Grizzly

Here are some photos from yesterdays session at the prison. Zebra, the husky who had been adopted out, was returned to the shelter so I brought her to play with Grizz.


Excuse the weird eyes. My camera is old and slow and takes pretty crummy pictures of moving dogs. There is a video of them playing at the end of the post. Hopefully that makes up for these terrible photos.

Grizzly is still awaiting his new home. Because of his issues, it is of extra importance to me that his next home be his last. (and best of course) Here is what I have written about Grizz for potential adopters to read about him.

Grizzly is a lovely dog and is very sweet to people once he gets to know them. We have no idea why he is as shy as he is. I suspect he missed some crucial socialization with people during his puppy hood. I doubt it is related strictly to abuse due to it being so generalized for him. Abused dogs usually avoid one specific subset of people. Grizz tries to avoid all people. Fortunately he did get the crucial socialization with other dogs, which is why he is so good with them. He has wonderful social skills with dogs of all types. He isn’t a pushover though. He will fight back if provoked into defending himself.

Grizz has been taught some basic obedience. He knows sit, down, come and a few tricks. (high five, shake, and sit pretty) His recall isn’t 100% because it is situational. He will not come if called if he is stressed about going near something he is afraid of. He also isn’t reliable at stay for the same reason. He is crate trained and prefers small-enclosed spaces or being close to a wall if uncomfortable in a new area. This lessens as he gets to know a place and feel comfortable. Dogs are a fight or flight animal. Grizz is defiantly a flight when it comes to people and stress. He will seek out the farthest point or cubby to hide in if needed. Grizz was not on the program for obedience training, but for behavior modification and counter conditioning to address his fear of people instead.

He is a stress chewer and will chew cords and shoes if left unattended with them. We have noticed it has diminished over time but he will chew if presented with an opportunity while unsupervised. I am unsure if this will go away once he lives with another dog or not. I suspect so but cannot guarantee it. He had no idea how to play with toys when he first came into the program. He now will play tug, and with a ball. He gets nyla and marrow bones for chewing. He also loves his kong with peanut butter in it while crated.

Being part malamute he is still a work in progress with leash pulling. This is very normal for that breed. I have left a detailed photocopy of working with sled breeds on this issue in his record. We have used an easy walk brand harness on him so he is used to that if you prefer using a tool as management.

Grizz needs a patient and understanding owner that will accept him as he is. I don’t think he will never be the dog that you take for walks in public around lots of other people. He would do best in a quieter home with at least one other dog for him to have as a companion and for him to take positive cues from. He will most likely hide to get away from visitors unless they are frequent and he gets to know them. Do NOT force contact with people upon him. If forced he will accept their touch but it does nothing to change the emotions of the event for him. The thinking part of a dog’s brain shuts down when they are stressed. They simply go into a reactive instinctual mode, for Grizz that is to run away. EVERY interaction counts with Grizz.

Grizz will need to be on leash or in a fenced area to prevent him running off. I do believe he may have the potential to be ok off leash but not for at least 6 months living in a new home. Again there are no guarantees. He is part sledding breed after all. When he is seriously uncomfortable about something he will use a warning growl. This means either I am uncomfortable with this or get away from me. It is EXTREMELY rare for him to protest so pay attention and react appropriately when he does.

He does also get carsick and will evacuate his body when seriously stressed. (urine and feces) This is a normal physiological body reaction that he has no control over so do not punish him for this. Punishment will only make it worse. He is housetrained under normal circumstances.

During our work we used positive reinforcement and counter conditioning using food treats. Grizz prefers cheese to most treats though he does also like some meat treats. If he won’t take a treat we know he likes that is one of the signs that he is stressed. A stressed dog will not eat. (again another physiological body reaction) For more info on the training method we use see the book “How to teach a new dog old tricks” by Ian Dunbar.

Grizz has come a long way during his time on the program. I do think he may regress somewhat during his first week in a new place. He will need to learn to trust his new people with time and patience. Once you have his trust he is a wonderful and very sweet dog. If I had the space I would had adopted him myself. (My dog Jack is one of his favorite playmates.)

PLEASE contact me directly if you have ANY questions regarding Grizzly. This special boy deserves his own home with a family that will love him for the dog he is.

Son of a ....

Damn. In case you have no idea who this is I'll tell you. His name is Ami James and he is a tattoo artist from the hit show on TLC called Miami Ink. I know about him because I am a tat fan and watch the show. I know he has a beautiful american bulldog, not his first, and loves all animals. (he adopted a cat on one episode of the show as well) His partner Chris Nunez also owns a georgous pit bull.

Why is he on my dog related blog? I'll tell you that too. In case you don't know already, PETA is a fanatical animal rights group that KILLS animals. They don't believe in people keeping pets because it interferes with the animals choice to run free. (and get hit by cars) They don't believe in altering pets because it interferes with the pets choice to have sex. Their stance on pit bulls is that they should ALL be killed, in order to SAVE the breed. Yeah, you read that right. PETA is a group that sounds great in the surface, who doesn't want to treat animals ethically after all, but it in reality a radical group with it's own bizarre agenda.

So while I admire Ami's commitment to animals, someone needs to clue him in to what this group really is. I'm pretty sure he would be quite appalled. FMI you can check out where I got the info on his new poster http://www.tattooblog.org/

For more information about PETA check out this link. http://www.workingpitbull.com/truthaboutpeta.htm

And by the way, if pitbulls were the big bad that so many uneducated say they are, why is it that I know of NO trainer that refuses to work with them? Food for thought.

Salvation of a breed

I was very excited to read a review in this month's Bark magazine on an akita book due to be released February 28th on Amazon.com.

Here is the book description from the website: How one man's consuming passion for dogs saved a legendary breed from extinction and led him to a difficult, more soulful way of life in the wilds of Japan's remote snow country.

As Dog Man opens, Martha Sherrill brings us to a world that Americans know very little about-the snow country of Japan during World War II.

In a mountain village, we meet Morie Sawataishi, a fierce individualist who has chosen to break the law by keeping an Akita dog hidden in a shed on his property. During the war, the magnificent and intensely loyal Japanese hunting dogs are donated to help the war effort, eaten, or used to make fur vests for the military. By the time of the Japanese surrender in 1945, there are only sixteen Akitas left in the country. The survival of the breed becomes Morie's passion and life, almost a spiritual calling.

Devoted to the dogs, Morie is forever changed. His life becomes radically unconventional-almost preposterous-in ultra-ambitious, conformist Japan. For the dogs, Morie passes up promotions, bigger houses, and prestigious engineering jobs in Tokyo. Instead, he raises a family with his young wife, Kitako-a sheltered urban sophisticate-in Japan's remote and forbidding snow country. Their village is isolated, but interesting characters are always dropping by-dog buddies, in-laws from Tokyo, and a barefoot hunter who lives in the wild. Due in part to Morie's perseverance and passion, the Akita breed strengthens and becomes wildly popular, sometimes selling for millions of yen. Yet Morie won't sell his spectacular dogs. He only likes to give them away.

Morie and Kitako remain in the snow country today, living in the traditional Japanese cottage they designed together more than thirty years ago-with tatami mats, an overhanging roof, a deep bathtub, and no central heat. At ninety-four years old, Morie still raises and trains the Akita dogs that have come to symbolize his life.

In beautiful prose that is a joy to read, Martha Sherrill opens up the world of the Dog Man and his wife, providing a profound look at what it is to be an individualist in a culture that reveres conformity-and what it means to live life in one's own way, while expertly revealing Japan and Japanese culture as we've never seen it before. (end description)

I know I for one will be pre-ordering my copy tonight. A biography surrounding dog history, talk about right up my alley! A breed not for everyone, but one that I am a fan of personally as well.

To see more pics of long coated akitas (which is what my Jack is) go to http://akitafluff.blogspot.com .

A good day at the office

Here are a few pics from today's session at the prison with Grizz. (Yes he is unfortunatly still waiting for his forever home. E-mail me directly if you would like to learn more about Grizz.) I brought a 7 month old neutered male chow with me for Grizz to meet and play with. Cute isn't he? PP (for short) is staying with his breeder while his people are on a family vacation. He also needed some remedial training and a reevaluation while here so hence some time with me. I'm sure I have posted his pic here before when he stayed with me for training as a pup. (Check the older posts for chow pics.) This is what they call killing 2 birds with one stone. Grizz likes meeting new playmates during his sessions, and I needed to see how PP would do in a strange environment.

It turns out he was just fine with the whole process.
He didn't even mind sharing his treats or attention with Grizz.
It also gave the handlers great some hands on time with another dog. (The more dogs they get to work with the better.) I wish I had gotten some pics of them playing together but I was in eagle eye mode at the time. Safety comes first when introducing new dogs and supervising playtime. He was a bit pushy at first but read Grizz pretty well and did back off if Grizz told him to. Grizz has great social skills so I wasn't worried about him. PP is just getting to that age where dogs get full of themselves so I watched him closely. Not sure I would place them in a home together, Grizz defers but he isn't a total pushover either, but they did just fine for playtime today. The pics were taken at the end of our session.

A Jenny Update

On Friday hubby and I went to one of my new favorite places, the Loyal Biscuit Co., to get special food for our Jenny, the pug. (www.villagesoup.com/loyalbiscuit.com ) Not only is it cozy, clean and beautiful, the owner is super friendly, knowledgeable and also quite witty. I always have a good time whenever I visit. The two store dogs are pretty darn cool too. The bed in the window is frequently filled by a lovely female named Orli.

Jenny has been getting hives lately and has been quite itchy. Being itchy is no fun. Yeah I didn't know dogs got hives either. It looks pretty weird. Special baths haven't helped and we have tried a couple different medications through the vet to no avail. The next step was to try a food change. (after ruling out environmental possibilities-laundry soap and the like) Perhaps she is allergic to the different food we feed from her previous home. We currently feed Canidae. So we picked up some Wellness Simple Foods Venison and Brown Rice just for her. I thought I was pretty well schooled in dog foods but I have nothing on LBc's Lauren. She really does her research. I wish all pet supply places were as dedicated.

It is supposed to be one of the best for food allergy dogs. I've always liked Wellness brand (made by Old Mother Hubbard) so I didn't hesitate to try it. Thankfully she is a small dog as it is a tad high end, as all specialty foods seem to be. Of course we couldn't just get new food, we also needed special treats as well.
Aren't these boxes cute? And I love the name. I got her some peanut butter ones and some blueberry. She is a bit of a gulper so I am sure the flavors are quite lost on her.

This is a brand and type of treat I use regularly for training anyhow. I love that they have no fillers in them. Plus they break up easily into small bits and are good and stinky. Dogs love stinky so they make the perfect paycheck. They also have chicken, liver, venison and fish available.

Now it is a waiting game. She was switched over a few days to avoid loose stools and now we have to give her system time to reboot so to speak to the new stuff. Most people want to see results quickly and don't give a new food a chance. Impatience solves nothing. The rule of thumb that I learned was 6 weeks before you begin to see real change. All dogs being individuals of course means that some dogs do respond faster or slower. Time will tell.

The other updates I have on Jenny are that she still isn't completely house trained. Or should I say she hasn't learned to ask to go outside. When I am home we rarely have accidents. She goes outside on a schedule with me and I watch her like a hawk. When she is home with the kids and hubby she doesn't always get out when she needs to. So to combat this I picked up call bell. (From staples, only 6 bucks!)

The plan is to train her to ring the bell when she wants to go out for potty time. Hopefully this will get the kids and hubby's attention. It is an ambitious plan I know. Mainly because the kids and hubby will be involved. We shall see how it goes. I was going to get one of those easy buttons (They say "That was easy" when pushed.) but they need batteries to work and they take more pressure than I realized to activate them. Jenny is small so I didn't know if she could easily push it on.

The poop eating has decreased because I leash her for potty time. We were making good progress on it but then she needed to be kenneled during our trip and she backslid. I was expecting that since it can't be managed in a kennel setting. I am teaching a nice "leave it" cue to go along with the leash. This way when she is off leash I will have verbal control in instances it may becomes an issue. It is pretty easily managed using a leash as long as she doesn't have a house accident we (kids and hubby) don't see in time.

I have noticed she has quite a good nose on her. She found a watch my daughters friend left outside on the fence a day later. (I saw her catch the scent of something new and follow it.) I may do some tracking training with her in the spring or once it gets somewhat warmer. Not something you see many pugs doing I know. She is also very food motivated. Almost to a fault. Great for training as long as you can get her to think and not go into food overdrive. (if to overstimulated dogs don't think, only react)

Hopefully we can get her itchies under control. It makes her miserable which isn't fun for anyone. I know I hate being itchy. She is a handful for sure. But we love her and all her idiosyncrasies. After all, who couldn't love that face?

A few laughs

Here are a few funny dog related pics found online I thought I would share.

Who says you have to be a big dog to do the job? Don't laugh to hard. They are using some pretty small dogs for scent work these days. (money saved in the kibble department for sure)

I wish I had come up with this idea. Dog translation. I bet it makes the sign more visible. They should use this on the no pooping zone signs. And the clean up after your dog signs -"Make sure your human disposes of your waste appropriately."

Now this is an outfit you gotta love. Not sure he'll have the stamina for a long chase though. (not unlike some human cops with similar body types I daresay)

Beware the cute puppy syndrome

Check out the wonderful post at the Terrierman's Daily Dose http://www.terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/ for a lesson in why breed research is important when looking to add a puppy to your home. It really couldn't be illustrated any better than that. Buyer beware and buyer be A-ware!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Here in Maine we are settling in for yet another storm. Here are some pics from today before the newest storm began.

I just thought this was cute. One of the girls footprints.

Our picnic table showing the amount of snow so far. (minus what had already melted during a warm spell)

A couple of "arty" pics of playtime.

And Missy crashed out after all the excitement. She prefers naps to snow.

It's not always a rose garden

Some cases just break my heart. I had one of those the other day. For the record I do not work with serious aggression cases. (My general classification on that is a dog that has purposely bitten a person and broken the skin. This is depending on circumstances as well. When in doubt contact me for clarification on your dogs issue.) For me it is about liability. Some owners that don't follow through with the behavior work needed for those cases, and then have continuing issues, like to find a person to blame when they get sued because their dog seriously hurt someone. Sorry but that isn't going to be me.

I still attend seminars on the subject so I keep current with the info about aggression however. Personally I love learning about ALL dog behavior and find that having as much info as possible helps me know what is going on, even if I can't help a particular owner. It also helps me to know specifically who to refer those people I can't help to as well. I do work with some reactive dogs depending on the situation.

What I saw the other day was a very sad case. A cross bred puppy, 14 weeks old, with what appeared to be actual dominance aggression. I wasn't there for 10 minutes before I got to see him in action. He was even challenging me right away over the box I carry with all my handouts and paperwork. I removed that from his reach and he started on me specifically, would not be redirected, and we have to remove him to his crate. Not your normal pushy puppy behavior by any means either.

There are many different types of aggression. There is resource guarding, also known as possessive aggression. There is inter-dog aggression, or dogs that are aggressive with other dogs. There is fear aggression, a reactive response based on the dogs fear of a situation. There is redirected aggression, if you can't bite the one you want, bite the one you're with, also known as frustration aggression. This isn't a complete list of aggression in dogs but you get the idea.

Dominance aggression is (thankfully) less seen. These are dogs that are truly seeking status over and trying to control people. They will use any means necessary to do so as well. In dog language teeth are allowed to be used in corrections after all. The owners told me that this puppy was absolutely fine unless you tried to get him to do something he didn't want to, or tried to distract him from something he wanted. Then he turned into a shredder. (After giving really fast warning signals. He left no time for anyone to back down from his warnings. I saw this in action as well.) In a puppy that young this is really scary behavior. Add living with kids to the mix and you have a disaster waiting to happen. All kids have friends, so even if you can manage an aggressive dog in a home situation, you have to consider the other people coming into the home as well.

True dominance aggression in a puppy that young is a horrible thing to see. Heartbreaking for me because I know that the chances for rehabbing are darn small. Dominance aggression tends to get worse upon sexual maturity and it is rare to see it in a puppy so young. It usually doesn't even show up until sexual maturity so to see at this age makes you wonder about genetic predisposition. Is it possible to rehab this behavior? Perhaps, but not without a lot of behavior modification work and management and with no guarantees. It is very stressful to live with a situation like that daily. This family already knew the they had a serious problem on their hands and didn't sign on for this with a new puppy. He will be headed back to the breeder he came from. Hopefully the breeder will act appropriately for this pup.

The worse part of the day for me was after we had spoken at length about options and dog behavior when the 12 year old daughter asked me point blank what I would do with the puppy if he were mine. The 9 year old son was also in attendance. For the record I have a 12 year old daughter and a 10 year old son myself and they aren't stupid at that age. You can't talk down to them. So after taking a deep breath, I looked them straight in the eyes and I told the truth straight out. I wouldn't keep this puppy if he were mine. There were tears all around. I barely managed to keep it together and stay professional. To say it sucked would be the understatement of the year. And this was just before Christmas which only added insult to injury.

I did give them the names of some other reputable trainers and behavior people to get a second opinion from or to consider behavior modification with. I also left the behavior worksheets I had on the subject for them so they could see what it would involve. I did not charge them for the session. I know that might not be great business practice, time is valuable, but it just didn't feel right for me to do. I felt crappy enough already thank you very much.

After a melt down in my car on the way home I called a canine behaviorist friend and vented. She is a great understanding shoulder and in this case was great for me to have to chew over what I had seen and confirm my diagnoses. Second guessing yourself is much more productive if you have a second person in the mix to help. As upset as I was, it cannot possibly match the feelings of the poor family dealing with the puppy and all that entails.

So for anyone thinking dog training is all fun and games let this be a look at the other side. The realities can sometimes be much more harsh. You're not just working with the dogs, but their people too. People that can have their hearts broken when things don't work out. People skills are just as important as your training skills. Not every trainer thinks this but I have found it to be true. I have also found that sometimes, nothing can replace a good old fashioned crying jag when fustrated by the things you cannot fix.

Stories to share

I just ran across two stories I had to share. The first is about the baseball that won us (The Red Sox) this years World Series. It seems that Pappelbon's french bulldog Boss has chewed up the historical ball. http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071220&content_id=2334589&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos Even famously owned dogs love a good chew now and then.

The second is about a B&B shaped like a beagle.

To find out how you can stay at this "unique" place in Idaho check out the info here: http://exoticexcess.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=533 Personally I get a kick out of the stair placement.

Happy Holidays

Excuse the short hiatus. I went on a family vacation to warmer climes. It was fabulous. Now I am back and freezing my keister off. I don't like to advertise when I will be gone because I don't want people to know when my house might be unoccupied. My sister stayed here with the dogs for most of it since it was longer than normal for us to be away. I'm not against kenneling the dogs, and do and have one I trust, but prefer to keep it to a minimum as much as possible so I don't disturb their normal routine.

The above pic is one I "borrowed" from the Dognabbit blog. Go check out the rest of the cute photos there. (link at right) For more meaty reading, head on over to BadRap, Dolittler or The Terriermans daily dose.

I am still trying to decompress and readjust from the trip. A canceled flight due to the storm put us overnight in DC. Of course that one night put our whole re-entry to the real world off schedule so I am behind in a few things and trying to catch up. Add the rapid approach of Christmas and you have a slightly stressed out and very tired mom at the keyboard. I had hoped to get a great pic of the kids and dogs for my Christmas cards but it looks like that may not happen until after the holiday this year. Better late than never I suppose.

One good bit of news is that we have a potential adopter interested in Grizz. The home sounds perfect so keep those fingers crossed. He is a special boy and really needs to find that special home to make it a good match. (Zebra got adopted by husky knowledgeable people thankfully.)

When I am feeling more human I'll try to put a much better post together. Until then have a great and safe holiday.

All the pretty dogs

Ever try to get a headshot photo of a really fast dog? This is what you get.

Pretty eyes though huh?

This is Zebra. She is a young female spayed Siberian husky available for adoption at my local shelter. (http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/ ) Here she is on a playdate with the prison dog Grizz. While she is ok with some dogs, she can be quite pushy, plays rough and needs to be introduced properly for it to go smoothly. She is also very energetic, and loves to run and she came to the shelter as a stray. Quite common in the breed. Huskys love to run and not pay attention to where they are going. Miles later they are far from home and completely lost. Unfortunately she did not get claimed by her family so now she needs a new home. She knows sit and shake so she has had some previous training. We have been working on down, off, and come when she comes along for playdates.

This was the only way I could get a pic of her being somewhat still. She rides very well and jumps right into the crate to go.

*

Grizzly is also available for adoption. He is a very shy dog that needs a home with at least one other dog to help him be his most comfortable. He has had some basic obedience training and some behavior modification while at the prison, but he will probably never be a totally normal dog. Thankfully he is not aggressive and prefers to run away then fight when approached by someone that scares him. Once he gets to know you he is trusting and very sweet. He was not treated very well in his last home which didn't help his lack of social skills with people. He is housebroken and crate trained. We were told he is a malamute/lab cross and not quite a year old. Because of his issues he will be available at the normal dog adoption fee. E-mail me directly for more information at CanineHelp@aol.com Be sure to put Grizzly in the subject line.

This is a pic of our pug Jenny. I thought it was cute the way she was demanding lap time even though her "subject" was busy with other things.

It's a lot of work

It appears the blogger has ironed out some kinks and my photo uplinks on the other computer are working again. (not that I always remember to take the pics!)

This is Annabelle. A sweet 6 month old dachshund puppy learning some basic manners.


This is Chip. He is also learning some basics. Chip is a rescue from www.dogsindanger.com They host dogs that are on the list to be euthanised if they don't find a home quickly. There are so many great dogs out there killed simply because they don't have a home. Chip is certainly one of those great dogs. He is just over a year old. To young to die simply for being there.


Here is my guy Jack. He made himself comfortable on my sister when she stopped in for a quick visit. Perhaps he didn't want her to leave?


And the girls relaxing with some nylabones.

Not shown are the new pet steps I have going up to the couch so that Missy can easily get up without straining her back in the future. Today we are headed back to the vet with Jenny to get her skin checked. She has been very itchy lately. With skin issues I have found that it's better to get it nipped in the bud before it snowballs into something much bigger and nastier.

Yesterday I took Jack to the shelter and borrowed their tub to give him a bath. (I take my own towels and shampoo) Normally he goes to the groomer but funds are tight this time of year for us. (Christmas is coming, vacation funds set aside and of course those lovely unexpected oral surgery bills) So I got to do it myself. All 120 pounds of him. That is why I used their tub. It is raised which prevents a trip to the chiropractor for me. (not that I don't like my chiropractor) The girls got their baths at home the other day, a much easier process considering their size. Everyone now smells as pretty as they look.

My next project is making a couple of wool coats for the girls. They will be boarding during some cold weather and I want to make sure they stay warm. (Tip: Wool retains heat even when wet unlike cotton.)

Dog care really is a never ending job around here.

Check out these other dog blogs I came across and wanted to share: http://hearingeardog.blogspot.com The training of a hearing ear service dog and http://www.merrillsfund.com Raising awareness of autism service dogs. I added their links to my bloglist as well.

Tail wags!

Bad blogger-update pics

I know, I know, I am a bad blogger. Sometimes life just gets REALLY busy, and then you catch a cold. (which makes everything SO much easier!) Here is a small update though.

Check out the pic of Hope, the last prison program graduate, with her new family. Aren't they adorable together? Eberything is going great for them and they are all very happy.



Here is a pic of Dash, our previous foster frenchie, with his brother Ivan all dressed up at a Halloween parade. He is the scarecrow. Thanks to his mom for sending the great pics to share.


And here they are with the whole Oz crew. How cute are they? They even made it into the Boston newspaper (page 2!) the day after the Red Sox won the World Series. Dash's mom sent me the pic but I can't figure out how to put it on here.


This is (right to left) Me, (Star Trek Geek) Hubby (Klingon) and a friend Jen (Bow Hunter) on our way to the Halloween Dance party that was the fundraiser for the prison dog program on the 27th. (it was a multi-fund event also benefiting Meals on Wheels and a Toy Library) Jen is mom to a cute pug named Maddie I need to get pics of to share.

The party was alot of fun and you can see more pics under News on their website at www.mainelobsterfestival.com

Aparently the blog will let me upload pics off my husbands laptop but not off our other computer. As soon as I fix the bugs I will be sure to post more client pics and those of Jack as promised. Until then I am at the mercy of pics I can get off the internet or that are sent to me.