Have you seen The Evil Puppy on Conan yet? I searched and found a clip for ya'll.
Enjoy!

The last time it snowed I had one of "those days".

Some folks would have given it a complete and total goose egg, but (and please forgive me cynics) I choose to look at it as cup half full kind of day.

Had my first cup of coffee before the snow really started coming down. On the way to take middle school child to school I noticed one of my tires was nearly flat.

Ok, so snow is swirling and I have a flat tire, where does the half full part come in you ask?

Because the tire was not yet totally flat and I got to drive it to the tire place and best of all, it was still under warranty. That is a far better scenario than getting a flat on the highway with three kids and a wet dog, in a blinding snow storm with a dead cell phone battery.
Obviously things could have been worse.

Said tire place is having a $9.95 special on oil changes that I went for because I was in need. Tire place noticed that I had a break light out, that they repaired. Which is a far better alterative than being alerted to this fact by the police. I also had them install new wiper blades that I had been meaning to purchase and actually got to see my way home in the snow storm.

Four year old watched intently out the waiting room window and witnessed four fender benders, which served as complete and total entertainment for said four year old. Fender benders came complete with police, flashing light and tow trucks. Anyone who has ever done errands with kids on a daily basis know that waiting in public with bored small children can be a hellish experience. On the bright side there were no ambulances and no one was hurt.

So if you got this far and are still reading, you are thinking, that is nice and all and good for her, but isn't this blog supposed to be about dogs?

Ok, here comes the dog part.
On the way home from the car place I pick up Rooney, the Scottish Deerhound pictured above, for an overnight as a favor for a good friend in need.
So I got to thinking that maybe I just used up some pre-karma points.

Is is possible to earn karma points because the universe knows you will not say no to a favor for a good friend even before it is asked of you if your friend is in need at the exact same time that you need a little help yourself? If you didn't know I was this flaky before you read this blog , I guess as my kids would say, the cat is out of the bagel now.

By the way, this dog can be a ...umm...how to say this without offending my friend...."a bit needy". He can be a most persuasive whiner. Which leads me to the dog training question of the day.
How do you folks cope with dogs who constantly bark and whine? By the way, Rooney did settle nicely but not before testing his pipes a bit.

Speaking of barking and whining, there is a very small dog that I see at middle child's school yipping it's little head off in a car, with quite possibly the shrillest bark I have ever heard, and I have heard plenty of shrill barkers in my day. I don't know how they can drive, or why they would continue to take the dog with them in the car free to yip like that.
Here is a tip owners of little white yipping fluff ball. Try leaving the dog home, or ride with the dog securely in a covered crate or at the very least, secure the dog so it can't attack the car window like that. Me, I would call a trainer!
The longer you wait, the harder this habit will be to break.

Cost to fix flat tire Zero dollars
Bill from repair shop under $50.00

Being able to drive a flat tire to the shop
Not being pulled over by the cops
Having my child entertained by a snow storm in a waiting room
Helping out a friend All Priceless

If you love dogs, (and/or long for the 60's and 70's - if you know what I mean), click here to play a short French art film entitled Birds.

Dennis Flaim has written a great article for Newsday concerning how to pick the right dog for you and your lifestyle.

If you are looking for a dog, read this!

WANTED - STEADY EMPLOYMENT!

Presenting Hannah

She will be placed in an experienced Border Collie home only!!!

Here is her complete bio from the New England Border Collie web site:

Looking for a hard working, reliable "employee"? Well Hannah just may be your girl!

"HANNAH" is a smart, incredibly sweet, very active, young Border Collie is in need of a REGULAR "job" and an experienced "boss" to help her live up to her potential.

Hannah is a 2 y.o. purebred, spayed female. She is not a "starter" Border Collie. However, with her combination of brains, drive and total love of people,she'd make an excellent companion for an experienced Border Collie owner looking for a challenging, interactive relationship. Hannah will keep you on your toes, and you'll need to stay one step ahead of this brilliant girl. However, she is food motivated and EXTREMELY toy motivated, making her a dream to train. In fact, she'll need some DAILY training and exercise to help keep her mind and body occupied. With everything going for her, we believe she'd make a FABULOUS sport dog, and possibly herding dog as well.

Now for the particulars--Hannah is current on her vaccines and in good health. While she has a dominant personality with other dogs, we have recently found that she will respect a laid-back male, who is not a complete pushover. Hannah can NOT live with another female dog, or with a very submissive dog. Because of her drive and toy obsession, we will not place her with cats or children under 12. A solid, securely fenced yard is a must, as is a positive-based obedience class. (And please, only inquire if you have fairly recent experience living with a young, active Border Collie.) For the person willing to commit to keeping her entertained and active every day, Hannah will pay you back a thousand fold with her undying affection!

You MUST first fill out an adoption application.

note:
I have not met or personally evaluated Hannah.
A Dog's Life will feature adoptable dogs in need from time to time.
To have your rescue dog featured please email gooddogz1@aol.com

"Chewing this sugar substitute is not toxic for humans because it does not get absorbed from the intestines and therefore does not affect us. But it is absorbed from the intestine and goes into the blood stream of our pets. And that is where the toxicity comes in.

The affect of Xylitol is to cause the secretion of insulin, which dangerously lowers blood sugar . In addition, it can cause liver failure depending on the quantity ingested. The amount that needs to be consumed to be toxic depends on the substance eaten and the weight of the pet. There is still no hard fast data concerning lethal dose of this substance".

Click here to fetch more info here

Interesting enough, I found an overwhelming number of on line references touting the wonders of Xylitol for humans such as increased dental health, reduction of ear nose and throat infections, and bone loss reversal. While the Veterinary article warns of chewing gum dangers for pets, Xylitol, made from birch bark, appears to be safe for humans, and we will most likely be seeing it used in more and more in food preparations as a sugar substitute.

Sunday afternoon we all watched the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge on TV with our weekend guest Boomer.
Click here to watch event highlights.

Golden Retriever puppy Boomer paid the TV no mind until the lighter colored dogs started catching Frisbee's and then he tried to help the Frisbee dogs complete their task.

Very funny!
Of course we didn't allow or encourage him to jump on the TV, but he did it so gently and sweetly that we took advantage of a great photo opportunity.

Boomer did a bit of catching of his own the day before when he caught our yellow parakeet in mid air and held it momentarily while my children all freaked out. 'Tweety' flew away unharmed after he dropped the bird on command. Good boy Boomer!

I think that counts as an instinct test for bird work and a soft mouth!

My childhood Golden Ginger used to watch Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom with me and she would get down and stalk the Cheetahs, and Lions.

Does your dog watch TV?

Below is a quip of an email that I received from a client this morning. It is one of the most common questions that I hear from new puppy owners. From about 8-15 weeks of age is the time when owners see what I call "Stuck pup"-a puppy that stops and just won't budge.

"We are having some trouble getting him to go on
walks with us. He is willing to follow a group of people, but tends to drag
his feet or completely stop and plant his feet in the ground".

Here is my answer:

What you are experiencing right now is very typical puppy behavior. Usually it starts because for some reason the pup felt tension on the leash or perhaps something spooked them. Maybe you are walking and he stops to sniff something but you kept on walking. Dogs (and pups!) have what is called "oppositional reflex". If they feel tension on their neck, they will automatically pull against it. Some pull forward (your next behavior challenge!) and some against it.

While your pup is this small you can try a few of the following, either separate, or all together.

-Be sure to release all tension on the leash, face the pup and have a mini party. Start to talk in high pitched squeals and slap your thighs in an effort to get him to come over to you. When he does, praise!

-Try bringing a squeaky toy and throwing it in the general direction you want him to go in.

-throw a biscuit

-try going in the other direction and circling back

-when all else fails it is perfectly fine to pick him up and help him out of stuck mode that way. Usually when you put them back down they are fine.

-Try keeping all tension off the leash all the time. If he starts to balk, go back into cajoling mode. Don't forget lots of praise.

-Try being a game your puppy can win. Catch him before he stops, and make it in his best interest to run to you with training aids like praise treats and toys.

-Never use harsh tones or physical corrections. Be the person your pup wants to run to.

-Keep your expectations low. Puppy will not be ready for a brisk walk around the block for sometime.

-Be sure to allow him time to explore his world.

-It is possible that he is tired and that is something to consider as well.

-Do not pound the pavement (jog) with your puppy until they are at least one year old. Their growth plates are still forming.

-Remember we have to animate ourselves to motivate our dogs.

Blogging has been light because I have been busy watching puppies. Puppies, that's right puppies. We had a few, young, four footed visitors over the holidays and beyond, and it has been wonderful for me in a professional sense to live what my clients go through daily. I haven't had a puppy of my own since I was 10 years old and it sure can be a lot of work.

House training accidents, nipping, absconded Barbie's, endless patrols looking for something the kids left on the floor that could be chewed and swallowed, all the in the house, out of the house, in the house, out of the house, in the house, out of the house, and in the house, and out of the house, and the endless supply of play bows, has made for a tiring few weeks.

My dog is feeling it to. Last night at the start of a new training class, my over the top, high octane demo dog fell into a sound sleep for the first time ever in all of her 6 years, and I could have curled up right there on the floor and taken a nap with her.

I am feeling a bit of empathy for all you new puppy people, but I still have to say...
No it is not like having a human baby!

Who among us hasn't wanted to crate their kid at least once in their lives?
To this day my kids love to play in dog crates and beg me to lock them in there.
My response is always the same....if only!

A single young Mom gave birth while passed out on the toilet and her Husky name "Baby" retrieved the infant by the leg from the toilet bowl. The dog even licked the baby's face clean, which enabled it breathe.

Mom is indigent and will be giving up both baby and dog for adoption and there have been far more inquires to adopt the dog than the baby.

Now what does that say about our society?

Mom hopes to place the dog and baby together.

Fetch the rest here

Just got through watching the video for a new locking leash product called Dog Lock.

The company claims you can lock your dog up to a post or whatever, leave them, and feel secure while you have a cup of coffee somewhere, all for $29.95.

My grandfather was famous for saying that "locks are made for honest people".

If someone wanted to steal your dog all they have to do is cut the collar.

"There is a sucker born every minute".

I must live in Maine.

Over the weekend I had a puppy visitor and apparently I put him in mortal danger. Yesterday we took a walk in the Evergreen woods and just as we entered the pup was swooped by a Great Horned Owl!

The owl came about 15 feet above him. I thought it was hawk at first, but we got a good look at him when he roosted to get a better look at us.

Telling the owners that their puppy had been abducted by a Great Horned Owl, can not be too far of a stretch from claiming a "dingo ate my baby"!

On the way back, there was coyote scat in the middle of the same trail. We hadn't walked very far, so the coyote couldn't have been very far behind us. Puppy must have been looking pretty tasty in those woods yesterday as he weighs only about 10 pounds.

Then last night during the wee hours, my son and I saw a Fisher out the front window of our home.
It walked out my next door neighbor's driveway and walked right in the middle of the road to cross the street. I have never seen a Great Horned Owl, or Fisher before, but will be keeping the puppy close to me until his owners pick him up later today.

My kids really want a puppy of their own, and we have been contemplating
smaller breeds, but after this weekend, I think our next dog needs to be at least medium sized.

Have you ever had close encounters of the carnivore kind with your dog?

Happy New Year all!