and was apprehensive, holding her arms in the air and shrieking. Ahhhhhh a giant squeaky toy. Then the Mother pulled out her training skills from Caesar and showed her little girl just how to do it. She actually did a Caesar "chiccchhh chicchhhhh" on my dog. What a funny human thing to do; try to train someone else's puppy. Even as a trainer; unless asked to train someone's dog I would not do this. Humans.

Dog food drive

2011-11-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Now that the "official" Thanksgiving day and Black Friday are over I'd like to draw your attention to my first annual Just dogs with Sherri Dog Food Drive. (Flyer above) I am very excited for this and really hope that as many of you as possible turn out carrying a can, several cans or a bag or two of dog food. So many people these days have to place their dogs or hand them over to a rescue or shelter simply because they cannot afford to feed them. Let's feed as many as possible; at least over the holiday season.

I have already had calls, FB messages and emails from people telling me that this has inspired them to "give." They have bought and donated food to people, shelters and rescues, and I frankly could not be more excited. If this is enough to create a thought when you are buying your dog's food to buy two and give one; then this is what it is all about.

I received a call from a woman who was considering that she might have to get rid of one of her dogs. She asked if she could get food and I was gushing with happiness that the word is getting out. Please come on by and donate some dog food or if you live far away from me then donate anyway. It is a rough time for many people; giving even just a little is always appreciated.

I carry sample bags of dog food in my car to give to homeless folks on the street with dogs. I look forward to seeing many of you next Saturday at the event. If you are a member of an organization; perhaps you'd like to take up a collection? Maybe your company can get together and give even more? If you live elsewhere, why not start your own dog food drive. The thought has crossed my mind that perhaps December 3rd will become "Feed the dogs," day across the world. Why not?

BlackFriday

2011-11-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

It is the shopping bonanza day "Black Friday." Are you out there fighting the crowds for "stuff?" Not me, at 6:20 am I am nice and snug in bed blogging with a big cup of coffee. I have no intention of going anywhere near a mall or shop today; tomorrow maybe, I do have Christmas shopping to do. But for today it will be hanging at home with the family and eating leftovers, one of my favorite things to do. Isn't making mass quantities of food and having left overs wonderful? You get to eat really great food and not do any cooking.

This is the time of year when many dogs will be visiting the veterinarians because they ate something that they shouldn't have. The problem with the Holidays is that many people who typically pour their dog a big bowl of dry dog food feel that sharing the bounty is a festive idea. That is until they have either a sick dog or a large mess to clean up. Dogs can eat turkey; let me just get that out of the way. There is a big rumor going around that turkey is not good for dogs, it's not the turkey itself but the fact that a dog has never eaten it before or that they are given not only turkey but all the trimmings.

Trimmings are not good for dogs and can even make a dog who typically eats turkey sick. Bread and onions cooked in butter is a recipe for disaster when it comes to our dogs; heck it's not great for us to eat but if it does anything to us, it just gives us an upset stomach. No trimmings, no crunchy skin, no cranberry sauce, gravy, no stuffing or sweet potato pie, just turkey, plain turkey. I always give my guys lots of turkey around the Holiday season, and I may be out today looking for the birds now on sale that Thanksgiving is over. As this Thanksgiving day I made mushroom and asparagus lasagna with homemade pasta so they won't be having any leftovers today; but I sure will.

Just remember when you are filling up your plate with turkey left overs, just the bird for the dogs, and everything in moderation.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope that you all have a wonderful long weekend with your friends and family.

We now have a breath of fresh air; very busy air to be exact in our family. Elsa has been an astonishing zest booster to our very sedate pack. She is amazing and I am so very thankful that Vicki allowed us to call her one of our own. I am thankful for each and every day that I am able to share with my very senior dogs; sadly not everyone is given the chance to cherish their canines into their 15th and 16th years.

I am thankful for you all; for letting me share my life with you and perhaps help you just a smidgen as you go through your day to day alongside your canine.

Have a spectacular weekend everyone.

Reading the signs

2011-11-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

The other day I was at the park with just Luke. He enjoys his time alone with Mom as do I; we were sauntering around the park smelling the roses when across the park I spotted a woman coming my way. She had with her a very large Akita. As you know I love all dogs but I also know that some Akitas are fairly dog aggressive; so as she continued my way I was trying to make it clear that I was heading away. Funny how some humans can be so lacking in sign reading. I was very obviously moving away from her and her dog but she kept coming. I finally had to make direct eye contact with her and then turn away in the opposite direction walking abruptly. She got it.

Then I watched the woman and her dog turn and walk towards another person with dogs. The guy was walking two pit mixes who were either over excited or not so dog friendly themselves. As the woman got closer she yelled out to the guy asking if his dogs were friendly. When someone pauses and then says "sometimes, er usually," that means no. I could see it all unfolding before my eyes; it was going to get crazy in just a few more steps from the woman with the Akita.

I turned away just for a moment and then I heard it; lots of growling and challenging. The man held onto his dogs tightly as they hit the end of their leash and the woman tried to calm her Akita. This was clearly going to be the outcome of the interaction; the man knew it, he just hadn't wanted to voice it in public. The woman also knew but was trying hard for this not to be how her dog reacts. The woman could not read the signals of the other dogs; this is something that everyone with dogs should become knowledgeable about.

When I approach a person with a dog; I often veer off of the path and simply move out of the way. I know Luke very well and know who he will and will not get along with. It has much to do with the other dogs body language and even though some dogs are very friendly, they can give off the wrong body language because of circumstance. Leash, proximity to owner and tension etc all play a part in the greeting of strange dogs. If I ever think that perhaps this greeting is not going to turn out well; I will err on the side of safety and forego the greeting.

As I always say; "quit while you are ahead."

Off leash

2011-11-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

I was at the park the other day; we were heading towards the car at the end of our walk. Looking across the street I saw a black lab laying leashless staring straight ahead. I watched, of course. Following his line of stare I found his owner walking away with a brown lab; this boy was obviously doing a long down stay. He was doing really well but as I watched I realized that she was going to release him from far away. Right in his path was a "people" photographer with clients. Anyone who knows a lab also understands the whole locomotive concept.

She yelled his release and threw his ball from a chuckit. Okay, the picture above sort of explains it all. Doesn't take that much thought to figure out what is going to happen, right? It happened and everyone was sort of in disbelief; the biggest surprise was from the owner. "I can't believe he did that; he's never done that before." He's never gone directly after the ball? Hmmmmm, strange.

Anyhow this whole train of thought is about being off leash. As you all know I had a run in the other day with an off leash dog down in the canyon. I'm not a big fan of off leash if you don't have complete control; that and respect for others. I never let my guys off leash around people without dogs; it just is not right. I know that some people are very afraid of dogs and the sight of one off leash can be traumatizing. Control is an elusive thing from what I see; lots of people let their dogs off leash and have absolutely no control. It's just plain stupid.

Not only do we need to think about others but we need to think about our dogs. Is taking the leash off really that important? Of course there are times when you are in a big field; away from anyone else and it's time to take the leash off, completely agree. I love off leash runs with my dogs but there is a great deal of thought put into them. I let Luke off quite a bit at the park but I first do the huge horizon scan; and he is amazing off leash, comes right away.

I don't get people who walk their dogs off leash down the street; I will never get this and think that each time their dog is not hit by a car is another bullet dodged. So many people walk down the street; their dog sort of by their side trotting along. What difference would it make if they had a leash on? It could save their life, that's a big difference. We have a local yorkie owner who I regularly see at the park; her dog is always running around the street. And I feel bad for the day it does get hit; drivers cannot see that little thing in the road. It's not right.

Next time you consider taking the leash off; think about harassing others, the safety of your dog and your degree of control first.

Edible?

2011-11-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

Real food.

Yesterday I was out shopping, I had a few bits and pieces to pick up for baking and the holiday season. I was at Target and as I made my way to the cash I walked by the dog treat isle. Just as I passed it I put on my brakes, I got my glasses out and decided to read the ingredients on some of the biggies. Begg'n strips, pup-peroni, Waggin train and the one I've recently seen a big advertising push on Milo's kitchen. The worst by far is by Purina, Beggin' strips; the following is the list of ingredients.

Ground wheat, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, ground yellow corn, water, sugar, glycerin, soybean meal, meat, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, bacon fat (preserved with BHA), salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), calcium propionate (a preservative), natural and artificial smoke flavors, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6), choline chloride.
O-4005

Just disgusting if you ask me. I have to say that if Purina does not man up to a major overhaul then it should be placed in the history books with many other companies that were the big ones "back when." Back when meaning back when it all started; I remember that Purina was one of the very few dog companies. Many of their products are filled with just that; fillers, crap. Time to change Purina or move out of the way so that the companies who really care can step up.

But it is not just Purina, all of the treats that were on the shelves there were very substandard. Another reason why you should frequent the small privately owned pet food stores. As I read the ingredient lists and viewed all the packaging design meant to draw you in I realized that there are a few "big" words they like to throw around. One is USA, one of the bags said that the treats are made by a company that is a US company but when I read the very small print it said made in China, disappointing to say the least.

"Natural" is another word over used and given no meaning once so ever as far as health goes. Natural stamped all over a bag by no means makes the food something that you should give your dog. You can go online and read most of the ingredients from treats and foods.

This is the list of ingredients in the hottest advertised dog treat: Milo's kitchen - Beef sausage slices.

Yep, there's beef in there but what else is in there? Yuck. FYI, Milo's kitchen is owned by Del Monte. Interesting.

Beef, Soy Grits, Sugar, Propylene Glycol, Rice, Salt, Monoglyceride, Garlic Powder, Natural Smoke Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (used as a preservative), Citric Acid, Sodium Erythorbate (for color retention), Sodium Nitrite (for color retention), BHA (used as a preservative), Onion Extract

Dog treats are a huge percentage of what we buy for our dogs. Whatever you feed your dog, read the labels and if there are ingredients in there that you can not pronounce or know what it is, then move onto something else.

Below is a recent notice from the FDA, taken from the official FDA site.

FDA Continues to Caution Dog Owners About Chicken Jerky Products

November 18, 2011

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is again cautioning consumers that chicken jerky products for dogs (also sold as chicken tenders, strips or treats) may be associated with illness in dogs. In the last 12 months, FDA has seen an increase in the number of complaints it received of dog illnesses associated with consumption of chicken jerky products imported from China. These complaints have been reported to FDA by dog owners and veterinarians.

FDA issued a cautionary warning regarding chicken jerky products to consumers in September 2007 and a Preliminary Animal Health Notification in December of 2008. After seeing the number of complaints received drop off during the latter part of 2009 and most of 2010, the FDA is once again seeing the number of complaints rise to the levels of concern that prompted release of our earlier warnings.

Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be fed occasionally in small quantities.

FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products: decreased appetite; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.

FDA, in addition to several animal health diagnostic laboratories in the U.S., is working to determine why these products are associated with illness in dogs. FDA’s Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (VLRN) is now available to support these animal health diagnostic laboratories. To date, scientists have not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. FDA continues extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified a contaminant.

The FDA continues to actively investigate the problem and its origin. Many of the illnesses reported may be the result of causes other than eating chicken jerky. Veterinarians and consumers alike should report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their state or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

2011-11-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

Elsa and Hank very excited about their play date.

Elsa had another play date a few days ago. It was with a new friend, Hank. Hank has recently joined a new family and is loving life. He is a year old boy and so much fun for Elsa to play with. When we first arrived Elsa heard his large bark coming from inside the house and her tail lowered. We went around the side to get into the back yard to do our introductions. It took all of 30 seconds for them to become best of friends. Elsa is 18 weeks old in these pictures and growing fast. Enjoy, they sure did.

As usual Elsa has a hard time hiding her feelings.

As confident as Elsa is she is very respectful of her elders. This you can see with her body posture.

She pretty much loved him.

Hank doesn't mind being attacked and Elsa enjoys being the aggressor.

You can see that undocked tail is always in use.

A little snuggle break.

Just plain fun.

Everyone loves a good head chomp.

Saturday morning

2011-11-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite covers, real cuties.

Good Saturday morning everyone; the sun is just coming up but I've been up a good long time. Miss Elsa is an early riser; something I'm going to need to change pretty soon. Her stomach does most of her thinking so we're going to have to change that as well. It looks like a beautiful day out there so we'll be headed somewhere, just not sure where yet.

I'm really excited to have connected with Meals on Wheels for my first annual DOG FOOD DRIVE. I am hoping to get a big turn out; food will help those in need. The general public who are needing a little helping hand, Meals on Wheels and two local rescue groups. If you are in the Southern California are a I sure hope to see on Dec 3rd with a bag or can of food to donate. Word of mouth would be great too; if you are reading this, tell all of your dog friends that I'd love to see them as well. Mark it on your calendar!!!!!

Yesterday I had a training session with two puppies; they were Cavaliers and I could barely stand how cute they were. Isn't it funny that no matter how often you've been around puppies they still make you melt. They were head shakingly adorable and doing their best adorable behaviors. Lots of kisses, gazing into my eyes, tiny wiggles of happiness and general undeniably irresistible. Tough job but someone has to do it, right?

It is time to get up and get going on this gorgeous day; hope you and your pooch have a wonderful one.

Keara and Charlie

2011-11-17T19:27:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had a visit with two of my all time favorite training students. I've known these guys for years; done a great deal of training with their owner and each of these magnificent dogs. Keara on the left and Charlie on the right. I spent a lot of time with these two over the years; first with Keara and then Charlie some years later. Two more wonderful German Shepherds I have not met in all my years of training and I was so excited to see them after a several year absence.

I met Keara when she was but a youngster, a 6 month old gorgeous young lady. Now well into her senior years she is still the wonderful girl, albeit mellowed a bit.

Charlie; a young three year old and full of the energy of youth. He truly is a hunk and one of the sweetest boys I know. At over 100 lbs I had to brace myself for his exuberant greeting, he seemed as happy to see me as I was to see him.

Keara voiced her joy at seeing me; it sure felt good.

I met Charlie when he was only weeks old; he was and still is a dog who loves life. Some of the dogs I've worked with over the years I remember well, others have taught me great lessons, some have sort of just slipped by and a few have made a big impact on my life. These two most definitely impacted my life living a lasting memory.

Proofing

2011-11-17T06:23:00.003-08:00

Proof: the act of testing or making trial of anything, test. Proofing a behavior is very important; I am working on proofing my release right now with Elsa. This means that I am making sure that she is not releasing too soon or on her own. She must wait for me to say the release word before she is released for anything. We are using feeding time for our proofing now as it is a very intensely driven obstacle for her. I do not want her thinking that the first word out of my mouth when her bowl is down and she is waiting; means that she gets to eat. So I am throwing all sorts of words and tones at her.

Proofing behaviors means that your dog can perform a certain behavior under any circumstance. They have learned a behavior and can achieve success under high distraction and in any environment. Proofing means practice, practice, practice. Most dogs do not generalize well; which means that when you teach them to sit at home they may not be able to do it anywhere else. If you want your dog to perform behaviors out in public then you must "proof" them out in public.

When you first teach a dog behaviors; it is best done in a quiet, non distracting area. That way you can be sure that they are getting a grasp on the task at hand. Once they have it you can then move to different environments like different rooms, the backyard, front yard etc etc. As they achieve success you can add new and more difficult environments. Then once you have gotten a handle on environments you work with distractions; starting with very easy distractions and working up to intense level.

Some dogs generalize more than others; for these dogs you may excel through the proofing stage. But all dogs have their obstacles; it may take a while to find your dogs tough spots but when you do you will also need to work through them. So far Elsa has shown that she generalizes quite well but already has a few blocks that we need to get over. We are working on waiting to get out of the car until I say so; she's having a tough time with this. I also require that she sits before getting out; I will not have dogs diving out of the car willy nilly. She has a tough time with stay when she wants out of the car; so we are working very hard on that.

It is very important to know your dog inside and out; understanding them personally helps you to help them to achieve success.

A food drive

2011-11-16T05:42:00.001-08:00

Every Holiday season brings with it the thought of others who may not be doing so well, especially in these economic times. Many folks give generously over the holidays both with food and monetary gifts. There are food banks all over that collect food, gift cards and money for those who do without. Our family gives every year, when I grocery shop I buy more than I need and start to fill bags that I keep on my dining room table. This year as I fill my bags I am also thinking about all the people who have felt the need to turn over their dog due to lack of funds to simply buy them food.

I'm having a food drive. I am hoping that many of you will join me as I collect dog food donations. I am contacting several of the local rescues and Meals on wheels to donate the food to directly. What about the big guys? As I was driving from the vets with Elsa last night I considered getting in touch with the big guys, the dog food makers and asking for a helping hand in donating food.

I will also be contacting as many of the local pet food stores for a donation as well. Saturday December 3rd will be the official "first annual Just dogs with Sherri food drive." I like the sound of that. Hopefully this will mean that many of the dogs who will go hungry or be turned over to a shelter or rescue will not. In these economic times many people just need a little help, nothing monumental, just a helping hand.

I will post more details on another blog and all the details on my Facebook group. Whatever you can give, whoever you can call, text or share with, please feel free to spread the word. How about in your own town? Maybe we could make this something really big; "Feed the dogs day?" If you can give one can, one small bag, a big bag, a bunch of food or a truck full, please do. Every bite helps towards keeping families together.

More about the drive later.

Sherri

Life's a chang'n

2011-11-15T05:59:00.001-08:00

Wow; rough morning for me today, so this blog will be short and sweet as they say. My rough start to the day is a bad and good one at the same time. Bad because one of my kids just left, moving to another state; good because she has met someone who makes her very happy, and that in itself makes me happy. Sitting at my computer with my first coffee of the day I feel strange, life is changing. Something that I have said for many years is that life is an evolution and it really is; isn't it?

When I look back at my early days, the days that started my life in the whole world of dogs I am happy with my canine evolution. Life is about moving forward but occasionally we do have to look back to see how far we have come. Many of us look back and shudder at the things we did or the ideas that we thought were correct. I have often apologized to my now long gone dogs; telling them that I just didn't know.

Many of my clients over the years have been so upset with the things that they have done with their dogs. "Sherri I just didn't know," is a phrase that I have often heard. My response is the same for all; you cannot go back and change things, killing yourself over the past is futile. Life is about moving on, learning and growing, changing. Looking at yourself now and yourself 20 years ago, you've changed. It's all about evolving into the person you will finally be. Sure we all start out with a base, our core so to speak. But as we venture through life our evolution commences.

Spending many hours these days out socializing Elsa, it becomes very obvious to me that each and every moment in our lives plays a part in who we are. How we face life, deal with each issue and handle sorting it all out is who we are. Hand in paw we go through our lives learning and teaching; becoming a part in the whole picture of a dog and his human. Man's best friend? Most definitely. But are we a dog's best friend? Through life we most definitely are given the chance to be; whether we take that chance or not is entirely up to us.

Now time for a second cup. Have a great day.

Sunday

2011-11-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

Good Sunday morning everyone; man I was up early this morning. Before 5:00 am is early in my books; I'm actually okay with anything after that. Tilley was the one who woke me up this morning; she was snorfling, rubbing her head, licking her feet etc. etc. Enough that I knew it was going to wake up the baby, and it did. So up and out before 5; too early. It looks like a great day out; it rained all day yesterday and there is not a cloud in the sky this morning. It feels nice and cool so I've been planning my day; lots of walks I'm thinking.

First I'll take out the old gals; it is a quiet, slow paced stroll, short and sweet as they say. Too much and we've over done it so 1/3 - 1/2 way around the park will do. Not sure where I'm taking Luke or Elsa; I will ponder that for a while over my second coffee. Yesterday with the rain all day I hit Lowes; I had several things to pick up so I took Elsa along. As I was on my way I thought of several things that I wanted to tackle; one was having her walk alongside a shopping cart. And two was to haul out a big garbage can with her beside me.

She was amazing in the store; we'd made several Home Depot visits when she was young and it showed. The cart thing was a bit iffy at first; she definitely does not trust cart/bike type things with wheels. But within a minute she was trotting along by my side. We stopped several times for people to say hello, no issues there, she adores people. She had a couple of hmmmmmmm moments when she noticed large things that she didn't recognize but they were over quickly.

She did not like the guys rounding up the carts outside or the big flatbed carts so we watched, sat and ate. She was fine with it all very quickly. We also stopped at the pet store to pick up some food; she met lots of nice people there. We talked poodles and discussed her lack of tail chopping. It is really funny that most non poodle people do not realize that they do indeed have their tails docked. It is a process that is done at the age of 3 days old; it's one of those things that have been done forever so many just continue. But I am happy to say that many breeders are seeing that it is no longer necessary and stopping the procedure.

So we have a nice day in front of us; who knows what it will hold, I'll let you know how it plays out. Have a great one yourself.

Rewards

2011-11-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

It's raining, beautiful. I love when it rains; especially here in Southern California where rain is scarce. Although this means that many people this morning cannot get their dog out to go to the bathroom. Like my big dogs, they get to the door, see the rain and turn around. So we bring out the treats, ask them to go and they do, amazing what a little treat can do.

The rain today means that we will be changing up where we go for socializing; I had planned on making a trip to the skate park again. We went yesterday and Elsa near had a panic attack; it was fairly busy and she had no idea what these whizzing around people were doing. We need to go back, bring lots of treats and chill there for a good amount of time. But that will be next week when it dries out; for today I think it's looking like we are heading to Lowes. I have quite a few things that I need to pick up; I'll need a cart which is good practice for Elsa to walk beside as well as everything else.

Treats and rewards are so important when you are teaching new behaviors or exposing to new things. When teaching behaviors, treats give us a way to let a dog know that they have done the correct thing. It helps us to improve the chance of repetition; upping the odds of good behaviors being offered again and again. Many behaviors are simply what dogs do, if they are undesirable then we need to reward them for not doing them and doing alternative behaviors.

Take for instance a scene that played out in front of our house yesterday. A boy was running down the street with his dog, a border collie mix. I could hear a car coming and see on the dogs face that he was indeed getting ready for the chase. This was a fairly big dog; the boy was around 13, the running was giving the boy less control of the situation as he yelled out "LEAVE IT." The boy knew what was coming as the dog lunged towards the road and they kept running. They got through it and moved on past our house.

Car chasing is a very hard behavior to crack with a dog that has extremely high chase drive. The secret is to find the reward that makes the difference; perhaps it is not food, more than likely it would be a tug toy. What you need to get through to the dog is; "don't do what you want, do what I want and you will be rewarded." If you offer no reward then why would a dog not do what makes them happy? By offering an alternative behavior, say sitting or doing a down stay you are showing the dog that there are alternative behaviors other than chasing.

Rewards help to create a positive association as well. Giving people treats to hand to your new puppy make people a great and wonderful thing. Placing treats on scary objects make those objects less scary and more approachable. A couple of weeks ago I took Elsa to the park where there are several large bear statues; we was terrified as I thought she would be. They are in a frozen stance, staring, this means danger. So I remained calm, chatted happily and tossed treats by their feet. Now each time we pass this bears she just looks for the treats they have.

Rewards are not simply goodies for your dog. Rewards, when properly distributed have great power and intense meaning. Dogs do not come programmed for a human world but we can definitely help them out by guidance and rewarding the good stuff.

A Day to never forget

2011-11-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

Remembrance day/ Veterans Day; a day to remember all of those who have fought. Humans and dogs have and are serving their countries proud. Take this day to remember.

The Holidays and Puppy Mills

2011-11-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

The Holiday season is just around the corner; which means that the millers are milling at all time highs. What are the hopes and dreams this season; these folks who mass produce dogs for for a living? Peace for all mankind? I think not. Bucks, the almighty dollar from you for their merchandise................puppy mill puppies. It is a sad state that these still exist; truly, after all the publicity, the television shows, the documentaries, people are still sauntering into these stores and purchasing puppies. Not only puppies but all the rest of their pet related supplies; giving money to the companies that support the horrendous treatment of dogs.

I have a new Facebook page, please visit and spread the word. Shutting down puppy mills.

The only way that these perpetrators of suffering can be stopped is to stop the purchase of their goods, the puppies. Each time a puppy is bought; more money is put into the hands of these horrific people. (Let's just call them people for now.) I live in a pretty nice area; we have many malls and shops around. It boggles my mind that some of these malls allow the sale of puppies after all the hype. The closest store to me that sells puppies is Barkworks at The Shops at Mission Viejo. I don't know how many mill puppies I've worked with over the years but it is very sad to see them. I've met sick, dying, deformed, behavior challenged and worse all purchased from the pet store.

Many of the people I meet who have purchased puppies from the stores knew what they were doing. They sheepishly say to me "I know I shouldn't have but I looked at those eyes and that was it." Sad indeed. Purchasing a puppy from a pet store is far from saving a life; it is dooming the dogs left behind at the mill, the Mothers and Fathers to more suffering, further torture, a life that no dog should ever have to endure. Each and every puppy that is purchased from a pet store puts money into the hands of the people who inflict heinous crimes against dogs.

No dog deserves to spend their life behind bars; pumping out puppies for the profit of their captors. Make a statement here and now; never set foot in a pet store that sells puppies. Spread the word; the only way this will ever stop is to stop the buying.

dog door

2011-11-09T06:05:00.000-08:00

How on earth did I ever live without a dog door? I can't even remember how many years it was that I wanted one in my home but I am sure glad we have one now. We got ours over four years ago now and I hate the thought of not having it. I remember feeling so bad if I was out just a bit longer at the store or a friends; feeling like I should rush home to let the dogs out. Adult dogs are fine to go 4-5 hours but of course there are times.

Every dog and human for that matter has times when holding it is not an option. If I came home and found messes in the house I'd never get mad; I always felt bad for my dogs. Just imagine having to go so bad but there is no way you are getting to the bathroom. Did you see the movie Bridesmaid? Specifically the scene where they are trying on dresses? Honestly, one of the funniest movies ever. Anyway it happens and when you gotta go, you gotta go.

We have a fabulous dog door; the kind that fits into a patio door so we can take it out and bring it with us when we move. No holes in the wall and it is so easy to fit into the door. When I got our door I had to consider that we have big and small dogs. The door had to be tall enough to accommodate the poodles and low enough for Jessie our Jack Russell. All of the dogs use it with ease and I don't have to stress if I'm out for longer than I had anticipated.

I have yet to teach Elsa about the door; I'm frankly amazed that she has not taught herself but she seems mystified by the adult dog's disappearance into the house. She watches intently as they go in and once they are gone she stares at the door and then charges off. Once I teach her how to use the door; my days of having her outside for a bit are gone. My kitchen looks out into the backyard; I have a full wall of windows so wherever she is out there I can see her. I'd have a lot more running around to do if she knew how to follow the big dogs into the house.

Of course when you have a dog door you need to be sure that your yard is secure. You must be sure that your dogs will not get into something that may be dangerous. That can mean anything if you have a chewer; I can't believe how many people have told me that their dog chewed up their entire sprinkler system. You Labrador owners know what I'm talking about. One of the great things about a dog door is that it can eliminate a great deal of anxiety and boredom. A dog may grow anxious in the yard but if they have the option to go in the house then the anxiety may lower.

Going in and out gives more options of what to do for the day. Typically dogs sleep while we are gone but if they are awake they can go out and in at will. Of course there is the chance that they may bring things in the house that you'd rather they left outside. Plants might be dragged in, lizards or other gross things that they may find to amuse themselves outdoors. My guys sleep and normally they are all in the exact same spot as I left them now; of course Elsa would be something different if she were left with free run of the house.

For now I'm not gone long, a couple of hours at the most. Elsa is a long way off from having free reign in the house so she will remain in the dark about the dog door until I feel that she and I need her to know about it. Of course that is unless she finds out on her own how the dogs are disappearing into the house. Otherwise it's on a need to know basis.

You know you have a new puppy, when...........................

2011-11-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

I find that I am laughing to myself quite a bit these days; things that may otherwise seem pretty strange become the norm when you have a puppy. These everyday occurrences may not seem normal for many folks but anyone with a new puppy will relate.

You know you have a new puppy, when............................

- You need to keep a camera in every room.

- Every15-20 minutes you are heading outside.

- You have a minimum of one toy basket filled to the brim in every room.

- Each time you undress, treats drop out of all your clothing.

- You put on your jacket and smile because there are already treats in the pocket.

- Out shopping you head to the pet section of the store first. (I actually do that all the time anyway.)

- You wonder if you will ever sleep in again; and by that I mean until 6:00 am.

- You are constantly seeking friendly dogs and people so that you can successfully socialize your newest family member.

- You have become accustom to stepping over baby gates.

- Pin cushion has a definite meaning to you now.

- You want to throw a party when you notice that first little pin has fallen out.

- You are throwing a party and consider your attire and the puppy. A fairly sheer blouse, hmmm perhaps a teeth rip. High heels, hmmmmmmm you might step on her feet with those things.

- The daily poop-o-meter check is a given.

- Finishing a conversation is something you look forward to in the future.

- You have several containment areas set up around the house, for your sanity.

You realize just how quiet everything was before you got a new puppy; wouldn't life be a boring place without a little turmoil thrown into our lives now and again. Give your puppy a hug and smile knowing that today will not be a quiet or boring one. Those days are down the road.

don't go the yank and choke method

2011-11-07T06:34:00.001-08:00

Some topics need revisiting over and over again. This of course stems from the fact that I see the behavior repeated again and again when I am out with my dogs. Today I was dropping my hubby off at his car, we had met up at the park, he runs Luke and I do the old lady saunter. As I pulled up to the curb I saw a woman walking three dogs, I see her often. Her dogs were going off on a couple of other dogs that were walking past, she reached out the back and kicked one (Caesar style.) My husband asked if I'd seen it and then asked why would she do that? We then got into a big discussion; conventional vs. positive.

First another quick story, I was shopping for furniture one day with my daughter and after spotting several items that I wanted I gave the sales lady who asked for my number one of my business cards. She thought it was cool that I was a dog photographer and told me about her young female labrador. She said that she was in the throws of finding a trainer and that she had attended a private class with one trainer already and wasn't sure she wanted to return. She told me about the trainer yanking on her dogs collar and becoming so aggressive with her young labrador that the young and very intimidated dog had squatted and urinated during the class.

She asked me if this was normal and I know she noticed me cringing as she finished her question. By the look on her face she knew my answer before I opened my mouth. My heart truly hurts when I hear stories like this, imagine the poor little lab in the hands of this brute? A client of mine several years back was told that she and her husband were going to ruin their dog which was a beautiful and gentle Golden retriever puppy. They were talked into leaving the dog for training and were not allowed to visit. When they did come to pick up their dog they found and underweight, emotionless shell of what they use to know as their bouncy and happy go lucky golden puppy, that's when I got the call.

I've been a dog trainer for a longtime. I was training dogs at the age of 13. But way, way back then there was only conventional training. When I say conventional I mean the type with a choke collar, if the dog does not do what you ask you give them a quick yank on the leash to smarten them up. And the longer the disobedience goes on the harsher the yanks get which brews anger in the "trainer."

Amazingly enough to me there are still conventional trainers out there. With all the information written in magazines, newspapers and the internet about Positive inforcement training there are still the old collar yanking ones not willing to change their ways. I was introduced to positive reinforcement training over 15 years ago. When I found out about it I felt like "why didin't I know about this sooner?" For the longest time I felt so guilty about the things I had done in the past but I finally had to let it go.

The years of conventional training I now look back on give me a better understanding of why I hate it and why I train the way I do. I am not a person who only knows one way, no I have been there and understand the difference big time. I think the biggest difference in conventional and positive is the emotion it creates. I remember being in the old classes where anyone who's dog was not performing properly slowly became angry at their dog. I watch people who rely on collar yanking now and see the anger in their reaction to non compliance.

This is where the conversation with my husband went, anger. You could see the anger in the woman as kicked her dog and yanked it around trying to stop it from misbehaving. It is far more than one way or the other; both methods of training come from a core idea and from that idea a person evolves.

Positive reinforcement takes more patience and definitely a whole lot more thinking. I had a trainer friend of mine who was just learning about positive reinforcement tell me that she loved the way I thought things through when we were discussing a behavior issue. No two dogs are exactly alike and many times I would get a strange and new reaction behavior from a clients dog. I would then say "hold on, I need to figure this out." Why was this dog acting this way to a common behavior that I used on a regular basis, what was the difference here?

Dogs can do strange things and if you watch long enough and hear the guardian's explanation of background behavior it can almost always be explained. Not that the explanation always helps, sometimes you just need to move on from the cause to the solution. Often a behavior can be quickly solved by one tiny step from a guardian. I love dog behavior, I could honestly watch canines interact with other canines or with people for hours. I love the new guardians who have opted for using positive reinforcement, it has created a whole new breed of caregivers. Far from the yank and choke when a dog misbehaves, positive trainers search for way to optimize the possibility of good behavior repetition. And that my friends is great news for all dogs.

Sunday

2011-11-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

Good Sunday morning everyone; the sun is just coming up here in Southern California and it's really chilly. I actually turned on the furnace this morning, first time this year. I apologize again for no blog yesterday; I am up to my eyeballs these days so please bare with me for the next couple of months. One of the things on my busy list was a party we had at our house on Friday night, one of my daughters is moving to Colorado so it was a good bye party. :(

We had about 25-30 people I think so I had Elsa leashed up for the meet and greets. Tilley and Jessie were up stairs fast asleep for the entire event; it would be far too dangerous to have Jessie wandering around with people coming and going and Tilley just isn't up to it. So Luke and Elsa were out for part of it; which was great for socializing. Up until now Elsa has not met a person she has not adored; and everyone at the party seemed to be quite taken by her. I have to admit she's quite the charmer as was Luke and the two together got lots of AWWWWs.

I had Elsa leashed because there was food which meant people were sitting with a plate on their lap and we aren't so good with that yet. Plus the whole in and out thing with people coming and going; I did not want her slipping out unnoticed. She was our greeter extraordinaire as she bounded and lavished her affections on everyone who walked through the door. I was not working on sitting at all; that would have been pointless with the amount of people and the important thing for me at the moment is that she adore people, all people.

I wandered around letting her greet and talk to everyone until she finally fell asleep on the kitchen floor as I talked to some of our friends. That was my cue that it was time for a nap; it is very important that puppies or adults dogs not get over tired over stimulated. Luke had been shadowing me through the house seeking eye contact every now and again. He loves people but it is also not a normal thing to have this many people in our house so he was looking for assurance once in a while.

I took both Elsa and Luke upstairs so that they could nap and relax. All the dogs sleep in our room nightly so they are more than comfortable being there for an evening nap. After an hour or so I brought them out again; Elsa was rested and rejuvenated. She had her second wind and was ready to make the rounds soaking up as much attention as she could. Luke again followed us around seeking his eye contact from Mom. It is so cute when he does this; I will glance over at him and notice a piercing stare from him. I know it well, it is a "Mom, I need you to connect with me for a second." We have a very short connection and he's good to go again. Sometimes he'll need a touch but this night he just needed a visual connection. Our relationship is amazingly connected one.

It is truly a joy when a puppy adores people; I have often told clients that their dog who is bounding on people is a good problem. I have dealt with many a dog who is either fearful or aggressive towards people and that is no fun to deal with. The bounding on people out of sheer joy problem? I'll take that any day.

Rabies vaccines

2011-11-04T12:51:00.001-07:00

A much needed repost

Rabies vaccines; it's a hot topic these days. www.rabieschallengefund.org The Rabies challenge has brought it to the forefront and is digging into the facts. I have always got rabies vaccinations for my dogs but now into their senior years and having health issues I am not willing to compromise their health. With Titers you can reliably test the amount of immunity a dog has to certain diseases.

Great article on Titer testing

With a good titer result; our dogs are still protected but sometimes this isn't enough for the officials. With simple common sense it should be; you can have titers done for humans as well and that seems to be enough for us. Why should be re-vaccinate when the dogs body has enough immunity? They are finding out that over vaccinating is alot more dangerous than once thought.

I have a very inquiring mind; I always want to know more. If I hear about an important issue that I hadn't heard before then I dig in; I want the facts. I listen to what people have to say; take what I think is important and toss the rest. Life is a constant education; to deny facts, to turn away in an "I don't want to know" manner is really useless.

Take the whole Autistic/vaccine debate going on in the human world right now. Many just don't buy it; thankfully many are also digging.

Information on the Rabies challenge

We are only human and humans make mistakes; but to turn away from the facts is a disservice to us and our animals. Before you re-vaccinate; research, research alot.

Autumn Gold

2011-11-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a very good friend brought her two year old Golden Retriever Lucy to my house for a play date. It turned out amazing; fun for Elsa, Lucy, Luke and us, the humans who got to watch the fun. Elsa is now 16 weeks old and growing like a bad weed. Luke is eleven and the chief Honcho at our house now. Lucy is an amazingly beautiful, wonderful tempered Golden who was a joy to have grace our home. Here are some of the pics from the fun.

After all this fun Elsa had a three hour nap, nice.

A good visual on size difference and shades of Gold

Let the games begin

Girls having fun

Let's see how you like your ears pulled

I cannot believe that Elsa didn't wipe out here, Lucy is some serious about getting the ball back.

Elsa is not particular about what she bites and hangs onto

Elsa feeling very powerful

Lucy prepares for the hit of a charging poodle baby

Lucy decided she'd had enough ear tugging for a while

A golden sandwich

Lucy's turn to do some chasing

Elsa running for her life

Elsa trying to be very tough

Legs are good for chomping

Lucy seeing that those baby teeth are indeed sharp

Everything was going great until the girls turned their attention onto Luke

Mmmmm middle of the head chomp, that feels good

Two golden beauties

Two steps back

2011-11-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

With the advancement of positive reinforcement; one man has single handedly moved it all back two steps. Yesterday I was at the park with Luke; it is nice to take them out one on one and let them take time to smell the roses. That is exactly what we were doing, meandering around the park checking out flowers, watching others walk their dogs and basically taking it easy. As we made our way around the park I inevitably saw someone trying their hardest to get their dogs to walk behind them. I shook my head as we walked past; with Luke deep in a bush sniffing.

I see many people now walking with their dogs behind them. I frankly hate it when they go behind me; for one I can't see what they are doing and we are there to enjoy together. If you watch a wolf documentary you will see that when they walk as a pack; all the members are indeed following the "leader" but not by falling in behind. Many of the pack members are out in front; which in no way means that they are leading, they are just out in front. It is such a simple concept to think that just because you are out in front makes you the leader when it is far more complicated. Simple minds.

Another dog ran by us with it's owner yesterday as we had stopped to talk to a woman and her very cute little dog. The man was jogging with a large Jindo type dog; he ran by and when the dog stopped or attempted to stop and sniff he nearly got his head ripped of and was flipped totally over. The guy never stopped, never gave his dog a "come on" command, just kept running at full speed. Luckily the dog was very buff and looked like he was accustom to this.

When we walk our dogs are we not taking them out for enjoyment? Is this perhaps one walk of the day the time to instill all the "leadership" lessons that we feel that we need to teach? Daily routine is when you create your leadership status and it is not done by force or making our dogs walk behind us. I believe the whole walking behind us is more a status thing to show other people how our dogs are walking behind us more than for our dogs, correct? When I see people walking with their dogs behind them all I can think of is that it looks like the Marines, no fun involved in the walk.

Walks are for fun; having two very senior dogs and one senior we head out for sniffing fun. Luke still loves the walk part but Jessie and Tilley are very much in it to read their daily pee-mail. Dogs are meant to smell and they do it very well. I love watching them pick up a scent and follow it to the end. Yes there are times when I say "we are power walking so no sniffing." But most of the time we walk and sniff and enjoy our walks together, that's what it is suppose to be about.

Tuesday ponderings

2011-11-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone, I hope that you all had a wonderful Howlloween. It was a last minute sort of deal for us; having no small children and a plate that is running over at the moment I almost forgot about it. At 6:00 my son and speed carved our pumpkin and set it out; I got the candy out and was ready for the few we would have at our door. I had planned on having Elsa join me for each candy give out; kids in costumes is a great socializing moment but with a big day under her belt she passed out. She awoke for one bunch of trick or treaters and of course loved them.

We had a walk at the Marina again yesterday; this time it was just Elsa. It is extremely important to take puppies or new dogs out without their companions. I've seen far too many dogs who cannot deal with life on their own; they've always had their pack with them and feel naked without them. So sadly Luke stayed at home; but he did catch up on some much needed rest for his stiff legs.

We met some great friends at the Marina; one dog in particular who Elsa had not met yet was a big male with huge hair. As he made his way in our direction I thought to myself that he would surely scare Elsa and he did. Males are scarier in general than females and puppies just tend to give them more space. She had a moment of AHHHHH and hid behind my legs only poking her head out to see him. They sniffed and within 30 seconds she was diving on him like they were old friends. This boy happens to love puppies which is really wonderful.

It was hot yesterday which seemed to suck the life out of all the dogs, old and young as well as me. By mid afternoon I was ready for a nap. Tilley seemed to have a not so great day; I am pondering taking her coat off. Grooming is tough with her now as she cannot stand for long and she cannot stand on the table at all. With her Vestibular disease lowering her head is the worst thing she can do; the moment she's on the table she wants to fall of. So she has to lie down making grooming a chore for sure, but I'm thinking with this SoCal heat that it needs to come off. She has a coat for the cooler evenings which she seems to really like, unlike Luke who dreads the "evil coat."

We had some nervous ninny moments yesterday. The dogs were all in my office with me; Elsa was of course fidgeting like crazy; Tilley was asleep on the dog bed and Luke took up his usual spot at the door. Elsa wondered over near Luke as he slept and must have brushed his leg; he shot up like she'd jumped and landed right on him, such a nervous guy. Then later in the afternoon Tilley did the same thing to my poor edgy boy. He's the best dog ever but such a nervous worrier type.

I've got a list of places I'll be visiting in the next few weeks with Elsa. I've been researching dog friendly facilities and plan to hit as many as possible. The outdoor malls are a great place and they tend to be frequented by lots of other dogs as well as tons of folks. So we'll be out and about. We have friends coming over to play tomorrow which should be fun; I'll definitely have my camera out for that. Elsa and I visited this particular dog when she was younger but she was a bit much for Elsa so hopefully she'll be ready to romp this time.

Dog Friendly

2011-10-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

Like I said yesterday I am going to discuss dog friendly cities today. I want to talk about what dog friendly means; it can mean a lot of different things to different people. I often see "dog friendly" signs or statements on websites and shops but with further investigation it really means one tiny dog can accompany you if they are in a cage or bag type thing. This to me is not dog friendly; it is merely an attempt at creating a dog friendly appearance so as to fool the general public. If you happen to be one of these pocket pooch carrying types then it will be great for you and your dog but not the rest of us.

For me, dog friendly means open arm welcoming of friendly dogs; any size, shape or color. Now with regards to a city being dog friendly, this encompasses a great deal more. Does the city have areas where dogs can run free? Can you have your dog join you at outdoor cafe's around town? Dog friendly cities tend to hold more than the average amount of dog events which brings out the dog lovers.

Not too long ago I had a fabulous trip to Victoria which is on Vancouver Island, BC. I have to say that it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. To top off the natural beauty it was very dog friendly. There were dogs everywhere and when we ventured just outside of the city limits there was a fabulous walk along the coast where all the dogs were off leash. I was so happy to see this; dogs wandering along with their human companions meeting and greeting other dogs as they passed. No fences, no restrictions, no tension, just fabulous. One of my readers wrote about Vancouver and it's dog friendliness. Four paws up for the Vancouver area.

More recently I was in San Fran and it too was very dog friendly. I found lots of new dog shops to snoop around in; one of which I found Jessie's cute little harness. Every shop, hotel and restaurant had water bowls outside and there were dogs everywhere. Running on the beach off leash, is there anything better? I had the chance to talk to several dog owners who were enjoying the freedom of a beach run. I really enjoyed San Francisco as well.

NYC, the big apple is very dog friendly. Having just visited a couple of weeks ago I was introduced to a very different sort of life. Apartment dwelling with dogs; not for me but lots of people do it. There I saw dogs of all shapes and sizes out for their walks on the streets. With taxis honking, trucks booming by and people covering the streets they seemed quite happy. In the core of the city is Central park; there we saw more dog enjoying life with their humans. Unfortunately I did not get to see the dog park there, apparently there is one at the other end from where we were, nice.

What about Southern California; here where I live in the heart of Orange County? It's pretty good as far as being dog friendly but there needs to be more wild areas where dogs can accompany you. The beach towns are pretty dog friendly allowing dogs on most patios to dine along with you. Dogs are allowed on many beaches, leashed but not during peek summer hours. There are a couple of dog beaches which are always crowded with dogs having fun. The problem is the number of people vs. the number of dog parks. I often visit dog parks for photo shoots and high traffic hours can make a good place a bad place. Too many dogs shoved into a park makes for high stress level and lots of fights.

My biggest beef is that there are literally thousands of acres of open scrub land where dogs are not even allowed. I've done a great deal of driving around the OC when I was looking for places to shoot for my book "Dogs in the OC." Many of the largest natural parks do not allow dogs. I get the leash law thing but no dogs even on leashes? I really cannot wrap my head around that. One day I stood at the opening to a park, it was all natural; wild land, as far as I could see. Untouched by the developers yet and there was a big sign right there before you went in NO DOGS. I stood staring at the sign; really? I didn't have my dogs I was just looking for shoot spots, but left scratching my head.

The shelter system, that alone speaks volumes about a city. Is it a high kill city? Scooping all the stray dogs in only to end it all? Or does your city have a great shelter with caring folks to take the time to rehabilitate and rehome? Perhaps they have a great connection with the local rescues working to save as many as they can? I know for one shelter here in Orange County; calling a rescue about a dog needing to be placed was a big no no and I was seriously reprimanded about it. Another mind boggling incident.

What some of my readers had to say.

Katie says: We're in the Dayton, Ohio area and I've found that dogs are allowed in alot of places-you just have to ask (you never know if you don't). We have an outdoor mall type shopping center and almost all of the shops (like Gap, White House Black Market, etc...) are pet friendly; and alot of the restaurants have outdoor patio seating so that Fido can join.

Angela wrote: Perth, Western Australia....absolutely NOT dog friendly....no dogs allowed in pubs, cafes, restaurants, some parks, shopping centres, public transport, taxis and many more places. Dog friendly parks are rare, mostly on-leash only, never fenced for safty, hardly any trees so not good in summer with up to 45 degrees and agressive sun. only 3 very small areas at the beach for gods. Heard that it is more friendly over east in the Melbourne area.... So Western Australia is NOT a place you want live if you are a dog lover.

Malory says: Dogs are a commonplace out here in South Carolina, however, their views on how dogs are to be treated are very different than how I was raised to believe in California. Dogs are "just dogs" out here. The ones that REALLY take care of their dogs are hunters with hunting dogs. I've noticed not a lot of dog savvy people live out here. I have never had any real issues with Bravo though.

Carol said: St. Louis is about a 7 in my books, but improving rapidly. It's headquarters for Purina and the Purina Farms Event Center, home of the national finals for The Incredible Dog Challenge; we have more than 16 dog parks and dog swims (during late summer/early fall); we have 3 pet food pantries and many, many no-kill rescue organizations. I'm sure there are more qualifiers, but I can't think of them all!

So whether or not a city is truly dog friendly depends upon which dog owner you are speaking to. For me it needs to be big; WE LOVE DOGS sort of place to impress me as dog friendly. That and seeing lots of happy humans with their happy dogs.

Dog friendly cities?????????????

2011-10-30T10:27:00.001-07:00

No long blog today, just a question. How dog friendly is your city? Love to hear from you all. I will be blogging about this subject tomorrow and your comment could end up in the blog.

Thanks guys, have a wonderful Sunday.

Sherri

Really? The not so bright ones

2011-10-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so yesterday we decided that it was time for Elsa's big "off leash" day. We have taken the dogs down to the canyon for years and years. It is somewhere that they can run off leash which I believe very strongly that every dog should do. Being in such cramped quarters as Southern California it is not easy to find a place to sneak away and release the hounds but the canyon has been pretty good. We rarely run into anyone, even on the weekends and this was Friday so we should be good right?

The moment came and my husband asked if I was ready? I nodded and he unhooked Elsa; she looked around a bit and was off like a wild woman after her big brother. This canyon is Luke's stomping grounds, he loves it down there. As they reached the end of the path I gave it a go "Elsa.....COME." To my surprise she jammed on her brakes and came flying. Treat, praise, treat, praise and she was off again.

We walked for sometime, Elsa following Luke's every footstep. It truly is wonderful to have an older dog to show a pup the way. I continued to call her and even when I called Luke she came. Treating is essential and it's got to be good treats. Something worth dropping the running and craziness for. I have to say that they looked amazing running down there, they both matched the scenery color to a T, beautiful.

One of the paths had a huge mud mess that was impassable so I said, "that's good, let's go." We turned around to see a large dog heading our way, he was very far int he distance. As far as he was I could see his tail held high along with his ears. We leashed both of the dogs and I panicked. I did not see an owner so I reached into my pouch and got out my pepper spray. When it comes to my dogs I am like a Momma Grizzly.

The came at an even pace, steady and never lowering his tail, eyes or ears. Not something you want to see with no owner behind it. Finally we saw a glimpse of a person, I yelled "call your dog." He was so far that I thought he probably couldn't hear me. The dog got closer and closer, Luke was now on his tip toes seeing that this dog was clearly challenging from the get go. Elsa was barking and nervous, rightly so. The dog approached Luke first and they stood shoulder to shoulder frozen. The dogs hair was up the entire length of it's body, I had my spray ready. I carry a pepper spray for these type of moments and I am not afraid of using it.

My husband yelled out to the man, he yelled something back and continued his snail pace our way. Really? It was like he was out for a Sunday walk but slower, like Tilley slow. I then yelled as I was getting very mad, the dog kept looking at Elsa and there was no way I wanted him near her. The veered off and peed on a bush, good at least it was a male. Good for Elsa, not so good for Luke. Luke is so great with dogs but if a male pushes him he will not back down and this male was pushing. He attempted to come my way and I yelled at him so he went back to Luke. They stood again frozen, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone threw the first punch.

The guy got within yelling distance and we called to him again to call his dog. "He doesn't really listen." Really? Is he sh#$%ing me? My husband and I looked at each other realizing that we had to deal with this, the owner had nothing. So at his crawl speed he continued to get closer and closer. The dog came over to Elsa and I could not back him away. I hoped that the fact of her being a girl was a good thing and it was, he sniffed her, postured and finally backed off when I yelled and postured back at him. I didn't want to use the spray if I didn't have to, I never want to spray a dog and my dogs would get the fall out of it.

The dog returned to Luke and my husband tried just walking away with him but the boys set up for more posturing. I could see that it was just another second until Luke lost it. He went after the dog backing him off. Luke is a force to be reckoned with if he let's her go. But at the age of 11 I do not want him getting into it; especially with a dog that looked like maybe a Shepherd/Akita mix. The guy was now finally close enough and so that he could hear what was going on and I'm sure see the rage of my husband, he called his dog and low and behold it went to him. He said again "he doesn't listen," and I screamed at him "then don't have him off leash." We had a few words and he slowly sloughed off. Honestly.

We let the guy get good and far away before even considering letting the pooches off again. It is very important to always end on a positive, both for the dogs and for us. Elsa was fine, it may have shaken her a bit seeing her big brother being so tough but she was fine, still I wanted to end on a fun note and we let them rip once again. I had my camera with me and wish that I would have thought to take his picture and he slithered away, but I was too wrapped up in my dogs protection.

I did get lots of pics of the two blondies having fun and it was a perfect day of fun and obedience, for us at least. A tiny glitch of stupidness, it boggles my mind how stupid some people really are.

Differences

2011-10-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

We joined many of our friends yesterday on a walk. This was Elsa's first walk out with the "poodle gang." I wasn't sure what she would think about it all but knowing her happy go lucky personality I figured she'd love it and she did. She was at first apprehensive; rightly so, as all the owners and dogs congregate it gets pretty crazy. They all love to see their friends and catch up just like we do. Luke adores his friends and is just as crazy as the rest to see them all.

As we approached Elsa started to hesitate; her tail went down and she jammed on her brakes. I stopped for just a moment so that she could assess; she looked at Luke who was more than excited and we kept on going. She barked a bit out of fear and then dove in. She was a tad overwhelmed but in a few minutes she was good to go and loved the rest of the walk and meeting all of her new friends. By the end of the walk she was a pro at all of this pack stuff.

All dogs are different and each one reacts and displays differently. Some dogs are not the social type; much like my Tilley. She has never been one to socialize although she never exhibited any aggression towards other dogs; she just tolerates and goes with the flow. Luke on the other hand is Mr. Social; he loves meeting other dogs and other people, he has always been like this.

For the dogs who are not social butterflies; that is just fine, it is who they are. Although if a dog displays fear or aggression then you must address the problem. If they are just not the social type then you must learn to be okay with that. I don't know how many times I was approached over the years by people wanting their dog to play with Tilley. She would be doing her amazing flying frisbee routine which would draw in the folks. "Can my dog play with yours?" they'd ask. "She doesn't play with other dogs," I'd apprehensively tell them; trying very hard not to sound snobbish. She just didn't want to play with other dogs.

There are dogs who love being social but have poor social skills; the skills need to be addressed. The bubbly social lovers may love to meet and greet but often have over the top out of control behaviors which also need addressing. A dog with good communication skills is a joy to have around. Even if a dog is not the social type, they can convey that to others without being rude about it.

Like us dogs are all different and just like we have to learn to be civil so to do our dogs. Each has the right to be who they are and the fact that they are all so different is a wonderful thing. Yesterday some of the poodle pack were anxious to meet the new one; some not so much which is perfectly fine. Some dogs who are very social and friendly are not so keen on the whole puppy idea. Puppies are different and some dogs are not puppy lovers.

It's important to watch, watch the behaviors of dogs you interact with. And if your dog needs some help in the communication department, best to help them out with this so that they are not left communicating with no one.