Antler Creek K9 Dogma

It's time to vote

2012-02-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

Today you have some choices to make. The final list of names for the "First in Flight" litter follows. Please email me your top ten choices to: dogtrainer@antlercreekk9.com no later than Monday.
The names are for short time use, the new owners of the puppies generally want to choose their own names, although, some of these names are pretty good, and they may want to keep them.
The picture today is Chipsy at Kitty Hawk Beach, before she was pregnant.
Wilbur, Orville, Brookins, Quimby, Burst, Jannus, Ely, Igor, Wiley, Hap, Chief, Cochran, Yeager, Tusk, Candless, Armstrong, Buzz, Aldrin, Yuri, Belka, Strelka, Laika.
If you can`t remember who these names refer to, just check back in the blog. The names are all in yellow. Have fun!

Dogs in flight

2012-02-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

Of course no K9 blog about flight would be complete without honoring some of the K9's contribution to human success.

1957 - Laika (meaning Barker) became the first dog (animal) to orbit the earth. A stray living on the streets, she and two other dogs were trained for the space flight. They were able to monter her vitals and study stress levels thereby paving the way for human flight. She lived for 6 hours in a weightless environment before succumbing to overheating due to a failure of the environmental controls.

1960 - Belka (means squirrel) and Strelka (means little arrow) became the first dogs (animals) to orbit the earth and return safely. The last dog sent into space successfuly returned 18 days before the flight of Yuri Gagarin's first manned flight into space.

The first dogs into space were all females - because it was easier to control the elimination of waste. True.

It should be no surprise to find dogs right along side humans during the history of flight. That tradition continues today as we see dogs flying with their human partners as war dogs, search and rescue K9's, and even just for fun. Weather flying with us on vacation in a jet plane, or strapped to our chests as we skydive or parachute with us into enemy territory, it is safe to say where humans travel, dogs will come along for the ride, no matter what the mode of transportation.

To the moon and beyond

2012-02-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

Click on the last picture today to set the mood with appropriate music, then open the blog back up to read about today's group.
1961 - Yuri Gagarin broke another boundary in the world of flight by becoming the first man in space and the first man to orbit the Earth. A Russian with a passion to fly, Yuri learned to fly light aircraft eventually gaining his pilots wings in the military service by flying MiG15s. He was chosen to join the aerospace program, and eventually his small size 5'2" and his attention to the details brought him to the top of the list for a trip around the Earth above the atmosphere. Much Vodka was consumed on his return.
1969 - Apollo 11 crew members, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first humans to land and walk on the moon and return to Earth. They left behind a flag, a lunar rover, some space junk and some footprints. All they came back with was some rocks and some pictures. A typical American vacation. If Orville and Wilbur could see us now....

1984 - Captain Bruce McCandless II takes a true leap of faith by becoming the first man to "walk" untethered in space. Think about that..... He spent a total of 312 hours in space and 4 of them were floating around free.
"This is major Tom to ground control, I'm stepping through the door, And I'm floating in a most peculiar way, And the stars look very different today, Here am I sitting outside a tin can far above the world, Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do"

Segregation and speed

2012-02-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

1944 - Tuskegee Airmen were the first group of African American military aviators. During that time, racial segregation was in place both within the military and outside. Despite this, the group became one of the most honoured and decorated of the second world war. After finally obtaining P-51 Mustangs to provide escort duty to bombers, the pilots painted the tails red, and the bomber crews gave the group the name Red Tail Angels or Red Tails. Many documentaries and films have been made about this group of pilots, and most recently the movie Red Tails. As part of my research for the blog, I saw the film and recommend it.
1947 - Charles "Chuck" Yeager, who seems like the Indian Jones of the world of flight. Here are a few reasons why: first to fly faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1) (which he did with 2 broken ribs obtained in a horse riding accident the day before), then going on to reach Mach 2.44 at a later date.(losing control of his aircraft at 80,000 feet and dropping to 50,000 before regaining control and landing.) He had 20/10 vision and during his time as a fighter pilot he became an Ace in one day, (which is taking out 5 enemy aircraft in one day), was shot down over France, escaped to Spain (helping a fellow escapee who was missing part of his leg cross the Pyrenees Mtns). Real life is better than Hollywood. His bio is also worth a read.
1953 - Jacqueline Cochran, a good friend of Charles Yeager, becomes the first woman pilot to go Mach 1 in a borrowed Canadian Air Force jet, then Mach 2. First woman to take off and land on an aircraft carrier. First pilot to make a blind (instrument) landing, first woman to fly a fixed wing jet aircraft across the Atlantic, first pilot to fly above 20,000 ft with an oxygen mask, first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic. She still holds more records, distance and speed than any pilot, living or dead, male of female. She also opened the door to women pilots becoming active members of the military. You go Mach 2 girl!

Generals, soloists and helicopters

2012-02-06T05:27:00.000-08:00

1911 onwards - General Henry Hap Arnold whose career spans 2 world wars and amazing advances in the world of flight. His early flight career included taking lessons from the Wright Brothers, although after a number of serious crashes, he developed a justified fear of flying. He overcame this phobia to become Chief of the Air Corps, eventually becoming a 5 star general in both the Army and Air Force, the only person to ever do so. His early years of aviation pioneering flight challenges combined with his career positions allowed for a focus in the world of flight by advancing research and development resulting in the arrival of the jet fighter, intercontinental bombers, radar and atomic warfare. His biography is amazing, and well worth a further read. His nicknames included "Hap" short for Happy, and "The Chief" .

1931 - Wiley Post was the first pilot to fly solo around the world in just over 8 days setting a new around the world speed record in the process. Of course there is more to the story. He was a pioneer in the high altitude flight pursuit and helped develop the first pressure suit, he used money from an oil field accident which cost him an eye to buy his first plane. He tried to survey a passenger and mail flight route from the west coast of the US to Russia using various parts from various scrapped planes. He and his good friend Will Rogers made it as far as the flight between Fairbanks and Point Barrow Alaska when they crashed, killing them both.

1939 - Igor Sikorsky successfully bridged the gap from fixed wing aircraft into the rotor driven flight of helicopter. First, he designed and flew the first multi engine fixed wing aircraft while living in Russia in 1913. After immigrating to the US in 1919 he began to work on the helicopter and in 1939 designed and flew the first American version of the helicopter which morphed into the first mass produced helicopter in 1942 and was used in a rescue format at the end of WWII. The helicopter changed the world of flight forever, altering uses for aircraft for work related (think forest fire fighting and Search and Rescue) to flight seeing (think glacier landings in Alaska) to war (think Korean War).

Auto pilot

2012-02-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

1911 - Eugene Ely ignites the US military's war drive by successfully (?) taking off from a warship and landing on another, not during the same flight. He took off from the 83ft platform and promptly dropped off towards the sea. He was able to regain the air with only his wheels and goggles getting wet. Not one to allow a little sea foam to slow his progress, a couple months later he landed on a warship using a new "technology" invented by a circus performer called a "tailhook", a system still used today and highlighted in the movie Top Gun.

1912 - Antony Habersack Jannus, was the pilot of the plane from which the first American, Captian Albert Berry, jumped out of with a parachute in 1912. In 1914 he was the pilot of the first schedualed commercial airline flight in the world between St Petersberg, FL and Tampa, FL. He safely carried the mayor of St Petersburg and a bag of mail. No mention of the parachute.

1920 - Lawrence Burst Sperry, one of the most important inventors of early airplane advances which clearly made the world of flying safer. Autopilot, turn and bank indicator, artificial horizon, parachute pack.. He was also the first to successfully use skis on a plane, for which the people (and sled dogs) of the far north and south are eternally grateful. Rumor has it that he was also the true inventor of The Mile High Club, as he crashed a plane with his beau at the time and the evidence suggests... just remember the planes at that time had no "walls" and were not flying very high..... and he did invent the autopilot after all.

Names from the Firsts in Flight list

2012-02-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

Over the next few days we will learn about various members of the Firsts in Flight list. We have already narrowed the list by leaving out the more unsuitable dog names. The possible dog names will be in yellow, and when we have covered all the possibilities we will ask for your top choices. Click on the pictures to learn more about who we are talking about.
1903 - Wilbur and Orville Wright, the Wright brothers were the first men to fly a power-driven, heavier than air machine in controlled flight at Kitty Hawk, NC.
1910 - Walter Brookins, taught in school by the Wright brothers sister Katharine who ignited this man's pursuit into the world of flight. He became the first instructor for the Wright Exhibition Teams who travelled the US thrilling crowds with flight demos. He pioneered stunt flying with tricks like corkscrews and set new altitude and endurance records. He was the official first man to fly at the one mile altitude - and possibly coined the phrase "mile high club".

1911 - Harriet Quimby, obtains her pilot's license and becomes the US first woman to do so. She also becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel in April of 1912 the day after the sinking of the Titanic, which obscured her success from the public eye. She was killed in an airplane accident in July of that same year. Her good looks and flashy purple aviator suit could be seen gracing the advertisements for a grape soda of the day called Vin Fiz.

Litter Theme

2012-02-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

When I lived in Alaska, I learned that sled dog kennels would have a theme for naming each litter. This helped narrow down the list for names as well as keep the kennel straight as to who is from who and when. Some sled dog kennels could be over 100 dogs, so keeping everyone straight by name was easy. Some examples: The Muppet litter (Kermit, Fozzy, Animal, Beaker) or rivers (Yukon, Kobuk, Kenai) or literary inspired like Lord of the Rings litter (Frodo, Gandalf, Bilbo, Pippin), you get the idea.
This litter, before you get all excited and start sending in suggestions, will be known as The First in Flight Litter. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) First in Flight is the state of NC motto. I know this because it is on all the license plates. 2) Because I said so. Actually, there are some pretty amazing stories about flight, and we just don't think about it when we get on that plane. We will cover a few of the names and stories over the next few days, because there really is not much else to do except watch Chipsy get fat - in a good way. The photo shows Chipsy joining Wilbur Wright for his first flight at Kitty Hawk.

Ultra Chipsy

2012-01-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Today was ultra cool. We got our first glimpse of the little bags of cells Chipsy is carrying. Dr Woolman of Lighthouse Veterinary Imaging came right to the house to take the pictures, and here are the results. The first is a picture, you can see the scull, body and paws, legs, and in one we could clearly see the snout. It was very cool! They are in various positions, and we could see the hearts beating. Check out the short video clip to see the live performance.

Romp in the hay

2012-01-24T17:38:00.001-08:00

Today we had a play date with Goran. We hiked through the hay fields, played chase in the stream, got muddy, wet and had serious amounts of fun. We also managed to take some time out for photos, and Goran is getting more relaxed with the camera. Chipsy is learning to ham it up when the camera comes out, how do they figure it out? Goran loves the water, Chipsy prefers the pathways.

Chipsy asks: Does being pregnant make my butt look big? Cheeky girl, ha.
I wish all of you could see them running and playing, but still checking in with me often and still responding to call backs when I get lost. Really. They know exactly where I am all the time, it is us who don't trust them. I still play hide and seek with them, although they have learned the game so well that it is rare I can hide before they spot me and come running back. Fun.

NC motivation

2012-01-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

We have returned to NC and have attended a local dog training workshop entitled "Are we having fun yet?". The first day was a 6 hour ordeal filled with contradictions and confusion and poor methods. Here are some direct quotes, so you can judge for yourself. "Teach the dog that a "pop" with the leash can mean a correction or a good thing, like a motivational "pop"." "How do you keep your dogs attention: never let your dog look away from you." "Pinch collars is the only way to get precision on the heel." "Teach the dog to bark, but only in a motivational way."
It was such "fun" and "motivating" that we did not return for day 2.
So to keep all of you motivated, here is a video of Chipsy, self rewarding, looking away from me, and having fun, all thanks to the great Molecuball toy, one of our favorites.

Road trip with Chip

2012-01-21T17:07:00.001-08:00

Our roadtrip between Winnipeg and Chapel Hill takes us through some very interesting territory. We travelled off the freeways and found ourselves taking a ferry across the Ohio river at a place called Cave in Rock. The ferry goes between Kentucky and Illinois at this crossing, the heart of Amish country. Here Chipsy poses with myself and our travelling companion Megan on the cliffs high above the Ohio river.

What's in the oven...

2012-01-19T19:11:00.001-08:00

Many folks have asked how many puppies will Chipsy have? As much as we would like to promise cookies and milk, if the oven is broke, we can't give cookies. To help make sure we can give the cookies, we plan on doing an untrasound at 30 days along, which will give us a picture of the little ones in the oven to confirm pregnancy. However, she does look a little thicker around the abs, and it is not from doing sit ups.... Here she is sleeping, which she is doing quite a bit..... Hmmmmm

Back n blog

2012-01-18T18:04:00.001-08:00

Taking care of family buisness has taken me from the blog, but returned me to Manitoba for a short time. With pregnant dog in tow, I made the four day drive to arrive to experience spring like weather for quite a few days. We modified a dog jacket for Chipsy so she could keep up her incubating temperatures on our daily walks. Here we see the dogs and Chad sporting the latest in Manitoba outdoor gear.

So.... who's the guy?

2011-12-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

The lucky guy is V Goran von Haus-Klonne. AKA: Goran. He is a gorgeous Sable (that is the color reference) German Shepherd who has more titles and probably more training than most police dogs. He is also a fantastic companion dog with calm temperament and excellent nerve strength.
Here are his titles and what they mean. His titles were obtained in Germany before he was imported. Click on his picture to see his pedigree.

Here is what the letters after his name mean:

SCHH 3 is Schutzhund 3- very impressive training and amazing to watch.

Here is a link to read about Schutzhund:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutzhund

FH 1 is advanced tracking title of which there are 2 levels. FH2 being more advanced.

ED is elbow dysplasia
KK1 is: A registered German Shepherd dog that has a Schutzhund degree would have demonstrated sufficient ability as a working dog to qualify for breed evaluation. The breed evaluation is an in-depth examination of the dog's structure, temperament and pedigree, which requires both a certification of good hip joints and sufficient performance on an endurance test (the AD).

Dogs that do well in the breed evaluation receive a Koerklasse I or Koerklasse II. This is a recommendation and evaluation by a trained and acknowledged "breed warden" judge who is qualified to certify the worthiness of the dog for breeding.Dogs rated Koerklasse 1 (Kkl1) "recommended for breeding".Dogs rated Koerklasse 2 (Kkl2) are "suitable for breeding.

With this method, the process of choosing the select parents, both certified for breeding (KKLI/KKLII), will help to maintain or improve the quality of the breed at a top world-class level.The German shepherd puppies born to Schutzhund dams and sired by Schutzhund dogs are more likely to have sound temperament, high intelligence.

Chipsy's gift

2011-12-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we awoke to bit of a surprise. Mother Nature bestowed her gift on Chipsy, 2 months early. We took it as a gift from Chipsy to us as it allows her to be bred earlier than we anticipated. However, we found ourselves scrambling to check out possible studs for her. This is a serious challenge, as we look deep into pedigrees and titles and meet as many offspring as we can checking on temperament and health among other things such as conformation and nerve strength. Then there is the logistics of where the stud is and how do we get them together and getting the right days in her cycle where she is fertile and planning for a natural mating but being prepared for AI. The cost is a factor, and there are stud fees to consider as well.
Chipsy's fertile days will fall over Christmas eve, Christmas day and a couple days before and after. That was a challenge for logistics to travel to a stud in Florida we want to breed to, so we did check out another stud about 2 hours away. After serious review and conversation with Chipsy's co-owner, we decided to breed her to Goran again.
Puppies will arrive around the last week in February. Spring puppy anyone?

First Flight

2011-12-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Chad arrived for a visit on Friday, so we promptly packed up the car and headed for the ocean! The Outer Banks is the location Wilbur and Orville Wright made their test flights and succeeded in making the first controlled manned flight, Dec 17, 1903. Little do folks know, that a German Shepherd also made the flight with Orville, and we have located the photos to prove it!

One. The dog learned the theory of flying and how this plane works, as body position was important for turning.

Two. Watch the first 3 attempts with enthusiastic bystanders who help launch the plane for 3 failed attempts. Shepherd then steps in to help.

Three. Load up beside Orville and obtain optimum position to allow for successful flight, offsetting engine weight.

Four. Hang on and provide steady position to allow for successful flight of over 800 feet.

Five. Take a back seat to allow for human to claim all success and fame, and always look good while doing it.

Building fences

2011-12-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago, I finished building the fence for Chipsy. It is 300 ft of fence with 42 t-posts. Notice the nice gate, which fit very nicely over one of the t-posts and swings pretty well. The yard is big enough for training and throwing the bad cuz around. She also enjoys hanging out in the winter sun, and watches the deer pass by through the forest.
It is truly the best way to keep pets safe, not just to prevent them from leaving the yard, but more importantly to keep unwanted creatures out.
It is off the back door, so she comes and goes out the door, which is open most of the time when I am home, yes, it is that warm here.
After dark entertainment tonight: The spaghetti western called The White Comanche staring (you will never believe this) William Shatner. Yup - saddle up pardnr and ride right into this cinematic wonder for some truly classic Shatner on a horse, where he plays not just one gunslinger, but a (hold onto your swooning hankies ladies) shirtless Comanche as well. Whew! Where did I leave my whiskey.....

The real thing

2011-12-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

So we made the switch now to her actual dumbbell, it is heavier and a little bigger around the grip than the PVC pipe we were using. I also have her starting to take it from the side and working on getting it lower towards the ground. She is doing well with the adjustment to the additional weight and feel of the dumbbell. She also is getting better at maintaining a proper sit and placement during the exercise, and marker training is paying off big time to help with that.

Dumbell class....

2011-12-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is really called dumbell class. I am not sure who it really refers to, but the idea is to teach a dog how to retrieve a dumbell. Sounds easy. Not so much. They have to go get it after it lands, hold it (not chew or play with it) bring it to you, get into a sit (not a sloppy sit) hold the dumbell without mouthing, and wait until you ask for it to release it to you, and stay seated until the next command.
I started Chipsy on a piece of PVC pipe, very unsatisfying to chew on, and taught her to "take it" (put this terribly hard thing into your mouth) then "hold" (don't chew or roll it around in your mouth) then "out" or release, which she already knew (object exchange). The video is of a practice session teaching the above 3 steps. The retrieve comes later.

Christmas gift idea - a great one for dog lovers

2011-11-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we attended a craft fair. One of the best things I saw as this fantastic book called A Dog Lover's Alphabet Book. They also make big piece puzzles, you can see the box next to the book. The puzzle picture is the letter "E" and the "E" page in the alphabet book says this:
"Edsel enjoys going out for a drive. With the wind in his face he feels so alive. Edsel loves steering, if only he could. The question is whether you think he should?!"
Great pictures and very funny reading, take the letter "Z" for another example: "Zounds! How Zippy loves to run. He Zips, he zings! It must be fun! Zippy has zoomed since the day he was born, Which explains why the rugs in the house are so worn!"
So got a child on your shopping list, a dog lover child of any age? This product is a 2 ears up in our favorites list this year. The dogs love having this book read to them.
Click on the picture for the link for more d-tails.

Sun-day reflections

2011-11-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

Another sunny, fun filled day for us here in North Carolina. We have found a nice 3 mile walk near home, although it is all on leash, it is still nice. No jacket required.
Did a photo shoot today, and found a nice patch of sunlight to set Chipsy in for a shot of her and her shadow.
Hard to think about Christmas, but in our travels over the past couple of days we have seen a forest of trees being carried around on the tops of cars. I guess we won't be tromping through the snow to cut down our own tree at 40 below this year..... Merry Merry Christmas!

Chipsy teaches a tot

2011-11-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

We had a little visitor over the weekend. A puppy for some socialization from a well balanced older dog, that would be Chipsy. She was great with the pup, and once the pup warmed up to her, she was quick to point out tolerance vs ownership. Note: no pup was hurt in the making of this video, but some great body language from both, including Chipsy with a paw down between the pup and her toy, and you need to watch closely for the rest of the events.

Note from home

2011-11-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

Max says goodbye to bike rides for another year.

Snow is on the ground in St Andrews, and the only person living in Chapel Hill who knows what a toque is besides me is a UNC women's soccer player who is from Calgary. She and I also have no idea why people are wearing Ugg boots with shorts here.....

The boy next door

2011-11-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

Chipsy meets the boy next door. Oscar is not a grouch nor is he green in our neighborhood. He is a quick study at play and although the sessions are short, both dogs seems very happy with the change in the neighborhood. Nice body language to watch for those who have taken the K9 Body language class. Also a nice view of our new back yard surrounded by bamboo. Yup, Bamboo.

Spa for Paws

2011-11-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

Another part of the learning curve while I am down here is to explore some of the other areas of dog ownership. One of those areas I know very little about is grooming. So, I have found myself a part time job at a vet clinic which also offers a Pet Spa. I will be the Pet Spa Assistant, which is a fancy title for "One Whom Washes and Dries the Dogs" as part of the spa service. It is part time and should prove to be quite interesting. My mentor is a fabulous lady who works very hard at making the grooming experience a good one for the dogs, so it was a good fit for us.
Tomorrow is my first work day, although I did a working interview on Monday. My first hands on dog wash was with a Great Pyrenees named ....... Martha Stewart who was in for a de-shedding treatment, and I must admit the treatment did work, she lost a whole other dog in fur.

All in the family

2011-11-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

One of the learning curves I am partaking in while down this way is the mysterious and much more involved than you think world of breeding. Chipsy is what we call a Brood Bitch. Excellent pedigree and temperament and great mother. Last week, we were able to meet one of her sons, Axle. The proud human members of Axle's family could not wait to show him off to us. This is his picture here. His sire is Goran, Grunberg Shepherds current stud dog. What we see in Axle is a fantastic mix of level head, courage and dare we say looks that turn heads?

Click here to see more about his sire.

Before we left...

2011-11-13T05:45:00.000-08:00

One of the obstacles we had encountered with Chipsy, was getting her to jump up onto the taller doghouse in our yard. We teach all our dogs this, it makes for easier grooming, checking for ticks and injuries. Chipsy would not do it, no matter if we used treats, had Max jump up and off 100 times, we even got up onto the house. Nothing. She put her front paws on it at one point, but that was all. The week before we left, I had just finished brushing Max and pulling out enough fur from him to build a whole new dog, I turned to Chipsy and told her "hup". She did it. Like she had been doing it all along, everyday of her life. I was surprised, and then rewarded her like crazy then went inside to grab the camera. Here Max and Chipsy share a spot on top of the tall doghouse. Is that a smile we see on Max? A bit of the Mona Lisa in Max...... he seems to be saying Chipsy was doing it all along, just when the humans were not around....

Home sweet home

2011-11-12T16:53:00.001-08:00

We have found our new home. it is a great location with lots of open fields around it for working Chipsy. The landlord has agreed to allow us to put up a fence, as the property sits in a deer habitat and there are loose dogs in the neighborhood. It is a short drive to markets and The University of Chapel Hill, as well as all the fine things you would expect to find in a university town.
We discovered a great walking trail which ends at a huge pasture, a great walk in the fall colors. We move into our new house tomorrow.

Touchdown in Chapel Hill

2011-11-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

Chipsy and I have made our way south and safely completed the 1400 plus mile drive into warmer climates. Chipsy was a great travel companion, excellent in the car and a good calm dog in new places. The map shows where we are, and look how close we are to the ocean and Florida! We are settling into our new house tomorrow and hope the internet will be hooked up shortly.

K9's n Halloween

2011-10-27T11:53:00.001-07:00

This year, why not dress up to look like your dog instead of dressing them up to look like us?
Click on the picture to follow a link to Doggone Safe Halloween tips for dogs and kid safety.

Tracking workshop

2011-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

An outstanding weekend of great weather and K9 fun. Our K9 partners had many successful finds of friends and family. This is truly a partnership skill between K9 and humans, with both sides learning and trusting each other to locate a "lost" team member.

Chewing treats for Chipsy and K9s everywhere!

2011-10-20T13:36:00.001-07:00

Trying to find an alternative chew treat to offer your K9 with chewitis? We highly recommend Bully Sticks instead of rawhide or wallets.... We were sent an offer from a CDN company on the jumbo bully sticks when you buy 50 it is $2 a stick but enter the promo code october and get 10 percent off. Click on Chipsy to get the link to their website. Do it soon, as the deal vanishes at the same time as the ghosts and goblins.
Chew on Chipsy, chew on!

K9 body language

2011-10-16T19:41:00.001-07:00

Today we held our K9 Body Language class. A great group of dog enthusiasts showed up and helped us donate to our charity of choice. They also learned a small bit about understanding our dogs and what they are trying to communcate, as well as some calming signals they can try on their own dogs. Check out this photo, what do you think the dogs are communicating to each other, if anything?

Most impressive...

2011-10-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today I send out a link for those who enjoy watching the k9 human partnership. This video demonstrates so vividly the potential a dog and handler can create through training, mutual respect and trust. Control is an illusion, but for some dogs and handlers, creating that illusion and making it look real, is truly spectacular.
This is a serious video, with serious dogs and serious handlers in serious competition. This is not for anyone who humanizes K9's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6w_o5OTvQQ&feature=related

Happy Turkey Day

2011-10-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

Chipsy's thanksgiving day story: This 30 lb bird would have been fun to chase before it was defeathered, but maybe it's wings may have hurt. I know an easier way to get the bird. Wait till Juli gets home from the store with the biggest fowl I have ever seen. Observe Juli as she puts her back out trying to put the frakin' bird into the oven to cook. As Juli is lying helpless on the kitchen floor I help myself to the bird now sitting defenseless in the oven, conveniently located at nose level. Happy turkey day to me.

In the doghouse.... really?

2011-10-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Chipsy decided on her own to check out Loki's old doghouse, which we thought would be too small for her. She managed to get inside, and curl up in the hay which she rearranged to her liking. We had a new K9 friend over to visit, and Ousbey came over to check out the place. You can see the door to the doghouse is not much bigger than Chipsy's head, but she seemed to find the space OK for a short time.

Fall n' Chipsy

2011-10-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

How important is a stay? In our everyday world with our K9's, it is the top of the list of desired behaviors. Here is today's top ten list of when we use STAY:
1) When we open the gate to "freedom" 2) Open the car door at the ponds 3) For picture taking 4) For picture taking 5) For picture taking - see picture 6) When drying dogs off from swimming 7) When training one dog the other is in a stay 8) When we get tired of them trailing us all around the house, "on your bed stay" 9) Vaccuming 10) Going up and down the stairs - as the stairs are not big enough for a human and dogs to travel at the same time - stupid physics.
No dogs were hurt in the photo taking process, because they know how to stay. YAY!

Everyone is lost except me!

2011-09-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Chipsy looses us in while exploring the tall grass. She springs up and over the grass to try and locate us. Happily she is reunited with Max.

Enough stuff!

2011-09-24T09:41:00.001-07:00

After a busy day filled with lots of stuff to do, what better way to spend the evening than realxing with the latest stuffy toy! How much stuff can you fit into a stuffy toy? More than enough stuff, at least in this stuffy. Chipsy's stuffy de-stuffing focus lagged after about a half ton of stuff was removed from this stuffy toy. Stuff all over the place. It'stuff to be a dog. Ever notice how your stuff is stuff and other people's stuff is #*¥~?

Trust

2011-09-23T09:47:00.001-07:00

One of the trust building excercises we do is getting the dog to jump into this small wagon then sit and stay while we pull it around. Remember, we do not use physical manipulation to get the dog into position. So we first got her to put her paws onto the edge, then got Max to jump in and go for a ride, then we got Chipsy to get all four paws into the wagon, which is tough as she does not have a great deal of awareness for her back half. Once we got her into a sit, we added movement. The wagon is less than stable, so we start slow with lots of pauses to build her trust. The whole thing took about 20 mins, and now she hops up happily into the wagon, as you can see in the photo. She looks very pleased with herself, and we are pleased with ourselves too.

Does not speak judgemental

2011-09-19T20:09:00.001-07:00

Our fall Total Recall workshop was another big success, and as we had to turn folks away for this one, we have added another workshop in Oct. Why do we have such success with this? Because dogs do not speak judgemental. Humans focus on failure and judge success before it can happen. Dogs focus on the moment, and when we set the dogs up for success and get the humans to focus on the moment, fantastic things happen. Ever seen a St Bernard run full gallop back to her owners when they say apples? Myth or truth? Truth, as the humans did not speak judgemental in that moment.

She's touching me!

2011-09-14T13:31:00.001-07:00

Max and Chipsy get along fine,

as we expected. Here they are napping after emptying the toy box and trading toys back and forth, probably dreaming about the same thing.

Puppy Palooza Phor Phydeaux

2011-09-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our Puppy Palooza Workshop, filled with Saint Bernards, Golden Retrievers, German Short Haired Pointers, Boston Terriers and a partridge in a pear tree.....
Fun, learning, socialization and play were all handled very well by the humans, although the puppies truly did excel at the tasks and adventures presented to them over the past two days. All puppies happily slept through the night Saturday, and we expect the humans will all sleep very well tonight. In the photo, getting a head start on tonight's activities, we see Buddha (which means "the awakened one") catching a dog nap.

Umwelt in The Tiger

2011-09-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a most fascinating read called The Tiger by John Vaillant, I came across a most intriguing concept mentioned within its well written pages. Jakob von Uexkull describes Umwelt like this: " We must first blow, in fancy, a soap bubble around each creature to represent its own world, filled with the perceptions which it alone knows. When we ourselves then step into one of these bubbles, the familiar ... is transformed." One can never truly explore another creature's self centered world due to the inherent limitations of our respective umwelten, but it does provide a framework for exploring and describing the experiences of other creatures.
So, a dog owner's umwelt would vary greatly from that of the dog while they walked down a city block. The human may notice a sale sign in a shop window, a bag lady pushing a shopping cart, a bus bench with trash left on it, the dog would focus on the scent of meat coming from the shop door, the scent of urine on the bag lady's shopping cart and the flick of a squirrel's tail as it disappears up a tree. Although the dog and human dwell in the same environment, each creatures umwelten gives them radically different experiences from it.
When you spend some time with your K9, try melding your umweltens, and see what you discover.

A very busy week

2011-09-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

What did you do last week? We are sure Chipsy did more new things last week than anyone: A visit to the vet including blood being drawn, learning to go through a dog door both ways, nails clipped, ears cleaned, a bath with a scary hose nearby, two 4 mile hikes in new areas, a bonfire, swimming in waves, meeting new people. She always takes time to play, check out her video with blanket. The fun continues tonight when we take her to our Pack Orientation meeting for our classes, a chance to meet lots of great dog people.

Labour day not for everyone

2011-09-05T11:24:00.001-07:00

What is Chipsy doing on this holiday morning? See below, but play and sleep about covers it.... Get it? Covers?

Seven Sisters swim

2011-09-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, despite the storm like conditions of rain and wind, we loaded up all four of us into our Kia Sportage, and headed east. We located a break in the clouds at Seven Sisters and hiked out to one of our swimming spots. Along the way we saw an immature and adult Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, and the very rare canine domesticus weticus, photos included.
Chipsy did very well and after a slight hesitation at the waves, she happily jumped in to chase a stick.
After our swim, she enjoyed quite a few moments of positive stress energy. This is caused when a dogs sensory system becomes overloaded on the good side and she bounced and boinged along the trail looking a lot like Pepe Le Pew, and pinging off Max like a young puppy. Very funny and great to watch and enjoy. Today's lesson from Chipsy: A reminder to live in the moment.

Juli knows how to pick 'em...dogs I mean

2011-09-01T19:00:00.001-07:00

After just one week with the wonderful Chipsy (sometimes called Gypsy) I do realize that Juli has a real talent for picking solid dogs. Although it seems that Chipsy may have picked Juli it has worked out well just the same.
Chipsy is an excellent running companion. Max has slowed in his old age so it is up to Chipsy and I to push our limits every day. We have not tried jogging on leash yet, but that will come as we get our rythm in sync.

H2-Oh No!

2011-09-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

After returning from Oak Hammock, we needed to de-mudify the K9's. We brought out the hose and connected it to warm water. Max is less than impressed with the hose as it usually is very cold water, so once he felt that continuation of the spa treatment with warm water, he was fine.

Chipsy wanted nothing to do with the water and hose combination, and although she did not tear across the yard in fear, she was very hesitant to approach us. OK, now we have a task with her. Get her OK with a hose and water. Back up a few steps, as we think it is the water coming out of the hose that is the big concern, so lets make sure she is solid with a hose only first. So, hose with play, on her, around her, under her, attached to her ball. We also added the hose running into her water bucket at low volume, and we used luring to get her to come close to where the water was overflowing out of the bucket, after that she drank from the scary running water bucket without luring. Today we will try running a little water from the hose while we play with it. In the meantime, we brushed the dirt out of her. It is also important to note that she is in a new place and with new people, so these are also trust building tasks, a very important and very overlooked part of the K9-human relationship.

Oak Hammock Spa for K9's

2011-08-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Whenever we return from a walk with the dogs to Oak Hammock Marsh, we wonder why we go there. Every time we go, we end up with smelly dogs. Thanks to skunks to play with, dead things to roll in, really smelly mud to wade in to get to water that smells even worse. Today was no exception. The weather has been dry for so long that the marsh is no longer a marsh but a black mud filled sludge ditch with a small amount of brackish water in the lowest spots. Great. Max wasted no time getting to the water via the mud, and as we stood there watching, discussing how disgusting Max would be in the car on the way home, we watched his butt sink lower into the quicksand like LeBrea Tar pits substance. We looked at each other and we knew someone may have to go get him. Then Chipsy headed out to join Max. How do you find a black dog in a black mud hole?

Introductions

2011-08-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Mission today: Introduce Max to Chipsy. Location: Big open field of neutral territory. Dogs brought to area individually. Once they see each other allow to meet off leash. (they were about 50 meters apart in a 2 acre field). Observe and understand body language. Have a plan with the other human should things go poorly. Once first meeting (sniff) goes well, encourage dogs to follow humans in a direction. Do not allow inappropriate contact, encourage good behaviors. Does this work for every dog meeting? No. Why did it work for Max and Chipsy? Both dogs are well balanced when it comes to other dogs, and were respectful to the guidance of the humans.
Max and Chipsy have had numerous good walks together, and Sr Max remains unimpressed with Chipsy's joy at being 3.

How do you get a dog......

2011-08-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

from Chapel Hill, NC to Winnipeg, MB? Choices: rent a car and drive for 4 days = $1400. Fly with Delta, United, Air Canada = $900 for human and $250 for the dog when those airlines allow dogs which is not during the summer months, embargos you know. Solution: drive to Ft Lauderdale then fly with Westjet = $600. Westjet is one of my preferred carriers for dogs, the other is Alaska Airlines. Westjet took great care of us when they had to cancel our connecting flight out of Toronto due to the electrical storms, by finding us a hotel that took dogs (DoubleTree) and storing the crate overnight. I had followed my rules when traveling with the dog, and had food, her leash, treats and blanket packed in my carry on so the stay in the hotel was OK with no need to scramble looking for items to keep us overnight. Chipsy took everything in stride, a testament to her outstanding temperament, and was a star in the airports and everyone she met became part of her fan club from kids to flight attendants to various passengers. Getting home a day late but human, K9 and luggage arriving on the same flight = priceless.

A new adventure

2011-08-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

We have been quietly searching for a new project and here she is. Her name is Chipsy, she is three and a half years old and a fun little girl. She is with us temporarily from Grunberg Shepherds. Over the next few months she will be stretching her legs and working on polishing up her companion dog training.

She will be attending all our fall training sessions and will be having many great adventures with us so check back often to read all about her success and the lessons we learn from her.

Our first adventure was getting her home from Chapel Hill, NC and we will write about that tomorrow.

K9 play day

2011-06-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Max had a doggie sleep over with his friend Ousbey. They are tentative friends, but when we brought out the balls to play, they ran and played and seemed to forget the size difference for awhile and just enjoyed the game.

Flying K9

2011-06-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Our dogs all fly. Really! Coming from a working dog background, specifically Search and Rescue, it is always necessary for our dogs to be OK with flying. In SAR work, we take the dogs in all sizes and types of planes and helicopters. In Alaska, we use small Piper type aircraft, and just recently one of my SAR friends and his dog crashed off the end of a runway going in for a search. Dog and handler were OK - but scary just the same.

Training requirements: Dogs need to be very OK with going into and travelling in a crate - it should represent a safe place. This will keep the stress level low while in the air.

When flying commercial, it is always important to read each airlines rules concerning dogs. Some won't transport during cold weather or certain peak holidays. Our dogs fly as cargo on commercial flights and we always travel with them on the same flight. We put emergency contact information and helpful tips for unanticipated layovers in a weather proof envelope on top of the crate. We always book non stop flights with no connections. If the flight requires a connection, we either make it an overnight stay or a long enough connection between flights to allow us to get the dogs out for a break. We always confirm with the flight crew once we are on the aircraft that the dog is in the hold (Air North had forgotten to load Loki in Fairbanks which we caught before we left the gate) and get the name of the crew member who told us. By getting the dog out at a connection point we also are sure they have made it that far and it would give us a starting point to look for them should they not make the next flight. I have had excellent success with the airlines overall, although I have not tried them all. I recommend Alaska Air and Westjet above Air Canada. I carry all the dog gear in my carry on such as leashes, and a water dish and I always get water before boarding the plane. All the dogs have done very well travelling by air, and because of this we can take them with us on a lot of our trips without worry or stress.

Loki had almost as many frequent flyer miles as me during his time as my partner, and I think he enjoyed our trips to new places very much - it was always an adventure for him when that crate door opened in a new town, province or state!

travelling with k9

2011-06-27T08:08:00.001-07:00

We travel with our K9's a lot. By road and by air. Here are a few tips about roadtrips, we will cover air travel later.

Training needs: 1) Teach your dog to "potty" on command. this should start as a puppy, but any dog can learn this at any age. We use "hurry up" as the cue word. This allows us to get the dog more comfortable before loading into the car and also get them to go when we stop. Our dogs know they have to hurry up anytime before we get into the car for a ride. 2) Walk nicely on leash anywhere.

What to pack: food/water bowls (the kind you can replace when you forget them), big bottle of water, towels (great for drying dog when wet and sleeping on in the car), paper towels and wet ones for all kinds of reasons, sleeping blanket (something they use at home, portable and familiar to take with you into places you overnight), collars, leashes (short and retractable), harnesses, bed sheet (to cover hotel furniture to keep fur off), brush, chew toys/treats to keep them busy on the road, toys for play, food (enough for entire trip or to get you to a place where you can easily get more - we always take 2 days more than we think we need), proof of vaccinations/rabies (crossing borders or perhaps you may need a kennel along the way or visit a vet), your vet info, first aid kit (with appropriate doggie items such as pumpkin for the runs, tick key and polysporin for tick removal), crate, cooling collar, pet vents for the car windows if it is cool enough to leave the dog in the car for short times, poop bags, location of dog parks along the way and at final destination.

We do a lot of food pick up and take to local parks so the dogs can hang with us while we eat and gives them a chance to stretch and walk. We also seek dog friendly hotels with areas around them where we can walk (such as office parks and light industrial or parks, google maps helps.)

Don't forget to pack the dog, leave a bit of room for your gear, and have fun with your K9!

Deadwood - gone to the dogs

2011-06-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

Deadwood, ND. A place where Wild Bill was murdered, Seth Bullock was friend to the president and Sheriff, Clamity Jane was buried next to Wild Bill as her final request. Today it is one of the hot spots in the Black Hills and we visited it. Again we were fortunate to find a covered parkade and leave Max in the cool car.

Turns out it was Deadwood Days, so there were bands and street entertainment, and a Dock Dogs demonstration - very fun to watch. We topped off our visit by taking in a Buffalo burger and beer on a rooftop deck and watching the festivites - a great day!

Max-i-mum Rush

2011-06-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

Dog friendly Mt Rushmore: Is it?

We managed a visit to My Rushmore on our way home, and found it surprisingly good for travel with K9's. Although they are not allowed in the Monument itself (which we agree with as not every person could enjoy the monument if dogs were allowed for various reasons and the K9's would get nothing out of it) they are allowed to stay in the car and there are dog areas just outside the parkades where they can relieve themselves. The parkades offer multi level covered parking, so the cars are not in the sun, and the dogs stay cool. We walked Max well early in the morning, and got to the monument at 8am sharp when we could get the good parking and it was still cool out. We covered the windows with towels to prevent Max from barking at everyone who walked by, and left him with many chew treats, toys and water. As far as we know he ate the treats until he fell asleep and that's how we found him 2 hours later - sleeping in a cool car.

For humans - this site is fantastic and very much worth a visit. The surrounding areas include Keystone (very fun little town) and Deadwood - more on that tomorrow.

Across the great divide

2011-06-15T20:15:00.001-07:00

Today was a gorgeous drive from Alamos, CO through the Rockies with a stop in Breckenridge. Gorgeous country.

We crossed the great divide a couple of times, and Max poses at one of the summits. We hit 10,000 feet in elevation quite a few times and drove through canyons and valleys filled with cattle ranches and spectacular vistas.

Estes Park was a very interesting town - very worth a visit and a few days stay.

Workshop wonders

2011-06-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Our Ttouch training with Max is going very well. Here you can see him practicing the Abalone touch with about a 4 pressure on my shoulder. It is very relaxing for us both. He is enjoying being with the other dogs but seems to enjoy being the touchee for folks to practice on the best.

It is our last day of training tomorrow and we head north into the cool mountains of Colorado.

desert dog

2011-06-09T20:28:00.001-07:00

Our drive continued through Nebraska whose state slogan should be "The state that never ends". We finally crossed into Colorado before making a run for the border and arriving into New Mexico. We travelled along the famous Santa Fe trail and visited Cimmeron and drove through the canyon with the same name. Max poses in the canyon. Those who love the wild west history and the larger than life characters of that time will recognize these names: Kit Karson, Black Jack Ketchum, Charles Kennedy, Will James.

Destination: Santa Fe, New Mexico. Purpose: Tellington Touch training with Linda Tellington Jones, the founder of Ttouch.

On the road

2011-06-06T21:08:00.001-07:00

Plans may change, but road tripping is still a fantastic way to travel. Our destination is in the middle of a heat wave - Santa Fe, NM. Along the way is a lot of flat countryside and hot highways. The map said Pony Express Station - and our imagination was fueled. We made the exit and found one of the only remaining stations left in the country. Very cool and here we see Max ready to run along with the rider. Did you know the riders rode up to 10

hours a day on a galloping horse? And we were complaining about the mosquitoes.

We made the stop for the night at a town that was a rowdy town during the time of the cattle drives, and of course there is a boot hill. We visited and it was exactly as you imagined - a cemetery on a hill with a fantastic sculpture.

Top highly trainable dog....?

2011-06-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

According to top dog trainers and experts, the number one most highly trainable dog is the Border Collie. The picture is not a Border Collie - but the following video is.

http://m.wimp.com/throwstick/

It is safe to say the debate continues......

Plastic bags and sandals

2011-06-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday found 7 lucky dogs learning how to come when called. Our Total Recall class was a total success - regardless of how skeptical the humans were.... by the end of the day each dog ran after being called from one end of an outdoor arena to join their handler at the other end - right past another dog and handler and kids standing right in the middle!

Sunday found our tracking group who was blizzard-ed out a few weeks ago regrouping to track another day. The day was cool, but a bonfire and BBQ kept everyone in good spirits. The dogs could care less about the wet conditions, and even the lack of proper waterproof footwear could not dampen (get it?) the enthusiasm of the handler who was heard to say "The dog did it! Followed the track through the mud and I followed, plastic bags and sandals on my feet!" Well done to the entire group, mud and smiles all around the bonfire.

How could you?

2011-05-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

If you are a companion dog owner, and you reach a point in your training of the dog that makes you decide that fear and pain are going to become options for you to use on your dog, you need to reconsider owning that dog. The handler becoming frustrated with the dog is not an excuse to justify inhumane treatment of the dog.
Alpha-roll, pinning, physical corrections with various training tools or your hand/foot are all red flags and when used incorrectly (as in abuse) can result in worse behaviours, and in cases can lead to fear aggression.
If you think that by bullying your dog or trying to "be alpha" will earn you his respect, think again.
Here are just a few links to read more about this and the possible outcomes, including scientific studies. This information is for your review only, and I do not agree or disagree with any of the methods or opinions given at any of the following sites. Check out the links on the -pedia site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_roll
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/alpha-fallacy
http://leerburg.com/dominac2.htm
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/misconceptions-mythical-alpha-dog

Stay for safety

2011-05-24T07:43:00.001-07:00

One of the big "complaints" I hear is that the dogs will not stay when there is something else going on. This is due to the handlers not teaching the dog or proofing the stay under distraction. This involves hundreds of repetitions while gradually increasing the distraction level, allowing the dog to succeed a number of times at each "test" before moving on. When do you train this? Every day! Use daily routines to work on this skill. Examples are (but not limited to): gardening (dog in a down stay while you weed etc. If dog breaks, you put them back), going to change the laundry, going to answer the phone, mowing the lawn (yes, you may have to get off the mower or turn it off while you reposition the dog). And when they and the handler are ready, you up the distraction. In this photo, Max down stays about 6 meters from Chad who is cutting wood with a chainsaw. Max has to stay, for safety sake. Did Max ever break the stay? yes, once. But as there was two of us watching him, he did not get far and was quickly returned to the spot. What was his motivation for staying? Once we released him, he was given some affection and was allowed to "help" us stack the wood. AKA - stick to us like Velcro.

Why do bite inhibition training?

2011-05-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

A lot of dog owners do not teach dogs how to use their mouths properly around people. It has taken generations of dogs to have breeds with soft mouths, such as Labs, who were trained to carry birds without damaging them. How are dogs to learn that a bite, even in play, can really hurt us adults, never mind children and older folks, if we do not take the time to teach them? Some folks say that their dog will never bite. Really?

Take a look at the picture here, 2 quietly sleeping K9's in the corner, one with his paws actually over the other's nose. Cute! Ok - now imagine little cousin Tommy who is 6, old enough to know the rule never wake a sleeping dog. So he is tip toeing around the dogs to try to go out the door. Oops! He trips on the door rug and falls on the first dog who startles awake. First dog has been bite inhibition trained and although he immediately goes to remove the object that has fallen on him, he realizes it is a human and stands up instead. In the meantime, dog one's reaction has startled awake reactive, non bite inhibited trained dog number two who lunges at the strange thing moving unnaturally towards him. (that would be Tommy who has rolled off dog number one and is heading backwards, limbs flailing). Dog number two has no exit (flight) and is in survival mode now so fight mode kicks in and has laid on a bite before anyone in the room has a chance to breathe.

What do every dog owner who's dog bites someone say? The dog has never bit anyone before. Why does it take the dog to actually bite someone before people realize dogs do bite? Dogs can be taught to have a softer mouth, but only if the owners take the time to do it right.

Want to learn more about the strength of dog bites? Check out this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZm037jPNgc&feature=relmfu

Maximus the model

2011-05-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Check out our model Max and his "moods with a hat"

Tracking - not just for fugitives anymore

2011-05-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

Tracking workshop this weekend. The weather was fantastic, the dogs were even better! Handlers were fast learners, and we all had fun in the sun.

By setting up the tracks to be successful for the dogs, everyone had a really great positive introduction to this great way to spend active time with their K9's.

We overcame many obstacles such as: mounds of Mark and his undergarments, happily over achieving bloodhounds, lead challenged handlers, hydration supplement of quarry due to mastiff mastication, socialization distractions provided by the swiss(y), quantum leaps in quarry activity in the Blue zone, toller mix induced ego boost and husky mix intends to continue to critter while tracking - all challenges happily acknowledged by handlers and still successful tracks were ran by all parties.

At the end of the day, dogs and handlers and quarry all report being tired but happy.

Great weekend everyone - be sure to give your quarry a treat!

Dog Bite Prevention Month

2011-05-10T09:08:00.001-07:00

May is dog bite prevention month, and if you have, or know anyone who has children, please pass along this very important message.

Doggone Safe, a non-profit organization dedicated to dog bite prevention through education offers free information at its website www.doggonesafe.com to help promote safety messages during dog bite prevention week. Doggone Safe also promotes the Be A Tree children's program. This program, for children, is a short presentation with large photos and lots of activities to teach children to understand the signs dogs send with their body language. The central message of this program is "Be A Tree". That is, stand still if a strange dog approaches or any dog is threatening or overly frisky.

Most Important Things To Teach Your Kids:

1) Dogs don't like hugs and kisses. Teach your kids not to hug or kiss a dog on the face. Hugging the dog or face to face contact are common causes of bites to the face. Instead, teach kids to scratch the dog on the chest or side of the neck.

2) Be a tree if a strange dog approaches. Teach kids to stand still, like a tree. Trees are boring and the dog will eventually go away. This works for strange dogs and any time the family dog gets too frisky or becomes aggressive.

3) Never tease a dog and never disturb a dog that's sleeping, eating or protecting something.

Max vs Coyotes

2011-05-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on our walk, Max continued his curiosity with coyotes. He went to visit with one, which turned into four. Yup, four. He was on his way back and one of them got a good bite on Max's back leg - three good puncture wounds. Max seemed a bit confused by this, makes one wonder if dogs really have lost some of the ability to "talk" to canine type species beyond dogs.

The top photo shows where Max got bit - look closely at his back leg. The next photo shows the injury up close.

Do you know basic dog first aid? What would you do in this situation? Did you know you should keep these types of wounds open to allow draining to avoid sealing in bacteria that can cause infection? Every dog owner should have some basic dog first aid knowledge. I have a great book that goes with us on all trips and is always close at hand around home.

"The First Aid Companion for Dogs and Cats" by Amy D. Shojai

Tracking a blizzard.....into May

2011-05-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our first tracking workshop of the year - usually a good weekend for weather, if a bit rainy. As usual, Saturday was a wet one, but everyone showed up and what a group of troopers! Both K9's and handlers dressed for the weather and had a great time tracking through mud puddles and steady rain. Lots of smiles made up for the lack of sunshine.

The weather people were calling for snow for Sunday and had upgraded to a WINTER blizzard watch by the time we got home for dinner, but how often are they really correct? It is May after all.....

Woke up this morning to howling winds and horizontal snow.

Anyone else notice a shift in our tectonic plate towards the north last night?

As a result, day 2 of tracking was off tracked until late May when we will get back on track with tracking onto hopefully warmer tracks.

Photo of our sunset tonight across our snow filled yard..... A snowset in May.

Marry Wedding Day!

2011-04-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

During this busy season of dog training, taxes, elections and world unrest, isn't it nice to take break once in awhile and watch what the royals are up to?
A wedding with a billion guests, just what every girl dreams of.
Yes, Max and I got up early to watch Kate and William tie the knot, and I must say I was impressed with the whole event. I was fully prepared to make fun of the 3 year old flower girls and suggest they should have had some dogs to carry her train, but they did excellent, and Kate's sister was much more photogenic than dogs would have been....
Once Max figured out the royal K9's were not taking part in the pagent, he promptly went back to sleep on the couch curled up next to me, legs twitching - perhaps he was dreaming of running around in his own K9 kingdom.

Family photo fun

2011-04-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Back in January we found some time to get a family photo done. We contacted Carmen at Photography by Carmen in Stonewall, and booked a time. We advised her we had 3 dogs, and she said no problem!

During the shoot, the dogs were very interested in all the equipment and items around the room, but Carmen was very patient and knew just how to focus their attention - and make them look so very intelligent. Personalities are also oblivious in the photos, a tough trick in the world of portrait photography. Well done Carmen.

And here is one of the results, which we are very happy with. Here is a link to her site:

http://www.photographybycarmen.ca/index.html

As we placed Avatar and lost Loki later in that month, we realized that we should not put off the family photos.

So take some time, and get your family in.

K9 n' camera

2011-04-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Taking good photographs is tougher than it looks through the viewfinder. It is also impossible to make chicken soup from chicken crap, and some days that is what it is like to try to take photographs.

I have taken up a strange pastime since moving to Manitoba, birdwatching. It is strange, because walking with up to three dogs through bird territory is not really the best way to see birds. But I persevere, and in this photo I am taking photos of an Osprey building a nest, one stick at a time.

The Osprey is a very unique bird for lots of reasons, the one I find most interesting is it carries the fish it catches facing forward, not sideways like an Eagle - this is to maintain aerodynamics so it can fly with the fish that is sometimes too heavy to carry otherwise. Interested? Read more by following this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey

Coming of age

2011-04-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

We aquired Max at an unknown age - the rescue agency told us he was about 18 mths, but I think they lied (about more than just his age I might add). He is now we think a senior dog, somewhere around 9. His grey muzzle and his love for the Okanagan are two main reasons we know this..... We were thinking of cutting him in half and counting the rings just to make sure.......

The Okanagan is known as a retirement meca for Canada, and it is true. There are a lot of over 55's living here, and the communities are set up for it. A recent letter to the editor was written about Summerland, and I quote: "The reason our downtown is struggling is old folks don't need stuff. Why do you see so many garage sales every Saturday? We have traded in our motorcycles for mobility scooters, our hiking boots for walkers and our Speedos for Depends. We have no sporting goods store, no toy store, no men's store, but we have three drug stores! Our local retailers have recognized a need and responded. All us old farts do is buy pills and BS over coffee (if the refills are free)."

So Max and Chad and I are off to Starbucks for coffee, trying to beat the 10am Sr/BS coffee rush.

Hot Spring.....

2011-04-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

A visit today to Harrison Hot Springs, B.C. Trails, tracking, hiking and making friends.

Never miss a training opportunity: Crossing the border with a reactive dog can be a challenge. Max was very good, sitting very alert in the back seat, observing the officer in the window. Once the officer made eye contact, Max responded with a low woof and he stood up. He then barked. I then told him to lie down (Max, not the officer) and he did with a small whine and obvious displeasure. Two years ago, Max would not have "given up" on his guarding task quite so easily. It is with great happiness that I see this progression in Max. He is also walking past dogs and small children while on leash without loosing his mind. This does not mean we can let down our guard, as we must always mange Max. By providing him constant calm leadership, he does not have to make decisions on his own about what he should get worked up about. By removing the choice for Max, we are allowing him to succeed and stay calm. Everyone is happier.

Number 2

2011-03-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today was K9-tastic! We discovered an off leash walk/hike/trail in North Vancouver and had an amazing time. We met about 30 other dogs, a pack of (8) herding, circling Border Collies looking for a job (they did not impress Max), played in a river, hiked on a boardwalk through the rain forest. We met a calm and polite 8 yr old German Shepherd named Parker and his human who works on tug boats, who joined us on the hike.

Saw this sign - thought it was appropriate to share today, as my blog continues about K9's in the city...

Picking up K9 poop. Just do it! Besides being the law in most civilized areas, it is part of being a K9 owner. The reasons for not doing it - EEWWWW! Is not an acceptable reason. However, here are just few reasons that you should: ringworm, salmonella, leptospirosis, scabies, roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms. These are some of the zoonotic diseases and parasites humans can get from making contact with dogs and dog feces. EEWWWW!

So next time your dog takes a number two

and you even think about not picking up the poo

think about the kids who

play or walk through

that same stinking pile of Whew!

Not to mention how nasty it is to get on your shoe.....

Want to read more about the down and nasty of the above - follow this link.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/medical-treatment-for-dogs-ga2.htm

To pee or not to pee on this tree

2011-03-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

This tree is too big to pee on! Today we are exploring a park near Vancouver with HUGE trees and even bigger waterfalls. And no, that is not what happened when we finally let Max out for a pee.

The rules here are: dogs welcome on leash. So that is the rule, and being the dog enthusiasts we are, we play by the rules. Why can't everyone else? I cannot begin to describe how annoying it is to run into dogs off leash in an on leash area. Besides being against the rules, here is why it is a bigger deal than most intellectually challenged dog owners think.

Dogs who are on leash are at a very strong disadvantage when meeting dogs who are off leash. They are physically restricted by the leash. Their body language is affected. They can be very concerned and or inhibited by the person at the end of the leash. With the removal of the "flight" choice, some dogs can become very "aggressive" when on leash. They learn this offensive behaviour keeps others away, and allows the dog to avoid "fight" mode.

Not every person (adult or child) is a dog fan. Every person and child should be able to walk through any park and not worry about being barked at or approached or jumped on by some enthusiastic K9 with no respect for personal space.

It is also important to note, that should the worst happen and the owners end up in court, the courts will hold the off leash dog owner responsible for damages.

As much as I would love to live in a world where all dogs are off leash all the time - we don't live there. Keep your dog safe and on leash when you should, and the best advice I can give is to teach your dog to ignore other dogs/people/kids etc when on leash.

Okanagan to the Max!

2011-03-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Although we have recently neglected our blogging duties, it is not without cause. You will all be happy to learn we are back at least to the blog.

Max and I have taken a few days away from the winter in Manitoba, and the memories that surround us around our little house on the prairie, and headed West.

We are housesitting for Gramma and Grandpa and spending lots of time just the two of exploring and training.

This particular day found us enjoying a truly rare, wind free day above Okanagan Lake - check out that reflection - Max is!

So stay tuned, we will be blogging about some K9 vs the city topics over the next few days.

If dogs could read....

2011-02-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

Loki was amazing. Here he is reading a sign, and here is what he told me it said:
Dogs are better than kids because they:
1) Eat less 2) Don't ask for money all the time 3) are easier to train 4) Never ask to drive the car 5) Normally come when called 6) Don't smoke or drink 7) Don't want to wear your clothes 8) Don't need a college fund 9) Are happy when you come home early 10) If they get pregnant you can sell their children.

Problem solver extrodinaire through Chad's eyes

2011-02-04T20:38:00.000-08:00

Juli and I were on date two when Loki and I first met. He was three and knew what humans were all about. I quickly became the play buddy.
On date three I went up to Alaska to visit Juli and Loki. It was a great date that consisted of getting lost in the Alaskan wild in the hopes that Loki would find me and bring Juli back to "rescue" me.
One morning Juli had gone to work so Loki and I started playing ball. As I grew a little bored with this I started thinking of ways to change the game a little and challenge Loki. I started hiding the ball. Under the deck, in the dog house, in the tree, then higher in the tree, the grand finale was out of reach in the tree.
This was the challenge that I thought would bring on endless barking until I gave him the ball.
He jumped for it, as planned it was just out of reach.
Here is how Loki dealt with it:
Bark, bark, jump higher - still just out of reach.
Stare at Chad, bark.
Stare at ball, bark.
Stare at Chad, bark.
Stare at ball, bark.
Walk over to chair with comfy cushion (Chad thinks I have given up).
Take cushion off chair over to tree and use cushion to achieve required height to get ball from tree - in your face Chad...
Chad's response - ?!?!?! - run in cabin and call Juli at work.
After Loki retrieved the ball he did not bring it to me, he simply walk away with head and tail high in the air with the pride and knowledge that only he could convey.
That day I was out smarted by the best problem solving dog I could imagine.
I knew then that he was an exceptional dog by any standards.

Scary day in the Alaska wilds

2011-02-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

Some of you were wondering what Loki did when he cornered a Moose. Karelians were used to keep large quarry (bears, moose, elk, etc) at bay until the humans either moved away or killed the animal. So Loki would do that - keep the animal at bay until he lost interest or the animal moved away far enough from me.

The picture shows Loki in our backyard, with a visitor.

The scariest few moments I remember with Loki was this. We were on another adventurous walk along the Alaska Pipeline, and we took a side trail (used by sled dog teams in the winter). It was fall, and there was little snow on the ground. Loki was running around in the brush just off the trail. I realized I had not heard him in a few moments, so I looked back along the trail and I could see Loki standing still on one side of the trail near a thick tree. I called him and he did not move, his head was fairly low. I whistled and he moved, but in an unusual way. My heart started to beat faster and I ran back towards him. I thought he may be having a seizure or something. I got close to him and noticed his heavy breathing, and then I saw it - a wire running between his neck and the base of the tree. Loki had caught his head in a trapping snare.

I dropped my gloves and reached into his fur to locate the wire around his neck. I found the loop and tried to wiggle the wire out backwards. Loki's breathing was becoming more difficult, and his tongue was changing color. The wire gradually began to loosen its grip and I was able to finally get it off from around his head. He took a few minutes to recover, and it is safe to say I never did. It was always my worst fear for him - but perhaps he learned to stay away from such places. The snare was baited with rotten meat with brush built around the snare to "guide" the animal into the snare, so perhaps he memorized this group of stimuli and avoided it for the rest of his life. It would not surprise me in the least - he was beyond K9 smart. What did I learn? Always carry a multi-tool with you into the wilds.

Favorites include fishing

2011-01-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

One of Loki's favorite pastimes was long, long hikes in the Alaskan forest, often alone or at least out of sight from me.

One of our favorite hikes was to go fishing at Hidden Lake, about 2 miles from the road. Our first time there, we found an old boat. On each visit we would re-patch the holes and leaving Loki on the shore, we would head out onto the lake. To say there were fish was an understatement - those trout were jumping into the boat like the lake was on fire! We were laughing and bailing and casting and catching. We could see Loki running along the shore, and then he got into the water. He was quite an accomplished swimmer, having learned while staying with Gramma and Grandpa in the Okanangan. He swam all the way out to the boat, and would not go back. We ended up quite wet as we pulled him into the boat, but he was very thrilled to watch us catch fish after fish. After that day, whenever we pulled out the fishing rods, he was the first one to the truck.

The flip side...

2011-01-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

Although Loki was half Karelian, his other side was German Shepherd. This hidden side did provide us some options for rewards during his training. For example, it turns out he lived for playing ball. A trait not normally found in Karelians. He also enjoyed searching for squeaky plush type toys. Using these two rewards helped us motivate Loki to track for us. I also spent a lot of hours documenting his body language so I could learn to read him. This skill gave me the ability to know when Loki was on a human track, and when he was on a critter track. This gave me the upper hand to be able to motivate Loki to stay on the human track, and not get sidelined into following the latest squirrel, moose, or beaver track into the Alaska wilds.

Breed type dictates training type

2011-01-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

Loki's puppy training went well overall. Nine years ago remember, is when Loki was a puppy. How does one train a Karellian Bear Dog? This breed has tons of prey drive (that is very different from play drive). The large game his ancestors were bred to help man hunt were something he was always searching for. This was going to be a challenge.

One day, I was out walking with Loki on a harness and a retractable long line, and a Moose walked across our trail. Loki gave chase - as I stood there watching Loki take off, and my calls having no influence on slowing him down, I watched the line spin out from the leash handle, knowing that Loki would reach the end and it would be uncomfortable for him to get jerked to a stop. As the line got to the the end, I felt a slight tug on the line and then watched as the harness disintegrated off Loki and he continued the chase without so much as a pause in his stride. The retractable leash brought the harness back to me, a sad and broken former harness limping back along the snow covered trail, to lay dead at my feet. The quiet of the boreal forest was shattered as I heard my dog finally corner the Moose and begin his barking to tell me he has located his quarry. How was I ever going to get this dog to track a human for me through a forest full of prey?

October pup

2011-01-24T16:22:00.001-08:00

Living by myself in a log cabin on the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska was an adventure. Many winter days I would look out my window or drive into my driveway to find Moose in my yard, eating, sleeping or just standing around. I was interested in finally finding a dog to call my own, and I felt a strong looking dog would be a good safety feature to have around the place. I also was active with the Search adn Rescue group and was interested in training my own dog.
Ad in the paper said Karellian Bear Dog - German Shepherd cross puppies. Read about this rare breeed and thought it might be perfect for Alaska. Chose a male, the one sitting at the back of the pack watching everyone else - seemed independant and that was good for me. Took him back to the cabin - and here here is sitting in the driveway - just watching.

Loki's life lessons

2011-01-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

A few months ago we posted our retired Search dog Loki was diagnosed with Cancer. His fight ended last Thursday.

It has been a really tough couple of weeks, and I thought as I had shared our work with Avatar over the past year and a half, I would share a few of the lessons I learned while training and working with Loki. A truly unique K9 who inspired me to become a full time dog trainer.

So stay tuned as I remember and share Loki's life lessons.

Owning your own Avatar

2011-01-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

Avatar is safe in the hands of his new handler. We spent a few days going through the Avatar owners manual, helping the two of them and the family begin the K9 Avatar - Human bond.
Here we see Tar in a heel with his new owner, both were very happy to be working and playing together.

Was it difficult to let Avatar go? Of course. You cannot train a dog properly without having an emotional attachment.
Would I do it again? Of course. Avatar is a very special K9 whose life includes a purpose which is to help others, and so he is, and he loves doing it.
Cost of doing this? Heartache for a short time, but the delight and joy from his new handler far outweighs my sadness.

"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a great deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." - Elenor Roosevelt

Avatar on the move

2011-01-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Tar's last night with us. Grampa came to travel with us, and Tar was very happy to see him!
Here they are cuddled up, Tar keeps Grampa's feet warm and keeps the snake close by just in case Grampa wants to play.

We leave tomorrow to deliver Tar to his new handler and home.

2 days to go

2011-01-10T19:22:00.001-08:00

If we could learn anything from dogs, I hope it would be the ability to live in the moment.

Today is the best day ever!

Who knew so much joy could be found in a snow filled ditch?

More fun with kids

2011-01-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago we went to visit some friends who have young boys. This is not a dog oriented family, and although the young humans were a little unsure of Avatar in the first hour, by the end of the visit they were following him around and even posed for some cheezy boys n'Avatar pictures - Avatar loved every minute of the visit - can you tell by his grin? New borders crossed beween the human and K9 worlds once again.

T minus 3 days and counting.......

Sleeper hold

2011-01-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Avatar takes on a crazy snake with a death wish last night. The highlight of the action was when the snake wrapped around Tar's neck in an attempted strangle hold. Things got tense, but then Avatar reached around and grabbed the snake in a fierce trachea crushing sleeper hold which Avatar held until he fell asleep - Tar fell asleep that is.

Both snake and Avatar are recovering nicely.

Cool K9

2011-01-03T07:18:00.001-08:00

As a result of the fight with the barbed wire ripping open Max's chest 2 times, he has been unable to grow back hair on his chest due to the scar tissue. The snow seems to accumulate and form ice packs over his scar tissue, so we needed to fix this. I made this jacket for him, and at first he was reluctant to have it on, but now he is quite happy to wear it - as you can see in the pictures above.

Christmas greetings!

2010-12-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

Phone... brought to you by Avatar

2010-12-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

Avatar is adding another task to his assistance jobs. He is learning to bring the cordless phone by request. How are we doing this? The first thing was to figure out how to get Tar to hold onto the phone without neccessarily covering it with his slobber. I searched the net in vain for something flexible, and of a texture that would enable us to add a scent to the "handle" as well as permit it to be attached to any cordless phone no matter where Avatars' owner went. So I built one.

Avatar will be able to pull the phone off the cradle, or locate it by its unique scent, which we have placed in the fabric of the handle. It is adjustable around the phone, to allow a snug fit on any cordless phone. We will post a video once we have this training complete, so you can see how it all works.

Blog abuse

2010-12-20T21:21:00.001-08:00

We are selling our 2005 Silverado 4WD Crew Cab Z71.

Click on the truck to read more about it if you are interested or pass along if you know of anyone seeking a really great truck.

All work, no play

2010-12-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

We have been on holidays for awhile, but Granma and Grandpa came out to look after the boys while we were away.

Although Avatar has been sold, we are finishing his training for his new owner which will include some assistance work.

In these pictures, you can see Grandpa getting Tar to open the latched door on command so he can go into his kennel for breakfast.

Step 1 - Avatar opening latch door from outside
Step 2 - Nose in and head thrust

Step 3 - Welcome!

The adventure continues....

2010-11-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

With mixed emotions we find ourselves helping Avatar onto his next adventure.

As the great Darth Vader once said " It is your destiny. "

Avatar's destiny has always been to assist humans in a time of need, and his future will now be to help his new handler maintain an independant lifestyle, with a little K9 assistance along the way.

Avatar will leave us towards the end of the year to his new home in the New England area.