On the day we remember those who fell in service of our country, and those who lived to fight another day, let’s not forget the dogs who lived, loved, and died in service as well.
“…Who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.
This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
If inscribed over human ashes,
Is but a just tribute…”
(Lord Byron, ‘A Tribute to a Dog’)
Tags: dog fame
I have two hobbies- gardening and my pets. I actually bring both of my dogs with me as I traipse around the yard, trowel in hand, searching for the nasty weeds. Nova likes to chase the clods of dirt I throw for her, and Quick watches very carefully and tries to help. He puts his paws in holes and everything!
But until last week, I didn’t know a product I was very seriously considering using for my hydrangeas (smack in the middle of dog-accessible yard) could very easily kill my dogs. Cocoa-shell mulch contains the ingredients that are lethal to dogs in chocolate (surprise, surprise… I bet everyone but me knew this!) and if the dog eats the mulch, they can become very ill. Watch what you mulch with! A lot of dogs love the gardening smells of fresh earth, fresh compost, and fresh mulch! Quick has stolen every last bag of mulch, moss, and compost that has come in to the woodshed, and dragged it all over the yard, with big sister Nova helping!
Many other gardening products can be dangerous or lethal to your dog, so be careful to keep it out of reach. If you’re not sure about a product, call and ask both the company, your vet, or assume the worst. Don’t forget, just because something is organic doesn’t mean it won’t be dangerous for a dog to ingest.
The ASPCA has a searchable guide to toxic and non-toxic plants to dogs, cats, and horses. It’s well worth looking at! Don’t learn the hard way that your dog will get sick if he eats your flowers.
Tags: dog safety & health
I have a little collie mix, Tetley. She’s great at agility provided I have a ball in my hand. If I leave the ball at the side of the ring, or hide it in my pocket, she slows down or tries to find where I’ve hidden it. With her ball, she goes like greased lightning. Without it, she goes on strike. What can I do?]
A. Tetley is a very, very good trainer. She has taught you to carry her beloved ball whenever the pair of you do any agility. No ball? No agility. Tetley needs to learn that her ball must be earned… Continue reading »
Tags: agility training
This was the week that no one wanted to cooperate.
Seriously. All of the dogs were twitchy, irritable, and uncooperative. While they perked up when they got to play with their favoritest thing EVAR, (the buja board) they immediately de-perked when it was taken away. Quick’s continued love affair with the board is amusing. He goes up onto his back legs and pounces the board, his tail tippy wagging and his ears all perked.
Quick barked in his crate when his bestest friend Phoebe was out. (She is his herding buddy.) I had to give him Mr. Squeaky to keep him quiet (best two dollars I ever spent!) and gave him treats for lying down and being quiet. I do not want a cage barker! I’m saving up for another collapsible cage, since they managed to find where it was stored and chewed a hole in it. Evil dogs!
He committed unforgivable sins during restrained recalls. Quick has a sensitive neck on the best of days, and long fur is easily pulled in the hunt for his collar. He snapped at the trainer, ran away, and pooped in the corner of the ring! Oh yes, humiliation, thy name is me. I really have to work with him on that. I have no idea how to start desensitizing him to people grabbing his fur, though! I believe I’ll just clip a leash tab to his collar at all times when he’s out and about. Poor guy’s going to have so much going on! Leash tab, halti, collar, leash…
I found out his release word is not as strong as I thought. We’re going to be practicing with breakfast for a while! The trainer thinks ‘okay’ is a word we use too much for it to be a very good release word, but I personally have never had problems with it. Any thoughts?
On the plus side, he did fantastic on shadow handling around objects! We set up some jump standards and went through and around and by, using hands to direct the dogs away from us. He was a little dream for that, as usual! He loves to work off-leash, in any setting.
What’s the best position to leave my dog in at the start line: A sit, down or a stand?
This often-asked question was previously addressed as part of “Trainer’s Forum” in Clean Run December 2006. While the answer is not cut-and-dried, a study of videotapes by M. Christine Zink, DVM, PhD suggests that a sit is usually the best positionfor moving a dog quickly into a canter on the course. Dr. Zink, well-known for her experience with canine health and sports, says that the canter is the gait dogs always use while jumping, so getting into a canter quickly can set a dog up for success right away. Zink reported in the article that dogs beginning in a stand usually took one or two walking steps before starting to canter. Dogs beginning from the down position moved directly into the canter, but did so slightly slower than those leaving from a sit.
Not every dog will fit into this pattern, however. “You also have to listen to each individual dog. Some are more comfortable in certain positions, and may prefer to start- and therefore might start better (faster)- from their preferred postitions,” says Zink. Sometimes a dog’s physical structure needs to be taken into account according to Zink: “Many dogs with docked tails are about 3” to 4” long (like some Dobermans and Schnauzers) are uncomfortable in a sit position, particularly when they are sitting indoors on ridged mats. Dogs with low tail sets like GSDs, Whippers, and Greyhounds also can find it uncomfortable to sit.”
In the same Trainer’s Forum article, Webb Anderson suggests that a stand might be better for some dogs that are slow and unsure at the start line. Running with the dog instead of having a stressed-out dog for a lead-out might work better in some cases. Both Anderson and Jean Lavalley point out some dogs that don’t have good start-line stays are less likely to break and start early from a down position. “Most dogs seem to respect the down more than a sit. Plus, it is more difficult for the dog to scoot his way toward the start line while in a down,” says Anderson. Chris Parker points out that the down can encourage sniffing and the stand can create stay problems if the dog creeps toward the first obstacle, so no position is perfect.
The best way to determine the starting position to use for your dog is to videotape your runs and analyze starting speed and any other factors you notice (for example, perhaps your dog starts faster from a sit but is more likely to hit a bar that way). Then you will know more about what works best with your dog.
But Dr. Zink has reservations about choosing one particular start-line position and sticking with it, no matter what: “Dogs might have physical problems such as hip dysplasia or a mild iliopsoas strain or other sublinical problems that make them more comfortable in one position or another, so it is important to listen to what your dog is telling you, rather than just deciding that one position is always superior.”
(C) clean run 2010
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