Today started out as another BEAUTIFUL day for dogs.  I love the colours of fall.  We were lucky that the rain held off until we were getting ready to leave the park this afternoon.  Both groups went to Southland. 

The morning group welcomed our new friend Marty.  Marty is a 5-month-old Hava-Poo.  He is very small, has long black curls that will quickly become dreadlocks hanging around with us at the park.  He was a bit nervous being with a pack of strangers but seemed to relax a bit as we neared the end of the walk.  I know that Marty will become an integral member of our pack as he grows in size and confidence.  Luckily the rest of the gang ignored him, for the most part, after they checked him out thoroughly.  Copper has been sad since his buddy Diego died last week but seemed to rebound today when Reo and his nanny, Tammy, joined us.  Reo is a funny looking labradoodle but the nicest guy.  Nicky and Guiness were just their normal sweet selves (well except when Nicky would steal Everest's ball and then tease him with it.)  Whistler was the only one to make a complete mess of herself and in fact I am still waiting for her to dry (5 hours later).

The afternoon group was quite a mix of dogs.  Something for every taste but surprisingly they all got along.  Interesting to note that the two afternoon goldens (Lucy and Tucker) were the only ones to get themselves filthy too.  Maybe it is a golden thing?  His royal highness Cheetos was not thrilled to be out with commoners but gamely stuck it out although he would not touch the grass with his dainty toes and insisted on constant attention in the truck but scratching my arm while I was driving.  Clover, Hollie and Bruin mainly kept to themselves while Vinny R. made sure that everyone knew he was at the park.  He is such a party animal. 

Please remember that I am away Friday, October 8 and Monday, October 11.  Starting in October I will be offering regular walks on Saturdays.  The walk times will vary depending on demand. 

Cesar tip: Owners who have allowed their dogs to rule the house for many years will have to be especially persistent in upholding new rules if they want to see permanent change.*

*Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide

Fall Beautiful Fall

What a gorgeous day!  It just got warmer and warmer as the day progressed.  LOVE IT!!

The morning group went to Southland.  It was a warm up (so to speak) for the afternoon group.  Everest, Jin, Ryder, Rover and Whistler were all so well behaved.  Rover had a grin on his face from ear to ear as he went about hunting for those darn mice.  Jin always enjoys his adventures with his pals and gets so excited that he does a little dance for me on Monday mornings.  Even Ryder was in a good mood this morning (some days he wakes up cranky). 

The afternoon group was a little more fiesty but only for the first few minutes.  We played a vigorous game of fetch that everyone participated in except for Sol and Aija.  They had other things to do besides chasing tennis balls.  Gabby, Pina, Bailey and Sam really got into the game and of course the boxer sisters, Destiny and Taylor just went along for the exercise.  When we arrived at Edworthy there was two other dog walkers waiting to park and at least two others who had just unloaded.  There must have been close to 50 dogs in the immediate area for at least five minutes and not one fight, curled lip or growl was heard.  I was extremely proud of my group for their friendly behaviour.  By the time the walk was over the heat was getting to the dogs and they happily lapped up 4 litres of water and settled down for an afternoon nap. 

Everest and I have taken two of Larry's training classes.  Please consider attending this seminar.   

The K9 Counselor Presents

YOU & YOUR DOG

Understanding and Applying

The

Philosophy Of Leadership

If you have ever struggled with understanding your dog and why it does or does not do certain things, then this seminar is for you. The K9 Counselor (Larry Neilson) has over thirty years of hands on experience working with dogs. Larry has carefully studied canine behaviors and most importantly what he refers to as "behavior drivers"

This seminar is designed to help you become a better leader. A leader your dog will trust and respect.

During the course of this seminar Larry will discuss topics such as ; Philosophy, Equipment, The "Balanced Training" Method, Instinctual Stimuli, Fundamental rules, Phases of Training, Myths, the Dogs Senses, Energy, How Dogs Learn, Teaching vs Controlling, Pack Leaders and Pack Instincts, the Role of Confidence, Respect and How to Earn it, Behavior Drivers, and more. There will also be a live demonstration immediately following the seminar.

Questions will be accepted and answered

When:            Sunday October 24th, 2010

Time:             2:00 PM until approximately 4:30 PM 

Where:           Dogsville, Bay 2, 4921-120 Ave SE

Admission: $50.00 per person

Call 403-257-5257 or 403-651-7987 to register

Method of Payment: Cheque, MC or Visa

Sun Sun Mr. Golden Sun

Wow!!  What a beautiful day for dogs and their walker.  No towels, not smelly coats, no smeared floors.  I love it.  There are still large mud puddles but for the most part the dogs stayed out of them (well almost everyone - Sam, Rover & Everest!)  I think that the three of them just wanted to get into the river for a while.

Both groups went to Southland today.  Whistler, Bruin, Everest, Guinny pig, Nicky, Ryder and Ziggy enjoyed the morning walk.  There seemed to be a lot of black labs at the park today and this excited Ziggy and Ev.  I'm not sure how they do it but they gravitate to their own kind.  Whistler found the disgusting boggy areas of the park and was still gross when I got home.  Nicky and Guinness have so much fun together.  They truly love each other which is very sweet.  Ryder was in a good mood this morning which was nice because he is not usually a morning guy.

The afternoon group welcomed back Clover after rehab and she was thrilled to out and about with her buddies although she was not thrilled to have to sit beside them in the truck - the girl likes her space.  The midgets (CPC Cheetos, Harley, and Frank) were happy to be dry and warm for a change.  Hollie the collie bless her old heart just loves to be outside and she tries so hard to keep up and be involved in everything.  Shae, our little party animal, never met a person, animal or blade of grass she did not like. 


I will be offering the referal bonus again.  Know any fun friendly dogs refer them to Fun for Dogs and recieve a $75.00 credit to your dog's walks. 


Cesar tip: Always make sure your leadership with your dog is firmly in place before bringing a baby into the home.  After that, treat the new arrival as an extension of your own leadership.  Create firm and non-negotiable boundaries for the dogs, don't allow excitement, and remember always to supervise infants and animals.*

*Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide

Tuesday All Day

Again we were lucky with the rain holding off for the walks.  Both groups went to Southland today. 

Copper, Everest, Guiness, Nicky, Ryder and especially Whistler enjoyed getting out today.  Whistler had been camping all weekend and although she loves that she misses getting to run free at the park.  Copper and Everest played which is really funny considering the size differance.  Mostly they would just stare at each other until one or the other would jump and then they would bark and run around and then set up to stare at each other again.  Copper misses beagle buddy Diego quite a bit.  Nicky, as usual, bossed all the other dogs around at the park - some of them listened and others didn't but he kept on trying.  Ryder and Guinness were just their normal sweet selves.  Everyone stayed out of the puddles but Nicky & Whistler with their long hair still got quite messy. 

Nobody has more fun at the park then Georgie.  That kid just goes and doesn't care what else is going on around him.  He unfortunately found the mud puddles and was quite gross when I got him home.  Baby Rose was with us again today and she is learning very quickly that not all dogs like her &/or want to play with her.  She is learning to stay with the pack if she gets frightened.  Hollie is back to afternoon shift now that we have no fear of overly warm weather anymore.  She was able to stay with the group which is quite something considering her age but as soon as she got comfy in the back seat of the truck I heard a big sigh and she fell asleep.  Harley, Rover and Cheetos just enjoyed the fresh air, exercise and being with friends. 

Cesar tip:  Improving your dog's behaviour is like staying on a diet.  You'll see lasting results only if you stick with it for a long time.*

*Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide

Please remember/note that I will NOT being walking dogs on Friday, October 8.  Acara from See Spot Run will be happy to walk your dog. 

Mellow Morning and Rowdy Afternoon

Well we still didn't have sunshine but the rain held offf for both walks on Monday.  The morning group was so mellow I could have sat in my truck with a coffee and a book and called them 75 minutes later.  With only four boys - Jin, Rover, Ryder and Everest - there wasn't much I had to do.  They were so good they didn't even slosh around in the mud puddles like they usually do.  There was a lot of running through the tall grass and a couple of them went "hunting" for mice. 

I used the morning group to build up my strength for the afternoon group!  This bunch was much much busier and rowdier than their friends in the morning.  The girls obviously ruled the park and the pack and the two boys (Frank and Copper) just tagged along.  Baby Rose and Taylor are now best friends and they played HARD together.  Sometimes it was hard to see where one left off and the other one started.  Casey was the smallest and the oldest of the pack but she definitely has not lost her leadership qualities.  Everyone got along great and I was really proud of their manners and recall when we met up with other individual dogs and groups at the park. 

On a sad note - our little buddy Diego the beagle died late last week.  He died of some sort of non-contagious lung problem.

Dear Diego,
Rest in peace porkchop.  You will be missed.
Ellen and all your friends

More Soggy Dogs

When will it end?  Even for a west coast girl like me this is too much!!  Both groups went to Southland park today.  They all thoroughly enjoyed the mud puddles or mosch pits as they wrestled in the mud.  This was not just a couple of dogs but ALL the dogs.  I spent quite a bit of time cleaning mucky paws and tummies.  Please forgive me for the piles of sand in your houses. 

Copper missed his best buddy Diego who was out with a serious lung problem.  He seemed lonely in the morning and in the afternoon broke out of his funk and tried to get Harley, the Walmart greeter, to chase him.  Harley was not that interested.  

Georgie was by far the dog having the most fun today.  He was just giddy with excitement about being out with his buddies.  But it was little Shay that kept everyone on their toes.  For being new to the pack and being so young she sure can get the boys hopping.  She played with Everest, Georgie, Vinnie  but wisely stayed away from CPC Cheetos and Franky (they don't dig bouncy puppies.)

Cesar Tip: Everyone needs to be consistent when giving discipline so the dog doesn't get mixed messages about which behaviours are or aren't allowed. *

*Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide

Towels, Towels, Towels Please!!

Soggy Doggy

What a gross day weather wise!  Wet all around.  The only consolation to the bad weather is that the parks are virtually empty and that lets us have more room for fun!!

Maya from McKenzie Towne and Vinnie blue eyes got to join the Monday regulars Rover, Everest, Whistler, Ryder, Bruin and Jin.  The only one to complain about the weather was Ryder but he is not known as the outdoorsy type.  The highlight of his walk was running into some Schnauzers and having a bark-fest with them.  Bruin was a little slow after spending a week off at the cottage with the 'rents and had to take several breaks where he sat down and waited for the group to move before he got up again.  Mostly the dogs enjoyed roughhousing and splashing in the puddles. 

The afternoon nutjobs (Bailey, Sam, Gabby, Pina, Taylor, Destiny and Everest) enjoyed playing ball while Frank watched from the sidelines.  I usually start this group off with several minutes of high intensity fetch in order to burn off some of the tension from driving.  They love the competition and usually end up calm and easy to manage before we set out into the park for sniffing and socializing with other dogs and packs.  Mostly it was other packs in the park and at one point four groups converged at the same intersection of paths.  That was quite a sight - that many dogs all getting along.  Time for us people to say "hi" check in for any news and then split up and move on again.  You can all be VERY proud of your furry friends today.  I saw nothing but good behaviour.

Cesar Tip:  Even though it may seem cute at first, never let a little dog get away with anything you wouldn't let a big dog get away with.  Remember, dogs are dogs first, before breed and name.*

* Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide


Remember to leave towels by the door for messy paws. 

  

Service Dogs and New Dogs

We welcomed the dry cool weather.  It made for a pleasant walk.  Both groups were at Southland today.  They all enjoyed the huge mud puddles and took advantage of running through with faces happily down and slurping up the scummy water or just having a little rest to cool off after running around for a while.  The morning dogs seemed to pair off to play - Everest and Ziggy, Nicky and Guiness, Copper and Diego while Ryder and Vinny maintained their "cool dude" attitude and played lone wolves.  Rounding everyone up to go home was the challenge of the day.  They all seemed to want to stay longer and scattering at the end seems to accomplish this goal.  This morning we met up with Eli and his "dad".  Eli is a service dog for an autistic boy and his dad was telling me about how the school board has denied the boy the right to have his service dog in the classroom with him.  What a shame that this dog cannot do the job he has been trained to do.

The afternoon the group welcomed Shea to the pack.  She is a 9-month-old blue healer cross.  She is very well behaved and has a nice even temperament and an unusual love of tiny dogs.  All the dogs were patient with her but she formed a special friendship with Georgie (labradoodle) and they played together quite a bit.  Several times we had to cut across the park and the dogs all enjoyed plundering through the tall grass.  Well all the dogs except for CPC Cheetos.  (CPC stands for crown prince of Calgary.)  He refused to venture into the grass as he hates to get his teeny precious feet wet and consequently we had to plunder back through the grass have him rejoin the pack.  Harley and he other small dogs loved getting into the grass and came out the other sides with huge grins on their faces.  The dogs also seemed to enjoy it when I would weave in and out of the mounds of dirt - hide and seek for dogs!  Frank looked so handsome with his hair washed and cut but his "dad" would not be pleased to have seen him standing in the puddles.  

Cesar Tip: As service dogs prove, animals don't care if their owners have physical disabilities.  If people project the energy of a pack leader - mental strength, not physical perfection - they can always become strong calm-assertive dog owners.*

*Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide

Wild Dogs

The morning group got absolutely soaked!  Imagine what 8 wet dogs smells like.  YUCKY!!  But boy did they have FUN.  Southland was virtually empty and the dogs took full advantage of the space and freedom to be just dogs.  Maya, Everest, Rover and Sydney ran and chased and barked and tackled each other.  I am surprised that they had enough energy to walk back to the truck.  If anyone saw them they would have thought that they had gone wild.  So much fun to see them enjoy being animals and most importantly nobody got hurt.  Vinny Link and Whistler tried to join in but only had short bursts of energy for the cause.  Even for dogs it sucks getting old.  Poor little J and Ryder looked and acted like drown, shivering rats.  It's not easy being little in this climate.

The afternoon group went to Edworthy and we enjoyed a brief dry spell.  As this is such a high energy group we started out playing ball.  The blondes - Sam, Pina, Gabby and Bailey were most invested in this game although Meeko the fetching great dane got the ball a few times and the boxer sisters made a jaunty effort although they still don't know why they are running.  Slevin & Meeko enjoyed some big boy play and wrestled off and on.  We met up with Jennifer and her Lets Get Walked group and it made quite a sight all those dogs getting along and enjoying just being together. 

As always, I love my job and my hairy, wet and stinky friends!!

PS Please leave some old towels by the door.

Cesar Tip: Dogs live in the moment.  That's why they can quickly overcome years of behavioural issues with the proper guidance.*

*Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide

What a glorious fall day.  Beautiful sunshine and not too hot.  Both groups went to Southland today and enjoyed the gigantic mud puddles created by the long weekend rain.  Mud boots for everybody except Hollie the collie.  Copper, Diego, Guiness, Nicky, Ryder, Penny and Everest had a good time chasing each other.  Copper especially enjoyed chasing after Everest.  It was too cute to see such a big dog (Everest) being such a big chicken with a little guy.  E would jump back and put his hackles up and then run in huge circles with Copper chasing.  This was so much fun that Diego and a boxer we met earlier joined in the fun.  Penny and Nicky made sure everyone else stayed in line.  We had the opportunity to say hello to the morning regulars and Aija and Sol's friend Khalua.  Everyone was patient as I cleaned up all the poop and coffee cups left by the weekend walkers.  YUCKY!      

The afternoon group included Harley (our Wal-Mart greeter), Rover (our mouse hunter), Aija and Sol (our friendly couch potatoes), Copper and Diego (our beagle boys), "cranky" Franky who wasn't really cranky at all and Baby E (again because, yes, I spoil my dog).  We made quite a noisy enterance to the park but the dogs quickly settled down which is good because there seemed to be a lot more people there this afternoon.  We ran into Newman a friendly mutt who enjoys good old rough play and everyone took turns playing with him.  Later we caught up to a woman named Tara who has a two year old female Caine Courso that she would like to find a good home for.  The dog is black and looks tough but is really well behaved and friendly.  She has good manners in the house and has been spayed.  If you know anyone who would want her please let me know.       


Cesar Tip: Giving comfort and affection to a dog when it displays nervousness, fear or aggression will nuture the unwanted behaviour.*


*The Dog Whisperer, The Ultimate Episode Guide

More Good Dogs

This morning was a bit chilly but about half way through the walk the sun was shining down on us all.  Both groups walked at Southland today.  All the dogs were exceptionally well behaved today and not one of them got into the swamp!!  YAY!!  That smells sooo gross - both of my retrievers went in yesterday.  YUCK.  Ziggy was back after a long summer vacation and Everest was happy to have his buddy back.  Nicky, Guiness, Diego and Copper get along so well and really enjoy each other.

It was a big group this afternoon and surprisingly everyone was extremely well behaved until it came time to head back to the truck and then there was a minor revolt as Sam, Bruin and Everest made a run for the river.  That meant I had to turn the rest of the group around and hurd them back toward the river.  Cheetos, Diego and Copper were tired by this point and were reluctant to move from the places they had parked themselves.  It took a lot of coaxing and a couple of leashes to get those stubborn little boys moving again.  Once at the river everyone took the opportunity to cool off and get just wet enough for dust to stick nicely to the paws.  Prior to the revolt Baby Rose pranced around chasing grasshoppers as only a 5 month old puppy can do.  Harley assigned himself to "greeter" duties and wanted to remain at the parking lot gates saying hello to everyone as they came through. 

Cesar Tip: Feeling sorry for a dog that has been abused can actually have negative repercussions for the very animal you want to help.  In the animal world, sympathy is a weak energy.  The best thing we humans can do for abused animals is to provide them with the kind of confident, calm-assertive leadership they can trust, and to give them room to regain their natural peach of mind.*


* Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, The Ultimate Episode Guide