Holiday Gift Suggestions for Your Dog

I have been shopping around my favorite dog supply websites for some of the best dog toys this season. I wanted to find toys that would appeal to my dogs and be mentally stimulating to them. There are two websites that I can always count on. http://www.sitstay.com/ for the best prices and the largest selection of everything you can imagine. I also love the store at http://www.clickertraining.com/ for the most innovative, cutting edge, and just plain good for your dog toys and training tools.

The DogPuzzler is an exciting hide-and-seek style game for your dog. The dog hunts for snacks by moving blocks in four different directions. Underneath each block is a hollow for hiding snacks. The blocks can only be lifted up (and checked for snacks!) at the end of each track. Vary the game by using more than one block in the same track.
To make the game harder, use big Dog Smart blocks or a rolled-up piece of cloth or paper to lock the rounded part of the track. Your dog will have to remove this lock in order to get to the DogPuzzler block. If your dog tries to extract a treat by hitting the DogPuzzler with his paws, teach him to work with his nose to manipulate the blocks. Do not let your dog bite the DogPuzzler; it's not a chew toy, so be sure to supervise your dog while he enjoys himself. Have fun playing this game together with your dog. To order click here.

Plush, colorful, and tons of fun! Each Bag-O-Balls contains a bunch of cloth balls, some with squeakers some without. Dump them all out and let your dog go wild, or challenge your dog to get the balls out of the bag.
The 7.5" Bag-O-Balls contains ten tennis ball sized cloth balls, 2.5" in diameter, in five different colors. Five of the ten balls have standard squeakers in them.
The 5" Mini Bag-O-Balls contains eight balls, 2" in diameter, in four different colors.
The Refill Bag-O-Balls contains 12 balls, 2.5" in diameter, in 6 different colors.
These are not chew toys. Supervise your dog when playing and be sure to pick them all up when done. To order click here.

The HI.Q. Puzzle Toy challenges your dog's puzzle solving skills. Think your dog is the smartest on the block? Or are you just looking for a fun new toy to help stimulate your best friend? Either way, have your dog take the HI.Q. challenge. Treats are easy to get in, but can be a challenge to get out. We really like these toys!
Link multiple toys together for an even greater challenge. That's right, they're linkable! Add as many as you'd like. How smart is your dog? Dancer was able to easily get treats out of two linked toys, but she's so smart. What a good girl! This is a toy your dog will never outgrow!
The HI.Q toy is 'L' shaped and cylindrical like a pipe. The long side is about 5 inches long and the shorter side about 3 3/4 inches long. The large end has an opening of 2 inches in diameter and the other end has an opening of 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Treats can be inserted into either end of the toy. HI.Q is made from a pliable material, so it's easy on your dog's mouth.
We recommend dry treats that vary in size (see below), nothing too big. Not recommended for heavy or destructive chewers. The HI.Q. Puzzle Toys are made right here in the USA of non-toxic material. Hand-wash, rinse throroughly when playtime is over. When our dogs are playing with the HI.Q, we're there to supervise. Click here to order.

I can also suggest any and all Kong toys. Use them as directed, do not leave an empty Kong just laying around to become another meaningless item in the yard. Fill them with dog food and yummy treats! Use them for training and play sessions, make them special. Click here to check out the variety Kong toys offers.

Dominant Snapping Turtles-The Key to Eliminating Canine Aggression

Some days are better than others at the dog park. I have had several experiences lately that have made me reel with incredulity over the unbelievable behavior displayed by humans in the dog park. These incidents have inspired hours of strident conversation with other savvy dog people, several articles about dog behavior, a video clip, and my friend Wendy and I even coined a term for a disorder that seems to be prevalent in dog parks. Codogpendency.

Codogpendency is the deep denial that one’s dog is displaying aggression or other inappropriate behavior. It causes a person to make excuses for or misidentify the dog’s behavior to keep from admitting that changing their own behavior could improve the situation. Codogpendent humans can be heard saying things like, “He just wants to play”, “He has never done anything like that before”, “But, she is afraid to go out alone, she cries the whole time”, “She won’t eat dog food, she thinks she’s a person.”. There is no end to the imagination and creativity of the dogged codogpendent.

Two of my most memorable personal encounters with codogpendent people happened in the dog park this past month. The incidents were within a few days of one another. The first incident happened between my ten year old female Siberian Husky Cicely and a Boxer who appeared to be about 2 years old. Cicely was walking towards me with her tail at half mast, her eyes a little squinty, and her head and ears about level with her back. This is some pretty unassuming body language. No well socialized dog would view this posture as a challenge. Out of nowhere, this young Boxer leaps onto her back and begins snapping at the back of her neck. He is over her shoulders, eyes white ringed, vocalizing loudly with his teeth bared. Cicely, who is normally unflappable and takes mounting in stride is looking at me with panic on her face and is struggling to get free of this nutty Boxer.

The owner comes running towards me yelling, “No, he’s OK. He is not being aggressive, he’s just dominant.”

What happened next was not pretty, and I am not proud of my response. Honestly, I really believe my brain imploded as I stared in bewilderment at this misinformed person. I asserted my position in a loud voice, “Your dog IS displaying aggressive behavior, and is not BEING dominant. He is challenging other dogs for dominance by attacking them!”

I inhaled deeply and ranted on, “It is NOT ok for your dog to attack my dog. Aggressive dogs do not belong in the dog park. PERIOD! Get him out of here! He is in violation of an actual city code that states no mounting in the dog park!”

I became aware that everyone was staring at me. So I walked away as the idio…er, man muttered, “He’s just being dominant.”

I exhaled and walked to the other end of the dog park resolved that I would leave as soon as the man and his dog moved away from the gate.

The next incident happened a few days later. I had pointed out an adolescent lab mix pup to my friend Wendy. His play was over the top, teeth bared, hackles up, snapping at and barking in the faces of other dogs. I pointed out the less than polite behavior and told Wendy that I thought we should move her shepherd pup away from the lab puppy because he was displaying threatening behavior.

The puppy’s owner came over to my friend shortly afterwards and told her that, “My dog is not aggressive. He just thinks he is a snapping turtle.”

Yes, codogpendency abounds. (sigh) The cure is education as is so often the case in social situations. Nobody is immune from this disorder, we all suffer a bout of it from time to time. Blindness to negative aspects of a beloved pet’s personality is a side effect of love. Awareness can lessen the instances of dangerous displays of stupidity by humans.

Click here for information help you identify canine aggressive body language.

Some easy to follow tips to keep your dog and other dogs safe while in the dog park or other dog social situations are:

• Do not take aggressive dogs to the dog park. It is not the obligation of other people and their pets to socialize a dog that is dangerous. Call a professional who understands aggression to treat your dog.

• If you see a problem brewing, trust your gut and go home. • If your dog is starting trouble or playing too rough, take a time out in the parking lot.

• If time out does not calm your dog down, go home.

You cannot get rid of roaches by calling them water bugs, and you cannot cure aggressive canine behavior by calling it normal or worse yet, by making claims that your dog is pretending to be someone else.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My friend Maryanne sent this video to me a few days ago. I decided to use it in my Thanksgiving blog entry. This few minutes of digital bliss makes me feel thankful. It transported me to the place in my heart where I am understanding and aware of that which is unspoken. Canine Grace. There is nothing else like it for me, it is the thing which makes me feel connected. I am thankful for that feeling and very grateful that I share this wonderment with other people.

Grab some tea and a tissue, and relax in the goodness that has been documented here.

Fun Activities For Your Dog

Keeping your dog busy is usually equal to keeping your dog out of trouble. Introducing fun activities will also keep him mentally stimulated and ward off depression. Most behavioral issues are caused due to anxiety and boredom. Both of these troublesome states can be corrected by adding a few fun activities to your dog's environment.

For some tips to enrich your dogs environment, check out this article How to keep your dog busy

For some inexpensive ways to entertain your dog with toys so that you can pay bills, watch tv, or read this blog, go to How to make dog toys

Be a Best Friend to Your Best Friend-The John Rogerson Experience

I spent this past weekend at a dog training clinic with John Rogerson. John is my favorite kind of trainer. It's all about having a great time, and he uses minimal training tools. His main motivator for a dog is a big silly grin. And his methods are highly effective. Though I was only able to audit the seminar without a dog, I think I learned more about my own strengths and weaknesses observing the other attendees than I would have had I been actually handling my own dog.

The training exercises offered were how to get your dog to stop on a dime, heeling, powerful recalls, go outs, and an introduction to search and rescue. The third day was a biatholon event which I missed. I missed my own fuzzy trio too much to stay for another day.

John focused on the dog human relationship during his teachings. His insights made me keenly observant of the nuances in the interactions between the dog and handler teams I watched this weekend. It also made me very sensitive to the way I communicate, or rather my failure to communicate with my own dogs.

The things I have vowed to improve upon since this seminar are-- To speak in cheerful tones more often when asking my dogs to perform a task. I will pet my dogs much more often, and call them to me simply for this purpose. I will SMILE at them when they feel uncertain, and throw a bigger parade when they succeed. When they do not do as I ask, I will know that I was not clear in my communication. I will smile as I make a modified attempt to get cooperation. I will use toys more often with my own dogs and with my client's dogs.

I consider myself a loving dog owner and trainer. But, in watching the mistakes and successes of others, I have much improvement to make. I will let my dogs know that I wish for them to move away from an object or area by calling to them, not by yanking their leash in the direction that I wish for them to go. I knew this to be true, but sometimes one needs to be reminded.

If you would like to know more about John Rogerson or wish to see where you can meet up with him next visit his website at

John Rogerson

You will also find his books and videos available on his website.

What to do when you can't take your dog out

The smoke from the fires here in California is forcing most of us to stay inside with our dogs. A day indoors is not too bad, but by the end of day 2, a dog can become restless and bored and display bad behaviors. Mine have decided that a full minute of howling, barking and vocalizing when someone comes through the door is a great way to eat up some time.

Every couple of hours, one dog will decide that another dog is lying in the spot that they want and will start a scuffle. I try to keep smiling and look for activities that a dog can do indoors.

Every hour on the hour, I ask them to do an obedience cue. We practice sit, down, and down stay. While two of them are in a down stay, I will ask the third dog to do a trick that he knows like sing or hi 5. Interaction and treats seem to be a favorite pastime at our house. These mini training sessions make response to obedience cues stronger, and help you and your canine companions keep your sanity until you can get back outdoors.

During times of intolerable weather, I feed them out of Kongs instead of using their food bowls. This makes meal time last longer, and entertains them with chewing activity.

My dogs have their own area of the house. I do not allow them to have access to every room. This comes in handy when you want to spend individual time with your dogs. For some portion of the day, I will allow one them to come just hang out with me for a couple of hours. During this time I will give the two who are not getting special attention a special chewy item such as a bully stick. I place one of them in a crate for a little while. This allows the dogs to have some time alone and reduces tension within the group. (This is best if your dog is crate trained and if you have taught your dogs that they can be separated. It is not a calm time if these concepts have never been introduced)

In the evening, we play with toys. Retrieve, tug o war, and hunt through the toy basket are the games we play. There is not room for the big dogs to retrieve a long distance, but just tossing a toy above their heads or just behind them offers some fun and energy expenditure.

Once the toys are put away, I spend time talking to the dogs and reassuring them that an outing will happen soon. It makes all of us feel better.

Mickey

I spend alot of time in animal shelters for rescue and training. Two of my dogs are "foster failures" one of which is Mickey.

I had to drop some training materials off at the Orange County Shelter one morning last June. There I met him- a little black and white scrap of fur that looked like a miniature border collie. He was pathetic looking, half bald, malnourished, but so CUTE with his little grin and plumey tail flagging me down to come say "hi". I stopped to visit him and just knew that in spite of his skin condition, one of the little dog rescues would come and get him.
A week later I was back and to my surprise, my little scrappy friend was still there and in bad shape. He was laying on the floor of his run and would not even lift his chin to look at me when I called to him. My heart ached a little and I felt anxious. He had given up hope, and with good cause. Today was his last day. According to my friend Tammy who works at the shelter, all the rescues had been contacted and he was unadoptable to the public because of a skin condition called alopecia. I could not let this little light go out. I told her I was going to pull him out and get him healthy again then find him a home
Mickey needed to be neutered, but I talked the shelter into letting me bathe him first since he was itching so badly and seemed so uncomfortable. He was quiet through the whole grooming process, and when we were finished and he was wrapped in a towel this little rat of a dog melted into my arms and fell sound asleep. I hated to leave him, but I told him I would see him in two days after his surgery. When I left him in his run, he pitched a fit! I felt bad for him, but I was thrilled to see him feeling spunky and hopeful again. Two days later we had a joyful reunion and I took him home.

The huskies were not too sure what to think, but he won them over as well.
As soon as I got Mickey home and settled in, he slept hard for a couple of days. I knew he had found his "good home". I did not want a little dog, but I wanted Mickey and all his spirit. Mickey's skin has since healed with good dog food, regular bathing, and lots of love.