Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Tracking

This morning I drafted my sister to help get some video of Jenny and I tracking. Difficulties with the good camera unfortunatly means we had to use mine which isn't nearly as nice. We did a really short track with one turn. I have added sits when she finds articles because she tends to work so fast. (A huge change from Jack who is very slow.) I am unsure if I would see them otherwise. Perhaps I will change that to a fetch or a down later. In this video she did miss two articles (or I missed her finding them) and she overshot the corner abit. But she made the turn and got back on track. The video is 3 minutes long with sound tho it is mostly of the wind.

I had run her on another track first so she was less excited at the end of this one. I think I need to play more glove games with her so the end is more clear to her. It isn't great quality but you get the picture. It was great weather for it though with just a little drizzle at the end. Cool and damp is great for holding scent. (the vest I am wearing looks dorky but has great roomy pockets for scent articles as I pick them up) For some really great tracking videos check out http://spiritdancedogs.blogspot.com/ Jenny and I are really just beginners at it.

Then I headed to town to hang out with Minos at the store. He's getting bigger every day.

While there we ran into this cutie, a portugese water dog puppy named Spot. They had a few moments together. (which is one reason we go to the store on tuesdays, socialization)

Then auntie Marie bought him a flossie. For anyone with bulldogs this spiral shape is awesome for their big mouths. It slows them down enough to make it a chewie and not a quick snack. (it also worked great for my Jenny who tends to try inhaling things) They key is supervision so if they get a length all mushy you can simply cut it off before they suck it down their throat and choke.

While there I also picked up more training treats (Zukes!) and a new treat bag made by Olly Dog. I chose the one on the left. (I love pink!) My current bag has a snap shut feature but it squeaks which I don't like. For my own dogs I typically try to use my pockets, but when I am with a client it is much easier most times to snap one of these on. After I left there I went and bought a new raincoat. After a couple of days of the sun (finally!) we are back in another rainy period. If this keeps up I going to begin construction on an ark.

Reading and watching updates

I hope everyone had a great and safe holiday. I went to my towns annual pet show and had fun watching all the dogs (and a rabbit!) partake of a mini agility course. Lauren of The Loyal Biscuit Co. was there judging and giving out prizes donated from her store. It was a somewhat rainy morning so it was a smaller turnout than usual but it was still fun. You can always count on the mix of kids and dogs to provide some laughs. Then Jenny and I took a turn hanging out at the store.

While there we also worked on one of our tricks. (I'm not telling which one.) I picked up a copy of 101 Dog Tricks this week to get some new ideas from. I am still a pretty new convert to the idea of trick training being useful as a part of a regular training regimen. Even though I now love it I sometimes get stumped with what tricks there are out there to chose from. To many years of repetition of the basics I guess. Jenny needs the mental stimulation though and it will help me come up with plenty of ideas to keep her (us) busy when we aren't out tracking.

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I also grabbed a copy of Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt. I am only about 50 pages in and loving it already. I'll be sure to give a more in depth review of it when I finish.

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One of the reps at work came through for me and sent the Cesar Millan packet I mentioned before. I already watched the "Waiting room" copy DVD and have also downloaded the freebie that the clients are supposed to get. I have to say I think I was right to be sceptical. So far all I have seen is clips from his "Mastering Leadership" DVD's with some ads for Heartguard and Frontline thrown in. One clip was a great example of learned helplessness. At one point he says "We want the dog to fight" as the dog is freaking out. Uh no we don't! The frustrating thing is that as always there are some good tips thrown in between his scary stuff. And contrary to the rumor so far there has been no sign of any other positive trainers helping him show any basic training whatsoever. I haven't watched the download yet due to lack of time. (and truth be told, I have little interest in wasting much more of my time cringing at his methods) I'll be sure to report in on the other video after I watch it.

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Check out a very interesting conversation about cropping and docking in dogs on another blog I read. Since I don't have breeds that are cropped or docked it is a non-issue for me in general. The vet I work for doesn't do ear cropping but does do tail docking. As a trainer I do think removing or changing body parts can affect dogs body language. If not for the dog itself, then for the dogs that are looking at them and interacting with them. It is hard enough to read some dogs as it is. (they used to crop pugs ears commonly according to the history book I have on the breed) Whichever side of the issue you are on here is some food for thought.

http://rufflyspeaking.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/as-promised-cropping-and-docking-controversies/

http://rufflyspeaking.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/cropping-and-docking-part-2-docking/

Tomorrow morning I am planning on headed out for some tracking. I have been so busy with other peoples dogs I have been lax with my own beasties this last couple of weeks. I'll try to get more video to share of her in action.

The official akita movie trailer has arrived

I still can't get video to embed on this blog so here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaS37E3gKOU

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As an akita owner I am HUGELY conflicted about this movie coming out. (I should say again -the original was made in Japan with english subtitles of which I have a copy) It looks like they did a beautiful job on it. I just worry that it will create a demand for them and they simply are not the dog for everyone. Akitas rescues are always full as it is. Check any of them out for yourself. (http://www.akitarescuewny.com/) The dog in the movie is stunning and I fear there will be morons out there looking to cash in on the movies popularity and begin back yard breeding ventures. (heck some probably already are sad to say) I just hope like hell they have something in the beginning of the movie stating something about the breed not being for everyone. I do TRY to be an optimist.

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Another part of the issue is that people think breeds shown in movies will act like those movie dogs. Hmm a loose akita that isn't looking for stuff to chase, eat, dig up or fight with the neighbors dog just isn't always realistic. Oh and if that wasn't bad enough I think I saw something about how some of the puppies in the movie are actually shiba inu's. Another breed not for everyone. Yes they are cute but have a very high prey drive and can be hard to contain. (read keep in a fenced yard) I considered the breed once myself and decided they were way to much for me. They are also described as a big dog in a small body. (in case you were wondering) The live shiba puppy cam was bad enough.

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There is also a myth in akita circles about them once being used as babysitters while the moms went into the rice patties to work. This has translated to some people as "Safe to leave alone with infants and toddlers". PLEASE do not do this with ANY dog!!! What it really means is that they are territorial and can be possessive of their space and things, including their family.

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I repeat, they are not the dog for everyone. I LOVE the breed but this movie should not be viewed as an ad for this breed to become the must have dog in your home. Do not rush out and find a breeder, do some research first. Akitas can be wonderful dogs with TRAINING, proper SOCIALIZATION, and LOTS of time on the part of their new owner. And then you would need to find a breeder that does health testing of BOTH parents before breeding a litter. (finding a breeder is a whole nother post-search my site for more info on that) Don't say I didn't warn you.

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Yes I will be going to see the movie. Perhaps taking some akita rescue posters and handouts to the movie theater about the breed may be in order as well. I suppose I should be happy they didn't portray them in a Cujo type movie instead. Then we would be fighting the against breed banning (or should I say more of it for akitas) and the ignorance of people thinking they were all aggressive horrible dogs. Unfortunately fame has it's price on any breed that is portrayed in movies in our society these days. Let's hope it isn't to high for our beautiful akitas.

The Loyal Biscuit Co. expansion revealed

My favorite local dog store has expanded into new digs just down the road on the same street. I took a just a few photos while I was there today. Check them out~

Are you finished ooohing and ahhhing? More renovations are on the way which I will share when they are finished. Nice though huh? (oops I forgot to take a photo of the whole food area)

This is pretty much my spot since I will be using it alot when I drop in to hang out. VBG And check out these new gadgets I picked up there today to.

These are so you can move your dogs id tags to any collar they are wearing easily. Perfect for people who always want their dogs to wear a specific color collar for the day or for those that want to remove jingling tags on occasion.

And this sweet baby is a tick remover that you can have handy on your key chain.

Our area has been hit with a LONG stretch of rain lately. It is really putting a crimp on our summer which is short enough already. For those that don't know the mushrooms that are sprouting because of it can be a problem for some pets. We saw a dog at the clinic recently with mushroom toxcicity from eating one. Convulsions and excessive vomiting were just two of the symptoms. Thankfully the owner was supervising, realized what happened, and got him to us quickly. He is doing fine. Now when I do pooper scooper duties I am also picking those little bastards out of my badly in need of a mow lawn. Like I didn't have enough to do already. Better safe than sorry though with little miss "I love to eat" stuff Jenny around. Yeesh

I'm having a problem with my Monday

I am almost afraid to try to post this. Nothing has gone well for me today and I am blaming it on some sort of Monday mania.
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Nothing went smoothly at work for me. I made mistakes with scheduling, couldn't remember any word more than 2 syllables and overall felt like I was in slow motion all day. I could feel that I was off and did make an effort to stay away from all sharp objects and the stairs. Somehow I muddled through to the end of the day.
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Then I came home and had to vacuum up little beads from the lap desk I got my husband as a gift because one of the buttons fell off. Think bean bag chair beads only smaller. The static electricity makes them stick to everything! While I had the vacuum out I decided to do a quick clean up of a few dust bunnies that are never lacking around here. During that I found dog vomit behind a crate AND a leak in our roof. Time for an impromptu cleaning session of the floor and the dog bedding that got wet. (We are on about week 3 of rain here and it is super annoying! It is almost July for pete sake! )
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Oh it doesn't end there. After taking the crew out for their after supper potty break Jenny had an extra gift for me she left in the hallway, on the rug, that I stepped in with my fuzzy slippers. I didn't see it immediately of course and therefore tracked it down said hallway rug. This after just saying LAST NIGHT that it had been ages since we had any surprises from our dear Jenny. I must have draw attention of the dog poop gods. Thankfully I did have some Natures Miracle on hand. (To be fair to Jenny it was very loose and in a trail as opposed to a leave it here present pile. I think she tried to head for the door and failed. )
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The movie I was going to go see with my dad is only being shown at 3:30 and 9:15pm, neither times that worked for us today.
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I have a client scheduled tomorrow and I can't get my printer to work for the handout I need of their b-mod plan. With my penmanship handwritten is not an option. (you gotta know your limits)
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I'd add a photo but I'm afraid my computer will blow up from the effort. I already hit a wrong button and spent 5 minutes trying to fix the screen. No kidding, WHILE I was typing this post! Something just ain't right.
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I'm sure part of it is being mentally tired. Between work and training clients I haven't had any real time off in weeks. Spring is always a busy time of year for training. It is a good problem to have though and I am certainly not complaining. Thankfully today was not a client day.
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So say a prayer, do a chant, or burn some incense, I will take whatever you want to send me for good vibes. If it gets worse than this I may need to consider shutting myself in a closet to keep myself safe. With an umbrella, because my roof leaks.

Wordless Wednesday

Odds and Ends

Bear with me as I spew so I can catch up. Sometimes purging helps control some of the voices in my head. This little cutie is Arlo, a soft coated wheaton I saw a couple of weeks ago. I happened to have my camera for a change so grabbed a photo. He was great fun to work with.

A shout out to Katie at "Underdogged-Save the Pit Bull, Save the World" for having to deal with an internet bully. A "professional" trainer is harassing her through her blog. Unfortunately there is little recourse for those of us who become targets of internet bullying. (been there myself with the same "trainer"-you can google it to see the idiocy) Thankfully we all have a delete button to put into use. It is still quite aggravating to those of us who have more of a live and let live mindset. How sad that some people feel the need to tear down others accomplishments in order to make themselves feel better.
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I had a really amazing session today with a family and their children. They have a sweet havanese that needs a little work. What made is so amazing was the 7 and a 1/2 year old son that I worked with. He was fabulous! Not only did he stay focused for a full hour, he asked great questions and did everything I told him to do easily. He is already a natural with his handling skills. Heck I think he was better than some adults I have worked with! That is part of the beauty of positive training methods, even a child can do it safely with some guidance.

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I also took my kids to see the movie UP today. I though it was really well done. The dogs in it actually acted like dogs. (ok aside from the collars that make them able to talk) It was very funny to see them in action. (Keep an eye on your hotdogs!) I can highly recommend the movie for family viewing. My kids thought it was hysterical.

For those that haven't watched it already, here is a link to the BBC Documentary "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" about the problem of breeding unhealthy dogs for the show ring. Warning, it is not for the faint of heart. There are some really disturbing scenes in it of dogs in pain. But it is also a very interesting look at the dog show fancy. I can see why it caused such a stir in the UK and has spilled over here.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=44215931

I do think that the breeders in this country do more health testing than in the UK. Certainly the breeders I know do. I think the separation in this country is more (but not all) about the lack of health testing with back yard breeders than (I hope) the majority of show people. That said, I ended up with a pug from rescue because I couldn't find a breeder that did health testing in the breed. Heck I couldn't even get an answer to what health tests breeders recommended! All I got was a list of potential health issues to look out for. A list doesn't help if no one is breeding away from those problems however. Check out just one painted representative of the breed before we took away their natural nose:

It also used to be popular for them to have their ears cropped. Thankfully that is no longer the case, I love my Jenny's ears! (I have more photos from a pug history book I need to scan and share.) Now look at this photo of what we have done to them:

Anyone can see that this is just plain wrong.
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Perhaps I am incorrect about the difference in breeders based on the country it is happening in. Call me crazy but why can't the breed clubs require specific health testing of all breeding stock? Oh I know it can't be regulated, but like OFA results and other things available online I think listing info could be done. Certainly some breeders are already doing this on their own since NO health testing is required by the AKC to show a dog. It only has to be intact. Then puppy buyers (and other breeders) could check the results and make their decisions from there. I think educating buyers helps because then they know what questions to ask. If a breeder thinks they will lose sales to lack of health testing they will certainly change how they do things. Won't they? Perhaps I am to idealistic.
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I know testing is required in other non-AKC breeds. Leonbergers for instance have to jump through lots of hoops before being certified to be bred. If they don't pass health AND temperament tests before breeding then their offspring cannot be registered. I suppose alot of breeders wouldn't like that though because it is a way to control them or telling them what they should be doing. I'm not sure what the answer is because you can't regulate morals.
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I used to tell people to look for show breeders because they were breeding to improve the breed. Well you can't prove that by the documentary for sure. And in my last two searches for reputable breeders (in pugs and bulldogs) I certainly had a hard time finding those that fit my health testing requirements. I'll be damned if I'll support a breeder not doing health testing. For the last few years my answer has changed to ask about health testing over showing experience. I don't give a rats behind if a dog is a champion, I care about the health and temperament of the dogs first. The show stuff is be a bonus at this point. Especially since the standard is about looks, not function. Look at the dalmatian, it might look great in the ring but be passing on expensive to treat urinary problems, common in the breed. And even in some more natural looking breeds (german shepherds) we have exaggerated them to not be able to perform the task they were originally bred for. (to be able to work you have to be able to walk after all) Trialing lines certainly look more appealing to me than conformation lines suddenly. Because you can't compete unless you are fit structurally.
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But I ramble. There ARE great breeders out there who DO breed with health testing at the forefront. I salute them. It is much more expensive to spend money on vet bills and testing than simply churn out litters and taking buyers money. If I were younger, and knew then what I know now I would consider breeding healthy pugs. Ones with noses that can breathe and not be exercise intolerant. But I am old enough to know how much work that would be and my plate is already full. I sure hope someone out there is taking the reins on that front though. For pugs and for all pure breeds out there. You can help in the fight for healthy dogs. Require health testing of your next pure breed puppy. Or adopt through rescue or your local shelter instead. If we don't support non-reputable breeders, they can't stay in business after all.
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P.S. ALL petstores produce puppies that come from untested parents. Just in case you didn't know.

Feeling Outnumbered? A review

So I finally got around to watching the video I picked up at the Patricia McConnell seminar. It was designed to be a companion to the book of the same name co-authored by Karen London. (filmed in 2005) I thought it stands just fine by itself. I'm sure for those that read just the book it will be helpful to see the exercises being performed. (I admit that I have not yet read that book.)
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I think it had alot of useful and easy to execute exercises. She also broke them down and showed how to teach each one. The first step being to teach each dog individually. The video includes how to teach:
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Putting dogs away (getting them comfortable being alone)

A group stay

A group wait

A group off (think leave it)

Teaching Manners

Belle of the ball (how to deal with dogs that don't want you fussing over another dog in the group)

and Teaching enough (or I'm really done petting/interacting with you now.)
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I found all of the directions very clear and easy to understand. It is hard for me to watch some videos because of the repeat of info I sometimes get and trying to view it as the average dog owner will. I think this one is a great DVD to reccomend to clients and friends with multiple dogs in the home. I know I picked up a couple of tips to start implementing with my crew.

To order check it out here: http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB833

Dogwise is one of my favorite places to find great dog training books and videos.

Meanwhile back in the land of blogdom...

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there. I am fortunate to be married to a great guy who is an awesome father to our two children. Unfortunatly he started the day feeling unwell so is holding down the couch for the day. Thankfully we have a pretty good TV to keep him occupied.

I found a real gem surfing online this morning. Turid Rugaas has a website with some fabulous advise on a questions page. Go check it out: www.canis.no/rugaas/index.php Hat tip to the blog Ruffly Speaking.

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I've updated the blogroll again. I really need to delete a few but hate to do it. Some I really like but they don't update very often. So if you are a reader with a blog I have linked to, and aren't posting regularly, I am sorry if you get deleted. I know sometimes blogging can fall behind, I've been there myself. I am just trying to keep my blogroll a manageable size.

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I also have to mention that some of these blogs are amazing! I feel like a pad of paper and a pencil compared to them. Fancy photos, and photoshop work. Or making pics look like scenes from graphic novels. I bow to your puter talents. Not only can I only do the basics, I avoid things like twitter because I can barely keep up with this stuff. I do have facebook but try to only keep that to people I actually know. (so if you friend request me and I don't recognise the name, sorry!) I'm toying with the idea of having a facebook for K-9 Solutions. We'll see.

My what pretty teeth you have!

Score squirrels 1, dog zero

I got this in an e-mail going around online. I think it is a very interesting look at animal behavior. I wonder if the dog will rethink trying to play with squirrels in the future. (see the baby squirrel between the front paws) Luckily for the baby he (or she) looks more interested in play than a snack.

Dang, did I just get my butt kicked by a squirrel???

Small dogs get into trouble too.

Check out the two Dachshunds that came in a couple of weeks ago. They were in their own yard when they found a porcupine.

As you can see it didn't turn out so good for them. And even though they are small dogs it still took HOURS to get all the quills out.

Not to freak anyone out, but years ago when I worked for another vet we lost a dog to quills. He came in and had gotten them all over the front of him. We removed them and sent him home where he passed away that night. The owner wanted to know why so we did a necropsy. We found that one of the quills had worked its way through his chest and into his heart. It was very sad and very scary that something so small can cause so much damage. Now I always take quills very seriously.

Check out this cutie, his name is Toby and he is a 5 month old Alaskan Klee Kai. They are a rare breed that comes in 3 sizes.

He was having a blast checking out out the store and Orli's toybox. (Yes, The Loyal Biscuit is my second home.)

He was also Go! Go! Go! and very hard to get great pics of. (because my camera is to SLOW and needs an upgrade)

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Speaking of small dogs we had two calls this week of people that were missing small dogs from their own yards. One was a 4 pound Yorkie and the other a 12 week old Pomeranian. I really hope they found them. Personally I would never let dogs that size outside unattended. Besides loose dogs that are potential problem there are other dangers to them as well like coyotes, fishers, raccoons and eagles. Heck I know some cats that would eat a yorkie given the opportunity. Small dogs are just to easy of a target for a hungry wild animal. Not to mention they are also very easy to steal by unscrupulous people. Supervision will keep them safe.

And here is today's Minos photo. Can we say sleepy time? It looks like his face is melting into the floor. And yes, sometimes he snores.