The Life of Royal

Sirius Puppy Training Initiative!! A Call to Action!!

2012-01-20T15:24:00.015-05:00

I am one lucky pup! And I know it. That's me at 10 weeks old! At 10 weeks, I was already housetrained, already chew toy trained, anyone could clip my nails and groom me, I'd met tons of other humans including children and I knew basic commands. I'm not bragging, that was all thanks to my breeder Katrina. I know how fortunate I was to be born to a responsible breeder that cared so much about early socialization, gentling/handling, making sure I was developing mentally and physically healthy. So when I went to my new puppy parents, I was already on the right track. I know how fortunate I was for knowledgeable humans like Jenn and Eric to adopt me, and provide training, support, and gentle guidance from the first day they brought me into their home. They continued with training, socialization, and giving me everything I needed to grown into a physically and mentally adaptive and stable adult. I was lucky. But many, many puppies are not as lucky as I've been. They don't get the best start in life. Some are born in backyards or into puppy mills with tiny cages with little or not human contact or support.
Some are adopted to humans that don't know how to teach puppies what they need to live successfully with humans, like to chew the right things, how to housetrain, or the importance of gentle handling and social experiences outside the home. By the time these puppies hit 6 months old, they have behavioral problems, sometimes big ones.
Wouldn't it be great to get the right information out to breeders, vets, trainers and new puppy parents, so that every puppy gets the best start in life??
The SIRIUS Puppy Training Initiative promotes a preventive educational program for breeders, vets, pet stores, trainers and new puppy owners about giving all puppies the best start in life and so that it becomes commonplace for prospective puppy owners to learn how to select and raise a puppy before they select and raise a puppy.

Any successful puppy raising program depends getting the right information out about maintaining errorless housetraining and chewtoy-training programs (which also prevents excessive barking and separation anxiety), to continue safely socializing their puppies with people at home so that the puppy does not become fearful or aggressive as an adult, to contact a trainer right away for an in-the-home visit and to register for puppy classes.

What can you to do to help this information get into the hands of the humans that need it most??

Please download Dr. Ian Dunban's two free eBooks and then email them to all of your friends, plus family, your vet, and your neighbors, urging them to forward the books to every puppy/dog owner that they know. You can download them on Jenn's Puppy Classes Page or at DogStarDaily.com or just click on the pictures below. If these two eBooks are emailed to a sufficient number of dog owners, not only will prospective puppies owners have copies prior to acquiring a new puppy but also, they will have copies on hand to email to family members, friends and neighbors should they decide to search for a new puppy. Please support this Puppy Raising Initiative so that it rapidly spreads nationwide and worldwide.

January is National Train Your Dog Month!!

2012-01-01T09:03:00.000-05:00

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers is once again promoting the benefits of reward based training and socialization for all puppies and dogs through National Train Your Dog Month. There are lots of events, free downloads, and cool stuff available free to everyone on the National Train Your Dog Official Website!

FREE WEBINARS-To help the public, animal shelters and others in the pet care industry, APDT has recorded free webinars for the public with many well-known pet training and behavior professionals. These will be available starting in January on the National Train Your Dog Official Website and are completely free.

Shelter Dogs: Good Choice or Bad? - Trish King, CPDT-KA, CDBC
Got C.L.A.S.S.? Canine Life and Social Skills for Pet Owners - Ann Allums, CPDT-KA
Housetraining Basics - Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA
Loose Leash Walking - Gail Fisher
It Takes Two: Successful Cat and Dog Interactions - Jacqueline Munera, CCBC
Feline Issues: Litter Box and Scratching - Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
Dog Safety: What to Teach Your Kids - Joan Orr, MSc
Setting Dog and Baby Up for Success! - Jenn Shryock, CDBC
Separation Anxiety in Dogs - Melissa Bain, DVM, DACVB, MS

FREE CHATS-APDT has also set up a calendar of Facebook "chats" with professional training and behavior consultants throughout the month of January on a variety of topics focusing on the training and care of dogs, cats and even rabbits! Anyone with behavior and training questions can join the chats to learn more about their chosen pet. To join the chats, visit the APDT Facebook page at the date and time listed below.

All about Bully Breeds! Anything You Want to Know about 'Pit Bull' Type Dogs
Mychelle Blake, MSW, CDBC and Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
January 2, 12 pm Eastern

Leash Manners
Gail Fisher
January 6, 12 p.m. Eastern

Adopting a Dog
Trish McMillan Loehr (ASPCA), MSc, CPDT-KA
January 9, 2 pm Eastern

Things to Teach Your Children to be Safe around Dogs
Joan Orr
January 12, 6 p.m. Eastern

Safety around Dogs for Babies and Toddlers
Jenn Shryock, CDBC
January 12, 7 p.m. Eastern

Housetraining
Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA
January 18, 6:30 p.m. Eastern

Introducing Cats and Dogs
Jacqueline Munera, CCBC
January 24, 12 p.m. Eastern

APDT CLASS: Canine Life and Social Skills
Ann Allums, CPDT-KA
January 25, 12:00 p.m. Eastern

APDT Rally
Ann Allums, CPDT-KA & Ali Brown, MEd, CPDT-KA, CDBC
January 25, 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Common Dog Behavior Problems (Barking, Digging and More)
Marjie Alonso, CDBC, CPDT-KA
Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
January 27, 4 pm Eastern

All About Cats
Mychelle Blake, MSW, CDBC and Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
January 30, 5 pm Eastern
FREE PUPPY AND DOG TRAINING TIPS-APDT has complied a list of articles for new puppy/dog parents about the importance of training and socialization. Check these out:

You can check out the complete list of articles at the National Train Your Dog Month Website.

Resolve to train your dog in 2012! You can join on of Jenn's classes and check out her Blue Dog website for the January schedule including puppy classes, adult dog classes, Rally-O, Canine Life and Social Skills, and K9 Cross Training. Let's make 2012 a wonderful year for new puppies and dogs with reward based training and a positive start!!

And here are more links on finding a reward based dog training professional in your area:

Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

Animal Behavior Society

American College of Veterinary Behaviorists

Happy Holidays!!

2011-12-25T11:21:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays from Jenn, Jet, Bernie, me, and Eric!! Jenn was especially happy this year to have taken our annual Santa Paws picture early, before her accident. Otherwise, we wouldn't have a picture this year. We wish everyone a most happy and (especially) most healthy 2012!!

Jenn's Nominated for the DWAA Maxwell Award!

2011-12-23T08:49:00.003-05:00

Talk about a bit of good news! Jenn just found out that the series of articles she wrote for the APDT Chronicle of the Dog about the Tellington TTouch Method have been nominated by the Dog Writers' Association of America for their 2011 writing awards. Jenn is a finalist for the Maxwell Medallion for Excellence, in the Subject-Related Series category. Winners will be announced at a banquet in New York City on February 12th. Jenn hopes she will be able to attend.

You can see the entire list of 2011 nominees here: DWAA Nominees List

You can read Jenn's nominated article series on her website, scroll down to "articles by Jenn Merritt": Tellington TTouch Series from APDT Chronicle of the Dog

Dog Owner Injuries-What Happens to the Dogs??

2011-12-18T08:03:00.008-05:00

This has been the most boring month ever! Jenn was in an accident, she hit her head and fractured her ribs and has spent most of the past few weeks recovering and resting. Resting??!! Bor-ing! Resting is just not in a herding dog's vocabulary. And it was kind of freaky to watch Jenn walk slow and weird. We had to be really careful not to bump her or jump up. So, Jet and I have been spending lots of time looking really bored.
Eric's been taking care of us, and no offense, but Jet, Bernie and I cannot wait for Jenn to get back to her normal self. She keeps us all very active with play and training, and fun stuff. So, we've had to adjust to new routines and less activity, at least for a while. So what happens with your dogs if you can't care for them? It's really smart to think ahead and have a plan in place for what you would need to do in the event that you can't care for your dogs.

Here are a couple of tips that can help prepare your dog if you get hurt:

Staying with Friends-Your dog may need to stay with other humans for a while. Eric had to be with Jenn at the hospital and then care for her when she came home. This didn't leave him much time to care for three dogs. So, Bernie stayed with their friend Laura for the first week after the accident. This made things much easier for Eric to manage (taking care of two dogs instead of three). You should have a plan in place for where your dogs would go if you got hurt (with trusted friends, a local kennel, etc.)

Separation from You is OK-It is really important that your dog can function independently from you. If your dog can't function without you, that leaves them completely lost if you get hurt. It becomes very important that other humans can walk us, feed us, care for us. So, it's a good idea to teach your dog to listen and respond to other humans, not just you. Even just establishing a nice relationship between your dog and your neighbors, so if they ever have to come in a let the dogs out in an emergency, the dogs won't freak out. And your dog should learn from puppyhood that being alone is OK.

Leash Manners-I cannot overemphasize the importance of teaching your dog to walk politely on leash. Since leash walking is pretty much the only exercise we are able to get while Jenn is out of commission (no dog park, no play times), it is really vital that someone other than Jenn could take us for a walk, including family members and friends. Please see my previous posts on polite leash walking for more info.
Mental Games, Toys, and Bones-Thank goodness for mental activity! If your usually high drive, high energy dog has to adjust to a new, low key routine, you really need to give them stuff to do. We have lots of mental toys to work on and Jenn had lots of raw marrow bones in the freezer for us to chew on when we needed something to do. Here are more of Jenn's suggestions for good quality mental toys: Recommended Mental Toys

So, there are a few tips for preparing you and your dog for what happens if you get hurt. You may not want to think about it, but it is such a good idea to have some plans in place ahead of time.

Body Harnesses for Better Leash Walking

2011-12-01T16:49:00.009-05:00

So we've talked about the importance of teaching your dog how to walk on a loose leash and why prong/pinch collars are a complete "pain in the neck", so what are other options for dogs that need a little more help on leash? The good news is that there are lots of options that don't put pressure on the dog's neck, so their airway/breathing aren't constricted.

Get a Real Leash-OK, before we get started talking about harnesses, the first thing y'all need is a real leash, not a retractable leash, which is downright dangerous.
These things get tangled, make your dog difficult to control, and dogs and humans can get awful rope burns. If you ever want to teach your dog to walk mannerly on a leash, get rid of the retractable leash a get a simple six foot leather or canvas leash.

Body Harnesses-there are lots of different types of body harnesses, but they are not created equal.

This is an H Harness which has a connection on the dog's back. Dogs have an opposition reflex, so when we feel that tension in the leash, we pull forward against it. So an H Harness is basically a sled dog harness. It actually makes it easier for the dog to pull forward and when they pull it elevates them into really bad posture and horrible body language to other dogs. Not a good choice for most dogs. Let's look at some better options.

Sensation Body Harness-The Sensation has the connection on the dog's chest, which gives you humans more control and reduces pulling by eliminating opposition reflex. We don't feel the same instinct to pull against the front connection and we do with the leash connected on our backs. The Sensation is easy to fit, easy to put on us, and easy to use. This is one of Jenn's favorites and is available online and in pet stores for about $35.
Walk In Sync Body Harness System-The Walk In Sync is also a front clip body harness, but also uses a special leash with accupoints, that provide a boundary for the dog and handler. This harness is a little more challenging to put on, but the fit is outstanding. It does not cut the dog across the shoulders like the Sensation and provides great control. A very well made harness and effective system that retails online for a about $50 which includes the harness and leash.
Freedom Body Harness-the Freedom harness by Wags, Wiggles and Whiskers (a North Carolina company) is a unique front clip harness that uses a double ended leash and an additional connection on the dog's back. The double ended leash is much like what Jenn uses in TTouch. It's a little more challenging to fit, but does work very well for some dogs, especially large dogs that are ingrained pullers. It retails for about $40 and is available online and at pet stores.
So that's a quick run down of my favorite body harnesses. Remember that there is no substitute for also using consistent, reward based techniques in addition to choosing humane equipment. Need more help? Contact Jenn about enrolling in a training class to get you and your dog on the right track. Check out www.bluedogk9.com for details.

How to Teach Your Dog Polite Leash Walking

2011-11-09T11:17:00.000-05:00

Teaching your dog to walk politely on the leash takes some time, energy and consistency, but the results last a lifetime. I'm going to talk about simple, easy techniques and gentle equipment to help your walks with your dog be more enjoyable for everyone, human and dog alike.

A Rewarding Approach to Leash Learning
Dogs learn by association. They do what works. And if pulling gets them where they want to go, they pull. We have to make the right choice (not pulling) the easiest (and more rewarding) choice to make. This starts with the human changing their behavior-not letting the dog pull them down the street.

We want forward movement with us to be the most rewarding thing, but with the leash loose. In reward based training, there are many variations on how to do this. Here's just one method used with clickers marking the dog's correct body position:

Balance Leash
Another method to help the dog understand that we want them moving with us instead if pulling us down the street is the Balance Leash technique. This is simply using the leash draped around the dog's chest to give a light signal to balance on all four feet. A balanced dog is not a pulling dog. Here's balance leash at work:

For more techniques on polite leash walking check out:

Dog Star Daily's article and resources for Pulling on Leash

Prongs are a pain in Germany too!

2011-11-09T09:58:00.002-05:00

K9 Kindness is working hard to raise money for their "No Choke Challenge", which promotes training your dog without force or fear and provides free front clip body harnesses in exchange for shock, prong, and choke chains. Local reward based trainers working with K9 Kindness are leading the charge in providing fast, fun and effective methods for improving your dog's polite leash walking without equipment that hurts. Please help support the efforts of K9 Kindness by friending them on Facebook and making a donation to the "No Choke Challenge".

Here's a great video from a similar organization in Germany showing two very cute Aussies with tails. You don't need to speak German to get the point of the video.

Prong collars are a pain in the neck!!

2011-11-08T08:06:00.002-05:00

This is a prong collar. Prong collars are a correction based metal collar that applies pressure to the dog's neck when it tightens. It's not an evil thing, although it sure is ugly! Like any piece of training equipment, it must be used properly with knowledge of it's intended use and the physical and behavioral side effects. You see, there are many folks are out there using prong collars on their dogs without any thought of using it properly or what the experience is like for their dog. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the "miracle" of the prong-the dog stops pulling because it hurts!!! You'd stop whatever you were doing too if you wore this thing around one of the most sensitive parts of your body. Here's what a prong collar leaves behind on human skin after only a minute of contact. Now imagine that on your neck. Nuff said. Can I just say from my perspective, I am sooo glad that Jenn is a reward based trainer and that she has never put something like this on me. I can't imagine that thing being on my neck and those pieces of metal pressing against windpipe. It would make me really uneasy and anxious all the time. This dog sure doesn't look comfortable. But what else can happen when you use a prong collar??
Well, physical injury for one. Here's a dog that ran out to the end of the leash too fast and the prongs went right into his neck. Prongs are especially dangerous when they are used with retractable leashes. If you are using a prong, please don't use a retractable leash with it. Worse yet, your dog should never be tethered in a prong collar or wear it all the time.
Aside from obvious physical injuries, behavioral side effects from using prong collars can be even worse and take much longer to heal or resolve. Because dogs are associative learners, many dogs react not just with avoiding the pain from the prong collar, but can also develop a negative association to whatever is around that causes the pain sensations.

So, you are out walking your dog, they see another dog down the street, they pull forward and feel the pain from the prong collar, the dog associates bad things (pain on their neck) with the presence of another dog. With repeated experiences, other dogs = bad things and dog responds with increase arousal and reactions, and with even more intensity when the prong collar comes off. Jenn says that she sees this time and time again: behaviorally healthy dogs developing behavioral problems and reactivity after being put on prong collars.
Once the prongs come off, the dog is less inhibited and the pent up frustrations come out in force. So now you have a dog that doesn't pull as much, but hates other dogs or cars or people or children. Eeshh!! With all these possible issues, there has to be a better way to get your dog to walk politely on leash??

Indeed friends. And that's the topic of my next blog. In the meatime, look at me rocking in my body harness! Relaxed and balanced on all four feet without any pressure on my neck.

My 4th Birthday Party!

2011-09-20T16:48:00.015-04:00

Can you believe it? I am four years old. Amazing as it just seems like yesterday I was a tiny pup. Well, maybe not tiny.Anyway, Jenn and Eric once again invited some of my special friends over to celebrate.Jet, Bernie and I welcomed Jet's Aussie boyfriend Joey. My special girlfriend Mona the German Shepherd came too, and Jenn's friend Gloria with her foster puppy. Lots of special human friends came too including Jenn's mom and dad. All the pups got to run around, then we got special bandanas courtesy of Jenn's mom, who makes Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandanas. And then what everyone was waiting for....my cake!! Wow, Jenn made my most special 4th birthday party cake out of carrots and apples, peanut butter, eggs, flour and honey. And it was square too, decorated with cream cheese and biscuits.

It didn't take long for all the dogs to eat their pieces of cake!

We also did a gift exchange, so everyone could go home with something new and fun. I got a stuffed fox which is especially cool because it is flat and still has squeakers. Jenn says this is a great option for dogs like Jet, who like to pull the stuffing out of toys.

Thanks to everyone for coming to my party!!

CLASS Exercise #1-Wait at the Door

2011-09-02T08:21:00.006-04:00

Jenn and I are training for my CLASS Evaluation. CLASS stands for Canine Life and Social Skills and is a new program by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. The program teaches dogs real life skills through reward based training and is a three level evaluation that also tests the handler's knowledge of training and canine behavior. The first level is the Bachelor's or BA and there are nine test items and two bonuses that dog/handler teams complete. I'm going to talk about each of the test items and how Jenn and I are training and preparing for the test.

Test item number one is Wait at the Door:

Here's the deal, the handler cues the dog to wait at a doorway. The dog can be in a sit, down or standing. The dog holds the wait for about three seconds and then the handler releases the dog to go through the doorway.

How to train Wait at the Door with a sit using minimal cues and minimal effort:

First, make sure your dog's leash is on, so that just in case they break their wait, they don't reward themselves by dashing through the door. You don't necessarily have to use any other rewards in this exercise, as the freedom of going through the doorway is a great reward in itself.

Step 1: Keep the door closed and calmly wait for your dog to sit. Cue them to sit if absolutely necessary, but it's really important that dogs learn the door doesn't open until we sit. If at any point your dog gets up from their sit during the following steps, return to this Step 1.
Step 2: When your dog sits, reach over and touch the doorknob. If they hold their sit, continue to turn the doorknob and slowly open the door. If they stand up or move forward, go back to Step 1.
Step 3: If they hold their sit with the door open, step through the door ahead of them and release them to come through with an "OK".Once your dog is doing all three steps easily, you can begin giving a "Wait" cue as you open the door.

Why is this skill challenging for dogs? Cause it is exciting to go through doors! Controlling the impulse to run through the door is a challenge for many dogs, especially if getting out the door means going on a walk or going for a ride in the car.

Why is it important to teach this skill? Wait at the door can come in handy every time you go through a doorway with your dog. And it keeps your dog safe from dashing out the door. If you have multiple dogs, it is important to teach each dog individually how to wait at doors before you can get them to perform the skill together.

Here are 20 additional uses of teaching your dog to wait. Need I say more?

Jet and Bernie Pass CLASS BA Evaluations

2011-08-29T08:14:00.004-04:00

Well, this is certainly embarrassing! Would you believe that both Jet and Bernie have passed the CLASS (Canine Life and Social Skills) BA Level evaluations and I have not. Inconceivable! I mean, I can understand Bernie passing, cause everything is so easy for him. But Jet??!! She's so much younger than me and frankly, she can be a little high strung (do I need to remind anyone of the toilet paper incident?).
But back to me. I just don't understand. I did everything in stellar fashion, scoring an "excellent" on every item on the BA evaluation but one, the boring "STAY". I was so excited to be doing well, I just didn't want to sit on my mat for a whole minute. So I got up twice and apparently, that is an automatic incomplete for the whole test. Darn it! I was so close.

Jenn did say that it is totally OK and that she was really proud that I did really well on all the other items on the evaluation. We have some work to do, but I can take the evaluation again in a few weeks. So, in the meantime, I can fill you in on all the ins and outs of training for the CLASS program.

Does Your Dog Have C.L.A.S.S.?

2011-08-18T07:26:00.007-04:00

It's very exciting that the Association of Pet Dog Trainers has a new program called C.L.A.S.S., which is short for Canine Life and Social Skills. Jenn became an official CLASS evaluator and is now teaching CLASS at Extraordinary Ventures in Chapel Hill.

So what's CLASS all about anyway? CLASS is a three-level evaluation for dogs and their person to demonstrate real-life skills, along with assessing your person's knowledge basic dog handling and care. The program also promotes the use of reward based training with all dogs. That sounds terrific! But can I actually use these skills?

Jenn says most definitely and that training me for the CLASS evaluations will be a great way to brush up on my overall skills. I love to work in training classes, but CLASS skills extend into real life, that's the point.

It's not just about learning stuff for training classes. It's about you and your dog learning real life skills that you'll actually use everyday. Stuff like learning to walk on a loose leash, settling down on a mat at home and in public, calmly and politely meeting strangers for petting and treats, laying next to your person quietly as they are eating a meal, and coming when called, just to name a few.

So your person can take you out in public, your world can be expanded, and CLASS dogs can be ambassadors of good social behaviors and go places that other dogs can't. Check out the skills that I'm working on for the first level of CLASS called the B.A.:

1.	WAIT AT THE DOOR
Real-life Relevance	The ability to maintain position until invited to advance through a door is a convenience to the student and can save a dog’s life.
	WARM-UP TIME
Real-life Relevance	A dog is better able to focus and relax when he has a chance to assess his immediate environment.
2.	COME AND LEADING UP MANNERS
Real-life Relevance	Coming when called could save your dog’s life if he gets loose. Training a dog to want to come to you also helps strengthen the bond between dog and student.
3.	LOOSE LEASH WALKING AND ATTENTION
Real-life Relevance	Teaching and practicing loose leash walking and checking in with one another builds comfort, ease, and connectedness between the dog and student.
4.	MEET AND GREET
Real-life Relevance	The importance of a dog remaining politely at the student’s side shows the dog’s self-control when meeting someone. This also allows the opportunity for the student to understand if it is appropriate or not for someone to greet or handle their dog.
	BONUS 1: ROLLOVER, SPIN, FETCH, SPEAK, OR PAW
Real-life Relevance	Teaching simple tricks is a fun way to practice training with your dog. See
5.	LEAVE IT
Real-life Relevance	Leave It is useful when you do not want your dog to go near something, and can be a life-saving skill.
6.	WAIT FOR THE FOOD BOWL
Real-life Relevance	Rather than grabbing or rushing for the food, waiting for the food bowl is good manners and strengthens a dog’s self-control.
7.	STAY
Real-life Relevance	Stay is useful when you need your dog to remain in place.
8.	SETTLE
Real-life Relevance	A dog who can calm down on cue is more manageable in the home and may be more welcome in other social settings
9.	GIVE AND TAKE
Real-life Relevance	Living with a dog who does not guard food or objects, willingly drops items on cue, and takes items gently from the student is safer for the student and less stressful for the dog.
	BONUS 2: TRICK OF STUDENT’S CHOICE
Real-life Relevance	Tricks are fun, can be useful, and exercise a dog’s mind.

So when your dog gets all that down pat and passes the BA Level, there are two higher levels of CLASS (Masters and PhD). Talk about higher education! So, I have my work cut out for me. I really need to work on those stays. If you want to learn more about CLASS, you can visit the official CLASS website and watch a demonstration of all the skills of the BA Level by clicking here.

How Kids Should Act Around Dogs

2011-07-19T15:01:00.007-04:00

Suffice it to say that I think children are like little aliens! They move differently and they talk differently than most humans. They sometimes really freak me out. Although Jenn and Eric did a good job socializing me as a puppy to children, it is just as important for parents to guide their children on how to act around dogs not only with their family dog, but with other dogs as well. Here's my friend Will feeding me out of my Squirrel Dude. Will's parents have taught him really good things about how to behave around other people's dogs. But some children can get away with lots of inappropriate behavior even with the family dog.

Dr. Sophia Yin has put together some terrific posters to show what kids should do around dogs like being polite and kind, playing appropriate games like fetch, and using reward based training:And what kids should not do around dogs like bothering the dog while eating or sleeping, taking objects away, climbing on the dog, hugging the dog, or putting your face in the dog's face:You can learn more by reading Dr. Sophia Yin's blog. The more we can all learn about helping both dogs and children get along, the safer we can all live together.

There's also a great book to guide parents by local trainer Barbara Shummenfang called "Happy Kids, Happy Dogs".

Hot Summer Safety Tips

2011-07-12T16:25:00.005-04:00

Oh my! It reached 100 degrees today. Makes me want to slow way down and try to stay cool. It's really a good idea to keep some tips in mind when it gets this hot. First of all, give your puppy access to lots of clean, cool water. I prefer my water in a baby pool of course.It should go without saying, that you need to be especially careful about leaving your puppy in a hot car in the summer. Here's a study by the Animal Protection Institute that showed just how hot the inside of a car can get even in the shade with the windows cracked. For example, on a 100 degree day like today, the inside car temperature rose to 124 degrees. Just don't take your puppy with you if you have to leave them in the car, even for a couple of minutes. It's just not safe and it's totally against the law in North Carolina and other states. It is especially dangerous for older dog, small dogs, or dogs that have breathing issues to be locked in a hot car, even for just a few minutes. OK, let's talk a little about feet, cause your puppy's feet can really get burned by hot concrete in the middle of the day.
It's a good idea to walk your puppy either early in the morning or in the evening on really hot days. It will keep their feet from getting burned and it will lessen the chances of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers has a great article on Dog Safety Tips for Summer. You can learn all about the signs of heatstroke and more. Take special care to keep your puppy safe this summer!

K9 Kindness promotes reward based training!

2011-06-30T12:32:00.008-04:00

Jenn's been super busy with a new project called "K9 Kindness". She and a bunch of other local reward based dog trainers are working together to promote training your dog with kindness right here in the Triangle. Check out their super groovy logo by Top Notch Dog trainer Barbara Shummenfang. K9Kindness has a super new website with resources, articles, and videos all about how you can train your dog without pain, fear or intimidation. There's even a section where your human can submit your reward based training success stories. Most importantly, they are doing a "No Choke Challenge". They're going to give away 100 harnesses in exchange for choke, prong, or shock collars.

So dogs don't have to walk around like this:
Or like this:
Or this this! Yikes!:

They can walk around with their human like this:

That's much, much better. Amazing what the gentle training equipment can do. So stay tuned for all the K9Kindness events promoting rewarding training with your dog. And when you make a donation to K9 Kindness, it is tax deductible. Even better. Go to www.k9kindness.org for details. (Illustrations by artist Cathy Lester and courtesy of www.nevershockapuppy.com).

Dog Bite Prevention Week

2011-04-26T13:15:00.007-04:00

Dog Bite Prevention Week is coming up May 15-21st, so here are some resources for understanding why dogs bite, the warning signs, and how to keep yourself safe. Millions of people are bitten by dogs every year, and there are lots of things you people can learn to avoid those bites. Children are especially vulnerable to dog bites, so it is so important that we teach them how to behave around dogs and supervise all interactions between children and dogs. Here's a video created by veterinarian and behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin showing some of the warning signs of fear when a child approaches a dog.

Scary! That dog gave many warning signs, but the child didn't understand them, and there was no parent around to intercede. What can we do??!!

Dr. Sophia Yin has written a terrific blog explaining how to read fearful body language and why dogs bite when you humans greet us inappropriately.

Here's another poster by artist Lili Chin which shows how to greet and how not to greet a dog. Click on the picture to get a bigger version:

Here's a great resource called Dog Gone Safe. Their website is devoted to preventing dog bites through awareness and education.

And, please read this article by Dr. Sophia Yin called "Seven Tips for Preventing Dog Bites in Animal Care Professionals and Pet Lovers". And watch her video "How To Avoid Dog Bites".

Educating yourself about how to greet dogs properly and learning to read dog body language can go a long way in keeping you and your family safe from dog bites. Be safe!

Jet is 16 months old and still a puppy!

2011-03-28T11:19:00.005-04:00

Time has really flown by because our puppy Jet is now 16 months old! She's about 50 lbs and has grown a big puffy tail. She is still a puppy in many ways, even if she looks like a grown up dog. She still has to sleep in her crate at night and be crated while Jenn and Eric aren't home, just to keep her safe and out of trouble. And I keep waiting for her to not have sooo much energy all the time. Jenn says that Jet is in her energy peak which is when 9 month-18 month old teenage puppies really require lots of activity, physical exercise, and benefit from continued reward based training. So Jenn and Eric are keeping Jet busy. Eric took Jet to Family Dog 2 at Paws4Ever that Jenn instructed. Jet learned to hold her stays, improved her loose leash walking manners, and learned how to do a little bit of Rally.
Rally is super cool for young dogs to continue their basic training skills in a fun way. You and your person practice heeling on a course set up with obedience skills. Here's Jet giving Eric great attention.
Now, Eric's taking Jet to Jenn's class called K9 Cross Training. It's for dogs that have already taken some basic classes and want to learn more skills in a creative setting. Jet's currently working on learning to ride a skateboard. That sounds so cool!
Boy, after all this training and keeping Jet active, this is the best part! A tired Jet!
Keeping your teenage puppy in fun, reward based training classes, providing lots of exercise, and containing them when you can't watch them are things you can do to get you through those most challenging months of your dog's adolescence.

Help for Your Puppy's Destructive Chewing

2011-03-16T11:04:00.007-04:00

So your puppy is chewing you out of house and home? I've got some suggestions to keep your stuff intact. First of all, I do have some experience in this area. Jenn says that I was one of the worst chewers she has ever seen. I even tried to chew the mortar around the bricks of the fireplace! Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. And, I did eat part of a hat that some unlucky person left on the coffee table on one memorable occasion. Anyway, I'm here to suggest ways to help set your puppy up for success in managing their chewing habits.

1. You need lots of proper, durable, non-edible chews for your puppy to chew, like Nylabones, Kongs and marrow bones. Puppies will imprint on what you give them when they are very young. So don't give your puppy old shoes to chew on or you will have an adult dog with a shoe fetish. And stay away from plush toys unless you want them vivisected.
2. Put your valuable stuff out of puppy's space and supervise/crate your puppy so they are chewing the right things. Dude, if you leave your stuff on the floor and are not watching your puppy, you can't blame them when they chew up your favorite socks.

3. You need to redirect your puppy if they are chewing something they shouldn't. If you catch your puppy with your cell phone in their mouth, don't turn it into a chase game. Calmly go get a toy and trade them.

4. Use a taste deterrent spray like Bitter Apple to pretreat your stuff. If your stuff tastes bad and puppy chew toys taste good, puppy will naturally gravitate to their own toys. This is also helpful if you have children/toys. You can treat the kid toys with the taste deterrent and puppy will learn that the kid's toys taste nasty.

5. Exercise helps too as tired puppies don't have the energy to rip the house apart, so don't forget exercise as a helpful part of puppy chewing management.

So, some consistent management on your part can go a long way to help your puppy/teenage dog navigate through their chewing phases which can last up to 18 months.

And, check out this article from Nylabone for more tips, "How to Prevent Destructive Chewing".

The Nylabone Company is offering a $2 off coupon for their non-edible chews. I really like the super tough Dura-Chews. Not the Flexi-Chews that are too soft for me.

Why you shouldn't put your puppy on electronic fencing-EVER!

2011-02-09T13:19:00.004-05:00

Using electronic training collars and electronic fence containment systems (called E-Training) on your puppy is bad news. Really bad. And Jenn is no stranger to the negative impact of using electronic fencing (read her blog on how my friend Big Sandy lost her leg while on electronic fencing).But the companies and trainers that recommend these products don't want you to know what can happen to your puppy over time. They don't want you to know that your puppy's behavior, brain chemistry, and their health may be affected by being repeatedly given electronic shocks. They just want to take your money and give you the illusion that your puppy is safe and hope you don't ask questions later.

But dog trainers and owners are asking lots of questions about the safety and effectiveness of so called "fenceless fences". The real questions don't usually start until a dog's behavior becomes extreme and/or violent. And many times, the once trusting, friendly family dog is blamed instead of the system that has conditioned the dog to behave abnormally.

It all starts with learning. Dogs learn through associations, which is called classical conditioning. You know, Pavlov's dogs right? Well, that's how we learn signals and cues, and that good behavior = good stuff. But, we also learn that negative associations just as easily.

And with electric fence conditioning, you have no control over what your dog's associations will be. For example, a person walks by your house, your puppy runs up to say hello and gets a shock from the fence. The puppy now associates a stranger walking past the house with the shock. Stranger = bad things. This is why many puppies on electric fencing grow up to be adult dogs that have aggression and reactivity towards strangers.
Certified Pet Dog Trainer and Certified Dog Behavior Counselor Pat Miller explains, "I have seen at least 2 lovely, apparently very stable dogs, end up with serious aggression problems that I believe were totally and solely the result of their confinement in an electronic containment system. Different owners--one a Golden retriever, the other an Airedale. We salvaged the Golden; the Airedale was ultimately euthanized." This testimonial on e-fencing and many others by respected trainers can be found here.

This also explains why the number one issue that Jenn sees with dogs on electronic fencing is fear based aggression towards people, especially children and joggers. Why? What is usually running past your house or on bikes and skateboards? Right, kids and joggers. If your dog is outside unsupervised on electric fencing, who know what associations are being created day in and day out.
Richard Polsky, of Animal Behavior Counseling Services, examined the connection of shock/pain/aggression in five different litigated cases of dogs mauling a passersby in "Can Aggression in Dogs be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems?"

The other thing that really worries Jenn is people using these shock/fence systems on young puppies. How does it affect a puppy's developing brain chemistry to get shocked? How is affects their heart and other organs? The truth is that no one knows.

What we do know is that experiments on rats at Harvard demonstrated that brain chemistry and emotional responses are altered by electric shocks:

"Vadim Bolshakov, assistant professor of psychiatry, and his colleagues taught rats that a certain sound they heard would be accompanied by an electric shock. After learning that unpleasant fact, the animals became startled every time they heard the tone whether a shock followed or not. Bolshakov and his team then examined their brains, and found conclusive changes not seen in rats that heard the sound or felt the shocks separately. " from the article "Brain Changes in Learning Measured" by William Cromie, 5/30/02.

What can keep dogs safe and secure without the risk of altering your dog's health and behavior? How about a real, physical fence? How about training your dog to come when called? Those are options that I can live with.For more on electronic fencing:

Why I REALLY Hate Electronic Shock (Invisible) Fences by Pamela Dennison

You can read Pat Miller's Whole Dog Journal article on electronic fencing here called "Simply Shocking: Electronic Containment Systems May Be Convenient for Dog Owners, But Are Not Safe for Dogs".

Why use rewards vs. punishment with your puppy?

2011-01-31T10:39:00.001-05:00

Reward based training rocks! Using rewards instead of punishments to train your dog is not only a scientifically based, proven way to teach commands and modify behavior, it also helps condition your dog to love learning. Through classical conditioning, we associate good things with training and good things with being with you. I love to learn new things with Jenn, earning praise, treats, and attention in exchange for my good behavior. I look forward to our time together and I can't imagine wanting to learn anything if I was constantly corrected or punished. What fun would that be? It would be completely stressful. No thanks! Jenn also likes to teach reward based methods to children.
Kids can learn some terrific life skills using reward based training with their dogs including being gentle and kind, taking the time and patience to understand the dog's emotions, and using treats and praise instead of force and fear.
Author Stanley Coren recently wrote in Psychology Today, explaining:

"Classical conditioning of emotions provides one reason why reward-based training procedures should work better and establish a stronger bond between the dog and his trainer, than punishment based systems. Every time you give the dog a treat, or some other reward, you set up the event sequence "sight of you-treat-pleasant feeling." Even if your timing is off and you are not a very good and knowledgeable trainer, there is no harm being done in this case. Every instance of reward makes it more likely that the dog will feel better about you because you are actually conditioning the emotional response "sight of you-pleasant feeling."

You can read author Stanley Coren's whole article from Psychology Today:

"Reward Training versus Discipline Based Dog Training: Which Works Better" From Psychology Today By Stanley Coren

My Training Goals for 2011

2011-01-21T12:00:00.001-05:00

Jenn says that we really need to put together some formal training plans for me, Bernie and Jet for the new year. Let's start with me (of course)!

Jenn's big goal for me in 2011 is to develop an individual Freestyle routine for us.

What is Freestyle? Canine Freestyle is a choreographed performance organized with music, illustrating the training and joyful relationship of a dog and handler team. It includes heeling, elements of formal obedience, tricks, and creative freedom between dog and handler. We've been doing group freestyle for several years with the Paws4Ever Drill Team for demos and parades. But individual Freestyle is even more challenging. Some dog/handler teams go on to compete in Freestyle trials and/or perform demonstrations in public.

We've started by taking a beginner Freestyle class out at Paws4Ever with instructor Julie Jenkins. This will give us some basics and Julie is a fun instructor. We'll be choosing a song that shows off my movement, choreographing some basic moves, and practicing, practicing, practicing.

Jenn also joined the Canine Freestyle Federation (CFF), which provides support to those interested in the sport of Freestyle.

Who-ha, sounds like I'm going to have a busy year.

Resolve to Train Your Dog in 2011!

2011-01-01T09:24:00.005-05:00

Wow, it is 2011! And what a perfect time to make a resolution to spend more time with your canine companion with reward based training. To get us all on the right track, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers have proclaimed January "National Train Your Dog Month".There are tons of resources on their website dedicated to kicking off your year with reward based training. There are training tips, how to have fun and bond with your dog while learning real life skills and you can enter contests. Here's the deal:

"You can enter a photo and/or video that best illustrates how training can improve a dog’s life (and his or her owner’s life!) in the community at large. The photos or videos should demonstrate a dog or dogs and owner(s) using training in “real life” situations in the world at large." To enter, check out this page.

Jenn is no exception in her resolution to promote, support and practice reward based training. She has resolved to train me, Bernie and Jet on specific training goals. She's got lots of plans for each one of us in the new year. To track our progress, Jenn is going to use her holiday gift, a Flip video camera to show y'all what we are working on on my blog. Looks like 2011 is going to be a great year!

Happy Holidays from the Blue Dog Family!

2010-12-22T12:43:00.002-05:00

Check out our awesome picture with Santa! We got to meet him and pose in our Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandanas. I think we all look pretty festive. Here's hoping 2011 is a healthy and happy year for you and your canine companions. Happy 2011!!

Marching in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade

2010-12-11T17:12:00.004-05:00

This morning, we braved the cold and marched with the Paws4Ever Dog Drill Team in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade. Jenn was a little nervous that it might be too much for me, but frankly, I was awesome. Jenn was very proud of me. I marched the whole route and never made one bark or ort and did all our Drill Team moves. Before we started, Jenn put on my snazzy rugby style Thundershirt. She thought it might help me chill out while all the noises were going on around us, which it did. Like fire trucks, bands, drums, screaming people, etc. It was very exciting to see everyone in the crowds and we all wore our special holiday style Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandanas. We heard lots of interesting comments!

You can check out our parade video here. And see us doing all our parade moves: the wave, the tractor, side spins, tight lefts/tight rights, double circles, and the crowd favorite-the pinwheel. Drill Team is such fun! And we are always looking for new members to join. So if your dog knows basic commands and how to heel, you should think about joining. It's a fun and positive way to learn new things and work in partnership with your pup. Contact Jenn for details at jenn@bluedogk9.com.

Getting Ready for the Chapel Hill Holiday Parade

2010-12-07T15:38:00.003-05:00

Here's a great group picture of the Paws4Ever Drill Team during practice. We're getting ready to march in the holiday parades and had two outdoor practices in Carrboro. This coming Saturday will be my first time in the Chapel Hill Holiday Parade and I am so excited. We'll be doing routines and tricks as we march from the Planetarium on UNC's campus down past Akai Hana in Carrboro. Please come out and cheer us on!

Our Tree in memory of Big Sandy

2010-11-20T13:05:00.006-05:00

Today, Jenn and Eric planted a tree in memory of my friend Big Sandy. She died on September 24th and members of the Paws4Ever Drill Team gave us a gift certificate to the Unique Plant in Chapel Hill.
Jenn had been thinking about what kind of tree to plant for sweet and wonderful (and long lived) Big Sandy. She and Eric picked out a ginkgo biloba, a beautiful, large tree with fan-like leaves that turns golden yellow in the fall. Here's some interesting info on ginkgos:

"Darwin called the ginkgo "a living fossil." Ginkgo biloba, the graceful ornamental we know, is the only remaining species of a venerable genus that flourished with the dinosaurs. The ginkgo is said to be the oldest living seed-bearing plant, and, as such, it has become a symbol of longevity and of hope. In the century just past, it was the ginkgo, among all trees, that was first to bud unblemished at Hiroshima in the aftermath of atomic destruction."

Our ginkgo was planted right outside of yard within clear sight of the tree they planted for Elvis (their first Aussie) and Eric protected it with stakes so the deer can't trample it. I hope it grows as big as it can and look like this one day:
When your pet dies, you lose a very important member of your family. Some might say "well, it was just a pet". People and their pets really do grieve for each other and you may find it helpful to do something in your pet's memory. Here are some things that Jenn has done to help her process the loss:

Plant a tree or create a special place in a garden. Working in the dirt can be very therapeutic (even dogs know that).
Put together an album of favorite photos. Frame your favorites.
If your pet was cremated, find a unique vessel for their ashes. Think creativity and get outside the box (literally) on this one.
And take time for yourself. Everyone deals with loss differently and sometimes just talking about it can help a lot.

More Jet Foot Issues

2010-11-17T12:06:00.007-05:00

Boy oh boy. Jet and her feet. A few months back, Jet freaked everyone out when she came up lame on her left front foot. Turned out to be just a sprain, but now it has happened again, but this time on her right front foot. She's been limping and her right front foot is swollen.
So, Jenn took Jet to see Dr. Brady at Mebane Vet to get it checked out. Jet had no problem with her foot being manipulated and she was very cooperative and quite happy to have an xray done. The xray showed a very tiny fracture on the outside toe of her right foot. We thought it might require surgery to fix, but it turns out that this injury happened weeks ago, and Jet didn't give any indication. She's been running around on a fractured foot for weeks! That's one crazy pup. So, the best way to help the fracture is to provide supportive care to Jet's foot when she runs. Dr. Brady showed Jenn how to use non-sticky medical tape to make a little foot wrap for Jet.
We tested out the new wrap at the park with sufficient running and romping. Jet is no longer limping and the swelling is reduced, which is great news. She'll have to wear her wrap for several months to ensure that the fracture is supported.
Jenn's also been applying TTouches on Jet's injured foot for just a minute or so each day. She gently supports the foot with one hand, as she does light, circular touches with her fingertips. These touches are called the "Raccoon Touch" and can be useful for increasing circulation and reducing swelling. TTouch is a great complement for helping an animal recover from injuries or surgeries.
Here's an interesting article on Raccoon Touches for reducing swelling.

My Day at the Duke Canine Cognition Center

2010-11-12T14:19:00.003-05:00

This morning, I got to go participate in an ongoing research study at the Duke Canine Cognition Center. The Duke Canine Cognition Center is hoping to understand more about the effect of domestication on dog cognition, identify breed differences in problem solving skills and generally understand more about how dogs think and take direction from humans. The work of DCCC and Dr. Brian Hare was featured in Time Magazine.
Sounds cool to me. Jenn drove me onto Duke's campus with my party bandana and I was welcomed by four very nice people at the DCCC. And the whole place smelled like treats! I knew this was a good sign.
Jenn had to sit in an adjoining room and watch the study from a TV screen. Cups were set up on either side of the room. I had to stand in a blue block on one side of the room, while one of the cups was loaded with a treat. Then a person would point at one of the cups. Sometimes the person was facing me, sometimes away. Sometimes the treat was under the cup they were pointing to, and sometimes not. Then, we played a little version of the "shell game". Treats were placed under a cup and I had to choose the right cup. It started out pretty straightforward.But then, they started getting tricky on me and switching the treats around at the last second. I think I did pretty well all in all.The humans seems delighted with me either way. If you would like your dog to participate in the problem solving games or you would just like more information about the Duke Canine Cognition Center, click here.

What to do when your puppy growls at a child

2010-11-01T08:04:00.000-04:00

Jenn and Jet have been on the move! Every day they are going places to expose Jet to more children. You see, we had our own little drama over Halloween when she got really freaked out and barked and lunged at a little girl with face paint on. So, our little pup is going to playgrounds, soccer fields, supermarket parking lots and anywhere that kids of different ages might be out and about.
Jet is learning that kids can run and laugh and play and that she doesn't have to chase them, herd them or bark. This is great practice for puppies to do from the time you bring them home (even more important if you don't have kids and/or if you have a herding breed).

This brings up some questions about what you should do if your puppy barks or growls at a child?

1. First off, don't scold the puppy for vocalizing. Growling and barking are communication and a proper social signal. It is the puppy's way of saying there is something really uncomfortable going on. Puppies that are punished for growling can become dogs that revert to more serious behaviors to cope with discomfort or fear.
2. Create some distance. Get the puppy out of the situation that is making him uncomfortable. Move away, leave the room, get to place where your pup can calm down and feel safe.
3. Teach the puppy that children are super good and that good things happen when kids are around. Have some super high value treats and teach the pup that calm, settled behavior around kids gets big rewards.
4. Don't ever leave your puppy unsupervised with children (even your own). Most bites happen when children and dogs are left alone together.

Here's the deal, at first, kids can seem like little aliens. They sound different, they move different and they are closer to the ground. Kids don't have the same impulse control as adults (much like puppies) and they sometimes grab, pull or poke us. Puppies have to get used to these differences and children need to learn to be gentle with animals. It's the human adult's responsibility to always supervise interactions between dogs and kids. For example, does this dog look comfortable?
He looks very worried to me about being hugged, stiff body, closed mouth. Hugging is something you humans like to do, but it can feel invasive and creepy to a dog. Most dogs learn to tolerate these behaviors from humans, but humans should still pay attention to their dog and their comfort level. If you ask me, the human taking the picture needs to spend a little more time gauging the dog's comfort level.

And if you are concerned about your pup's behavior around kids, seek help from a professional dog trainer that uses reward based techniques and can counsel you on how to keep your human/dog family safe and sound through APDT or CCPDT.

For more information about how to help your puppy and children learn how to live together safely, check out these resources:

Living With Kids and Dogs Without Losing Your Mind by Colleen Pelar

Happy Kids, Happy Dogs by Barbara Shummenfang

Prepare your Puppy for Halloween adventures

2010-10-31T10:59:00.005-04:00

Today is Halloween, which is a special night that humans dress up, act foolish and eat candy. What is up with you people anyway? And then you do stuff like this to us! So Halloween can be a weird experience for a puppy to see humans with masks and costumes on. Which is why it is a good idea to expose your puppy to all sorts of weirdness like masks, hats, and costumes BEFORE encountering them on Halloween. That's why Jenn always dons a hat or mask or costume when she is teaching puppy classes.

So you would think that Jenn would have prepared our puppy Jet, so that Halloween would not be a big deal. And Jenn thought she had covered all the bases by exposing Jet to lots of calm, gentle children of different ages.
But because Jet had not experienced one thing-Face Paint, things got a little out of hand.

Today, on a visit over to Bill and Meghan's house, Jet encountered their daughter Eva getting ready to enjoy Halloween and her face was painted with pretty little butterflies. Well, that face paint totally freaked Jet out! She started barking and growling at Eva and it scared her. Jenn tried to calm Jet down and distract her to get her out of the whole situation quickly.

Jenn came home very worried that Jet would bark and lunge at a child. It is very important that we all like children, cause Jenn and Eric's friends have lots of kids. So, Jenn got to work on a plan to help Jet feel more comfortable around kids and around face paint. First, Jenn is going to make sure that Jet spends more time every day having a calm, positive experience with a child. This is a challenge for folks that don't have children of their own, so you've got to go where the kids are. This means inviting people over that have children or lots of field trips to different places where kids will be. And letting nice, gentle kids give Jet a command and then give her a reward (like cheese or chicken). We always want Jet to think that kids are super great (which they are). We'll see how Jenn's plan for Jet goes.

You so need to know about Temple Grandin!

2010-10-27T11:41:00.001-04:00

"Nature is cruel, but we don't have to be." -Temple Grandin

Who is Temple Grandin? Jenn got to hear Temple Grandin as the closing speaker at the APDT conference in Atlanta. We can all learn a thing or two from this amazing woman. She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She is a renowned lecturer and an author of many books including Thinking in Pictures, Animals in Translation......and Animals Make Us Human. She is a unique visionary, who has changed the way in which livestock are handled to much more humane standards. And she is a person with autism, specifically Asperger's Syndrome.

Temple credits her experiences with both the visual and isolating aspects of autism with helping her to understand animals in a way few people can. She channeled herself completely and selflessly into working towards treating animals with patience, respect and kindness.
The movie about Temple Grandin's life starring Claire Danes aired on HBO last spring and it is a truly special experience. They run it periodically on HBO, and you can get it on Netflix too. Check out more info on the movie here.

Jenn's Adventures at the APDT Conference

2010-10-24T10:20:00.005-04:00

Jenn had an amazing time attending the Association of Pet Dog Trainer annual conference in Atlanta! This conference is an educational opportunity for reward based trainers to share ideas, research and visions of the future of dog training. Jenn went to sessions by John Rogerson, Dr. Ian Dunbar, Victoria Stilwell, Leslie Nelson, Alexandra Horowitz, Dr. Barbara Sherman, Colleen Pelar, and Jean Owen. She really enjoyed the presentations by John Rogerson and Leslie Nelson especially. She said it was a stellar conference and she got to finally get a picture with Dr. Ian Dunbar, founder of APDT. And with Victoria Stilwell too!Jenn said the big treat was going to a screening of the HBO movie based on the life of Temple Grandin. At the end of the film, Temple Grandin herself appeared on stage to answer questions. Really a special evening for all those in attendance.
She also got lots of great swag at the trade show, including the Manners Minder, a remote trainer developed by Dr. Sophia Yin. Apparently, we're going to have a ton of fun with this! More on that later...

Jet likes leaves?!

2010-10-20T10:07:00.001-04:00

Jet really likes leaves! She has been playing with the brown leaves coming off the fig tree like they are special toys coming down from the sky. She also plucks them off and shoves them in my face! I simply cannot understand her fascination. I have thoroughly checked out these leaves and they are no different from any other. Perhaps one day Jet will explain this.

New routines and Fall is finally here!

2010-10-12T11:58:00.008-04:00

Bernie, Jet and I are settling into our routines without our "queen" Big Sandy. Lots of friends sent us cards, notes and emails saying how sorry they were about Big Sandy changing addresses. That was so nice of them. I really miss my friend, but now I don't have to worry about accidentally running into her or hurting her when I romp around. We don't have to be so careful anymore about making a ruckus in the livingroom. Jenn even said that it is OK if we go a little crazy now and then.

And it finally seems to be fall, which is my favorite time of the year. This is Jet's first fall, so I have to show her the ropes once again. Nice things about fall are that Jet and I can sit next to the door as the cool breeze blows in. We can look out and survey the yard from the deck. There has been an unprecedented amount of squirrel activity to keep track of. And we must monitor this activity. Bernie and I check out the trees. Then Jet and I check out the field. All is clear for the moment, but I know these squirrels are up to something. I better stay on my toes while Jenn is away at the Association of Pet Dog Trainer conference next week. She's going to learn lots of new things about reward based dog training and get to meet some very smart and fun people.

Big Sandy's Big Life

2010-09-29T17:06:00.006-04:00

I thought I would write a little (actually a lot) more about my friend Big Sandy who passed away last week. Since Big Sandy was the reason Jenn discovered the TTouch Method, got involved in Animal Assisted Therapy, joined the Dog Drill Team, and became an anti-electric fencing advocate. And, she was a big part of how Jenn became a gentle, reward based dog trainer. BS had such an interesting life, afterall, and she really helped people and other dogs.

Big Sandy came from a small shelter in Western Maryland. We don't really know much about her life before she was found wandering along a highway, looking very hungry. Jenn's mom saw a picture of her in the newspaper as a dog available for adoption in January 2000 and went to the shelter to visit the dog. She thought this dog was definitely for Jenn. The caption of the picture stated "Red merle Australian Shepherd mix is five-seven years old and will need a very large yard". Hmmm, that generally means a dog with LOTS of energy. But there was truly something special about the dog's expression that set Jenn into action. She called the shelter and asked if they would keep the dog until Jenn could drive up that weekend. They couldn't. The dog was going to be euthanized the next day. As crazy as it sounds, Jenn basically left work early, grabbed a handful of clothes and drove 8 hours up to Maryland to rescue a dog she had never met. Jenn was waiting when the shelter opened up the morning and Big Sandy was ready for her new life.
But not until an unprecidented snowstorm hit that very day, dumping 20 inches of snow and shutting down all the roads in North Carolina. Jenn and her new pup were trapped in Maryland for four days until the roads were clear. Jenn had plenty of time to think about what to call her new friend.

So why the name Big Sandy? Jenn thought that if she named the dog something that her boyfriend Eric (now husband) would really like, he would be more inclined to like her. The human Big Sandy is a larger than life, super cool, charismatic rock-a-billy singer, and one of Eric's favorites. The name just seemed to fit.Once they got back to North Carolina, Jenn says that Big Sandy was definitely a challenge those first few months. She didn't really know how to do anything, cause she probably lived outside chained up most of the life and she had TONS of energy. More energy than Jenn thought she could handle. Jenn discovered if Big Sandy got a chance to run (really run) each and every day, that she was quite lovely to live with. If she didn't get a chance to run, she was hyper and erratic and jumpy. Getting her energy out was key.

The other very important turning point, was Jenn discovering BS's love of food and harnessing that love into training and better behavior. If Big Sandy did something naughty, Jenn tried to correct her by verbally saying "NO!". Big Sandy just crumpled when people yelled at her. Jenn knew that she couldn't get BS to understand her unless she made a connection of trust. Jenn read lots of reward based training books that suggested handfeeding the dog while working on simple commands during meals, instead of just putting the food in a bowl. Getting to dog to realize that their nourishment came directly from their person. And by concentrating on rewarding the dog for good behavior instead of correcting them for bad behavior. Boy, with vigorous exercise and routines, BS really started to blossom from a ferile, kind of crazy dog into a calmer, focused, responsive family dog.

Soon Big Sandy was housetrained, attending training classes, learning complex commands, going to the park, and becoming a super great companion. She excelled at training and loved to earn rewards. She would do anything for a treat or affection!

Big Sandy graduated from Family Dog 1 and 2, Canine Good Citizen, and soon she and Jenn were assisting in training classes at the Animal Protection Society in Orange County. This was also the beginning of Jenn's career as a dog trainer. They were helping out in a Pre-Agility class with Big Sandy learning how to be a demo dog in July 2001 when the accident happened.

Jenn and Eric had moved to a very nice little house that had a covenant in the neighborhood that restricted fencing. The only fencing allowed was the type you couldn't see, the kind that shocks the dog. Jenn and Eric didn't like it, but didn't really have a choice. One day, January 3rd, Big Sandy decided to chase another dog through the neighborhood that was chasing a van. She ran right through the fence to go after the dog and the van ran over her! Jenn saw it happen and felt helpless. It was the worst thing to see ever. Jenn ran over to help BS, who was screaming and trapped under the van. She asked the man driving the van to slowly back up. It was bad. BS's back leg was crushed and her beautiful long tail was hanging on by the skin. And she was bleeding. Jenn scooped her up, ran to the car, and Jenn's neighbor Meghan drove them to their vet, Triangle Veterinary Hospital. It was 5pm, but luckily, BS's vet, Chuck Miller hadn't left for the day. After examining BS, Chuck told Jenn that they could make courageous efforts to save the crushed back leg, but it would never be fully functional and would probably be a hinderance. They rushed her into surgery, amputating BS's leg and her tail. Jenn and Eric got to visit her and all she did was wimper. BS spent the night at the emergency hospital so she could be monitored round the clock. Things got a little dicey and her body wouldn't stabilize, but she made it though the night. The next day, Jenn visited BS and she and the technicians offered her some food. BS woofed down everything in sight! That was a good sign.

Jenn reached out to her dog training friends and asked if they knew of any type of holistic therapy or technique to help an injured dog. Someone suggested that Jenn try TTouch, a gentle form of bodywork, wraps, and balanced movement exercises. Intrigued, Jenn called local TTouch Practitioner Joe Strain. He talked her through a series of touches and exercises to help animals that have amputations and injuries.The next day BS went home with Jenn and Eric, bebopping on her three legs. But how could she go to the bathroom, how would be go up and down stairs? Well, no one needed to worry. BS just did everything like it was just the way they needed to be. Jenn did the TTouch techniques with her everyday. BS never fell, she never faltered. Her body and brain were strong and determined. Within a week, BS was back at training classes as the demo dog. She was running soon after that, almost as fast as she did before. She was quick and spry. Jenn and Eric were simply amazed. TTouch was definitely something that would become more a part of Jenn's life.

The local paper did a story on Big Sandy and how TTouch helped her recover.
And it wasn't long before she was doing some pretty amazing things...like herding sheep on three legs:

Jenn's friend Sandi thought that BS's social and engaging personality would make a pretty terrific therapy dog. And that her recovery might show people that injuries don't have to slow you down or change who you are. Jenn and BS worked for many months to get ready for the animal assisted therapy certification process. They passed with flying colors and BS started volunteering at assisted living facilities, within the Orange County Exceptional Child Program, and at Learning Services, a group home for people with severe brain and spinal injuries. Jenn was always impressed with BS's ability to make people smile. She didn't care if the person was in bed, hooked up to tubes or machines, or couldn't speak clearly. She wanted every person to pet her and wanted to be near them. She had a great time going to APS Care Cadets camp and visiting with kids of every age.

BS had a great career as a therapy dog until she retired in 2008. If it weren't for her accident, she may never have been able to do all that.
BS's other claim to fame was joining the dog Drill Team. Jenn wanted an acitivity that was a little lower key than agility, but would get BS engaged and learning new things. Jenn's friend Barbara suggested Drill Team. And it was a perfect fit. The Drill Team is a group of people and dogs that do freestyle routines to music. They march in parades and perform every year at different dog related events.Big Sandy loved marching in the holiday parades.People would often yell "Wow! That dog only has three legs!" as Big Sandy passed by.
...Here's BS's favorite performance, "I Will Survive".

Big Sandy retired from her active life in 2008. Her spine developed spondylosis, where the vertibrea fuse together, due to the stress of her accident. Jenn helped her manage the pain, with monthly accupuncture, and chiropractic sessions a few times a year. Her kidneys began to fail, so Jenn gave her subcutaneous fluids every other day and made her a special homemade species appropriate diet. BS continued to love food and snuggling with people. And Jenn continued to do TTouch bodywork on Big Sandy every day.Big Sandy did other cool stuff. She was painted by local artist Shannon Bueker in a watercolor depicting her in one of her favorite places, Topsail Beach.And Big Sandy got to meet her idol, Linda Tellington-Jones.She saw oceans...
and mountains...
As time passed, Big Sandy decided to spend more of the days sleeping and lounging on her orthopedic pad. In 2010, life became more of a struggle for BS. As the year passed, Jenn and Eric knew that at 17 years old, BS was deteriorating.

Jenn visited her friend and vet Chuck and discussed the options for putting BS to sleep at our house when the time came. We all wanted to say a peaceful goodbye at home. Jenn also wanted to have BS cremated. She made arrangements with Faithful Friends Pet Crematory, so that she could bring BS directly to them. And that's what we did.

Big Sandy led a wonderful life with many ups and downs. She marched in parades, made people smile, showed other dogs how to do things, proved that you can do anything on three legs, and ate lots and lots of good food. She lived her best dog life to the fullest and died surrounded by people that loved her.

Farewell My Friend, Goodbye Big Sandy

2010-09-25T16:05:00.003-04:00

Big Sandy, our 17 year old, three legged wonderdog changed addresses yesterday. She died in our house, in her own bed, safe and warm in Jenn's arms. Jenn said it was peaceful and that she just drifted off without any pain or worry. When she was gone, Jenn let me, Bernie and Jet come in to sniff Big Sandy and say goodbye. I'm not sure if I knew what was going on at the time, but it helped seeing her so quiet and still. I knew that she was somewhere else now. Big Sandy was a happy, engaging, and gentle pup with a great smile...She was special to everyone, especially me. I'm very sad. She was my friend and teacher. When I was a puppy, she taught me how to play, how to share bones, how to enjoy another dog's company.Farewell to my friend Big Sandy! She was a wonderful canine with a gentle soul and a big heart. I know she is running free, faster and happier than ever...

My 3rd Birthday Party!

2010-09-13T16:36:00.005-04:00

Can you believe that I am almost three years old? And I got a special early birthday party this year. It turned out to be a very nice sunny day for a dog party in our back yard.
Of course my best girlfriend Mona came and Jet's boyfriend Joey.There's my buddy Ambrose and Trudy the Spinone too.We all got to romp around and play some chase games. Then hang out in the shade with our humans.Jet and I kept our eyes on everything.We also all got special birthday bandannas from Jenn's Mom from Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandannas. Bernie always looks handsome and surprisingly, Jet took a little nap during the party.Even Big Sandy came out to party. I wanted to share my party with her. I know she hasn't felt well lately. She's always tired and doesn't want to leave her bed most of the time. Jenn promised her a big piece of cake. Speaking of cake...The grand finale of my birthday is always getting to eat my birthday cake. Jenn made my cake before the party and I just knew it was for me. It is carrot and vegetable cake with cream cheese frosting. Yum! I was licking my lips thinking about how good it was going to taste. And it was so good. Everyone (dogs that is) got to eat my cake.Whew! Then we all needed a break. Partying can really take it out of you. Anyway, I had a great day. Thanks to all my doggie friends and their humans for helping me celebrate!
You can make a doggie birthday cake for your dog with these recipes:
Dog Birthday Cake Recipes

Jet takes a trip to Triangle Emergency Clinic

2010-09-08T09:21:00.004-04:00

Much more excitement going on. Jet was out in the yard last night and came into the house limping. She held up her front leg and looked very scared. She wouldn't put any weight on the leg and it started to swell. Jenn and Eric rushed her to the Triangle Emergency Clinic in Durham. Jenn was afraid the leg was fractured, or the Jet had been bitten by a snake. The vet shaved Jet's foot and found bruises on her toes. They also took an x-ray to make sure nothing was fractured. Jet was very cooperative and wanted to lick everyone's faces (even though she was really hurting). The xray showed that nothing was fractured or broken. Whew!So Jet has to take it easy for a few days. This means no romping around and being calm and quiet. HA! We'll see how long that lasts. Jenn says that we really have to try to keep Jet from racing around. She could have tendon damage if she overdoes it. Her foot needs time to heal. Jenn's doing tiny TTouches with the tips of her fingers all over the foot and leg, to help with the healing process and giving Jet the homeopathic remedy Arnica to help with swelling and bruising. She should be OK by this weekend.

Hiking at Occaneechi

2010-09-05T09:57:00.002-04:00

Jenn, Eric and I took Jet on her first hike to Occaneechi Mountain. The trail is a 2.5 mile loop in Hillsborough. Little Jet did a great job and the weather was perfect. Finally, the heat of summer seems to be nearly over. Jenn said we did such a good job that we'll bring Bernie too next time and see how we all do hiking together. (Bernie got to go on his own walk at Occaneechi the next day with Jenn and her friend Shannon and her dog Boogie). It was nice to get back to the car and have a big drink. The rest of the day was time to chill out.

Jenn's Exploding Desk!

2010-09-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

So my blogging has been out of commission because of this mess! Jenn's Ikea Galant glasstop desk exploded in the middle of the night last week sending glass shards through the whole upstairs! Good thing that area is off limits for the dogs, otherwise, we might have gotten really hurt. Jenn and Eric have been trying to clean up for a week and the shopvac was broken trying to suck up the shards. Jenn says that Ikea should send out a warning to anyone that has one of these desks before someone gets injured. If you know someone with this type of desk, they might was to get rid of it.

Calming Band vs. Face Wrap for Barking

2010-08-16T07:33:00.000-04:00

So Jenn and I are doing more experimenting with face wraps (see previous post) to help me keep my cool on leash walks (and not wake up the neighbors by barking at deer, etc.). Today, Jenn fit a Calming Band on me before our walk. A Calming Band is fabric and elastic that fits on my face in a figure eight, around my muzzle and behind my ears. It is just kind of there, not tight and all face wraps/Calming Bands need to be used with supervision. You can't leave your dog alone with one on. The elastic around my muzzle on the Calming Band definitely feels a little different than the elastic face wrap we used yesterday. A Calming Band looks like this:Here I am walking in my Calming Band:And here I am looking at a squirrel frolicking in the field:I kind of lost it on the walk home when I saw a deer, so I actually did a little better yesterday with the elastic face wrap that Jenn made from an old pair of underwear. You can also cut apart an Ace Bandage to make a simple face wrap. Jenn thinks that it is funny that a piece of elastic on my face can make such a difference in the amount that I bark. But it kind of makes sense, because if my face isn't tense, then barking isn't quite the same. I'm aware of the face wrap and for me, that seems to help. Maybe your puppy might benefit from a face wrap, at times when they are likely to bark. The worst thing that can happen is nothing.

Calming Face Wrap-The Bunny Test

2010-08-15T15:12:00.002-04:00

Jenn's been doing some interesting experiments on me using a Tellington TTouch Method face wrap. I get really excited on our walks and I like to bark. It feels good to bark, and barking helps me release tension when I feel excited-looking at deer and bunnies especially. But Jenn doesn't want me waking up the neighbors on our early morning walks. So, she thought a face wrap might be worth trying to reduce my barkiness on walks. A face wrap looks like this:It is a soft piece of fabric or elastic that goes in a figure eight around my face. It is not tight or restrictive, it just sits on my face and feels stretchy when I open my mouth, not unlike the sensation that I feel when I where my Halti headharness. A face wrap is used to release tension in the face, mouth, and muzzle. Jenn puts in on and feeds me treats so I don't mind it, then we step out the door for our walk. So the real test for me is seeing a bunny. Jenn took me out this morning and here I am looking at a bunny:
So the interesting thing is that I'm just looking at the bunny. Not spinning or barking of pulling. Here's another picture. Can you see the bunny sitting in front of the rock?
And there I am quiet as a church mouse. The face wrap relieves the tension in my face, so I don't feel the need to bark as much. Cool. Face wraps can also be helpful for dogs that whine, puppies that are teething and mouthy, and fearful or anxious dogs too. A face wrap can be calming, just like a body wrap, but really targets issues going on around the mouth. Jenn's writing an article for the next issue of the APDT Chronicle of the Dog about face wraps and mouthwork. You can check out Jenn's other articles about the TTouch Method here.

Puppy Playdate with a Whippet

2010-08-14T15:44:00.002-04:00

So first of all, I would just like to mention that Jet has been a little crazy puppy lately. Having to be inside because of the heat doesn't help. She has lots of pent up energy. The other issue is that her usual playmates Mona and Joey are out of town. So that means Jet bugs me all the time to play and frankly, I just don't want to play all the time. I like to play a bit, then take a long nap next to the air vent, then maybe play again later and then another long nap. This is not Jet's schedule. She's ready to play all the time.
So Jenn and Jet had a playdate with a new friend today, Zoe the Whippet and her person Deb. Whippets are sighthounds, which means they hunt by keen vision and incredible speed. They have large chests and long legs and look like small greyhounds. They are very social dogs and love to play chase games, so Zoe might be a great new friend for Jet.Zoe is very pretty and has a brindle coat, kind of like tiger stripes. Whippets can be many different colors, from white to black to red and everything inbetween. Jet was ready to sniff Zoe all over and thought she was a very cute puppy too.Then they got to romp and run. Whippets are way fast! No, I mean waayy fast. And way too fast for Jet. That speed helps a Whippet capture game, like rabbits. But Jet sure gave it all her effort. She ran herself ragged trying to catch Zoe. They became fast friends (no pun intended). Finding an appropriate, social playmate for your puppy is a great way to manage lots of adolescent puppy energy. I hope Jet gets to play with Zoe again soon!

Taking Your Puppy to the Beach

2010-08-06T13:57:00.001-04:00

I love going to the beach! The beach is a very fun place to take your puppy and with a little planning ahead, it can be a safe and happy trip for everyone. There are lots of dog friendly rental properties on the North Carolina coast. Many communities permit dogs on the beaches year-round, as long as you follow some simple "dogs at the beach" guidelines.
First, check with the community you are staying in before your trip, so you know exactly what the rules are for having dogs on their beaches and their leash laws. Most beaches require you to pick up your pet's waste and some even provide pet pick-up bags and receptacles to make it easy. When you travel with your pet, make sure they have their ID tags on their collar with your cell phone numbers listed. Here's Jet and me with our tags. It's also a good idea to bring your dog's vaccination history. There are some vets that will refuse to treat any dog without proof of their vaccinations, especially rabies. So, just in case something happens, Jenn keeps copies in the glove compartment of her car. It's also a good idea that you know before your trip where the closest veterinarian's office is located to your rental property.
I showed Jet the beach. She liked to sniff and explore all the cool beach shells and watch the seabirds. Make sure to watch your puppy on the beach, so they don't pick up anything that could make them sick. And try not to be out on the beach with your puppy during the hottest part of the day. We do most of our beach walking and exploring in the mornings and early evenings. The best part of beach walking is getting to cool off in the ocean. Jet followed me in and didn't hesitate one bit. Soon she was bouncing around in water like a crazy little seal.Remember that we can get overheated and it is important that we have shade and access to clean water after getting tired.Our rental house has a nice screened in front porch that we can sit on, relax, and dry off. Jet really liked hanging out on there. And, I got to supervise the comings and goings of the next door neighbor. We all agreed that our beach trip was just too short. But we had a super time!Wait! We left out one very important member of our family on this trip because sometimes traveling is very stressful on an older dog, like our Big Sandy. We have to be really careful that she doesn't fall and she gets easily confused in new places. This was the first trip that Jenn decided that is would be less stressful if Big Sandy stayed at Bed and Bone, her favorite boarding kennel. And wouldn't you know that it worked out just fine. Big Sandy didn't have to get stressed out on the long trip and she was very well cared for. She came home and passed out on her special bed.The only downside of the whole trip was having to get a bath as soon as we got home. Last thing to remember about your beachtrip is getting your puppy cleaned up. The sea water and sand can irritate skin and eyes, so be sure to wash your puppies up after your next beach adventure.

Wow, I feel like shaking my butt!

2010-07-25T21:31:00.004-04:00

I must say that I feel so great! Better than I have in a long time. I'm spunky and playful and I'm having the best time with our 7 month old puppy Jet. I feel like shaking my butt again! It looks like my treatment for all my tick related issues is done. I have to get another series of blood tests done next month, just to be sure that I'm AOK. I hit the tick jackpot, you know. But now, I can be silly again and luckily, Jet likes to play special Aussie games just like I do. First, I grab her face...then, she grabs my face...then she somehow runs underneath me...then, we play tug with a plastic bottle...
then, I tell her off...then, I chase her inside and she tells me off. As if!Jenn says that it won't be too much longer that we'll be taking all this foolishness on a little trip to the beach. I love the beach and I cannot wait to show Jet how much fun it is. She's going to love it too. Bernie likes the beach too, but he never wants to play my chase games. Bernie just wants to be thoughtful and peaceful and watch the seabirds. He gets a little annoyed with me, so maybe on this trip, I won't bother him so much.

Bernie's Bastille Birthday

2010-07-14T08:48:00.009-04:00

Today is Bernie's 6th birthday! It coincides with Bastille Day, the French holiday. So every year we celebrate Bernie Bastille Birthday and the specialness of our Bernie. Now Bernie's birthday doesn't have the grandeur of my annual birthday party. Bernie likes to keep things low key. Jenn says that Bernie was always a laid back dude even as a puppy. Here's a cute picture of Bernie as a puppy:Jenn told me that she and Eric adopted Bernie in December of 2004. But there's a little story about how Bernie came to live with them and how Bernie actually has two families. Bernie and his sister were 10 weeks old when they were brought into the Orange County Animal Shelter as strays in September of 2004. Bernie's sister was adopted quickly, but Bernie sat in the shelter waiting and waiting. He was such a cute puppy, but he was a bit mis-labeled as a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, and I guess potential adopters thought he might grow into a really big 100 pound dog like this Berner:
After a few weeks of waiting at the shelter, Bernie was lucky enough to be selected to go to the Animal Protection Society's new adoption center in Mebane (now called Paws4Ever). He arrived in early October. Coincidentally, Jenn and her friend Laura were attending a Tellington TTouch workshop at Paws4Ever and they got to work with the dogs at the adoption center during the training. Laura and Jenn were quite smitten with puppy Bernie and they got to thinking that Bernie might be kind and gentle enough to live with Jenn, Eric, and their dogs Lambchop and Big Sandy. I never knew Lambchop, but Jenn tells me she was a dog with special needs they had before me. She was also an Aussie, a tiny white girl, and she was blind. She got scared very easily and sometimes felt threatened by the world. Most other dogs scared her, so Jenn and Eric knew that bringing another dog into their home was going to be a challenge.

But a thoughtful dog with a low key nature, might work out perfectly. Laura and her husband Anthony agreed to foster Bernie while she and Jenn introduced Bernie and Lambchop using lots of TTouch to keep everyone relaxed and balanced. Introducing dogs to each other needs to be done in a slow way for sensitive dogs. So, Bernie lived at Laura and Anthony's house while Lambchop learned to trust him.Very slowly, first on leash, letting them sniff each other through a fence, then off-leash in a neutral place for short periods of time, Bernie and Lambchop got to know each other over the days and weeks. One day Bernie came over to spend the night and he never left.
He and Lambchop become great friends and Bernie became very skilled at playing with Lambchop in a way that made her feel safe. He exaggerated all his calming signals and even though she couldn't see him, she responded.Bernie really helped Lambchop have a better life. Bernie makes everyone happy for that matter. And luckily, Bernie didn't grow into a Bernese Mountain Dog, as he's only about 45 pounds. Bernie might be an English Shepherd?
And Bernie gets around-he spends time with his other family regularly (Laura and Anthony and their dog Mona and other Bernie, another English Shepherd, owned by Laura's mother). And he and Laura march in the Paws4Ever Drill Team with me and Jenn.He's one pretty terrific pup. So today we celebrate-Happy Bernie Bastille Birthday!!

Need Some Help With Your Teenage Puppy?

2010-07-13T14:13:00.003-04:00

We have a teenager in the house! Her name used to be Jet, but I've started calling her "Jet-Nasty", since she started chewing up all my toys (how annoying!). I've been attempting to give Jet-Nasty the cold shoulder, but she keeps wanting to curl up with me and lick my mouth. Please! I guess I will just have to be more patient with her since she is now a "teenager" and no longer a puppy. But seriously, how long do I have to put with this?
Puppies enter adolescent around six months of age and it can last up to 2 years of age. I cannot imagine that I was this much trouble for that long! So the good news is that puppy adolescence doesn't last nearly as long as human adolescence, but it is a very intense time for many puppies.You may start to notice some troubling changes in your sweet and adoring pup once they creep into being a teenager. They may not listen when you call them, they may be suddenly fearful of strangers or objects, or they may become destructive in their chewing (tell me about that one).

Now is not the time to think "they will grow out of it". Now is the time to amp up your puppy's training and socialization into an action plan:

Get into reward based dog training classes. If you haven't taken your puppy to classes yet, you need to start yesterday. Classes can help with communication, continued socialization and keeping your puppy learning and focusing. Find a professional trainer and get started on your puppy's education. Check Jenn's website (www.bluedogk9.com) and see when she has classes available. Or find a trainer in your area at www.apdt.com or ccpdt.org.

Your puppy needs lots of outlets for their physical and mental energy. So, lots of appropriate things to chew, chew, chew, toys that provide mental stimulation (see Jenn's suggestions), playtimes with other well socialized puppies...and walks with you each and every day.Here are some helpful articles by Dr. Ian Dunbar for more tips on surviving your puppy's adolescence on adolescent changes and preventing adolescent problems.

Puppy destructive chewing leads to path of destruction!

2010-07-07T11:42:00.005-04:00

Boy, it doesn't take long for me to eat my words! Remember how I said that Jet was such a good puppy? Well, that was before she started annihilating all my toys! It happened so fast, like a remorseless destruction monster took over Jet's body overnight.

Witness "Jet Nasty's" path of destruction...
This was Bernie's octopus. It's so sad that Jet Nasty amputated all the legs one by one. Look at her! She's ready to finish off the other two legs!
Then she hit my Pogo Plush...
and this used to be my pheasant before she ripped the wing off and pulled all the stuffing out...and one of my tug toys...
Oh Polly Piggy, not you too!!

Why, Jet Nasty, why??!!

In my anguish, Jenn reminded me that I went through a phase like this too. Right about the time I turned six months old. All of a sudden, I started ripping things apart, even toys I really liked and seemed to cherish. Hmmm. It's called Secondary Chewing Phase and every puppy goes through it. Now that I remember, it felt really good on my teeth to tear things. My mouth was hurting from all those setting molars and the only relief was using my jaws to tear, rip and destroy things. So, this is just a stage! That's good news. The bad news is that it is going to be a phase that could go on for months and months.

What will we do to survive the wrath of Jet Nasty?? What can you do to keep your puppy from destroying your house during Secondary Chewing Phase??

Be patient. It is a stage and may go on for months, but it is a stage.
Puppy Proof. Anything you don't want in your puppy's mouth needs to be out of reach.
Supervise. Can't be said enough. If you are not watching your puppy, you cannot guide them on what it OK to chew or not. Watch them or put them in their crate.
Channel puppy's destruction and give your puppy lots of things that they can rip apart and chew safely. Jenn gives Jet cardboard boxes to rip apart, Nylabones and stuffed Kongs to work her jaws, and raw meaty femur bones from the butcher to give her something to gnaw on.
Don't spend your money on cheapy plush toys unless you don't mind that they get destroyed in 30 seconds.

Jenn promised to "rehab" some of my toys, especially Polly Piggy. And she'll put away my other favorite soft toys until Jet Nasty is past this stage. Whew!

Jet is 6 Months Old and Celebrates at Saxy General Store

2010-07-05T08:47:00.000-04:00

Our puppy Jet is 6 months old! She is getting to be one big puppy, but not as big as me, or course. She now weighs 40 lbs!To celebrate, Jet went to her favorite restaurant, the Saxapahaw General Store. Jenn says that it is the best meal that anyone will ever have at a gas station. And they have an outdoor seating area where well behaved puppies can sit while their people eat dinner. Jenn took treats for Jet and a stuffed Kong so she could be occupied with the people were eating. She did a great job and was only whiny when Eric left the table to get some napkins.

Fireworks!? It's Thundershirt time!

2010-07-03T13:22:00.007-04:00

It's that time of year-when people like explosions and loud noises. Not such a great time for animals that are sensitive to sound or afraid of really loud sounds. But I'm happy to say that I'll have my Thundershirt on tonight, which always makes me more comfortable when I hear loud noises. Jenn has one on hand for Jet too, in case she starts to get nervous when she hears the fireworks. I've outlined some tips for you to help your puppy have an uneventful holiday celebration:

1. Please don't take your puppy to a fireworks display. This may sound like fun and a possible socialization experience, but it can be terribly scary and overwhelming for a puppy.

2. Leave your puppy safely inside at home with some nice music turned up the drown out the pops and bangs. Many dogs panic during fireworks, which can make them want to escape the noise and run away, bolting out of their yard.

3. Give your puppy some special things to chew or a stuffed Kong toy to keep them occupied while the fireworks go off.

4. Relax. Don't feed your puppy's fears by trying to comfort them. Try using the Thundershirt body wrap instead of coddling, which can have a calming, settling effect on many dogs with noise related anxieties. Check out this page for more on using the Thundershirt for noise anxiety.

And have a happy 4th!

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever too!!??

2010-06-27T11:15:00.006-04:00

So I've been feeling more like my old self every day. My energy is going up and I've been in the mood to play with Jet more and more. Since I've been going through treatment for Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis these past three weeks, the antibiotics are making a big difference. But if all that wasn't enough, my latest bloodwork also revealed that I'd been exposed to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I really hit the tick jackpot! Now the RMSF is probably something that I was exposed to a while ago and my immune system knocked it out, but Jenn wanted me to learn about it just to be safe.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a disease caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii. RMSF is transmitted by the American dog tick and the wood tick and is prevalent in every state in the U.S. except for Maine.

There are two stages of the disease: subclinical and acute.

In the subclinical stage, there are no symptoms and some dogs recover quickly, probably like I did.
In the acute stage, 2 days to 2 weeks after infection, there are a range of symptoms such as joint swelling, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever, fatigue, pneumonia, bleeding from the nose, neurological problems, among others. Some dogs that reach this stage get very sick very fast. RMSF is diagnosed by blood tests that reveal antibody levels and is treated with antibiotics. A full recovery is most likely if early treatment happens.

People can be exposed to RMSF by a tick bite or from improperly removing an infected tick from your pet. See my previous blog entry on how to remove a tick properly. Symptoms in people include sudden fever, headache, muscle pain, and 85% also get a rash that looks like this:
Eeck!! It's real important that people get treated as soon as possible if they suspect RMSF. It is some nasty business! So be careful out there and check yourself and your pets for ticks every day.

The good news in all this is that Jenn had Bernie tested with the SNAP 4DX hearworm/tick screening and he is negative on all the exposures.

You can learn more about canine RMSF here and human RMSF here.

Modeling for Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandanas

2010-06-21T13:45:00.009-04:00

I am so excited to show off pictures of my latest modeling gig. Jenn asked me to pose for pictures for her mom Sue's new website for Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandanas. I suggested that Bernie and Jet also get in on the modeling action. Jet seemed like a natural and Bernie is always handsome. But then Jet decided to position herself in front of everyone else and smile like a goofball. She even blocked out Holly the Newf! And here she is getting into Bernie's shot too. But not to worry, the best shots were of me, of course. Check out our pictures and all the cool dog bandanas at Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandanas .

When Exactly did the Delta Society Sell their Soul to Nestlé Purina?

2010-06-11T12:16:00.005-04:00

The Delta Society Pet Partner program recently decided that dogs eating a raw diet or living in the same household as any pet on a raw diet would be banned from all their animal assisted therapy programs. Jenn has been an avid supporter of Delta for many years and has been visiting with Big Sandy and Bernie since 2003. She gave time and money, helping people get evaluated for Delta certification. But Jenn smelled something fishy going on with Delta with this decision and started wondering what might be behind it.

A little investigating on Jenn's part has turned up some very interesting facts concerning the Delta Society's relationship with their "premier sponsor" Nestlé Purina.

Not only does Purina's marketing director Brenda Bax sit on the Delta Society's board, this statement is posted on Delta's board of directors webpage.
"In addition to donating their time and talents, 100% of our board members have pledged to make a significant financial contribution to Delta Society."

Interesting. So why is Delta, a tax exempt non-profit, allowing the marketing director of their largest corporate sponsor to sit on their board, helping to make policy decisions and giving money from her own pocket?

It gets even more interesting. The Delta's website also states that the new raw food decision was made along with the expertise of Delta's "Medical Advisory Board". One of the members of that board is Deborah Greco, DVM, a senior veterinary consultant and research scientist at, you guessed it, Purina.

What's really at stake here? Lots and lots and lots of money. Jenn decided to start following the money. Stay tuned....

Delta Society bans dogs that eat raw food??!! Thanks to Purina?

2010-06-10T16:25:00.001-04:00

Bernie can no longer do animal assisted therapy visits! Thanks to a new policy of the Delta Society Pet Partners program, dogs on a species appropriate raw diet can no longer visit through their program. They say that these dogs can make people sick. But yet, they have no scientific evidence of any type proving that. The studies used to make this decision don't actually prove that raw fed dogs are more likely to make anyone sick. And this policy doesn't just dictate what to feed the visiting dog. Every animal in that dog's household cannot be fed a raw diet.

First off, so let me get this straight-it is OK for Bernie to lick his butt, eat poop, etc., but he can't be on a species appropriate diet? Does something smell funny here or is it just me?No, it's not just me. So what is really behind this? Although Delta states on their website that there is no corporate agenda or influence, a Purina executive sits on the Delta Board of Directors. Oh wait! It gets even better. This same person has applied for a patent that uses animal charity organizations to market their products. See here for more on that.

Dietary discrimination is what it is!! So when comes the decision that Delta dogs have to eat Purina to visit? Or have to wear vests marketing Purina?

Jenn says there is no way she is feeding lower quality food just to satisfy a short sighted, obviously corporate-related decision. She's no longer recommending that people volunteer or send contributions to the Delta Society, particularly if their mission includes serving Purina's corporate agendas. It's all made me very sad.

The bottom line is that I'm so sorry for Bernie and all the other dogs and their people that were volunteering for an organization and mission they believed in that just got the shaft. Bernie deserves better than to be treated like this after so many years of volunteering his time, enduring baths before each visit, and sharing himself so unselfishly.

I'm going to have to do visits in Bernie's place, once I'm feeling better. I'm certified through Therapy Dogs International, and I sure hope they don't make me stop visiting because of what I eat.

What is Ehrlichiosis?

2010-06-09T07:18:00.007-04:00

It's no fun to learn about tick related diseases by getting one. Both Jenn and I can say that now. So, I'm here to help you learn all about Ehrlichiosis, so you can recognize the signs and symptoms in yourself or your puppy.

Ehrlichiosis is a tick borne disease caused by Ehrlichia bacteria. There are many species of Ehrlichia, two affecting humans, and the most common for dogs is Ehrlichia canis. It looks like this:
Dogs can get Ehrlichiosis from the brown dog tick. The bacteria enter from the tick's mouth into the dog's blood stream and attack white blood cells and the immune system.

There are three stages of the disease:

1. Acute-this happens within a few weeks of a bite and symptoms can include a fever, joint pain/stiffness, fatigue, loss of appetite. As the bacteria reproduce inside white blood cells, they spread to the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and bone marrow

2. Subclinical-this lasts for years with no symptoms other than anemia

3. Chronic-this stage is the most severe with a range of symptoms including neurological symptoms, kidney disease, eye inflammation, bleeding gums, swollen legs and a range of other symptoms that can be mistaken for other conditions

In humans, symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle aches and headaches. How many people have those things, and never think it might be a tick related illness?

Let's talk about diagnosing Ehrlichiosis. So how do you know if you've got a tick related illness? Well, if you are lucky enough to be a dog, you can get the SNAP 4DX/heartworm test. This is a simple, in-house blood test that can be done in minutes in any veterinarian's office. The SNAP looks like this:There is a window on the test that indicates exposure to tick diseases or heartworms. If you have exposure, the dots in the window show up. Depending on where to dot appears, that determines if the exposure is Lyme, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplamosis, or Heartworms. Once the vet has information on exposure, they can do further blood testing to get information about what stage the disease might be in to determine treatment.

If you are not lucky enough to be a dog, you need a doctor that is tick disease literate and will do comprehensive testing. Jenn says that patients need to be advocates for themselves and if your doctor won't listen, find one that will. Human testing is controversial, as many people with diseases like Lyme sometimes don't test positive because their state (really the insurance companies) only tests for certain strains of the Borrelia bacteria. If you were infected in another state or by a different strain of the bacteria, you can have Lyme and test negative. Why can't human testing be as easy as dog testing? Good question.

Luckily, treatment for dogs and humans is usually straighforward depending on the stage of the disease: an antibiotic called doxycycline that is taken twice a day for six weeks or more. We'll see how my treatment goes over the next few weeks.

Oh No! I have Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis

2010-06-07T08:55:00.003-04:00

No wonder I've been tired and feeling kind of run down. Jenn thought is was too much playtime with Jet or maybe the heat. Jenn took me to the vet for my wellness exam and mentioned that I've been a little fatigued. Since Jenn dealt with all that Lyme Disease stuff last year, she asked the vet to do the SNAP 4DX/Heartworm test. It is a heartworm test that also screens for several tick borne illnesses: Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, and Lyme Disease.

The test indicated that I have been exposed Ehrlichiosis. Yikes! More bloodwork confirmed that I've also been exposed to Lyme. Double yikes!

So, I started taking an aggressive dose of the antibiotic called Doxycylcine on Friday. My vet said that I should be feeling better soon. But I have to stay on the antibiotic at least a month. I have to have a snack with each dose and Jenn started giving me a special yogurt "milkshake" snack in the afternoon, so that the antibiotic doesn't wipe out all the good digestive bacteria in my body. Hmm, extra snacks? I can handle that.

Want to know more about what these tick borne illnesses? I'll be detailing more about these diseases and my treatment. Stay tuned!

You can learn more about Canine Ehrlichiosis here.

And about Lyme Disease here.

How Much Exercise Does Your Puppy Need?

2010-05-31T11:22:00.000-04:00

Providing your puppy with adequate physical exercise is really important. A puppy's need for physical exercise increases as they get older with the energy peak starting at 9 months. We've all noticed a big difference in Jet in just the past few weeks. Her energy level has really increased and she's only 5 months old. She really needs to get out there running and playing several times a day. I sure don't remember having that much energy.The amount of exercise can vary a lot considering your puppy's breed, size, genetics, and individual personality. A good gauge is what your puppy's parents were like. If your puppy's daddy was a champion herding dog, then that is a pretty good indication that your puppy will have a high drive and high energy level.

Jet is no exception and Jenn knows already that Jet will require more outlets for her energy than me, Bernie or Big Sandy.
Jenn hears people complain a lot about the fact that their puppy is hyper all the time. Usually these are puppies bred to do a certain job that requires a ton of energy and stamina. When puppies don't get to fulfill their instincts or release their natural energy, they get all pent up (see Toilet Paper Madness). The energy has to go somewhere and that usually means acting out, destructive chewing/mouthing, barking, etc. Jenn knows that she has provided Jet with enough exercise when she looks like this:Tired puppies sleep. Tired puppies can't chew your shoes, steal things off the coffee table, or bark for attention. It's your job to figure out how to provide the right amount of exercise that your puppy needs to be happy and healthy.

Photos by Anthony Benson

Toilet Paper Madness!

2010-05-27T13:47:00.005-04:00

Jet has a new game! She waits for someone to leave the hallway bathroom door open and she unfurls the toilet paper roll all over the house at supersonic speed. Totally fun! But Jenn doesn't want to encourage her, so she is taking steps to manage and curtail Jet's toilet paper habits. First, everyone tries to remember to shut the door, so Jet isn't tempted into toilet paper madness when no one is watching. Jenn also put the toilet roll up high, so if Jet does go into the bathroom, she can't unfurl the paper from the holder. Jenn says that should handle things, unless Jet figures out how to open the door by herself (I can tell you that she's tried that already).

Your puppy may need your help in restraining themselves from little habits like Jet's. Good puppy management, supervision, and giving lots of proper toys can help a lot.

Jet Goes Sheepherding!

2010-05-20T06:45:00.003-04:00

Our puppy Jet got her first lesson in sheepherding! It looks like she had a lot of fun. Jenn says that the herding instructor Claire is very knowledgeable. She gave me my first herding lesson too and she makes learning to herd easy. Check it out!

Jenn's Article on TTouch Body Wraps

2010-05-08T15:10:00.000-04:00

Jenn is writing a series of article on the Tellington TTouch Method for the Association of Professional Dog Trainer journal, The Chronicle of the Dog. In the first article, Jenn talks about using wraps like the Thundershirt to help dogs calm and settle, reduce anxiety and arousal, and reduce barking. Wraps can be used at home or out in public and especially in dog training classes to help your dog focus. And, most importantly, I got to model wraps for the pictures.You can read the article here.

The series continues with articles on TTouch bodywork and balanced movement exercises coming soon...

Tick, Tick, Tick

2010-05-05T15:59:00.005-04:00

So by now you know that you have lots of options for holistic prevention and management of fleas and ticks. Here is another really great Whole Dog Journal article about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and how to deal with pests in ways that don't harm you, your pet, or the environment.

Oh my gosh, that thing looks like an alien! They are nasty little things, these ticks. But we are all being more careful this year, after Jenn got diagnosed with Lyme Disease last year. Here are some additional tick tips:

1. It's all about prevention. Use safe products to make you and your pet a non-welcoming host. There are many sprays on the market that don't have to contain DEET to be effective. There is now clothing available from Land's End with repellent in the fabric and good for up to 60 washes.

2. Check you and your pet everyday. Even if you use preventatives, it is still necessary to check all over.

3. If you find a tick, remove it properly. Don't just grab that sucker and pull it out with your fingers. Use tweezers or a tick removal tool, grasp at the head and gently pull out. 4. If you or your pet has had exposure to a tick bite, don't panic. But do watch for signs of Lyme Disease or other tick related illnesses.

5. Unfortunately, it is just not just about Lyme anymore. Co-infections are becoming more common in people and dogs, like babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, bartonella, mycoplasma, STARI, and not to mention Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and anaplasmosis.

These sites provides basic info on the human symptoms of Lyme and other tick related illnesses.

International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society

Lyme Info.net

This site provides information specific to dog symptoms.

Tick Diseases in Dogs

So, keep yourself and your dogs active, protected and checked for ticks over the summer.

You and Me and Fleas

2010-05-05T14:04:00.011-04:00

Well, it is that time of year. When the little fleas and ticks really come out and want to take up residence on me. Just this morning, Jenn removed a tick from inside my earflap. Uggh. Is no place safe? Our first topic is fleas. Just look at that thing! Gross. Then we're going to talk about ticks too!Jenn's been concerned about how to keep us all protected without using pesticides that might cause long term health problems. With a 16 year old dog like Big Sandy, whose immunity may be compromised and a four month old puppy with a developing brain like our Jet, we have to be careful that the preventions we use aren't making us sick and don't contain neurotoxins.

Sure, the spot on products seem convenient, but there are also lots of pets getting sick from their use, as seen on ABC News.

Check out this Whole Dog Journal article on the dangers of spot on flea and tick products.

And Jenn has talked with lots of people who use spot on pesticides and still have flea infestations. Yuck! Could fleas and ticks be building immunity to these products? Is that why these companies are always coming out with stronger chemicals? Scary. So we're going to talk about flea control options that are more holistic for pets and for people.

Jenn's approach is based on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a non-toxic approach to controlling insect populations. What's the number one thing you can do for fleas? Keep the environment inside and outside your home inhospitable to them. So, first we vacuum inside.
It is amazing how this simple task can control the fleas in your home. Jenn also washes our dog beds in the washer/dryer, which keeps the populations down where we sleep. Fleas breed most where animals sleep. Outside, we keep the grass mowed short. Tall grass is a breeding ground for fleas.OK, next Jenn treats all our floor and carpets with FleaBusters powder. It is a super fine Borate powder that gets down in cracks, crevaces, and carpet fiber. With pets out of the house, you spread the stuff around. Let is sit for a bit and vacuum it up. She does this once every two years. That's right, so it is really not a big deal. But if a flea egg, larvae, or adult falls onto the crevices in the floor, it is dessicated by Fleabusters. Poof!
Check out Fleabusters!

Next, we talk about products to spray on that will repel fleas and ticks from jumping on us in the first place. There are several great holistic flea/tick sprays with essential oils. A new product Jenn got is Best Yet, a spray made with cedar oil that repels ticks, fleas, chiggers, and the aptly named no-see-ums. You just spritz it on your dog's feet, chest and belly before going out and about. The best thing about Best Yet, is that Jenn can use it too. She sprays it on her feet, shoes, and pants legs to repel ticks. She can also spray our dog beds and other stuff around the house with it. It smells like cedar chips and feels light (not greasy at all).
Check out Best Yet
Jenn has also used Bug OFF Garlic. This is basically just powdered garlic that you can sprinkle on food. Small amounts of garlic can lots of benefits and can repel nasty critters too.

Check out Bug Off Garlic

Lastly, and I guess it goes without saying, that no matter what critter prevention methods you use, you still have to check yourself and your pets everyday, especially for ticks. The topic of ticks is coming up next...

Puppy Food Bowl Guarding

2010-04-26T14:58:00.001-04:00

Recently, our puppy Jet, started becoming guardy around her food bowl. Jenn and Jet were working on a food bowl exercise in Junior Puppy Class, when Jet started eating faster and freezing as Barbara, the instructor, approached the bowl. These are signs of guarding behavior, as is growling. Guarding objects is a normal behavior for puppies. I did the same thing when I was Jet's age. Puppies must be taught from an early age that guarding things from people is not appropriate and that people approaching us when we have something is actually a good thing.
So Jenn has been working with Jet when she feeds her to ensure that Jet learns that guarding isn't necessary.
First, Jenn started hand feeding Jet her meals. No dumping the whole meal into the bowl at once. Jet works for her food by doing commands in exchange for handfuls of food for few minutes. Some of the meal is then placed on a plate and Jet has to sit and wait calmly for the plate to be put on the floor before she can start eating.Once Jet has begun to eat, Jenn approaches the plate, putting something better into it each time each time.Jenn works on approaching from different directions, at different speeds, always adding goodies to Jet's plate in the process. Jenn then works on gently touching Jet as she places the higher value food onto the plate. Jenn only does this when Jet has made progress and is relaxed around her food dish.With practice, a person approaching predicts something really good. So Jet will look forward to people coming up to her food bowl, or anything else in her possession. Jet will need to practice with Eric and other people too.

Food bowl guarding is a highly modifiable behavior in dogs. It is important to address the issue as early in the puppy's life as possible. For older dogs, consulting with a professional trainer is sometimes needed. For more information on guarding behavior, click here for a great Dog Star Daily article.

Mud Monster!

2010-04-25T09:12:00.002-04:00

How does a perfectly clean and freshly bathed puppy turn into a Mud Monster?
Well, first you take a clean Jet puppy and give her a bucket with water in it...
After a good sloshing, she finds some pine straw and dirt to tumble in...

And voila! Mud Monster!!This brings back fond memories of my own transformation into the Bucket Beast! The Bucket Beast is way scarier than the Mud Monster if you ask me. We'll have to work on Jet's technique to get her on par with the Bucket Beast.

Jet is 4 months old and 28 pounds!

2010-04-18T17:55:00.001-04:00

Our puppy Jet is getting big. She weighs 28 pounds and everything is growing. Her legs grew this week and her muzzle. She's starting to look like a doggy instead of a puppy. But she's really still a baby and we have to give her lots of guidance and support as she learns the house rules.

Tellington TTouch Training

2010-04-10T10:32:00.005-04:00

There's been lots of excitement with the arrival of Linda Tellington-Jones! She's staying with us during a Tellington TTouch Training session at Paws4Ever in Mebane. There are people here from all over the country to learn from Linda. The Tellington TTouch Method is a gentle, respectful training method that helps people communicate with and comfort their animals. Here's Linda with Big Sandy. Big Sandy gets TTouch bodywork every day from Jenn. TTouch can really helps older dogs that have arthritis and aches and pains live a more comfortable life. TTouch is also great for puppies. It's an easy way to help puppies learn to accept gentle touches and handling exercises. It can help puppies that are chewing, teething, and need help settling themselves. Here's Linda and Jet...
Actually, we all benefit from TTouch...
And Linda is a wonderful teacher.
I helped during the training out too. Here I am doing some work in the labyrynth with Deirdre, a TTouch practitioner from Florida.
We go through the labyrynth together, and Deirdre gives me gentle signals to stop and balance after each turn.
Here we are helping a cute little dog that sometimes reacts to other dogs. I'm walking and pausing as the other dog goes by. The little dog stayed very calm...we pause and turn together...And then we walk out...Deirdre and I were pretty awesome! And I'm so glad that I got to participate in the training. I'm even happier that Jenn knows the benefits of the TTouch Method and I know it will help me have a better life with her. If you want to learn more about TTouch, check out the TTouch website.

Puppy Socialization Trips to Weaver St. and Phydeaux

2010-04-05T14:33:00.000-04:00

Jenn has been taking our puppy Jet on field trips around town. This is for Jet's continuing socialization to people, places and things. It is very important to get puppies out into the world, meeting as many friendly people as possible and learning to be polite as well. One day, they went to Weaver Street Market. Jet waited for people to stop and give her treats for sitting.Another day, Jet when to Phydeaux, the grooviest dog store in the world. Jet really loved the staff and she got to wiggle her butt and get attention.Then Jet got to pose for a photo.You can learn more about how to socialize your puppy by reading this article by Dr. Ian Dunbar called "Socialization with People".

Upside Down Puppy

2010-04-02T13:44:00.000-04:00

Well, it finally happened. Our puppy Jet is sleeping upside down just like me.Upside down is by far the most comfortable position for sleep. Check out my gallery of upside down sleeping photos...at 10 weeks...5 months...
9 months...2 years old...

22 pounds! How big will our puppy Jet get?

2010-03-31T08:05:00.004-04:00

Holy moly! Our puppy Jet is now 22 pounds! That is quite a growth spurt. So how big will Jet get?

The general rule is to take the puppy's weight at 14 weeks and double it. This gives you a general idea of how big your puppy will be as a adult. Not rocket science, but a ballpark figure.

Just to give you some perspective, when I was 14 weeks old, I was around 30 lbs. My adult weight hovers around 57 pounds, give or take.

Here's a good article by Dr. Nicholas Dodman on estimating your puppy's adult size.

Junior Puppy Training Class

2010-03-30T08:14:00.000-04:00

Do tiny puppies need a training class? Oh my gosh YES! The ideal time to start training is very soon after you bring your puppy home. Our puppy Jet started her Junior Puppy class last night. If you start training early, then you can avoid lots of issues later on. It is way easier to train a young puppy to do the behaviors you want to see from the very beginning. It gets harder later on, when the bad behaviors are habits and the puppy becomes a "teenager". Here Jet and her new friend Joey are learning to sit for attention and treats (instead of jumping up.) Good puppies! What is a positive training class? A class that uses rewards, is tons of fun, and incorporates the whole family. None of that nasty stuff or punishment. It's all about rewarding the behaviors you like and using a training method that the whole family can do, even the kids. Positive training is family friendly.
Puppy classes also offer lots of socialization experiences that are so important to build puppy's confidence about the world. They get a little time socializing with each other too. Jet liked to sniff Joey's butt.Jet really wanted to look at Joey. She thought he was very cute. But Jenn was teaching Jet to give attention to her with distractions around. When Jet looked at Jenn she got rewarded. That was really hard! But Jet was getting the hang of it. She's such a good puppy and Jenn is doing everything to encourage good habits in our new puppy. The puppy class is a great venue for practice.So, get your puppy into a positive training and socialization class ASAP.

Here's a super Dog Star Daily article on puppy classes with more info for you.

To find a positive trainer near you, check out the Association of Pet Dog Trainer website.

Jet meets Mona/Puppy Social Time with Adult Dogs

2010-03-26T09:30:00.005-04:00

Jet got to meet my best girlfriend Mona at her house for a playdate. Puppies can learn a lot by playing with well socialized adult dogs. Mona is a great female dog because she is gentle with puppies, but won't take any crap from them. In other words, if Jet gets out of line, Mona will correct her, enough to put puppy in her place, but not scare her. That's what Big Sandy did with me when I was a puppy. Jet was a little scared at first and hid under a chair.Then she decided to come out and just sniff a bit and maybe Mona wouldn't see her.Then Jet decided to hide behind a tree. Mona wasn't fooled and wanted Jet to play with the Kong rope toy. Mona finally coaxed Jet to play.After a couple minutes, Jet decided that Mona might be pretty fun. And they started a nice game of chase...They got along so well, I'm hoping we can all play together this weekend.

Jet Housetraining Update

2010-03-23T19:43:00.002-04:00

Another quick update on Jet's housetraining. Jenn and Eric were really on the ball with Jet's schedule, supervision and crate time. Jet hadn't had one accident in the house in about a week. Then...0pps! Jet pooped on the dining room rug last night. Suffice it to say that it was totally Jenn's fault again. She let Jet unsupervised with a full bowel. Opps. Nobody made a big deal about it. We just cleaned it up and will make sure to get Jet out to potty. All in all, my girl Jet is doing great!

Busy Social Weekend/Puppies Meeting Children

2010-03-21T19:19:00.002-04:00

We had a very busy weekend with lots of guests here to meet and socialize with Jet. Jet had lots of socialization to people with her breeder, and Jenn and Eric want to continue to expose Jet to both children and adults. Puppies need to meet lots of people, especially during the first months of their lives, even though Jet is well on her way in learning to be a social and confident girl. Corey and Suzanne brought their daughter Vivian. She is a very nice little girl that likes to cuddle in dog beds. Jet was happy to share the bed and her toys with Vivian.
Steve, Mimi and Shane came and Jet was quite happy to get a belly rub from Mimi.Jet really liked Mimi and wanted to sit in her lap.
Shane was very gentle and calm with Jet. He knows all about how to be safe around unfamiliar dogs.

Jet's Favorite Things

2010-03-20T08:54:00.003-04:00

Our puppy Jet is quite fascinating. I think it is safe to say that I am her absolute favorite thing. I mean, how could I not be?I spend lots of time watching her and learning what she likes. Her favorite toy is an empty plastic bottle. Those puppy teeth are really sharp and she likes to crunch the bottle with her teeth.
She also likes to play with the Kong rope toy. We play tug and I always win (at least for now). Maybe I will let her win.I guess I should play fair. She's growing fast and may catch up to me!

Jet's Housetraining Update

2010-03-18T23:21:00.005-04:00

So here's an update on our puppy Jet's housetraining. Since Jenn and Eric have been supervising her more and rewarding her for going potty outside with special treats, she has had one accident in three days. Of course, that one mistake was totally Jenn's fault. She was cooking dinner when she should have been either watching Jet or putting her in her crate. To help with the whole process, I've been showing Jet how to go quickly down to ramp to the yard to use the potty. Then I demonstrate how to sit and wait calmly to be let back in. I am so proud of my Jet and it is obviously my influence that is making the difference.

Errorless Housetraining?! Not Quite

2010-03-17T08:51:00.005-04:00

The supercool Dr. Ian Dunbar talks about the importance of "errorless housetraining" with a new puppy. This means giving puppies zero opportunities to make mistakes inside and lots of opportunities to be successful outside.
So you would think a dog trainer, like Jenn, would have this stuff all down pat. Hmmmm. So I was really surprised when our puppy Jet seemed to be getting a little more freedom than I did when I was her age. Not a good idea, since puppies that young are like toddlers running around the house without a diaper on. So about once a day, somebody isn't watching Jet and she potties in the house. Seriously! She potties IN the house. That's just gross.
After a few days of this madness, Jenn and Eric got with the program. They ramped up their supervision of Jet, made sure they were following a consistent routine of feeding and potty breaks (every hour on the hour through the day, after each meal, after each play session, after waking up), rewarded her with special liver treats and tons of praise for pottying outside, and most importantly, supervising her. When they aren't watching her, she is in her little crate.
Other little things to help your puppy be successful are:

Puppies often go multiple times, particularly in the morning. So you really have to take them outside, watch them go, and give them a few minutes to completely empty themselves.
An empty bladder and bowel means "you can come into the house and play", but still be supervised. Don't let your puppy come back inside and roam if you don't know if they have gone potty.
If you catch your puppy in the act of going, try to get them outside to finish, but don't scare the crap out of them (no pun intended) in the process. You don't want your puppy so freaked out they become afraid to go in front of you outside too.
If you find a mistake, just clean it up. Don't scold or punish the puppy. That won't help anything. In fact, your puppy will just rather sneak off and go behind your back. If you want to scold somebody, scold yourself.
Clean up mistakes with an enzymatic cleaner specifically made for pet stains. Other stain cleaners won't get our smell out and we'll just keep going back.
Feed your puppy near the area where they had a mistake. It is a puppy's instinct to not potty where they eat or sleep, so you can help puppy understand that the whole house is there den by feeding them meals all around the house.

Let's hope Jenn and Eric can keep this up to help Jet understand that pottying is for outside. You can learn about more of Dr. Dunbar's housetraining tips here.

Jet Settles In

2010-03-11T15:42:00.004-05:00

Our puppy Jet is starting to settle in. I'm finding that we think a lot alike. She is so into food and so am I. She likes to romp around and be silly, just like me. She likes to nibble on my neck and I like to nibble on hers. I'm trying to be gentle with my mouth so that I don't hurt her. Jenn says that I'm really doing a good job altering my play style. I'm overseeing all of Jet's activities. She plays, sleeps, eats, poops, and repeats all that. That's pretty much it. It is surprising how exhausting it is keeping up with all that. Just ask Jenn and Eric. One of them is supervising Jet all the time. This is so she doesn't get into chewing something she shouldn't or using the house as her toilet. YUCK! More on that later. When someone isn't watching her, she is settled in her crate. I still watch over her when she is in there, just to keep track of her. Anyway, things seem to be going along just fine and I am so happy to have Jet in our family.

Introducting a Puppy to Your Dogs

2010-03-11T08:32:00.005-05:00

I was so excited to meet Jet. I heard Jenn's car pull up and I had to start howling. Jenn wanted to introduce Jet first to Eric. He said she was beautiful, even as she tried to eat the leather leash.She is quite the jumper! So now to meet dogs. How to best introduce a new member to resident dogs? Here's a great little trick called a scent exchange which can be very helpful during introductions. A week before picking Jet up, Jenn got a collar and put all our scents on it by having us all wear it. She put it in a bag and then put it on Jet when they got home. So, when we all were meeting Jet, she already smelled like all of us.

Next, you want a neutral location. So we went up the driveway and away from the yard and house. You can even meet at a completely different place. But Jenn was entirely jet-lagged (no pun intended) so we did introductions in the driveway, one dog at a time. First Eric brought out Big Sandy.She sniffed little Jet and that was about it. Jenn had treats so that we all could associate good things with the new puppy. Bernie thought the same thing, "nice puppy, how about a treat?". So far, so good.So I came out and had to get all the facts about Jet. After a thorough sniffing, we all went down into the yard together. That's when Jet did this...Seriously! A full play bow just for me. Well, that definitely set the stage for a smooth introduction into the family. Welcome Jet!

For more tips on introducing new furry members to your family, click here.

Planes, Planes and Automobiles

2010-03-10T12:59:00.004-05:00

Jet had quite a journey back home having to be on two different airplanes. Southwest Airlines now permits small pets to travel in the cabin. Jet needed her own pet ticket and she also had to squeeze into the same pet travel bag that I had to over two years ago. It's also called a sherpa bag and it fits right under the seats in the airplane so puppies can ride along with their people. But how can you keep a puppy quiet on a plane anyway? Jenn's strategy was to play with Jet all night before the trip. Apparently, that worked very well because Jet slept the whole trip on both airplanes. Jet got to have a potty break in-between flights, but otherwise, she was stuck in that bag all day. I can tell you from experience that it is not so fun being stuffed in a bag like a sausage.

Jet also wore her little Thundershirt, which Jenn said seemed to help her stay settled during the long trip. Too bad I didn't have a Thundershirt on my plane rides.

Jet had one final leg of her journey from the airport in Jenn's car. At least she got to get out of the travel bag. By then, Jenn was ready to sleep for a week and Jet was ready to meet her new family...

Ready...Set...Jet!

2010-03-10T12:49:00.002-05:00

It is finally time for our new puppy Jet to come home! Jenn went to pick her up on Monday and Jet had just turned 10 weeks old. She said that Jet came right over to her with a waggy butt, jumped in her lap and started licking her face. Jet really likes people apparently.
She is definitely cute. Jenn was surprised by how big Jet had gotten. About 14 lbs already (at that age, I was 18 lbs, so hopefully she won't get as big as I am).
Next Jet and Jenn had to get back home, which was quite a trip...

Puppy Preparations

2010-02-26T09:53:00.008-05:00

Very soon our new puppy Jet will be coming to live with us. So Jenn is preparing the house for our new family member. There are several things that every perspective puppy parent can do to set your new puppy up for success BEFORE your puppy comes home with you. The most important things are having a crate, puppy proofing, and having appropriate toys and chews.

1. Crate-Probably the most important thing that you can have for successful puppy management is a crate. A crate is where your puppy will sleep and where the puppy will be when you can't be supervising. The crate keeps your puppy contained so he can't get into mischief while you aren't watching and it really helps keep your puppy from using the whole house as his own toilet. And dogs love a safe, quiet place that is just for them. You can get a wire crate like this one...Or a plastic crate like this one...You can make your puppy really love the crate by feeding meals in it and always having special toys in it. You can learn more about crate training by clicking here.

2. Puppy Proofing-Next on your agenda is organizing your home so that your puppy does not have access to things that do not belong to them, things that could hurt your puppy, etc. If this is your house, we have a problem...At first, your puppy will assume that everything on his/her level will belong to them. You can help your puppy by putting your stuff up, up and away. Put shoes in the closet and shut the closet door, get remote controls and cell phones off coffee tables, get plants, particularly those that could make your puppy sick, out of the puppy's area, and secure electrical cords so that puppy can't get to them. If there are any items that your puppy could chew or swallow that could hurt them, put them out of puppy's reach.

If you have children, it is really important that you help your puppy understand the difference between kid toys and puppy toys. It is really hard to tell the difference sometimes! Is this a baby toy or a puppy toy?? You tell me-I have no idea...

You have to help us figure this stuff out!! A really smart thing to do, is of course, keep the kid's toys out of puppy's reach. But you can also use taste deterrent to help puppy learn that kid's toys taste bad, but puppy's toys taste good. Spray a product like Bitter Apple on all the kid toys and all the things you don't want puppy to put their mouth on.

But really, a clean, organized house is going to go a long way in helping your pup be safe and successful.

3. Toys/Chews-We really have to mention the importance of having proper puppy toys and chews. Your puppy is going to chew on something, so if you don't want it to be your stuff that gets chewed, you need to be equipped with puppy toys from the get-go. Dr. Ian Dunbar suggests getting your puppy addicted to chew toys early so that we don't be addicted to chewing other things, like shoes. A great toy to have on hand for your new puppy is a Kong. Kongs come is different shapes and sizes and you fill them with your puppy's meals. They even make special Puppy Kongs that look like this...There is a new line of Busy Buddies that Jenn is going to get for Jet. They are designed to fill with food and keep puppies thinking. I have all the Busy Buddies adult dog toys and they are some of my favorites.

Jet is Seven Weeks Old!

2010-02-16T13:34:00.003-05:00

Our puppy Jet is now seven weeks old. Along with still being very cute, she is learning more things about the world. This weekend, she went with her litter on an adventure in the car to a farm to see sheep, eat sheep poop and chase some ducks. Fun! They discovered a creek which I'm sure was very exciting. And then rode back another hour in the car. So all the puppies are getting used to traveling and having adventures in the world. Jet still has three more weeks of education with her litter and her mother Dixie before she comes to live with us. Jenn is re-reading all her puppy books in preparation. Her most favorite is one you have heard me talk about many times. Dr. Dunbar's "Before and After You Get Your Puppy" which tells you step by step how to set up an errorless housetraining/cratetraining routine, how to get your puppy addicted to the proper types of chew toys, and most importantly, how to socialize your puppy in the world so they grow up to be confident, adaptable adult dogs. Dr. Dunbar is very cool because you can download these books from his website for FREE.
Just go here.

WRAL features the Duke Canine Cognition Center

2010-02-10T10:08:00.003-05:00

It is a boring day for dogs! The wind is gusting over 50 miles per hour and it is so cold outside. We're all stuck inside in our beds and Jenn is on the internet. She was thrilled to find a story on the WRAL site about Dr. Brian Hare and the Duke Canine Cognition Center. Dr. Hare studies evolutionary anthropology (whatever that is) and was the keynote speaker at the APDT conference that Jenn went to in October. She got to meet Dr. Hare and thought his work at Duke seemed quite exciting and innovative, studying the canine mind in hopes of learning more about how we think and how we understand human communication. My friend Niamh has already participated in the study and I'm on the wait list to go too. You can read the story by Debra Morgan and see video of the Center here and also learn about how you can participate:

Duke Canine Cognition Center

Jet is Six Weeks Old!

2010-02-09T13:06:00.006-05:00

The clock is ticking and our new puppy Jet is now six weeks old and growing up fast. She has already learned some basic commands and at six weeks old, she is entering a very important developmental stage where she learns species specific behaviors. In other words, how to be a dog. Jet is learning social behaviors by playing and interacting with her litter mates. A particular skill is called bite inhibition. This is how puppies learn to be gentle with their mouths. It is really important for puppies to learn these skills while they play from a very young age. Check out Jet giving her brother the "stink eye"! It's also really important that the puppies are exposed to different objects, noises, and have lots of things to play and walk on. Jet's breeder is providing her with a complex environment so that she will learn to be confident and curious about the world and stimulate brain development.

You can learn more about puppy developmental stages here.

Jet is Five Weeks Old! With a full tail and "thumbs"!

2010-02-02T09:35:00.011-05:00

Our puppy Jet is now five weeks old. We got new pictures of her yesterday. The breeders Katrina and Sherry say that Jet is super smart and agile. She likes to explore and climb.
One thing that is very different about our Jet is that she is the only puppy from the litter that got to keep her tail and front dewclaws (at Jenn's request). Jet uses her tail for balance and carries it over her back like Bernie does. This tail is definitely going to come in handy during her lifetime. She'll be better able to communicate with other dogs since we use our tails so much to signal how we feel and what our intentions are.
And the tail is really just an extension of the spine. It can be used for mobility and balance, particularly while running and jumping. Pretty important stuff if you ask me. Makes me wish my tail was longer too. My butt is still cuter anyway.

Now the front dewclaws are really just like thumbs. They are the letter D in the photo below. We use them to grip things and when we run, turn, and jump.I guess it was lucky Jenn went to a seminar several years ago given by Dr. Chris Zink who is a veterinarian that specializes in canine sports, canine structure and locomotion. Dr. Zink feels that we should not be removing dew claws and tails simply because the breed standard tells you to. Dogs really need their tails and dew claws for a lifetime of healthy structural functioning.

Here's a excerpt from Dr. Zink's article about front dew claws really functioning at "thumbs":

Excerpt from "With a Flick of the Wrist" by Chris Zink, DVM, PhD

(as seen in Dogs In Canada – September 2003)

In the last several years, while doing sports-medicine consultations for performance dogs

across Canada and the United States, I have seen many canine athletes with

carpal arthritis

Interestingly, this condition is much more common in dogs that have had their

front dewclaws removed

To understand why, it is helpful to understand the structure of the carpus. This joint consists of

seven bones that fit together like fieldstones that are used to build the walls of a house

The carpus joins to the radia and ulnar bones (equivalent to our lower arm), and to the

metacarpal bones (equivalent to our hand). Each bone of the carpus has a convex or concave side

that matches a curve on the adjacent bone. Unlike the bones of the elbow, for example.

The elbow bones have ridges that slide into interlocking grooves the bones of the carpus do not

have ridges that slide into interlocking grooves on the adjacent bone. The relatively loose fit of

the carpal bones is supported by ligaments that join each of the carpal bones to the adjacent

bones.

With so many carpal bones that don't tightly interlock with the adjacent bones, the ligaments of

this joint can be easily stretched and even torn when torque (twisting) is applied to the leg.

The

dewclaws have the important function of reducing the torque that is applied to

the front legs, especially when dogs are turning at a canter (the main gait used

in agility).

In the canter, there is a moment during each stride when the dog's accessory carpal pad (on the

back of the carpus) of the lead front leg touches the ground and the rear legs and other front

leg swing forward to prepare for the next stride. At this point, the dewclaw is in contact with

the ground and if the dog turns, the dewclaw can dig in for extra traction to prevent

unnecessary torque on the front leg. Without the gripping action of the dog's 'thumbs’ there is

more stress on the ligaments of the carpus. This may cause the ligaments to stretch and tear

over time, resulting in joint laxity and ultimately, arthritis.

Here's another website that explains the important points of keeping tails and front dew claws.

Stops Pulling Challenge Week 2

2010-01-27T16:30:00.005-05:00

It is week 2 of the Stops Pulling Challenge. This week, I'm learning where and how Jenn wants me to walk. Check out our video and you can work with your puppy's leash manners too.

Home Renovations are exciting!

2010-01-27T09:58:00.005-05:00

There has been so much activity around here lately. Apparently, we are having some much needed home renovations done. There are men coming and going all day long, making awful loud sounds with tools and machines. It's funny because everytime they show up, Jenn gives me a big marrow bone and then I don't really care about the men or the noises. It takes me hours to work through and get all the marrow out. By the time I'm done, I'm ready for a nap. It's now easy to take a nap, even with all this noise going on.

Jenn says that giving dogs a special project and/or increased physical activity can be helpful while having home renovations or repairs done. That way, we don't have a freak out when the workman come and we actually look forward to them being here. I must say that plan really worked for me.

Bernie's funny because he doesn't seem to care about the noises at all. He likes to monitor all the activity and keep track of who is coming and going. We all should be so low key!
Big Sandy has needed a little extra help dealing with these men that bring the banging, saws and nail guns. She barks at them when they show up in the morning, telling them to get out of her house! She started wearing her Thundershirt bodywrap to help her feel safe and secure with all the commotion and noise going on. To help her calm down, we also put her bed in the quietest part of the house. I think she'll be most happy when the house is quiet again.

Stops Pulling Challenge Week 1

2010-01-19T17:01:00.004-05:00

Jenn and I are doing the Halti Stops Pulling Challenge. This week, we're working on me being calm as we prepare to leave the house on a walk.

Check out our YouTube video of Week 1 of the Challenge.

You can join the challenge by going to the Stops Pulling Challenge website and downloading the first week.

Stops Pulling Challenge

2010-01-19T15:29:00.008-05:00

Jenn says I need some work! And that my leash walking manners have gone down the tubes. Horrors! I guess I have gotten a bit pully now and then.

So Jenn is going to take me through the Stops Pulling Challenge. This is a four week program designed by the folks that make the Halti Headcollar. Now you don't have to be using a Halti to do the challenge. You just need a dog that pulls on leash and the time and energy to help them change their behavior.

Each week, Jenn will videotape our progress so you can see what to do.

Here are some of the general guidelines of the Stops Pulling Challenge which are suggestions to help your dog not practice pulling.
1. You may need to change your normal routine for a while walking in less exciting places or at different times so it is easier for your dog to be calmer.
2. Make sure to play with your dog and exercise them before the walk to burn off energy. If your dog's only outlet for exercise is leash walking, of course they are more likely to pull.
3. The most important rule your dog must learn is that tension on the leash does not equal forward movement. The only thing that makes you move forward is a loose leash. So if your dog pulls, stop. When the leash is slack, move.

Check out the rest of the general guidelines of the Stops Pulling Challenge and download the first week of the challenge.

Another Modeling Gig!

2010-01-18T09:24:00.003-05:00

Check me out! I got another modeling job. Jenn is writing a series of articles for the APDT journal "Chronicle of the Dog" on the TTouch Method. The first article will be published in March and features body wraps. So, of course I was enlisted to be the perfect model for the wraps. I got to model the full wrap and the half wrap. Body wraps are light fitting lengths of fabric or shirts like the Thundershirt used to give the animal awareness about their body. Kind of like swaddling a baby, wraps can be very helpful with dogs that have anxieties, physical or behavioral issues. Jenn's been using wraps with her clients for many years and she uses them on me when I get nervous during storms. I'll be sure the post Jenn's article as soon as it is published so you can learn more about using body wraps.

Jet is Three Weeks Old!

2010-01-18T09:18:00.003-05:00

My new sister/niece Jet is now three weeks old. She'll be coming to live with us in March and I am getting excited about having a puppy in our family. Katrina the breeder says that Jet is doing everything first. She was the first puppy to climb out of the whelping box, play with a toy, and want to explore the world. Jenn says that Jet sounds like a very confident little pup already.

I have a new sister!

2010-01-06T17:12:00.006-05:00

Oh my gosh! I have a new sister. Well, actually she is really my niece not my sister. Her name is Jet and her daddy is my half brother Skittles (also a son of my daddy Shake 'n Jake)...
and her mom is named Dixie. They are quite handsome and Jet is awful cute. Maybe that is because she looks a lot like me. She is red tri-colored and has a full tail like Bernie. Jenn asked that Jet be able to keep her whole tail like I did. Only my tail turned about to be a natural bob anyway.
Jenn told me that she and Eric thought long and hard about adding another dog to our family and they wanted to wait until I was over 2 years old. It will add more work, more time, and more energy to their schedules particularly over the first year. Puppies are a ton of work!

I'm not quite sure how I feel about all this. Having to share the attention, the toys, and the FOOD. But I will have someone else to entertain, someone to teach things to, someone to snuggle with. Well, I guess it won't be all bad.

January is National Train Your Dog Month!

2010-01-03T19:00:00.002-05:00

The folks at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers had this great idea to name January National Train Your Dog Month! They have a new website with links and articles all about how to get your puppy into training early and also how to get your adult dog back into training for fun.

Jenn says that I'm no exception and that it is time to get off my butt. I'll be starting training classes ASAP after she had to take a long break to get over her Lyme Disease. Now that Jenn is feeling better, I'm going to rejoin the Drill Team and maybe do a Rally class too. She has big plans for me in the coming months. Should be fun!!

Check out the link to the APDT National Train Your Dog Month website.