Archive for September, 2009
Sugar looks 90% Labrador
A wonderful update on Sugar (from Willow‘s litter)…90% lab isn’t bad for a rescue puppy!!
Hello,
Just a little update on Sugar, she is doing great, she just started puppy classes and did very well. All her other classmates were tiny breed dogs and I told my husband Sugar looked like Clifford the Big Red Dog.She is super dog and people friendly and doesn’t understand why everyone does not want to play with her. She is into everything, we cannot turn our backs for one minute. She too like Koda found her way on top of tables, we keep referring to her as Marley. I am curious to know how her litter mates are doing, size of them and how they look. Sugar keeps growing and growing, she is about 35 lbs. at almost 16 weeks and her color has gotten a little more golden yellow. My vet says she looks 90% Lab but her ears are much longer than a labs. I will try to send some pictures when I learn how to attach to my e-mails– I am not very computer savy. I would like to attend some puppy playtimes, but it is just a little too far.
-Donna
Koda’s personality shines through
Here is a fun note from the family Koda (of Chloe‘s litter):
Hi Everyone,
I just came across some comical pics that I just had to share, I hope it brings a smile. Koda recently seems to think he’s supposed to be on top of the tables. He is now learning the word OFF! We think agility training is in his future.
The pics of him in the hostas are just a true glimpse of his personality. He always gives you the “what? what did I do?” look. He also, like the other pups enjoys hunting moths, crickets, birds and an occasional toad. He will spend an entire evening digging at the landscape rocks trying to catch the crickets. He did discover that pulling up the fabric underneath works really well also. He then tears off pieces and has fun watching me put it all back together. He thinks I’m helping him find those facinating bugs.
He also likes to hide his treats, but not outside. Ever since he was 2 months he would put them in a corner or by the couch. He still does this but now he likes to put them in the couch cushions or under a throw pillow. It is fun to watch how intense this process is. I heard about dogs doing this but never had one that actually did “bury a bone”.
He knows when my son is due home from school. He gets sooo excited when the school bus pulls up and knows that ‘his boy” is home. It is so heartwarming. My son and Koda have formed a great relationship. They are true buddies. It is the bond that all children should experience…. that unconditional love. It is all that I hoped for!
He is doing much better with his “excitement / submissive urination” . He still does it occasionally when meeting other dogs, but not all the time. Thank goodness! So, we are getting along and enjoying him more and more each day.
Hope to see all of you soon,
Pam
New book for Dog Whisperer Cesar Milan
TV’s “dog whisperer”, Cesar Milan has a new book coming out. How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond will be released on October 6, 2009. You can pre-order yours at a savings of $8.84 through Amazon.
Nail Trims and Grooming
How many of you out there regularly brush and bathe your dogs? How many out there trim your own dogs’ nails? How many of you out there brush your dogs’ teeth? My guess is that the numbers decreased with each question. Most of us understand that bathing and brushing come with owning a dog. And for many of us, these tasks are an enjoyable part of interacting with our dogs. Some of us, for many reasons, choose to have our dogs professionally groomed. But all of us expect that there is some “maintenance” required in owning a dog.
However, many of us forget about the rest of the animal. I have seen many dogs with extremely long toe nails, some so long that the foot is being deformed and the dog is clearly uncomfortable walking as a result! These dogs are usually loved and cared for but their owners, for whatever reason, have neglected this part of their anatomy. Nail trimming IS often difficult. Most dogs dislike having their feet handled and if a dog hasn’t been given regular nail trims from puppyhood, they can resist nail trims with a nearly violent reaction.
Lollie after a nail trim
My own dog, Lollie, hated nail trims. I tried to give them to her as a puppy but she struggled so much she often got out of our hold. Once she learned that she could escape by fierce struggling, she struggled all the harder with each attempt. Add to this my fear of her reaction and we had a horrible situation on our hands. It got to the point that at one attempt I was certain she was going to bite me. I stopped trimming her nails and took her to the vet. There she was muzzled and put on her side and struggled so much that the vet assistant, who was restraining her, ended up with multiple scratches and the vet’s glasses were flung across the room (her flailing foot caught the stem of them and off they went, into the air). I realized that we were in for a lifetime of panic and unnecessary drama unless something radically changed.
Photos of Indy
Here are new photos of Indy (formerly Sweet William of Chloe‘s litter):
Indy
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Training classes offered
I have been working with the new owner of a doggy day care facility in Geneva, IL - The Water Bowl, on getting together a list of classes I will be teaching there. If any of you are interested, check out my training page.
And if you don’t find the class you need, let me know! We can see what we can do.
Taking responsibility for our pets
I have been thinking a lot lately about what I have learned by my dogs and then, while surfing, I see that Cesar Millan is also thinking these thoughts. I like what he’s written here about how living with dogs teaches us how to have a healthy and mutual relationship. So often people view their problems with their dogs as their dog’s problems! My number one goal in working with these people is helping them see their dog’s needs as valid and necessary to attend to.
We decide to take on a dog as a pet and companion and therefore we (whether consciously or not) also take on the responsibility for meeting all their needs – for exercise, stimulation, work, friendship, play, food, shelter, all of it. And it doesn’t matter whether you work full time or don’t have the money – this is irrelevant to the responsibility of stewardship. Just as we are responsible for taking care of the people we bring into this world, we are also responsible to the animals we bring into our homes. And, yes, those of us who take this seriously are often ridiculed by those who don’t have pets or who don’t take this responsibility seriously. I have actually said these words, “No, I can’t ____ because I have to get home and take care of the dogs/puppies/bird.” We have to prioritize our responsibilities to the animals in our care. And when we do, suddenly their behavior improves and our connection with them deepens. Amazing, huh?
What Our Dogs Can Teach Us – Cesar Millan
One of the most valuable lessons my dogs have taught me is how to have a healthy relationship. In any relationship – human-canine, human-human, human-pachyderm you cannot have the bond you are looking for unless you fulfill the others’ needs. If you’re not giving your dog what he requires, he’ll let you know by chewing your shoes, jumping up on your guests, pulling on the walk, or one of many other behavior problems. It’s not malicious. He’s just finding another way to meet the needs programmed in him by Mother Nature. In order to fulfill one another, we need to look outside ourselves and really understand what the other needs and how their psychology works. That’s the foundation for a balanced, healthy relationship with any species.
But that’s not all dogs have to teach us. They educate us about the value of consistency. If you apply Exercise, Discipline, then Affection every day without fail, your dog will reward you with loyal companionship. And they show us how to live life to the fullest by being ba lanced and celebrating every moment.
Through my pack, I have experience birth, life, and death, and they have shared fundamental lessons about going through this natural life cycle. How do they pass from one phase to the next? How do they stay together all their lives as a family? They have taught me to value the simplicity of life itself. They intensify every moment that I am with them. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Stay calm and assertive!
Cesar Millan
Dealing with dog Separation Anxiety
Here is a note I received from Chloe‘s new family, followed by my response to their separation anxiety issue:
My parents are the proud adoptive parents of Chloe! I am their daughter and live 5 blocks away and I love Chloe too! She has taken to my mom and dad easily. They are active seniors who stay home a lot. I am at their house often. Chloe is doing well and is adjusting quite well to her new home. She is a wonderful dog!!!!! Very smart!
She has only been with them for 4 days. During that time, the only thing we may need some advice on is helping her to separate when my parents leave the house together to go out for breakfast. They are only gone a couple of hours once a week. She has the run of the house. Chloe whines and howls when they are gone. She is not destructive in any way. Is there any way we can help her through this?
Roxane
Roxane,
Thank you SO much for the update on Chloe! I know many of my readers will be thrilled to hear that she is doing well in your parents’ home. I became really attached to her and would have kept her had my home and heart not been full already, so your words were a comfort to me.
Chloe has been through an incredible amount of change in the past 4 months. She was taken from a hoarders’ home with her 7, one-month old puppies and placed in a shelter for a couple of days. Then she was transported from southern IL to my home where she lived with her pups for another month. On a single day her pups all went to their new homes and was taken to her new (more…)
