Dogviews

Oh, Hello!

I realize I haven't been here in awhile. There are no excuses, except life things.

I have a new baby in the house. Let me introduce you to Oreobay Get Ready Get Set, "Izzy". Izzy is 11 week old Portuguese Water Dog, bred by Nigel Clark. She is adorable and she is WILD!! More on her in upcoming posts. Having Izzy has prompted me to think a lot about training and raising a puppy, hence my return to this blog.

Puppy Mill Experience Leaves Me Blue

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.

Norman the Poodle's New Year's Resolutions

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!

Betty the Boxer Mix

One of my "jobs" now at the assistance dog organization I volunteer for is to evaluate the new dogs that come into the program, including rescues. One of the first dogs on my list was a 1 1/2 yr. old boxer/lab mix now called Betty. She was scheduled to be euthanized until someone called us about her.

Betty did fairly well on the temperament testing portion of our evaluation. She enjoyed being handled, noises didn't startle her, she was confident and not food or toy aggressive. On the trainability section, she did just OK. She wasn't very food motivated and she was more interested in other dogs than in humans. We need service dogs that want to work and please and who love food.

I'm happy to say that Betty and I have found her weakness when it comes to food:  dried chicken breast jerky from Sam's Club. No one knows her background, but I'd bet she's never had chicken breast that didn't come from a garbage can.

Betty has also learned to trust humans. She bops over to me when I or the other trainers call her. She's not like your average lab/retriever who loves to work. But, I suspect that will improve a bit over time.

I've never been a rescuer of anything. But, I'm pretty proud of Betty. She's going to have a great life -- whether she makes it through the program, or not. There are about 4 people on the waiting list to adopt her if she flunks out. So either way, her future looks brighter than it did before I met her.

Entertaining Your Dog and the Obbsessive Compulsive Disorder of a Cocker Spaniel

We've become a pet society obsessed with finding our dogs the perfect chew/bone/gadget/puzzle to occupy their time and keep them from becoming bored. Check out this list:

• Kongs (original, Kong Stuff-a-ball, Kong Biscuit ball, Dental Kongs and more)
• Kong Time Dispenser so you can leave up to four loaded Kongs for your dog to be dispensed at set intervals. This gadget costs over $100!!
• Busy Buddies, including Squirrel Dude, Twist N Treat, Chuckle, The Waggle, The Groove Thing and Foot Small (their names are clever!)
• Triple Crown Everlasting Fun Ball (one of Norman, the poodle's favorites because he can squash it in his mouth)
• Sterilized bones, both stuffed and unstuffed (I put peanut butter in them so it's hard to reach)
• Rawhides

The picture above is of my cocker spaniel Vino and his Waggle Busy Buddy. He's been trying to get every last morsel for the last hour. He whines and growls so much I had to finally take it from him.  I think he's about to lose his mind! The poodles were done with their sterilized bones with treats and kibble stuffed in the middle in about 5 minutes. Not Vino! He won't give up. There are fronds at the end of the toy to keep treats from easily falling out and I even cut them shorter so it wouldn't be so hard for him. There must be a larger treat stuck inside.

I don't leave my dogs home alone all day. Luckily I have that flexibility. But there are times when I just want to watch a movie and not have dogs wrestling in front of the television. That's when I bring one out from my arsenal of "interactive" or chew toys. Looks like I need to re-think my strategy:  something harder for the poodles, and something that won't make Vino obsessively crazy.

What's in your arsenal of dog entertainment gadgets?

Howlin' Halloween

OK, I crack myself up!

I got the dogs Halloween t-shirts from Old Navy and they glow in the dark. A little background...I don't dress my dogs up normally. I know that's hard to believe, based on the photos here and my last post about doggie parachutes. OK, they do have sweaters.

My husband is the photographer in the family. He tried to tell me how to take photos of their glow-in-the-dark shirts. It didn't really work out, but it's funny, anyway. Can't you tell they glow in the dark? You should have seen me -- by myself -- trying to get these dogs to sit still and turning off the lights, etc. I'm scaring myself.

So, this one is wierd, I know. But, this is my attempt at creative photography. See, they do glow in the dark!

AKC (American Kennel Club) Under Fire

One of my favorite blogs, Dogster For the Love of Dog Blog recently posted an article about a new arrangement between the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Petland. Petland sells puppy mill puppies, and AKC is letting them use their name in the stores to promote AKC registration.

Well, the dog world isn't too happy with AKC, as breeders affiliated with the organization are vehemently opposed to companies like Petland.

I've commented on the Dogster site about this issue, and basically here's my stand:

Having an AKC registered dog doesn't mean much. It means the dog is purebred, but it doesn't guarantee:

1. The puppy is healthy
2. The puppy has been socialized correctly
3. The dog's parents have a good temperament.

You have to do a lot of research to make sure that the above is true. And most importantly, don't buy the first dog you see. Take your time. Talk to a lot of people. You are going to have to live with this dog a long time.

New Photo for Finn the Glen of Imaal Terrier

Here's a better picture of Finn the Glen of Imaal Terrier.

Siblings Raised Together Make for Tough Pets

When I started learning about dogs, I read that it's bad to get two sibling puppies and raise them together. I was reminded of this again during a training session.

This big lug of a black lab I'll call Noir (his real name is almost that funny) came to the assistance dog organization I volunteer for as a two-year old dog. For some reason he was donated by his owners. I do know that he had been raised alongside his sibling (brother) and had never been away from him.

Upon evaluation the first day at our facility, he did great. He retrieved well, was focused on the trainer and seemed a happy, eager-to-please dog; destined to become a great service dog.

I worked him for the first time yesterday and again today and couldn't get this dog to look at me or wag his tail once. His eyes were trained on the door, presumably looking for the kennel manager -- the one who feeds him. She has become his new "sibling." I don't think this dog really knows how to interact with humans. It could be that he's still adjusting to his new environment, but many dogs do so much quicker and easier.

Back to my opening paragraph: If you raise two sibling puppies together, they tend to bond with each other instead of their human pack leader. Who needs a human if you have another dog to play with?

Hot Dog

It's hot here in Toledo, Ohio! Hot, muggy and buggy. We've had too much rain and the mosquitoes are bad.

Here's my amateur (as in check with your vet) checklist of  precautions to take in this weather.

1. Never, ever leave your dog in the car when it's hot. I know you've heard it before, but it's tempting to want to take them with you (my dogs love rides and know how to spell the word.)
2. Take water with you if you go to the park. There are all types of gadgets out there, but a throw away plastic tub and a used plastic bottle with tap water works just fine, too. Dehydration is a big problem with dogs. They don't sweat like us and can only pant to regulate their body temperature. A recent post from Dog Reader has great info on dehydration.
3. If your dog loves to play outside, get one of those cheap baby pools and fill it up with water, or just spray them with the hose.
4. For protection against mosquitoes, my vet recommends Off for kids. Also, according to their web site, K9Advantix protects agains mosquitoes, along with fleas and ticks. I can't find any information on Frontline, but once again, check with your vet.
5. Even if you do use a product like Frontline, check your dog often for fleas and ticks.
6. If all else fails, turn on the AC and play inside!