What are we teaching our kids?

I would hope that we are teaching them to be caring, thoughtful, and compassionate towards animals and each other - amongst other things.

I went to a 4-H fundraiser this past weekend and participated in the Puppy Conformation Practice Ring with Tito the Corso, as much for the socialization of my dog as to support the group in their fundraising endeavor.

What is 4-H?  "...assisting young people to become productive citizens who are engaged in positive change in order to meet the needs of a diverse and changing society." (from a local club's vision statement)

Well, what did I observe?

• Dogs being yanked around and yelled at by their kids AND the kids' parents.
• Fearful dogs that didn't want to be examined on a "stand for exam" in obedience.
• Handlers not able to control their dogs, even with pinch collars on.

 Of course, there WERE positives...

• Dogs having fun with their kids and wanting to please.
• Dogs eager to participate in whatever their owner wanted them to do.
• A large array of different activities to participate in and ways to socialize your dog.

I thought a bit on whether to report on the negatives and decided it was my civic duty, in the very least, to talk about why those first few bullets are a problem.

I was appalled and astonished to see how cruel some kids were being to their dogs.  I saw a Chihuahua put in a down by slapping the leash down like a whip (while it trembled and peeled its ears back in fear), a pointer get its brains scrambled around by its kid pulling violently back and forth on the choke chain and then the mother repeating the same procedure (obviously the child was not cruel enough?), a Rottweiler getting pulled all over the map with a pinch collar as tight as it could be, another Rottweiler get close to biting the judge in the pre-novice obedience ring while it was "performing" the stand for exam (the judge was barely a pre-teen herself, thank goodness she had the commonsense to back up at the first warning signs), and the saga goes on and on.  All in all, humankind was not at its best that morning.

I really believe that the best way to teach is by example.  That means that I will teach my daughter how to be a good dog handler by exhibiting the virtues that I wish her to practice.  That means several things to me, to her, and to our current/future canine friends:

• We do not get mad or over-correct for a dog not knowing the command - period.
• We use equipment that fits the dogs experience and training level.
• We do not use crank and yank methods to "teach" anything.
• We use sound dogs in our training- both mentally and physically.
• We have patience and understanding, even if we sometimes get frustrated and want to give up - we put our dog away and work on it another time before resorting to physical violence.  This only leads your dog not to trust you and makes you both miserable
• I will make sure that my child really wants to be working with a dog and it not simply doing it because I do it and I pushed her into it....

My last couple comments on the above: over-correcting can have MANY negative repercussions in your training like making your dog fearful, aggressive, unsure, timid, etc., etc.; equipment needs to fit the training level of the dog - I have NO issues with pinch collars but I DO feel that sometimes they are overused by people that simply have not put the time and effort into properly training their dog (and those are pretty easy to spot) - on the flip side, sometimes people use them when they are not necessary and a simpler collar will do, I feel you should work up the stimulus level as you need it, don't start at 10 - work your way there; there is a very true saying in training, "one good correction is worth more than a thousand nagging ones", this fits here - if a correction is in order then give a good one and move on, don't keep on doing it over and over again, the dog has most likely forgotten WHAT the corrections started for; ONLY sound dogs, mentally and physically, need to work - the rest are a hazard to both the handler and the public at large and should be re-homed to experienced trainers or terminated as appropriate, not given to your child to work with; working a dog while you are angry or getting frustrated doesn't serve anybody well - pick it up another day, you will both be happier; and lastly, please make sure that your child actually wants to be working with animals...some of what I saw looked like a precursor to what they say psychotics and serial murderers do to animals.

To end on a good note, a criticism sandwich if you will - we really did have fun.  Tito showed really well!  To watch the video, click on the title of the post or go HERE.  This was a good opportunity for socialization and practice before entering in the main show venues.  Fun shows are also a good way to get an idea of where your dog needs help before it really counts - the trick is to act like it really does count.  You can't got to a fun show and be lazy about your handling, you have to pretend that you are in the big time and every mistake counts - stress travels down the leash - if you don't have the same vibes at a fun show that you will at a "real" show, then you start all over again when you get to a regular show ha ha.  Also, make it worth your while- I asked to go back into the ring several more times so he could get experience with different breeds - by the last time in the ring he was showing like a pro!

To all of the good dog/handler teams that I saw that day - my hat goes off to you - you are leading by example!  Keep up the good work and make sure that you share your secrets of success with the next generation, they are our future - they need you!

Ticks and your dog!

This is special for my sister and her beautiful AmStaff Jane!  Here are several different things to try to repel ticks and other parasites - all from The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care.

Hall's insect spray (blended together in a spray bottle and misted liberally on yourself and your pets as needed):

• 20 drops rose geranium oil (or palmarosa)
• 3 drops citronella oil
• splash of bay leaf tincture
• 10 ounces of water

Some dogs (and people) cannot tolerate palmarosa due to its intense rose smell, so you can substitute opopanax instead.  Some people swear by Avon's Skin So Soft diluted down and sprayed on pets as a tick repellent.  You can also make your own flea/tick herbal repellent collar!  Mix the ingredients below and soak a fabric collar in the ingredients in a shallow bowl or a plastic bag until soaked and then drain on a paper towel before using.  The ingredients are very forgiving, so don't worry about being 100% precise.  You can recharge the collar every couple days by dabbing the mixture on the collar.

Insect Repellent Oil for Herbal Flea Collar:

• 1 part French basil oil
• 1 part cedar oil
• 1 part cinnamon oil
• 1 part citronella oil
• 1 part clove oil
• 1 part lemon oil
• 1 part lavender oil
• 1 part pennyroyal oil
• 1 part rose geranium, palmarosa or opopanax oil
• Carrier oil (like grapeseed or almond oil, etc.) - equal to or less the total amount of the above oil.

Disclaimer - this is NOT safe for pregnant animals due to several of the ingredients.

One more spray to try below.  Many discount the use of herbs and oils for repellent purposes, but there is a long history of their proven success- so just try it out and make adjustments as necessary - there are lots of different choices of essential oils which repel bugs!  Inspect your dog as often as you can, daily if possible, so that you can remove any ticks that may find their way to camping out.

Insect/Tick Repellent Spray

• 20 drops rose geranium, palmarosa or opopanax oil
• 3 drops citronella oil
• 3 drops rosemary or lavender oil
• 3 drops clove oil
• 1 tbsp. bay rum or bay tincture (alcohol base)
• 1 tbsp. black walnut hull tincture (alcohol base)

Mix all of those together and add to 1 cup of aloe vera gel/juice or water or a mixture of both.  This is an all-purpose repellent that repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, everything!

-OR-

I do not have time for the above mixing (although I wish I did), so I use a spray made by Cedarcide industries called Best Yet, info can be found at http://www.cedarcidestore.com/cedarproducts.html (this stuff is kind of oily at first, so spray them outside and let them run around a bit before coming back inside).  I rotate between that and Apple Cider Vinegar in a simple dollar store spray bottle.  The Apple Cider Vinegar can be used internally as well for digestion and adding trace minerals, just make sure it is RAW!  They both stink, but they work!

Removing a tick: make sure you grasp it firmly with tweezers at the head, as close to the dog's skin as possible and pull straight back, no twisting or pulling and NO chemicals to remove the ticks - doing so can cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents and cause a hypodermic effect.  After you remove the tick, apply either a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, diluted tea tree oil or diluted grapefruit seed extract or all three - an antiseptic like one of these is important because they kill the Lyme disease bacteria on contact.

Best of luck to all!

More Manners...

As I go about my day and thinking about what I will blog about next, I am finding more things around the house that I expect from my dogs without even thinking about it.  I am being forced to think about it with a new puppy here though because he is not on the same page yet...or even reading the same book for that matter.  (More on Tito the Corso later.)  All of the preaching that I do about dogs not coming pre-programmed is screaming in my ear every time I want to be irritated with his actions.  I don't have the right to be irritated until he knows the rules and THEN chooses not to follow them - this is literally the mantra that I have to tell myself.

Additions to the previous rules:

• Never run out of my front door or in from the back door without being invited.
• Wait to be asked to leave the car...you are *not* getting out at every stop.  Further on the car manners - stay in your seat, I know how to drive.
• Do not howl for your dinner...especially when you have had breakfast and several snacks...greed is only a virtue when I am teaching you commands and tricks.
• Stay out of the kitchen - this is a human-only area where you are not welcome, I do own a mop - I do not require your assistance cleaning the floor.
• Do not pull things in your kennel just because you can reach them, not everything is your toy.
• Do not wait until I *try* to pick the ball up to throw it to jump on it and try to run away with it - it is already too late if I am bending over.  Further on this rule, do not EVER try to take toys out of my hand - this is a cardinal sin and an absolute no-no!
• Do not eat the baby's toys.  I will feed you food and make sure you have dog appropriate toys!
• This last one is just for MY puppy - please stop peeing on my deck, it is just gross.

Next time we'll have to talk about how to go about getting some of these instituted.

Anybody have any other rules to add?  Maybe your household calls for some different protocols?

Manners!

Ahhh, manners - important for people and dogs alike!  Sadly, both species are generally lacking them as a whole.  First, we need to define what I consider basic manners I guess.  I'm not referring to any formal obedience here - I mean things like not surfing the counters in the kitchen for food or peeing on the floor, amongst other things.

Manners (Read: Rules) for dogs (& cats) in our house:

• No jumping up or rough housing, especially around the baby!
• No snatching food or snacks of any kind (even imaginary ones) out of hands or talking the baby into feeding you!  This includes laying around her highchair begging for scraps.
• Nothing on the counters or on my tables belongs to you until I say it does - nothing - even if I may occasionally give you something from there, you should *not* feel as if you can help yourself.
• You must know what "kennel" means.
• You must be able to wait for your food when I give it to you.
• You must know "quiet" and know it well.
• You must understand "back" and "out" and "go lay down".
• You must understand where the dog couch is and where the people couch/chair is and not confuse them.
• You may not participate in guarding behaviors from other dogs, i.e. over spaces, toys, or people.  Feel free to guard us from strangers though!!
• No peeing or pooping in my house unless it is an emergency and I failed to let you out, then you cannot be blamed and I will clean it with a smile.
• You will go outside when I ask you to - no acting like you don't hear me or running away...or acting like you are asleep.
• And most importantly - you must tolerate and love the baby - don't fret as I will save you if it gets too bad - for all you get from us, this is a small price to pay.

Of course there are probably tons of other things that I enforce on a daily basis, but these are the big commandments, if you will.  Every dog that enters our house, whether it is a new forever family member or a boarding dog - will abide by these at the very least.

Getting started

Well, here I am - new to being a blogger.  Why am I here?

• I love dogs (and cats and ferrets and this and that, you get the idea) and I am passionate about their training and care!
• I am always giving out nutrition and training advice; I might as well publish it so others can benefit from it too!
• I am really opinionated and I sometimes want to vent about things that really irk me - although this can be a serious downfall overall because I can, on occasion, jump the gun and hurt people's feelings - I will be working on that for sure!
• I really love to educate people and this may be the perfect venue!

I look forward to my time here and I hope that others can find some benefit from what will be shared.

I need input from others on things that people want to know so please feel free to leave me comments that I can expand on.

Here's to the future!