Jenny is once again going through some itchy spells. She sometimes gets hives and sometimes these weird little sores on her belly. It got bad right before the trials so I put her on some Temeril-P. It is a low dose steroid and NOT something I want to use long term. But I needed to give her some relief from the itching and the benedryl wasn't enough so I admit I caved to a fast solution. Once she got better I weaned her off it and she was good for about a week. Then she went swimming so I gave her a bath afterwards and that seemed to make her itchy again. It is fustrating. I hate feeling helpless when she is uncomfortable.
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She is better overall right now but not 100%. To keep her busy, and in theory her mind off itching, I got her some extra recreational bones. (photo above) Because they are so big I remove most of the marrow to prevent a diarrhea blowout. Marrow is yummy but rich for some dogs. It does seem to be working though because she has been itching less when she's not distracted by her chewing the bones.
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Because of her issues I am going back to a full raw diet with her to see if that helps. I am fortunate to have a full freezer full of deer meat that my husband saved from meat cutting season just for the dogs. I have been lazy lately and had backslid to feeding kibble full time. It was grain free in case the grain was a trigger for her itching due to her being allergic to grain mites per her allergy testing.
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The first batch is thawing now. My plan this time is to mix it up with the stuff I add (like calcium because it is bone free, pre-biotics, fish oil, etc.) and pre-freeze it into the amounts that each dog needs per meal. Then I can take each days out to thaw in the am and go from there. I thought this might help in the long run. A few days of prep work that should make it easier in the long run. Especially for days when the kids or husband end up feeding the dogs. This is one reason I like Primal brand raw so much. It comes in ready to go nuggets or patties. If I could afford it I'd probably just feed those. Have I mentioned I am lazy?? In my defense I do have TWO jobs on top of kids and all that a busy life brings to the table.
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I also signed up to a Natural Healthcare for Dogs e-mail discussion list so I can get some feedback, ideas and hand holding as needed. I second guess myself a lot so having like minded people to bounce things off is helpful. I'm also thinking about a visit to a Holistic vet to get their input. I just need to research the two nearest me to see which one I should go to. Both are about 45 minutes away from me. (in opposite directions ironically) While I do like my vets, I work for them so I know them well, I think it never hurts to get a second (or third) opinion when things aren't working the way you would like. We do differ on the raw feeding debate and have come to a respectful understanding to disagree on the subject. I feel like I am at a point of nothing ventured nothing gained.
The SchH Nationals started today with Helper Tryouts. I am so excited to see the top competitors and dogs from across Canada and will be there with my camera. Here is a link to their website.
And of course, I will be rooting for Dan Waters and his dog Ali, #5 last year. Above, Ali with Wade Waters, club trainer, at a recent practice. She was in fine form!
Dan is President of the Calgary GSD Club and a friend and mentor to me in the sport, giving me so much help with Caden.
Go Dan! Go Ali!
AND Go Jacki Barnes and Bizzy of Thunder Bay too!! Whoo Hoo!!!
People wonder, why do I take Jet to Schutzhund training every week? It is because she helps me to train Caden, of course. Border Collies are so smart. As soon as Ivan Balabanov's book arrived, she got down to business.
"No!" says Jet. "Ivan says you must sit quickly and nicely before you can have the ball!"
See, how Jet now has control of the balls. "Caden respects me," she says.
"Damn, I hate that!"
"OK, back to the book," Jet decides. "What does Ivan say about that?"
Time for a good correction! Jet's really into that, by the way.
"There," she says. "I will train him up! See how he respects me now?" Wink Wink.
Now that is a good sit! Good boy!
"Now you can have the ball!" Ivan makes it all so easy!
Thanks Ivan, for helping Jet (and me) train young Caden. As I read the book, I will remember the seminar!
This is what Caden looked like last night. He was in bed before me and I snapped this shot with my iPhone. When my dogs are tired and happy, I feel content. He has a big puffy-lipped smile on his face, undoubtedly dreaming about catching his pillow at SchH. A different pillow in this photo! (see the post below...)
Today at Schutzhund, Caden did obedience, then protection in that order. He is learning to launch up at the target which is this Gappay wedge pillow. Then, I practice telling him OUT and he learns that if he outs it, he gets to play again. After all that hard work in today's heat, I let him lie in the shade and possess it for awhile. Doesn't he look proud? I love when the dogs run back to their cars with these - they just swagger! In "Schutzhund-speak" it is called "taking them home." When he has done a good one, Wade our club's head trainer will say 'take him home.'
I remember the first time I heard that term. It was at the Wallace Payne Schutzhund seminar in 2008. I was only there for the tracking, but Wallace asked me to show him a bit of what Caden knew. Caden was 6 months old. I got out some treats and had him sit, come, lie down. Wallace watched and then said 'take him home.' I thought he meant - get out of here! I stood there sort of stunned, wondering what to say, and he realized I was new to the sport - so he said 'take him to the CAR.' What a relief! I still smile about that.
Caden wonders if they might need him a bit more...wishful thinking!
How to solve:
Barking at the door towards visitors
1- Counter condition the dog to the sound of the gate and the door (knocking, doorbell, the handle moving, the door opening)
2- Change your dog’s emotional response to a person coming in the door (you, family, friends and strangers)
3- Management- avoid triggers to promote a less arousing entry
Dogs bark at the door when guests arrive because they are aroused, excited, fearful or startled.
1- Counter condition the dog to the sound of the gate and the door (knocking, doorbell, the handle moving, the door opening, footsteps outside)
Counter condition your dog to triggers that happen prior to a visitor walking through the door. This means basically create a positive and calm association to all the sights and sounds that happen before and as a visitor arrives.
The sound of the gate- Get someone to go and make the noise of the gate, while your dog is watching on leash.A millisecond after the noise occurs FEED a treat.Make sure the NOISE is the predictor of the food and not your hand movement.So be sure to only make any movements AFTER the noise occurs to deliver the treat.
Next proceed by closing the front door and continuing the exercise while the dog cannot see but can still hear the gate.
The sound of the door- Knock on the door while on the inside of the door with your dog.Knock softly and drop a treat.For some dogs this is such a trigger that you may need to start with the dog on the outside of the open door, so the dog is in a different situation than the trigger situation where the door is closed. Some dogs might even need you to knock on a table or the floor first before moving to the door because it is such a trigger already.Repeat this step until the dog is happily expecting a treat.You can then knock louder and louder, feeding a treat for each knock. Now have a friend or family member knock on the door while they are still in the room with the door open.If that is successful, have the person go on the outside of the door and knock while the door is closed.Opening it every once in a while so the dog can see it’s their favorite person on the other side of the door.
The doorbell- Ring the bell while the dog is outside with you.Feed a treat directly after the bell rings, making sure that the bell is the first predictor that a treat is coming and not your body movements.Repeat until the dog is comfortable, then move the dog back inside.Get a friend or family member to ring the bell while you are on the inside of the doorway.If the dog is relaxed and succeeding have your friend ring the bell with the door closed. Feed the dog after the sound of the bell for remaining calm. If the dog barks you can say“lets go” and move the dog away from the door on leash.Barking is reinforcing so you must not let it continue or you will literally be training the dog to always bark at the sound of the bell. This goes for any of the counter conditioning exercises.
Opening and closing of the door- Touch the handle, click and treat or drop a treat for the dog while he is remaining calm.Turn the handling click and treat- or simply feed the dog a treat.Jiggle the handle, click and treat.Go back a step if your dog gets too aroused.Or start with the door open as you make noises with the handle of the door.Obviously if your door leads to the street always have the dog on leash or a long line so that he doesn’t rush out the door.
Footsteps outside- For some dogs it’s the sound of footsteps coming towards the door that is a trigger. To solve this, go outside, and practice different walks up to your door with your dog at first, feeding the dog for watching and listening to you stomping and shuffling your feet. Then have a friend or family member do the same- feed the dog for staying calm while the noises happen.Feed the dog for orienting to the noise rather than just staring at the treats you are holding.Next close the door and feed the dog after each noise that occurs outside of the door.Open the door every once in a while to show the dog that it is just their friend or family member.
Ring the doorbell, knock on the door, make heave footsteps when you return home from work each day, so the dog has a positive association of you returning home with the sounds.
2- Change your dog’s emotional response to a person coming in the door (you, family, friends and strangers)
Start off with someone you live with (if possible) leave and come back through your front door without closing the door.Click or simply feed the dog for watching then come through the door, while standing calmly and doing nothing on a loose leash.
Next have the person leave, close the door and come back in immediately- you can feed or click your dog for remaining calm and relaxed for each of the triggers (the door noise, the person entering etc).Have the person go in and out, multiple times.You can feed or click the dog for the person leaving as well if your dog has issues with people leaving the house as well.
Now have the person ring the bell or knock (make sure you have worked on counter conditioning your dog to these sounds first before adding them into the mix) before he comes in.You can feed your dog for the noise of the bell, the door opening, as well as the person entering for remaining calm and relaxed.If the dog barks, simply say ‘lets go!” and walk the dog away from the door.
Now repeat all these steps with different family and friends, and then complete strangers to the dog.Make sure you keep the dog on a secure leash if your dog is reactive to people to avoid the dog biting the person if startled.When the person comes through the door, have the dog as far away from the door at first so that he doesn’t get overwhelmed. Also have the new guests first meet the dog on the street (as outlined in the management section) before beginning the more surprising greetings.
When you do have REAL guests. Getting them to leave and come back in the door multiple times can really speed up the process of calm behaviors when guests come over because you will be habituating the dog to people entering the house.Your dog should think that people come and go and it happens all the time.Not that they just come in once, and that is when the dog should get very excited.
Enter the house when you return home through the door guests will enter through, so it no longer abnormal to the dog to see people enter through that door.
Make your own daily greetings towards your dog calm and mellow. If you allow your dog to get excitable every day when you come through the door, how do you expect your dog to be calm when a visitor arrives?If you must have an excited greeting with your dog, enter the house, wait 5 minutes and THEN greet your dog excitedly.Firstly you will find your dog will be much calmer and secondly you will not be making‘a person entering a doorway’ a trigger to get excited.
3- Management- avoiding triggers to promote a less arousing entry
Ask your guest to call when they arrive.Go into the street with your dog on leash and have the guest walk into your house while you follow the guest at a distance that your dog can cope with and be calm and take food at.For some dogs that might be 10 feet, for others that might be 20 feet at first.The guest can ignore you, or offer calming signals.They should not stare directly at the dog or shout “WHAT DO YA WANT ME TO DO NOW?” etc.They can speak in a soft friendly voice if your dog is ok with that.If you have more than one person living with you, you can get that person to go and greet the visitor in front of the dog while you stand back with the dog on leash.You would be feeding the dog for calmly looking at the two people greeting each other.
Check out the fabulous post about "Throwbacks" over at Ruffly Speaking. I cannot express how much I love her blog for all the great information about breeding and training. (and the reality of living with dogs and kids) If you haven't see it before take a few minutes to check it out. The photos alone are always amazing and well worth the time.
Tonight Dan and I got to spend some time playing with the digital camera. He's a great teacher on the mechanics of the camera and I'm more creative so it works well together. While playing with the various shutter, aperture and other settings, the images above are what we came up with.
The moon was so bright that the camera couldn't pick it up (image on the left). However, we ended up with a unique mirror image (on the right) that is actually clearer than the actual moon.
I think we should submit them to Star Trek for consideration! I love the creative outlet the camera provides.
Tonight's photo shoot was just the icing on the cake. Ever have a day where you think WOW! Well, I've had two days like that and planning to make it three (tomorrow).
Dan's work schedule recently changed and he's working 4-10 hour days so Friday through Sunday he's at home. It's a bonus day with him each week and we've been really enjoying it!
Each day we've picked a manageable project to work on and then spent the remainder of the day doing fun things. I'm feeling very spoiled at the moment.
We've had amazing weather the last few days as well. Sunny, warm with a nice breeze and the yard looks really good this year. Having a peaceful place for me and the dogs to hang is simply wonderful. You can see in the way the dogs play how happy they are and that brings a huge smile to my face.
Also, filming for my contact DVD is going amazing. Everyone involved in the training/filming is happy, their dogs are having success and at the moment, everything is clicking along great. I'm feeling blessed in every part of my life.
Check out my blog post over at one of my all time favorite sites Dog Star Daily: Breed matters? Besides the fabulous blog they have FREE training advice. Go, sit, surf!
And if you missed it I've updated my blog roll. I try to clean it up on occasion by deleting those that don't keep up with their posts and adding new stuff I find interesting. Check out new additions Gooddogz Training, (who used to be A Dog's Life but that blog is broken) The Daily Puglet (a site that makes me lust for a new camera) and Pawcurious. Wow this blog makes mine look like I use paper and a pencil! (Hat tip to Dr. K of Dolittler who is now Fully Vetted for that addition.) I also changed some blog names that were long overdue. Underdogged is now Save the pitbull, Save the world as it was originally titled. There may be more but that's all I can remember for now.
The cutie in the photo above is Biscuit, a former stray that is available for adoption at my local shelter. I don't have details but I saw Biscuit at a public event today and he (she?) was fabulous and sweet. Just saying.
I always keep in mind the beautiful homes in Duluth Minnesota on this sand spit beyond the famous Lift Bridge. I loved driving along there and looking at the houses and always dreamed of having a house I could fix up to look like a "year round" summer home. Since buying this house I have put in fencing, a driveway, gardens and walkways. It has been a ton of work but so much fun. I have more to do, but love the progress.
I had another huge load of gravel delivered yesterday to beef up the backyard area for the dogs. They pounded last years down a bit, and I realized I needed to make the area below the deck wider. I spent a big part of the day today sitting out back reading and writing and enjoying the new area. Here are pics - a lot - I apologize, and I honestly edited a lot out (they are on my Facebook profile though, LOL).
Peaceful backyard in my renovated church-house
New gravel area...I am on the lookout now for rocks and stepping stones to boost up that barrier and make it look more like a Japanese dry river with a bridge.
Still coming up with more ideas for this grass area. It is always shady for the dogs. I am contemplating a real pond somewhere.
River enjoys the shade. Here you can see my two dogruns, the long one for Jet and Ted, and the square one by the crook of the house is for River and Caden. That area sticking out is the old church entrance or vestibule and it has the original stained glass. I love it. And, there is a walk-out basement into this dog area. I put chainlink in to divide areas, and so I can sit on the back deck sometimes without dogs, or with only one or two.
River and my little fountain. Love the water sound.
Caden with two balls (haha, maybe I should say four including, well, you know) by my St. Francis statue, which I thought was appropriate for my yard.
This old chime used to hang by my front door in Thunder Bay. It is a small piece of home and does my heart good to hear it. I finally hung it up today!
Jet and Ted on the back steps. Under the steps are Jet's igloo where she hids from the big dogs with her treasures, and Ted's hole. I put a bit of gravel there, but did not fill it in - he worked hard to make it!
Jet and Ted love this little pond liner. I am thinking of getting something bigger and deeper though that the dogs can actually swim a bit in. I saw a stock tank with a pond connector and hose for draining, and stairs to get in - that I just love!
This is my Buddha corner on the deck, and below you can see the dogs. This plaque says Peace Begins with a Smile.
River loves to lie in the shade up here. You can see my other Buddha in the corner.
I TRY to sit in the sun up here in the mornings. You can see why I put chain link and gates below - because if I don't block dogs off, all I do is chuck balls into the yard, OVER and OVER...as you see, Jet is very hopeful...and you can see Caden below with his ball rooting me on to throw one for Jet!
Here are my front step statues - you know, some people have lions. Check out River and Ted's ears. They are up and down but on opposite sides! I plan to paint these doors dark forest green to match the green glass in the blown stucco on the church house.
Here is the front view. The driveway was put in last fall. I love it, and I love my dog trailer too. It has changed everything, the dogs are cool and my car is not full of stuff! They still ride in the car, but I put them in the trailer when I get somewhere. No more hunting for shade. I plan to put an arbor at the end of my sidewalk with some roses on either side, eventually - maybe when they go on sale late this summer.
Here is my shade garden and little laughing face. I put in astilbes, bleeding heart, virginia creeper, snap dragons, geranium and daisies. Then I put cedar mulch down to hold moisture as it is so dry here (usually).
I also put stepping stones down, which you can make out in the grass as River and Ted model for me.
I have never enjoyed looking after a yard so much. I love this house! I am still looking for a place for sheep, land or an acreage. In the meantime, this is a wonderful little home and I am very thankful for such a nice place to live.
It's a busy place in my household right now. With the 2o2o Contact DVD in production, judging, my dogs, hubby/family time and the usual day-to-day obligations, it would be easy to miss the small, but enjoyable details around my house.
Flowers have always fascinated me and I have hundreds of photos in my personal album. So when my new rose tree started to bloom, it's not surprising that the first thing I did was grab my camera for a little break of creativity time.
I'm definitely taking the age-old saying 'stop and smell the roses' literally.
In the next couple of photos I used natural direct sunlight and added a bit of water for an unexpected dewy glow.
I was also lucky enough to have another bud opening at the same time so I was able to include that in my creativity time as well.
So not only did I get the welcome break of enjoying some of the beautiful landscaping in my yard, I also had the opportunity to express my creativity via the camera to capture natures beauty.
Well, I'm heading back to work as I have a large project plan that needs to make its way onto paper.
Enjoy the pictures everyone and don't forget to stop and enjoy the roses in your garden of life.
You get used to the skies in Alberta. I was up on "Horn Hill" awhile ago and took this photo showing rain over my little town of Penhold! When I took this photo, I could feel the wind and knew this system was on the move in my direction. But I also knew it was not going north, and sure enough, drove north to Gasoline Alley where the sun was still shining...see the photo below...
The photo below was taken 30 minutes later, north of the photo above, and just west of "Gasoline Alley" on Highway 2. I took another photo, looking south towards my little town of Penhold, at those same clouds again!
It is really weird, it can pour rain in one spot and be dry all around it. On Sunday I drove home through train around Innisfail, and when I reached Penhold only 15 km north, things were dry. Apparently there is a geographic formation called Antler Hill south of Penhold that can be a divider for weather systems.
They say around here, if you don't like the weather, wait for five minutes. I think that poeple say that nearly everywhere, because it was the favourite saying in Thunder Bay, in northwestern Ontario, too! Weather, the one thing all Canadians can discuss for hours!
Speaking of which, the fields are all so wet! Last year at this time, I was complaining about it being too dry. I am starting to sound like a farmer!
On top of my sister getting married Saturday I also entered our very first APDT Rally Obedience trial on Sunday. Yeah not the best planning on my part. For the record I don't recommend it. But we survived and we are no longer a "Rally Newbie" team. Our first official trial is under our belt and we did pretty darn well. (If I do say so myself.)
Besides being tired due to the running around that a wedding requires, it also means little time to practice. Little practice can add to the stress of any trial let alone a first one. I have to admit that my first thought upon waking up was, Do I have to?? To be fair I'm not a morning person on the best of days. Then my husband reminded me how much I had put in to it and how close it was. Having a trial within a 25 minute drive IS a luxury and I know it. Thanks to Wag It for hosting an awesome trial. They even ran out to pick up our ordered lunches for us. Now that's service! (I had the BEST turkey sandwich.) * I was worried about the weather being hot so I froze two 2 liter bottles with water to put in Jenny's crate just in case. Of course I drove away without them. (Doh!) Luckily I had a plastic bin in my car with training equipment that I emptied out and added 3 bags of ice from the local convience store. That worked just as good if not better. Besides lying next to it she could also lay on top of it. Fortunately I got a good parking spot in the shade and there was a nice breeze. The afternoon got a little warmer but it wasn't an issue at that point. Thankfully the trial itself was inside. * I have to admit I was very nervous. Driving there I was wondering why I was doing this to myself again. Thank goodness for tums. The weird part is that once I am in the ring I am not nervous at all. I'm to busy to worry at that point. I'm not even worried about messing something up. I just hate the waiting part. I was hoping that after our first run the nerves would go away. They did right up until my second class started. Then the butterflies came back. If I want to keep doing this I really hope this gets better. Everyone there was wonderfully supportive and nice to us. They even said the nerves will go away in time. Our hostess reminded us that there is enough stress in life for free, there is no need to pay for it as well. Rally is supposed to be a fun hobby after all. If it is stressful we should take up some other hobby. Great point! Lucky for me I don't typically get stressed, just nervous. * The best news is that we qualified in both trials we entered. Our first run resulted in a score of 199 (out of a possible 210) and earned us a 4th place ribbon. Our second run gave us a 205 and a 2nd place ribbon. Needless to say I was THRILLED with Jenny's performance. Heck I was just thrilled that we qualified! * Now I have to decide which trial to enter next. There is an AKC trial coming up in my area at the Mid-Coast Kennel Club show and another APDT trial coming up at Finish Forward Dogs. (They are also hosting a UKC rally show but I don't know anything about that version of rally.) Then Wag It is hosting another APDT trial in November. (Hmmm November would be a great time of year to take Jack to a trial.) So no shortage of trials. Its funny how right after I've been in the ring I feel good about doing it again, yet when I am about to get into the ring again I get nervous. Gah. * Anyhow here is a video of our first run. My biggest mistake was moving both hands for the finish right exercise. Ooops! I think I could have moved faster too. She has a better heel than I give her credit for. And I definitely need to stand up straighter! Or she needs to get taller. VBG
I know, I should have cued her for the sit on the last exercise when she got to my side. All things considered I am darn proud of her and how she did. Way to go Jenny!
Jenny is once again going through some itchy spells. She sometimes gets hives and sometimes these weird little sores on her belly. It got bad right before the trials so I put her on some Temeril-P. It is a low dose steroid and NOT something I want to use long term. But I needed to give her some relief from the itching and the benedryl wasn't enough so I admit I caved to a fast solution. Once she got better I weaned her off it and she was good for about a week. Then she went swimming so I gave her a bath afterwards and that seemed to make her itchy again. It is fustrating. I hate feeling helpless when she is uncomfortable. 
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Besides being tired due to the running around that a wedding requires, it also means little time to practice. Little practice can add to the stress of any trial let alone a first one. I have to admit that my first thought upon waking up was, Do I have to?? To be fair I'm not a morning person on the best of days. Then my husband reminded me how much I had put in to it and how close it was. Having a trial within a 25 minute drive IS a luxury and I know it. Thanks to 
It was a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding.
The dogs were not only in attendence they were part of the ceremony.
