My Life As A Dog Trainer

Getting Your Dog Ready For Those Hot Days Ahead

Tammara — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:55:47 -0500

This post is all about getting your dog ready for the hot days of summer. It was originally posted last year and was one of those that got accidentally deleted from the archives. Here it is again since there is so much useful information that will help with all this hot weather.

I'll be back to a new post shortly. I have had many things pulling hard at me and have had few if any minutes to sit at the computer. I decided to pull this one out and finally post it back so it could be in the archives again!

Please take care of your dogs in this weather and be aware of the dangers hot weather can cause and follow the tips in the post.

Till later...woofs!

(Originally published 4/11/07 - deleted from archives)

This week in East Tennessee has been cold. It was like about a week ago someone accidentally switched the air conditioning on high! Or they turned off the heat. Anyway, we are used to it being like that in spring here. We can have a 79 degree day and then the next have one with a high of 42. Soon though the heat will be turned on high and we will all be whining about how hot it is. Which brings me to my topic. The heat. I know it is just around the corner and I wanted to pass along some tips.

Last week I had a couple of dogs with some heavy coats that needed some of these tips in agility class. It was comfortable for others, but for them it was hot. Once you added the running and jumps then they needed some help. Some dogs are already suffering at the beginning of spring if they have heavy coats, short noses, are overweight, or large dogs in general. This week they used the tips, have come prepared to class, kept the dogs cool, and their experience has been so much more positive and productive. These tips are good for hot days at dog shows, or just on a long walk or trip to the park.

First of all, you don't have to shave your dog down. Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Newfoundlands, and others need their coats. White coated dogs need the protection from the sun especially. Some dogs are OK to shave down, but keep in mind they don't need sun exposure without protection anymore than your skin does. They can get sun burns too. Dogs have coats for protection from the sun, pests, etc. There are some you wouldn't want to shave down, but they can benefit from having their stomachs and chests shaved. You can have your groomer do it, or do it yourself with a #10 blade. Shave the belly area clean between the back legs, and down the inside of the back legs a few inches. Leave the skirt that hangs from the side of the body and only do the center of the belly. On a Golden Retriever, that is about three to four widths of the blade across. Then narrow it as you leave the back leg and belly area and go up and between the front legs. Shave under the arms of the front legs, but leave the front chest hair. From the side you will barely be able to tell the dog is shaved. The #10 blade cuts very short to the skin, but does leave hair for protection. Usually you will only have to do this 3-4 times during the late spring into the late summer. Exposing the belly and chest area will keep the dog much cooler.

Either find the one you have or go buy a small hard cased cooler that would usually hold a six pack of drinks. That cooler is now the Dog's cooler. Go ahead, paint it, put their name on it, put stickers on it. I had one client that took it to Gatlinburg and had someone put their dog's picture on it with spray gun paint. I mean you might as well look cool while you are trying to stay cool! I don't have mine painted. I don't think Major or Simba would appreciate me if I had it painted pretty and pink for Chanel or Twister, and I don't think Twister would want anyone's picture on it but hers! So, we share the same one with everyone. Don't think I haven't wanted to make it look cool though!

Now, take the cooler and fill it 1/3 full of ice. Then pour in about 1 cup to 2 cups of water. Inside put a few water bottles, either refillable bottles or bought. Also, put one bottle of the lemon and lime Gatorade, Powerade, or other sports drink. Then add something for yourself. Then put in 2 "Absorbers", (remove them from their case and put them in plastic baggies that can sit in the ice water). You can buy them at any car parts store or in an automotive section of a department store, and they come in cool colors (!). Then put in a small squirt bottle filled with water.

You take this to every walk, dog park visit, dog show, class, or trip that you go on. You have cold water for your dog to drink. You have ice chunks to give your dog to eat. You have ice chunks to rub on your dog's stomach or paws to cool them down. You have a squirt bottle to spray and mist your dog, and spray their feet to keep them cool. (See how bad that trainer was in telling you to use the squirt bottle to punish your dog - if they did, they were WRONG. You need your dog to love a squirt bottle, not fear it. So stop using it to punish and find a new trainer or vet if they told you that). Then you have a sports drink to give your dog a few sips or to dilute into their water in case they get extra heated. It will help add electrolytes back into their system. I told you to use the lemon lime because we have had the experience that most dogs like that one, but are picky about the other flavors. You also have the Absorber. The magic, secret weapon against the heat! Take the absorber, it is a chamois type cloth, but man made, not leather. Dunk it into that cold ice water and let it soak some of it up so it is really wet. Then outside of the cooler wring it out, but not completely. It will be very cool. You can wipe your dog's stomach, ears and face with the cold cloth. You can spin it around and make a rope type tie to put around your dog's neck, or use as a bandanna (if your dog's neck is large, use a strong hair clip to keep it in place if you can't tie it). The nice thing is that it is really cold, and will stay cold for a few minutes, but it won't get your dog wet, or drip water that will irritate your dog. (They are great for drying your dog as it gets out of the water, or after a bath, too.)

When you wipe your dog's feet you are helping to cool off the dog in one place that they can sweat. Wipe your dog's face, especially around the mouth and you will remove saliva that is keeping heat against the skin. Cooling off the dog's chest and stomach with a cool cloth or spray is cooling down the major organs and blood flow throughout the body. Wiping the ears will help to cool them as well, since they loose heat through their ears. Drinking something cool helps too. Chewing on ice is sometimes better than gushing down water and becoming sick.

Beware of heat stroke. It comes on quickly. It can kill. Keep your dog cool and comfortable and it will enjoy its time outside with you, and be safe. Remember to be patient and don't make your dog comply strictly to commands when they are hot. Asking your dog to sit while you cool them off is probably not a good idea if the dog is being asked to sit on a warm sidewalk. It is easy for us to forget that surfaces can be very warming if not down right hot since we have shoes to protect us. So give them a little slack during those times, they may be trying to catch their breath and need to stand. A cool breeze may be coming up under their chest that you can't feel. Take them to a shady area and attend to them until they are cooled down. Better than that, keep them cool so they don't have to be cooled down. If your dog is very hot, cool them down gradually, and try to get their entire coat wet (using the spray bottle, and if you run out you can dip it down into the iced water within the cooler to refill), but don't shock them with ice cold water poured over top of them quickly.

Prepare for those warm days that are on their way, or depending where you are, may have already started. Figure out if your dog likes lemon-lime flavored Gatorade or Powerade before you actually need it. Get your dog used to having you wipe down its paws, face, ears, and stomach with a rag. If you haven't been a naughty owner with the water bottle, start spraying your dog's feet every once in awhile, like you would do a horse, turning the bottom of the feet back and up toward the sky and then spray. If you have been naughty then start counter-conditioning your dog and teach it to LOVE an empty water bottle. Throw the old one away, and buy one that looks completely different and a different shape. Start letting your dog sniff it and give treats. Then fill with water and spray away from the dog and treat and be extra happy about the spraying. Take it slow. Then spray on the ground in front of the dog and treat. Then try the dog's foot, but only do one for the first few days and then try all 4 really quickly and have a party with happy noises, claps, dances, and lots of treats. Then go talk to your old trainer and tell them spraying a dog with a water bottle is stupid, when they start talking, spray them with it, and ask them if that made sense to them? OK, don't do that. Out with bad, in with the good. Let go of the negative. But I'll tell you I want to scream when I see trainers doing that. They do it at Day Cares too, so better check that out and if they do it there, well, enough said, we went over that already.

Lastly, remember to keep them on the grass and off hot sidewalks. Dogs feet are built to protect them, but if given the chance they will avoid the hot surface, and if they are on lead, they may not be able to make that choice. Booties are a good idea if you can't get them to grass, shaded surfaces, or ones cooler than asphalt or cement. They make cool ones, with cooling type fabrics, and with neat tropical designs if you want. After all, you might as well look cool when you are trying to stay cool!

As a side note, thank you to all of you that have sent me a little note about Ruby and Jordan and how you enjoyed my posts. Really, thank you for letting me know you felt something, that it brought back your own memories, and that you are out there... thank you.

Til later, stay cool (both of you!), and be cool doing it! Woofs!

National Dog Bite Prevention Week

Tammara — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:57:04 -0500

I recently received the following press release from the National Canine Research Council. Since it is National Dog Bite Prevention Week I thought it would be appropriate to share the release here. It gives the latest information on dog bite statistics, which is in decline and you can find more information at their website at the end.

There is some very good information about teaching children to avoid dog bites. I would like to add one more bit of information. While it is always important that children ask before petting a dog, I think it is important to add the question "Has your dog been around children my size?" Being a dog trainer I always empower dog owners to be able to say "no" to adults and children alike if your dog has not been socialized. Your dog may be a perfectly behaved dog, but if you have not socialized your dog with children you know (friends, neighbor children, family children) and can predict their behavior, by all means do not let children you don't know pet your dog. It is fine for you to say, "He is a good dog, but he hasn't met many children yet and I don't feel comfortable with you petting him right now. Thank you for asking and I am sure he will remember how nice you were and that will help him to like children". Also, if the child asks not only, "Can I pet your dog?" but also "Has your dog been around children my size?" the dog owner can better answer and think through whether their dog should be approached. If you do feel your dog can be approached, feel free to not overwhelm the dog and ask the children to pet your dog one at a time.

Practice responsible dog ownership and remember that your dog should be trained without fear to allow your dog to trust and feel safe in the company of humans. Also, remember that you are responsible for the situations you put your dog in and that you should always make decisions to keep others and your dog safe. While I have highly socialized and tried dogs, I still realize that situations can be overwhelming and I NEVER want an incident to happen, so I ask that children not crowd around, to pet one at a time and I often ask them to get in a line. As each one pets my dog I take it as an opportunity to impress how good it is to ask before petting and I have each child ask again to pet the dog and if my dog has been around a child their size. They have fun doing the questions, and they very much appreciate me thanking them for their polite demeanor on behalf of myself and my dog.

When my niece was young she showed in Junior Showmanship and often attended at least 2 or 3 dog shows per month. She also grew up around my dogs and other family dogs. Her exposure to well socialized dogs was high. She developed some over confidence at approaching dogs and we set up a few times for friends of ours to actually tell her "No, thank you for asking first, but I would rather you not pet her right now." They would give her reasons such as the dog was tired, hadn't been around children, and sometimes no reason at all. It was good for her to learn to accept the answer "no" in the face of so much wanting to pet the dog. It helped her to not take it personally If you have friends with dogs it would be very good to set up this situation several times for your children. Teach the children to thank the person and make a nice comment about the dog. Such as he has a pretty collar, or he is a pretty dog. In turn you will be teaching your children to reward the person who is honest about their dog's exposure to children and they won't feel that they are labeling their dog the "bad kid dog of the neighborhood". It may be the dog is nice but they haven't felt they were capable of deciding if their dog is safe with children, not that the dog is dangerous. Let's reward their honesty.

So, let's reward the children, even the adults, and the dogs as well. We could all use a little more rewarding these days, couldn't we?

Please read the release below, and till later, woofs!

THE NATIONAL CANINE RESEARCH COUNCIL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karen Delise
304/496-9581

"DESPITE PERCEPTIONS, DOG BITES ON THE DECLINE"
NATIONAL DOG BITE PREVENTION WEEK STARTS 5/18

For Immediate Release - Continuing research by the National Canine
Research Council has revealed that, contrary to much-publicized
estimates of the number of dog bites in the United States, the actual
numbers of reported dog bites across the country have been falling
over the past three decades. In the last ten years, in particular,
America has seen stunning decreases in reported dog bites, Dog safety
education programs, better understanding of canine behavior,
increased awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering
animals, and the creation and enforcement of leash laws have
contributed to this decline.
Metropolitan areas across the nation, from Philadelphia to
Minneapolis to Los Angeles, have experienced drastic decreases in the
number of reported dog bites. Chicago has seen a substantial drop in
dog bites, from almost 12,000 reported cases in 1978 to about 2,000
cases in 2007. New York City, which recorded over 30,000 dog bites
per year in the 1970's, reported fewer than 6,000 per year for each
of the past seven years.
Even postal workers, who have high rates of exposure to unfamiliar
dogs, have enjoyed a new level of safety around dogs. Nationally,
about 3,200 mail carriers reported being bitten by dogs in 2006, a
significant reduction from 6,708 reports in 1973.
Much of this is the result of increased recognition that humane
treatment can effectively reduce canine aggression, of increased
awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering animals, of the
implementation of dog safety awareness programs, and of the enactment
and enforcement of leash laws.
The vast majority of reported dog bites are minor incidents,
categorized by medical caregivers as "fast healing, no lasting
impairment."
There are still, unfortunately, some cases of serious, severe, and on
the rarest of occasions, fatal injuries associated with dogs. The
real tragedy, according to Karen Delise, Founder and Director of
Research for the National Canine Research Council, is that in the
majority of serious bites, the incidents were largely preventable.
National Dog Bite Prevention Week offers an opportunity for us to
acknowledge the many ways in which dogs enrich our lives, and to
remind ourselves that humane care and control of dogs will continue
us in the encouraging direction of fewer dog bites.
Communities can take the following steps to help keep both people and
dogs out of harm's way:
• Encourage dog owners to spay and neuter all dogs that are not
used in an appropriate and legitimate breeding program.
• Encourage the enforcement of leash laws.
• Encourage humane containment of dogs and discourage tethering
and chaining of dogs.
• Actively penalize animal abusers and enforce anti-cruelty
laws.

Individuals, parents and dog owners should follow these common-sense
guidelines:
• Young children should never be left alone with unfamiliar
dogs.
• Children should be taught to be respectful towards all dogs.
• Children should be taught how to respond in the event that
they encounter unfamiliar dogs, such as:
o Remain calm and quiet.
o "Be like a tree" - stand still with your arms at your sides.
o Do not approach or attempt to pet or handle unfamiliar dogs.
o Always ask the owner if it is OK before approaching a leashed
dog
Dogs are thinking, feeling animals that may react negatively to many
of the same stresses that humans experience: fear, pain, frustration,
loneliness, hunger, and thirst. Dogs can also be protective of their
possessions in much the same way humans are. Dogs may defend or
protect their territory, their offspring, and their "property", such
as toys, bones, and food bowls.
Human beings enjoy an incredible relationship with dogs; no other
species is so inexorably intertwined with human existence. And while
people and dogs don't always understand each other, the true wonder
of dogs is that they are so amiable and accepting in the face of what
are, to them, our many strange behaviors.
"Whether working as guides, assistants, farm hands, or police
partners, entertaining us with their athletic ability, or enhancing
our physical and emotional well-being through simple companionship,
dogs give us much more than they could ever take away", says
Delise. "It is our responsibility to humanely care for and control
them. By doing so, we will continue to live safely with dogs and
enjoy them for the wonderful companions that they are."

About Karen Delise/the National Canine Research Council
Karen Delise is the Founder and Director of Research for the National
Canine Research Council and the author of "The Pit Bull Placebo: The
Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression". (Anubis Publishing)
She can be reached at kdelise@ncrcouncil.com.

The National Canine Research Council is the leading source of
accurate information on dog attacks, publishing well-documented,
reliable research to improve the lives of dogs and the communities in
which they live.

On the web at: www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com

Does Your Dog Need AKC Papers?

Tammara — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:37:30 -0500

I get asked at least a few times a month by someone wanting to know if their dog needs their AKC papers. Not only is there a question as to why they need them, but how to get them, and which dogs are eligible for AKC registration.

I'll answer the most popular question first. Does your dog need AKC papers? Well that depends. It may not matter so much if your dog has papers as that you keep the registry going for AKC. After all, that is one of their main purposes is to maintain a registry. Now, that registry does not in anyway handle health issues or give people access to knowing more about your line's genetic stability as far as health issues or longevity. Those issues are handled through registries like OFA or ones established by National Breed Clubs. I would recommend that you have your dog tested for health screenings and register with whichever organization is best suited for maintaining the database, such as testing for hip dysplasia and registering with OFA. Testing for PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) if you have a dog prone to that disease and registering with CERF.

Registering with these organizations allows researchers to determine genetic links, allows breeders to breed for health, allows potential buyers to beware of certain genetic links in lines. Which brings up another issue: does your potential breeder screen for health issues or if you are a breeder do you screen? Buying from a breeder that does not do screenings is a no-no. If health screenings are not an issue for you then adopt from the shelter, for there can be more than 50% purebred dogs residing in a shelter at any time. Rescues have almost 100% purebred dogs available for adoption. Why give money and encourage a breeder that does not do health screenings? There are plenty of dogs, even puppies in shelters and rescues that need homes. You can still do health screenings on your own to know the status of your dog's genetic build or present health and conformation. If it turns out your dog has hip dysplasia with no signs at this point then you can help your dog for the future. A responsible breeder does screen and requires any offspring to be tested before breeding. Don't think that this is uncommon. It isn't. It is just that you won't find a breeder doing these things advertising in your local paper classifieds. To find a responsible breeder you should contact a Parent Breed Club. To do that, go to www.akc.org and look up the breed you are interested in, then along the side of the breed information there will be a link to the Parent Breed Club, such as the Labrador Retriever Club, Inc. The people that are members of these clubs follow ethical breeding, are responsible breeders, and have the welfare of the breed and dog in mind when breeding, not money.

Why should you care about the AKC registry? Well, because the money received from registrations goes to fund several things that are very important. One being the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. This is one of my favorite things the AKC supports. They are doing a tremendous job of finding cures and genetic markers of diseases that effect our dogs and also sharing that information with human disease researchers. The AKC funds all of the operational expenses so when you donate to the CHF all of your money goes to research! The AKC registry also funds the CGC programs and public education and is an overall great advocate for our canines in the Legislative world. So that registration fee goes to good use. To understand more about where the money goes visit this link: Why Register?

Is it worth the fee? Well, when you consider they give you some complimentary magazines, a very nice Puppy Handbook, valuable information about your breed, a trial health plan for 60 days and a complimentary veterinarian visit, then definitely yes, it is worth $20.

So, you can register the dog or puppy and maintain the AKC registry and its efforts. If you neuter or spay your dog do you need to contact them? No. If your dog develops cancer? No, again this would be a health registry and one most likely maintained by the Parent Breed Club.

Do you need your AKC registration to get a Canine Good Citizen Certification? No. In fact, the CGC program is open to both purebred and mixed breed dogs, so a registration is not required.

Do you need papers to breed your dog? No. Dogs are born everyday without registration papers. Unfortunately that means the breeder was not a responsible one. For why breed if not for the improvement of the breed? Why breed if you are not maintaining a registry of dogs to be able to track health issues, temperament, and longevity for the benefit of the dog and breed? Don't breed unless you are going to be responsible, which means you are willing to provide health screenings of the parents for genetic tests that could be passed to the puppies, a contract to puppy buyers to be responsible for the life you bring into the world for its life - meaning you will take back the dog no matter the reason or age if the owner no longer wants it. If you can't do that, don't breed. Just don't. Can't find a breeder willing to do that? Again, you haven't found a responsible breeder and should contact the Parent Breed Club of your breed.

I wrote a whole post on the issuing of registration papers through other organizations, such as Continental Kennel Club, or Northern Kennel Club which are all basically puppy mill registries in my opinion. They will issue registration papers easily and just so someone can tell you that these puppies are "registered". You will often find puppies sold at pet stores with these type of registrations.

If you want to be a responsible breeder then yes, you do want to have dogs that are registered. You do want to register the litter. Now AKC issues registration papers with information about the health clearances the dogs in the pedigree have, such as OFA ratings of "Fair, Good, or Excellent". By the way, your dog's sire and dam should have a rating of Good or Excellent and not a Fair. Want to check on your dog's pedigree or the potential parents? Want to see if they really have "Champion" pedigrees? or OFA ratings? (You can check OFA clearances through the OFA, and remember doing OFA testing is not enough - you want the rating, for the parent could have been tested and gotten back a rating of being dyplastic and not a rating). You can get an AKC 5 generation pedigree for $12 and a 4 generation for only $10 right on line, just follow this link: on line pedigree. All you need is the registered name or registration number of the dog. If there is an AKC Champion in the pedigree there will be a "CH" before the name, and other titles will be listed after the dogs name. There is a guide to what those titles are on AKC's website at this link: titles.

You aren't planning on breeding, why else would you need a registration? What I think is the most important reason: to enter performance or companion events. If you want to compete in Rally-Obedience, Agility, Tracking, Hunting Trials, Earthdog Trials, etc. then you will need a registration number through the AKC. That number will be used to track your dog's accomplishments and a way to distinguish your dog from other entries. By having a registration it means there will not be dogs entered with the same name, as no two dogs can have the same registration name. If they are exactly the same name, AKC will put a roman number after the ones that are the second, third and so on entered after the first submitted name.

What if you lost the papers and you still want to register? You must contact your breeder. Your breeder will need to request a duplicate registration paper (they can call, write or do it online) and then once that is received by them, fill it out and then give it to you to register. Don't remember your breeder's name? address? Well, that could cause a problem because the AKC will not release that information to you, even if you know everything about your dog's sire and dam except the breeder. But all is not lost!

If you have lost the papers and cannot find the breeder to ask for a duplicate registration form? You could get an online pedigree of one of the parents, especially the dam since that info would give you the name of the owner which is probably the breeder of record, but you would need to have the registration name of the dog. If you have no idea if the parents were registered. If you had a breeder that was foolish enough to withhold papers for more money (it happens despite that not really being ethical, since if they want you not to breed they can just check the box "limited registration" to prevent offspring from being registered). If you don't know the name of the sire or dam or the breeder. If you rescued your dog and want to compete and need papers. Or you just want to have that registration to hang on the wall and you don't know a thing about Mom or Dad, you still have an option. You can get what the AKC calls a PAL (used to be called an ILP). The PAL, or Purebred Alternative Listing is a way of getting a dog that looks like a purebred Boston Terrier, acts like a Boston Terrier, registered. You will need to do a few things. One, the dog will need to be spayed or neutered and you will need to have vet papers saying so. If your dog was spayed or neutered prior to you getting the dog then your vet can give you a simple form, even the dog's info sheet noting the dog is spayed or neutered. You will then need to take a few pictures of your dog standing. A color picture of your dog from the front and one from the side showing the dogs conformation, or build and type (there are samples of what is and what is not an acceptable picture on the downloadable form). It helps them determine if what you think is a Curly Coated Retriever is a Curly Coated Retriever. Once you have the pics and the spay/neuter info together then you just need to print out the AKC form to register your dog, which can be found here: PAL form. The form is pretty straight forward except people are often confused when the form asks for the dam and sire names. Simply stating "unknown" is sufficient if you don't know. In a few weeks you will get your PAL number.

What to name your dog? The dog's call name is enough or you can give the dog the name of queens and kings as long as it is under 30 characters including spaces. Chances are there have been other "Snoopy" names registered, so unless you want your dog's name to be "Snoopy XV" then add a little more to the name to make it unique.

Can a dog registered with a PAL number compete in Junior Showmanship as well as performance/companion events? Yes. Which makes adopting a rescue wonderful for a child to begin Showmanship.

Maybe your dog is not an AKC registered dog breed, then it would do you well to check the breeds in the "wings" that will soon be fully registerable and recognized dog breeds with the AKC. Right now there are many breeds in the FSS (Foundation Stock Service) and once they are accepted in the Miscellaneous Class they can get PAL numbers as well. To find the list and check your breed go here: FSS Breeds. There are also some registries accepted by the AKC in which if your dog is already with one of these registries you can then obtain an AKC registry. The list of acceptable registries, which are mostly Parent Breed Club Registries can be found here: Acceptable Registries for Open Registration.

What if someone else owned and registered the dog and you want the papers transfered to you? You will need to obtain a Supplemental Transfer form which can be downloaded online and both the previous owner(s) and you will need to sign it. If you don't like the dog's registered name, the AKC now allows for you to change that if the dog was whelped in the US. There are rules about the change and you can find those here: Dog Name Application Form.

Of course, more detailed information can be found at www.akc.org, but I hope this helped you make a decision about whether that registration is important to you or not. Keep in mind a dog is never too old to register, it isn't necessary that the dog be a puppy. However, it is necessary that the dog receiving a PAL with the AKC be at least 6 months old.

Good luck with your decision, and by all means if and once you do register, get involved in companion events with your dog and consider the CGC program or Rally Obedience. Both are great programs to start off on a lifetime adventure for your and your dog.

Till later, woofs!

NC Trooper Abuses His Fellow K-9 Officer

Tammara — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:52:46 -0500

OK, my last two posts have been about dog abuse. I had something else to write about today, until I saw this on the news this morning. It was shocking to the news crew on Fox & Friends. One of them was looking away and could not even look at the monitor. To me, I knew this stuff went on. Not only do some, and only some, police officers do this, but trainers do it as well. In fact, there is a Doberman that we have in Behavior Modification right now that at 4 months old was trained by a local training facility in our area known for using such methods as "helicoptering" and "front leg tie ups with punishment". The family has been told about theses methods by the trainers themselves. The dog was even abused with his own lead so that every time he sees it and it is on him he knows "what could happen if he doesn't comply". You can tell people about these things but seeing it is another.

The story on the news this morning is about a NC State Trooper who wanted compliance out of his dog. His dog would not release his toy. So he was abused until he released it. What the officer doesn't realize is that the dog was probably holding onto the toy for comfort. This dog is a Belgian Malinois. They are herders. It is common practice of humane trainers to teach a herding dog to mouth and hold onto a toy. This gives the dog comfort and allows him to give into his instincts to herd and nip to a toy in its mouth. Teach your herding dog to carry and bite on a tennis ball and it will release stress, and bite the ball instead of nipping at your heels going down the hall. Over time the dog learns to control the instinct. So, I believe the dog found the toy, used as a reward in all of his training, comforting. After seeing the video you can understand why the dog would need comfort and hold onto anything that gave him pleasure, security, comfort.

Reports in news articles report that the video was made by a fellow officer on his video phone. The phone could only record 15 seconds at a time so there are two short videos. The articles also stated that this is common practice. Along with other methods of training that include hitting the dog with a plastic bottle filled with rocks, and tazering the dogs. The K-9 Officer, 7 year old Ricoh, was first helicoptered (not taped). That means swinging the dog in the air on its leash. Literally spinning the dog around until it comes off the ground suspended by the collar on its neck and then letting it slam to the ground. This gives physical pain and fear. The officer then is recorded on video by the other officer tying Ricoh up off of his front feet to a railing. His lead, connected to his collar is tied up until the dog's front feet are suspended in the air. The officer then proceeds to kick the dog on through the second video. The dog swings in the air at the result of each kick. The dog cannot be heard making a noise. He has the toy still in his mouth. No doubt this is not new to Ricoh's 7 year life.

Here is the video:

The dog was examined three weeks later and found to have no injuries. Sure, it may not have broken bones, but to say there were no injuries? That dog had to hurt. It did.

The officer wants his job back, and could possibly get it back since there are no policies in place on how to train the dogs and what is and is not acceptable. If this is common practice among the other officers, what will they do? Fire all of the officers?

I say there needs to be policies put into place. Now.

My husband, Brad, said that if K-9 Officers are treated with respect by the community and public, and even fellow officers mourn and decorate in death the service and loss of a K-9 officer when lost during duty, then why not give them the same respect while on and off duty.

There was a report saying that the dog's tail was wagging and it wanted to follow his handler. They state this like it is a testament that the treatment was not bad, at least not bad enough to ruin the relationship between the dog and his fellow officer handler. Are you kidding me? What choice did the dog have? What choice do they ever have? They have to comply, or defend. If they defend themselves, and begin to give behavior that is defensive they are further punished or they lose their life. Those that comply will continue to receive this type of training and it is normal to them. Just as humans that are victims of abuse begin to feel this is a normal way of life. They accept it, and so do the dogs.

Do not listen to those trainers that would tell you that some breeds need a harder hand. I have a 90 pound, male, intact Doberman, all muscle, conformationally correct (so he can move like he should, and can do it better and longer than a dog without the correct build), has passed a temperament test that involved protection behavior to an agitator (this test is usually passed by very few that take the test), and that dog has NEVER had a pop of a collar, a pop to the nose or under the chin, no choke collar training, no aversive training what so ever. He is confident, sure of himself, and an independent thinking dog that is very compliant and obedient. He is allowed to be the noble, intelligent dog that he was bred to be, instead of a dog confused and making decisions based on fear and how it will be inflicted. He is obedient because he respects his owners. To the "T" as one would say.

In some ways I feel for the officer. He is probably doing what he was told by someone else that trained his own dog this way. There are probably other officers all over the country that have done the exact same thing. There are pet dogs in my own community that have been trained this way. He just got taped, otherwise there would be no issue. He needs to be punished. His own morals and standards for his dog should have made him not do it. The officer that taped him knew it was wrong, and that is why he was concerned, taped it and turned in the tape.

Maybe if this issue gets attention on the level that is with this officer, other officers and their superiors will find better ways of training these dogs. Ways that produce confident, compliant dogs, ready to serve, without the possibility of receiving pain at the hands of their own handler. If the issue is addressed, then maybe trainers like the ones in my own community, and probably in yours will no longer be able to convince a new dog owner that they better "get control now before it is too late". They will go out of business as dog owners no longer will be talked into handing over hundreds of dollars to let someone physically and emotionally abuse their dog.

Never leave your dog with anyone to train it. Never. If you aren't allowed there, then ask yourself why. If you don't have the time to do it, then you don't have time for the dog. If the trainer won't train the dog with you, then go elsewhere! Whether it is for hunting skills, guarding and protection, or just obedience. NO trainer that uses sound, proven and humane methods will need you absent. The owner is part of the learning process, not absent from it.

Meanwhile, once again, shout and give voice to the dogs that cannot speak for themselves. Richo and every other dog trained this way, and receiving corrections this way need you to speak up.

Here is the link to the NC State Highway Patrol Contact Site: NC State Highway Patrol

Maybe tomorrow we can take things down a notch. Meanwhile, hug your dog today. If you hit your dog. Stop. Go to a class of a trainer that uses positive reward based methods. I mean really uses them, not someone that claims to and then squirts your dog with a water bottle or recommends using a choke collar or prong collar. Do you and your dog a great service, do your homework and find a REAL PROFESSIONAL TRAINER. Someone that trains, not intimidates. Someone that knows psychological methods, theories, and understands canine behavior.

Be a responsible dog owner. Do your homework, find a trainer, and then learn. Together. Don't forget to voice your thoughts to NC State Highway Patrol, and while your at it stick your own state's name in a search engine and let them know you hope they are setting new standards as well. You'll be glad to know that Ricoh was retired and hopefully that means retirement from the treatment he received as well.

Till later, woofs.

Doberman Recovering From Surgery Shot 8 Times By Police

Tammara — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:35:34 -0500

I heard about this story through an email list for the Doberman Pinscher Club of America. There was a vague reference to it, and out loud I said "What?" and then googled key words and found pages about this story. It is so wrong! Links to story: Dog Shot By Officer, Doctor Demands Answers For Dead Dog

Jax, a 4 year old Doberman, had one month prior received surgery for a crippling disease called Wobblers. It is known as Wobblers because that is the way it looks. The dog walks wobbly, almost as if it is wobbling and can barely stand and keep its balance. It is technically called cervical vertebral instability, or CVI. It can affect several breeds of dogs, but usually it is a Doberman. Horses can have the disease as well. Surgery is sometimes helpful but never totally fixes the dog. In other words, the dog will never be as active as a healthy dog the same age.

Jax and another female Doberman have access to their backyard through a doggy door. On April 14th, in New Orleans, police officers responded to a false alarm at their owner's home and broke through the wooden gate of their 10 foot fenced in yard to respond to the alarm. Jax, recovering from the surgery went outside to investigate and an officer unloaded 8 - that is EIGHT shots into Jax, some of them as he was retreating back into his house. The owner found Jax bleeding to death and his female shaking and cowering in the corner. The owner, Dr. Patrick Coleman, is a physician and stated in a news story that as he was administering CPR and life saving measures to Jax, and his female was nearby shaking and frightened, the police entered and yelled for him to control his dogs. Not one was even barking.

This was not the first time the police had responded to an alarm at this home. There had never been a previous incident with Jax. The officer fired eight shots at this crippled dog coming out of his doggy door into his own safe yard and going back into his home.

Jax died.

The officer said that Jax came through the doggy door and was running and lunging at him. He's horribly mistaken. Having seen Wobblers, and dogs that were recovering, and having taken care of two Doberman rescues with it, and one of my own with a mild case, I can tell you that running at and lunging at are not things a dog striken with Wobblers and recovering from surgery can do. Jax's veterinarian stated the same.

So, here is Jax, in his own yard, in a fenced in yard. He is simply coming outside to see what is going on, like any dog would do. Even a chihuahua. Unfortunately this officer is prejudiced and afraid of dogs, or possibly just afraid of Dobermans. Jax, who was doing what any dog would do, investigating, and then upon realizing that this was more than what he wanted to take on returned to the safety of his home. Eight bullets? The officer shot eight bullets! He could have done many other things. Yelled at the dog to get back, said no, used pepper spray, fired a warning shot into the air maybe? He would have found that Jax, as commented on by his neighbors is a very good dog.

I can't imagine the pain the owner must be going through. I would be so devastated to think that I had been a responsible owner and still couldn't keep my dog safe from the prejudice of anti-canine thoughts and feelings. What happened to the way things used to be? Why do responsible owners keep being punished for the actions of those that are irresponsible? There was an incident a few years ago where a family was traveling through Tennessee and they were stopped and asked to get out of their car, even their children. The call to police came from someone that reported a car was throwing money out of the window. The police apparently thought this car was the one. The family asked to be able to shut the door to keep their family dog from coming out. The officer refused. The family dog came out of the car and came walking toward its family. Not rushing, not running, not lunging. The officer shot and killed the dog because the dog was a pit bull. The city later had officer training to teach them how to deal with dogs. To that officer he was killing a vicious breed of dog - all through prejudice. The family's view was an officer shot and killed their family member without cause. We have got to start standing up for these dogs that are harmed due to their breed.

A well known dog trainer on TV makes fun and is quoted often about how horrible and stupid he thinks we Americans are because we treat our dogs as family members. He is WRONG. Shame on him for giving his so called professional permission to people to treat their dogs with aversive and painful treatment, to put chain collars on their necks, to put their lives in a constant state of fear through intimidation and punishment. Whispering he may be calling it, and I say it is screaming of all the things that true professionals have been trying to get away from for over 25+ years. STOP. Just stop the intimidation. The pain. Stop putting fear of family into the family dog. It leads to dogs being unstable, unpredictable, and to biting and aggression. Do not listen to this self proclaimed expert that every well known trainer in this country is yelling, not whispering, that he is telling you things to do to your dog that will lead to problems.

I had a lady come up to me at an Expo event and proudly tell me that she had read all of this trainer's books. I told her that I did not agree with his training methods. She proudly told me that he had given her permission that she had always needed to put her dog in his place as a dog. Excuse me? If anything, we don't give them enough credit for what they do, their attitudes, ability to forgive, etc. What are we teaching children when they watch adults deal with a simple dog misbehaving and we use pain and intimidation to change the behavior?

I once had a local groomer's daughter doing a natural canine nutrition internship with me and upon her telling her mother that she no longer wanted to hit dogs in their care, her mother stated "Oh no, are you becoming a bunny hugger?" What is sad is that this groomer advertises herself as a holistic groomer. Most would connect that with humane as well.

What I am getting to is that we have many problems here. One is that people are getting away from being humane and realizing that bad behavior produces bad dogs, those bad dogs cause problems, and then that in turn causes prejudice. Prejudice from neighbors, citizens, and police officers. They are judging the breed and not the deed. This officer shot because it was a Doberman, because it was a big dog. We need to embrace kindness. Anything from wave at your neighbor to be kind to a stray dog. Teach our children kindness is better, always better. Forgiveness is good. Patience and staying in for the long haul and not giving up when things are hard, or your dog is having problems housetraining. Teach adults that we can learn new ways, and give the benefit of the doubt without judging. I know lots of stuff, but it really does all come together. Our environment, our lives are all connected by these things.

State your outrage of the fate of poor Jax and the heartache of his family. Tell New Orleans that you still don't like how their police treat the animals of that town. Remember how this police force justified driving down the streets and shooting dogs that were loose after Katrina? Dogs that were not being aggressive. Dogs misplaced and looking for help. Google that story and you will find journalists filming it, and it is hard to watch and even harder to see the police officer explain how it was justified because the dogs were having a hard time finding water. Let the New Orleans police know you are outraged.

You should be shocked about this story and help and support Jax's family in this. Your own dog, in its own yard, going out its doggy door to find out what is going on, even when not able to walk well, and returning into its home can have a police officer fire eight shots at it.

We have got to shun trainers and so called professionals that tell us that punishment, intimidation and fear are a way to maintain and produce a relationship of respect. Everything about that is wrong, everything sounds wrong doesn't it? Fear, intimidation, punishment produces respect, trust and love.

We have to punish bad dog owners, not the dog. We have to realize that any dog can be a bad dog and any dog can be a good dog. It it depends on the owner.

So, stand up for the good owners when you can. Fight the ones that are bad, and call for your community and those near by to be educated and fair.

Jax, died and didn't need to. Take up for your fellow responsible owner. Express that you think this is way too extreme a behavior. This should sadden anyone that reads about it, and frighten any responsible owner. The old quote, stated many different ways by many different people, that a society can be judged by how it treats its animals is true.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man"
-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

So, here is another call to action. Take a minute. Read further about this event, and send your thoughts to those that can make a decision to train their officers. The local humane society has offered to bring someone in to train at their expense.

I am so sorry for Jax. It is hard to lose a family dog, a family pet. I can't imagine having tried to save the dog from a horrible disease, and then losing the dog in this manner. Remember: "...the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man".

Here is a link to contact the New Orleans Police Department: email form for N.O. Police Dept.

Till later, woofs.

Starving Dog Used In Art Exhibit

Tammara — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:16:21 -0500

I have received over the past month or so several emails about a starving dog being used in an art exhibit. I got links to the petition. I was asked to sign it. Every time I got the link it was difficult to read the petition, mainly due to the lack of information saying what exactly happened at this exhibit. I don't speak nor read Spanish and that caused even more of a problem in reading the petition page. I even used a translator and copy and pasted into it, but it still didn't seem to explain the complexity and the horror of the event it was protesting.

Today I got a link to a myspace blog that had a video of the exhibit, which you can view here:

I was horrified. I did more research. One source that I often check when I get lots of emails about something is www.snopes.com. They routinely check out things going around on the internet and determine if they are hoaxes, scams or true. Their website listed this case as "undetermined". Not undetermined if the event happened, just undetermined if the dog starved to death during the exhibit. Here is the link to their account of this circulating email: Starving Dog Art.

I googled the artist's name, Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, and the art exhibit for hours off and on this week trying to find out something that said this person or the gallery had been charged with animal abuse. Or something telling me this didn't happen. I had hoped that possibly they tied up the dog for quick photos and then took it to a vet. That was the least horrific thing I could connect to this story. I found tons of information, and yes, he did have children catch the dog and he did leave it as it looks in the picture. Artists and exhibitors sometimes try to shock us, to make us talk. Apparently the artist wanted to make a point that people would walk by and not care, but people did care and asked that the dog be released, to be fed and given water. The artist apparently refused.

I searched and could not find one major news story on this event. I found lots and lots of outrage, videos protesting it, and even blogs totally dedicated to making sure the artist does not repeat this exhibit.

I found where the artist at first stated the dog did not die, and then another place where he was quoted as saying the dog would have died anyway.

If the dog died - it says a lot about every single person that was involved in this event, the artist to the person taking tickets. From the government to the person that approved this exhibit. But how horrifying that there was a panel of judges that awarded him for this event.

The dog should have been taken to a vet. Yes, the dog was starving, but being tied where it could not search for food or water is condemning it to death. Empathy for this dog requires that you consider its feelings, physical and emotional. Being a dog trainer, being a dog lover, being a dog rescuer, being a human being this kills heart.

Here is a link to the petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/13031953/petition-sign.html

Here is another video with more written detail:

Here is a link to a blog devoted to keeping this artist aware that what he did was horrific: Habacuc Blog

On a daily basis in my job I receive lots of email and calls of dogs that need homes. Dogs that have been abused that need help. Dogs that are misunderstood that need someone to help them. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. My husband, Brad, said people will call the person they think most likely to help when in need. So, if no one asks you for help, then you must not be someone that is thought of as being a giver. When asked, do you give? In this case, all you have to give is a minute to sign a petition. To log this into your head and into your heart. I don't care that the artist wanted to stir up things. When the dog was caught he should have saved it as well. Keep this dog's face in your head today and do one thing, just one thing to help an animal that you do not own. Either with money or your time, or both. Do something. Please. I once said in a post about a rescue I had named Ruby, that it is most important that when a situation arises and your help is needed that though you could have easily have said no, you said yes. Try doing that. It will make all the difference in the world, and make the world different.

Till later, woofs.

Birthdays Are A Blessing

Tammara — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:19:42 -0500

Aren't birthdays a blessing? Funny how women will tease and make jokes when it comes to birthdays, and yet we should stand on a hilltop and open our arms wide and embrace the blessing of yet another year. I did just that for someone else's birthday, my eldest dog, Cocoa. He is the sweet boy on the header of this blog. He turned 12 last week on the 17th! "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." I've been singing that since last week. The dogs love it. We all dance around excited and happy and sing and bark to Cocoa.

It used to be that dogs were young seniors at age 12, more and more it is a rarity. I know less and less highly aged senior dogs each year, and I see more and more dying from diseases that are young. Just last week a sweet dog boy of 6 years died of renal failure.

My mother in law called me last week and read me an article where there had been a study that found excessive levels of toxins in dogs and cats. They are exposed to so many bad things in the yards, in poorly made treats and food. Please make sure you are feeding premium food, keeping your dog's exposure to chemicals at a minimum, and limit vaccinations. Go to the link about the article and you can find all kinds of ways to protect your pet. Do research, purchase the best food and treats you can get your hands on and afford. Don't buy bad treats just because good ones are more expensive, you can buy organic dried apple slices, organic banana chips, organic baby carrots, fresh fruit and berries! So much better than any over processed, poorly nutritious, chemical laden treat!

Give your dog every possible chance to be healthy. "Set them up to succeed" is something I say all the time in classes. Set them up to succeed in health as well. Give them many, many Happy Birthdays!

I have been having fun celebrating Cocoa's birthday all month. He has too! Heck, I might celebrate it all year, along with all the other birthday's to celebrate. Do the same. Stand up and let the sun hit your face, lean back, spread your arms wide and celebrate with abandon another day of life. Yours and those you love around you.

Happy Birthday Cocoa - all year long!

Till later, woofs.

In Memory of Jordan

Tammara — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:17:07 -0500

(Originally published 4/7/07 - this is one of the posts that was accidently deleted. In reading the post I can still feel how guarded and painful it was to write. It was a year in February that we lost Jordan (he died in 2007). Though I wrote this post many months after his passing, it was still hard to do and the pain was still very fresh two months later in April. I had told everyone briefly in a post that he had passed, but that I was not ready to talk about it yet. I had fought so hard to save Jordan, and then had to let him go. I wasn't ready, and I never would be, and I miss him so to this day. I have this same picture beside a candle in my office at home. It is the first thing I see as I enter the room. Love fills my heart when I look at this picture. It still hurts, and I feel cheated that I never got to see his face go gray from old age, and I hate that he EVER felt pain while in my life, but now the sickness and sadness are not my first memory. My memories of Jordan that are more numerous - the happy and tender, sweet and healthy ones are first to flood my mind. There are millions of those, he truly blessed our lives.)

OK, its time to talk about Jordan. The very first time I saw Jordan was at a dog show. He was with someone that I knew (only by name, not a friend, etc) and I knew that the person was not someone I wanted to have a Doberman, in fact I didn't want him to have a fish. I watched Jordan, as our motor homes were not very far from each other, and I saw him hit Jordan with his fist. I saw him abuse him several times. I videotaped the person, told a friend that did know him and after some negotiation convinced the man he didn't need the dog and to give him to rescue. He came to us a few days later in May of 2000, we changed his name, and began changing his life. He was not shut down, but cautious and avoiding what he could. If he was on lead he stayed far away at the end.

One day when I was walking him outside, a few weeks into having him, I went to the mailbox with him. I had gotten a promotional package from a dog food company in the mail and inside was a tennis ball. I offered it to him and he wasn't interested. I spent a while outside with him and the ball and it wasn't too long before he wanted to play. Not only with the ball but with me. It was a big break, and changed everything. I came inside and sat on the floor with him and he came over, curled up in between my legs and tucked his head against my chest. From that day forward and after, that is how Jordan always wanted to be with you, especially me, close, with his head tucked against you and very often his eyes closed. Not many dogs actually are comforted enough to close their eyes.

Jordan decided to trust us 100% that day, and he did the rest of his life. He was an excellent Therapy dog, not only because of how gentle he was, and liked to cuddle, but he was steady, and gave everyone a comforting feeling to have a dog so big and beautiful be with them. His dad was actually a very well known highly ranked, and famous Champion. Jordan would have been as well, if only he had been given a different start. He did always like going with us to shows, and never seemed to let his past bother him.

He never tore up a toy. He loved stuffed animals, sometimes he would find one of Max's lying around that he would pass going outside. When he would come back in he would pick it up and carry it to the doorway, and then drop it. I would pick it up and take it to his room sometimes. He would play with someone else's toys for an hour. He would then tuck it next to his own (he had many of his own) and fall asleep from all the playing.

He never got into an argument, fight, or even once growled or caused another dog to growl at him. He could stick his face over the baby gates at my other dogs and they would greet each other and wiggle all over. He could play with any dog that was with him, and was gentle enough to play and live in the same room as Tippy, who was not as big as his head! He loved wrestling with her, and with Peanut at the same time. He never took one thing off of a shelf or table. He was just so very good.

I loved him. I adored him. He was one dog out of hundreds that I will look for first in Heaven. Have I gotten the idea across? - he meant so much to me and to Brad (our dogs are our family, our life, what we do every day).

Jordan became stricken with a disease that affects Dobermans. It is similar to one that effects Westies, and Bedlingtons too, but just a bit different. There is a human equivalent called Wilson's Disease. His body could not tolerate copper. It would build up into his liver, become toxic and eventually could build up in his brain as well and cause a coma and death. It is called Doberman Copper Toxosis. I wrote two posts about it and you can look for them on this blog. Both are under Doberman Copper Toxosis.

I detailed the information of what we were doing with him in those posts. We had to change his diet, it was very simple and bland. Copper is in everything. We had to only give him distilled water - he hated it, you can't let the water pass through copper piping. We gave him many herbs, and antibiotics. We almost lost the fight one time when he developed horrible swelling in his stomach, known as ascities. He looked like a very pregnant dog. We did things that made the swelling go away and it seemed at that point that we were buying time and we were doing the right things.

He would get slightly jaundice and then after some time in the sun, (he would stand with his face to the sun and eyes closed), he would improve. He was easily chilled and we gave him an electric blanket with a folded comforter on top for him to lie on. He never chewed so I knew it was safe. We did check the warmth all the time to make sure it had not gotten too warm, etc. but it did make him comfortable during winter. We did anything to make his days low stress and comfortable, so his body could concentrate on healing. He got big stuffed animals to lay down with, and animal crackers as treats. They soothed his stomach and were pretty much the only cookie like thing we could give to him. He loved cookies!

One day we noticed the swelling returning and we could not get it to go away as we had before. It swelled slightly over many days and then was very large and uncomfortable. One day when I checked his gums and lips they weren't slightly yellow with pink, they were yellow. I called my vet and begged once more that he give us the medicine most often used for Wilson's Disease, but not for dogs very often - though they do, it helps the body not absorb copper. My vet was not as familiar with the drug, and was hesitant to give it to me. He did, finally. We started the pills on a Thursday. In 24 hours, Jordan's gums were bright pink if not red. We had been told that it would take a long time for the medicine to work, but in one day, his jaundice was gone.

His stomach was still large. We thought it seemed slightly better as days went on, but he developed another problem. His back legs started to swell (edema). One of them was very bad. The edema progressed each day.

As the days went on, we were hopeful. That Sunday, we lost Ruby, (I posted about her a few days ago).

That following Thursday, Jordan had been on the medicine for one week. That night when Brad and I returned home from teaching classes, Jordan was actually moving with more spunk. He had never been draggy up to that point, just slow due to the size of his stomach. But he had always been anxious to go outside. That night he trotted out, instead of walking, and initiated play with Tippy. We were happy, talked about how now maybe our worries could be lifted slightly.

On Friday morning, Brad woke and let the dogs out before I was up. I heard the dogs going out and got up myself. I asked him how Jordan was and he said that Jordan didn't want to go out and he had let him keep lying down, and would let him be last. I went in to see him and he was excited to see me, but his eyes looked like I had never seen them. They looked burdened. They looked like he was tired, worn, and in great pain. I petted him and coaxed him up to go outside. He walked very, very slowly. He fell once on the way back in. I couldn't believe this was happening. Not after the previous night.

We rearranged our schedules, and the Day Care schedule and both of us stayed home with him. His breathing became labored and I made a call to the vet. My regular vet was not in, and the other one I was not comfortable with. This vet does not own a dog, and it is very obvious to me he doesn't feel comfortable around them, I didn't want him to be around Jordan. I decided to call another vet that we knew, and that vet was out of town also. I was then told that the vet was being covered by another one, the one that had treated Ruby. I knew him to be compassionate, and told the girl I wanted an appointment with him for Jordan. Though I told her it was an emergency, we would still have to wait.

We did. As the minutes ticked, as Jordan's breathing became worse, I wasn't sure if he was dying or in horrible, horrible pain. Whatever it was, it was new to us, and new to Jordan and he was frightened. He found great comfort in us lying with him. Brad was on one side and I was on the other and we never took our hands off of him unless one of us had to attend to the phone for work, or to one of the other dogs. We knew we had little time with him.

Jordan always loved baths. He was the one right behind Cocoa to get in the tub, and no one could beat Cocoa to the tub. Brad thought he would like being given a sponge bath, or what we refer to as a "Kitty Bath". We took warm water and gave him a kitty bath. His body relaxed more and he was more comfortable as we massaged him, bathed, and dried him. A few other signs made us know it was time to let Jordan go. He had fought hard, as had we, and it was time to stop, and let him be in peace and without the pain he was now in.

We called the vet's office and told them that we were still coming but our appointment would be different. Then we made an appointment to go to the crematorium again, in less than one week.

Making that phone call to the vet was horrible. I couldn't believe after fighting for so long that I was choosing to end Jordan's life. It went against every cell in my body, and my heart screamed.

We made the back of the van comfortable and nice. We added a few of his toys, bed pillows to put around the edges of the van in case he might want to get up and rearrange himself, and I wanted him safe. I got his collar and lead and asked if he wanted to go for a ride. He was excited and tried the best he could to get up, but we helped, and we put his collar on him. On the way out the door, he slipped and fell, but that was the only time. He walked to the van and we helped him inside. We sat for a few minutes with him with the hatch up as the sun warmed him. He was in pain, but he never cried, not even when he fell. He was in pain, but he was finding pleasure in the sun touching him. I was learning, remembering, trying to hold on to every detail of what I knew would be my last moments with him. I paid attention to everything. His coat, the deep brown of his eyes, and how comforting it was to be with him.

We went to the vet. I drove and Brad stayed with Jordan. The vet let us tell him when we were ready. Brad and I put our hands on him, he tucked his head against my chest, and I whispered into his ear what a very good boy he was, and I tried not to let him know I was crying. I wanted to let him know he made me happy, not sad. I whispered and told him how much I loved him, that he has always been the very best boy. It seemed peaceful as he left. I knew the moment his body relaxed, even before his heart had stopped, that Jordan was gone. I felt it in my soul. My heart ached. We held him and tended to him, one more time.

I picture Jordan, healthy, with Caddie and Ruby. Playing while Max and BoBo watch. It comforts me. I think of them often. I look forward to seeing them once more.

I've never known more tender eyes.

Til later, Jordan - woofs.

Things About Dogs You Should Know

Tammara — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:34:07 -0500

(Originally published 6/15/07 - Here is another of my accidentally deleted archived posts - too good to not post again and have listed - enjoy!)

Sometimes I get the neatest things through e-mail. I have a few friends that send me the things that just make you want to pull your hair out, like "send this e-mail to 10 friends and Bill Gates will send you money", or "this e-mail will bring you luck", or "send this on to 12 people and help this person get the world record". Yes, those make me want to scream. I used to send them a link back to a "Is it a hoax?" website that would explain how Bill Gates is not going to send you money, it won't bring you luck, and that you sending an e-mail to 10 people will never be tracked for that kid to win the world's record, but it got to be too often and they still sent me the same stuff anyway, so I just gave up and found my delete button. BUT, then I get some really neat things, like a link to this artist that does some amazing chalk drawings that look 3-D, an artist that makes sculpture horses out of driftwood, and then a fun one the other day about just ordinary things that people should know. It listed things like that honey never spoils, and that Susan Lucci is Phyllis Diller's daughter. I knew about the honey, but not about Susan Lucci. It turns out that the list was right about the honey, but wrong about Susan Lucci and Phyllis Diller, they aren't related. So, this time some of it was right, and some of it wasn't. Either way, it gave me an idea.

It got me to thinking about little known facts about dogs that people might be interested in, so I decided to make my own quick list of things you should know about dogs: (By the way, these are all TRUE)

-All puppies loose their baby teeth, they start out with 28 and end up as an adult with 42!

-Black spots on a tongue does not mean the dog is mixed, nor does it mean the dog is related to a Chow Chow, (yes, it is officially Chow Chow, not Chow, but they don't mind the nick name) there are many purebred dogs that will be born with a black spot or not on their tongue, it can happen in the majority of breeds, including the popular Labrador Retriever.

-Chow Chows are born with pink gums and tongues that turn a dark blue black by the time they are 3 months old.

-Miniature Pinschers and Doberman Pinschers are not related, not at all. In fact the term Miniature Pinscher actually means "a small terrier" since pinscher means terrier. Doberman Pinschers are a much younger breed of dog than the Min Pin and their name means they are a Terrier related breed having been developed using terriers, and the Doberman is the last name of the man that developed the breed, having spelled his name Dobermann. In other countries, the Doberman Pinscher is known simply as the Dobermann (with no Pinscher).

-Many breeds of dogs are completely white when born and develop their colored coats as they age. The Dalmatian and the Australian Cattle Dog are just a few that are born all white.

-If you have more than one Keeshond, you don't have Keeshonds, but Keeshonden.

-Dogs should not eat chocolate, macadamia nuts, or sugar free gum. All three are very toxic to a dog.

-Dogs that are born deaf can be taught commands through sign language and/or a light code kind of like Morse Code with a flash light for night time when they can't see your hand in the dark.

-Akitas are originally from Japan, and are considered a National treasure.

-Dogs known for "not shedding" really just have different kinds of coats than most dogs. While most dogs have coats that have an undercoat and outercoat, non shedding dogs have hair like humans that grow to a certain length and then typically fall out. That is why most non shedding type dogs must be groomed often to keep the length manageable. Also, lots of shedding is not common, in fact minor shedding is a sign of good health and nutrition.

-Dogs that have arched spines like Whippets and Greyhounds are able to stretch out their bodies while in a gallop and cover more ground, making them very fast. Whippets and Greyhounds can travel faster than 35 miles per hour!

-Dogs that have short pasterns (the area between the foot and the first "knee", actually called the hock joint of their back legs, or also called the metatarsus) can not run fast, dogs that have medium length hocks can run reasonably fast, and can do it for a long period of time. Dogs with long hocks, like Greyhounds and Afghan Hounds can run quickly in short spurts but will tire before a dog with a hock of medium length. Knowing the anatomy of a dog and its purpose can therefore help you decipher what mix a dog is and what skills and instincts it probably possesses, or exactly what a purebred can probably do or not do. To study this look up a dog's standard at the AKC website at www.akc.org. Just because a dog has short hair, is black and wags its long tail doesn't mean it has Labrador Retriever in it. If it has webbed feet, well, I'll give you a better degree of odds it does. Webbed feet make a dog a better swimmer, hmmm, now are you curious enough to look up a standard?

-Dogs with large ears that stand up can loose more heat from them than dogs with floppy ears. Which is a good thing for some to either have one or the other depending on where the breed originated from, the purpose of the breed, and where it lives now. For instance, a Pharoah Hound, which has standing ears orginated in an area where it would be important to be able to loose heat from the ears. They have large, standing ears.

-Dogs born white, but without pink eyes can still be genetically an albino. White dogs can have skin problems and should be treated with sunscreen if they do not have undercoats.

-Lassie was not a girl. I know, it shook me up for awhile when I first found out when I was young, but I decided it was OK later on. Now it seems weird to me when I hear an Englishman call a young girl a "Lassie", shouldn't that be a boy?

-There are very few dogs that have originated in the United States, the Boston Terrier, Black and Tan Coonhound, and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever are a few.

-The oldest American breed is the American Foxhound that can be traced back to the 1650's. The oldest breed is the Saluki which can be found in carvings dated 7000BC.

-A Bloodhound was not named that because it can smell blood, it was named so to reflect that it was of "Good Blood" or good breeding. It has all the wrinkles in its face so that when it leans forward to sniff the ground the skin folds can trap scent.

-Some dogs have dew claws not only on their front legs like most dogs do, but also on their back legs, in fact, some have more than one set of dew claws on their back legs. That can mean 6 extra nails than a regular dog if it has 2 on front and 4 on the back! If you don't like cutting your dog's nails then you better do your research! (Hint: You'll want to skip on looking at a Great Pyrenees, there are others too - so do the research!)

-Dogs doing agility and herding will use their dew claws when landing or turning. Dogs will also use them to hold bones between their front paws.

-German Shepherd Dog is the correct name of what most refer to as a German Shepherd. So whether or not it is a male (dog) or a female (bitch) both are known as German Shepherd Dogs.

-Shetland Sheepdogs are not miniature Collies.

-Not all dogs can swim. Dogs of long and heavy bodies with short legs can not propel enough force with their legs to swim, nor can they hold their heavy bodies out of the water. If they do swim it would be for a very short time. Some dogs are just totally made for swimming (read those standards - you can learn so much!) like the Labrador Retriever which not only has webbed feet, but a tail that serves as a rudder, and ears that are at their set on the head to be out of the water when swimming, ears that hang to keep water out as much as possible, and a body shape that allows the dog when carrying a heavy bird in its mouth when swimming will balance in the water so that the head can still stay up and out. Ok, and you thought they just liked to retrieve and get wet!

OK, that's enough fact stuff for this time. Hope you enjoyed it, and remember if you send a link to this blog to your friends they won't get a check from Bill Gates, or be in the running for a world record, but they won't be fast to use that delete button, and just might thank you for it and read your next e-mail!

Till later - woofs!

Storm Fearful Dogs

Tammara — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:16:48 -0500

(Originally posted 5/4/07 - a lost and now recovered posting)

We had one of those Spring Storms today that really can send a non storm phobic dog into a fit. Plenty of thunder and lightning, the ones where the crack of thunder preempts a ground shaking rumble. Then there is the pounding of the rain against the glass. Now, I don't mind storms. I kind of like them. When in the presence of a dog that is afraid of storms you wish it would go away, no matter if they bother you or not. It really is sad to see them suffer and not be able to explain to them that they are safe. I don't own any storm phobic dogs. We do however have many come through our Day Care. Today we had some that were with us for just the day, and a few that were staying with us.

We have a few dogs with storm fear anxiety come through our behavior modification classes every year. Last year we had an elderly, female, German Shepherd Dog that was so afraid during storms that she would seek to leave the house and would jump through windows to get outside. Her owner had sought help from her Veterinarian and had her put on medications. The medications didn't really help unless she was given enough to completely put her out. Unfortunately, what happens a lot is that. Dogs are knocked out. The majority of the medications for behavior problems on the market are made with the idea that they will be prescribed along with a program of behavior modification. The medication on its own will not help the problem go away. If there was a magic pill that could be given to a dog to cure it from an anxiety with no behavior modification, then they would have that pill on the market for humans. No pill can cure the problem without "counseling" for the dog.

If your dog has extreme anxiety then it needs the help of a good trainer. One that is used to working with behavior problem dogs. Make sure the trainer uses positive methods or they will likely cause your dog to develop more problems on top of the one it already has.

If your dog has mild anxiety then there are things you can do to help it. Don't cuddle the dog and baby talk it that "all is OK, and will be better". This would help a human child, but not your dog. It is OK to reassure the dog, but do it in a "happy" manner. At the Day Care we "cheer" and say "Yeah!" and clap when it thunders. Then we happily pet the dogs while standing. We let the dogs learn that the thunder is a trigger to get us to be happy, to pet them, engage with them, and give them rewards. The rewards can be anything from petting to tossing toys, or handing out treats. Do it in a light manner, but definitely happy. Even a cowering dog hiding from the storm will soon be coaxed out with all the fun going on.

If we know a dog is storm phobic we prepare for the storm. Usually you have a warning that a storm is approaching, which will then prompt us to check the Weather Channel. Then we go into motion for those dogs so that we can ease them into the storm. We start handing out Kongs. Kongs are big stress relievers. Read some of my past posts on Kongs (use the Blog Bar search engine in the right column and do a search of this blog). The licking behavior used with the Kong helps to ease stress and relax the dog. Using a Kong BEFORE the storm gets there will help. You can then refill the Kong in the hopes the dog will be able to use the Kong to help it through the storm. Waiting until the storm will probably produce a dog that cannot lie down and concentrate on the Kong. You need to up the level of treats during the storm. Use the the thing you know your dog could not resist and embed it throughout the cream cheese or peanut butter in the Kong. Remember, the dog needs to LICK, not work out how to get a difficult treat out of the Kong during this situation.

So, what you will do is use the storm as a trigger to spark a "Happy Mood" in you, and a party each time a crack of thunder rolls throughout the house. Also, use a Kong pre-storm, offer another during the storm, and use Rescue Remedy. Bach's Rescue Remedy was first introduced to me during a dog show. I saw someone not giving it to their dog, which many do to relax the dog, but using it on herself (its actually a human product). I asked her what it was and she told me all about Rescue Remedy. You can go to the embedded link and learn the indepth details, but it basically takes the edge off of a stressful situation. The nice thing about it is there are no side effects, and it doesn't sedate, it just takes the edge off so that you can handle the situation. With a dog, this can mean taking the edge off enough so that the dog can learn. If the dog is so stressed it cannot concentrate on the situation at hand, it can't learn that there was no harm was done by the storm. Or that the new groomer isn't bad like the last one, or this visit to the vet won't involve a major surgery and lots of post surgery pain. The dog is so concentrated on the fearful expectation at hand that there is no room for learning. The Rescue Remedy takes off the edge and the dog is then open to observing the situation.

Rescue Remedy can be given directly to the mouth, dropped in the ear (I wouldn't do this if your dog minds having medication applied), or massaged into the stomach skin area. It can also be added to drinking water. You can find it at any Health Food Store. There are many copy cats on the market, and I have tried a few, but I have never had as good a result as when using the Rescue Remedy. They call it "Yoga In A Bottle". I suggest you use it yourself in a situation that you expect to be difficult, stressful, or unnerving to you. You will probably find that the situation wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. Your dog can safely take it just as you can, with the same result. The only warning is that dogs (or people) with liver problems might need to be careful as this is an alcohol based tincture. There is however, a cream based one that could be massaged into the skin on the stomach.

Dogs that are afraid of storms that are home alone can be provided with Rescue Remedy in the water for the day. Also, Kongs, and more Kongs to find and use for relaxing. If your dog is crate trained (this is where that crate training comes in handy) leave a crate draped with a dark sheet and the door open. The dog can seek to find a safe place in the crate. If your dog is confined to a crate, drape the sides with a dark sheet.

Many dogs are said to be extra sensitive to the electric charge in the air before and during a storm, causing their anxiety. Putting the dog into the bathroom can be a good idea. The dog if it touches the bathtub will ground itself due to the piping of the tub. Teaching a dog to find the bathroom and lie down next to or in the tub during a storm is easy to do. Of course you'll need a storm, but during the storm have your "party" and Kongs by the tub. The dog will learn that is where it should be if one occurs. We taught that to my step-father's dog, Lacey. She was very storm phobic. We taught her to go into the bathroom. She then decided she liked the doors closed. She would close both doors in the bathroom with a bang and feel just fine. You would be in the house and hear doors slam and know there would be a storm within 30-45 minutes. If she was home alone during a storm, you would know where to find her when you got home.

Day Care is another choice. Use it to your advantage if there is a weather forecast that predicts a storm. There will be dogs that aren't storm phobic and maybe their behavior will help keep your dog from being as bad. The staff will help your dog and you will know it is OK while you are away.

If your dog is harming itself or extremely fearful, then medication may be the answer, but don't put your dog on the medication without seeking expert help on finding a new behavior to replace the fearful one. If you have a new puppy, or a puppy that is now experiencing its first spring storms, then teach it that storms are something to look forward to, since it means PARTY TIME every time it thunders. Now if it is raining hard (storming without the thunder), you can party then too. You don't have to wait for the thunder, just let it trigger a bigger smile and better back scratches when it does happen.

That senior German Shepherd hasn't changed her opinion of storms. She doesn't look forward to them, but she doesn't mind them either. Through her behavior modification program she has learned that her crate is a safe place, that chewing on an empty Kong can help her through the day if she doesn't have a full one, and that her Mom is great at watching the Weather Channel. Sometimes those storms sneak up on Mom and she is home alone, but Mom got today right, and she was with us at the Day Care. She let us know long before the sky turned dark. So we had a really long party today! This time last year she was cowering under a table. This year she was first in line to get her rubs and cheers when the thunder cracked. Now that I think about it, maybe its not so much the storm that I like, but that my behavior has been changed as much as the dogs, I mean how can you not like the loud rumble of thunder when it means you get to smile, cheer, and rub the heads and backs of lots of wiggling excited dogs all happy they get to share that one moment with you. Yep, I do like storms.

Till later - woofs.

PS I've decided the Trainer's Sessions will be to long to post on here as I had planned. If you are interested, just e-mail me and I will be happy to send you information. I will try to do an overview in one of the next posts. Just wanted you to know!