Still Having Trouble Getting a Playmate for Jack

Jack is still annoying the little, old dogs to the point that I was afraid that the teacup poodle would eat him. I have never seen a puppy persist in bugging an adult that has shown its teeth and growled. So I rounded up Jack and sent him to play with the big dogs. They continue to ignore him. That was until Patch and Mica started playing together and ignoring BB. She gave the puppy a couple a chances to play after that.

Then on Monday we got another puppy, just here for daycare. His name is Harley. This puppy won't play with Jack either. Harley is mostly a blur of fluff trying to get away from Jack.




That is until they found the peach tree, the great equalizer in the game of chase. You can't get me and I can't get you. Perfect! They get worn out with out any physical contact.

"At last, he is interested in someone else!"

Empty Again!

I do have one dog, but he belongs to a friend of mine and often stays in the house with us instead of in the kennel. I couldn't leave Lucky down there all alone, so once again I have an empty kennel. Just one day though. I am going to take advantage of the lull and the nice weather - both of which will be leaving as of tomorrow - and I am going to pressure wash the kennel.

Spring Cleaning a bit early this year. I know I can't ever win the war on dust in the kennel, but for one bright and shiny moment the whole kennel will be immaculate, maybe for a whole 24 hours even.

The TWO-STEP as Done on My Ranch

When I have a dog that has no one to play with but me; we play the TWO-STEP, LUNGE. This works particularly well with BB who always has a toy in her mouth and no real desire to share that toy. I take two fast steps and lunge for the toy. BB spins off and does a quick lap around the kennel only to come back to me for another two steps and a lunge.

This works well for me since I am old and tired and works for BB since she is young and fast. We both get a workout.

I noticed Dusty playing TWO STEP with Amica this morning. Dusty takes a couple a steps toward Mica and Mica is off at top speed, only to circle back around for another session. Dusty is also old and slow and has a bad knee. She would rather do a stand up wrestling match, but if Mica wants to run, Dusty is happy to oblige her.

Feast or Famine?

After a particularly busy weekend, or a long run of having a full house, it is alway weird to suddenly have an empty kennel. Yesterday, I went from all seven runs full to only two in a matter of hours. The place looks so deserted and so quiet - it just isn't normal.

Oh well, I have to run to SLC today and this will give my dog sitter an easy day.

Why is it that I am never home to enjoy an empty kennel?

So, this is why I can't find any tennis balls in the play yard

Lucky not only likes to chases balls, he likes to keep them too.

Keep them to himself, I see.

The blue racquetballs may has escaped through the fence, but the tennis balls have all been rounded up and hidden under The Boys' blankets.

When more than one dog is the 'New Kid'

You get pile up meet and greets,

Congo Lines,

Doggie Trains.

Size doesn't matter to dogs, but sometimes it can be a problem.

And sometimes it can work to your advantage.

This group is driving me nuts

I don't know what the problem is but this group is not gelling like I would like.

First, I had to separate the little dogs from the big dogs and stick the puppy in with the big guys. The little ones were showing their teeth every time the puppy tried to play with them and I can't have that. I also can't make a these little guys play to save my life.

So, I try Jack out with the big guys. This should work like a dream, but NO, they won't have anything to do with him. This reminds me of trying to follow my big brother around the neighborhood when he was playing with his friends. I have never seen a dog try to ditch another dog, but that is what is happening with BB, Patches, Gunny, Amica and the puppy, Jack.

And even Patches, BB, Amica, and Gunny are not really playing together. I just don't get this group, they should be wearing each other out, not annoying the bejeepers out of me.

Kasey and Amica are not the only bouncy dogs I have this week

This is Scruffy and he is the only dog that can jump up and be caught by me. He loves that.


I have to admit that it took 25 shots to finally get Scruffy jumping in the frame. All my bad photography didn't slow him down at all. Two pictures out of 25 tries...that camera obviously doesn't point where I think it points.

PUPPY ALERT!

We got a Labrador puppy in today, Jack. He is doing pretty well trying to meet everyone and let everyone meet him. So far so good. Only problem is that he is trying to play with the dogs his size - Teenso, Jake, Lucky and Teddy. These are not what I would call 'playful' dogs. They are old and want to be left alone. Left alone with his ball for Lucky.

Jack will have better luck with the big and bouncy dogs - if he would just give them a chance. I figure by next play time he should figure all of this out and be running with the big dogs in no time.

I hope to have the pictures to prove it.

Same Dog, Different Outfits

Amica is the standard poodle with the fancy haircut and Kacey is the saggy dog extraordinaire.


These two though very different looking are exactly the same dog. Under all that fur and all that lack of fur, lurks the very same extra bouncy dog. These two have been racing and wrestling all over the play yard at top speed. You should see the hang time they have with their jumps. They flip and leap over each other like it was nothing. I spend my time just trying to dodge their leaps.

Lacey is headed home today and BB is on her way later today - I can't wait to see BB and Amica in action.

I just had the funniest phone call

I just was talking to a lady in Ontario, Canada that is opening her own kennel very soon. (I should have asked her the name of her place to give it a plug.) She has been researching dog kennels on the internet before building hers and found my blog.

She thinks my blog is funny, so I instantly liked her.

It is nice to meet someone who is crazy enough about dogs to be starting in this business. I wished her luck and told her that she will be very busy - don't worry about that.

Her kennel is going to have living rooms for the dogs to stay in, complete with couches. That is the kind of kennel I alway wanted to have. I think I am a little jealous.

I Bet Teenso Never Met A Dog Smaller Than Herself

Ninna is so small, I had to move her to a different kennel. One that had already been 'Chiuchacha Proofed' or she would be able to walk out between the frame and the gate.

Teenso is fascinated by Ninna, I don't think she realized that dogs come smaller than herself.



Lucky and Jake were equally amused. Ninna, however, wanted to get away from these gigantic monsters. So I scooped her up and put her back in her run.

Helper Dogs verses Price Dogs

I can tell the dogs that live in Price and the dogs that live in Helper without ever checking the owner's phone numbers.

The Price dogs bark at and trains and the church bells, Helper dogs are too used to hearing them. There isn't anywhere in Helper that you can't hear a train or listen to St. Anthony's church bells.

Dig a Hole, Get a Rock Garden

We are having an unusually early false Spring this year. It had just been beautiful around here for the past week. I have been out with the dogs in just my shirt sleeves and it feels great. I have got Spring Fever pretty bad this year, the extended really cold weather was killing me.

I am putting my Spring Fever to work. I started to dig a couple of hole for trees in the play yard. I am planning on putting in a sprinkler system and planting sod, so we are going to need some more trees to shade that sod. This hole is giving me a hard time. For every rock I try to remove there are four others that have to be dug out first. For every giant rock that I can't believe I got out there is always another bigger one.

I have two big ones loose, but I will need my husband to get them out of the hole. And still a few more to go after that.

If you think I have dug too big of a hole, you just don't know how bad the soil is around here. Besides rocks there just isn't much in our dirt. No worms, no organic material, no nutrients - just sand and dirt and rocks. So when I plant a tree, I make the whole at least 4 feet in diameter to give the tree space with real soil to start its roots in. This way the tree gets a really good start and I have a couple of years of trying to improve the soil further out before the tree gets that far.

Chi Chi is a work in progress

She has made a lot of progress since she got here last weekend. She spent the first couple of days running from one gate to the other whimpering to be let out. She finally started to relax on the third day and tried to play with the other dogs. She needs to work on her playing. She is just too rough, shows too much teeth, and growls. The other dogs think they are under attack.

I figured with Gunny she would do fine. That Rott can take anything, but she even had him growling and snapping at her. I can run interference for Chi Chi and break up the playtime when it looks like it is getting too rough, but only the dogs can teach her some manners.

The growling and snapping is a warning to stop. When the dogs ignore her requests to play is when she is supposed to get the idea that she is in the wrong. It took two days for her to realize the gate don't open for dogs, maybe today she will have figured out playtime.

Big, Dumb, and Happy

Isabella

Charlie

This is my usual description for Labradors, but I have a couple of golden retrievers that really fit that bill.

They can make you happy just watching them.



I wrote this post yesterday, waiting to get some better pictures of Charlie. Last night, my husband was doing me a big favor by putting the doggies to bed for me. As no good deal goes unpunished. He ended up being bit by Isabella. I don't know which was a bigger shock the bite or the fact that it was Isabella that bit him. He had grabbed for her collar and she just turned and chomped on him. He was able to put a lease on her and put her in her kennel no problem.

Isabella must have some serious 'collar issues'.

She seems fine today back to her happy self, my husband is also fine, just sleeping in since we ended up in the ER until midnight. This make for the fifth dog bite in 5 years, not a bad track record.

This why I pay for that very expensive Workman's Comp insurance.

Say Hello to The Boys!

This is Teddy, Lucky and Jake. They belong to a lady that I used to work with way back when I was trying to sell real estate. (emphasis on the 'trying' part)

When Teddy was a puppy he used to hang out at our office. He could fit in your cupped hands when he first showed up. Shitzus are really not my favorite breed of dogs, but they are one of the cutest puppies.

Remy is one of my big ball chasing dogs.

And this is how she stares at her toy until I throw it again, or until BB or Daisy steals it away.

I am thrilled that I can now play ball with Remy, Sadie, Daisy and sometimes BB since they will ALL now return balls to me. BB still needs some work, but I honestly think she prefers to chew on a toy over chasing after it.

Big fun this weekend!

BB had a couple of boring days of just me to play with, but she had a fun weekend with all the dogs that showed up on Friday. The Beagle is Bailey and he definitely went home and slept for a couple of days.

I have to figure out how to load up videos so you can see all the action.

I just had the best play time, ever!

That Dog Whisperer stuff really works!

I have been 'one with the couch' for most of this week. When I could wrestle control of the remote from the kids, who where also home sick, I would switch from Nickelodeon to episodes of the "Dog Whisperer".

He was helping a family with a beagle that grabbed everything and anything and just ran with it. Remotes, phones, magazines, newspapers, glasses, toys - if it wasn't nailed down they were chasing him to get it back. This transformation was something I really wanted to see. I have so many dogs that won't release a toy back to me.

I know I can't yank these toys out of the dog's mouths. Tug of war is not a game I am ever going to win. What I didn't know was that I shouldn't even try to pull the toy out, the dogs should be giving them to me voluntarily. The pack leader doesn't snatch something out of another dog's mouth, they expect the dog to drop it and relinquish it to the leader. This I am going to try, but after I am feeling better. I figure that I am tired, sick, and not cut striking figure as the Leader of the Pack this week.

But an opportunity presented itself. I was sitting and BB walked up with a toy in her mouth. I tried Cesar's 'claw' technique. You make you hand into a claw and poke the dog in the next just under the jaw line. This is like a 'bite' from us and that is how a dog would communicate to another dog. One poke and BB dropped that toy into my lap. I could not believe it. I thought it had to be a fluke it happened so fast. When it worked a second time I knew I was onto something.

I had a dog that wanted to play fetch, but whenever Remy would bring a ball back, Daisy or BB would steal it. This makes for a very short game of fetch. I did my best Cesar impersonation, I touched Daisy and said, "SHHH!" and she dropped the ball. This has never happened before. BB got smart and started to stay out of touching range, but I had Daisy bring the ball back to me over and over again.

Best part, they were still releasing balls the next day. Now, I have to get the owners to continue my good work.

Sorry folks...The kids gave me the FLU

And I know I am truly not funny when I am sick. So I will be taking a couple of more days off. Stop by next week, it looks to be a humorous weekend at the ranch.

Timing is Everything

I already knew that you can change a dog's behavior for doing something wrong unless you caught them in the act. Dog only have two modes of thought NOW and BEFORE. Only the NOW matters to the dog, BEFORE is already long gone.

Babies and toddlers also function only in the NOW, but that will have to wait until another post.

What I am learning from the Dog Whisperer show is that if you want to stop your dog from doing something to need to discipline them when they are DECIDING to do the act, not during it and clearly not after the fact.

If you dog dumps your garbage can, and you point at the spilled garbage and say, "BAD DOG!" Your dog is only going to think that spilled garbage is named Bad Dog and thank you for introducing them. You have to interfere just as your dog is switching from normal, ordinary, cutting through the kitchen, 'just happy to be here' dog, to 'Hey there is something interesting here!' mode. Because dogs go from neutral, to interested, to action pretty quickly. You can short circuit this process at interested very easily, but not at decided and acting.

I will give you an example on my walks. If I spot Vector veering off toward the pile of deer bones, all I have to do is call her and she comes back to the path. If I miss the veer, and she is already picking out a treat, I have to walk up to her and make her, "SPIT THAT OUT!" Stopping her approach is a call, and "SPIT THAT OUT!" is a shout.

I had a friend trying to stop her dog from chasing deer with an electronic collar. I think that she failed because she was hit the zap after the chase had begun. You need to teach the dogs not to make the decision to chase, not to stop the chase. If you do the former, the dog won't start the bad behavior and you won't need the collar every time you walk your dog.

I am thinking this is going to be a very important when my kids become teenagers. If I only knew how to apply it to kids.

I tell Dog Stories, He does Dog Impersonations

I got a free preview of the National Geographic Channel this month. So, of course, I have been recording all the of Dog Whisperer episodes. I love to talk about my doggies, that is why I started this blog - I was boring all of my non-dog friends and had to find another outlet.

I watch Cesar on his show and he becomes the dog. He mimics their expressions of fear, aggression, timid, excited - all perfectly. But when he does a particular breed, it sending me into hysterics. He is the dog, it is the funniest thing.

He does a wiggle that starts at his shoulders and going all the way down his body - his is a Labrador.

He snarls and nips - he is the terrier.

He puts his head forward and glares - he is a boxer.


I love this show.

SPIT THAT OUT!

Which to my dogs means, chew and swallow as fast as possible.

Deer carcasses are my nemesis on my morning walks. I know where all the bone piles are now and I have my dogs come back and walk along side of me preventing them from getting at the bones in the first place.

My dogs are starting to out smart me. There is the 'spit it out like mom said, but remember where it is for tomorrow' technique. That one kills me, I can remember the big piles, but not every chunk that they dragged away.

Vector goes for the 'get ahead and chew like crazy' tact and Inertia likes to fall behind and not get spotted. Yesterday, I called for Inertia to catch up and she came happily trotting up with a portion of a deer's spine in her mouth. Like I would not notice that.

SPIT THAT OUT!

So is This Going to be a Fast Day or a Slow One?

I have been doing my walks, I have been wearing my pedometer and what I have learn is that I do not run at the same speed each day.

It feels like I am walking at the same pace, but the pedometer does not lie. I walk the same route and one day it took 20 minutes, today it was 15 and the one day I got to go when it was warm and without my heavy coat it was only 13 minutes.

So my plan is to spend January getting into the habit of walking and trying for the 10,000 steps a day. I vary from as high as 12,000 to about 4,000. For February I am going to try to keep up the walking but try for a better pace. I have to get myself some better shoes first.

And if I can do that, in March, I might even try Dr. Oz's diet. That might be the straw that breaks this camel's back.

So Far So Good

I have been able to keep up my promise to walk my dogs everyday. Well, I do the week days and my husband does the weekends. Trying to get out of walking the dogs is much harder than just walking them, even if it means facing a freezing cold head wind for the past few weeks.

I was planning on putting off the walk until lunch time today. It has been warming up every afternoon this week and it is just great to be out without the heaviest coat, scarf, hat and mittens. I thought we would take a longer walk if I wasn't dealing with frozen cheekbones. Vector however, doesn't like to wait for her stroll. She will huff and puff and stomp her little paws and glare at me until she bends me to her will. No one has a better exercise partner than I. I am going whether I like it or not. It takes more will power than I possess to endure one of Vector's fits. She has my daughter beat in the tantrum throwing abilities.

So, off I go. Really looking forward to spring this year.

Look, George came back for another visit

He is getting pretty big, but he still has those gold eyes and those very sharp puppy teeth.

So maybe they aren't perfect after all

There is a flaw in those little blue orbs, they can get through the fence.

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.

Snow is just Mother Nature's way of saying," You Don't Have to Scoop the Poop!"

But Buddy, watch out for the thaw!


Down in the play yard I have to scoop snow or no snow. That is what has lead to my extreme talents in chipping out and removing the frozen solid dog turd. The play yard is kept dog turd free to the best of my ability.

My yard, however is another story. Between my two dogs and all of my client dogs that just have to leave a calling card, it is mess. If we get a day above 32 degrees around here and my front yard will be headed into the bio-hazard level of dirty. I think I better get out there while they are still in a benign frozen state before they resume their land mine characteristics.

More than Two Weeks and Still With Us

Congratulations to the Blue Racquetball!

The real test of these balls will be when Milly shows up. She likes to collect all the toys in the play yard and make a nest of them. She then sits prettily on her lumpy collection and proceeds to shred the toys one by one.

She can clear the play yard of toys on any stay longer than a weekend.

Since I have been talking about how dogs become friends...

...and because I just think of this song every time.


Getting to know you,
Getting know all about you.
Getting like you,
Getting to hope you like me.


Getting to know you,
Getting to feel free and easy
When I am with you,
Getting to know what to say

Haven't you noticed
Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?
Because of all the beautiful and new
Things I'm learning about you
Day by day.

I am not going to be putting this on my resume

Since we are on our umpteenth day of single digit temperatures, I would like to point out that there is a real art to the removing frozen dog poop from snow.

Not part of the skill set I picked up in college and I won’t be putting on my resume, but infinitely useful around here.

I clearly have a most glamorous job.

Never underestimate the destructive power of a bored Labrador

I knew there was something I was supposed to remember about Star. I just couldn’t remember what. She was playing well with everyone, so it must not have been something too important.

Oh yeah, that was it…Star is a destroyer of gates. I remember now that I see her gate pulled into her kennel and wedged at a 45 degree angle. I am supposed to put an extra chain on her run. That was it.

I had to take the gate off its hinges, drop it and un-wedge the top fencing from the gate frame. That was not on my list of things to do this morning.

Don't feed the Freakout

For my kids, I refer to this as "Don't feed the monster." That is when they are throwing a fit, don't add to the problem, more attention just gets you a bigger monster in the end.

If you have a frightened dog, you have to show the dog the right emotion for the situation and not sympathize with the dog. I know this sounds harsh, but pitying a dog only teaches the dog that he is pitiful.

When I get a timid or freaked out dog, I don't put them back in their runs. That only reinforces the idea that running and hiding is acceptable and good. Instead I separate them from the other dogs. Then I rub the dog all over and talk to them in a rabidly happy voice that tells them that I think there is absolutely nothing wrong, that everything is good, happy, and supposed to be this way. Most people go to their dogs with sympathy and try to comfort the dog when is it upset. This is the right approach for the toddler that has just scraped his knee and needs mom to kiss the owie away, but it is exactly the wrong thing to do with a dog. Dog don’t need or want commiserating, they need to be shown what their mood should be. Dogs are more empathetic in picking up our moods. So being happy around a frightened dog and they will become happier. Sit and sympathize with their fear and their fear will increase.

This had me worried

I had to get used to Cesar’s use of energy in describing dog behavior. His book keeps repeating that if you want to be in charge of the dogs you have to have the highest energy. That does not bode well for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a slug most of the time. The dogs should be all over me, but I am in charge for the most part. There are a few dogs that have to be reminded that since I pay the mortgage I get to be the alpha dog – including my own dogs. I might not have the energy to run with a pack of dogs like Cesar does but I must have the air of authority to my kennel dogs.

Best part of this job

I love winning over the timid dogs but it is even better to watch a timid dog go from a tucked tail and laid back ears to a rambunctious player busy jumping all over his new found friends with a new found level of self confidence.

Dufus pulled a spectacular transformation while she was here. Dufus was playing to a tough crowd when she first arrived. The new dog is always in for the gauntlet of sniffing when they first come out to play. In the dog world, the new butt is the one to smell. And this can be hard on a dog, 1 dog is no problem, but sometimes it will be 5, 6 or more dogs all trying to ‘get to know you’ all at the same time. Even I would be overwhelmed with this much attention.

A happy, confident dog will stand still and let everyone get a nose full and then will go up to each dog individually to get his shot at an introduction. This is a perfect doggie introduction; everyone has shown the height of canine etiquette. And playtime can now start in earnest.

I wish this happen every time but you know not everyone has the best manners. A dog that is frightened, skittish, and basically not confident will not be able to stand still and let other dogs do the smelling. They will run, and get chased which only makes them more frightened, skittish, and even less confident. This is where I usually step in to let the timid dog get a break. I try to just get the new guy on one side of the play yard and keep the other dogs away for a bit. I try not to put the dog back in his run, because that just reinforces the idea that being afraid and running away is the proper behavior.

Just like for people, the only way to build up a dog’s confidence is to have him act with confidence and succeed at it. This is how I pull this off at the kennel. Take Dufus, she was freaked by Tessie, BB, and Izzy all trying to ‘meet’ her all at once. I am freaked out by having Tessie, BB, and Izzy all trying to do anything to me all at once.

These are what I call my ‘players’, they can play with any dog, any time for as long as the other dog can last and then some. Using the Dog Whisperer’s terminology, these dogs are high energy dogs but they are all completely without aggression. I don’t have to worry about fights, but that doesn’t make them any less intimidating.

I let those three play together for about 10 minutes before I introduce Dufus. This should get us past the initial ‘I just got let out of the run’ wanton abandon. Dufus was shaking but stood her ground to be smelled. SO far so good, but she didn’t have enough confidence to make them stand for a return smell. So she would run up behind each one while they were preoccupied wrestling with the other two. Sneaky, yes, but also effective.

Once she had her ‘introductions’ Dufus was running with the big dogs and having a great time. Tail up, ears up giving Izzy a run for his money.

Along comes Happy, who is anything but happy. He is so skittish that he is running like a maniac to get away from anyone who is trying to sniff him. I shoo Dufus and Happy onto one side of the playyard and keep the other dogs away. A perfect match. Dufus is no threat to Happy so he can relax and start to play. Happy went from freak-out to playing in record time. When I brought all the dogs back together, the freak-out reappeared. But Happy has now got the hang of being a dog with other dogs and is just all over BB and Tessie. I am now having a hard time getting Happy to stop playing and go back in his kennel. My work here is done.

How I win over the shy ones

When I get a very timid dog, I don’t try to win them over with love. Loving on a freaked out dog will only add to the freak-out. You have to let the dog come to you. My technique is to sit in my chair and let my hands just dangle. That allows the dog to come up from behind me – no pressure from me – and sniff at my hands. If he comes up with the courage to walk by me I will swing my hands out slightly to rub down the dog’s side.

“No sir, that wasn’t a pet, I am not trying to love on you, no sirree, I am just sitting here, no threat, no pressure, just doing nothing all by myself”…Well, the dogs actually buy that act.

This works like a charm for me, I haven’t had a dog that I cannot win over with this technique. Thanks to the Dog Whisperer, now I know why it works.

I never thought about this before seeing that Dog Whisperer show. When I rub my hand against the dog’s side, I am getting my scent on him and his scent on me. And in the dog world is “the beginning of a beautiful friendship”

How to be the Top Dog in your pack

There are two things that your dogs needs more than anything else. More than love, tummy rubs, ear nuggies, kibble, biscuits or his own spot on the couch - exercise and a leader.

Lucky for you, you can get both birds with one stone. WALK YOUR DOG.

Your dog need a lot of exercise and being let out into the yard is not it. Dog want, need, like, love....fill in your own suggestions here...to walk. Wolf packs wander the entire day. I watched the wolves at the Brookfield Zoo this past June. They had a decent sized enclosure and they were totally in charge of it. The group worked it way across the entire area, looped around and did yet another patrol. They were molting pretty bad so they looked terrible, yet decidedly happy. I think the happiest of all the animals in the zoo.

I know you and your dog can't walk together all day. I few lucky farm dogs around here get that gig, but most dogs are family pets and the best they get is a walk once a day.

So, you want your dog to be happy, get him his walk. If you want him to be really happy and very well behaved you have to LEAD him on his walk. Dogs function in a pack, pack have leaders, and you are supposed to be the leader.

This is how you lead.

Your dog should be next to you at all times, never in front.
He is not a marlin and you are not reeling him in, throw away those extending leashes. Get a fabric mesh lease with a heavy latch, look for the lobster claw ones. Get a metal choke chain for your dog. The reason for the heavy latch and the chain collar is to focus your directions to the dog at his neck, that is were dogs communicate their dominance to each other.

Now, I learned how to have my dogs walk right next to me on a slack lease with no tugging from John McCurdy over in Price. That was 11 years ago and I can still walk, easily with both dogs by my side. It is still nothing less than a miracle to me. If you are in my area, I highly recommend that you have John train you to train your dog. If you are not so lucky, you will have to find a trainer to help you.

Meanwhile, I will try to explain the basics of HEAL and Lease Training:
Put the collar on so that when the lease is held tight the collar pulls up tight, but that when it is slack, the weight of the latch releases the chain of the collar. This is simple to see and impossible to type out. Try it, you will get it.

Pull the collar up to the top of your dog's neck just behind the ears.

Have your dog on your left. Hold the lease with just enough length to get to your left hand, hold the end of the lease in your right. The left will reinforce commands with a pull of the lease, and the right is looped in the lease in anticipation of the bolt. (which we all know is coming)

Say your dogs name and 'Heal!' and start to walk. Walk straight, turn, walk, turn, walk, to the left, to the right, straight for awhile. Every time your dog gets in front of you, away from you, stops to smell something, anything that is not with you and paying attention to you. Turn and make the dog follow with you.

That is it. Do this for 15 minutes or more each night and your dog will be walking with you in no time. Then it is time to try the same lesson where there are distractions, start walking your street or get a friend to train his dog along with yours.

You want your dog to behave when there are eleventy billion exciting things to smell, chase and bark at. That is when your training really counts.


Now, get out there and walk your dog.

I was taking my own advice, but today is awful, it is like being sand blasted with snow.

Another day of grumpy dogs for me.

"Daisy, you are a DOG."

I don't know what kind of conversations you have at work, but I have ones that go like this.

"Daisy, you are a DOG."
"Daisy, they are all DOGS."
"Daisy, be a DOG - you will be happier as a DOG."

"Come on, Daisy, smell his butt!"
"Get it over with, just do it!"
"Smell his butt!"
"BE A DOG!"

I thought I had the perfect situation, three little dogs all equally skittish and unsocialized, Daisy, Scruffy and Kaizon. This should work like a dream. They will figure out how to play together and then they will be able to play with any dog. Daisy was just not buying into my plan. Finally, yesterday morning she did it. She stuck up behind Scruffy and Kaizon and did the most polite thing a dog can do - she smelled a butt. The second lesson in doggie etiquette is to stand there and return the favor. She wasn't quite ready for that level of civility but she did walk away slowly acting like she didn't notice Scruffy 'back there'. A huge improvement over squealing and running that she was doing. They were playing together in no time.

I figured with one more day, I could have gotten Kaizon in on the playtime, but Daisy went home last night. Too bad.

And now back to obsessing over Cesar Millan's book.

I am really fixated on this book.

One, I can't wrap my head around the idea that there is someone else who spends seven days a week with dogs.



Two, even I don't going running in the hill with a pack of dogs. I may be nuts, but I do have my limits. I can't run.

Three, I am endlessly pleased that I have been doing the right things all along and even more pleased to understand why they work.

Four, I can't stand how easy it was to get my doggies to get along so much better. I thought they were good before, now things are really great. And my own dogs' behavior has greatly improved.


That photo is from the National Geographic photo gallery
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/bestofngcweek/images/gallery/photo_dogwhisperer.jpg
He must just shock the BLEEP out of people who meet him on the trails.
People would really be talking about me if I headed into the hills with my wards.

My Salvation

The Blue Racquetball.

I was complaining to one of my clients about the dogs' ability to destroy tennis balls faster than I can buy them. He told me he only buys Blue Hand Balls for his dog.

I figured it was worth a try. I could only find Racquetballs, but they are blue and they seem to be holding up. This hasn't been a very rigorous test of the life span of a blue racquetball - I only have 3 dogs in the kennel. One of them was Roxy and she had one wedged in her teeth for at least 3 days straight. I have yet to have to clean up a pile of blue rubber shreds - I take that as a positive sign.

Only problem so far is that they are smaller than tennis balls and therefore harder to find. I did discover that you can kick them and get a much more satisfactory flight than that of a kicked tennis ball. This is important attribute to remember once the ball is no longer blue, but rather a lumpy brown conglomeration of spit and dust.

SNOW DAY!

I found someone who likes them even more than school kids.





Though not so much, me.