Happy news & sad news

The happy news is that Jake went to his new home. Here is his new mom and dad. (Big brother stayed home.) Best wishes for Jake and his new family.

The sad news is the reason I haven't posted lately. Due to circumstanses beyond our control, my sister had to make the sad decision to euthanise Zeus. It was somewhat expected yet came much to soon for all of us. We went together and it has taken some of the spunk out of me for dog talk lately.
His body failed him yet his heart never did. God speed sweet Zeus.

A lesson in canine greetings

And now a discussion in butt sniffing 101.


Check out the following e-mail I received. (heavily edited) This is why I wish ALL trainers were required to take course in basic dog behavior.

" I was having a conversation with my neighbor last night with the Golden puppy and she was talking about a recent group class discussion with Trainer X. Since I wasn't actually there for the discussion, I of course don't know the actual context. She may very well have simply misunderstood what Trainer X was saying. But I thought I'd run it by you and see if you have any thoughts. The discussion had to do with dogs and butt sniffing. Trainer X's position seemed to be that when dogs sniff each other's hind quarters, there is bound to be trouble - that it is an aggressive behavior by dogs who have not been properly trained, and that a fight is bound to ensue. He compared it to a couple going out to dinner and the man going over to sniff other women. "

Oh good grief! Honestly it makes my head feel like exploding. That is just plain bad information. Here is the real story on dog greetings and butt sniffing.

A proper dog greeting is face to face briefly and then they sniff each others butt or genital area. This gives each dog information about the other one. Are you male? Female? Are you in heat? Will you be in heat soon? Do you have any leftovers to share? Etc, etc, you get the picture. (yes dogs are gross by our human standards)

Direct prolonged eye contact, in dog language, is a threat or a challenge so we don't want to force dogs to stay face to face by preventing the butt sniffing portion of the greeting. Humans greet each other face to face directly, not dogs. If we force them to stay in that position we also most likely have at least one dog also straining at the leash. Why? So it can get to the other dogs backside for that proper sniff. If we are holding back a dog that is straining we are also changing it's body language. The pulling dog can then look offensive (and threatening) to the other dog. (One reason they look offensive is due to oppositional reflex. When we pull back on the leash they lean into it automaticly, thus looking offensive to the other dog.)

So now we have two dogs face to face with at least one of them looking forwardly offensive. What happens next? Possibly a fight because the other dog may misread the body language and decide to defend himself from the other dog's possible pending attack. It is all a miscommunication caused by people preventing a proper canine greeting. (usually because they are embarrassed by the butt sniffing)

To do proper dog to dog greetings I highly recommend doing them first on neutral territory for both dogs. This prevents any hostilities with dogs that may be territorial. I also recommend taking both dogs for a walk first to burn off energy. Then meet on the neutral spot and them go for a walk together. Everyone going in the same direction. This lets the dogs see and smell each other in a non-threatening manner. No meetings until both dogs are calm and relaxed. (and handlers too!) Then stop and let each dog say hello properly on LOOSE leashes. Watch the body language for any warning signs. (stiffening, whale eyes, growling, lip lifting) Simply walk off, with said dog, if one dog seems uncomfortable.

This is important. Make sure YOU are loose and relaxed. This includes your facial expressions. Dogs take their cues from their handlers and if they seem nervous the dog may respond to that tension. Smile alot and have a loose body. (Even if you don't feel like it. Be a noodle!)

Yes if a man in a restaurant came over to sniff me (or my butt) I would probably not like it. However I am a human, not a dog. In humans this isn't unacceptable behavior. In dogs however it is. "Hello, who are you?" Butt sniffing is NOT an aggressive behavior in dogs. It is simply their way of getting information about the other dog. Letting a dog, trained or otherwise, run up to another dog to say hello might be rude if the dog wasn't socialized properly or lacks proper canine greeting manners. (and gets into the other dogs face or jumps on him) Then yes, trouble could ensue.

I would also caution that you should NEVER let your dog say hello to another dog unless you first check with that dogs owners first. (exceptions would be in a dog park where the assumption is that all the dogs there have appropriate manners to be off leash in a group of dogs - I would caution you to find groups with dog having similar playstyles to yours for the best match and supervise well)

Do not assume by size, age, actions or breed of dog that they are ok to say hello to. There are many reactive and unsocialized dogs out there with owners who walk them in public just fine unless an uninvited dog gets into their space. If your uninvited dog gets into a dogs space that doesn't like it and gets hurt as a result it is YOUR fault as the handler of your dog. Remember that. You are holding the other end of the leash after all.

Part of training your dog should include being able to pass other dogs on walks without them going crazy to go say hello. Not every dog wants to say hello back, especially to an overly enthusiastic dog or puppy. Also training them to sit (or at least stay) at your side when you stop walking, no matter the distraction, is also recommend.

If you have a reactive dog you can either move off the path and do a "watch me" exercise using yummy tidbits to let the other dog pass or turn around and change direction completely when you see another dog. Some dogs who get reactive towards other dogs do so as a distance seeking behavior out of fear. They are trying to drive the other dog away. You will need to counter condition these dogs to teach them they have nothing to fear. (using tidbits and working under the dogs threshold initally)

I have gone somewhat off topic. My point is that if Trainer X did actually say that butt sniffing was an aggressive behavior, then Trainer X was wrong. And not just a little bit but a whole lot of wrong. I don't know where they are getting their information. Hopefully the conversation was misunderstood. But this is a prime example of the problem of dog training being an unregulated field. Unfortunatly not every trainer has an interest in dog behavior. This is just one example of bad information being passed on by a "professional" in the field.

It's all about the chewie

We are testing a new chewie here at our house at the request of Lauren (my new BFF) of The Loyal Biscuit. Lauren knows what a fan I am of nylabones and thought perhaps I would also love this version, fido brand that is made here in the USA. Since I have 3 super chewers here at my house who better to do a test run on them? (Nylabones and Kongs are my top 2 dog toys. No dog should be raised without them!)

They feel similar to nylabones. The one on the left is a softer version. I really like the shape.
And here is Jenny in the act of stealing one from Missy. Mine!!!She apparently wanted to test them all first. Mmm the ring is good.
Mmmm the softie is good too.
This big bone is excellent but slippery. That won't stop me though! (note the crazed look in her eye) It was like Christmas here when I handed them out. Then Jenny stole them all for her own in under 5 minutes. No worries, Missy and Jack will also partake once Jenny has calmed down abit. I will be sure to post photos of the wear they receive as we go along. Below is a photo of what Missy generally does to nylabones.

In other news I have ordered Jenny a proper tracking harness from http://www.pawmark.com/ In red as requested by her owner, my son. He says it is his favorite color and it will show up well as she works. (smart boy!)

New to the blog roll

For those seriously interested in showing in competition obedience I share with you this blog:

http://otchrah.blogspot.com/

It chronicles all the hard work it takes to get an AKC Obedience Trail Championship title. The best part, for me, is that she is attempting it with a doberman from rescue, Rah.

Isn't he simply stunning? He came from this fabulous group: http://www.dru.org/

Now go, sit, read!

Why I love it

While this post explains abit how I train for tracking I am NOT an expert tracker by any means. All dogs are different and therefore methods may vary considerably. There are many ways to train tracking and scent work, this is only one method. You do not need to use food to train for tracking. For some great tracking books for beginners through advanced check out http://www.pawmark.com/ (They also have awesome gear.)
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Today was Jenny's third time out. So far I have been doing easy stuff, using food rewards in some of the footsteps on short straight unaged tracks with the wind blowing towards us. I do three in a row with a rest in between for her while I lay the next one. First thing in the morning with dew on the grass which is best for keeping the scent in. As I went to lay the first track this morning I noticed I didn't have my usual starting flags. Oops, I had left them in the field after our last track yesterday morning. So after we were done today I drove over to that field and retrieved them. Fortunately it wasn't far. We ended the day with me only using food in every 9th step. Eventually I will phase the food out completely but for now this helps her learn she has a reason to find and stay on the scent path. I think my biggest challenge with her is going to be keeping her from going to fast. She is motivated!
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She is doing amazingly well. I need to call my tracking friends (who know FAR more than I on the subject) to come watch us and correct any mistakes I may be making. I know yesterday I screwed up the first track by wearing my bait bag. She kept looking at me for direction before I realized why. (bait bag usually means heeling practice to her hence the looking up at me) Fortunatly I corrected it on the next two tracks which went very well. I do need to get some new bigger flags because she is skittish of real moving flags. I currently use sticks with surveyors tape as markers but if we ever go advanced she will need to be ok near real flags blowing in wind. (note to self, buy or make real flag markers!)
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While driving home after training today I got to thinking why I love tracking so much. For me it is private one on one time with my dog in a relaxed manner. Having 3 dogs this one on one time is special. They also get to do something that comes naturally to them, finding scent, and they are allowed to follow their nose instead of having to do something less exciting to them. It is in the woods or a field with nature all around, a place I love to be. And when you get to the point where you might try for a title, EVERYONE roots for you and your dog. It isn't competitive. We all want to see the dogs succeed. No one beats anyone else. I REALLY like that. Honestly I could care less if I ever title. Not to say I wouldn't LOVE to earn one, it just isn't my overall goal. The act of doing something fun with my dog is why I do it.
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It has been fun this week seeing and working with a dog that really wants to track. Jack is lovely but not the most motivated about it. Could I work on that with him? Probably, but I am not about to make a dog do something he doesn't really enjoy. Tracking is about working as a team. A good team listens to each other. I'll keep tracking him, but on his terms. One track at a time.

A beautiful day for tracking

First a Jake update: Check out Jakes soon to be new big brother Moxie. Some of you may remember Moxie from an older post. He lives in town and I made quite an idiot of myself the first time I met him. Even trainers aren't immune to human nature. He is a french mastiff, also known as a Dogue De Bordeaux. They have a ball playing together. This was taken after they were somewhat tired from a play session.

Yesterday was so beautiful I dusted off the tracking gear and took Jack out for some practice. Here he is in his beautiful blue tracking harness.
While it is fun for us, Jack is what we would call a lazy tracker. It really is to much work to do more than once in his book. But he looks good!
So today I thought I would try little miss Jenny at it. Now pugs aren't your normal tracking breed. Unfortunatly some can barely breathe normally so sniffing for scent for long periods isn't something they are well known for. However because miss Jenny has a longer nose than some of her fellow pugsters, her nose works quite well. And boy does she love looking for food treats.

She has started avoiding the camera these days so this was the best pic I got. (And yes she needs a better tracking harness which I shall order soon from http://www.pawmark.com/ A super site for all your tracking needs.) I am very happy to say she took to it like a duck to water. We did three short tracks and she was fabulous every time. Not bad for our first time out. I'll try to get one of the kids to videotape us on a future track to share here.

I just thought I would throw in a pic of Zeus looking cute. (please excuse the pile of laundry behind him) Don't hate me because I am beuuutefull.

We have a visitor

First here is Dobby, a cute client from this week. He is a sweetie that was adopted from our local shelter that needed to learn a few manners. He is incredibly smart.

Check out these photos of my nephew Zeus. He is here for the week while my sister is away in Florida. If I don't blog much this next week now you know why. Juggling 4 dogs, 2 with issues, is oh so much fun. Thank goodness for crate training and fenced yards! Thankfully they all get along fine. What he is best at, relaxing.

He actually managed to jump all the way up on the table after I snapped this pic. He's pretty agile when he wants to be.
There's that relaxing again. Catching some rays by the door.
And he came with me to be a distraction for Jake while working at the prison.
Jake really just wanted to go play instead. It was good practice for him.

He is cute but don't look to close or you'll see his face is kinda crooked.

And Zeus with a stuffie. He is a Katrina rescue and was adopted out twice and returned before my sister took him. One adopter was even a vet tech that couldn't take his puking anymore. (he has regurge issues, skin issues, breathing issues and some aggression issues) He is also afraid on windy days, probably due to being in Katrina. (he was found with another bulldog that had been killed by a fallen tree in his yard) So you could say he is somewhat high maintence and has been expensive along the way. Thankfully she is patient with him and has managed to give him a darn good life in spite of his many quirks. (others would have sent him to the bridge long ago) As you can see he is quite small for a bulldog of that type too. Perhaps a back yard bred dog. Who knows. If only they could talk and tell us their stories.