A bit off topic... but worth it!!

I have some amazing friends whose son has a life threatening allergy to dairy, as well as several other foods. For those of you readers who carry, at all times, an Epi-pen you know what it's like.

The first time I took care of their son in their house I was anxious, constantly making sure I knew where the Benadryl was and that the pen was where I left it. The first time I took care of him in my house I was a nervous reck. We're talking crumbs on the floor, skin contact level reactivity. 

They have been working on an amazing project this last year and are finally sharing it with the general public.  I know this post is not Labrador or dog related, but this is such an amazing story for children I can't help but share it here.  Please check it out and share it with any parent you know who may have a child with food allergies.

"Abby the Alley Cat"

"Happy Birthday Coco" - Reviewed

When I first received the E-mail asking me to review children's books I thought it had to be a mistake. But it was clear that it wasn't when 13 children's books showed up at my store step.

The invitation was intriguing:

I just came across your blog dedicated to dogs and all things related to your pets. How fun! We thoroughly enjoy your site and want to give you the opportunity to receive samples of our books to share with your readers.
Although none of our books feature Labradors, specifically, I thought perhaps some of your readers might be interested in books that feature dogs as main characters. Happy Birthday Coco is one of our best-selling gift books for readers of all ages and has been sold at independently owned pet boutiques across the country.
Thanks so much for taking the time to review our books.
Best regards,
Sondra LaBrie
Marketing Manager
Kane/Miller Book Publishers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So it should come as no surprise which book I first chose to review.


"Happy Birthday Coco", originally published in Japan in 2005 this charming children's book was translated and published in English in 2006.

This beautifully illustrated book opens on the morning of Coco's first birthday. Coco, a wire hair fox terrier is a year old and over the next year has a lot to share with readers of all ages. Month by month we enjoy her special moments. The year brings many fun adventures, several new friends, and a sad goodbye. From pointing out the pitfalls of harsh words to beautifully demonstrating the perfect greeting with new dog friends, it's easy to see why she's a favorite. As the book comes to a close we once again say, "happy birthday Coco", only this time she truly has become our little friend.

Book: Happy Birthday Coco
Author: Oneones
First American Edition 2006
Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Publishers
Original Publication: 2005
Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd
Pages: 56
Age Range: All ages (picture book)

The "Shake Off" - Why dogs sometimes shake for no apparent reason.

There are several blog feeds that I enjoy reading on a regular basis. One of them you can find in my sidebar - Pappy's Dog Blog. The most recent post titled"Hippy Hippy Shake" made me realize how much I've learned about my dogs communication without realizing it.

In her book Canine Body Language: A photographic Guide, Brenda Aloff offers one explanation for this behavior. She points out that the "Shake Off" is something dogs will do that "indicates that the dog is coming down off adrenaline" . . . and "is moving into a Thinking or Responding state and out of a Reactive and unpredictable state." She goes on to explain more about this particular behavior and how this behavior is played out in dog/dog interactions. She has great pictures to go with her explanation that show various breeds of dogs demonstrating this behavior.

I can attest to the accuracy of this explanation with my own dear Shelby a prime example of a Reactive Dog. If he is in a "reactive" (or hind brain) mode and is trying to self calm or refocus he will shake from head to tail. It mainly starts with his head being most vigorously shaken but can go all the way to his tail sometimes. As he gets excited when he sees new people or if other dogs approach our gate I often see him try to shake off his "reactivity" if I give him an anchoring command like "leave it", "sit", "heal" etc. I'm asking him to refocus and it his way of trying to comply as quickly as possible. Sometimes it will happen without my intervention or redirection but after he has gone a bit "reactive" i.e. seeing a squirrel, bird close by.

I'm sure there are other reasons why dogs shake. I can tell you however that knowing as much as possible about why my dogs may do something gives me such an invaluable understanding of what my dog may be telling me. I highly recommend Brenda Aloff's book. Reading her book is similar to when you've gone to visit a foreign country and all you here is gibberish then all of a sudden someone comes along and starts translating the gibberish into meaningful words and phrases. Your whole world changes. That's what this book did for me and my ability to understand my dogs. It was a beautiful thing!!!

Side note:
For those of you who come regularly and have been wondering where I've been, sorry I've been MIA. A friend has just brought his mom home on hospice and I've been helping out. This was a nice break from where my energy has been focused recently. I hope you find the information interesting and hopefully helpful.

A "Tired Dog" is a "Good Dog"

And now back to our regularly scheduled topic.

When you own a dog, not to mention a big dog, and he just happens to be a reactive big dog, you are very familiar with the idea that "a tired dog is a good dog." That being said, be very careful just how quickly you jump to this solution. The phrase should really be "a calm dog is a good dog." When I say calm I mean a dog that has self control, a dog that can self calm, one that can modulate it's own behavior on command. At the very least it is a dog that will hold a neutral position whether that is a "sit" or a "down" despite being excited, until they are calm.

When I started classes with Trish I figured that exercising them before class would help. It totally backfired on us. Instead of being easier to direct Shelby was even more "ampted" up.

My girlfriend who has a "reactive" female Labrador decided to put her in agility. The logic being that it would focus her energy and give her an outlet for all her extra energy. Her dog did well but in her second class she was bit by one of the other dogs. There are so many things that should have been done differently to avoid her dog getting bit but that's not the point here.

My point is however that an easily over excited dog should not have another over stimulating outlet for their energy until they have a bit more self control. If you want to hear from the experts as to what this should look like check out these great resources:

Guidelines For Teaching Self Control, by Suzanne Clothier
Understanding & Teaching Self Control, by Suzanne Clothier

At our house it looks like the following:

• Both dogs have to go to their bed and lie down quietly before each meal time. (Quietly being the operative word here when it comes to Shelby.)
• Even after their food is served they must wait until I give them the release command which in our house is simply "Release"
• If one dog is getting affection the other can not push in. They are told to "sit" and "wait". Whining and vocalizing gets them nothing but the command to "be quiet". Sometimes I have walked away without giving Shelby even a pat if he has been exceptionally demanding
• If we are going somewhere and they have gotten over excited they have to sit at the open door until they are calm and quiet before I "release" them outside.
• If they are overexcited and barking when we get to the park they have to lay down and not until they are quiet are they "released" out of the car.
• Our dog park is double gated at the entrance. My dogs have to hold a "sit stay" with their leashes off so I can go and open the second gate. They don't move to enter the park until they are "released".
  

This last one has a made a huge difference. Before I started insisting on this, Shelby would make such a racket that all the other dogs that were even slightly excitable would hover by the gate and charge him in their excitement as he entered. He never got hurt but it was enough to make me worry. Now even if we enter with him barking and whining by the time we enter the park any interested dog has lost their initial interest and my dogs can enter without getting mobbed. All around much safer for all the dogs.

One more point to keep in mind is that your dogs will take thier cues from you. It's hard wired into thier instincts as pack animals. When you raise your voice or talk sharply, a dog hears this tone as being excited, similar to barking. Realize that it will only reinforce their already excited behavior, and give them the idea that you are excited too, so it must be okay! Instead speak softly and in quiet tones to get your dog to calm down, and they'll realize soon enough it's not appropriate behavior for the situation.

Trust me this is not an easy thing to always practice when you own a "reactive" dog. They seem to be able to go from "zero to crazy" in a split second all on their own. I continue to struggle with keeping my voice calm everyday. That being said, it's good to keep reminding myself what my focus should be and why. Hopefully it will help you too, if you as well find yourself with a dog that needs self control as much as they need exercise.

What's really in pet food?

Have you ever wondered what is really in commercial pet food not to mention all animal feed? (That also includes the animals that become our own meat source at our table.) I did and before our dogs came home I did the following Google search:

"What's really in dog food?"

I learned a lot more than I'd bargained for. When it comes to dog and cat food the Animal Protection Institute has some disturbing things to say.
Get The Facts: What’s Really in Pet Food
Animal Protection Institute
[excerpt]

What most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a market for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption” and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders, esophagi, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.

Than there is the animal feed indusrty in general. Check out this disturbingly insiteful news video clip.

If your thinking, "well what do I feed my dogs than?", check out The Animal Advocate link here and in the sidebar. Also worth your time are the following books I've mentioned before.

• Dr. Pitcairn's complete guide to Natural Health for dogs and cats, by Richard & Susan Pitcairn
• The Complete Holistic Dog Book, by Jan Allegretti & Katy Sommers

You can also check out the back issues of "The Whole Dog Journal" to purchase the following excellent articles:

• How to Choose a Food
• WDJ's Top Canned Foods
• New Top Dry Dog Foods
• The Right Stuff
• Why We Like Whole Foods

I feed my dogs and cat Flint River Ranch, that being said it may not be the right fit for you and your pets. However, I hope that armed with the above information you will find a dog or cat food that you feel comfortable giving to your beloved "family members".

Updated 11/28/06
Here's a very informative article form "The Peeing Post", and editor Mogens Eliasen

• "How to avoid detoxification problems when shifting your dog's diet"

Our Holistic vet told us to include a handful of chopped salad with the new food and to make the switch in one meal. Although it worked for us at the time I am not sure it was the most ideal. Personally I just wanted my dogs off the commerical "garbage" that the breeder had unfortunately started them on at 3 weeks of age. The extra bulk/fiber from the salad I believe is what helped ease the diarrhea almost over night. This had been making the transition very difficult. The customer service person I contacted at Flint River recommended adding a heaping spoonful of cooked outmeal to the new food. This also worked very well and with in 2 months we were fine. Part of the picture was the dogs had just gone through spay and neutering surgery. The holistic vet recommended Milk Thistle for a month to help detox thier liver of the anesthesia. I recently read that Mild Thistle also works specificly in the intestines and is good for diaherrea bouts in general.

Bark Busters - The truth will be told: Part 2

Once again thanks to all for continuing the discussion. I appreciated the link someone provided to the journal entry where another dog owner, Erin, talks about her own personal experience with Bark Busters. For those of you who are interested here it is as an edited active link: journals.aol.com/erinsjournal[ ...]bark-busters. I must however comment on this journal entry.

Erin writes the following:

"The only downside is that during the 5 week training period, the dogs are not allowed to be on the couch or bed when I am. Part of establishing dominance. We still fight about it at bed time every night."

Suzanne Clothier in her book "Bones Would Rain from the Sky" she discusses the absurdity in the notion that to "establish dominance" dogs can not share the couch or bed with you. She points out that the couch or bed is not the issue, the issue is will your dogs willingly give up the location at your request.

Then there is this comment:

"Basically, they teach you how to be the leader of the pack using vocal and body language that my dogs at least, seem to understand."

Is she saying here that Bark Busters teaches owners to use vocalizations such as "growls" and "barks" to redirect dogs? Please, someone correct me if I am wrong. Is this what Erin is referring to when she says: "using vocal . . . language that my dogs at least, seem to understand." If spoken commands can be taught and used for many other behaviors than why are unintelligible sounds needed? We are the ones here with the higher intelligence, are we not? I implore any and all "dog owners and lovers" (hopefully these two are synonymous) to read Suzanne's book. Dogs are very intelligent creatures and with loving, fair, dog compassionate leadership they are the best companions anyone could hope for.

Part 1: Raising two Labrador Retrievers "at the same time" - A few things we have learned

I mentioned before that, over the course of the past 15 months, I have been blessed with my fair share of "dumb luck" saves. The rest has been hard work with many fun and rewarding moments. I hope the ones I've shared recently have brought a smile. There are a few things now that I may take for granted but on a closer look are worth highlighting as keys to how we made it this far with our sanity intact.

Crate Training:

• Do - From the get go we knew we were going to crate train the dogs - and crate trained they were much to our sanity and survival. It gave them a safe place to be at night, a place they couldn't get into trouble, a place they could relax for a "time out" when they needed it.
• Don't - We thought that at 8 weeks old they should be in the same crate together, but soon found that the scars from them chewing on each other were not a good thing. Not to mention that the racket they could make together was not conducive to a good nights sleep at 4am in the morning.
• Do - By 10 weeks old they were in two separate crates. We kept them in the same room but put a visual barrier between the crates. They are still crated at night even now, except now as they no longer whine at night their crates sit at the far end of our bedroom. A simple "Go to your crates" tucks them in at night. Sometimes when Shelby's extra tired he'll put himself to bed - it's the cutest thing.

Training time:

• Don't - Initially I worked with the dogs together a lot. It saved time, it was easier for me, it seemed to be good for them, but don't be fooled like I was. They started depending and looking to each other instead of me.
• Do - Quickly I saw my error and put in the extra time to train them separately. Shelby is always better by himself even today with obedience activities like "heel walking". You want your dogs to be taking all of their cues from you not from each other - or another dog for that matter. The rewards in doing this far out way the extra commitment of time and energy - trust me!! When five dogs a head of them are charging out into traffic and you call your dogs back, you want them to know that you are more important not the other five dogs they were following.

Feeding Time:

• Do - With two dogs it was easy to imagine how crazy feedings would get if an organized routine wasn't established from the start. So even as puppies, especially once we started our first obedience class at 4 months, they were sent to their beds for "down stays" before they got their food. I would not touch their food bin until they were lying completely down and had stopped whining. Once their food was served they had to acknowledge me by looking in my direction if only for a second. Then a calm "release" freed them to go to their dish. To this day that is our routine for any and every meal, even those away from home. It may be a "sit stay" vs. a "down stay" but they must wait while their food is served and they must wait for a "release" command before going to their food. This has been a good "self control" teaching moment that has carried over to many areas of their life.

Toys through teething:

• Don't - The one good thing our first vet recommended was to not allow the puppies to play with rope or cloth toys and to not give them rawhide bones. The reasoning behind this is that they don't know the difference between cloth and rope they can chew and the rugs, socks, scarves and other personal items you wouldn't want them chewing. She warned that with rawhides puppies can obstruct on them resulting in painful and very costly surgery. Chewed rawhide also is awful close to the texture of leather shoes so don't blame the dog for chewing your $100+ shoes if you have given them rawhides to chew.
  
• Do - We gave our dogs the edible "Nylabone" bones and got through the worst of their teething stage with these. At seven months they got their first real raw bones. We only give them beef femur bones and they have to clean them outside. I prefer the long bone section, and our local butcher will cut it in half for us. The bone marrow is good for them and the connective tissue and meat on the outside is a real treat as far as they're concerned. Their teeth are always cleaner when they're done - Bonus! After they've chewed them clean I drop them in boiling water for 60 - 90 sec. to sterilize them, then they can become inside the house as chew toys. The dogs love them even after they've been cleaned and sterilized and will sit and gnaw on them in the evening. Some owners I talked to swear by "bully sticks" but say they do smell and can stain carpet if chewed indoors. I personally didn't want them to not be able to bring a chew toy inside and once started those were definitely not coming inside our house.
  

Barking at strangers:

• Don't - Avoid harshly reprimanding your dog for barking or growling at strangers that approach your house. Even our people loving, well socialized, Yellow Labradors will bark to alert us if a stranger is approaching or walking outside the gate of our drive. They even let us know when the very familiar and well liked neighbors are stopping by for a visit or quick chat. This is often very frustrating and it's hard to not get annoyed.
  
• Do - Jan Fennell, in her book "Tales from a Dog Listener", offers a better approach and tells her readers to "thank your dog" and then call them to you. This lets them know that it's not their responsibility to worry any further after alerting you. Although the reasoning behind her approach is not completely accurate, (Read: Bones Would Rain from the Sky) the objective is rock solid. We often follow it up with a "leave it" or "that's enough" or "quiet" command. If necessary we send the dogs inside for a down stay on their beds if we're at home or, if we're on a walk, turn and walk a few steps away rewarding them once they turn their attention to us and away from whatever / whoever has set them off. Pat Miller has a great article on this, "The 'Gift' of Growling", that was published in "The Whole Dog Journal". It's available for download from the website.

Taking your dogs "out to eat":

• Do - One of the ideas that came to me when the dogs were puppies was to have a blanket for them when they went out to eat with us. This has been a stroke of genius that two others in the community have adopted with the same success as us. It really was nice to give them a well defined boundary. One they understood with a simple "go to your bed". It also keeps them, even now, from licking at or lying in "under the table drippings" - Bonus!
• Don't - There's nothing more annoying than not being able to navigate the patio due to rude, over excited dogs. Don't be one of those owners. Just because dogs are allowed does not mean their allowed to be rude - and that includes being rude to other dogs.
  

I'm sure there are a couple other things that have become a part of our routine given that we have two dogs and as I think of them I'll comment on them. I hope the ones I've presented above help those of you who are starting out with two as well or those of you considering it in the near future. My only disclaimer on this is that some of the rules and boundaries we have at our house are because we live in a neighborhood where we want to be conscientious of those around us, we want to share the limited open space respectfully with others, and we want the dogs to be able to politely join us out in the community.

Part #2 continued here.

Part #3 continued here.

"Bones Would Rain From The Sky"

Yesterday I finished Jan Fennell's book , "Tales From A Dog Listener", and dove headfirst into "Bones . . ." Wow, Suzanne Clothier is amazing! If you truly want to open up your heart and experience the beauty possible in the relationship we can share with our animal companions, than you MUST read this book. Halfway through chapter one I got out my highlighter and sticky note bookmarks. I now have over a dozen tagged pages and I'm just starting chapter four.

I noted in a previous post, when the book first arrived, an excerpt from the book's jacket, :

"As in no other "dog book" or training manual, in Bones Would Rain Form The Sky an extraordinary woman shows us how to find a deep connection with another being and to receive an incomparable gift: a profound, lifelong relationship with the dog you love."

Copyright © 2002

This book delivers on its promises. I hope those of you who own a dog who are reading this blog will buy this wonderful book. It is not a training manual in the typical sense, but we don't need any more of those. This book goes to the heart of understanding what it takes to build a true bond with your dog. A life long bond based on the love, trust, understanding, and the dedication that every dog deserves.

A Preferred Reading List

I found this list on a website and couldn't agree more with most of the choises as I have them already in my library. The rest I'm now interestd in reading myself. All of these books can be found at Dogwise.com except 'The Dog's Mind'. However, other books by Bruce Fogle are available.

• The Power of Positive Dog Training, Pat Miller, 2001, Howell Book House.
• Positive Perspectives, Pat Miller, 2004, Dogwise Books.
• On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, Turid Rugaas, 1997, Legacy by Mail.
• Excel-Erated Learning, Pamela Reid, Ph.D., 1996, James and Kenneth Publishers.
• The Other End of the Leash, Patricia McConnell, Ballantine Books
• Don’t Shoot the Dog!, Karen Pryor, 1984, Bantam Books.
• The Dog’s Mind, Bruce Fogle, DVM, 1990, Howell Book House.
• The Culture Clash, Jean Donaldson, 1996, James and Kenneth Publishers.
• Dogs: A new understanding. . ., Raymond & Lorna Coppinger, 2001, Scribner.
• Scaredy Dog!, Ali Brown, M.Ed., CPDT, 2004, Tanacacia Press.
• Ruff Love, Susan Garrett, 2002, Clean Run Productions.
• Parenting Your Dog, Trish King, 2004, TFH Publications, Inc.

Never stop learning . . .

If you are like me and learn best from the experiences, stories, and empathy of others you will love Jan Fennell's book "Tales From The Dog Listener" Jan offers great insight through personal stories that have shaped her understanding of dogs. She straight talks about what it takes to be "the owner your dog deserves". Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

People are not born good dog owners; they need to learn to adapt, to show some thought. Sometimes they also need to admit when they've gone wrong.
~~
. . . it is far better to work with the dog than against it, using positive reinforcement to underline key messages.
~~
We live in a world of instant gratification. People seem to want everything not just now, but yesterday. There is an obsession with the quick fix, the miracle on demand. Some owners seem unwilling - or even unable - to appreciate that somethings aren't solved in a minute, a day or even a week. The word "patience" doesn't seem to exist in their dictionaries.

Copyright © 2006 Jan Fennell

Oh how I can relate to all of the above. Her compassion for people who yearn to be good dog owners is very tangible in the text. Although her approach is based on her extensive knowledge and real life experiences vs. others who tout scientific research it does have great merit that can not be flippantly dismissed. But you be the judge yourself - don't let others decide for you.

Working on "calm"

Since reading Suzanne Clothier's book on teaching your dog "Self Control" I've really been working on reinforcing a "calm" state with the dogs. I was about to say especially - Shelby, but realized that was not fair. In being more observant lately I have noticed that although Nutmeg does not whine or show her general state so obviously she is often just as wound or agitated. She'll play the submissive card overly easy, or she'll sit perfectly still but her muscles will be twitching hard from her shoulders to her back legs. Although more subtle this still represents a more "reactive" state.

To redirect them or help to calm them I have been using "the ignore" a lot. This morning though it didn't seem to help so I sent them outside and played fetch with them. We then came inside and tried again.

I suppose I should mention what we were trying to do in the first place. It was breakfast time, as always they had run to their bed in the kitchen and dropped into "down stays" waiting for me to serve up their food and "release" them to eat. Now some of you may be thinking - well of course they're excited and anxious, it's time to eat. My thought was this. If I want to foster "calm" than rewarding their over reactive state, with something as huge as breakfast, would not have been ideal.

My efforts payed off! It was dog class today and the ride over had far less whining to suffer through. There class went much better than last week. Shelby was completely focused on my husband and Nutmeg was completely keyed into my commands as well.

It's amazing how perceptive dogs are!! I've also become more aware of subtle changes in them and this has proved invaluable. To those of you with "reactive dogs" my challenge to you - that I challenge myself with every day - is to see them more as "highly perceptive dogs" and realize that they are only mirroring you!!

Teaching your dog "Wait" vs. "Stay"

One of the most valuable things I have learned in the past 16 months in raising two Labradors is the importance of teaching my dogs self control.

Suzanne Clothier has a great short booklet on the subject called: "Understanding & Teaching Self Control". The training tips and advice in this booklet are a great resource and well worth the read. She sums up the importance simply:

"self control . . . leaves more of his mind available for learning and thinking instead of just reacting."

© Copyright 1996 Suzanne Clothier

One of the things I have found is that teaching both a "wait" and a "stay" as separate distinct commands helps with every day routines. As you can imagine with my Labradors, when the water hose comes out they get excited, Shelby in particular. This spring and summer with more free time I began expanding my garden so the hose was out a lot more. Teaching Shelby a solid "leave it", then a "wait" was well worth it. If all went well and I didn't have to drag him inside he got his reward at the end and the fun began. They both love to jump at the water as I play keep away. When it's hot I let him run right at it and chomp and mouth at the rushing stream. In their excitement they tear around the yard and than back to the water again. It's a great "life reward" and their ability to wait has gotten much better. The command "wait" lets us remote open the gate and drive the car into the driveway. They are eager to great us and I don't want to discourage that, but I also do not want them to rush at the car. "Wait" lets them know that they can come out but remain close to the house until we stop the car and close the gate. Then with a cheerful"release" they rush to the car door eager for us to get out. It is amazing to see how the skills carry over from situation to situation. They just seem to get it!! Proof again that a little time and solid training will go a long way to make life with dogs a real joy.

"Stay" on the other hand has allowed me to progress them to being off leash at our local park. I specifically choose quite and empty park times, or right at dusk when we gather with other dogs, to let them play off leash. In the mid morning when the field is clear I know that if another dog is walking the perimeter with it's owner I can put my dogs in a "down stay" and they know they can not move till I say so. This has especially been beneficial if a young child has wanted to come say "hi" to the dogs. I know that a "down stay" will hold my dogs allowing the child to approach without being intimidated as well as allowing the child to have a positive experience. "Stay" also has allowed me to anchor my dogs and leave them to approach someone who does not care to be close to dogs. It gives me the ability to respect others and be a responsible dog owning member of the community. It also gives me freedom to go places with my dogs because there are rules and they know what those rules are.

Great training tips:

• Teaching your dog to wait . . .
• . . . ways to teach a stay
• Teaching "leave it"
  

When I started with basic obedience I figured we'd do an Obedience I & II and that was it; that I wouldn't need anything else. How hard could it be? They were dogs, weren't all dogs basically "good" dogs naturally? The answer is, "yes they are", but 6 months ago we both needed to learn how to communicate and understand each other better. My dogs needed to know where the boundaries were in their world. They didn't teach to this depth in the first class I enrolled in. But now, 6 months the wiser with our new trainer the answer is, "yes of course with the proper training, dogs will always be "good" seemingly naturally."

A new book for my journey

With written permission I am excited to share the following excerpt:

"Bones Would Rain from the sky"

"My only mistake was licking her knee. Until that moment, they had been quite tolerant of me panting quietly under the dining room table, a good place to lie on a warm summer's evening. I was a smart dog. I knew I might have been cooler lying on the slick tile in the bathroom or even outside, shaded by the bushes along the foundation. But I would have missed being with my family. Seen from beneath the table, framed by a tablecloth, my family appeared as a collection of limbs and clothing: plump knees, scabby knees, tired-looking ankles rising pale and thin from sensible white socks, pleasantly grubby feet idly rubbing the rungs of a chair, a flip-flop dangling from a swinging toe.
I shifted to lean against a women's knee, eyes closed as I breathed in the sweetly familiar perfume that rose from a hollow on her ankle. Absently, she reached down to pat my head, and grateful for the attention, I licked her knee. With my aunt's startled cry, my blissful moments as the family dog came to an end. It was not fair, I thought resentfully as I was hauled out from under the table and placed unceremoniously in a chair with the command, " Sit here and eat like a human being!" All I wanted was a dog. If I couldn't have a dog, the least my family could do was allow me to be a dog. And everyone knows that dogs lick the people they like."

Copyright © 2002 by Suzanne Clothier

Excerpt from: If a Dog's Prayers were Answered . . . "Bones Would Rain from the Sky": Deepening Our Relationship with Dogs

And so starts another great book from a true dog lover. Suzanne Clothier is a dog trainer, lecturer, and award-winning author. An excerpt from the book's jacket notes that...

"As in no other "dog book" or training manual, in Bones Would Rain Form The Sky an extraordinary woman shows us how to find a deep connection with another being and to receive an incomparable gift: a profound, lifelong relationship with the dog you love."

Copyright © 2002

More Reactive Dog Resources

Here's a great online article that is written with compassion and true experience by a trainer who specializes in reactive dogs.

"Of Knuckleheads and Buttheads: The Reactive Dog", Author Moc Klinkam is Training Director at NorthWest K9

Another good online article and other resources:

"Great Companions: Learn to be your dog's reward", by Ali Brown
"Scaredy Dog! Understanding and rehabilitating your reactive dog", by Ali Brown
"Scaredy Dog! SEMINAR DVD", by Ali Brown

A great article from MySmartPuppy.com

"Helping the Reactive Dog", by Sarah Wilson

A general article on reinforcing calm behaviors for any and all dogs.

"Wild Behavior: How to Help Your Dog Settle Down", by Kathy Diamond Davis

My "Reactive Dog"

If you are asking yourself, "what is a reactive dog?", realize that you are not alone. I had no idea what a "reactive dog" temperament was. If only I had realized sooner that my Shelby is a "reactive dog". So, what is a reactive dog? Here's the best description out there.

The following is an excerpt from the book: "Good Owners, Great Dogs", by Brian Kilcommnos & Sarah Wilson. With written permission I'm thrilled to share an excerpt. [pg 216]

The Reactive Dog

When you restrain him, he gets more frenzied. When you yell at him, he gets more wild. When you correct him hard, he gets worse. You have a reactive dog. The good news is that he is 100% trainable. Reactive dogs have a hard time calming themselves down.They tend to take every emotion you send their way and magnify it. You are upset, they get more upset. With these animals it is mandatory that you be calm, dead calm. If you are calm, they become calm. There are no tricks, no shortcuts. Commands are neutral; correction unemotional, direct and over with. Concentrate on timing and structure rather than force. If you try force, they will get anxious and active. Praise is warm, kind and not too excited.
My personal experience is that the reactive dog is mentally sensitive, eager to please and intelligent. When approached as stupid, stubborn, difficult or untrainable, he becomes those things. With your proper handling and patience, he will become a responsive pet.

Copyright © 1992, 1999 by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson

A message from Sarah Wilson:

"My Smart Puppy" - our newest book with a new way of thinking about training - is out October (2006) - and folks can find us (and our message boards) through www.mysmartpuppy.com.

Anyway - happy to help out.

Best -
Sarah

Take a minute to visit their website. The book: "Good Owners, Great Dogs" is a great reference in that it covers all the basics. Great suggestions and advice are presented is a nice easy to access way. Personal stories from years of experience make the book a fun read instead of the usual dry, traditional dog advice books out there. Although it is not specifically a training program book, for the novice dog owner it is a must have - before you get your dog - book. Personally I just wish I hadn't put the book down before getting to page 216. It wasn't until just a month ago that I picked up the book again and said, "I get it, I have a 'reactive dog' ."

Their are great resources out there for those of you like me living with a reactive dog. As I compile them I will share them here. I know I'll be learning in the process too.

Good Books for your Library

In some of my previous posts I have listed some of the books I have in my library. Here are several others I feel are worth sharing.

• Dr. Pitcairn's complete guide to Natural Health for dogs and cats, by Richard & Susan Pitcairn
• The Complete Holistic Dog Book, by Jan Allegretti & Katy Sommers

And for a very fascinating insight as to how animals perceive the world around them:

• Animals in Translation: Using the mysteries of autism to decode animal behavior, by Temple Grandin

I hope you enjoy!

Surviving Puppy Adolescence

Hitting the skids . . .

Everything seemed to be going well until my two dogs hit adolescence. Then things really changed. It didn't help that I had majorly sprained my ankle as they were entering this stage and the weekly hikes came to a complete stop. When we headed back out over a month later all hell seemed to have broken loose. Hiking became a complete battle. With two 7 month old Labradors vs. My arm, shoulder and neck I was losing and losing fast!! Beginning obedience had gone so well with my two labs out performing in every way. My husband and I were so proud. Now intermediate obedience was off to a bumpy start with things going from bad to worse. The suggestions from our first trainer were worthless. I felt she was at more of a loss than we were. She should have been able to help. She was a trainer!! The class format left no room for helping with our challenges and we dropped out and lost half our money - for two dogs. I began my research in earnest at that point. I searched every where for some insight as to how to work with the personality components of a Labrador through this stage of development. I finally found some links that began to make sense of what we were going through.
• Surviving Your Puppy's Adolescence, by Tehani Mosconi
• Puppyhood and Beyond, by Sue St. Gelais
This was the best I found. The second link really helped put things into perspective. But there were still no details on how to deal with my specific day to day issues.

The simple act of taking a walk had become a nightmare. Shelby, our boy, would bark and whine incessantly. Any distraction from a bird or squirrel set him into fits and boy could he bark. Nutmeg, our girl, would take her cues from him and it would go from bad to worse in a heart beat. We were lucky if I could take it for more than a block.

I franticly searched through Amazon's dog training books and the recommendations for each book. Soon I was more confused than when I started. Then by some miracle I found the "Dogwise" web site and the books by Turid Rugaas. I cried as I read her book "On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming signals". Finally, I began to understand that they had been trying to communicate with me despite their change in behavior. I now understood when they were trying to calm themselves down, when they were trying to calm me down, and how I could help calm them down in turn. I learned that I could help facilitate the valuable calming behaviors shown here "Calming Signals Picture Gallery". Skills they needed to continue with their training despite the increased impulsivity and highly distractable stage they had entered. Not to mention, these skills were vitally necessary for them to have in order to safely and properly communicate with other dogs they interacted with.

It was also around this same time as well that good fortune also allowed me to find an awesome trainer. The first time we talked Trish spent twenty minutes on the phone with me and never once mentioned that her usual fee is $35/ half hour. Then, knowing full well what was going on with my dogs, she invited me to a class that had been going already for two sessions. A generous offer as a new dog with issues was going to be added to a class just settling down and working well together. I decided to take Shelby as he was the worst offender. Shelby added his fair share of chaos to the class. Trish was patient and understanding. At the end of class Trish worked with us one on one and showed me in a matter of minutes that simply ignoring him until he calmed down was the first and biggest step towards changing his behavior. I didn't need to respond to his bad behavior to effect the change I wanted, I needed to ignore it. As soon and he would stop his whining he immediately got a treat. If he jumped up he was immediately given her back. Quickly taking cues from her that night I ignored him completely but stayed close, giving him my back and offering no eye contact unless he was quite or calm. It was amazing the change in him in just five minutes. Even so they were the longest five minutes of my life.

Things changed dramatically at home after that. When my husband came home from work he would ignore the dogs until they were calm. He would stay in the same space as them but they got no affection or eye contact or verbal acknowledgement until they were calm and quite. By the end of the week the over excitement level at arrival moments was gone within seconds not minutes. We had made a big baby step, but it was only the beginning. The incessant barking during walks took three month to fix. Huge improvement happened in the first month giving me the encouragement I needed to keep going. But they were the longest months ever in the first year.

I found another good book during this time:
• Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide.
I quickly realized after reading Turid Rugaas's book that the more I understood what my dogs were saying to me the more I knew what I needed to do so they understood me. I was more sensitive to there needs because I could make sense of their body language. Trish did warn me to take this book with a grain of salt. The book goes into extensive detail describing the slightest changes in facial expression and puts a label on it. Even I found that keeping it simple and looking for generalities makes more sense. Is your dog happy, sad, fearful, relaxed, or negotiating. These are the basic simple things you need to be able to see, not just in your dogs but in the dogs you encounter in the community while walking your dog. Here's a great article from another very generous trainer that has posted articles to the web:
• The Fine Art of Observation, by Suzanne Clothier

We continued with the training classes with Trish and even she was pleased with the changes. In every class there was always compassion and empathy from her and new tricks to try for the next week. Things began to turn around. I was getting my dogs back and learning more and more about them every day. I was falling in love, head over heals in love!!

Where to begin . . .

Hindsight is always 20/20.

There are many things that I wish I had known before I started my own adventures into the world of living with Labradors. Hopefully some of these resources that have been invaluable to me, even though I found them a bit later than I really needed them, will help you avoid some of the problems that I encountered.

• The first resource that any dog owner, regardless of breed, should have in their house are the two books by Pat Miller: 1) The Power of Positive Dog Training, and 2) Positive perspectives: Love Your Dog Train Your Dog

• Another absolute must for owners of every breed of dog are the resources of a brilliant women named Turid Rugaas: On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals.

• Then there is: The Whole Dog Journal.

None of the above recommendations cost very much at all and are worth far beyond their weight in gold. If you truly want to raise your dog(s) to be happy well mannered members of your family not to mention good citizens of the community you work, live and play in than start off on the right foot.

Yes, this past year was my first venture into living with two large dogs. So you may be saying to yourself "what could she possibly know about dogs", "she barely knows what to do herself". You may be right, but what I can tell you is that I've done my homework. I've run into problems and found nothing out there to point me in the right direction. I've spent countless hours doing research. I was fortunate to finally find a good trainer to work with who complimented what I was reading in these books. My "good trainer" did not cost me a small fortune or give me false promises. And, the first thing she invited me to do was come observe her classes. All signs of a good trainer - trust me on this!!

Perhaps that is why I felt inclined to start this blog. I remember running into trouble as my "boy" Shelby hit puppy adolescence and looking to see if there were any internet forums or blogs that had some insight to offer. I was open to anything; trainers, experts, even first timers like me who were out there sharing their knowledge. I found nothing really useful. What I did find were commentators on Amazon bashing alternate training books. This only left me spinning in circles between books. Most of the rest of what I found were forums with poor answers to real questions, nonsense web sights that were more concerned with the politics of training approaches and told you nothing of real value, or sites that pushed a product for a price.

The resources I've listed above come from people and entities who simply love dogs and want everyone to experience the full amazing benefits of adding a canine companion to your life. The links on this site will take you to good quality resources that I hope will help you as they have helped me. My hope is that this blog will be a starting point for you to find the answers you are looking for.

Falling in Love

Selecting a puppy

Because there are breeders like Mary Howley you and I can own an amazing caliber of Labrador Retriever. Our breeder here on the west coast has gotten all his dogs from Mary.

That said you have to experience it for yourself.
Not ready to do that yet, well than here's the next best place to start:

Nutmeg @ 6 wks w/ her mom Meg & our Breeder

Falling in Love

• Getting A Lab? Why not go to the top?, By Dennis Guldan
• Proven Results: Something About Mary
• Mike Lardy Nation Ranked Trainer Meet the Breeder, by Dennis Guldan
• Candlewood's Tanks A Lot - "Lottie"


And for a lovely book with a sentimental side from the voice of a hunter and lover of Labradors there's:
• Season's Belle, by Bob Butz

"Season's Belle" is a Mary Howley bred Candlewood Labrador

A beautiful coming of age story about a Mary Howley Labrador