Happy New Year!

This is one of our puppy clients at the animal clinic I also work at. Is he not the most adorable puppy you have ever seen? OK so I may be biased since he is a pug. But seriously, the smile is 100% real, no photo shop needed. How can you not love that face? It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside so in the spirit of the New Year and happy thoughts I thought I should try passing that feeling on to as many people as possible.

I suppose I should share some thoughts about my plans and resolutions for the new year. In light of how the second part of this year went for my crew, I have decided to keep them fairly easy. I find simplicity helps one stay on task. And not knowing what tomorrow will bring with our Missy has me wanting to keep things flexible as much as possible too.

First I vow to finish more of my dog related reading. No more starting another book until the last one started has been finished. This means that I will not buy another dog training or behavior book (gasp!) until I am all caught up. This one might take some discipline on my part since I have a slight book addiction to battle here.

Second I vow to finally start on my project of working through the 101 dog tricks book with Jenny and Jack. January is a good time to start since it is http://www.trainyourdogmonth.com . Things with Missy got me side tracked but we are in a holding pattern now so I think it is safe to buckle down and begin. It may be slow going but anything is better than nothing right? (and yes I plan on sharing video of our progress)

Third I vow to get Jack out more. I feel like he has drawn the short straw lately and he is bored. One of the things I plan to do with him is participate in http://www.idita-walk.com It is a fund raiser for youth programs and has the added benefit of promoting exercise for dogs and their people. And I have a thing for the real Iditarod dog sled race so it will be my mental connection to those dogs and racers. (With much less hardships to face on my end for sure - for others with a similar interest in dog sledding I can highly recommend the book "Winterdance" by Gary Paulsen. It is laugh-out-loud good and one of my all time favorite dog books.)

Fourth I vow to make more time for tracking and fun with my own dogs. The downside to training other peoples dogs regularly is that is sometimes sucks the energy out of me for my own crew. It's much like the carpenter that lives in the unfinished house. We know there is work there to be done, but we can live with it the way it is and only do what we can fit in during our spare time. If we feel like it. I just need to make a better effort to create more of that spare time for my dogs. They deserve it after all.

As to goals for the business they are about the same, continue to provide excellent training and behavior information to all my clients. I do need to look over and possibly update a few of my hand outs. Sometimes as I learn new things the information I provide changes. I will also continue to attend seminars as they come up. I believe a good trainers learning never stops. I also need to start rattling the cage at the prison to get K-9 Corrections up and running again. They still haven't gotten me any handlers but I heard they have a new warden that is interested in continuing the program. I have to admit I love sharing my knowledge in that forum and have been pleasantly surprised at some of the handlers I have had in the past. They have done a great job. I only hope they continue sharing the knowledge when they get released. I also hope to get them to accept pitbulls in the program this time around too. I think it is long overdue.

Last but not least, I vow to not let myself expend any more energy on unproductive endeavors. Life is to short to waste anymore of it. Nuff said.

So Happy New Year from my house to yours. May it be a good one for all of us.

Training Tip for Reactivity and Barking Video

Here's a tip for those with reactive dogs- when counter conditioning a new emotional response to dogs and people, sometimes its better to walk the dog in a new location to train. This could mean driving the dog there, but it is well worth the effort. This way you can start fresh and don't have to work against the areas on your walk that your dog has become sensitized to (like the dog behind the gate on the corner that ALWAYS sends your dog over the top). 
Also when in the new area, you don't necc. have to walk far, back and forth will do, also giving the dog permission to sniff and check things out- check out those new smells and other dog smells. Practicing settles in new areas also can help lower arousal.

Ending the year with thanks

This is the St. Francis of Assisi statue in my backyard. My sister took the picture because she liked how the snow looks like a Santa hat. St. Francis was known for the calming affect he had on animals around him. He wrote a "Canticle of the Creatures" which was an ode to all living things. In it he wrote: “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.” I Googled some images of St. Francis and found these ones that show him with wolves. If you use Google images you will find these and more. I hope you enjoy them!
Once a year some Franciscan and Catholic Churches offer a blessing of the pets service where animals are sprinkled with holy water. According to American Catholic website, the blessing goes like this:

“Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish
in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis
to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By
the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always
praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in
all your creatures! Amen.”

I know that everyone who might be reading my blog is here because you have dogs that are special in your life. Possibly even dogs who have been a blessing in your life, making your life different and moving your life in a direction you never expected. As 2009 comes to a close, and we are about to welcome 2010, I invite you to close the year in part, by thanking God, or your source, the Divine Presence, or whatever higher presence moves you - for the people and the animals in your life. Because no matter what we each personally believe, we all share a love of dogs and agree that they play an important role in our lives!

Please allow me to share once again, the story of Thorn. As each year passes, I have more appreciation for the role he played in my life, even though he was an unassuming dog with few titles or accomplishments to boast about. I hope in sharing it to inspire you to think about your dogs and the role each of them plays, as each dog is a unique spirit - and (as Cesar Milan says) we always have the dog we need in our lives.

Two years ago on Christmas Day I lost my beautiful German Shepherd Thorn to Cancer and from now on, every Christmas, I know I will think of him. I have written in my blog about what a blessing he was in my life. He came along and was the first dog I owned after my Mom died, also of Cancer. The first dog my Mom never knew. But in many ways I think she sent him to me, to be my companion. He is the only dog who ever chose me - making it clear from the time he could waddle as a puppy that I was his person.

He was my best friend through tumultuous years in my life, when I was sick, and also had Cancer. He was never very good or even interested in any of my favourite activities (though he was game to give them a go)...his calling was to be my soft furry pillow, that dog always at my side, with eyes only for me - never judging, only loving.

Just before moving to Alberta, he became sick and died - in many ways I believe taking on illness to spare me; and gracefully leaving so I could move on in my life. I now look at Thorn as an angel, sent on a mission that ended when he died on that auspicious day.

When I started to write this post, I knew I wanted to share the idea of sending a New Year's Blessing to the animals as a nice year-end ritual. When I Googled it, I found a very interesting book I would also like to share called Will I See my Dog in Heaven? The book is written by a Friar. I agree with him, that heaven must have animals, because they certainly have souls and are so important to us while we are here on Earth. If you follow Buddhism, you might believe an animal could be a soulmate or a reincarnated soul in a dog's body! Or you might believe that we can make our heaven right here on Earth today, depending on how we choose to live and love while we are here, now. Whatever the case, I think that New Year's marks a remembrance of the past and a step into many possible futures. I know my life would be very different without my dogs. I would not live where I live, nor would I have the many friends I love or activities I enjoy if not for the connections made through my dogs.

I hope that as 2009 comes to an end, you have a few quiet moments to think about those you love - people and animals. Ideally, you can tell them and show them that you appreciate them every day.
In years' past I have written about goal-setting for the coming year. I can't do that this year. I have goals, of course, but somehow it seems more important to just be in the present moment and say thanks to everyone who makes every day a blessing. Rather than set big goals, if we all choose to live each day with purpose, appreciation and awareness of what is important, the year will surely unfold as it should.

Happy New Year to everyone and warm wishes for many wonderful days in 2010.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

"Can we go in now?" The girls aren't into the cold that winter brings.

An adjustment of Missy's meds have her feeling great. She is back to playing with the other dogs and even chewing her bones again. I am very grateful she had a comfortable Christmas.

Jack on the other hand loves the winter weather and snow and would stay outside all day if I let him.

Some family dogs

A couple of photos I snapped at a family gathering on Christmas eve.

This is LuLu, my aunts yorkie. She has a great "Bang, play dead" trick under her belt.

Here is Logan (far right-malamute lab x) my cousins dog, and Buck (on left-lab siberian husky x) my uncles dog doing their sit pretty trick together. How cute are they?

The end of year vent post

I have a blog stalker.
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But some of you already knew that. It is most of the time simply an annoyance. I try to not acknowledge that she is there but she is. She reads my blog regularly and likes to comment on occasion. (check out the last few post comments to see for yourself) Sometimes I let the comments through because it shows how she acts. Perhaps I shouldn't but she keeps accusing me of things so I find it is my only defense. Let everyone see the stuff she says to me and judge for themselves.
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She even has a link to this blog on hers under "worrisome" so that others know what she thinks of me. A fact I find pretty funny since this gives people the opportunity to read about positive methods. (Thank you for this BTW!) But I am in good company there since she also thinks Jean Donaldson and Patricia McConnell PhD are also on the worrisome list. She also routinely attacks others in the positive training field as well. People like Dr. Ian Dunbar and Dr. Nicholas Dodman. You know, people who have no clue about dog behavior. (insert eye roll here)
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I find it odd that she wastes her time attacking me. I am not in direct competition with her, we do not share an area at all. We don't even share training interests! (She shows in competition obedience, I do not nor is it my goal as I have admitted in past posts.) I guess being online makes is in the same area to her however. We do seem to use different methods in training from what I gather from her training posts and from videos I have watched with her doing e-collar training. (cringe-worthy in my opinion) I admit that there are many ways to train a dog. I've even used some of those methods in the past. She has accused me of "drinking the kool-aid of the positive reinforcement cult" in response to my thoughts on positive training vs the other methods. Guilty on that count I suppose, though I don't remember any Kool-Aid at our secret meetings. I'm sure it must be from the brain washing.
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Guess what people, I prefer positive training. I don't keep it a secret. I try to explain why I like it and why people should use it over the alternative because NEWS FLASH, this is MY blog! It is where I get to talk about things I know and love. If you don't like these methods, or my thoughts, DON'T READ IT! I'm sure there are many other blogs you can find with like minded people out there. Go read them and jump on their wagon. Please. I'm sure they will enjoy your company. (unless they already gave you the boot too)
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What I also find hard to understand is the need to tear me down at every turn. She accuses me of doing this to her but all my comments directed to her (on another blog-Maine Pets link found on right) were only in response to things she has said to me first. I simply made the mistake of disagreeing with her about the availability of dog training seminars in the area. (Seriously, that is what started the whole thing in October of 08, silly no? My kingdom for a time machine.) Sadly she got booted from that blog recently for her unprofessional conduct and all my proof in the form of those posts are now gone for the general public to find. She made it personal instead of simply disagreeing with the training methods and just keeps coming back at me.
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She didn't just target me either, she also came after people who's blogs I read and comment on as well. (Sorry Katie!) Apparently anyone she disagrees with she likes to attack. There is no such thing as an adult dialogue with her where you agree to disagree. I know because in the beginning I tried. She is a master of twisting words and intentions.
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I have to say this is seriously pissing me off.
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And before she screams "libel" at me once again and threatens to sue me, again, I ask you to find just ONE reference to her by name on this blog. I even have a nice search option to help with that. Go ahead, look her up. You won't find it because it isn't there. Never happened. She shows herself with her comments to me instead.
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As to her claim that I tear down other trainers, the only one I can think of is Cesar Millan who is a public figure and yes I disagree with him and his methods. I do not however, attack him personally, just the method he uses. See that part about this being MY blog?? Yup. My blog, my opinion. It lets me say what I want just like she does when she references other trainers (mostly negatively) on her other blog routinely. (Including myself who she HAS named as an example of a bad trainer. Hmm maybe I am the one who has cause for a libel suit??) The only other trainer I have referred to stayed anonymous as trainer X so I could get correct information out there in rebuttal to bad info being given out in the first place.
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I do not name trainers nor tear them down. You know why? Because I believe in my methods and the training I do. I do not need to tear others down in order to look better. I am confident in the services I provide. Talking about others is so high school and unprofessional that it astounds me that someone who claims to be a professional in the business is doing it.
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It also annoys me greatly that I am once again having to post about said blog stalker. I feel it is unprofessional for me to do. However I am determined to not simply roll over and take it any longer. This is however the very last time she-who-shall-not-be-named is ever referred to again. Her comments will all be blocked and NOT even read in the future. I do love my delete button. Wait, strike that. I may keep them for my files so I have proof of the idiocy if ever needed in the future. (She keeps threatening these lawsuits, I say bring it on.) I am no longer going to continue to waste one more second of my life on this childish crap if I can help it.
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So this is my end of the year vent. No more reinforcing what clearly to her is positive attention. To some people even negative attention is positive after all. (this applies to dog behavior as well) Enough is enough and though she may find some fun in it I do not. Nor do I find it productive in any way. If she wants to present herself in that way to the general public she can have at it.
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There is a saying that seems to apply here: "There is no sense in fighting with a pig. You both get dirty but the pig likes it."

Passing on a great article.

The winter issue of Off Lead & Animal Behavior is out. http://www.off-lead.com/ Go to the website to read the whole magazine. (I LOVE that feature BTW.) Now while I can't say I agree with all the articles in the mag, I LOVE the one at the very back "The rules of the pack and other tales" by Gary Wilkes. Here is a direct link: http://www.off-lead.com/winter_09/frames/winter09_frame.html#/54/

I do find it odd that such a great article shares magazine space with other fodder advocating pack leadership and the like, all which go against this brilliant tidbit. Kinda confusing to the average dog owner if you ask me. Perhaps this will shed some light on the subject to some of the other contributors and readers however. One can only hope.

Follow up on the akita movie

According to this website, the akita movie I was gearing up may be going straight to DVD instead: https://www.hotmoviesale.com/p195921/Hachiko-A-Dogs-Story.html I had spoken to my local movie theater manager and he said it was listed as a limited release. I see the DVD release date is March so maybe they will still show it in some theaters first. It looks like those flyers may need to go to the movie rental store as my plan B if it doesn't come here to the boonies.

Kinda wishing they would do a special edition, the original Japanese version (was black and white and subtitled in English) along with the new Americanized version. It would make a great two pack set. I would be even more excited if they let Akita Rescue do an educational blip at the beginning or end of the movie.

Hey I can dream can't I??

Down to leftovers

We are at that point where we are getting tired of leftovers. Today we went to Calgary for the day, then had dinner at the famous Canyon Rose Steakhouse in Cochrane, which was a saloon at the turn of the century. Mmmmmmmmm!

The dogs have also been getting turkey and gravy, but now we are down to leftover carrots and potatoes, as I have put the rest of the turkey in the freezer to enjoy later. Here is what River thought about carrots...Bah - Humbug!
How do dogs do this? She discovered the carrots, and then went to sulk behind the curtains!Eventually she came out, probably scoping out what else we might have to offer......and after I broke a cabbage roll into her dinner, she decided she could eat it! But still left the carrots.

No cabbage, but lots of rice, ground beef and bacon - went over well! My other dogs all loved the veggies, but River has always been very fussy, and a bit spoiled!

In fact, River even insists on a treat as a reward when she finishes eating! And of course, I give her one, because she is so proud when she is done! All of the other dogs benefit from this routine too, of course. "Yes, I finished my supper - now hand over a cookie!" says River.

And now for something a little different...

...Pictures of me! Yes, I do exist!

Since I usually take the pictures, I am not in them. However, now that I have officially reached the "50 pounds lost" mark, maybe I won't be so camera shy. I spent weeks sorting old photos from the past 30 years (see my flashback post for the pic of me at age 18). I can't believe how few pictures I am in. It is sort of like I have been missing from my own life!

So I took the picture above of myself, in a mirror, to record my weight loss so far. It was taken on December 20. I look like I am getting younger since moving to Alberta! Is there a fountain of youth here?

With my sister visiting, I actually have a couple more photos of me and I will get her to take more. She snuck these of me on our Christmas Day walk...me taking a photo of Jet and Ted at the dogpark...Below I am walking ahead of her, with the dogs... taking the dogs for a walk on Christmas Day is one of my favourite Christmas traditions!And here is the picture I took of the munchkins, in front of a bird's nest I spotted. I love how Border Collies look in the white snow - so crisp and little black button noses!I took this one of Lori at Three Mile Bend.A few more of her photos from Christmas Day - these are the trees in front of my house. In Alberta they call this a "hoar frost." I understand this is a common term, but never heard it in Thunder Bay! And she snapped this shot of my little church house on Christmas Day! I love this house, it is so cozy and has such good vibes!
Here is "Auntie Lori" with Caden, who just loves her. She drove to Alberta with us when he was a wee pup and he still remembers her!
Here she is with my 6-month-old Caden at the little house I rented in Ponoka when I first moved to Alberta.
And I JUST turned around and took this picture! We are about to have our morning coffee. All of the dogs are competing for her attention - Ted and River share a chair to get closer.
I am enjoying my sister's visit so much! I can't believe we aren't 10 and 12 years old anymore. In fact, I will be 50 in 2010 - wow! I am so happy to be losing weight and feeling younger and happier and more healthy than I have felt in many years.

But can someone tell my eyes that? Maybe it is all this blogging, but I found out I need glasses two weeks ago!! Here is the pair I settled for - a nice copper-framed pair of Oakleys. I'll have them in a week.

Me with my crew

When my sister was over yesterday I pressed her into service as my photographer. Aside from my shirt needing some straightening I think it came out great. The dogs look fabulous and this was only the second shot. I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

A walk in the woods

Minos is way faster than he looks.

We saw lots of deer tracks.

It was a great walk until a loose male siberian husky decided to join us. With no owner in sight we fortunately saw him rushing down the hill towards us targeting Jack before he reached us. Once upon a time this would have given me heart failure. This time I calmly stepped in front of him, to be between him and Jack, and started yelling NO! so he at least slowed down. (A dog charging up to another dog to say hello is considered very rude in dog language so never let your dog do this if possible.) He still came up to Jack and there was a small scuffle until I gave Jack a "leave it" command and Jack backed off. Then it was a more normal greeting with the sibe deferring to Jack but then targeting Minos.

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We tried catching him so we could read his tags but he growled at us so we ended up shooing him off instead. I hated doing that but our options in the middle of the woods with a growling unknown dog were limited. We scrapped the rest of our walk not knowing if he would come back. Once we got back to our vehicles we noticed an unattended van nearby with a dog related license plate. Maybe the owner? Of course I didn't think to take a photo of the dog at the time. (I was clearly thinking about other things in the moment.) Hopefully they found their dog if he was missing or at least caught up to him on their own walk. It was somewhat aggravating.

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On the upside Jack and Minos had a great time before that happened. I was also very proud at how well Jack listened to me. Normally an unknown male dog being pushy with a male akita won't have the best outcome. Akitas can be known for same sex aggression towards other dogs if not super socialized when they are young. Even then some will not get along with all other dogs. Jack is actually pretty good if introductions are done properly. I wouldn't walk him off leash otherwise.

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If it happens again I will try to think to take a photo of the dog. Or even video of him in action. At the very least this can be proof of the problems he was causing if the owner won't be responsible. (and maybe they are and the dog simply got loose) I sincerely hope there won't be a next time. It takes the fun out of the walk for me.

My new obsession

The new collar I ordered for Jenny arrived the other day. It is so beautiful I wish I needed to wear a collar so I could have one too! Check it out:

It is called Retro Flower in Strawberry Mousse. Isn't it yummy?

I bought it from the same company that sent me the Freedom No Pull Harness to try out. http://www.wiggleswagswhiskers.com Their collars are drool worthy and must be seen to be believed. I am in love with all the options they have including a martingale style with an on and off snap buckle. I have never seen that before. (love it!) All collars are custom order. You can get exactly what you want. Oh and with a matching leash too if you like. (I am such an enabler!)
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It may be to big for Jenny though because I bought larger than they recommend on the website. In my defense I ordered it after an incident with a choke collar and was in an emotional "that will never happen again!" state. To make a long story short I fell while she was on leash and wearing a nylon choke collar and thought I had cut off her airway to long in my uncoordinated attempts to get myself right side up. (I am a true klutz.) After discussing with friends we think I probably didn't but it freaked me out anyhow. She certainly didn't act different after the incident or was scared in any way. (thankfully) At the time of ordering I wanted the brass hardwear to be able to touch at it's tightest to avoid that in the future. And I wanted it wide to avoid injury to her trachea.

She still rocks it.

I'll probably just order another one in her recommended size if this doesn't work for us. (heck I'll probably order another one anyhow just because they are so beautiful) The other dogs need their own as well. Great, now I have another new addiction. Dog collars!!
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Speaking off addictions, I added some books to my bookshelf. Check out my book blog if interested in finding out more about them.

Santa Came!

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!

Of course, guess who had to be told they weren't ALL for her!

Here is a cute e-card to enjoy...

http://ak.imgag.com/imgag/product/preview/flash/pdShell.swf?ihost=http://ak.imgag.com/imgag&brandldrPath=/product/full/el/&cardNum=/product/full/ap/3173936/graphic1

Waiting for Santa

All is peaceful as everyone waits for Santa...The younger dogs are fast asleep, dreaming of 100% digestible pork rawhides,

liver cookies and giggle balls... Jet dreams that Santa will leave her a new bed, as she is sure he knows how much she loves to organize and re-arrange (and chew up) every dogbed in the house - the more the better!
Caden dreams that St. Nicholas sprachens ze Deutche and is appreciative of what a good boy he has been learning all of his obedience commands...When Santa comes, I will Fuss for him, and he will say "Break!" and toss me a treat or a ball, dreams young Caden...And even the older dogs keep a watchful eye for Santa. River even has a present for him - her best chewtoy (my IKEA slipper)...
River is thinking - when Santa shows up, I will parade by and show him that I have not chewed this slipper, so he will leave me extra cookies and tell me I am a Princess... Ted just really hopes Santa will give him a hug - more affection at the top of Ted's list because one can never have enough love, or give enough love!!! And Ted thinks, when Santa comes I will lean on him and put my chin on his arm and smile, so he knows what a kind heart I have, and give me a scratch behind my ear...And all of the dogs in Nanna's china cabinet look on quietly, knowing each dog will get its wish... they have seen many Christmases from their vantage point in the cabinet! The howling wolves on the piano howl something magical that only Santa and his reindeer can hear, to let them know dogs are dreaming here...
The angel sends a blessing to the animals, knowing what joy they bring to this home, and what loving hearts they all have...
The bear and the bunny know there will be special treats in this bowl on Christmas Day!
The little Santas can't wait to see their namesake as he makes his stop this Christmas...
"Do you see what I see?" says the picture behind them! Way up in the sky, litle lamb... And the humblest decoration of all, the little Nativity from my childhood, looks on and is happy that on Christmas Eve, so much happiness and peace fills this house, that was once a church.
Merry Christmas Everyone!

May all of your dreams come true

And may peace and love fill your home this Christmas

and throughout 2010

With love from

Donna, my sister Lori who is here for Christmas

River and Caden

Jet and Ted