Everybody makes mistakes.

Woof has crated a lot of drama as of late and even put his life on the line. Over a week ago he bit our landlord fairly seriously. He was overly excited on his tie out, very worked up, barking, kangaroo jumping, husky talking etc. We were standing with her talking about tree trimming and removal, she decided to say hi to him, I went with her afraid that’d jump on her nice work clothes and attempted to keep him from ruining it. She bent down to his level, held her hand out for him to sniff, which he did but followed it by a serious bite to her wrist. Immediately after he laid down and was perfectly calm.

Our landlord was incredible about it, she stuck around for awhile after, still talking about the trees and some gardening questions we had, we asked several times if we could flush it and bandage it for her but she refused. Afterwards I sent her an email, explaining how sorry I was and that we weren’t taking this lightly. I was scared to death we’d be evicted or Woof would have to be euthanized, something I was heavily considering myself as I didn’t want to have a dog that did this sort of thing. She stated she wouldn’t be pressing charges did want us to muzzle him, make sure he couldn’t get loose and said she wanted to be kept up to date on his progress as I said we would be contact a professional to get their opinion.

We meet with said professional tomorrow evening. I’ve spoken with her on the phone and she calmed my fears. He is not an aggressive dog, truly aggressive dogs are rare. He is frustrated, he is stressed, he is lacking confidence and he is lacking impulse control however. All of which can be changed with training. Thank goodness!

So after this I went on the hunt for a muzzle. I decided on the Baskerville Ultra. It’s lightweight, mouldable, great airflow. Plus they can still drink, receive treats during training and there are countless decorative ideas with these handy muzzles. We had tried a metal basket muzzle for a few days prior to getting the Baskerville but not only did I not like it Woof despised it. It was heavier, I feared the metal would get hot in the warmer months and cold in the colder months, it was hard to praise him with treats as the bars didn’t allow enough space which only frustrated him and he kept banging it off objects (including myself which hurt) hurting himself. He was much more accepting of the Baskerville muzzle. We’ve been working daily on conditioning him with it and he’s doing incredibly well even been walking with it on and 90% of the time he doesn’t bother with it until he decides he wants it off to go after a bird, or another dog.

We've had a few encounters as you can imagine of people not liking the fact that I am muzzling one of my dogs. But surprisingly, the majority of people we encounter are very positive about it. I'm eager for tomorrow and what else the behaviorist has to say. 

Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #6

This time we have one from a follower of our Facebook page.

"I haven't spayed my 6 year old Beagle mix, I've taken serious consideration in this and decided that I will not spay her. I'll leave her intact even though I have no plans on breeding her. I feel it is better for her health and while there are certain health risks involved with keeping her intact I feel they don't outweigh the health risks of getting her spayed. I am incredibly watchful and cautious so there are no mistake litters and I feel if anything that makes me a good pet owner as I am having to be far more responsible than those who have altered dogs (saying that those that do alter are not bad owners either)." - Melissa

Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #5

I use a laser pointer on my dog. I know there are the people out there that don't agree with it because it creates OCD type behaviors and even mentally hurts them as they never really catch their "prey" but I believe the OCD risk depends on the individual dog and how you use the pointer. As for the mentally harming them, that's easy enough to avoid by the use of treats, at the end of the game I aim the pointer at an area where a treat was hidden while he was distracted or one is tossed at him as he pounces on the dot.

Santa Paws came to town.

And the Christmas rush is over! Yay! I finally have time to blog again. Christmas was crazy, working two jobs is for the birds especially when both have the Christmas rush. Being a groomer in a remote area doesn’t pay the bills so I also work at a department store 30 hours a week. I’d come home from one job and start another, days off one job were worked at the other. I was beat to say the least. The boys had a wonderful Christmas.

Their stockings were stuffed and larger gifts wrapped and as a last minute thing I bought them several new blankets since they were on sale at the department store. Of course despite buying several (one for each of the two crates and one for the dog bed) they all wanted the dog bed, same with the toys, they each got a new toy, Woof got an obnoxious squeaker moose head, Ranger got a bah-humbug snowman and Boone got a weird monster, floppy limb thing that reminded me of his most favourite puppyhood toy a West Paw Salsa. Boone also got a pack of Kong squeaker tennis balls as he’s a ball hound. But they all want the same toy, Woof’s moose head. Go figure. Besides the toys they each got a bone, I managed to even find one that was low in fat for the problem child, and a few packages of treats, dehydrated sweet potato chews and salmon balls that look oddly like cheese balls, even the container.

I’m normally pretty strict about their diets but on Christmas day it was a free for all. They got pancakes for breakfast and a feed of jiggs dinner later in the day (we held the gravy on Woof’s). By the end of the day the boys were in a blissful, Christmas coma. If Christmas day was a beautiful dream for them than Boxing day was a nightmare. Back to the old routine which they, especially Ranger didn’t understand and refused to believe, he wanted our breakfast our lunch our dinner, he wanted the treats, demanded it. Ever have a 95lb Mooseador demand something from you? I also rearranged the living room furniture which promptly put Boone in a tramatic spaz and then he refused to come into the living room for hours. By the evening though he was coming in and laying in the doorway at least and this morning he’s actually back to normal, or as normal as he gets anyways.

Talk Big Tuesday - The Furminator

Maybe I’m the odd man out but I don’t get the big deal about the furminator. I’ve used both the brand and the knock offs and honestly not over the moon about them, yet I see all these people treating it like it’s the best thing since the internet. I personally don’t like them and don’t think they’re the golden child of the grooming world.

Sometimes teeth on combs and brushes snap off, they get dropped, or maybe they get snagging on something. But on a lot of other tools you can still use them without fear of hurting the dog. Not so with the furminator, if one of these teeth break off that thing is useless, why? Because they are essentially a 30 blade with a handle, they are sharp and using them with broken teeth can and has cut dogs.

As I mentioned the furminator is basically a 30 blade (one of the shortest blades in grooming used for show type clipping (clean face/feet on poodles), on severely matted coats and under snap on combs) on a handle. It doesn’t just remove the undercoat it cuts the coat and can permanently damage it and the skin when used wrong, heck I’ve seen it used properly and it damage the coat.

I’ve had a few clients and heard about others that use it on their long coated dogs thinking that’s the only tool they need. Wrong, the furmintaor simply does not get through all the layers of the coat on some breeds and all you end up doing is cutting up the top coat and leaving the undercoat to mat, it just doesn’t do a thorough grooming job.

The price for this brush is OUTRAGEOUS for what it can\can’t do and quality.

I can do just as good, no actually a better job at deshedding with other tools like a slicker brush and greyhound comb than the furminator can only dream of. And not as a professional groomer but as an owner. As I said I’ve used both the furminator and knock off versions (which by the way no difference except price) as an owner before I ever became a groomer and didn’t like it, I found I could do better with other tools that were more cost effective and higher quality, later as a groomer I found it to be even more true. A slicker brush, greyhound comb and undercoat rake and high quality shampoo do the job far more effectively and efficiently, I also give a lot of credit to my high velocity dryer, this is a professional tool but anyone can buy one, I’ll never be without one ever.

Meet Boone

So I’ve been severally lacking on this blog, we had internet troubles, things got complicated in life and then we were on vacation. Anyways I thought I’d come back and actually introduce the dogs as I never did that. So without further ado, meet Boone.

I renamed "perrywinkle" before I even brought him home.

I was working at the humane society when Boone was brought in as a 3 month old puppy in the freezing winter. He had a horribly broken front leg which required some hardware to fix and was extremely fear aggressive. He wanted no one near his kennel, especially children and men it seemed but really he didn’t like anyone touch him or being near him. He’d put on a very believing show even as young as he was, growling, barking, showing teeth and lunging at the door all while urinating himself. There was only a few that seemed to be able to handle him with little trouble and me who could do whatever I wanted with him without so much as a nervous glance. I’d take extra time and play with him while I fed the others and cleaned the kennels, letting him run around the kennel block while I worked occasionally dabbling in a game of “I’m gunna getcha” which he would loose his mind about (in a good way) and still does. Which basically was stopping what I was doing and running after him to try and “smack” his bum.

Caring for "his babies", he was a big help with the foster kittens.

Once the leg was healed they kept him in the veterinary kennel ward and tried to adopt him out to families with children. My first thought was none to kind about that decision. The dog was terrified and clearly not suited for a life with young children in a busy household. Some dogs just can’t deal with that. I felt awful as they stood there time and time again with an adoption councillor outside his kennel as he got more and more upset. Afterwards I’d go and take him outside for a walk and cool down time, in a matter of minutes the wide eyes, shaking, hunched/tense posture and heavy breathing would stop and once again he’d be normal happy to have a game of snowball catch which by the way he was horrible at.

Keeping his eyes on the ball, forever and always.

One of the vets suggested during a routine exam of him that I take him, “just foster him for a bit, get him used to home life and out of here” yeah… just foster for a bit. I think it was clear to her that Boone had taken a liking to me and I him despite the fact that I didn’t feel I should get a second dog when my senior Lab/Staffy mix was in declining health much less a fear aggressive puppy. But yes I did end up fostering him on a “foster to adopt” contract and he never left which I knew he wouldn’t the moment we went home after my shift and he (after much coaxing) got into the front seat with a big sigh and slept the whole way home. He adored the cats, we had two personal cats and 3 fosters at any given time, always feral kittens. He’d take the roll of mom, clean them, play with them, sleep with them and when they did hungry cries rubbing up against him and gently pawing at him he’d lay down and they’d suckle his tummy while I went to the kitchen and got them a real meal. My senior dog however just found him annoying despite Boone’s desperate attempts to make friends and get him to play.

 

The day after... still a little confused about this neutering thing.

 He was a great comfort when my Lab/Staffy mix passed. I brought Boone home in January by that June we had to help Drifter cross the bridge. That morning they played like never before. Drifter had never been a playful dog with other dogs but he actually ran and played as best he could with Boone, Boone was in his glee! Finally he’s playing with me! We spent the day with Drifter doing all of the things we’d done in younger years that he had loved. Then brought Boone home and went to the vet. When we came back to my parents Boone seemed confused, searched high and low but no big black Drifter to be found. Where had his buddy gone? We headed home and Boone is what kept me from going crazy. The cats were a small help as well but Boone was a dog and I could do what I had done with Drifter. We went for long walks in the country, played ball, tug, chase, cuddled and just talked to him. The doggy routine was there to keep me going despite being one less dog. For the next year every time Boone saw a black dog that resembled the shape of Drifter he’d eagerly want to approach or if he was off leash he’d just take off tail wagging madly. Only to find out that the dog wasn’t Drifter and he would clearly become upset by this. Boone was never a big lover of other dogs, he’d play and chase them but not excited by them otherwise. Then I brought Woof home, Boone needed a friend, he needed another dog and so did I. It just didn’t feel right otherwise. They got along like they’d been friends all their life with the occasional scuffle such as when Woof had a nasty inner ear infection and Boone grabbed his ear. Woof didn’t take that too pleasantly. The two of them have a similar play style that a lot of other dogs we met didn’t have and often didn’t appreciate. Herding breeds like to chase, are vocal and can be quite rough in play, Woof being part Border Collie takes after that style.

This is how to find the squirrel Ranger.

When we moved to Newfoundland the first winter he went missing for 5 days in February. I was at work and my father was at the house and couldn’t find Boone. He’d let them outside, Boone was never leashed despite the fact that we didn’t have a fenced in yard but he never ventured off the property. He’d let him out and than ran out himself for no more than 5 minutes just down the road like he’d done countless times before. When he came back no Boone just paw prints and snow mobile tracks. We assume some of the brats down the road gave him a fright and chase on their snow mobiles and Boone took off across the frozen bay in fright. Just about every night that week was a snow storm and freezing cold temperatures not to mention coyotes that were hungry and desperate at this time. We put it on the radio, posters, internet searched day and night in shifts for him, never dreaming he had actually crossed the bay. We got a phone call, a man had just heard the radio and had just come across a dog he was sure was Boone on the road eating garbage. He stopped his car and checked with his binoculars and the tag read “little brown jug” but Boone was skittish and quickly took off into the trees. Definitely Boone, he had a tag with that on the front and info on the back. He had crossed the bay, so we made the hour drive to that small town, the people were helpful, but Boone was panicked and couldn’t be found. They’d leave bowls of wet food out, chunks of raw meat and leave their shed doors open just enough in case he needed shelter. Always keeping their eyes out for him. At night they would seem him go out into the frozen cove and howl for about an hour before taking off into the trees again. Checking the ice they were defiantly his tracks as what other animal constantly spins a circle every few steps? We ended up getting a call that someone had him in their house, the man had found him curled up under a tree while out snow mobiling with this young daughter. He was near death, cold, tired and very skinny. They had brought him home and set him up with blankets food and water by their fireplace. He could barely stand but tried as I came in the door and called him. He survived with no health problems only to go missing the next winter for 3 days after getting spooked by an explosion while I was in grooming school and he was with my husband this time in a large city he didn’t know. He was almost shot by one man thinking he was a coyote the only thing that stopped him was the reflector on his collar caught his attention just as he was about to shoot. Ranger ended up finding him near a farmer’s field on the outskirts of the city, in much better condition than last time. Ranger started barking and crying in one area and refused to leave, shortly after Boone came running out of the trees a little way down.

Always game for some walking trails!

I’ve come a long way with Boone, we moved from Ontario to Newfoundland and now Labrador, he’s been there through break ups and heart aches. And his fear aggression has gotten so much better. A short stint of muzzle wearing in public got me crucified by many people but it was in the safety of Boone and the public I did it after he grabbed one poor woman as she was walking her dog with us and lunged at another person as he went past us. He’s 6 years old now, an eye catching German Shepherd/Australian Cattle Dog mix with a metal leg and anxiety issues but he’s come so far with his behaviour problems and fits in quite well here. I was told when I first got him that dogs with his anxiety disorder tend to get worse as they age and for awhile that didn’t seem to be true but this year I can see it. We’ve been playing with medications both natural and chemical to try and give him (and us) some relief from the anxiety that plagues him. He still dislikes children and doesn't tolerate them well, nor does he appreciate strangers or family/friends in the house. He's quite good with my husband, though he is very much a mama's boy. But a lover of other animals especially small dogs, cats, rabbits and completely ball obsessed. He’s created my love of Heelers and the desire to have them in the near future.

My constant companion.

Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #4

I let my dogs eat peanut butter. I let them lick the butter knife after making a PB&J, or slip some medication in them with it or when visiting my parents my father likes to give them each a piece of bread smeared with it  (or cheese whiz) every morning. People poo-poo me. It causes cancer, diabetes and heart disease oh my! Everything causes cancer, heart disease and diabetes these days, I think humans really blow some things out of proportion. I draw the line at feeding them jars of it every day though...