Happy new Year

Where does the time go? Another year behind us - wow! 

Another chance to start anew!  Yes!

This blog will look back on the year and look forward to next year...

Red Dog Solutions - 2013 was our 3rd successful year of operation at the Woodstock Ave., Rutland, VT location.  I have grown attached to this training space. Its friendly atmosphere makes up for its shortcomings. I am looking forward to meeting new friends and training with old friends in 2014!

In February James came to live with us.  He is such a good boy.

We adore him.  

 In April we lost our Belle.  There are no words and no way 

to fill that void. Miss you Red Dog.

 In May my friend Kelly and I took a road trip to Indiana to pick up her new puppy, Feather.  It was a great trip.  Our collies Tawnie and Shane came with us and were fantastic travel companions.  Feather is mischievous, smart, and beautiful.

 In July Tawnie became a certified therapy dog.  She is made for the job.  Who would've thought the bedraggled, traumatized dog off the streets would learn to love people so much?

My husband Brian and I celebrated out 18th year of marriage in August 2013! Marriage is not easy.  Nothing worth having ever is.  A shared set of values...enjoyment of the same activities and the independence to enjoy separate activities...love, respect and the ability to say "I'm sorry" have gotten us this far!
The dogs are a great buffer as well.  Its really hard to stay mad at a man who is singing to the dogs...

In October we became the caregivers of a Momma dog and her 4, two week old puppies. We named the scrawny, shy, scared Momma, Kenzie (hoping she might grow into her brave and beautiful NCIS-LA namesake).  The pups naturally followed the theme, being named Hetty, Callen, Dekes and Sam.  Caring for the family kept us very busy and offered much needed distraction through what turned out to be a very LONG November. The pups were all placed into great homes - Hetty taking the longest, staying with us until she was 12 weeks old and stealing our hearts! 

In November we lost Pogo...my heart...my soul...my inspiration.

Also in November we came very close to losing our baby dog, Mamacita - Three very scary weeks in our lives .

Cita went into acute kidney failure from an unknown cause and then her liver also became challenged. 11 days in the vet hospital and daily visits there after being released, turned our lives into a surreal 'wait and see' world.  Currently she is in full recovery - a miracle really. 

Pogo's death in the midst of this was a blessing in disguise.

I truly was not sure I would be able to tolerate life without Pogo, but coming so close to losing Cita at 2 yrs of age, put the death of Pogo at 15 1/2 into perspective.  Even in  death Pogo was still teaching me things. 

 

December brought the holidays and with it our newest family member Cici! Our nephew Josh married this beautiful woman in July (my sis in law, Brenda, Brian and I drove to SC for the wedding) and they came to VT for  the holidays.  She's definitely a keeper Josh...

she makes a mean coquito.

And so that brings us to 2014...

My goals:

1.  Get Kenzie healthy (physically and mentally).

2.  KEEP Mamacita healthy.

3.  Teach Tawnie to BOW on verbal cue only.

4.  Create a fun trick routine with Cubby and Lupie.

5.   Train a whistle recall for Tucker or convince Brian to do so!

6. Be kind whenever possible and remain mute when impossible.

7.  Train Tawnie the Level 3 Rally exercises.

8. Develope Cita's amazing agility potential.

9.  Be the best wife, daughter, sister, friend, trainer, teacher...person... I can be. 

10.  Exercise (my dogs and myself) as much as I can.   

11.  Eat more vegetables.

12.  Drink less, but enjoy it more.

13.  Spend less time on Facebook.

14.  Finish my novel.

15.  Forgive myself when I fall short of these goals, but keep trying!

 

A HIKE WITH JAMES

James:  I don't feel good.  I HATE "go for a ride"
Me:  I know buddy, but you like
        "go for a walk", right?
James: "Walk?" (lifting his head)
Me: We're here!Good boy not to puke in my car!
James: (nose twitching) Smells...interesting here! 
Me: Let's go.
James: Hey, Mom, look!
Me:  That's bear poop JJ.
James: Can I eat it?
Me: Sorry, dude.                                                                        
James: (sigh, trots along with me)  Hey, Mom, look!
Me:  Yup, deer prints
James:  We should follow them!
Me:  Lets stay on the path.  There are more good sniffs up ahead.
James: OK...you're right!  Bunnies!!! Gulp
Me: A little bunny poop won't kill ya.
James: gulp...gulp...gulp
Me: I said a little!  Come on, move along. Here get a drink in the stream.
James: I like the way the water feels on my feet. Let's stand here for a while.
Me: You look like you're posing for a picture.
James: (smiles)
Me: Time to move on.
James: Hey, Mom, look!
Me:  Yuck!  Racoon poop - Don't roll in that!
James:  Are you kidding?  It smells so delicious!
Me:  It means a bath when we get home...
James: (rolling) Totally worth it. Thanks Mom.
Me: (sigh) Sure thing, buddy.

REALLY???

Imagine for a moment that your four year old son is attacked by an out of control child at the playground.  The child hits and kicks your child, scaring and hurting him.  As a result, your previously socially outgoing son, now yells and throws a tantrum when another child comes near him.  Sometimes he yells at the other child.  Sometimes he tries to run away, thrashing against your restraint.

Here's some advice:
Force your child to sit on the ground and tolerate a child coming close.  If he is terrified and thrashing, hold him down.
Slap your son and yell at him when he gets "aggressive" toward an approaching child.

Would you follow this advice?    I surely hope not!

But people are given this advice regarding their dogs' behavior all the time...AND THEY FOLLOW IT!  Blows my mind.  And makes me very, very sad. Most people don't want to hurt their dogs. They do it because a "professional" told them to.  Dogs view this treatment from human beings as an attack.  Isn't that what CAUSED the issue in the first place?

Some dogs don't even need an actual scary event to occur to become defensively aggressive toward other dogs.  Lack of socialization and exposure can cause a dog to be fearful of what they do not know and result in "aggressive" displays as a coping strategy.

How can it possibly make sense to cause our dogs fear, pain and emotional stress as a way to stop behavior that is fueled by fear, pain or emotional stress???  Ay yi yi...

Please stop and think before implementing any advice given by anyone, regarding your dog.
If you wouldn't do it to your child, don't do it to your dog.

Hey boo boo, I see you.

   I had the strangest experience last night.  I woke up hearing Pogo walking around out in the kitchen.  I jumped up to get him outside...just in case... He was moving quickly, differently than his shuffling gate of late.  He maneuvered the deck and stairs with more ease than I've seen in a long time.  He moved around the yard at a good clip but did not "go".  We came back inside, but he was still revved up.  

   I sat on the floor and watched as he paced around the kitchen island (memories of his mother, Gillie), but occasionally Pogo would pause in his loop and LOOK AT ME.  I mean REALLY LOOK AT ME.  His head was up and there was a clarity in his expression.  At one point he stopped in front of me, leaning into my petting, then reached up and licked my face before continuing his pacing. 

   I gave him one more chance to "go" outside, (which he did not), then I put some food in his dish which he ate all of.  I went back to bed, listening for his footsteps which ceased fairly quickly.  Sneaking out for a peek, I found him lying on his dog bed. 

 Lying back on my own pillow I felt like I had been given a gift.  

   Brian says maybe he was sleepwalking, dreaming of younger days.

I think something physiological occurred in his brain, giving him a shot of adrenaline 

and a brief period of consciousness. Either way...I am thankful 
that I was able to have him back with me...

if only for a moment.

Personalities vs Training

We have a very varied canine family. We have a Chihuahua, a Chi/ Rat terrier cross, a Cattle dog cross, a Farm Collie cross, a Vizsla, a Beagle and a Corgi cross.  That means we have representatives from the toy, herding, hound, terrier,  and sporting dog categories.  Those groups have very different canine personalities, due to the jobs they were designed to do.
Hounds are driven by scent.  They are single minded when it comes to food and usually good with other dogs because they hunt in packs.  They are generally happy dogs.
Terriers are rat killers so they are quick, tough and tenacious.  They can be a wee bit snarky with other dogs.
Herding dogs are smart, easy to train, quick to make decisions and can be controlling because they need to think on their own somewhat to control livestock.  They are often the "fun police" when other dogs start running or playing.
Toys are dogs that have been bred down in size to be portable companions.  They are very people oriented and can be easily spoiled.
Sporting dogs are energetic, busy dogs that enjoy an active lifestyle, working closely with people.

So how do all these different dogs co-exist in my household?  Carefully!  Obviously I have no breed requirements when I adopt or purchase a dog.  Nor does age or health deter me from adoption.  If I can help an older or medically challenged dog, I am happy to do it.   My only criteria is that everyone gets along.  That means that a dog must enjoy other dogs or be easily convinced to ignore them! 

I think my success in that avenue is due in a large part to environmental management and slow introductions when a new dog joins the group.  I do not believe in just letting dogs "work it out".  Initial interactions can leave a lasting impression that is hard to over come.  I don't see the point of forcing a dog out of their comfort zone, by allowing unstructured interactions.  Once a dog has been scared by another it is harder for them to relax in that dog's presence.I go slow, giving new and established dogs space.

I also do not let my heart over shadow my brain when it comes to keeping or adopting a dog.  I WILL NOT live in home where dogs need to be kept apart all the time or where one dog is stressed by the presence of another.  I have sent many a foster dog onto other families in spite of being very attached to the dog.  If they don't fit in, my attachment is not a valid reason to keep the dog. 

Jenny pup was one such dog.  I adored her as did Brian, but the rest of the household thought she was a real pain in the ass! :-P She was TOO MUCH puppy for my other dogs.  She is loved by her two Moms in a household with one other dog who can deal with her intensity.
Dixie was another.  Heartworm positive...raising a litter of pups...so affectionate with people...But my dogs avoided her like the plague in spite of the fact that she never displayed any overt aggression.  I listened to them and she was placed with a hound savvy owner through the shelter.
Little One was a teenie chihuahua we fostered at the same time as Lupie.  Though Lupie was really not the dog that pulled at my heart strings, she is the one we kept.  Little One was terrified of Brian. With alot of time and work we could've increased her comfort level, but in the mean time she would have been living with alot of stress. Plus, her fear of Brian really hurt Brian's feelings!  We placed her with a single Mom who had a couple other toy dogs.  She blossomed there. And Lupie blossomed here - afraid of nothing and able to hold her own in this multidog household.

Some might ask if as a dog trainer shouldn't I be able to train any dog to fit into our household?  Perhaps...but there are a lot of dogs and a lot of families out there.  I don't see the point in trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Training can only take you so far.  A dog's personality is what it is.  Not all dogs get along well with each other. They are no different than human beings.  I can learn to get along with almost anyone if I have to for work or a project...but I wouldn't want to live with them!

      "Seven dogs?!       Are you crazy?!"

My response to this common question is a demure "Seven IS alot..."

Brian usually grins proudly and says "We're DOWN to seven.  We had EIGHT until recently"

I'm glad Brian is proud of our family.  I am too!  But because of who I am and what I do, I am always thinking of public education and the welfare of our companion dogs.  I don't want people to think that having multiple dogs is easy.  It is not for everyone.  In fact it is not for most people.  Brian and I have unique jobs.  We both work primarily from home with Brian traveling only a portion of every day and my classes, private lessons and dog walks taking me away from the house for short stretches of time.  Brian can take a dog with him on his sales rounds and of course I can have 2 or 3 tag along with me as well.  Our dogs aren't home alone much and never for a full work day.   We have 5 acres, tolerant neighbors, good friends who provide pet care and we make enough money to keep us all clothed, fed and in good health! 

And not to toot my own horn...but I am a professional!  Kids don't try this at home...

Seriously, living with seven dogs does require well thought out environmental and time management.  It requires the ability to read canine body language.  It requires skill in behavior modification and general training.  And it requires the willingness to make your dogs your priority. 

We have a nice home.  We keep it clean and relatively uncluttered.  But dogs pee on the floor... they vomit and get diarrhea...they destroy things...they require crates and gates that many would find unattractive.  House Beautiful is not going to call us for a photo shoot anytime soon! 

My biggest beef with people who have multiple dogs is that I truly believe that feeding, housing and loving your dogs is not enough.  They need training, exercise, time alone with you, time away from home, mental stimulation and a chance to develop a personality away from the group.  Too many people have too many dogs to adequately meet those needs.  They all need individual attention.  That is the reason I never have  more than two youngsters at a time.  Anyone that says that they can meet the training, socialization and exercise needs of more than three dogs under two years of age is delusional. 

Our dogs are 15 1/2, 11, 9, 7, 6, 5 and 2 yrs old.  Mamacita, the 2 yr old, and Tawnie, the 7 yr old, are my competition dogs.  They are trained alot, hiked alot and go to trials.  They LOVE agility, rally and freestyle  with Mom. Tawnie recently passed her Therapy dog test.

James (9), Chalupa (5) and Cubby (6) do not require much exercise (though they still get walks in addition to having access to our big fenced yard and they come to playgroup at work). James LOVES the yard and happily spends hours wandering, sniffing and snoozing in the sun. His car sickness prevents long trips but we are working on it! Chalupa goes hiking with the big dogs sometimes and on long walks with Cubby on Flexi leashes. We do a little bit of agility and trick training.  She LOVES doing errands in the car.  Cubby was in a High School play last year - he LOVED the time alone with Mom during rehearsals and the show . I am considering therapy work for him. He will be great.

Tucker(11) has some specialized behavioral needs.  He goes to work every day with Brian to help him live comfortably with his severe separation anxiety.  He LOVES riding in the car.  He also LOVES hunting frogs at the pond and Brian is happy to take him on weekends, in addition to short walks and swims during his sales rounds.

Pogo (151/2) has different needs.  He gets confused easily.  He needs encouragement to eat.  He needs patient handling.  He is stiff and sore, so cannot travel in the car comfortably.  His exercise is slow walks on our lane and toddling around the yard.   He LOVES me and he has me, completely.  

Seven dogs IS alot, but it works for us.

Thanks to Amanda McGuire Photography for the photo!





    

Roadtrip!

At the end of May my friend Kelly and I will be hittin' the road, headed for Indiana!  Kelly's new Collie puppy awaits us there!  Shane and Tawnie will be tagging along for the ride. 

Need to start making lists!
secure dog food containers...meds...water/bowls...sheets to keep dog fur off the hotel beds...treats...
crate for pup, collar, leash, toys, cleaning supplies, blankie...

Oh and I guess we'll need some stuff for us too!  :-)