QT with the Pups

Excessive home renovations and baby prep limited time lavishing the pups with fun adventures and outings this summer, and a few weeks ago, I craved some quality time with Bruschi and Kodi.

In the car we got, headed to Quiet Waters in Annapolis for a day of play, then lunch downtown. Bruschi and Kodi took in the multiple dog parks, trail walk, and the romp on the beach. Bruschi bravely entered the water, chest deep, and Kodi took to critter surveillance in the swamp.

After, we stopped at the conveniently located dog spa just outside the park to de-stinkify the canines, then headed to a nice Annapolis restaurant with an outdoor dining patio that catered to dogs.

We rode home with the top down and two very, very tired dogs.

Kicking the week off with kittens!

Earlier today, my friend and I photographed some ridiculously cute 6 week old kittens that were recently rescued. These five little fluff balls had the most beautiful eyes, and the teeniest, tinyest paws, each smaller than the palm of my hand.


A foster mom will raise them in her home until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered, and adopted.


I know nothing about cats or kittens, except that they look cute, and Kodi would probably try to eat one if allowed. Well, maybe just nibble.


Below are a few photos of some of the cuties.

Happy Homecoming Pinky!

Brian and my fifth foster found a home today. We had been helping out Pinky the Puppy for about two months, getting her socialized and building her confidence. Her momma came to the rescue organization with 9 puppies in her belly, and the training center where I apprentice birthed the pups.

Pinky was a little bitty fluffball when she was born, but in her first four months, grew to be close to 30 pounds of energy!

She is a beautiful dog, a great pet, and will become a fabulous companion for her new family.

We were truly lucky to have been able to have her in our home for the past two months (and she didn't even chew any furniture!)

That's a 'wuff' for now!

Resource Guarding

(tiny paw)

I am learning all about Resource Guarding in dog school. "What," you ask "Is resource guarding?" Well, it is a behavior that some dogs exhibit when they are coveting a toy, bone, item or even person (hence: resource). The "guard" is against the other dog or human that is showing interest in the resource.

A dog that guards will get visibly "grumpy" when a dog or human gets close to a resource in his/her possession. That "grumpy" can include whale eye (keeping eyes on you, but moving head to the side), growling, lunging, holding on to the item and not letting go, and lots of other signals that a professional trainer (which I am not) is keen to detect.

Conditioning a dog out of resource guarding requires patience, and consistency. A dog needs to learn that letting go of the resource that he/she is guarding is a "good thing."

There is tons written on Resource Guarding including "Mine" by Jean Donaldson (link to book below), and it really is a remarkable topic to learn about.

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB740&AffiliateID=46152&Method=3

After learning about it, I don't think this is limited to dogs... I actually think that my mom "resource guards" when it comes to her sewing tools, catalogs, or photos of Bruschi and Kodi. Only, I never called it 'resource guarding' I called it "hogging," as in "don't hog the Pottery Barn catalog." She pulls them away when someone reaches for it, turns her head, but not her eyes, and makes a "nahhhh" sound! And, my husband resource guards... the TV REMOTE CONTROL!!! In fact, when he does it this week, I am committed to saying "get your two paws off the remote, stop growling and let me watch Sex and the City reruns!!" My mom doesn't blog, so she won't learn from this, but my husband does...

That all might souned funny, but Resource Guarding isn't something to over look. I am super conscious of it now, and watching for signs that indicate that behavior... in dogs and in humans. Only, I don't think any clicking-and-treating is going to convince humans to surrender the coveted object....

That's a "wuff" for now!

For The Love of a Dog...

About nine months ago while browsing an airport bookstore before a cross-country flight, I grabbed a copy of Patricia McConnell's latest book "For The Love of a Dog" only, I grabbed it blindly, wanting to read something better than trashy romance, and easier than heavy novels.


This was months before I started my dog training apprenticeship, and before I knew that the author was such a revered member of the animal behavior community. I picked it up because it had a nice cover, a good title, and I missed my dog terribly on this one particular trip. I had also just started fostering, and was becomming more and more inquisitive about what makes dogs do what they do.


I fell in love with the book by about the second page, had tears-in-eyes at least once before the 5th and laughed about a dozen times in the first chapter. You can imagine the looks I was getting from other travelers. This book is about the emotions that dogs show, and here I was, exhibiting a host of my own.



The book's relevance to Brian and my life was so strong, that it compelled me to recommend it as a stocking stuffer in the first-ever edition of Puggles N Prose-- the Newsbite.

The author had such an entertaining and witty pen (or keyboard) that I was easily able to digest the otherwise complex subject matter she presented in each chapter. After reading, I just couldn't help but give a different type of thought to the emotions a dog was displaying. What really was driving Bruschi's emotional core when he barks at the window? What position was his tail in, was the hair on his back standing up, what about his eyes? I felt like I was a few steps closer to understanding my dog, and getting him to show the behavior I wanted (mind you, Bruschi ate cough drops on Friday-- he did not have a sore throat).



I misplaced the book it in one bag or another before finishing it, but found it again last week, threw it in my suitcase for this lastest trip, and promised myself I'd read the last 30 pages. This time, I was prepared with a "oh, its my allergies" to explain to the flight attendant why it 'looked' like I was crying. And, just like the book began, I was amazed down to the final page.

McConnell's chapters are filled with powerful examples, striking insights, and actual scientific studies to support her conclusions. The book is as much about human emotions and interaction as it is about dogs. In fact, the insights the author presented were ridiculously relevant to my workings as a focus group moderator (and support my theory that all college-level communication curriculums should include a dog behavior class to illustrate best practices in communication--that's a whole other blog post).



If I didn't have a stack of other books to start and finish, I'd be re-reading this one.




Below: My mutts, Bruschi and Kodi. Kodi is not happy about getting Bruschi kisses for the camera (he was mid-lick when this photo was taken). Notice how her legs are braced and head is pulling away.

Reflections on Bruschi's Puppyhood

(Image: Bruschi at 8 wks and one day old)

I love Bruschi. I honestly and truly love the dog, and wouldn't change anything about him if given the chance... but boy, was he a bad puppy!! Cute as can be, but so, so bad! I say this as I am sandwiched between Pinky, a little 8 week old hound/retriever mix that I am co-fostering on my left leg, and Bruschi, my two year old Puggle who just ate a whole stick of butter, wrapper and all, on my right.

Brian and I got Bruschi at 8 weeks old to the day... picking him up at Dulles Airport (IAD) at midnight, coming in from South Dakota...and our lives have not been the same since. We knew the puppyraising task ahead of us was no small endeavor, would require lots of time, and lots of new types of thinking. We read books, blogs, magazines, internet articles--anything we found. But no book prepared us for what we experienced (although many times we searched for the section on "what to do when your dog just won't release his grip on your purse)."

Bruschi excelled at house breaking, getting down the routine fairly quickly. He also excelled at whining, puppy piranhas (excessive mouthing) and eating possessions, including diamond earrings, hair brushes, cell phone ear pieces, shoes, purses, gum, credit cards, palm pilot cases, and anything else that his nose found. He was a thief, and proudly trounced around the house with our possessions in jaws, showing off his latest prize find. Oh, and did I mention the whining?


Having not had a puppy prior to Bruschi, I didn't know any different. I thought this is just the way it was with the younguns... until I started fostering. The first two foster pups, who will forever have a huge place in my heart as Beetle and Casey, were near-angelic compared to my memory of puppyhood. These little coonhound/lab mixes didn't like the crate at all and howled fiercely once in it, but were perfect gentlemen otherwise. Minimal whining, no stealing, no chewing, no mouthing, no tugging on the leash-- in short, star pupils. And, my latest little foster, who was part of a litter of nine birthed at the training center where I apprentice-- she's just a little peach! She's got some stress and anxiety to get over, but is rivaling Kodi for the "little princess" title right now.

Bruschi was, and continues to be a challenge, but it is just so rewarding to look at him and think about how far he has come, and how much closer to obedient he is with each day. He forces me to think differently about how I communicate, how I measure success, and how I determine what is important in life.


Neither Brian nor I ever thought of giving up on Bruschi, no matter how many time-outs he wracked up in an hour... but we do see people regularly who do give up on their pup, perhaps before really taking a good look at themselves and saying "what can i do to better communicate with my dog." It is both hard and humbling to say "I can not control my puppy, please help," and then being able to listen and implement new methods... but so, so rewarding for an owner and a dog.

The element of unpredictability in what type of puppy yours will be is perhaps both the biggest fear and the greatest excitement. I constantly remind myself to view each new puppy and dog as an individual--there is no one-size-fits-all method for raising a puppy (even though there are some sure-fire ways to train a dog). More shy dogs need different types of stimuli to bring them out of their shell-- more assertive dogs need a certain level and intensity of training. I've also learned that a puppy's love and affection is enough to compensate for all that a human is required to do to maintain that dog.

(Image: Bruschi at 8 weeks and 1 day old)

(Image: Bruschi at 2 yrs and 1 month old)

Headshots!

With faces this cute, who needs text?

"I've Finally Grown In To My Ears!!"

Happy Birthday Bruschi... well, happy birthday + 1 week. Bruschi turned 2 on February 22 (last Friday), and of course, celebrated properly with a full day at "camp," lots of fun treats, and gifts to tear apart.

Brian and I celebrated surviving nearly two years of puppiness. The first photo of Bruschi was taken only hours after he was born, and he was just a teeny tiny brown wiggly loaf. We were in love, of course, immediately, and anxiously awaited every photo the breeder sent. And, when we picked him up at the airport 8 weeks later, we melted at the sight of his itty bitty snout. At 4 pounds, 7 ounces, Bruschi was all ears and nose.

The little guy came out of the cage nose to the ground, sniffing away, each ear nearly twice the size of his head. While he has finally grown in to his ears, he has not stopped sniffing.

With that nose, Bruschi is an eating machine!!! He can sniff out the littlest crumb under the biggest blanket, and we have yet to find a food he'd refuse.

We've become quite creative in Bruschi food, to keep his skin allergies and weight under control, and to reward him appropriately for good behavior. To celebrate that, March is "My Goodness, is that a Treat?" month. Check back at the blog throughout March to read about fun, healthy, easy treats for humans and dogs!!

That's a wuff for now!

-Colleen