notes from a dog walker

Nov 20

It’s Not How They’re Raised, It’s How Dogs are Managed That Matters Most

How many times have you heard someone say about a dog, “It’s all how they’re raised”? Probably a lot. If you own a pit bull dog, probably a lot more.

I hear pit bull advocates saying it all the time, as a way to defend our dogs. I hear other saying it as a flippant remark about dogs in general. This phrase gets tossed around all the time, but no one seems to be aware of what they’re really saying….and how damaging it can be.

This saying does have a kernel of truth in it, of course, but “how they’re raised” is just one of the factors that contributes to who our dogs are. It’s not the whole story.

When people believe that “It’s All How They’re Raised”, there are some real-life consequences for the dogs. So we need to check ourselves.

Here are a few ways our words hurt:

People refuse to adopt adult dogs. This idea, that how they’re raised determines who a dog is, makes adopting out adult and senior dogs a real challenge. Why would adopters take a chance on an adult dog, who has been raised by someone else, when they could adopt a puppy and raise it “right” themselves? Some folks really believe this. Seriously, shelter workers are constantly confronted by this way of thinking. It stinks.

Shelters won’t place victims of cruelty up for adoption. If a dog has survived an abusive or neglectful situation, such as dog fighting, animal hoarding, puppy mills, etc., then it is known they were “raised wrong”. Some organizations use this as proof that the dogs aren’t safe or fit to be adopted out.The same thing goes for dogs that are suspected of surviving these situations. If the assumption is made that a dog with cropped ears has been fought, that assumption of their past may wind up costing the dog his life if policies dictate that fight bust dogs are not adoptable because they were obviously “raised wrong.”

Responsible dog owners feel like failures. People who have raised their dogs since puppyhood beat themselves up when they’ve done everything right, but despite their very best efforts, their dogs still have behavioral issues. I hear from a lot of you through DINOS because you feel ashamed and guilty about your dog’s issues, despite having raised your dogs right. Let me just say it now: it’s not all how a dog is raised that matters. You guys have to stop beating yourselves up (even if you’re a dog trainer).

Here’s the reality – dogs are who they are due to many factors: training, breeding, socialization, management, genetics, and environment. All of these things influence who our dogs are.

A dog’s past is a chapter, but it’s never the whole story. Let me show you:

“Raised Wrong”

Some dogs, neglected and abused their entire lives, are well-adjusted, social dogs. Anyone who has worked in rescue has met countless dogs who were not raised in the best circumstances, but despite this lack of early socialization or care (or worse) they turn out to be safe, family dogs. Many of us share our homes with dogs that were raised in less than ideal conditions, but are still wonderful pets.

One example of this scenario are the dogs rescued from fight busts or hoarding situations. Despite terrible beginnings, many of these victims of cruelty are ready to leave the past behind and enjoy family life. They may need training and structure to get used to living with a family in a house (what dog doesn’t?), but some of them are able to adjust to family life with relative ease. Their past didn’t help them do this, you dig?

Meet Jagger, the handsomest dog on earth! Visit his Facebook page to meet this sweet boy.

“Raised Right”

Some dogs, purchased from responsible breeders and socialized properly from puppyhood, still wind up with behavioral problems. Many responsible dog owners, who have raised their dogs since they were puppies and did everything right, still find themselves with dogs who have a variety of behavioral issues. These dogs were “raised right”, but are still struggling, sometimes due to genetics.

One example of this is illustrated in an article written by a dog trainer who shared her problems with her own dog. Despite her very best professional efforts to train and socialize him, aka raise him right, he has significant behavior issues which may be caused by a medical condition. It’s not how he was raised that’s causing the problem. Read it here.

Puppies. It’s not just how you raise them.

In both of these cases, the common denominator that is actually determining the success of these dogs as family pets and their safety in the community isn’t how the dogs were raised: it’s responsible management.

Whether they were raised “right” or raised “wrong” in the past, no matter what behavioral problems a dog does or doesn’t have, when owners recognize their dog’s individual needs and provide them the right care and management tools, dogs have a chance to succeed in our crazy world.

More Present, Less Past

So, it’s not “how they’re raised” (what happened in the past) but rather, “how they’re managed” (what’s happening in the present) that needs to be our focus, if our goal is to help our dogs and also create safe communities for us all to enjoy.

We can look to their past for clues and guidance, of course. I don’t mean ignore it all together. But we do more for our dogs when we look at them right now, without the haze of a bad (or good) past fogging up our thoughts. Who are they right now? What do they need to succeed today?

Whoever they are, dogs always exists and act in the context of human beings. They don’t live in a vacuum. They live with us. We need to recognize dogs as individuals, then determine what they need from us in order to succeed in the world.

What this means is that when dogs are properly managed by a human, a dog with or without behavior problems has the opportunity to be a safe, family dog. Dogs may need a variety of management tools, depending on what behavioral issues (if any) they have. Beyond training, various management tools might include: space management (crates, gates, etc.), muzzles, leashes, fences, proper supervision, etc. I’d also include medication in this category, if it’s necessary. When these tools are used, owners are setting dogs up to be successful.

This also means that any dog that is not managed properly can be a nuisance to the community or a danger to others. We see this often in the case of dogs that are running loose in neighborhoods. The dogs may be friendly (or not), but by allowing them to roam the streets or chase other dogs, their owners are setting these dogs up to get into trouble. They are not managing them. They are setting them up to fail.

side note: This is why I’m such a stickler for obeying leash laws. It’s a management tool. I just wish the laws were enforced.

I think that dogs are only as successful and safe as humans set them up to be – no matter what their past may be. When a dog gets in trouble or acts dangerously, somewhere along the line, a person has failed to make the right choice. But that’s not the same as “how they were raised”.

How they’re raised may be one factor that influences dogs, but it doesn’t determine the whole being of a dog. Perpetuating this idea only winds up hurting dogs with less than perfect pasts and shaming people who own dogs they’ve had since puppyhood.

The truth is that it’s how we currently manage dogs that determines how any dog interacts with the world. When we focus on managing them in the present, based on their individual needs, we can set dogs up for success despite what may have happened to them in the past.

So can we trash “its all how they’re raised” once and for all? It’s such a drag for dogs and their owners.

Let’s replace it with the truth:

It’s all how they’re managed. Dogs are only as successful as we set them up to be.

PDF version here: It’s Not How They’re Raised

Oct 19

9 Comments

I’m all over this. Pit Bull Families, get in on the fun and bust some stereotypes!

Oct 17

20 Comments

No More (Doorbell) Drama

If your dog goes bonkers every time the doorbell rings, may I suggest this?

Over the weekend I picked up a wireless, plug-in doorbell for $15 at Home Depot. I bought it because our new house has a funky entrance that forces visitors to enter our small, enclosed porch in order to get to our front door. Rather than having strangers half way into the house before they could ring a bell (and startle the pants off of me), we got a wireless doorbell and installed it on the outside of the house. This allows people to stand on our front steps and ring the bell – without entering the porch/house – and gives me a second to tell Boogie to go to his room and chill out while I deal with ~~botherers~~ vistors.

Turns out, this little gadget has a bonus function: my dogs don’t recognize the chime as the doorbell! So when someone rings the new bell, Frick and Frack don’t bark. My mom also has one of these bells and she reports that her dog doesn’t bark at the wireless door chime either – so it’s not a fluke. Two out of two families recommend it.

Granted, desensitizing dogs to the sound of the regular doorbell and teaching them to stay calm is the way to go about this issue. And you can use these battery operated, portable doorbells to do that sort of training. But hey – it’s not such a bad thing that the new bell doesn’t register, in their ears, as a doorbell. Of course, that will change with time as the dogs make the connection that the ‘new sound’ = people at the door. In the meantime,we’re working with a clean slate.

So, if your dog turns into a hot mess at the sound of the doorbell, this cheap solution just might be what you need to help them make some progress. The kit I bought only had 2 different tones to choose from, but other more expensive kits, give you the option of 8+ chimes to pick from. So in theory, you could keep changing the sound and your dogs will be totally mystified for years.

And for anyone that has a weird front door set up, like me, this is a great, cheap solution because YOU get to decide where visitors stand when they ring the bell. Buy yourself some extra time and put your doorbell somewhere really convenient – like next to a pay phone at the end of your driveway, so visitors can call first and tell you they’re about to ring the door bell. That should give you enough time to tell your dog to “go to his mat”, right?

And if you get one now, it’ll be just in time for all those cute ~~intruders~~ Trick or Treaters!

So go for it – put an end to all that doorbell drama! Mary J. Blige understands, don’t you Mary?

Oct 11

7 Comments

Book Review: Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know

Generally speaking dog humor books never make me laugh. There’s usually a lot of jokes about dogs eating trash and looking guilty and contrary to what the titles may imply, they actually slay my soul. I try to avoid them.

So, when I got asked to review a copy of the book Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know, I wanted to say no, but wound up saying yes for two reasons: there is a quote from Steve Martin on the front and I read an excerpt entitled, “I Can Poop The Second I Start My Walk.”

Steve Martin is one the funniest people of all time. Even if he never actually read this book, just the idea that he may have looked at the cover or tripped over the book, is enough for me. And once I read that “I Can Poop” line, I knew the writers must know something about dogs.

Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know is a collection of stories from eleven fictional dogs who reveal what’s really going on in the minds of dogs. Among others, there’s Orson the Bulldog who has an eating disorder, Tinkerbell the passive aggressive Chihuahua, and my two favorites: Sarge the working GSD who gets fired a lot and Rufus T. the Bloodhound that dreams of making it on Broadway. It’s a fun crew.

What I enjoyed about this book is that it was really obvious that the writers not only love dogs, but understand dogs and what they’re up against having to live with humans. Without going straight for the teachable moment, the authors wove all kinds of helpful tips, advice, and dog logic into their stories.

The dogs, in telling some really funny stories, subtly teach readers that dogs see the world differently than we do and that they’re totally justified when they do something “bad”, because it makes total sense. You just have to look at it from the dog’s perspective.

If a couch is made of leather, why would a dog think it’s any different from a rawhide chew toy? Axelrod the Lab tries to explain why so many dogs make this mistake in “Why I Ate the Sofa” and other stories about misunderstandings.

If you have a new dog owner in your life – one that’s trying to figure out how to speak dog – this would be a good gift to give them (along with some Nature’s Miracle). They’ll get the answers to all our burning questions: why do dogs eat grass? jump on us? dig holes? steal our weed?

The book also serves as a reminder to humans that we should never judge a dog by his looks, as in the case of Rufus T. the Bloodhound, a dog with a secret fantasy of making it on Broadway. His people assume he wants nothing more than to go hunting, but Rufus reveals that when he’s dreaming, those jerky movements and whimpers aren’t from squirrel chasing, he’s dreaming of dancing in the musical Annie. My kind of Bloodhound.

And there are a few story lines that are genuinely touching for any dog lover, like Sophie the Cocker Spaniel, who is at the end of her life and wondering, in stories like “I’m Getting Too Far Ahead” how it came to be that she’s aging faster than the humans in her life. Sophie’s entry is the final chapter and there was a profound little nugget that ended the book.

So here’s what Steve Martin left out when he wrote his blurb “I laughed, my dog howled” for the book cover: the authors behind the stories love dogs and want them to succeed in our crazy world.

Cheers to humor being one of the best teachers.

And yes, if you’re wondering, there is a DINOS in the book. Moonbeam the Mutt writes, “You’re Not in My Pack” and ‘Why I Hate Dogs”, for all the dogs out there that need a little space.

To get your copy or to read some stories, check out the Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know website and Facebook page!

Oct 1

5 Comments

Six Tips for Safer, Happier Dog Walking

It’s National Walk Your Dog Week and to celebrate, I got the chance to guest blog for a wonderful nonprofit called Found Animals Foundation.

The folks at FAF totally get DINOS. So they wanted to help spread the message that even though we’re all really excited about Walk Your Dog Week, we still need to remember to be respectful and responsible too.

I love it when the DINOS messages spreads to a new group of dog lovers!

If you’re looking for a polite way to talk to someone you know about their leash problems, my guest blog: Six Tips for Safer, Happier Dog Walking is the perfect intervention. Read it here now.

When you visit the FAF blog to read and share it, don’t forget to let FAF know you appreciate them spreading the DINOS message: DINOS are GOOD dogs, they just need space!

p.s. Need something polite and informative to give to strangers while you’re out dog walking? I got you. Check out my pocket-size handouts on Flickr and now available on Cafe Press.

Sep 28

28 Comments

The Map in My Heart

Just the other day I learned that one of the dogs I used to walk, back when I was dog walking in Philadelphia, had passed away over the summer. This is the fourth time this year I’ve gotten this kind of sad long distance news.

It’s been almost five years since I was living in Philadelphia, walking dogs full-time. So it should really come as no surprise to me that many of the dogs I used to walk, who were middle-aged five years ago when I moved to Maine, are now seniors. And now, every few months I get the news that another one of them has left us. I am always a little surprised and always deeply sad.

Many of them are now ten or twelve, and more and more these days, they are gone. But for me, all of the dogs are frozen in time – just as I left them five years ago. They are strong, vibrant, and healthy. They are alive in my memories and they are forever young in my heart.

Not only do these dogs – who I spent day after day with, for many years – occupy a special place in my heart, but I have a lasting connection to Philadelphia through them. I think it might surprise my former clients to know how deeply I identify certain streets, neighborhoods, public art – a total sense of place – with their dogs.

sadly, this mural is long gone too.

Side by side these dogs and I explored every nook and cranny of a certain part of Philadelphia. Together, we took in the murals, the mosaics, the tiny trinity row homes with magical gardens, met the neighbors and the mailmen, and monitored the subtle, daily changes of the city as the seasons shifted.

Even if the dogs moved away – to other neighborhoods, suburbs, states – or passed away, they are permanently linked in my heart and mind with the place where we met up for our adventures, day after day.

I cannot visit certain areas of Philadelphia without seeing the dogs. They’re all there: block by block, imprinted memories on the sidewalks where we walked together.

I don’t think there will ever be a time in my life when I can drive or walk down certain streets in Bella Vista or parks in Queen Village and Pennsport and not immediately think of my old friends. Years after they’re gone, the dogs are still so alive for me, so fully present in the streets of Philadelphia.

This is something different from what I feel with my own dogs. With Boogie and Birdie, I have many memories of lots of different things: waking up with them, going on vacation, the day we brought them home, the daily ins and outs of their care. But with the dogs I walk, it’s super concentrated and very specific. When you spend so many hours, somany weeks and years caring for the same dogs, walking the same routes each day at the same time, it becomes impossible to separate the place from the dogs.

There is no Palumbo Park without Kali. No Christian Street without Roxy. No smell of cookies wafting from Isgros without Pearl. No Earp Street without Chula. No FDR Park without Snick and Snora. No Front Street without Ricky. No Cianfrani Park without Sadie. No snow falling in Mario Lanza Park without Doak. No Tasker Street without Max. No Three Bears Park without Toby. No Old Swedes Church without Lola. No Queen Street without Sophie. And on and on and on and on.

So many excellent friends to explore the city with each day. So many patient teachers and tour guides showing me how to see this place that I had lived in for years in a whole new light. I fell in love with Philadelphia through the dogs that I walked. They taught me how to find treasure, beauty, and magic in everyday places.

And so the dogs and the places are connected, for me, forever. A moment in time that never fully passes. Where every dog, no matter where they are now, never ages.

Every block, a memory, a story of your dogs. They are forever young, teaching me to see the city through their eyes and noses.

They are the map in my heart.

Sep 21

26 Comments

The DINOS Message or All Jacuzzis are Hot Tubs, but Not All Hot Tubs are Jacuzzis*

One of the very cool, and truly unexpected, things about DINOS is how crazy popular the term DINOS has become in the last 10 months. When I was sitting at my desk last year, totally annoyed after a difficult dog walk, and coined the term DINOS/Dogs in Need of Space, it never occurred to me in a million years that DINOS would become a commonly used term to describe dogs.

In particular, DINOS has come to be synonymous with “reactive”, and since I work and live with reactive dogs, that’s pretty ok with me, most of the time. I love that having a term, other than reactive, helps dog owners feel better about their dogs (and themselves). Trainers have told me that talking to owners about DINOS is a way to break the ice about reactivity, without freaking their clients out. Most of all, I love that being a DINOS means you have a team now. You’re not alone if you have a reactive dog: there are so many of us we could stage a DINOS-only Olympics. We would, of course, need a lot of space.

As the term becomes more popular, as it spreads from country to country, I’m starting to see how various animal welfare groups, writers, and other organizations are relaying, repackaging, and relating the DINOS message. It’s very exciting stuff, but it occurred to me that it might be time to have a little pow wow about communication, messaging, and language choices because if we want the dog-owning public to understand and respect our DINOS wishes, we need to consider our messaging.

(p.s. this is aimed at groups or writers who are speaking on behalf of ALL DINOS – not so much about individuals talking about their own dogs.)

So, let’s get clear on one big thing:

All reactive dogs are DINOS, but not all DINOS are reactive.

Understanding this will help us to spread the message more effectively.

There are so many reasons why a dog might be a DINOS (for life or just for the day). Let me recap, for anyone new to the blog. A dog might be a DINOS because:

-They are injured

-They are seniors

-They are contagious

-They are working

-They are recovering from surgery

-They are learning how to politely greet other dogs

-They are service dogs

-They are afraid of people

-They are blind or deaf

-They have a medical condition

-They are being walked by a person that is a HINOS (a human in need of space)

Now let me ask you guys something: If you were a MDIF, someone likely to let your dog run up, on leash or off, to an unfamilar dog, which dog would make you more sympathetic, and therefore more likely to listen to the DINOS message:

A dog that is 16 with bad hips and needs space to avoid injury

A dog that is reactive and needs space to stay calm

What about this?:

A service dog who needs space to do her job properly

A dog that is fear-aggressive and needs space to keep everyone safe

Now, I know all you DINOS owners will say that it doesn’t matter what the reason is for a dog to need space. They need it and they should get it. Indeed, you are correct! But being right is rarely the most effective way of changing other people’s behaviors (think: dieting, smoking, wearing jeggings). If we want to reach the most amount of people with the message that many dogs need and deserve space, we should consider how we market our plea for space.

Here’s my 10 second p.r. lesson on the topic:

reactive dogs = no sympathy

old, injured, one-legged service dog with epilepsy = give that poor baby some space!

This dog clearly needs our help!

Ok, maybe one nice lady will have sympathy for the reactive dog, but how many of you have been told, usually be some dude who’s screaming in your face, that if your reactive dog needs space, you “shouldn’t be out in public with that nasty dog” or “It’s not my problem.” Or we get cursed at and told, “Train your dog!”

People who have never lived with a reactive dog just don’t get it. But they’re the ones who need to hear our message the most. Which is tough, because they have very little sympathy for our dogs.

As far as they’re concerned, if our dogs are so “bad”, then we don’t have a right to walk them in public. Lost of folks believe that a friendly dog should have the right to go up to any dog it sees. If the other dog doesn’t like it, then they have the problem and shouldn’t be allowed out of the house.

So how do we reach these people – the ones we’re really hoping will hear the DINOS message? We need to make DINOS sympathetic and more relatable. We need to make sure that the world hears that a dog can be a DINOS for lots of reasons. Many of which are no one’s fault, have nothing to do with training or behavior issues, could happen to them even, and therefore, these dogs have the “right” to be out in public and have space.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some sort of attempt to shove reactive dogs into the closet or deny that some DINOS are dog-aggressive. This is about how to get our message heard by the largest number of people and move them to change their deeply ingrained beliefs and behaviors.

Because if a lot of people get the message, reactive dogs will reap the benefits. It won’t matter to Boogie if someone gives him space because they understand reactivity or if they’re just being polite because they now understand that dogs needs space for lots of different reasons.

Here’s the thing: I don’t think the average dog owner is at all interested in learning about what reactivity is or how it works. Trying to explain DINOS by focusing on teaching the world about reactive dogs is a sure way to lose a sizable chunk of our audience.

On the other hand, if I tell people that Birdie’s back is really sore and she’ll snap at a strange dog who jumps on her: they get it. They’re nice people and they don’t want my old dog to get hurt. Maybe they had an old dog once or are saddened when they think about their own dog aging. If I say the message right, they might even remember what I told them the next time they’re out walking their dog.

I’m old and my back hurts. What’s so hard to understand about that?

So, if you’re like me and you’re trying to get as many people as possible to understand that some dogs needs space, leading with reactivity isn’t the way to go.

If we lead with the message that some dogs are “damaged” or traumatized or have “issues” or something else considered negative, DINOS will likely become synonymous with “dangerous” or “bad” and then, trust me, no one will give a turd about respecting our dog’s needs. They’ll just want our dogs banned/muzzled/etc.

So for everyone out there spreading the message that dogs need space, I’m asking you to consider your words, your messaging, and your approach to relaying this idea to the general public. In order for the message to be effectively heard, we need to capture the public’s sympathy and help them understand that many dogs are DINOS (or will one day become DINOS), and since you can’t always tell just by looking at them, it’s best to give ALL dogs some space.

So go forth, spread the message that there are Dogs in Need of Space. Tell the world that DINOS are GOOD dogs. And don’t hesitate to throw in that reactivity is common and pretty normal. But always remember who your audience is and try to tailor the message to them.

The more people who understand and respect that many dogs need space, the more all dogs will benefit, reactive dogs included.

**Why yes this is a Big Bang Theory reference. Bazinga!

Sep 11

22 Comments

Yellow, But Not Mellow

Author’s Note: I am not responsible for the Yellow Ribbon campaign and it’s not officially associated with DINOS™ or Notes From a Dog Walker. If you’d like to learn more, here’s the source of the project and the newer Yellow Dog project. Those hard-working folks deserve all the credit – not moi!

While I was away on vacation the other week, I got about ten thousand (give or take a few) emails and Facebook posts about this image:

To say that folks are excited about the color coded system is an understatment – social media is bubbling over with dog owners who have raided craft stores for yards of yellow ribbon. I’m expecting to start seeing dogs wrapped completely in yellow, waddling down the street like little sunshine colored mummies!

For those of you who missed it, I weighed in on this topic the other month when I wrote about color systems in Color Me DINOS and here’s the short version of what I said:

I think color coded systems are a MUST HAVE for any closed group: dog walking clubs, sporting events, camps, etc. Any place where everyone is on the same page and fully understands what the colors signify. Many groups, like Chicago SocialBulls use a fun combo of bandanas and various flair, to help dog walkers communicate with each other. It’s very effective in a closed group. I totally recommend it.

When it comes to using the color system in public, I say go for it, but with some concerns (see below).

I have no doubt it will help some people communicate with some strangers while they’re walking down the street. I’m thinking in particular of dogs with medical conditions, like my pal Taz who has epilepsy and needs space from other dogs to avoid having cluster seizures. A color system that can help Taz get the space he needs? Super awesome.

I’d really love to see this work, so I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but I do have a few concerns about the color system. Humor me:

1. This won’t do much, if anything, to help us communicate with dog owners that just don’t care. That includes people who ignore leash laws or let their dogs wander loose, people who let their dogs charge into our yards, people who think that our dogs will learn to like other dogs if they just meet their friendly dogs, people who ignore the “Do Not Pet” patches on Service Dog vests, the people who don’t listen to us say “No” now..and others. That’s a pretty big group.

2. This only works if people can see the yellow flag (and know what it means). So if they’re walking up from behind and can’t see the leash, it’s not going to help. Oh and some folks just won’t get it. My friend, who does not have a DINOS, saw this poster and commented that it looks like a poop bag is tied to the leash.

3. So, that means that the color system should be viewed as just one tool in a larger toolbox. If you’ve got a yellow tie on your dog’s leash, don’t assume the people around you can see it, know what it means, and/or care. So we still need to be proactive and on our toes. We can’t rely on a yellow flag to do the work for us. It might work sometimes, it might not. Ultimately, we are responsible for our dogs.

4. Which brings me to liability issues. I’m not sure if it’s the pit bull owner in me – the one that is extremely wary of publicly declaring my dog might be “dangerous” in some way – but the language in these Yellow Dog posters worries me. If I were behind the Yellow Dog campaigns (some people think it is me, but I can’t take any credit – this isn’t officially associated with DINOS in any way), I’d run my language and messaging by a lawyer. Before I put a yellow ribbon on my dog, I’d want to be 100% sure I’m not making myself liable or seen as negligent if my dog gets into an altercation. (side note: can we please take the pit bull off of this poster? They have a hard enough time as it is. They don’t need to be the face of this campaign).

5. Finally, just because a dog doesn’t have a yellow ribbon on, doesn’t mean he deserves to have strange dogs up in his grill. Which means all of us still have to be polite, respectful, and responsible. Focus on the people. They’re the problem, not the dogs. People need to be responsible for their dogs. People need to learn that they should always ASK before they approach or allow their dogs to approach another dog. The only way to really ensure that everyone gets to safely enjoy public spaces is for people to take responsibility for our dogs and ourselves. You know the drill:

Control your dogs, on leash and off leash, at all times.
Always ask permission before you or your dogs approach an unfamiliar dog.
Wait for an answer.
If the answer is no, allow others the space to pass.

No matter what’s hanging off a dog’s leash, if we all controlled our dogs and took a second to politely ask if we can approach, rather than assuming it’s ok, we’d all be doing each other a world of good.

I hope the yellow ribbon campaign is a big help to those of you that decide to try it out. Please let me know what your experiences are, if you do, ok?

In the meantime, I’m going to keep working with my friends at Design Lab (the folks who brought you the DINOS logo) on a complimentary project: we’re creating a poster that reminds people to always ASK, before approaching an unfamiliar dog. Hopefully, between the color coding and a campaign that encourages responsibility and respect for others, all of us with DINOS will get a little relief!

For more info on the yellow dog campaign, see the original source here!

Sep 6

31 Comments

Happy Boogie Day!

Today is Boogie’s Gotcha Day aka the day we adopted him. Well, sort of.

Today is actually the day when I went in to work on my day off, back when I worked at the shelter, and said, “It’s my birthday, so my husband told me I could bring home any dog I wanted. And I pick Stoli.” And then I loaded this worried little pit bull into my car and took him home to “foster” for a while. That was four years ago.

Here he is on his first day at home with what I would soon discover is the thing that makes him feel most safe in the world: a ball.

Ball = I’m OK

Back then, Boogie was really afraid of everything: cell phones, cameras, coffee cups, people dancing, the cats, strangers, other dogs…you get the drill. Despite all that, he was (still is) the sweetest, most handsome little man in the world.

And even though he turned out to be a DINOS , Boogie is such an easy dog in all the ways that matter most to us. He didn’t need to be potty trained. He’s gentle with our older dog Birdie. He’s not destructive and doesn’t mind being left home alone. He sweet on our three cats. He’s a couch potato, so he doesn’t need a lot of exercise (even as a youngster). And he’s happy to hang out on his bed, chewing a bone and entertaining himself all evening. All he asks is that we play ball with him for a little while every day.

I know a good deal when I see one, so we stopped “fostering” him and adopted Boogie that fall. Our little gang has been complete ever since.

Boogie is a really happy dog at home. The world he lives in is on the small side, but he’s got Birdie, three cats, and the two of us to love on him every day. Plus two pet sitters that think he’s the bees knees, a gang of friends from all over the East Coast and a Grandma who looks forward to coming to stay with him. Plus lots of naps:

Here’s the thing. One of the reasons we’re all so happy is because Boogie’s world is purposely small.

To be honest, I don’t do a lot of training with Boogie anymore, though there is stuff we’re working on. I’m kind of a slacker and I don’t really enjoy training dogs (I’ll do it, I’d just rather be doing something else). For example, we’re not constantly working on his leash reactivity, like we used to when we lived in a city together. The first couple of years, we got all of our exercise by walking on leash, so leash skills were a priority. But this summer we bought Boogie a two acre yard, so he can chase balls until the sun sets.

We live in the middle of nowhere now. Walks are for pleasure and we can choose when and where we want to go. They’re no longer a part of our daily exercise (that’s where a flirt pole comes in). So I’ve slacked on his leash skills. Yep, that means I’m a dog walker that doesn’t walk my dog every day.

I have no doubt that if I put in more effort, he would be less leash reactive, but on a day-to-day basis, everything is working for our family. I think that’s important for all us: find out what works for you and your dog, so that everyone is enjoying life and each other’s company. Then don’t feel bad about it if it’s not exactly the same as what the next person is doing. Is your dog safe and happy? Is everyone around your dog safe and happy? Then you’re doing something right. Plus, happy people tend to keep their dogs.

Do what you need to do to set your dog up to succeed at his own pace and try not to make yourself miserable either. That might look different depending on your individual dog or the environment you live in. For Boogie, that means he hangs out at home some days, while we take Birdie on more public adventures. For other dogs, it might mean lots of training classes and regular walks with a social club. Figure out what works for you and your dog.

I don’t have anything to brag about – no titles or certifications. Except that we’re all really happy together and Boogie isn’t stressed out. It’s a simple life for our little man and it works for all of us. And that feels like a success to me.

But just in case you think we lock Boogie in a closet all day: even though we keep things simple at home, it doesn’t mean we don’t have fun together or try new things! We just got back from our summer vacation in the woods.

Last summer we taught Boogie how to swim. He was very scared of the water, but he went in because we were there to cheer him on and…his ball was in the water. No ball will ever be left behind on Boogie’s watch!

This year, he got really brave and learned to jump off a dock. He was so scared and made such crazy crying noises as he watched his ball float away (it sounded like he had a rubber chicken stuck in his throat), that I thought the entire town was going to call animal control to help him.

Finally, he put his front paws on the top rung of the dock’s ladder and plopped into the lake like a little hippo bull. Next thing we knew, he was running and JUMPING off the dock, faster than we could even throw the ball.

Not every day is a dock diving day for us, but we make small steps, at our own pace, each week in the right direction. These days coffee cups, cameras, and overnight guests don’t scare Boogie. He’s almost five years old now and he’s a good boy. He makes me so happy.

Happy Gotcha Day Boogie. You’ll always be my very best birthday present.

Aug 24

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The Inventor of Spray Cheese is My Hero.

Today I splurged and bought myself a veterinary house call. It was time for Boogie’s annual exam and we’ve been searching for a new vet, so I figured that since we’re switching vets anyway, why not upgrade to an in-house visit?

Last year’s vet visit was a disaster (see: 2011 stink-a-thon) and we figured a visit at home would not only help Boogie feel more relaxed, but it would nice for us too: we have 5 pets and I’m tired of airing out my car for three months after my cats explode in their crates from car sickness. Dude, have you ever tried to get cat pee smell out of a car’s upholstery? Years. It takes years.

The vet was just here this afternoon, so I figured I’d give you guys an update, for anyone following the saga of the wee Boogie.

We didn’t take this vet visit lightly. Prior to today, we’ve been practicing different restraints and approaches to see what’s most comfortable for Boogie and trying to counter condition him to some stuff, like blood draws. Many fearful dogs prefer a blood draw from their rear leg, because it’s scary having people up front, near their heads, but after a lot of counter conditioning (per Sophis Yin’s great resource), Boogie wasn’t getting any more comfortable with it. So we knew we needed to practice restraints for a front leg and maybe a jug draw.

Earlier today, as the clock ticked closer to lift off, I gave Boogie a wheelbarrow of calming treats and exercised him for an hour right before they arrived.

Ok, so picture this: the vet pulls into the driveway. We started off out in the yard. Boogie was freaked out when the vet and the vet tech (Hi Denise!) arrived. This is something we used to deal with a lot, but in the last year, thanks to lots of practice, he’s started to enjoy meeting new people in the yard. So it was a bummer that it was a rocky start. I’ll chalk it up to being in a new house, since we just moved in a couple of weeks ago and these were our first visitors.

To let him cool off, we let him hang out with his ball and focused on our other dog, Birdie, for a few minutes. Birdie loves meeting new people and wanted to show the vet the new cyst she grew on her head. She was really proud of it.

Then we went inside and put Boogie’s basket muzzle on. Boogie needed vaccinations, a blood draw, and a lump inside his ear examined. While he was lying on his bed, getting fed a steady stream of Easy Cheese by me, the vet looked in his ear and gave him one shot, then I picked him up (he was too nervous to leave his bed, but we had to get him on all fours) and placed him between my legs. I loosely restrained him and gave him some distracting-noogies on his forehead while the vet gave him another vaccination in his hip. Lastly, we restrained him for a front leg (!) blood draw. I rubbed his forehead a lot, feed him more cheese, and told him he was a champ.

Did I ever tell you, you’re my hero?

Did Boogie growl during the exam? You bet.

Did he struggle or try to get away? Nope.

Did he eat half a can of cheese? Oh yeah. I heard the nozzle sputter and cursed myself for not having a spare can of cheese on hand (rookie mistake). Luckily I had a Lickety Stick handy. Mental Note: don’t cheap out on the spray cheese next time. Buy a case.

After the examination, we took Boogie’s muzzle off and he approached the vet and vet tech with a wagging tail. Not a bad way to end the visit.

Wanna know one of the very best parts? Start to finish, I think they were here for 15 minutes. Normally, going to the vet takes 2 hours (packing them up, driving them there, waiting in the car, the exam, and return trip. Plus post-car vomit, poop, and pee detail. And then a stress-induced ~~coma~~ nap.

So the fact that I’m writing this to you all right now, while my husband picks up some Thai food, is a victory in and of itself.

But back to Boogie. I really appreciated that, rather than scold Boogie for growling, the vet just kept examining Boogie while I fed him treats. Hopefully, that approach will begin to change Boogie’s emotional response to being handled by a vet. One of these days, Boogie will need more vet care than just an annual exam, and I’m hoping we can start making it a more positive experience for him.

What was the most helpful thing we did in preparation for the visit? Hands down it was teaching Boogie to love his muzzle.

All the other stuff helped a wee bit, but the most helpful counter conditioning that we did, prior to this visit, was teaching Boogie that his muzzle is the best thing ever. We started by letting him use it as a giant ice treat (aka the Kuzzle), then had him wear it for very short periods, and then eventually for longer lengths of time and during pretend exams, all while being hosed by Easy Cheese. We’re talking many, many weeks of cleaning cheese out of his muzzle. It wasn’t overnight.

So the end report: Home visits are super great. Get one. It’s like going to spa, only there’s a stool sample involved. And this new vet is welcome back any time. Most of all – muzzles are really handy. Teach your dog that it rains cheese or peanut butter or liver when they wear one.

Oh, and now for the really good news: tomorrow we leave for a family vacation with the dogs. Boogie earned it and we can’t wait to take him swimming. Here he is on last year’s summer vacation: