Just Not Getting Along

It hasn't been much fun down at the kennel this week.

No one, including me, wants to play with the puppy, Bella. She is just all bounce and no manners.

Grace, the black lab, comes out of her run with her hackles up and never does put them back down. I don't know what she is afraid of, she is the biggest dog here.

Blue wants to sniff and follow every dog around but, growls and gets mad if anyone tries to do the same to him.

Blue wants to play ball, over the weekend, so did Sadie. Only, they can't let anyone else play ball. It gets very ugly very fast if any other dog makes a play for the tennis ball. For the past five day, whenever a tennis ball appears out of the melting snow, I pitch it over the fence.

Tessie seems to want to run with Grace and even seems willing to play, that is until Grace actually tries to engage her. Then Tessie growls and wants to go in.

Poor Grace hasn't had anyone to play hard with since Winchester went home.

And back to Bella, she really gave the pair of pugs, Jack and Jill, a hard time. Just her size but completely freaked out by her. They unfurled their tails so far back, they were giving themselves a wedgie.

Well, the puppy went home, the Pug relaxed and curled up their tails. Tessie is still 'thinking' about playing with Grace. And maybe, just maybe, there are no more tennis balls in the play yard.

Ha, Ha, Ha - I Solved One Problem and Made Myself a Whole New One

I decided to try again and see if I could come up with a mix of dogs that would play together without any growling.

Tessie, Booker and Rocko on one side. So far so good.
The newbies and the shitzus on my side. Looking good.
Tippy and Tank and Booker, staying in their runs for now. (Much barking out of complaints)


The newbies, Butch, Bella, and Chumbs, seem to be getting used to the place. Bella has stopped giving herself a wedgie and was actually wagging her tail. Buddy, the antisocial dachshund, came out into the play yard for the first time all weekend. I even saw him wag his tail. Rambo and Dorie plus Butch and Bella seem to be a hit. They are having a great time. I get to stop being in Referee mode for the first time in days and get the poop scooped. It really needed to get done.

The play yard is clean, the dogs are having fun, except the guys that haven't had their turn outside yet. Time to switch. Okay, maybe too much fun because I can't get any of the 5 into thier runs. The newbies were easy to put in last night, they were pretty freaked out and ready to go anywhere that had less dogs. Not today. Trying to get 3 dogs, all that don't want to be in, into one run is nothing short of chaos. Especially, when one of them is a lab puppy. (you can't steer puppies)

I finally caught the shitzus and then I got Chumbs in, then grabbed the puppy and Bella just walked in like, "Gee, all you had to do was ask."

A Perfect Storm of Dogs

Really, I can't come up with a worse combination of dogs than the one I have now. If you have any desire to lose your hearing, feel free to stop by, the barking is nothing less than spectacular.

I have Tessie and until yesterday I had Jinx. Neither of these dogs comes with an OFF switch. Jinx barks all the time and when Tessie is not barking, she is jumping straight up and down. Which of course, just makes all the other dogs bark.

Tessie's barking has been a problem from day one. The only time she stops barking at the dogs that are playing is when I throw a toy for her. She doesn't bring them back so I try to load up and keep throwing them. Her constant barking at dogs that are wrestling is like a circle of people yelling, "Fight! Fight!", it just isn't going to lead to anything good.

But Tessie comes here all the time and frankly me and most of the dogs are just plain used to her.

Well this weekend, between Tessie's leaping and Jinx's yipping was Keisha, barking right along with them. Then the Glitter Twins showed up, Jasmine and Jake. Two yellow labs that no one wants to play with because just one of them is too much playing. Tessie's constant motion has the puppies in a frenzy and Keisha is revving up right along with them.

If you watch the Dog Whisperer, he always talks about the 'energy' level of the dogs. Let's just say that this much barking and jumping, the energy level in the kennel is at 11. And high energy in dogs is, frankly, unstable. So I have a full kennel of fur covered nitro...one wrong touch and this place is going to blow.

When I first let the dogs out into the play yard, the energy is at its highest and worst. Sometimes they shoot out of their gate like madmen. Diesel had a problem with this. He has calmed down since, but at first I would let him out, lock him on the far side of the play yard and let him run it off for 5 or 10 minutes before letting him in with the other dogs. If I just let him out into a crowd he would being playing but at such an intensity that to the other dogs, it would be an attack.

So, the trick to defusing this situation is first, who can play with who, and second, in what order can you let them out.

I have all these nutty dogs and some of them are of the extra large variety. I have to say that I am mostly focused on Cai, the Irish Wolfhound and on Maki, the Mastidor (Mastif-Labrador). Maki is clearly not used to being the SMALL dog in the pile. Maki was really getting picked on fir a while. Keisha on one side, Cai on the other, when Jinx darts in a bites her on the ankle. Now, Maki doesn't even see Jinx, who is the size of a pound of butter. He thinks Keisha did it and growls at her. "Break it up, break it up, everyone back in their own rooms". First things first, Jinx is not coming out anymore.

I was thinking that the puppies, who are a perfect match for Maki might also do well with Cai. Everything just might work out. Nope.

Let out Cai, let Bella out but not Jinx, let out Keisha, get the tennis racket to defend myself, let out the puppies and Maki, let out Tessie last as she HAS to go in everyone kennel if she is let out sooner.

I am so worried about the big and bouncy, that I total missed the girls working themselves into a tizzy. Of all the dogs, it was Keisha and Tessie that went at it. Looked bad, sounded worse, no marks on either of them.

Okay lets try again.

Let out Cai, let Bella out but not Jinx, get the tennis racket to defend myself, let out Jake and leave Jasmine in the kennel obsessing over Tessie, let out Maki and try to keep her off me, let out Tessie last. Stuff them all on the other side while trying to keep Jake and Maki off me.

Latch the divider gate for the play yard and let out Keisha and Jasmine.

Spend playtime throwing balls to get Tessie to stop barking and fencing with a tennis racket to defend my personal space from Keisha and Jasmine.

I just keep asking myself...so, when are they all going home?

This weeks visitors

Littlest to Biggest

Jinx



Jinx's BIG sister, Bella



Tessie, who never lets me get a picture of her.



Ellie-Belly, she no longer requires a belly rub to get back into her kennel.



BB, doesn't she look mean in this picture.



Shadow, who just might be afraid of his own shadow.



Cai, short for Mordecai, short for nothing else. He is the biggest dog, ever, at The Ranch!

Last Week

We are freezing today, but last week we had our first real days of summer.


Bella and Jinx have the right idea about spending playtime lounging in the shade of the apple tree.

I lost my huge peach tree last summer. That tree had to be at least 20 years old and it shaded most of the dog runs and half of the smaller play yard. I currently have a twig of tree trying to replace it. I guess I should have planted new trees five years ago when I started this business, but who expects a decades old tree to get killed off in one season by bugs. Damn those Snot-Hole Borers. They took out the best peach tree and did a number on my Italian plum last season. I am hoping the cold winter and delayed spring is hitting them hard, 'cause bug poisons don't touch them.

I want to get some roofs up over the outdoor runs so the dogs have more shade this summer. I should have done it last fall, it sure would have been nice not to have to shovel snow out of the runs all winter.

The Dynamic Duo verses The Mighty Mights

Finally, they are having some fun.

The Magic of Snow!

I really wish I had my camera with me today. The five dogs that I have had all week have just not been getting it together. They chase each other for the first few seconds, but after that they just wander around not playing much.


Not today, the snow was falling and it turned them all back into puppies. That was a very fun play time.

I can laugh , now, they have all gone home.

Really, if I wanted that much grief for Thanksgiving, I could have invited a bunch of relatives.

The kennel is deliciously empty and quiet for a couple of days. I just have Chaser and Bella, Chance and Scruffy and Kaizon. Chaser and Bella are a bit much for Scruffy and Kaizon, but I have still not convinced Kaizon that she is actually a dog and that she should like being with other dogs.

I thought last weekend was bad...

but this Thanksgiving has been the worse.


Last weekend that dogs just never jelled. They never seemed to get it together and really has some fun. I kept thinking that the right dog would pull the group together. Sophie showed up and my hopes were all riding on her. No luck, they mostly just wandered around and ignored each other. I am getting a crash course in the psychology of group dynamics. The right dog can make a playtime, removing a dog can improve play time, but sometimes you just can't get them to play at all.


This weekend is is less worrying about them not having fun and more of keeping them from killing each other. Every single dog I have this LONG weekend is a regular. Every single one of them has lost their minds.

I have Tessie and with Tessie you never get a quiet weekend. She is quite the barker, in the kennel she is bad, but out to play she is worse. She barks non stop at all the dogs to get them to play with her. I keep trying to point out that this is not working for her, but she hasn't changed her approach.

I have Sunny, a collie, who is herding all the dogs. Sunny also barks in the kennel and even more when out to play. Sunny needs an authority figure. I work on him every time he comes. I pull out everything I have learned from the Dog Whisperer's show and his books. I can usually get Sunny to tone it down but this time he is just not stopping at the nipping at other dogs. He has actually managed to piss BB off so bad that she has snapped at him more than once. He has not gotten the message.

I will try again to talk to his Dad about how he walks his dog and how the humans need to be the pack leader and not Sunny. Sunny is a severe dog bite waiting to happen. He is going to happily chomp on the wrong tail or flank and he is going to catch hell for it.

As for the rest of them, they all left their manners at home. Chaser and Bella were teasing Jake far too much last weekend and now they are doing it to Smokey Bill. Patches likes to play with everyone, but as soon as it gets to rough on her, her teeth come out and the growling starts. I just never let her play with anyone for too long. Sweetie is just a nervous wreck and she is fully capable of avoiding all the other dogs, normally. This group just can't leave her alone.

Which brings me to Kodi and Bella, two of the biggest dogs and yet the frightenest. These guys bark a big fight inside their run, but then just spend playtime avoiding all the other dogs. They have been coming for years, this is their routine. Bark like killers until let out and then tuck tail and go hang out by the rose bush.

Not this weekend, I don't know what changed but it changed for the worse. They still bark like killers in their run, but now when I let them out Kodi growls at whatever dog he comes to first and Bella puts her whole mouth on the neck of whatever dog she comes to first. As you might guess, Kodi and Bella now have one side of the play yard all to themselves.

One more weekend like this and I quit!

This is only a test

asdklfga;eiognavdnkv




zsdfzgnv




































asdklfga;eiognavdnkv

I just found this post. I had a friend over who wanted to know how to get photos into her blog. I dumped these pictures from last weekend and forgot about deleting the post. The photos are pretty good so I guess I will just leave it.

A Reversal of Roles for Shilo

Shilo is a Chaser not a Chasee, as a rule.

He is a large yellow Lab with tons of energy, power, stamina and not much on manners or steering. When he shows up he loves to chase and chase and chase another dog until I have to run interference to give the chasee a break. Sometimes he can find a match for his energy, like BB and all is good. Mostly, he just wears out and annoys a series of dogs before he gets a bit tired.

Not this weekend, the group dynamic was particularly weird and Shilo was the Chasee, big time.

It seems unusual to me to suddenly have an empty kennel during the week, but that is pretty normal for the fall. It was just such a crazy summer that is seems very suddenly empty all the time. So this week, I had only one dog for a day, and then 2 dogs for a day, and then a full kennel all at once on Friday. Friday's 11am playtime was only two dogs. Friday's 2pm playtime was 9 dogs. At lunchtime, Chaser and Bella, Daisy and Lady, Roxie, and finally Shilo arrived. This is also pretty unusual. Drop off are pretty random, dogs don't all arrive within the same hour. Usually, each playtime on a Friday will introduce a newbie into the pack, not 7 new dogs all at once. And not usually, 7 loud, bouncy, over excited new dogs at once. They were acting like maniacs in the kennel building - jumping, barking, and fence fighting between the two boxers.

I figured if this group didn't knock me down, kill me and eat me, I would live to be a little old lady dog sitter.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about, they all got along fabulously. I almost couldn't believe it.

I know that Shilo couldn't believe it. See Shilo was the last of the new dogs to arrive, and though none of them had been out in the yard together, he was declared NEWEST and was the center of attention. He spent that playtime and dinner's and bedtime's playtime being chased by at least 4 dogs. I don't think he really liked it anymore than the dogs he chases around do.

I so wish I had gotten this on film. I finally remembered my camera for the 11am playtime on Saturday. Only Ellie arrived bright and early on Saturday and messed with my group. She was now the newest and Shilo was all over her. Shilo and Ellie are a good match, but not with the other four still interested in chasing Shilo. I had to give Ellie and Shilo a bit of alone time and I did get footage of that.

Bigger Pack Rat than Me

In the course of one weekend, Bella managed to collect 4 tennis balls, 3 rope toys and one stuffed animal.

She is quite the collector.

Chock Full of Dogs

Amica and Teenso




















Bella and Kodi


























































Tucio and Vido



























Chaser and Bella




































Flash and Ritz

































Flip and Yanni


















and Max.



I have 6 sets of 2 dogs and only one kennel with one dog, Max. He is scheduled to go home today and be replaced with a threesome tomorrow, so on average they are a double also.

I have never had this many double dogs at once and the strain is showing. I really can't get the name combos together, correctly anymore. I just have no idea who I am trying to call, what is going to come out of my mouth and which of any dog I will get. I am also having trouble remembering which set goes in which kennel. Alway great fun in trying to get a dog to come back out of a run that he doesn't belong in.

I Think the Bella's Have Me All Confused

This weekend I was to have...


Jinx and Bella, the Pomeranian
Cody and Bella, the German Shepard
Sophie and Bella, the Border Collie mix
and
Chaser and Bella, the Shitzu

So there were going to be 4 all together, but the Border Collie ended up going back to her owner's house instead of bunking with Grandma's dog.

Last Weekend it was Pugs, This Weekend it is BELLA's

I have three different dogs named Bella coming this weekend. I don't think I will be mixing them up, though. One is a Black Lab, one is a Pomeranian, and the last is a Border Collie mix.

Funniest thing about this was that I didn't need to make up extra 'BELLA' clothes pins. I already had three of them. This must have happened before.

Bella just wants get the ball first.

She has developed a bad habit in the endless pursuit of thrown toys and balls. She is so worried that someone else might get it first that she starts to run while still watching me throw the toy.

Running away, while still looking back, causes her to plow into any dog in her way. She has plowed into pretty much every dog down there, and a few more than once. The smarter dogs learned to not stop in her general 'flight plan'.

Yesterday, I was standing in the alleyway between the kennel and the storage shed that is next to it. I was just trying to protect myself from these wicked winds we are having. Bella took off so fast one time that she smacked into the side of my shed, a barn-shaped shed.

Yup, that Labrador ran smack into the 'broad side of a barn'.

Bella, please, look before you dash!

Bella just wants to play Fetch

This is all I see of Bella. I throw, she runs, she brings the toy back and repeat, and repeat, and repeat.


A problem has cropped up in our endless game of Fetch, Bella is hording all the toys in her kennel. The play yard is almost barren at this point. Never before has a toy hoarder managed to clean out the play yard in only 3 days.

These Girls are just SO LITTLE!

Bella

Willow

If you get to pet them, it is for about a nano second - they are that fast - but it is like petting velvet. I'm in love, can't ya tell. I hope their mommy takes lots of trips.

Look what I got to play with today!

Italian Greyhound puppies!

Forget about scooping the poop, I have the best job, ever!

These pictures don't do these ladies justice, they are just too darn fast to get a good picture. I really should call them 'girls', they are only 4 months old, but ready to run with the big dogs.