Christmas 2014

From us to you!!

 

 

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Look to our dogs….

…..as role models once again…

More snow pictures!

               

Canine Body Language

from the ASPCA

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Dogs are very expressive animals. They communicate when they’re feeling happy, sad, nervous, fearful and angry, and they use their faces and bodies to convey much of this information. Dog body language is an elaborate and sophisticated system of nonverbal communication that, fortunately, we can learn to recognize and interpret. Once you learn how to “read” a dog’s postures and signals, you’ll better understand his feelings and motivations and be better able to predict what he’s likely to do. These skills will enable you to interact with dogs with greater enjoyment and safety.

It helps to first learn about the various components that make up dog body language. Dogs use facial expressions, ear set, tail carriage and overall demeanor to signal their intentions and feelings to others. Breaking their body language down into components is helpful at first for building your observation and interpretation skills. Your goal, however, is to be able to observe the entire dog and the situation or context he’s in, in order to accurately determine what he’s trying to say. It’s not possible to understand your dog’s feelings and intentions by looking at just one aspect of his body language. 

Dog Faces

Even though dogs’ faces and heads come in many shapes and sizes, your dog’s basic facial expressions can tell you a great deal about how he’s feeling.

The Eyes

Your dog can, within limits, vary the shape and size of his eyes or the direction and intensity of his gaze. When your dog is relaxed and happy, his eyes will be their normal shape. Some dogs have round eyes, while others are more almond-shaped. Eyes that appear larger than normal usually indicate that a dog is feeling threatened in some way. He may be stressed by something or he may be frightened. An aggressive dog is also likely to have eyes that look larger than normal. If your dog’s eyes seem smaller than they usually are, this can also mean he’s feeling frightened or stressed. Dogs who are in pain or not feeling well often look as though they’re squinting their eyes. Dogs who submissively grin (see below) may also squint their eyes.

The direction of your dog’s gaze can also be telling. Dogs rarely look directly into each other’s eyes because this is considered threatening behavior. Yet most dogs learn that it’s okay, even pleasant, to look directly at people. A dog who looks at you with a relaxed facial expression is being friendly and hoping that you’ll notice him. A dog who looks directly at you, actually staring at you with a tense facial expression, is another matter indeed. A direct stare is much more likely to be a threat, and if you’re in close proximity to such a dog, it’s wise to slowly look away. Looking away is what dogs do when they don’t want to appear threatening. A dog who averts his gaze when you look at him is signalling that he’s submissive. It can also indicate that he’s worried about interacting with you. Maybe he’s been scared of people in the past, and so he isn’t very confident about dealing with people now.
If your dog doesn’t look directly at you, but instead looks out of the corners of his eyes so that you see a good deal of the whites of his eyes (the sclera), he might be leading up to an aggressive outburst. Known as “whale eye” this is often seen when a dog is guarding a chew bone, toy or favorite spot. It’s different than the eye of a dog who, for instance, is resting with his head and opens his eyes to give you a sideways glance. In this case, he won’t appear rigid or tense, and you won’t see much of the whites of his eyes.

The Mouth

Dogs do a lot more with their mouths than just eat and drink. Even though they can’t use their mouths to talk, the way they position their lips, jaws and teeth speaks volumes. When your dog is relaxed and happy, he’s likely to have his mouth closed or slightly opened. If his mouth is open, he may be panting—this is how dogs cool their bodies. You might see his teeth because his mouth is slightly opened.

A dog who’s frightened or feeling submissive probably has his mouth closed. His lips might be pulled back slightly at the corners. He might flick his tongue in and out, or he might lick if he’s interacting with a person or another animal. When he’s feeling uptight, he might yawn in an exaggerated fashion.
Some dogs show a “submissive grin” when they’re feeling extremely submissive. They pull their lips up vertically and display their front teeth (canines and incisors). This signal is almost always accompanied by an overall submissive body posture, such as a lowered head, yelping or whining, and squinty eyes. Only some dogs “grin” this way. People sometimes mistakenly think a dog is being aggressive when, in fact, he’s grinning submissively and trying to communicate the exact opposite of aggression.

A dog who’s signalling his intention to act aggressively will often retract his lips to expose his teeth. He may pull his lips up vertically to display his front teeth while also wrinkling the top of his muzzle. This is typical of a dog who’s warning you not to come any closer.

A dog may draw his lips back horizontally so that his lips are really tight at the commissure (the corners of the mouth). With this expression, you’re more likely to see both his front and back teeth (premolars and molars). This posture is often indicative of a dog who’s feeling afraid. However, once a dog is ready to bite, he usually pulls his lips up AND back so that his mouth is open and his teeth are exposed.

Dogs can display an “aggressive pucker.” They move their lips forward over their teeth and exhale air so that their lips look puffy and large. You can sometimes even hear them breathing heavily. This display is often accompanied by a wrinkled forehead. A dog who looks like this is saying, “Don’t come any closer.”

Dog Ears

Dogs have a wide variety of ear types. The size and shape of your dog’s ears will dictate how well he can use them to communicate. Some are dropped (like a beagle’s), some are pricked (like a German shepherd’s) or semi-pricked (like a Shetland sheepdog’s), and some hang long (like a Bassett hound’s). Some dogs’ ears are cropped so that some or all of the earflap is removed (like a Doberman pinscher’s or Great Dane’s). The ASPCA does not condone ear cropping and encourages breeders and dog parents to leave dogs with their natural ears. In most cases, ear cropping is surgery done purely for cosmetic reasons and causes dogs unnecessary pain and discomfort.

When your dog is relaxed and comfortable, he’ll hold his ears naturally. When he’s alert, he’ll raise them higher on his head and he’ll direct them toward whatever’s holding his interest. Your dog will also raise his ears up and forward when he’s feeling aggressive. If your dog has his ears pulled back slightly, he’s signalling his intention to be friendly. If his ears are completely flattened or stuck out to the sides of his head, he’s signalling that he’s frightened or feeling submissive.

Dog Tails

People often assume that a dog with a wagging tail is a friendly dog, but this is far from the truth. Dogs wag their tails for numerous reasons, including when they’re feeling aggressive. And a dog who isn’t wagging his tail can still be friendly. A dog’s ability to use his tail to express how he feels is limited by the type of tail he has. Most dogs have a “natural” tail that hangs down to somewhere near the hock (the joint between the lower thigh and the pastern on the rear leg). Others, such as the pug, have tails that curl up and over their backs. A few breeds, like the greyhound and whippet, have a tail that naturally tucks slightly between their rear legs. And some breeds have naturally short bobtails or have tails that were surgically docked. (For example, Australian shepherd puppies may be born with natural bobtails, and the Doberman pinscher is a breed that often has the tail surgically docked.) Because it’s a painful procedure done only for cosmetic reasons, the ASPCA does not condone tail docking.

When your dog is relaxed, he’ll hold his tail in its natural position. If he’s feeling happy, he may wag it gently from side to side. If he’s really happy, like when he greets you after being apart from you, his tail will wag more forcefully from side to side or might even move in a circular pattern. If your dog feels nervous or submissive, he’ll hold his tail lower and might even tuck it between his rear legs. He may still wag it from side to side, often at a more rapid pace than if he’s relaxed. If he’s really scared or feeling extremely submissive, he’ll hold his tail tucked up tight against his belly.
When your dog is alert or aroused about something, he’ll probably hold his tail higher than normal. He’ll hold it stiff, without any movement. If he’s standing his ground or threatening someone (a person or another animal), he may “flag” his tail, which means he holds it stiff and high and moves it rigidly back and forth. It might look like he’s wagging his tail, but everything else about his body tells you that he’s not feeling friendly at the moment.

Dog Hair

Although dogs don’t communicate much with it, you can discern some things from a dog’s hair. First, a scared or stressed dog is likely to shed more than normal. It’s as though the scared dog is blowing his coat, and it suddenly comes out in buckets! You may have seen this if your dog gets nervous during visits to your veterinarian. After the examination, you, the vet and the table are covered with your dog’s hair.

Dogs may also stick up their hair to communicate how they are, which is called “piloerection,” or more colloquially, “raising the hackles.” Although dogs’ hair is most often raised over the withers (the area where the tops of a dog’s shoulder blades meet), dogs can raise their hair all along their spine. Dogs raise their hair when they’re aroused about something. It’s comparable to a person having goose bumps. Raised hackles can mean that a dog is afraid, angry, insecure, unsure, nervous or wildly excited about something.

Overall Body Posture

Dogs also use their bodies to communicate their intentions. In general, dogs either try to look normal, smaller or larger. If your dog’s feeling happy and contented, he’ll look normal—relaxed muscles and weight evenly balanced on all four feet. Similarly, when he’s playful, he’ll look normal. He may be bouncing around or running wildly with exaggerated movements, but his facial expression and his muscles will be relaxed and nothing about his body will look unnatural.

This is quite different from the overall appearance of a scared dog. When your dog is scared, he’ll be hunched as though trying to look small. He might lower his body or even cower on the ground. His head will be held low as well. If he’s frightened by something or someone, he’ll recoil away from it. For instance, if your dog is scared on an examination table, he’ll pull away from the veterinarian and lean into you. If your dog is uncertain but curious about something, he might approach it tentatively, with his weight centered over his rear legs so that he can retreat quickly if he needs to.

A submissive dog looks very similar to a frightened dog because he makes himself look small to convey that he’s not a threat. If your dog is submissive, he’ll lower his body or even cower on the ground. His head might be raised, though, if he’s greeting a person or another animal.

An assertive (dominant), alert or aroused dog tries to make himself look large. His muscles will be tense. He’ll stand erect, sometimes even on his tiptoes, with his neck and head raised above his shoulders. His weight will either be centered over all four feet or he’ll be leaning slightly forward on his front legs.

An angry, aggressive dog also makes himself appear larger than life to be as intimidating as possible. If your dog is aggressive, he’ll look very similar to an assertive, alert or aroused dog, but his posture will be accompanied by aggressive threats. Typically, his weight will be centered over his front legs so that he can lunge or charge forward rapidly.

Putting It All Together—The Whole Dog

The messages dogs communicate with their body language can be subtle, but with careful attention, most people can learn to recognize and interpret the most important meanings. It’s crucial to know when your dog’s happy, when he’s playful, when he’s worried or scared, when he’s feeling uncertain or insecure about something or someone, and when he’s feeling upset and potentially angry. As long as you can recognize these messages, you can interact with him confidently and safely, and you can protect him when he needs protection.

Happy, Contented

When your dog is happy, he has relaxed body language. His muscles are relaxed, his tail and ears are held in their natural positions, and he looks neither large nor small for his physique. He might wag his tail from side to side or in a circular motion. His facial expression is neutral or he appears happy—the muscles in his face are relaxed, his mouth is closed or slightly opened, and he might be panting with a regular tempo. The corners of his mouth (called the commissure) might be turned upwards slightly, as though he’s smiling.

Alert

When your dog is alert, he looks intense and focused. He stands upright with his weight centered on all fours, his ears are up and forward, and his head and neck are erect. He holds his tail either in its natural position or vertically, possibly even over his back. His tail is rigid and immobile. His gaze is directed toward whatever he‘s detected. His mouth is typically closed. He might growl or bark. The hair on his shoulders or back may or may not be raised.

Excited

When your dog is excited, he looks as intense as he does when he’s alert, but he might also adopt a playful demeanor. His body is ready for action. He looks natural in size, but his weight might be centered over his rear legs as he prepares to move. His ears are up and his tail is held high, and it may or may not wag. He looks at the individual or object that’s the source of his excitement. Excited dogs often hold their mouths open, and they might bark.

Aroused

When your dog is aroused, you might have a hard time distinguishing it from when he’s alert or excited. The only time it’s useful to know the difference is when the arousal pushes him closer to feeling frightened or aggressive. An aroused dog almost always has his hackles up. However, just about everything else about his body language depends on whether he’s feeling scared, uncertain or angry. His body may look normal-sized or larger, his ears might be flattened to the side or held forward, and his tail might be held low, in a normal position or high. He may or may not be looking directly at an individual or object. Sometimes there’s nothing in the environment that’s obvious to us, but a dog can be aroused by a sound that we can’t hear or an odor that we can’t smell.

Playful

It’s fairly easy to detect when your dog’s feeling playful. His body movements are jerky and bouncy. He might bounce around in exaggerated twists, turns and leaps. He might dodge around you, paw at you and then take off running to invite a chase. Or he might just jump on you and start mouthing. Dogs enjoy a variety of play styles, including chase games (in which the dog is either the chaser or the chasee), rough-and-tumble (wrestling or tackle) games, and games of “keep-away” with an object, like a toy or stick. Almost all play is interspersed with the characteristic “play bow” that’s common across all dogs. When your dog play bows, he bounces into position with his forelegs on the ground and his hind legs extended so that his rear sticks up. This signal is extremely important because so much of dog play consists of aggressive behaviors and dominant postures. The play bow tells a dog’s playmate, “Anything that comes after this is play, so please don’t take it seriously.” Some dogs also show a “play face,” a happy facial expression characterized by a partially open mouth that almost looks as though the dog is smiling. A playful dog might also growl or make high-pitched barks.

Fearful, Scared

When your dog is scared, he does his best to look small. Often, his body looks hunched, with his tail held low or tucked between his rear legs and his ears flattened back on his skull. He might cower close to the ground. If escape is possible, he might lean so that his center of gravity is over his rear legs to permit a hasty retreat, or lean to the side so that he can recoil. He might look directly at the source of his fear or he might look away. The muscles of his body and face are tense and rigid. He might yawn in an exaggerated way.

Dominant

During interaction with a person or another dog, dogs sometimes convey a confident, assertive attitude that’s often called “dominant.” If your dog is feeling dominant, he stands tall, sometimes on his tiptoes, and tries to look large. He arches his neck. He appears tense, like a coiled spring. His weight is squarely on all four feet or he’s leaning forward slightly. His ears are up and oriented forward. His tail is high and rigid, sometimes flagging or quivering at the end. His hair may or may not be standing up on his shoulders or along his back. He usually makes direct eye contact with the other individual. He might growl, but his mouth will typically be closed.

Submissive

If your dog is feeling submissive while he interacts with a person or another dog, he tries to convey the message that he’s the underling, that he’s not a threat and that aggression is unnecessary. During active submission, he makes his body look small by hunching over and getting low to the ground. He holds his tail low or tucked, sometimes rapidly wagging it back and forth. He flattens his ears or holds them off to the sides of his head. He keeps his neck low to the ground, but he turns his muzzle up toward the other individual. He might nuzzle, lick or flick his tongue. He averts his gaze so as not to look directly at the other individual. Some dogs, particularly puppies, urinate. (Please see our article, Submissive Urination, for information about how to resolve this problem.)

Your dog might switch from active submission to a more passive position, in which he lies down and rolls over on his back to display his inguinal area (his genitalia). During passive submission, your dog might lie still, or he might paw at the other individual. He looks away. He might whine. Some dogs, particularly puppies, urinate in this position.

Fearfully Aggressive

If your dog is fearfully aggressive he won’t look any different than when he’s fearful, except that he might show his teeth and growl. Some fearful dogs never escalate to aggression, but others will if they feel there’s no escape. A fearful dog isn’t likely to bite a person or other animal unless all avenues for escape are blocked and he feels trapped. When this happens, he continues to cower but, at the same time, shows his teeth and might growl or snarl. If he snaps or bites, it’s usually lightening quick, and then he retreats as far away from the threat as possible. Some dogs wait until the person or animal who frightens them begins to retreat, and then they dart out to nip them from behind.

Offensively Aggressive

If your dog feels anger and confidence at the same time, you might see offensively aggressive body language. He’s on the attack, and he may or may not stop if the person or animal he’s focused on stays away or retreats. He does his best to look large and intimidating by holding his head high, his ears up and forward, and his tail raised and rigid. He might flag his tail. His hackles might be up. He positions himself over his forelegs so that he’s ready to lunge or charge forward. He stares directly at the person or animal. He shows his teeth by wrinkling his muzzle and retracting his lips vertically to display his front teeth. He growls, snarls or barks in a low, threatening tone.

Defensively Aggressive

Most dogs give plenty of warning before reacting aggressively, but you need to know what to look for to recognize the signs. If your dog is feeling defensively aggressive, he’d rather not get into an altercation if he doesn’t have to. He’d rather the person or animal he’s afraid of just back off and leave him alone. But at the same time, he’s ready to stand up for himself. Because he’s feeling both fear and anger, he often adopts a combination of fearful and offensive postures. Typically, he looks large, his ears are up and forward, and his tail is held high and rigid. He centers his weight squarely on all fours, over his forelegs or over his rear legs, depending on the situation. Usually it depends on how close he is to the threat and whether his intention is to stand his ground, charge forward or retreat. Typically, he draws his lips back to display his teeth, and he may or may not wrinkle his muzzle. Usually he growls, snarls or barks, although his bark might be high-pitched. Often, his hackles are up. People sometimes refer to a defensively aggressive dog as adopting “a good offense as the best defense.” Dogs like this are sometimes bluffing in that they really would not fight if push came to shove—they would likely retreat. But other dogs will make the first strike, depending on the balance of confidence and fear they’re feeling.

 

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Geroge Graham Vest–Tribute to a Dog

Historians consider it one of the greatest speeches ever written about a dog. US Senator George Graham Vest (1830-1904) was one of the leading debaters of his time, and offered this observation on dog greatness when he was still practicing law in a small Missouri town. He represented a man who sued another for the killing of his dog, and after offering the following summation to the jury, he won the case.

Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.

A Dog’s Age

This is good….

 

 

 

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Winnie and Copper!

Could they BE any cuter?!?  The Radford puppies I’m helping to train!

   

 

 

 

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"Dogs at Work" stamps

Service Dogs honored by US Postal Service - This is so cool I had to share it... a new stamp series from the US Post Office!

MERRIFIELD, VA — The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the enduring partnership between dogs and people with the issuance of the 65-cent Dogs at Work set of four stamps.

“We are proud to commemorate these specialized dogs on stamps,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service Homeland Security Coordinator Michael T. Butler in dedicating the stamps. “These animals are critical to serving individuals with special needs and critical to enabling successful rescues.”

Joining Butler in dedicating the stamps were Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team/Virginia Task Force 1 Canine Search Specialists Teresa MacPherson with Banks, a Black Lab; and Christine Harrison with Aleko, a Belgium Malinois.

“We are honored the Postal Service is paying tribute to these animals that work tirelessly to perform their missions of mercy,” said MacPherson. Task Force 1 has performed more than 60 rescues throughout Central, South and North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Artist John M. Thompson of Syracuse, NY, created original paintings for each stamp in acrylics, based on photographs that he composed. The guide dog depicted is a black Labrador retriever, the tracking dog is a yellow Labrador retriever, the therapy dog is a Welsh springer spaniel, and the search and rescue dog is a German shepherd. Art director Howard E. Paine of Delaplane, VA, designed the stamps.

For thousands of years, dogs and humans have shared a special bond. And from the beginning, dogs have been more than just companions and friends — they’ve been vital partners, working side by side with people. While the earliest dogs helped human hunters bring home prey, today’s pooches excel at a variety of jobs, from herding sheep to assisting deaf people to starring in movies.

Dogs at Work highlights four different canine careers: guiding, comforting, tracking and searching.

Guiding
Some 10,000 people in the U.S. and Canada rely on dogs to “see” the world for them. While the idea of using dogs to guide people who are blind is centuries old, it wasn’t until 1916 that the first organized school for guide dogs was established in Germany. The first canine graduates went on to aid veterans blinded in World War I, and the concept spread around the globe. Guide dogs navigate around obstacles, alert their handlers to curbs and stairs, and even learn to disobey any command that would put their handlers in danger. Along the way, they enrich and empower countless lives. Typical guide dog breeds include Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and German shepherds.

Comforting
Sometimes the best medicine can come in the form of a furry friend. Therapy dogs, chosen for their friendly dispositions, bring comfort to disaster victims, abused children, the elderly and the ill. Frequent visitors to nursing homes and hospitals, these dogs seem to improve the health and morale of patients just by lending a paw or offering a head to be scratched. Some therapy dogs even make house calls, visiting people who are homebound. An affectionate dog of any breed can become a therapy dog, and there aren’t many requirements — just knowing simple commands and being well behaved around all kinds of people.

Tracking
Tracking is just one of the jobs that war dogs are trained for. Loyal canines have fought at the side of U.S. soldiers for more than a century as scouts and sentries. Today, military dogs excel at sniffing out explosive devices. They also protect their handlers at all times. Besides serving as war dogs, tracking dogs work with police and security personnel. They can be trained to detect drugs, guns or explosives and to track people. Several different breeds are often chosen as tracking and sniffing dogs. While airport beagles commonly detect contraband fruit arriving from overseas, German shepherds, Dutch shepherds and Belgian Malinois are preferred by police departments and the military.

Searching
When racing against the clock, a search and rescue team’s greatest asset can be a well-trained canine. A dog’s superb sense of smell can speed up a search effort, increasing the odds of survival for lost people and disaster victims. Search and rescue dogs can locate children lost in the woods, sniff out survivors of an earthquake and even dig out people buried in an avalanche. Depending on their training, dogs can track human scents in the air or on the ground. Many different breeds make excellent search and rescue dogs, including bloodhounds, border collies, German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers.

Questions – Questions – Questions!

I love them because it means you care about your dog enough to look for information. Following are questions that have been asked of me over the years. If you have one that is not answered, let me know because this will be a work in progress.

Feeding and Housing

What do you feed your dogs?
When I feed kibble I feed Flint River Ranch. Have been since about 2001. It was one of the first dog foods on the market that used human grade ingredients. Click here for more info or to buy some. I also feed raw - we used to call it the BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diet – now it’s simply called feeding “raw”. Click here for more about feeding raw.    And click here for some good questions and answers about feeding “raw”.  There is also some good dehydrated food out there…  click here to read about that.   I give them supplements, kefir and other good stuff. Read about that here.

I have a puppy.  How many times a day should I feed him?
2-3 times a day…  period.  No free feeding.  Put food bowl down for 10 minutes and then remove it.  They will soon get the picture that they eat when you put the dish down.  After picking up the dish… out to potty.. no playing at this time.  By feeding a puppy on a set schedule, the puppy will go to the bathroom more regularly, making potty training easier and faster.  now..  personally I would hand feed each time for a bit just so they know where the food came from.  And don’t forget to allow for the fact that there may be training treats involved and if so, feed less for the meal.  NO fat puppies!!

What would you do if your dog was choking?
The Heimlick Maneuver

Where do your dogs sleep?
Hhhmmmm… where all dogs should sleep… on my bed…

Do you crate train?
You betcha! Best way to house train a dog. My dogs would sleep in crates with the door open.. it’s their den. I actually had to remove crates recently because Olivia was hiding in them and I didn’t want her to live her life in a crate. After a bit, she became Queen of the Couch. (Yes I allow my dogs on furniture but if I want them to get down I will say “off” once and if they look at me as if to say: “No. I don’t think so”, we have a “discussion”. It’s rare that it happens after that.

Health and Vet

Do you have health insurance for your dogs?
Yes I do for Brita and Jake. There is more risk of something happening to them because of traveling etc. No I don’t for Olivia. She’s almost 13 and anything that would go wrong now I would choose not to correct. She is almost blind and almost deaf, can walk but not much and has outlived all the other of her generation. It would be “her time”. If you’re interested shoot me an email and I’ll have some information emailed to you. This is not for routine expenses – It’s sort of like major medical I guess.

Do you vaccinate your dogs?
Well, yes and no. They get the first set as puppies but then I have titer tests done and so far in all the dogs I’ve had and done titers, the results showed that they still had the antibodies from the previous shots. Don’t know what titers are? Click here. Of course, you have to do a rabies shot.

Do you take your dogs for VOM treatments?
You bet.  Read about it here.  I haven’t been to an acupuncturist but have heard they work wonders on dogs.

Do you license your dog?
Of course. Doesn’t everyone?? Go to your city, town or village and do it now if you haven’t done so.

Are you concerned about Bloat?
I’m very concerned. Brita’s father bloated and died. There is a good article here that talks about it and lists the factors that are associated with an increased risk of bloat such as:

• Raising the food dish more than doubled the risk for bloat.
• Speed of eating -Dogs rated by their owners as very fast eaters had a 38% increased risk of bloat
• Age: The study found that risk increased by 20% with each year of age. Owners should be more alert to early signs of bloat as their dogs grow older.
• Family History: Having a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or offspring) that had bloated increased a dog's risk by 63%.

If you had to transport an unconscious dog to a vet and you couldn’t lift that dog, how would you do it?
Read here about a doggie stretcher.

Training

What training methods do you use?
Check out the course I wrote when I was a trainer at Bark Avenue Day Care and you’ll have many questions answered. It’s called K9 Companion and uses many of Michael Ellis’ training videos and has a link to his school website. If I have written anything that is in conflict with what he is saying… he is right. This course was written maybe 16 years ago and methods are constantly being updated.

Are your dogs Therapy Dogs? 
Not any more – click here to read the final post.

Do you train Service Dogs?
No. I trained a dog (Tori) who became a Psychiatric Service Dog. Click here for her story. I’m training Jake to be my service dog. When I have back “issues” I can not bend over to pick things up. Click here for his story.

How do you introduce a new or visiting dog?
VERY carefully! There are so many variables here that it’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. Probably as many variables as there are personalities of dogs. There may be no problem at all or there might be REAL trouble. One thing I do think is best… do it in a neutral place. You’re on your own on the one.

What is a Puppy Scavenger Hunt?
AAHH… Socialization at its finest… J

What is NILIF?
An acronym for Nothing in Life is Free! I’ve had to use that philosophy many times with certain dogs. Ari for one – Jake also! There is NO free lunch, if you want a paycheck you have to work for it!

What do you do when you get a new dog or puppy?
Well.. a scavenger hunt, crate training, NILIF and what I haven’t mentioned is that I hand feed the new addition for weeks so he or she clearly understands that I went out and got that food that is going clearly straight to his or her mouth. Regarding hand feeding – I’ve also done it on more than one occasion when one dog or another was starting to get an attitude or if there was an upcoming trial.

What titles have you put on your dogs?
Coming soon when I figure it out.  …..ok…  here ya go…  Titles on my Dogs

What seminars, classes or workshops have you attended?
Coming soon when I find the list.

Favorites and Miscellaneous

Favorites:

• Vet – Great Lakes in Neenah - Dr. Jeff saved Ari’s life. I like him!
• Animal Communicator – Marilyn Tokach - Pure Spirit Animal Communication
• Groomer – Lisa’s Pet Grooming in Appleton
• Day Care
  • Little Dogs – Lisa’s Little Paws - Appleton
  • Big Dogs – Clever K9’s - Kaukauna
• AKC Dog Club – Winnegamie Dog Club – Menasha
• ID tag
  • K9 Tag – my favorite – bright colorful tags and badges. Good for humans also!
  • Boomerang Tags – I like the ones that attach right to the collar and don’t dangle.
• Kong – The Monster Ball
• Training aid or tug – Wing-a-Ball

Are you a breeder?
No…. never have been, never will be…. There are too many bad German Shepherds being bred out there with no regard to whether the hips are good, other genetic problems or temperament. Good GSDs are amazing dogs; bad ones can be downright scary.

Where can I get a “nice” German Shepherd?
My idea of “nice” and yours may be different. I always ask: “Do you want a pet or a working dog?” Not everyone should own a German Shepherd Dog. I’ve talked people out of getting a German Shepherd when I realized they just weren’t ready to commit to what it takes to own one. (or any dog) Not all GSDs have the same temperament and drive. Best thing for a pet – check with a rescue. Here is a good one. German Shepherd Rescue Alliance of Wisconsin. If you want a working dog, you should not be asking this question.

Anything else you’d like to share?

• Make sure you are in the group of owners called DINOS and you are not an MDIF.
• Learn as much as you can about the BODY LANGUAGE of dogs. There are lots of good websites out there. These were the first 3 that came up when I googled “dog body language”…. There are lots more so don’t hesitate to explore on your own!
  • Canine Body Language from the ASPCA
  • How to Interpret Your Dog’s Body Language from Paws Across America
  • Stages of Puppy Development
  • Cleaning products you should NOT use.
  • Check out Cindy’s Questions and Answers
  • Free Training Videos from Leerburg

So there you have it! If I get questions I haven’t answered I’ll add them but in the meantime… enjoy your dog!

 

Happy New Year!

ok.. I KNOW there are no dogs in this post…

…but I thought just once I would do a post that was not about dogs…  And the good news… not much to read… just pictures to look at!  My daylilies were especially pretty this year – or maybe I just noticed them this year because I brought them inside.   A friend of mine planted them years ago and choose the varieties..  Heck… I thought they were all orange like the “ditch” daylilies! 

                      

 

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What’s not to love…

Jake and Brita needed a VOM treatment so I met Bob at Nancy’s with his new puppy!  How cute, huh!!?!

           

The flowers are from Nancy’s front yard…  I thought they added a bit of color!

 

 

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Summer at the farm…

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So…what DO I feed my dogs?

An assortment of food, that’s what!

• Flint River Ranch (oven baked) Trout and Sweet Potato formula or Duck Meal and Oatmeal Formula
• Kefir drizzled (ok …poured) over their food regularly
• Animal Natural Products
• Brewers Yeast and Garlic (fleas and ticks)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (not Apple Cider Flavored Vinegar)
• Sojos Turkey or Beef Grain-Free dog food that is rehydrated
• Raw chicken backs and feet (raw bones ok), raw meat, raw liver, raw eggs (with shell), etc.
• Sardines/tuna, hard boiled eggs (with shell), cooked meat (cooked bones NOT ok), pizza, whatever I eat except for the things they shouldn’t have like raisins and chocolate.
• Fruits and vegetables, pumpkin or sweet potatoes from the can and other good healthy stuff.  Much if it is fed on a spoon or fork to teach them patience.
• Hot dogs and any other meat cut up for training treats
• And finally an occasional trip to McDonalds for a double cheeseburger, fries and and ice cream cone is a great treat for them!

The Animal Naturals and Brewers yeast and Garlic is in powder form so I soak their food with the vitamins on it.  At their evening meal I make enough for morning and then stuff some in a Kong, put it in a stainless steel bowl, put some more liquid around it if needed and freeze it!  Do they love that!

What don’t I feed my dogs…  kibble other than Flint River Ranch and especially kibble that has “byproducts” in the ingredients, regular dog biscuits (I say “no thank you” at the bank), grapes, raisins, chocolate, cooked bones and rawhide, greenies and that kind of pet store treat…

So here are some pictures.  Brita would gulp her food all the time and Jake was starting to do it also.  I saw the picture of the dog bowl to slow down eating for I can’t remember how many $$ and thought it looked remarkably like a ring pan so off to the thrift shop I go.  It kinda worked but do you know how quickly a German Shepherd can destroy one of those aluminum pans??   Then I can across a bundt pan – solid, won’t scratch and has little crevices that make it hard to get the food out and WOW..  this is my favorite!!  Under $1 at St. Vinnies!  My second favorite is below but it’s lots easier for the dogs to eat fast so…  again…  to slow them down… Kongs to the rescue!  Now they each get a kong in their dish filled with food in addition to one in the morning!

 

            

 

              

 

That’s about it!  If I forgot something I’m sure I’ll remember it after I’ve gone to bed!

As a post script.  Brita used to be really stressed at mealtime – pretty much drove me nuts.  Kobie would sit at the kitchen counter (in a beautiful sit I might add) staring at her food bowl as the enzymes for her pancreatic insufficiency soaked into her food.  The dynamics in my house have now changed without Kobie and Brita will “settle” quietly in the kitchen along with Jake while I prepare the food…  interesting, huh?

3-1-12  As another post script – all those bowls above – done – gone – chewed…  This is the latest….  Nordicware classic – platinum collection heavy duty… made of “Heavy Cast Aluminum”  he has yet to make a dent in it!!   And I’ve become the queen of freezing kongs with food in them!

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Wrap up your dog…

….hhhmmm…..  for what you ask??  for noise phobia such as thunderstorms or fireworks or for stress or anxiety.  I hear these days about the new “Thundershirt”…  hhmm…  catchy name so people think the concept is new. 

In…ohh..  lets say sometime around 2002 I read about the Anxiety Wrap and purchased one for Josephine who was and has been the only dog of the 8 that I’ve had recently that had a thunderstorm  or fireworks phobia.  Please read about it here:  The Anxiety Wrap and how it works.

Prior to that I had read about Linda Tellington’s TTouch Bodywork and how to “wrap” a dog and even bought a videotape of how to do it. Here is more information including pictures or “wrapped” dogs.  Other links I found interesting were Linda’s extensive background with horses and Linda’s more recent information including her BLOG.  She has been working on dogs since the 1980s.  Anyway, like I said..  I bought an Anxiety Wrap which I guess is comparable to buying potato salad in the deli instead of making my own!!    That was 2002.

I found various used for it other than the noise or anxiety (which, by the way, I think it really did help in those situations).  When Teddy had hip surgery  he refused to move (seriously would sit for hours in the same place) when I put the Elizabethan (cone) collar on him so I had to figure out something else to do…  enter the Anxiety Wrap that had been packed away for a few years.   Because it didn’t cover totally where he had the surgery I had to improvise to cover that area…  well, let’s just say – a picture is worth a thousand words…. (please don’t laugh..  I don’t take my dogs in public looking like this!  ..  ok..  snicker then..) 

And then there was Ari who was a very long dog and he had a lump removed from his rump, the collar wasn’t good enough because he could still reach it so again I pulled out the Anxiety Wrap.  Yet again a picture is worth a thousand words.  Nothing really phased him.  Little did I know that perhaps a Band-Aid would have been sufficient.

So now, there is  the Thundershirt.  Same concept – different name.  There is also the Storm Defender.

What would I do now?  First I would go to a thrift shop and get a t-shirt that is in good shape and would fit rather snug but not too tight on my dog.  Then I would get some wide wrap (self adhering) and would read the directions online to do it myself.  (Hmm… guess I’m making that potato salad now..)

Here, by the way, is one person’s opinion on the Thundershirt vs. the Anxiety Wrap.  I can’t make the comparison because I haven’t used both but this person has.  However, Thundershirt’s ties to the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) would make me NOT want to buy anything from them…  but THAT is WHOLE other post!

Ari again.. 
don’t know why this time but it must have been during hunting season
because his reflective coat is over it!

 

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