The Importance of Hand Signals

Jenn can't speak! She opens her mouth and nothing comes out. Very weird. You'd think that would mean anarchy around here. I guess it's a good thing that she taught us dogs hand signals for all our commands. Hmph! And I was all ready for things to get wild and crazy.
You see, we dogs are visual learners and we really don't understand English (even though a lot of humans think we do). We can learn associations between certain behaviors and certain sounds or phrases, but we learn faster if what you teach us is associated with a visual signal. Deaf dogs can learn all commands this way very successfully.

One of Jenn's favorite books, "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell describes how a study taught beagle puppies how to sit using visual vs. verbal signals. Within a short amount of time, almost all the puppies responded to the visual signal but hardly any to the verbal signal.

It is also helpful for all dogs to know hand signals, then we can easily respond to everyone in the family, not just the person with a particular sounding voice. That way, if you ever lose your voice or there is a lot of noise going on around you, you can still communicate with your dog.

So when you teach your puppy something new, think about teaching a hand signal with the verbal signal.

You can learn more about teaching hand signals at the Deaf Dog Education Action Fund website.

Any check out Dr. Patricia McConnell's book "The Other End of the Leash".

Titer Test Results and a Beagle Playdate

I got some very good news! My titer test came back and the results show that my immune system is very strong against the nasty parvo and distemper viruses. That means that I won't need a parvo or distemper booster shot for a long, long time if ever. By not having to get unnecessary shots, I'm also avoiding all the possible side effects of getting shots I don't need. I still have to visit my vet for my annual wellness exam and get tested for other things like heartworms, but the only shot I definitely have to get now is rabies every three years (so says the state of North Carolina). There are lots of researchers saying that we also get longer immunity from the rabies shot.

Want to learn more? Dr. Ronald Schultz has been studying pet vaccines for over 30 years and he is the leading researcher on vaccine duration. He is working on the Rabies Challenge Fund to help prove that rabies vaccinations can be effective up to 7 years. Here are some articles about his approach to minimal use of vaccinations and about the Rabies Challenge Fund.

Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know
What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs
Schultz: Dog Vaccines May Not be Necessary
Rabies Challenge Fund

So after all this talk about vaccines, I had to have some fun playing with a new beagle friend at the park. First we had a nice game of chase. I had a hard time keeping up!Then we wrestled. He flopped on the ground and we made all kinds of wacky faces at each other.Then he jumped on my back and I was completely having the best time! This little guy was so much fun to play with. Jenn said we had very appropriate play skills and even though I am much bigger and stronger, I didn't even try to overwhelm him. That's called self -handicapping, or downplaying my skills to match my play partner. Cool.

I took my first Titer test

Well, it is not the kind of test with a written portion. A titer test is a simple blood test that shows your puppy's immunity levels against nasty things like parvo and distemper. Then you can know if your puppy's immunity is low towards any particular nasty thing. It also ensures that your puppy doesn't get vaccinations that aren't needed. You can get the titer test done annually to prove your puppy's immune system is strong, instead of giving all those shots over and over and over. Why get it if you don't need it, right?

Jenn took me today to get my blood drawn so I could have my first titer test done. We'll see what my results are on Monday.

Check out this article from Whole Dog Journal about titer tests and protecting your puppy from overvaccination.

Great Minds Think Alike...

My Newfoundland girlfriend Holly is so smart and we have a lot in common. We both have a great love of carbohydrates,

we both like to sleep upside down
we both like to snuggle,
we both love to be outside in the elements (rain, wind, ice, mud, and snow)
and we both have blogs. Holly's blog has lots of information about Newfoundlands and all the fun things she is doing. Here is the link to Holly's blog so you can check it out.

Holly the Newf's Blog

We have a Bread Thief!

Eric says there is a bread thief in the house! That's just silly. I heard him tell Jenn that he put a nice crusty loaf on the kitchen counter with some olive oil last night. He left the room and came back and the whole loaf was gone. Well, don't tell Eric, but I totally snarfed that bread and it was so good! I mean, he left it right on the edge of the counter and I was really jones-ing for a snack. Jenn was teaching class, and no one was watching. Heck, he practically tied a bow on it just for me.

Jenn says that without knowing who the bread thief is (for sure), she and Eric have to really manage the kitchen so the thief doesn't strike again. It only takes being rewarded one time for dogs to learn that being a bread thief is super fun. They have to make sure the counters are clear and anything on the counters is pushed way back. Hmmph!

Want to learn more strategies to keep your home free of a bread thief? Click here.

Snow Day!

I woke up yesterday morning to a snow day! Everything was cold and white. I got to romp in the yard with Bernie and Eric took me for a walk in the snow. I got ice all over my belly! What fun!

My message for the future is....ORT!

Everyone is so happy around here! Me included. I feel like I have a lot to look forward to and I want to spread my seal bark around to let everybody know. ORT! ORT!

Meet Holly and the Rein-dogs

Jenn was telling me about a very special dog named Holly and her puppies. Just before Christmas, Holly was found outside of Triangle Veterinary Hospital in Durham, dirty, hungry and so pregnant. The nice people there cleaned her up and found a foster home with Independent Animal Rescue just in time to have eight puppies. She is a super great mom and the puppies look pretty darn cute.

She and her puppies need homes. Maybe you can help them? Maybe you know someone that is looking for nice puppies or a wonderful, gentle adult dog like Holly.

Check out Holly's Blog for more info about her and her puppies.

Back to School with the Drill Team

I started back to "school" today going to my first Drill Team practice of 2009. It was so much fun to see all my Drill Team friends and their people. The Drill Team does group obedience routines set to music. It is a fun and low stress way to practice all my commands and tricks and learn to work in a relaxed way around other dogs. The Drill Team will be practicing for our spring demonstrations. I'll let you know when you can come see us!

Please don't use a shock fence on your puppy

Jenn and I walked past a house the other day with a very scary dog that barked at us. The dog was in it's yard and ran right at us, stopping at the edge of her yard. Then she yelped in pain, then started barking at us again and again exposing all her teeth. I knew she meant business and we walked away fast. The strange part was she had no fence that I could see, just a little black box on her collar. Jenn said the dog was trapped in the yard by an invisible fence that shocks her when she tries to leave the yard. I thought about how horrible that would be to have to live like that. I felt really sorry for the dog and can understand why she gets so upset when people and puppies walk past her. She has learned that things on the other side of the fence cause her pain and now she gets violent whenever something goes by. People think that shock fences give their dogs more freedom, but what they really do is trap them.

It made me really happy to go home and run around in my yard with a real physical fence. The fence protects me from other animals and keeps me in my yard. Jenn doesn't recommend that shock fence and works with lots of people with dogs that have developed all sorts of problems with their behavior and their health, even heart problems from using shock fences. She says we'll never have that shock fence. Whew!

Click here to read Jenn's Dog Star Daily article on invisible fencing.