Dog Talk

AOL has been goving me fits for far to long. I hate not being able to share pics so I have moved my blog. The new site is:

 http://www.k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com/

I hope to see you there!

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I finally figured out how to share video. Here is one I took of the new foster french bulldog named Dash playing with my akita Jack. Missy is also spotted in there a few times. The quality isn't the best but you can get the idea. Enjoy!

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f42/Akitamom2/?action=view&current=HPIM1017.flv

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There is a test coming up I have to decide if I want to take or not. It is so I can become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. (CPDT) I didn't plan on taking it but this is a good opportunity that is hard to pass up. Usually I would have to travel to Boston to take the test. A local trainer is getting enough interested people together to take it locally instead.

Pro: It is a great thing to advertise as having to help get clients.  

Con: I'm not sure it is needed for my area. I am not in direct competition with the other trainers since we all have our own niches and I already have a great reputation.

Pro: It will keep me on the same level as the other trainers taking the test. (tho that is a perception of the general public and not always based on experience or talent per say)

Con: After you pass the test you have to keep up with your continuing education credits. It is something I do anyway but now I would have to keep track officially and if needed might have to travel to seminars to be able to earn enough in a years time to keep my certification. I'm not sure I need to stress of having to keep track of one more thing. (having young kids and a hubby with two jobs during hunting season makes travel problematic)

I am conflicted. I know I would pass the test and I do qualify to take it. (you need a minimum number of hours teaching under your belt) It is expensive at about $350 but that can be written off as a business expense.

I guess I have some thinking to do. Either way it doesn't mean anything will change. I will still train the way I do, still write my articles and still show and enjoy my dogs. I will certainly post when I make my decision.

Dash is doing wonderful. He is such a sweet and happy pup. I will really miss him when he goes to his new home. We are just waiting for his biopsy results before we post him as available on the rescue website. He came through his surgeries with flying colors. His eye is looking great, his skin is healed and he is back to playing full force with Jack and Missy.

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Friday we had the prisoner dog Diamonds CGC test. He failed spectacularly. OK it isn't a pass or fail test per say but he, and his handler, were not having a great day. They did do the recall and the sit stay pretty well. He also was good for the grooming portion and heeling without the crowd. In trouble shooting the event all I can surmise is that the crowd of women was to much for him. It caused his over stimulation, or at least contributed to it. To be fair the dog is around mostly men that are all dressed alike night and day. We apparently need to practice the test conditions as well during our training. (having the female crowd there with a strange dog) He was very excited about the dog too but that is something we do practice as much as possible. I bring my dogs and any dogs I have here for training or fostering. (Maybe I should take a new dog every time from the shelter.) I also think that not being able to practice some of the stuff in public normal settings puts us at a bit of a disadvantage. I also think his lack of exercise that day didn't help. It has been horrificly cold here lately and I think the handlers didn't give him enough running time outside before hand as well. He is extremely high energy. The dog can keep warm with his running but the handlers have to be outside in the cold, not a fun task.

After the test he settled down just fine (of course) and had a playtime with the dog brought for the test. He also showed off all of his tricks (high five, beg, sit pretty, crawl and roll over) and showed how far he has come. He didn't jump up on anyone or mouth anyone for attention. When I picked him out of the shelter he was a crazy dog. Jumping and mouthing and circling endlessly around me. He was in obvious need of basic training. Since he doesn't have a home lined up yet he will stay with the handlers so they can keep working him. Taking him back to the shelter to wait would only set him back quite a bit in his behavior. Nobody wants that.

I am bummed he didn't pass because I did think he would ace it. However he has come a LONG way in his training and for that I am very happy and proud. The handlers are doing very well with him. I am losing my primary handler soon. (he is getting released for time served) He is an excellent handler and picks things up very quickly. I am sorry we are losing him. He has been excellent for the program.

I heard from Rudys new mom that he is doing great. She even sent pics of him playing with his big sister Shango. I think it was a wonderful match for both of them. It is always great to hear positive updates onmy former students.

Dash the foster frenchie pup is doing very well. His skin is looking very good with only one bad spot left. It is in a nose fold under the eye so it might not be mange but could be a yeast infection instead. We will go for a recheck to get it looked at to be sure. He is a real sweet dog with a bit of a mischievous streak. I caught him standing on my coffee table yesterday after I had left the room for a few minutes. It was funny but I still made him get off. Yesterday was also bath day. I think his coat is slowly getting softer. He certainly smells better than he did. He loves to cuddle with us on the couch. He has also gotten very comfortable with my two and plays full force with them now. I think Missy likes having another small dog around to play with. She is usually quite reserved with other dogs. I guess this bodes well for our next dog. (certain to be a pug)

Enjoy your day! Tail wags.

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and he is a real sweetheart. His new name is Dash after a FBRN members friend. (She made a donation to FBRN for me to choose the name. Yes I CAN be bought for a good cause!) It is a Russian last name (Dashkoff) and it fits well since he is a Russian import. (with Russian papers to prove it, I wish I could read them) The imports have a slightly different body type than the regular AKC frenchie. It is more of a Boston Terrier look. Taller and lanky with a longer tail. He is also a non-akc acceptable color. (typical of the imports as they breed for money not conformation) For more info on Russian importers check out the link in the sidebar "The Wrong Puppy".

He is black with a small white spot on his chest. He also has a floppy ear. He does have a cherry eye but the mange is actually not to bad. They had already been treating it so it is almost gone at this point. Once he is neutered and fixed up he is going to be a WONDERFUL pet for a family.

He travels very well and simply curls up to sleep once under way. He loves all people and is great with other dogs. He is already housebroken which makes my job and life so much easier. :-) He is good on leash as well. He does need some basic training and to learn that jumping on people isn't allowed. (those nails are sharp!) He is a great example of the kind of dogs you can get through rescue or your local shelter. He was given up due to allergies in the family.

I'll try to add a pic of him to my website so I can show him off soon. He is a real cutie. Son would still rather have a pug though. How funny is that?

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I am feeling much more human finally. My most recent doc appointment went well and if I continue to improve I don't need to go back. If I don't improve, or I plateau, then I will need to see a specialist. Keep those fingers crossed. The nebulizer seems to have helped alot. I have also learned that no matter how mild you think your asthma is, it is important to take good care of your lungs. Translation: Take your medicine as SOON as you start having a problem. Or you could end up with a bigger problem in the long run. After all, it's not like you can buy a new set of lungs at your local Wal-mart.

I had Rudy, a smooth chow pup, here for a couple of weeks for socialization and training. He was such an easy puppy. I wouldn't have had him here while under the weather otherwise. I found him to be a very thoughtful puppy too. He was so interesting to watch. He is headed to a new home soon to live with Shango. She was another one of Zolas pups that stayed with me. (Zola doesn't have kids for her pups to socialize with so she likes them to come stay with me) She breeds the most awesome temperments. I wish she had a website so I could share her dogs with you. Shango and Rudy will make a great pair together.

Saturday evening I am headed to Portland to pick up a foster dog for FBRN. www.frenchbulldogrescuenetwork.org He is a 9 month old intact (to be neutered) male with demodectic mange and a cherry eye. Poor guy will need some TLC for sure. They are such a well organised and wonderfully friendly group. I am amazed at how well the group is run. Check out their very entertaining blog: http://fbrnetworknews.blogspot.com/

Then Sunday I am headed to the Gardiner area to do a homecheck for the same group. Missy is slated to go with me to suck up, err show them how silly frenchies can be. :-) I'm sure she will do a great job.

My article on enrichment for your dog came out in the January issue of Downeast Dog News. (page 7) If you haven't seen it the paper is excellent. Look around at your local pet supply store or shelter for a copy. The best part is that it is FREE! YOu can't beat that with a stick!

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Well the pneumonia is gone finally. I do still have a lingering cough from my asthma. Fortunatly it is something I can work around.

It is getting near the time we test our prison dog Diamond. He will be taking the CGC test before he graduates the program and goes into a home. The interesting thing is they we haven't had ANY interest in him by potential adopters. I am not sure why. He is a strikingly georgous dog that LOVES to work. He is a border collie that had sadly lived out on a chain in his former home. He is listed as 7 years old which might be a negative for some people. I have to assure everyone though that if you didn't know how old he was you would swear he was still a VERY young dog. He certainly has the energy level of a youngster. If he were younger I would recommend him for a drug dog program. (they won't accept dogs over 1 or 2 unfortunatly) He would have been perfect with his drive. I think his perfect home will be with someone that likes to do things with their dogs. Agility, flyball or even tracking. Besides the basics and being crate trained he also already knows sit pretty, crawl, and high five. He has been a blast to train on the program because he is so smart. He can get overstimulated easily so I think he would do better with older kids in a home as opposed to younger ones that could get knocked over by his enthusiasm. We will be starting to get the word out on him but if you  are in Maine and are interested in Diamond here is more about him: http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/Diamond.html You can contact the shelter directly also at 594-2200 He really is a terrific dog and his pics don't do him justice.

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I am home sick with walking pneumonia. It is not fun. The coughing is the worst part. It interfers with everything. I hope to at least be back to working status by Monday.

The silver lining has been time to think, read and surf online. I think I might expand my business to include problem cat behavior clients. I happen to love cats so it's not a stretch for me. I do believe in studying your subjects properly however so I have ordered some more cat behavior books to help with that. It won't be something I start tomorrow. I'll need time to study and plan my advertising.

Speaking of advertising I have an article coming out in the next issue of Downeast Dog News on Enrichment. (www.downeastdognews.com )Check it out if you get a chance.

I am off to take some medication and perhaps a nap. I hope everyone had a better start to the New Year than I have. Tail wags.

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My husband has to work tomorrow so we had our Christmas a whole day early. The kids were pretty happy about that. They of course made out like bandits once again.

The dogs did pretty well too. Missy got a new Galileo nyla bone. Jack got a rope tug toy he loves and they get to share some new stuffies and more tug toys and treats. One of them is a loopie toy that they both like to play with. Jacks favorite game is tug and Missys, besides chewing, favorite thing is stealing toys away from Jack. So having lots of handles on the toy helps her with that.

I also did very well and got lots of lovely goodies. I won't bore you with the details but the dog related ones are: The Dog Trainers Resource book put out by APDT,(www.apdt.com ) Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals by Karen Overall, and the DVD The Language of Dogs by Sarah Kalnajs. All of these things are available at www.dogwise.com . These were on my Christmas list and even though hubby thought I had plenty of dog stuff already he was a good hubby and bought them for me as requested. Tho some eye rolling was involved.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season filled with friends, family, love and laughter. (and lets not forget great food!)

Merry Christmas!

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I am very excited!! The first dog has graduated from the K-9 Corrections program. Check out the news coverage here:  http://knox.villagesoup.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=82695 The CGC test was given by Sumac of www.leapingdogs.com Guinness was so excited to see the crowd that he wouldn't settle down quite enough to pass. It was only one exercise on the test however (out of 10 exercises) so I am very proud of his progress and that of the handlers. He has a home and is very well behaved so I consider it mission accomplished. :-)

The next dog has begun, a boder collie mix named Diamond. More information about him can be found at: http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/Diamond.html   He is the cutest border collie mix and has a great personality. He is alot of fun to work with and his handlers are already doing very well with his energy level, which is typical for a dog of his breed.

For those interested in the plight of pitbulls check out this video sent by a reader. (Thanks Hannah! and yes I'd love to borrow that DVD "Off the leash") WARNING! Tissue alert! May not be suitable for all viewers.

http://gprime.net/flash.php/thepitbullproblem  Blame the deed, not the breed!

The following is a reply to some comments made after my post of the Cesar Millan book review. It was to long to leave in the comments section of that post.

Somehow I missed these comments when they were posted. MY point in posting the review was to point out a the flaws with the book so people could make a more informed decision when thinking about buying it. Do what you like. However I am a dog trainer and I do this for a living. I go to seminars and learn as much as possible about dog behavior in order to help me do my job effectively and humanely. Cesar Millan is no more a dog psychologist than I am a princess. He says he is and has named his training center to relect that but has NO education towards that under his belt. He freely admits that! Canine behaviorists are one of the FEW canine professional fields that ARE closely regulated. Not just anyone can say they are an animal behaviorist or behavior counselor. You MUST have credientials to back it up. (there is no such thing as a dog psychologist, do some research) Unlike dog training where anyone can say they are a dog trainer. As a trainer I am NOT a fan of his show. Yes I agree that he does help some dogs. I do have to wonder though how many of those dogs that live/stay there ever get real homes. That is a very large pack he keeps there. I warn those that watch his show not to use it as training advise. And as to the alpha roll, even the originators have recanted the use of it AT ALL. (and the Monks of New Skete who published it originally - make sure if you follow them you ahve the updated version of their book) It was based on wolf behavior that was misinterpreted. You WILL get bitten if you try this technique on a dog that fights back. In dog language it doesn't make sense and to them it is an attack. Besides, you are not forcing them to submit to you, they are only allowing you to push them into a specific body postion. So it's not about when you use it. There is no right way to use this technique. The Monks techniques work, it is the compulsion method of training which has been around for a long time. Dog training has evolved since then so there are other, and to some better, ways. I do agree with some of what he says, dogs aren't people fur coats, be a leader for your dogs, exercise them every day. But I just see so much on the show that is wrong or inappropriate that I cannot see it as a help overall to people and their dogs. (and I get to deal with fallout of people that DO watch him and try his techniques to disastrious results) He also has the benefit of editing on his side and some "famous" clients and good press.  Of course this is just my opinion. Based of course on my knowledge as a working dog trainer. You do the math and make your own decisions. 

 Q: What can two trainers agree on?

A: What the third one is doing wrong. :-)

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