I'm sure many who have a puppy right now think their little monster is the craziest little dog ever.

I've had dogs all my life. Izzy is my third dog in the last five years. I've had puppies in my home temporarily for the last five years, as well. I said I wanted a high drive dog. Well, I got one. Maybe when she took flying leaps at my calves, trying to reach my capris when I went to get her at her wonderful breeder's house, I should have taken pause.

But, I didn't. And what I got was the most rambunctious, trainable, lovable dog I've ever seen.

At 10 weeks old, she is swimming with mostly reckless abandon. If the waves are too big, she wants to be close to her mama. But, she also doesn't want to miss anything.

I'd like her to be a great swimmer so that we can get her Water Dog Titles, sanctioned by the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. So, now I'm being careful to only expose her to things she can handle, so she isn't spooked or frightened by the water.

I got a call about a week ago from a breeder who wanted to donate some poodle/lab mix puppies to our assistance dog organization. I talked with her for quite awhile on the phone and learned that she's donated dogs to other organizations, as well. She sounded like a winner. And then I saw her operation.

My first clue that something wasn't right was when I asked to see the parents and she hesitated. In fact, she wouldn't let me see the dam, citing kennel cough as the reason. She did let me see the sire, a standard poodle, and I was horrified! She let him out of his crate (which he probably rarely leaves) and he did nothing but cower and move in circles. He wouldn't approach me. His coat looked terrible, and he wasn't the only one. The entire garage was loaded with crates of adult dogs that looked neglected, to say the least.

Then I saw the puppies...all six litters of them. There were 5 week old doodles in a plywood whelping box with no paper, towels or bedding. They were walking in their urine. There was a pregnant dam, whose water had just broken. Once again, the plywood was soaked and there was no bedding.

She brought the puppies out from the litter she wanted to donate. They were 16 weeks old, and I'm not sure they had ever been out of their crate. The couldn't stand up straight. They wouldn't approach me.

What's crazy is that this woman lives in a very nice house. It was SPOTLESS! She works for a vet.

I didn't take the puppies, knowing that their lack of socialization couldn't be reversed. It was a depressing day.

I'm taking action on Monday.

I've been to Santa Monica. I've been to St. Helena. I've seen some pretty fancy pet shops in Chicago. I thought $100 was too much for a dog collar. How about $2500...yes twenty-five hundred! But you can get a deal...some are available for $1500.

Only 1,00 collars total are made each year in Italy. You'll have to get on a waiting list if you want one for your pampered pooch.

I have to admit...they are pretty cool looking.

Twil Animal

Because Norman has the most positive attitude of my two dogs, he, of course would be the one to believe in resolutions for the New Year. So, if Norman could talk to you, this is what he'd tell you (in his words, of course) are his hopes for 2007:

1. Get a butt scratch from every new person I encounter.
2. Eat one bully stick per day.
3. Run in the mud a minimum of six times a day...WITHOUT having my feet washed.
4. Eat my dinner without my mom putting my ears in a scrunchie.
5. Get my dinner/a treat/attention before my brother Vino, who isn't very nice.
6. Get a drink from the toilet whenever (I love it when the guys are home).
7. Only get brushed when I get on my beauty table...NOT have my toenails filed.
8. Have my foster sister Roxi with me at all times.

Life doesn't get much better than that!

The Mallard Duck from Loopies Toys was the hands down hit for my dogs at Christmas. It's great as a tug toy, has a squeaker and quacks just like a duck when it hits a hard surface. It sends my dogs into a complete frenzy! It has been played with for two days straight and still looks compeltely new.

Here's a picture of Norman with his duck.

It was rainy all Christmas day here in Toledo and my backyard is like a marsh. As you can see from this picture, I have a white dog, and pretty nice carpeting. A poodle wrestling match in the mud and the resulting mess was not my idea of a fun holiday.

So the dogs and I played a hilarious game of Hide and Seek. My husband was upstairs in his office and thought a herd of buffalos had invaded our house.

Here are some tips: First your dog needs a solid stay or wait. Wait for my dogs means "stay here for just a little while until I release you." A regular stay means "you'll be here for awhile, so just settle in until I release you."

So, I put all three dogs in a down and told them to wait. Now young miss Roxi, the service dog-in-training, would rather be working on tasks, versus staying in one position, so this was good practice for her. As she got more into the game, her waits became better. She figured out she couldn't be released until she layed quietly.

I then took one of their favorite toys and went and hid. I yelled "Free" and they came running. At first I made the game easy and celebrated by throwing the toy when they found me. Each time I made the game a little harder. I hid in a closet with the door open. I hid in a corner in the dining room. It was pretty dark in the house, so they had to work to find me. My scent is all over the house, so their nose wasn't as helpful as it would have been in a new environement.

They had a ball! I have to admit, I was pretty entertained, too. I made it difficult enough that sometimes they were just running in circles, so I gave short whistles to give them a clue. When they did find me, they'd dance and jump on me. Vino the cocker spaniel was the first to find me everytime.

What's really great is that their "Wait" performance got better and better. Their motivation was strong. They knew that the game didn't start if they didn't stay in position. If someone broke the stay, I'd take them back to the kitchen and put them back in position.

Best of all, they were exhausted at the end of the game and I had no mud in the house!

Merial, makers of Heartguard and Frontline recently launched a new web site, mypettroubles.com, featuring Dr. Scott Line DVM and specialist in animal behavior.

While the concept of the site is good -- a place where pet owners can learn about their animals' behavior issues -- the execution falls short, in my opinion.

For starters, there is a section on training tips that only includes 5 tips: how to find a dog trainer, clicker training, how to train a cat, litter training, and how to feed your cat. New pet owners can get more information than that in their Purina puppy care kit on the first visit to the vet.

There is a section on pet products, but it only includes Merial products. Are you helping me or promoting your products?

In order for a web site to be successful, it needs to have the following attributes:

1. It needs to have depth. If you're going to cover a topic (training tips) then cover it in some depth. Five paragraphs just doesn't cut it.
2. It needs to be objective. If the marketing people position this site as a resource, then make it a resource. There must be other products besides those made by Merial that interest consumers.
3. It needs to stay fresh. The content has been the same for a week, including the question on the home page supposedly posted by a consumer. If I can read all the information on the site in ten minutes, why would I come back if nothing changes?
4. It needs to deliver on the promise. The only behavior problem covered is aggression. My dog pees on the bed. I need some help figuring that out. If I spend the time to go to the site and you don't deliver, I'm not visiting again.

There are many great blogs with useful information (see my list in the column on this site) that problably cost a fraction of the cost of mypettroubles.com. We even got chosen as Time magazine's Person(s) of the Year! Because we control the Information Age!

"It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes."

How cool is that?